Parkside 5-30-25

NOTEWORTHY ITEMS

• If your student has medication in the office (prescribed or over the counter), please pick it up on the last day of school.  Medication not picked up will be disposed of the week after school lets out.  
• Important Information for Families Not Returning to RPS in the Fall:  If your student will not be attending RPS in the fall (for example, due to homeschooling or moving), their school file will be automatically transferred to Valley View.  When your student's new school requests records, please instruct them to send the request to Valley View Elementary. Valley View will then handle the official withdrawal process and forward the student’s file to the new school.
• Special thank you to Emily Whalen for coordinating Mileage Club and all the volunteers that made this important activity possible. 
• Melissa Marker led a team of amazing young ladies in the Girls on the Run program this year.  Thank you for all your hard work with these students! 
• Student Council will be hosting a school-wide pizza party Tuesday.  Thank you to our Student Council students for their hard work this year!  Students will still be eating lunch at school. 
• The End-of-Year Celebration is Thursday June 5th.  This is a student-only celebration, with a few PTO volunteers helping behind the scenes.  A few important notes: 

  • Clothing:  Students do not need to bring extra clothes, except for ASD students or those going to BAC, as they will not return to the building afterward and won’t have a chance to change.

  • Activities:  There will be three fun stations: Foam Party, Popsicles, Firetruck Spray

  • As part of a Parkside tradition, 5th graders are typically sprayed by City of Rockford fire trucks to celebrate. This year, we’re extending that fun to the entire school!

• T-Shirts:  Students will wear their orange “End of an Era” t-shirts on Friday, June 6, for a whole school photo. T-shirts will be kept at school and handed out on the last day, so noone forgets theirs at home.
  
  
  
  
  

Character Trait of the Month – Perseverance

End-of-Year Encouragement: Celebrating Growth and Grit

Quote:
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." – Robert Collier

Conversation Starter:
On the way home from school or during a quiet moment, ask your child:
“What’s something you’re proud of from this school year? What was hard that you kept trying at?”
These reflections help kids recognize how much they’ve grown—not just in grades, but in effort and perseverance.

Tip:
As the school year wraps up, focus on how your child has stuck with things—even when they were tough. Whether they improved in reading, made new friends, or managed big feelings, remind them: “I saw how hard you worked and how much you grew.” When you celebrate their resilience, you’re helping them carry it into whatever comes next.

Important Dates

• June 2 - 4th Grade Lemonade Wars
• June 3 -  Parkside Community Reunion (6:00 pm-7:00 pm)
• June 4 - 5th Grade End-of-Year Party
• June 5 - PTO End-of-Year Party, 1/2 day.  Dismissal 11:55.  
• June 6 - Last day of school, 1/2 day.  Dismissal 11:55. 
• See full list of PKS Events and upcoming field trips on the calendar link:  Parkside Calendar 

PTO Corner

Mileage Club Awards Announcement 

Our Mileage Club has officially wrapped up, and we are so proud of all your hard work, dedication, and laps! You all moved your bodies and showed great determination completing 581 miles! That's 2,323 laps!

Now it’s time to celebrate our Top Mileage Champs! 

1st Place goes to Haven Homes with 13 miles! You’ve earned a gift card to Rockford Footwear Depot and Celebration Cinema! Way to go!

2nd Place we had a tie between Bennett Phillips and Kenneth Shuneson with 12.5 miles!!

The top class this year was Mrs. Molesta's with a combined 89 miles! Trailing behind was Mrs. Skrobot's class with 86 mile and Mrs. Carnes with 82 miles.

Let’s give a big round of applause to all our top finishers and every Mileage Club participant. You all did an amazing job moving your way through the end of the school year! 

STEAM

From the STEAM Team:
A heartfelt thank you to all the families who volunteered their time and donated supplies to support STEAM this year. Your generosity and enthusiasm made so many hands-on learning opportunities possible for our students!

As we begin planning for next year’s STEAM Night, we are gauging interest from families who might like to help out. If you're interested in being involved, please take a moment to fill out our short interest survey:
STEAM Night Interest Survey