Good evening Penderlea Families,
As we move into the week of November 24th through November 25th, here are some important reminders and updates to help keep your family informed and prepared for the weeks ahead. Thank you for staying connected and involve
A Season of Gratitude
As we approach Thanksgiving break, I want to take a moment to express my deepest appreciation for our Penderlea families and community. Your support, partnership, and trust are at the heart of everything we do. Whether you are helping your child with nightly reading, showing up for school events, volunteering your time, or simply offering encouragement, your involvement makes a meaningful difference every single day.
Penderlea is more than a school—it is a community. And that community is strong because of you. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our students, for believing in the work we’re doing, and for helping us continue to make Penderlea the place to be for learning, growth, and connection.
I hope the upcoming break gives you time to rest, recharge, and enjoy moments with the people who matter most. We are grateful for each of you, and we’re proud to partner with you in supporting our Hornets.
Wishing all of our families a warm, safe, and meaningful Thanksgiving.
Thank You for Supporting our Community Partnership Fundraiser at Tate Farm!
A huge thank you to all of the families and community members who came out to support our Community Partnership Fundraiser at Tate Farm this weekend. Your participation helps strengthen our school and community.
We also want to recognize the Penderlea Band, who did an outstanding job—thank you for representing our school with pride and talent!
Thank You for an Amazing Fall Fundraiser!
We want to send a huge thank you to our Penderlea families and community for making this year’s Fall Fundraiser such a success! Together, we raised $4,723.02 to support our students, classrooms, and school programs.
Your participation, reminders at home, and enthusiasm helped us reach this total, and we are truly grateful for your partnership. Our Hornet community continues to show how much we can accomplish when we work together.
Thank you for your support—Penderlea is the place to be because of families like yours!
Winter II Athlete Parent Meeting
Parents of students who plan to try out for girls basketball or boys soccer this season are asked to attend the Winter II Athlete Parent Meeting on Monday, December 8th at 3:30 PM in Mrs. Umphress’ Room 134.
If you did not attend a parent meeting for a previous sports season this year, attendance at this meeting is required. Important information about tryouts, eligibility, expectations, and schedules will be shared.
Please see the attached flyer for details.
Read to Succeed! – Week 5 Update
Penderlea is proud to continue our participation in the Pender County Schools Million Minute Challenge, a districtwide effort to promote reading at home and build a love of literacy across all grade levels. This initiative supports one of Penderlea’s key school goals: improving literacy for all students.
We’re now moving into Week 4 of the challenge, and our Hornets continue to show how much they love reading! Here are the current top three grade levels leading the way:
3rd Grade: 4,324 minutes
4th Grade: 1,462 minutes
5th Grade: 1,024 minutes
Biggest Growth This Week
Here are the top three grade levels showing the largest increases since last week:
3rd Grade: +1,950 minutes
4th Grade: +426 minutes
5th Grade: +838 minutes
Way to go, readers! Keep up the great work and continue logging your minutes daily. Parents reading with younger students counts too—every minute makes a difference!
Recommended Daily Reading Time:
K–2: 15–20 minutes | Grades 3–5: 20–30 minutes | Grades 6–8: 30–45 minutes
There’s still plenty of time to grow those numbers. Thanksgiving Break is a perfect opportunity for students to catch up and add lots of reading minutes.
Students can log their minutes using the QR code on the flyer sent home or through ClassLink for easy access.
Reminder: The last day to log minutes is December 5th.
Winter Intersession for All – December 15–18
We’re excited to announce Winter Intersession for All, a new opportunity for every K–8 student to participate in extra learning and enrichment before the holiday break!
Winter Intersession will take place December 15–18, and every student will receive an invitation to attend. The goal is to provide academic support and enrichment opportunities for all students who want or need it.
Letters and flyers went home Friday with progress reports. Families are asked to return their responses by December 5 to help us plan effectively.
We look forward to offering this expanded opportunity for all our Hornets to learn, grow, and finish the semester strong!
Holidays Around the World & Winter Concert
Join us on Thursday, December 9th, from 5:30–7:00 PM for Penderlea’s Holidays Around the World celebration!
This student-led event will showcase traditions, foods, and celebrations from cultures across the globe, giving our Hornets the opportunity to lead, teach, and share what they’ve learned with families and guests.
The evening will also feature our Winter Concert, highlighting performances from Penderlea students as we celebrate the season together through music and learning.
To help make the event even more meaningful, families are invited to bring a dish that represents their culture or heritage. A sign-up link will be included in this email for anyone interested in contributing food for our cultural tasting table.
More information is included in the attached flyer. We can’t wait to see our families on campus for this special night of culture, community, and celebration!
PCS County-Wide Food Drive
This November, Pender County Schools is kicking off a district-wide food drive to support local organizations that provide meals and essential resources to families in need throughout our community.
Each school, including Penderlea, will collect non-perishable food items throughout the month, and all donations will stay local to benefit Pender County families.
Requested items include: cereal, canned tuna or chicken, peanut butter, condiments, and individually packaged snacks like granola bars, Pop-Tarts, crackers, and fruit cups.
Collection bins will be available on campus all month long.
Let’s work together to make a difference and show that Penderlea is the place to be for kindness, generosity, and community spirit.
Athletic Weekly Update
Monday November 24th- Home Girls Soccer and Boys Basketball game vs BurgawMiddle School
This is 8th grade night! We will recognize our 8th grade boy’s basketball players and 8th grade girl’s soccer players at the conclusion of both games in the gym.
Tuesday November 25th- Aways Girls Soccer and Boys Basketball game at West Pender Middle School
***All soccer games begin at 4:15 PM and basketball games begin at 4:30 PM***
Thanksgiving Break Reminder
Penderlea School will be closed from Wednesday, November 26th through Sunday, November 30th for Thanksgiving Break.
We hope all of our Hornet families enjoy a safe, restful, and meaningful holiday weekend.
We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, December 1st.
School Pictures – Save the Dates
We want to be sure families have plenty of notice for this year’s student, class, and sports pictures:
Student & Class Pictures
Kindergarten Cap & Gown – February 26
Classroom Group & Spring Pictures – March 31
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out via email at pls_info@pender.k12.nc.us or call the school at 910-285-2761.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. Together we will continue to make Penderlea the Place to Be!
Stephen Harris
Principal-Penderlea School
