Parkside Updates & Information 2/20/26

Hello Parkside Families,

We are hoping that Mother Nature will be kind and turn the snow out to sea, but just in case, your child will be coming home with their device this weekend.  In the event of significant inclement weather, Dr. Steinhoff will communicate with district families if a Flexible Instruction Day (FID) is necessary. Should that happen, teachers have reviewed the schedule and expectations with students and reviewed login instructions. More information will be sent if a FID is called.

Students will be bringing home their Winter Acadience Report for parents to review as well.  Please check your child's folder for the report that details their progress in reading and math.  If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher or I via email.

---

From the School Counseling Department:

Parkside Food Bank - If your family is in need of food, you can email parksidefooddrive@gmail.com for info on the hours of operation.  The food bank is located at the Parkside Fire Station.

---

From the School Nurse:

Seasonal viruses, colds, and flu are still making themselves known!  Please remind your child that hand-washing and using good hygiene practices will help stop the spread of germs!  Please remember that if your child has a fever, they should remain home from school until they are fever-free without medication.  They should also stay home if they have been vomiting or have diarrhea.  Once they are symptom-free for 24 hours, they may return. 

---

From Technology teacher, Ms. Cameron:

Should Children use ChatGPT?

Here is a brief excerpt from an article by Raisa Masood for Commonsense Media. 

OpenAI's Terms of Use state that users must be 13 or older. If you're under 18, you need your parent or guardian's permission to create an account. Keep in mind that kids could come across content that's not age-appropriate. In addition, ChatGPT collects personal information and user data. This info is used to improve the system and can be shared with third parties for things like advertising. Under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 is illegal without parental consent.

If kids are interested in using ChatGPT, the best option is to use it alongside an adult. Kids could use ChatGPT with a parent or caregiver to get ideas about things they're interested in, like writing code or music. Families can explore the tool together and try prompts that are fun, inspiring, or helpful. Ask it to write a play with parts for everyone, or put together a poem in Dr. Seuss’  style to read out loud.

Since ChatGPT is a new program, there's a lot we don't know about it. As artificial intelligence tools become more available, it will be important for families [and educators] to talk with kids about how to use them appropriately and responsibly.

Action Step:  Parents can use ChatGPT too in a simple way without just giving answers. Example: "Explain fractions like I’m 10 years old."  When used the right way, AI can be a great tool for learning, not a shortcut around it.

---

From the PTL:

Just a reminder to parents that in order to have special events, we do need parent/guardian volunteers!  If you do not have your clearances and would like to help out at school or PTL events, attend a PTL meeting and we can get you help to complete your clearances.

Our next PTL Meeting is on Wednesday March 11^th at 6:30 in the Library!  Please come out and get involved so that our children have all of the great things PTL has provided to the school in previous years!

Next PTL Meeting:  Wednesday, March 11, 2025 at 6:30 pm in the Cafeteria

---

Check out the Parkside Webpage at https://parkside.pdsd.org/ to see the most up to date information.  I encourage you to read through the Parkside Handbook to review important guidelines for attendance, discipline, etc…

If you have questions, concerns, or feedback, please reach out.  I can be reached by email at tyoung@pdsd.org or by phone at 610-497-6300 Ext. 6500!

Best,

Tara Young

Principal

Parkside Elementary