Panther News 9/30/26

Posted Date: 09/30/26 (03:15 PM)

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PANTHER NEWS

Stay positive Panthers....and don't forget to smile!

September 30, 2026

What's happening?

October 1: LOST & FOUND donated

October 1, 2, 5 & 6: Shortened Days

Tk & K: 11:30am

1st-5th: 12:25pm

October 3: Fall Carnival 3p-6p

October 8, 9 & 12: NO SCHOOL

A colorful graphic announces 'Upcoming Events' in a speech bubble.

Principal's Message

A colorful banner reading 'ATTENDANCE EXCELLENCE, CELEBRATING CONSISTENT PARTICIPATION!' features illustrations of diverse students engaged in classroom, science, and outdoor activities.

Happy last day of September Panthers!

Thank you to everyone who supported the WCEF Read-a-Thon!

Parkmead finished #1 in the entire WCSD in minutes read for the 2nd consecutive year with a total of 205,525 minutes read!!! I am so proud and thankful for all of our readers! Since we hit our reading goal, we will have PJ DAY on Friday October 16th with chocolate milk, donuts, and a music/dance party.

Our top readers who will get to pick and autograph a book for the school library:

TK-Taline (Halupka)

K-Logan (O'Neil)

1st-Maverick (Caldwell)

2nd-Milan (McIntosh)

3rd-Kayden (Baier)

4th-Jonathan (Kelly)

5th-Anjali (Zavala)

We also hit our goal of $30,000 fundraised which means extended school wide recess!!! The top fundraisers from each grade will get to silly string me and those names will be shared soon!

Celebrating Outstanding Attendance:

Consistent attendance is one of the most powerful predictors of academic achievement, social growth, and long-term success. When students attend school regularly, they build strong learning habits, engage in meaningful hands-on experiences, and strengthen connections with their peers and teachers.

To recognize and celebrate our students' dedication, we are excited to launch our

Excellent Attendance Recognition Program Moving forward, we will regularly send out Excellent Attendance Notices to students who maintain a 95% or higher attendance rate!

Still need your TB clearance to volunteer?

We will have two more walk in clinics for TB screenings at Tice Creek School on the following dates:

10/22 from 2p-4p

11/19 from 2p-4p

All families are welcome to get cleared and there is no charge for this service.

We need Carnival Volunteers!

The Fall Carnival will be on Saturday, October 3 from 3-6pm. Join the fun with games, crafts, prizes, the legendary Boo Bakery, and more - but we need volunteers like you to help make it possible!

Fall Carnival Volunteer Sign Up

The Boo Bakery needs your help! We are still in need of treats for our Fall Carnival booth on October 3rd. If your family is able to donate one dozen spooky treats please sign up here for more information!

Link: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0F4EABA62DA4FFCF8-65798640-boobakery?useFullSite=false

Stay positive Panthers and don't forget to smile!

Mr. Burstein

Parkmead School Site Council Interest

We are looking for a few parents to join our School Site Council. School Site Council (SSC) is a committee of teachers, parents and administrators who work together to develop and monitor the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Our SSC meets virtually from 3:00-4:00.

If you are interested, please fill out the SSC Interest form.

English Learner Advisory Committee

English Language Advisory Committee Information

The rich diversity of our Parkmead community is one of our greatest strengths, and we are so proud that many of our students are emerging bilinguals.

This year, we are going to hold ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) meetings to gather as parents, caregivers, and staff to discuss programs, learning plans, and support for our multilingual students. We would love family feedback to ensure these meetings serve the needs of our community. Please take a moment to complete this brief voluntary ELAC Planning Survey to assist us with planning.

Thank you for your partnership and support in making this a wonderful year for our students!

A colorful advertisement for the Parkmead Yearbook 2026-2027 with ordering instructions against a blue and yellow checkered background.

A colorful birthday illustration featuring balloons, cakes, and the text HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Staff Birthdays - OCTOBER

Mrs. Shelly, Attendance Clerk/Health Clerk, 10/2
Mrs. Thompson, Intervention, 10/3
Mrs. Caughlan, Music Teacher 10/7
Ms. Lissette, TK Para, 10/11
Ms. Jen, TK Para, 10/30

PERC News & Events

Parkmead Education Resources Council

A purple flyer for the Parkmead Boo Bakery donations, featuring illustrated Halloween treats and a QR code.

