Primrose Hill School

   Primrose Hill Elementary School 

Weekly Newsletter

May 26, 2023

Primrose Pandas are Respectful, Responsible and Safe

Dear Primrose Families, 

We are at a very busy pace here. Students have begun their spring assessments on Fastbridge to show what they know, understand and can do in both Math and Reading. Many of our classes have begun the ABC countdown this week. Different activities each day in alphabetical order. It is a fun way to celebrate the letter with fun activities. Our second graders have also given our students a nice performance this week for Star Spangled Banner Play with Mr Vadnais. Families will be able to see highlights from this second grade

Our school practiced an evacuation drill this morning and did extremely well. The children were focused and listened well to directions to practice staying safe.  As I have shared throughout the school year, we are very focused to keep our directions simple and clean for the children. Sometimes we stay inside the school to be safe and sometimes we go outside of the school to be safe. We practice to be sure we all know what to do and where to go if an emergency were to occur. I am very proud of how well they did with this today and all the drills we have completed this year.

Just a reminder that the window is still open for families to complete the survey on our school climate and culture. I hope that you can take a moment to share your input with us so that we can help identify our areas of need, celebrate our successes and partner with you for growth and improvements here at school. Here is the link to the anonymous survey https://surveys.panoramaed.com/barringtonschools/familysurvey/surveys

Hope you enjoy the photos of the beautiful new garden area and the hand painted May baskets done by Mrs August’s class earlier this month. 

Monday is Memorial Day, time set aside to remember with gratitude and pride those in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice. However you plan to celebrate the holiday, may it be filled with memories and peace.

Educationally yours,

Coleen Smith 

Primrose Hill Elementary Memphis Zoo Panda & China Assembly Follow-Up Questions

As you know the PTO had arranged for a virtual assembly during Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week. Our students had several questions for the staff and below are the answers they shared. 

• How long ago were Pandas discovered and when? Who was the first Panda?

• The West first discovered the giant panda on March 11, 1869, although the giant panda lived in Asia long before this time. The first panda to be discovered is unknown, but the first panda to come to the United States was “Su Lin” back in 1936.

• How long does it take a panda to digest bamboo? Do pandas eat anything other than bamboo?

• It takes about 16 hours for a panda to digest all the bamboo from one day of eating! Around 99% of a panda’s diet is bamboo, but have been known to sometimes eat small animals and even eggs.

• How do pandas get their markings? Why do pandas have black and white colors? Why is their fur black and white? Is their skin the same pattern as their fur? Why are pandas only black and white?

• Scientists believe the black and white coloration helps pandas blend into their habitat at different times of the year! When baby pandas are first born, they are pink in color, and as they grow, their coloration is easily visible on their skin.

• Are blue pandas real?

• Giant pandas have the black and white fur we are familiar with, and there are no blue pandas.

• What do Pandas like to do for fun? Do pandas have a favorite toy or game?

• Fun question! Our pandas really enjoyed using their enrichment that we saw on the video clips. It helps them to use natural movements and behaviors they would use in the wild. So giving them platforms to climb on or puzzle feeders to exercise their muscles and brain is a lot of fun for them!

• How many babies do pandas have at once?

• They will typically have 1-2 babies.

• At what age do pandas leave the family they are born into? How long do babies stay with their parents for?

• Panda babies will sometimes stay with their mom for up to 3 years, but most of the time, pandas will leave their mother when they become pregnant again, so at about 18 months.

• How long do pandas live?

• Giant panda’s lifespan is around 20 years. 

Gardening Club Project on the upper playground

Kickball at Primrose School 

Volunteers needed to organize and supervise kickball games during recess.

Get kids excited to join you and their Primrose friends!

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS

11:45am- 12:45pm

                       If you’re available, please sign up:

                 VOLUNTEERING FOR KICKBALL SIGN UP

Primrose Hill Reading Week kicks off June 5th!

Starting May 29th there will be boxes set up in the school foyer to collect gently used book donations for our annual Book Swap. 

Students will not be able to check out books from the Library during the month of June as we try to get all copies returned to the shelves, but the week of June 5-9th each student will choose one book from the Swap to keep! 

If available, please encourage your child to bring in additional books (especially chapter books), so that every child in the school will be able to take a book home. Any child not able to bring in a book will still be able to participate in the Swap. In addition, we will be donating unselected books to a local charity. 

Please contact Miss O’Kane at okanek@barringtonschools.org if you have any questions.

Thank you for your time and donations!

We've made it to the FINAL FOUR! Vote on the book you think deserves to advance to the Finals at 

https://forms.gle/68ZXh1cAAahEQnTU7 

Gibberish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1dsYpYcsw 

VERSUS

Zonia's Rain Forest: https://youtu.be/iww5_fnJLI0 

Dates to Remember:

Link to BPS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging resource for May

• May is Haitian Heritage Month

• May is Jewish American Heritage Month

• May is Mental Health Awareness Month

• May is South Asian Heritage Month

• Speech and Language Awareness Month

• May 29  -Memorial Day-no school

PTO Website: Please take a quick moment to log into the PTO website and opt into the family directory at https://www.primrosehillpto.org/directory. With all they have planned, it is a great idea to visit this site weekly to get updates and see how you can participate in upcoming events.

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Next PTO meeting on June 7th 5:00pm in person at PHS

Childcare being offered

Family survey: https://surveys.panoramaed.com...