We are pleased to announce that once again, Palmetto Elementary students will have the opportunity to participate in the Rainbow Readers Summer Reading Program.  

This year we have expanded to three Miami-Dade Public Library Branch locations: Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and Coral Reef. Please check the MDPLS website (www.mdpls.org) for the addresses. Students may utilize any or all three locations.

To participate, students will need to know their AR Username (Student ID# listed as a 7 digit number usually with a zero in front) and password. At the library, they will use Internet Explorer to access the Palmetto Elementary website at http://pes.dadeschools.net . Under the Student Links they will click AR Student and log in.  Summer AR Points will accrue for $5 or $10 Book Bucks redeemable at the Fall Book Fair. The number of points will coincide with the number of points needed to earn the ORANGE TAG or the YELLOW TAG for the next school year. For example a student leaving Gr. 2 will work on the point system for Gr. 3 because that student is entering Gr. 3 in the fall. The points and tags are listed below:

Points earned during the summer will not count toward the Fall Classroom AR Goals or Golden Paw however it will help your child keep up their reading fluency and comprehension over the vacation months. Research proves that continued reading during the summer maintains or elevates student reading levels. Last year almost all of the children who participated in the Summer Reading Program were rewarded by seeing their STAR Reading Level improve from the previous year.

This program is for students currently enrolled at PES. It will not be available for entering Kindergarten students; however we encourage them to practice taking quizzes on the TumbleBooks website. A link is available on our PES website - Click on the Departments Tab - Media Center - Resources - M-DCPS Online Databases - TumbleBooks.  

Username: miamidade Password: miamidade

The Summer Reading Program dates are: June 10 - August 16, 2013.  Questions? Please email the Media Specialist, Martha Carter. mjcarter@dadeschools.net.  

The summer reading lists from Just Read, Florida provides parents additional options and title suggestions for summer reading.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) are encouraging students to keep learning while they are outside of the classroom over the summer.  More than 150 books have the Department's official seal of approval as good picks to entertain young readers and prevent summer learning loss.

The list of titles can be found at: http://www.justreadfamilies.org/SummerReadingList.pdf 

M-DCPS and FDOE encourage parents to get involved in their children's summer reading activities.  Below are some tips for parents to help their children get excited about reading:

• read aloud to young children;
• take children of all ages to the library; and
• allow them to choose their own books.

Additionally, each Miami-Dade Public Library Branch will be serving free lunches to children 18 and younger. Check with your local branch for the times.    

The PES PTA Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 29th at 8:45am at the School Cafeteria.   

1st Vice President of Schooland Community Relations: Dena Lundy  

Treasurer:  Patty Gassenheimer

Other interested candidates may also run from the floor on election day. The PES PTA bylaws, Article VI - Officers and their Election, provide that only PTA members in good standing (membership dues paid) shall be eligible to hold office or serve on the Executive Board. In addition, only PES PTA members whose dues have been received by the PTA at least thirty (30) days prior to the election meeting may vote in the annual election of officers. 

Nominating Committee:

Vibha Gupta, Chair (vibhag@gmail.com)

Shannon del Prado (sdelprado@pdfirm.com)