Welcome to Pennekamp

Welcome to the 2005-2006 school year! The school staff, students, and parent community are very excited as we enter Pennekamp’s 50th Anniversary year. We are eagerly anticipating a year filled with rich learning opportunities, academic successes, and exciting events. We all share in the spirit and pride of working, learning, and playing together harmoniously as part of the "Pennekamp Family", in what promises to be an especially celebratory year.

Since our opening in the fall of 1955, Pennekamp has gained a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence and unparalleled community support. Our students have consistently excelled on virtually all measures of achievement, including garnering an impressive 952 API (Academic Performance Index – based on a scale of 100-999) on last spring’s state testing. This score ranks among the top 1% of schools in the state of California. Our legacy of success is attributable to a number of factors: great children, a highly skilled teaching staff, a challenging and stimulating curriculum, and a very supportive parent community. The Pennekamp PTA, School Site Council, and Manhattan Beach Education Foundation are very committed to providing the necessary resources to greatly enhance the quality of education for our students. In addition, Pennekamp is the beneficiary of unprecedented levels of parental assistance, as evidenced by logging over 20,000 volunteer hours per year. Our Pennekamp community certainly embraces the MBUSD philosophy (taken from an African proverb) that states, "It takes an entire village to raise a child."

New Pennekamp families and visitors often comment about the very perceptible feeling of friendliness, camaraderie, and pride that is pervasive throughout our campus. Both the school staff and community share in the commitment to making our school not only a model of academic excellence, but also a place where friendship, caring, and that "personal touch" are an integral part of our school culture. I strongly encourage all to catch the "Pennekamp Dragon Spirit" and become actively involved in your children's elementary school experience. We encourage all Pennekamp Dragons, big and small, to join in the commemoration of “50 Years of Excellence” as we celebrate a truly golden year in 2005-2006.

Dale E. Keldrauk, Principal

The Pennekamp PTA is an organization of parents enthusiastically united behind a common goal: the pursuit of an excellent education and elementary school experience for all students. PTA members volunteer their time, expertise, and financial resources to Pennekamp to support the work of our wonderful teachers, administrators, and support staff.

Being involved with PTA gives parents the chance to make a real contribution to the education of their own child and to the Pennekamp community as a whole. Pennekamp is a better place because of the commitment parents make every year. Thank you for joining PTA and working to make our school the best it can be.

Beth Allen and Susan Warshaw, PTA Co-Presidents