Thank you to our PTO for providing so many fun activities this past year for North. The students enjoyed a puppet show, an author visit, and character education program. The wonderful parents that volunteered this year made Fun Day and other school events a success. Thank you for all you do!

Enjoy your summer spending time with families and friends. See you in September.

Our Carnegie Science Day was a huge success thanks to our parent volunteers. We started the day with an all school assembly with the help of a Carnegie Science Instructor and a robot. The students then had time to explore robotic stations with their grade. The favorite stations were building a circuit and programming a robotic car. The Rockin' Robot World Tour was a fun-filled program. Please take a look at the pictures on our Event page.

A big Thank You to Mr. Stride and the Stride Tree Service. He donated 4 Maple Trees to North Elementary. Each student was able to help fill in the dirt as the trees were being planted.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate Arbor Day! Please look at the photos on our Event Page.

The Mother/Son Movie night will begin at 6:00 pm Friday night. Please come early to visit the Scholastic Buy One Get One Book Fair. Raffle tickets  for the fingerprint watering can and boy's basket will also be available to purchase.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to turn in Pepperoni Roll money and forms. Thank you to all who have helped with this fundraiser.

Happy Earth Day! The school celebrated Earth Day last Friday. The students visited 5 stations in the school. They learned about recycling, water pollution, planted vegetables and flowers, made a craft and enjoyed an "Earth"cookie. A big thank you to Kohl's Department Store, Peg  from the Green Team, Shelly form the Soil and Water Conservation District, and our PTO volunteers. They helped to make this event a memorable one for the students and staff.

Tomorrow is our "quarter day" for collecting coins for the Leukemia Pennies for Patients drive. Our penny and nickel days totalled $158. I have been sharing stories of children that have been affected by leukemia during our morning announcements. Please ask your child about these brave patients. Thank you for all those that were able to donate their spare change.

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Zoo paid a visit to North thanks to our PTO. They brought 3 zoo animals, opossum, turtle, and a bird of prey, to show the students. Nine students were selected from the audience to participate in trivia questions. Their presentation was focused on conservation of water and taking care of the environment. This was a nice introduction for our upcoming Spring Fest.

Just a reminder that there is no school for students on Monday, April 15th due to training for the Poland staff. Thank you.

North was treated to a special visit today from Jackson and his mother, Mrs. Diaz. We were introduced to him and heard about his rare disease called Apert Syndrome. Mrs. Diaz read two books to the children about being different. The visit was ended with the students asking questions to Mrs. Diaz. We are starting a Pepperoni Roll fundraiser this Friday. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Jackson and his family to help with medical costs. Please be watching for the order forms later this week. Thank you for your support.

Poland North Elementary is participating in a Phone Book Recycling contest. We will be collecting used phone books from April 1st-April 30th. We are competing against 3 other schools in the area. Our school has a chance to win $500. Please ask your family, friends and place of work for their old telephone books to recycle. We want to be winners - for the Earth and North! 

I would like to extend a big "Thank you" to Dr. Logan. He came for a dental visit today with our Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades. He talked about the importance of brushing the correct way and the importance of choosing healthy snacks. The students were treated to a video about taking care of your teeth. All of the students left with samples and information from Dr. Logan.

Attention all North Girls! The reservation and money for Father/Daughter Night is due on Wednesday. This special event will be at North Elementary on Thursday night from 5:30-8:00. Please wear your dancing shoes for a fun-filled night of line-dancing and games. Dinner and pictures will begin at 5:30. Hope to see you there!

The PTO will be selling raffle tickets during lunch Tuesday-Thursday and also during the Father/Daughter Night. Each class, made a customized chip-n-dip with their fingerprint. Each fingerprint was turned into a sports ball of the student's choice. Tickets are 1 for $1 or 5 for $6. The winners will be drawn on Friday.

The 4th Grade Recognition meeting will be this evening. It will be held at 6:30 at the Poland Library.

Tonight at 6:30 is our March PTO Meeting. Our agenda will be to elect new Officers, finalize the Father/Daughter Night, and talk about the Spring Treat. We will also have samples of our April Pepperoni Roll Fundraiser. Hope you can make it!

