Principal's Message

On behalf of the Pennell Elementary faculty and staff, welcome to the family!

As a Pennell Penguin, you have not just gained a school community, you have also joined a village.  The faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members all work together to make Pennell one of the best elementary schools in the region.  Together, we understand that children are little humans who need layers of love, support, instruction, high expectations, reinforcement, practice, encouragement, and fun.  Academic and personal growth are paramount to educating the whole child.

Pennell prepares our students to be ready for life by focusing on skills that form the whole child.  We develop positive character traits through the Core Essential Values lessons while fostering creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking across the curriculum.  Penguins are expected to be leaders and participate in their community through varied service opportunities.  Pennell students understand they can do hard things and that struggling leads to greater learning opportunities. When things get difficult, the Pennell Penguins don’t quit!

The Pennell faculty and staff use a rigorous curriculum and a robust Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework to instruct students where they are in order to gain the greatest growth.  Professional Learning Communities meet bi-weekly to review student data and make decisions about instruction in a flexible manner that gives students the best learning experience possible. The MTSS building team meets weekly to review building data and individual cases to lend additional support to the grade level teams when needed.  Reading specialists, interventionists, special education teachers, the school counselor, and other related service members all weigh in and help to support the team and the students. The entire team works together to meet the needs of all students.

In addition to academics, Pennell employs the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) framework to engage students and staff in creating a positive school culture.  With PBIS, students are explicitly taught the expectations of the school in structured and non-structured settings.  They are given time to practice the expectations, and are recognized regularly for meeting those expectations.  Students and adults use the same language and are able to use unexpected behaviors as a learning experience.  The PBIS team celebrates the students with the Friday 5 and the Principal’s 200 Club. However, when a Penguin makes a mistake, they are taught that the mistake does not define them.  It is what they do afterward in accepting personal responsibility that truly defines them.  It is so important for each member of our school community to take ownership of their words and actions so that a positive and safe community can be established.  Personal accountability leads to an understanding of how one’s actions affect others and how things could be done better the next time, leading to personal growth. 

Communication between home and school is vital to the success of students.  Please consult the Penn-Delco School District webpages for the most updated information.  In addition, I release a weekly newsletter to all parents on Sunday evening via email.  This newsletter includes upcoming events, links, and other important information families may need.  Lastly, parents can use Schoology, Skyward, and email to communicate with teachers about their individual children.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Pennell office with any questions you may have.

Best wishes,

Principal Christa Palladino

Pennell Elementary School