October was a busy month for the PALCS community. With back-to-school picnics on both sides of the state.  And, field trips, and Unity Day, the month definitely flew by!

Throughout the month of October, PALCS students and staff shared their personal stories on how to stand up to bullying. The PALCS community believes that the smallest things can make a world of difference.

Back-to-School Picnics and Field Trips

The PALCS Back-to-School picnics happen every year on each side of the state.  The eastern picnic was held at West Goshen park. The attendance was great, and everyone had a great time. Check out our video recap!

The western picnic was at Zone 28, just down the road from the Pittsburgh office.  Over 300 people signed up and it was a great success.  Families enjoyed bowling, arcade games, laser tag, and pizza  to kick off the school year.

We have been visiting some great places recently for field trips. Be sure to check out some of the video recaps: the Renaissance Faire, the Philadelphia Zoo, Longwood Gardens, and the Lincoln Financial Field Tour.

Unity Day, PALCS Alumna, and the School Counseling Department

Every year, PALCS observes Bullying Prevention Month in October, with Unity Day on October 23. Unity Day is a day dedicated to standing together against bullying. Staff and students wear orange as a bright, bold symbol. This shows, we are here for each other and stand together as one community. We are united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion of all families. As a cyber-school, PALCS has an opportunity to not only highlight bullying itself, but also address the issue of cyber bullying.

Julie Hertzog, director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, cites that “More than one of every five school-aged children report being bullied. By joining together and wearing and sharing orange on Unity Day, we can send the unified message that we care about students’ physical and emotional health and that bullying will no longer be accepted in this society.”

Danielle Guth, a PALCS alum, shared her thoughts on taking a stand against bullying in a to our PALCS community. Our school counseling department released a message about Bullying Prevention Month here, and we encourage our families to watch our staff video recap.

A special thanks to our school counseling department for always being an amazing support system for our families.  They strive to make the PALCS experience the best one possible. They provide guidance on numerous topics, including the stand against bullying.

Beyond October

PALCS is wrapping up the month of October with trick-or-treating around the office on both sides of the state. Keeping in the spirit of anti-bullying, PALCS will celebrate WQED’s Cardigan Day on November 13. This honors Mr. Rogers as a part of World Kindness Day.

We hope the topic of bulling prevention will be discussed beyond October, making prevention a priority. We wish a happy Unity Day to all and, as the PACER Center puts it, “make it orange and make it end!” Together, PALCS stands tall against bullying – and so can you! Make sure to post your photos of you wearing orange for all to see using the #PALCSUnite and #UnityDay.