A promotional flyer for a Spooktacular Fall Carnival at Parkmead Elementary on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Fall Carnival - Volunteers Needed

The Fall Carnival will be on Saturday, October 3 from 3-6pm. Join the fun with games, crafts, prizes, the legendary Boo Bakery, and more - but we need volunteers like you to help make it possible! Everyone who signs up to volunteer for Fall Carnival will be entered into a raffle to win a family set of blue Parkmead hoodies!

Please note there are NO volunteering requirements that will need to be fulfilled in order to help out at the carnival.

Fall Carnival Volunteer Sign Up

A cartoon illustration of a red wristband with a yellow central section and three adjustment holes.

Fall carnival - wristbands available

All are welcome to the Fall Carnival! To participate in games and activities, please purchase a wristband. Pre-sale pricing is $20 per person, and the day of is $25 per person. They are available for purchase on Membership Toolkit through the PERC website, under “PARKMEAD FALL CARNIVAL WRISTBAND”. Once purchased, please pick up from the front office or once you arrive at the day of the carnival.

Fall Carnival Wristbands Purchase

Annual Fund donation

Through your generous donation PERC, our school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), is able to purchase classroom supplies, cover the cost of school field trips, provide teacher appreciation, and much more not covered by the school’s regular budget. Your dollars stay right here and help make Parkmead Elementary a wonderful learning environment and community.

Donate to the Annual Fund The suggested donation to help meet the fundraising goal is $250 per family, but any amount is deeply appreciated! Your donation is tax deductible (Federal ID 61-1459498), and remember to find out if your employer has a corporate matching gift program.

Draft PERC Annual Budget

The draft PERC Annual Budget is available to view on the PERC website, in the Resources section. It will be voted on at the October PERC Monthly Meeting on October 16. Please have a look prior to attending the meeting.

Outdoor Family Movie Night

Thank you to all who came out to enjoy the Movie Night last week! We had a great turnout and the kids had a blast! Special shout out to Kim Golds and Shiela Rahimian-Groefsema for all their hard work in putting the event together.

Thank you also to La Roca Food Truck for the delicious Mexican food they provided.

Follow us on Socials

PERC Instagram -> @percparkmead

PERC Facebook-> Parkmead PERC PTO

WCEF

Walnut Creek Education Foundation

WCEF’s 7th annual readathon is over - Today is the last day to donate!

💫 THANK YOU to all who participated in the Read-a-thon! We’re still tallying the totals, but this year we had more kids reading and more minutes read than ever!

💫 In addition to raising crucial funds for our schools, the Read-a-thon helps to foster a love of reading. Hopefully your kids found new books and new genres to enjoy!

💫 Didn’t get a chance to donate? You can donate through THIS FRIDAY here! We are so close to our $210,000 goal - there is still time to make it happen!

💫 Employer matching can double your donations! Click here for more info.

A blue Read-A-Thon banner with children holding books, dated September 14-25, sponsored by WCEF and Amy Imhoff Real Estate.

A bowl of rigatoni pasta in a creamy orange sauce, topped with a dollop of cheese and fresh parsley.

Melo´s Dine Out! - Eat Delicious Food And Support WCEF!

🌀 Eat at Melo´s on October 6th, mention WCEF, and and they will donate 15% to us!

🌀 Dine in or order your food to go (no delivery apps).

Gold Business Partner - Toyota Walnut Creek

💫 WCEF is proud to partner with Toyota Walnut Creek as a New Gold Business Partner.

💫 For the past five decades, Toyota Walnut Creek has provided local customers with great inventory, even better pricing, and outstanding customer care.

💫 Toyota Walnut Creek is proud to support the community, helping Contra Costa and the Bay Area at large to be a place where all can thrive. Thank you Toyota Walnut Creek for supporting our students and schools!

Attendance

Send a message 24/7

If your student is absence for any reason, please don't just tell your teacher. Our attendance clerk, Shelly, must know as well.

Phone number: 925-944-6863 - 24 hrs/7 days (Leave a message)

Email: pmattendance@walnutcreeksd.org Please give reason for the absence.

Please call or email before 9:00am on the day of the student's absence. Available 24/7.

If you are planning to be away, or on vacation, please contact Shelly in the attendance office PRIOR to leaving to set up an Independent Study Contract. The earlier the better so we can prepare!