The Down Syndrome Awareness Walk will take place today from 12:00pm-2:00pm at PBL High School in the Back Parking Lot. This event is open to any and all parents, students, staff, community members, and more to attend. At 1:00pm there will be one ceremonial lap (1/4 mile) completed around the track. All are encouraged to wear blue & yellow to show their support.
Sending this info early so families can plan ahead. Due to parent-teacher conferences, we will dismiss early on October 18th & 19th. Dismissal times on both days will be the same as our early dismissal Tuesdays. Clara Peterson - 1:30, PBL HS - 1:40, and PBL JH - 1:47.
As we continue to educate parents and students on the dangers of children and teens vaping, it's important to understand how we can help children who may already be addicted to vaping. Here are some different websites to explore how to help children & teens who may need help.
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/e-cigarettes.html
https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/helping-teens-quit/talk-about-vaping/conversation-guide#after-you-talk
https://truthinitiative.org/thisisquitting
The PBL School District encourages every student to attend each day of school throughout the school year. We think it's also important to educate families on the difference between "truancy" and "chronic absences." Truancy only counts a student unexcused absences, while chronic absences counts all excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions. A student is considered to be a chronic absentee when they miss 17.5 or more days in the entire school year.--https://www.attendanceworks.org/whats-the-difference-between-chronic-absence-and-truancy/
Did you know that as many as one in three students in the country misses 10%, or about 18 days, of the school year? Being in school supports students’ social, emotional and physical well-being, and provides students with opportunities to learn and reach for their dreams. Let’s show up together and get back into the habit of daily attendance!
The Down Syndrome Awareness Walk will take place at PBL High School in the Back Parking Lot on Sunday, September 24th from 12:00pm-2:00pm. This event is open to any and all parents, students, staff, community members, and more to attend. At 1:00pm we will all walk one ceremonial lap (1/4 mile) around the track.
You can play a significant role in protecting your child from the dangers of vaping and nicotine dependence. Maintain an open line of communication with your child, and use the tips and suggestions provided in the link below as a framework for having a productive conversation.
https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/helping-teens-quit/talk-about-vaping/conversation-guide
Please see the link below for a complete list of required health documents by grade level. All items must be turned into your childs school office by October 15th.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wxmQuWKhRP-a0Sk9VQJLFGxSPWpXSeV8ykFNiMc1S4E/edit?usp=sharing
Every day counts at PBL Schools! Did you know that 50% of the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school. Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow, Panthers!
National Substitute Appreciation Week is September 4th-8th. PBL would like to thank all of our substitutes and we are grateful for your help. If you have any interest in becoming a certified teacher substitute please contact our unit office at 217-379-3314.
This afternoon routes 1 & 4 will be combined. Due to this, students on these routes may be about 15 minutes later than usual getting home. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Did you know, across the nation 1 in 5 high school students have reported vaping in the last month? Like many schools throughout the country, PBL School District is seeing an influx of vaping and e-cigarette devices in our schools. As a part of our proactive approach to address this ongoing issue, we are sharing information and statistics related to this issue in hopes we can partner together to address this harmful behavior and promote healthy habits. Please view the infographic for information in regards to vaping. If you are interested in learning more, here is a resource that gives tips to help parents/guardians talk to the child about vaping: American Lung Association Website- https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping
This week we had our first Navigator meeting of the school year. Navigators is our mentoring and induction program. We take time each month to Support, Empower, and Celebrate each other! It's always a great day to be a Panther!
Attached is a link to the September Newsletter for PBL High School:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W6dAko2e0_X4_6n21ubgdLDLHErwpw6B/view?usp=sharing
Attendance Matters at PBL Schools. Did you know that a student who misses 2 days of school a month will miss 10% of the school year?
Good Morning Panthers~
As a reminder, today will be our 1st weekly Tuesday early dismissal. Tuesday dismissal is at the following times:
Clara Peterson- 1:30
PBL JH- 1:47
PBL HS- 1:40
Have a great day and stay cool!
Welcome Sandra Reuther to the PBL High School Math Department! Sandy is from Portage, Indiana. She graduated from Western Governor's University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics Education Grades 6-12. Mrs. Reuther spent 10 years as a paraprofessional and is in her 9th year as a teacher. Mrs. Reuther enjoys sharing her love of math with students. She doesn't expect everyone to become mathematicians, but she knows all students can get better at math. She loves riding horses, spending time with family, playing games, and hanging out around campfires. Mrs. Reuther joined the PBL team so her husband could be the pastor at the Covenant Church in town. Mrs. Reuther states, "I talked to the people we met on our visits and everyone said great things about PBL. I decided if everyone liked the school so much it would be a great place to work. I was not wrong: It is great!" We are so glad you are here Mrs. Reuther!
Jamie Young is our new 7th grade ELA teacher at PBL Junior High School and Speech team coach. Miss Young graduated from the University of Illinois in 2023 with a Bachelor's of Science in Middle Grades Education and is in her 1st year as a teacher. Miss Young is from Sheridan, Illinois originally and said that coming from a small town like Paxton, she was searching for a school that had a similar community to the area she grew up in. She says that she always loved the sense of family that she had going through her own education, and wanted to work in a space that offered that to herself as well as her students. She says that she got that same feeling the minute she walked into PBL. Miss Young said that everyone was so friendly and willing to lend a helping hand, and she knew PBL was going to be the place for her. We are excited to have Miss Young in our Panther Family!
Let's give Patty Maher our new Special Education teacher at Clara Peterson Elementary School a warm welcome! Patty grew up in Geneseo, Illinois and has lived in Morton, Illinois for the last 27 years. Patty has five children. Her oldest daughter lives in Paxton, her two sons live in Peoria and Bloomington, middle daughter lives in Madison, WI and her youngest daughter lives in Austin, Texas. Patty has 2 grandchildren that live in Paxton! Patty graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor's degree in education: Learning Behavior Specialist I, Learning Behavior Specialist II: Multiple Disabilities and Early Childhood Special Education. Patty has been in an Educator for 25 years. Patty moved from Morton to Paxton to be near her grandchildren and says she was fortunate enough to received a position at Clara Peterson. We are so excited to have Patty with us at PBL!
Let's give Amanda Carroll a warm welcome to the PBL Panther Family! Amanda will be teaching 6th grade Math at PBL Junior High School. Amanda comes to us from Wheaton, Illinois where she attended Glenbard South High School. She graduated with her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois. This is Amanda's first year as a teacher, but she has worked as a substitute teacher and in paraprofessional roles. Amanda originally planned on working as a speech pathologist, but she enjoyed working in schools so much that she switched her career path to education. In her free time you can find her horseback riding, painting, or customizing cleats for the Illini football team. Amanda chose PBL because she was looking for a supportive and welcoming community to be a part of in her first years of teaching. She said that PBL has a community that no other school she interviewed at could match. She also said all of the staff members at PBL have been wonderful so far and she's really excited to learn with and from everyone.
