Knighthawk Family News

Knighthawk Family,

I hope that this newsletter finds all of our families doing very well. We are in the heart of our 3rd quarter academically and we are currently performing our STEAM Literacy Challenge. This year, our students are participating in a Shark Tank style challenge, designing different materials that the characters in Refugee, our One School, One Book would use. The students are really enjoying the challenge and we already have some great designs.

We are also starting the budget process for next school year. One of the biggest needs across our state is additional teachers. You may have seen or heard multiple reports about the teacher shortage in South Carolina and across the country. Many college students are choosing other fields that are more lucrative or professions that are less stressful. In addition, teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. The stress of new standards, more detailed evaluation, implementation of new programs, along with fear of parent complaints have started to drive great teachers out of education. My point in sharing this information with each of you is to please remember how hard it is to be a public school teacher in today's society. Our teachers at PKMS work so hard in making sure that our students are prepared, engaged, and ready to learn each day. Many of our teachers don't work just their contracted hours, but arrive at school before the sun comes up and don't leave until after it goes down. They grade papers and plan at home after their own families have gone to sleep. They give up on opportunities to spend time with their own loved ones to attend events at school and support the students they love that are in their classes. Many of them find second jobs at night and on weekends just to make ends meet.

As the end of the year approaches, it can be a stressful time for all of us. State testing, spring fever, and worrying about what is next is something that makes us all a little stressed. Please remember this when communicating with our teachers. We truly want what is best for your child and we are all on the same team at the end of the day. We appreciate the collaboration and communication we have with all of our families. Let's continue to work together for our students.

Thank you again for your support of your child and PKMS!

Grey Young, Principal

Knighthawk Flyers for January (Students of the Month) recognized for showing good character and being really great role models:

Students pictured (L-R): Leah Caldwell, Olivia Rooney, Tyra Bradley, Rohish Fatima, Dana Haywood, Colby Cook, Tate Adamek, Kyle Ciesielski, Hannah Sims, Hardin Dam, Kamryn Geary

If your child is attending overnight field trips, please make sure that you have the proper paperwork that is needed for medication to be administered during these trips. It is recommended that you contact your Physician in advance to have the forms completed. Medication that does not have the proper paperwork will not be accepted the morning of the trip. Please email the nurse at youngja@fortmillschools.org if you have any questions or need a copy of our district medication forms.

Mark your calendar for our PKMS STEAM/ Literacy Family Night March 21!

Please mark your calendars for our PKMS STEAM/Literacy Family Night on Thursday, March 21, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Teachers and students will be showcasing the wonderful ways that STEAM and literacy are infused across the curriculum. Visit our exhibits, watch our students perform and share their work, participate in STEAM/literacy-related activities, and stop by our school Book Fair to purchase 2019 Summer Reading books. We will look forward to seeing you for this special evening!

Pre-order your PKMS STEAM Literacy T-shirt and help refugees around the world! Proceeds from our T-shirt sales will be donated to MSF/Doctors Without Borders. Orders due February 28th. Only $10! Simply log in to the Pay Fees tab on the PKMS web site.

Spring Sports have just started their regular season schedule. Please come out and support the Knighthawks!

Purchase a PKMS Cinch Bag for $10!

Click here to connect to your 'pay fees' site.

Simply log in to your account and click on the cinch bag icon to purchase.

We will send the bag home with your student or hold for you in the front office if you let us know that ahead of time. (803.835.3770)

Join the PKMS PTO for their next general meeting!

Meetings will be held the last Friday of each month @ 8:15am in the Learning Commons:

March 22

April 26

May 31

You can also sign up to bring an item for our next staff appreciation luncheon on March 1st!

Click the link here for more information on our PTO!

It’s time to gather those Box Tops you’ve been collecting and submit them to homeroom teachers so we can turn those clips into cash for PKMS! Box Tops money is used to help with teachers’ classroom needs.

Earn Bonus Box Tops by registering at BTFE.COM/JOIN. Enter online sweepstakes, find coupons and special offers, and download the Box Tops Bonus App. So many ways to earn $$ for our school!

If you are interested (or know someone who is) or would like more information about joining our awesome PKMS Booster Club, please contact Richard Hilton, PKMS Athletic Director. There is an opening for Treasurer for the 2019-2020 school year. Bylaws do state that board members have a current student at PKMS.

We would like to keep all of our parents informed of upcoming events, classroom news, and school news. Please use the PKMS website, http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/. It should be a primary source of communication for our families and Mrs. Munn does an outstanding job of updating it on a regular basis. Please also use our Twitter and Facebook pages for information as well.

Twitter - @PK_Knighthawks

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/

Email: zeppelink@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 2320 Pleasant Road, Fort Mill, SC, United States
Phone: 803-835-3770
Facebook: facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/
Twitter: @PK_Knighthawks