Just a reminder...the Gorant, coffee, and plant fundraiser money and orders are due tomorrow. Please make all checks payable to Poland North Elementary. Thank you for your support in our fundraising efforts.

Congratulations to Miss Gura's Kindergarten class. They won a doughnut breakfast party from our PTO for the Box Top contest. The Kindergarten class turned in a total of 111 Box Top sheets. Our school earned $420! Thank you to everyone who turned in Box Tops!

Our Spring Pictures were re-scheduled for Tuesday, March 12th. Originally it was scheduled for tomorrow but had to be changed due to our 3rd and 4th grade fieldtrip. If you are going on the hockey fieldtrip, please remember to pack a lunch and drink. Thank you for understanding the changes that needed to be made.

Our Bake Sale will continue tomorrow because of the generosity of our parents, staff, and grandparents. There was an abundance of sweets donated for this event. The items will be sold for 50 cents during the lunch times on Wednesday. I am so proud to say I am a part of this wonderful school that shows such support and kindness to others!

North is having a Bake Sale on Tuesday, February 12th. All of the money raised will benefit the Diaz family, Poland residents whose older children attended North. Their youngest son, born last summer, will require many surgeries throughout his life due to a rare disease. Pleae help us show our support for this family that has given so much to North. Sweet treats will be sold for 50 cents-$1.00. The Bake sale will be held during the lunch hour. Thank you for your support.

The first day of our Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success. Thank you to all the parents who helped the students with their book shopping! The Book Fair will be open for parents to visit and shop today only until 4:00. Wednesday will be the last shopping day at the school for the students. The on-line shopping will be available until February 19th. The link for Scholastic is on our homepage. Happy Reading!

Due to the unexpected days off, report cards will not be coming home on Friday. The district has decided that all report cards will be sent home on Monday. Thank you for understanding.

Good news is heading our way next week! We were pleased that our Board of Education approved the Elementary Physical Education teachers to return. Mrs. Schenker and Mr. W will be teaching all the gym classes beginning next week. Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes on their gym day. Some classes have changed their assigned day due to scheduling conflicts. Wednesday: Mrs Hay, Mrs Resch, and Mrs. Metzger. Thursday: Kindergarten Friday: Mrs. Hoover, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade.

Mrs Wittenauer's 2nd graders were busy with an activity to conclude their latest Reading story. The students read a folktale about a tiger called Nine-in-One Grr...Grr. They learned facts about Siberian tigers, such as they can grow up to 9 feet long and 4 feet tall. The tiger they made was about 7.5 feet long and one that I would not like to see walking through our hallways!!

I always enjoy sharing good news. Last night, I picked up new basketball rims and nets for our school's gym. A huge "Thank You" to the anonymous Poland resident who donated these basketball items. It is just another example of a Random Act of Kindness. I shared this news with the students and explained ways for them to "pay it forward" in their own act of kindness. It is about treating others kindly and not about receiving the acknowledgement for your kind act.

Tonight at 6:30 is our January PTO meeting. We will be discussing the upcoming Book Fair and re-capping our Winter Fest. We look forward to seeing everyone!

We have been discussing our monthly Character Trait during our morning announcements. The month of January focuses on "Determination". As one of our students explains: "Not giving up when you are in the middle of doing something." The students gave many examples of how they showed determination. Some included: learning how to ride a bike, rollerskating, and multiplication facts. I shared a story of a girl today who showed her determination to go to college after she had an accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. Not only did she attend college, but graduated from Harvard University. Tonight at dinner would be a great time to share your own determination success stories with your child.

Happy New Year! Today we spoke about all the outdoor activities the kids did over break. Many enjoyed sledding, building a fort, and even having snowball fights! Unfortunatley, the students did not go outside for recess due to the cold weather. The temperature, with the wind chill, has to be above 20 degrees. Please keep in mind, that when the temperature is above 20, we will be going outside and the students need to dress for the weather. If you want them to wear boots, I would suggest they bring those in a seperate bag as to not get their papers and folder wet. Our 4th Grade has been introducing the 3rd graders to our indoor Bulldog Fitness Trail. Please ask your child about this if they are in the upper grades.