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Panther Pride STEM School
Achievement: Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts
January/February Newsletter
A message from Pinello’s Administrative Team:
Welcome to 2024! We hope that everyone had a restful winter break, and are ready to learn! We have been looking at student data, and are excited about the growth that students have made in I Ready, Dibels, and Star.
Open Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is available. If you would like your child to attend Pinello Elementary School, and it is not your neighborhood school, you may submit a Boundary Waiver to the- front office staff at Pinello Elementary School. Please turn in your boundary waiver to the front office by Feb. 29th. Please contact us if you have any questions at 719-391-3396. Boundary waivers can also be accessed at wsd3.org/enroll-in-widefield
As it gets colder outside please make sure students are dressing for the weather. On severe weather days I will send a message out via Remind. On late start days breakfast will not be served.
I am moving the BAAC meeting from January 9th to January 16th. A sign up will be sent home this week. PTO is holding a Panda Express night on January 12th. The link to order is provided below.
Thank you for your continued support of Pinello Elementary School.
Respectfully,
Amber Crigger – Principal
Tiffani Lind – Assistant Principal
Counseling Corner & Social Worker:
Social Emotional Learning
Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a joyful Winter Break.
During this first month back, all of our students will review our PBIS (Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports) program, which focuses on the school’s ROAR behaviors.
ROAR is our school’s behavior matrix that stands for Respect, Organized, Always Safe,
and Responsible. Along with ROAR, classes will go over their social contracts which lay
out our Capturing Kids Hearts expectations. Make sure to ask your child(ren) about how
to show our ROAR and CKH behaviors at school like in the classroom, hallways, or on
the playground.
Thank you to all our families for supporting your child(ren). As students return, here are
some tips to help your child cope and successfully transition back to school.
1. Have honest and open discussions
- Class sizes might change as they could increase or decrease
- Students may struggle various issues (i.e. getting back into routines,
grades, friendships issues, schedule changes)
2. Focus on the positives
- Acknowledge worries and anxieties, but identify strategies your child can
demonstrate (i.e. taking deep breaths, stopping and thinking, asking for
help.
3. Build a routine
- Keep to the same bedtime and wake up time
- Consistent homework and meal time
4. Model problem solving behavior
- Encourage “Talking it out” when there are problems
- Share your own thoughts and feelings
- Identify ways to solve problem (i.e. reviewing homework, talking to
teacher)
We are always grateful for all the support we receive throughout the school year from
local churches like Pikes Peak Christian Church & St. Dominics, the District Attorney’s
Office, the Security Fire Department and Toys For Tots . Also, thank you to all the staff
and Pinello families who provided food for our school food drive. Thank you to all our
wonderful resources who continue to make a difference for our students!
Feel free to contact me or our school social worker, Emily Zarkovacki if you have any
questions or concerns as your child(ren) returns to school. We are here for you!!!
With Children First,
Darlene Monson
Pinello Counselor
391-3398
About Pinello
Email: criggera@wsd3.org
Website: pinello.wsd3.org
Location: 2515 Cody Drive, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719-391-3395
Facebook: facebook.com/PinelloElementary
A Note from Music
Hello Families,
I hope you enjoyed the winter break and are ready for a new year. Third grade is starting the new year off with a program on Jan. 18. There will be a performance at 2:45 pm and at 6pm.
Right behind them is Fourth grade. They have already started preparing for their March 5 program. They too will perform at 2:45 pm and 6pm on their performance day.
Choir will be starting new music for the In Harmony event that will be in April.
Stay Safe and Warm,
Mrs. Means
PE News
Pinello Families,
Hope everyone had a great Holiday. Hard to believe we are starting 2024!
In the gym we are finishing up our basketball unit. The students practiced ball handling, dribbling, passing and shooting. We will be starting up the heart obstacle course. Students will pretend they are blood cells traveling through the different areas of the heart and lungs.
STEM News
By Miss Siedler
STEM has been focused on weather for the last few weeks. All students have spent time learning about weather prediction, weather patterns, extreme weather and engineering for different types of weather. Fourth and fifth grade students have spent some of their time becoming weather forecasters. They have analyzed snowfall data trends from the last 20 years as well as El Nino snow pattern trends in and across the state of Colorado to make snow total predictions for the months of January, February and March. These students spent a ton of time digging into the data and creating their predictions as well as justifying their reasoning for their predictions. Some students have aimed high in hopes of snow days and others have aimed on the lower end in their totals. As we move into the next few months we will track the data, in inches, to see which student is the closest to our actual snowfall for the next three months.
Birthday Celebrations
It is also ok to share non edible items such as pencils, or other small items instead of food.
PTO News
January
We want to thank everyone who participated in our Papa Johns, movie night and holiday shop fundraisers. Between those three fundraisers we made $825. All the money PTO raises goes right back into the school and we appreciate all of your support.
Your PTO has a few things planned for this month, so please keep an eye out for reminders.
January 11th is our next PTO meeting at 4pm
January 12th is a restaurant night at Panda-can be ordered at any Panda Express location :Link to order: Express. https://community.pandaexpress.com/virtual-fundraiser/events/promotions/8ba33f5d-468d-97f3-6d35-a5ccdc0a303c/en/landing
New for this semester, we will be selling smencils before and after school. Smencils are $1 a piece and our first day to sell will be January 26th.
February
Next PTO meeting is Feb 8th
We will be selling candy grams for Valentine's Day. A flyer will be sent home for how those work.
Smencils will be sold Feb 23rd.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Pinello PTO at pinellopto@wsd3.org.
Thank you,
Janae Howard
PTO President
SCOUTREACH AT PINELLO
Free after school scouting is at Pinello. It is open to boys and girls in 2nd-5th grade. It will run for an hour after school. If you have any questions or are still interested contact Dr. David Durkee at 719-219-2906.
Attendance
One criteria of a student’s success in school is regular and punctual attendance. To report an absence or tardy, please call our attendance line, available 24 hours, at (719) 391-3396.
Compulsory School Attendance
In order to reduce the incidents of truancy, parents/guardians are hereby notified that every child who has attained the age of six (6) on or before August 1 of each school year and is under the age of seventeen (17) shall attend public school for at least the following number of hours.
One thousand fifty –six (1056) if secondary school pupil;
Nine hundred sixty-eight (968) if an elementary school pupil in a grade other than kindergarten;
Nine hundred hours (900) if a full-day kindergarten pupil;
Four hundred fifty hours (450) if a half day kindergarten pupil;
(Except as otherwise provided in CRS 22-33-104)
Two hour Late Start
Red Flag Days
The red flags will be hanging on the playground and out front to let parents know that it is indoor morning recess. The guidelines for calling red flag is as follows: The red flag temperature will be 25 degrees or below including wind chill. Students will enter through outside classroom doors.
Inclement Weather Procedure
Widefield District 3 will:
• make inclement weather decision(s) based on students’ safety
• collect data at the earliest appropriate time
• make the decision as to whether schools will be open and announce no later than 5:30 am by calling radio stations and TV stations
• not penalize students if parents keep them home or pick them up from school early on questionable snow days.
In the event the decision made earlier is to open schools and the storm worsens unexpectedly, Widefield District 3 will:
• inform the same media as stated above that schools will dismiss students early
• keep buildings open as long as necessary to evacuate all students safely
• announce that if an early dismissal occurs, afternoon activities, and evening events will be cancelled
Parents are expected to:
• be responsible for custody of children
• listen to the news broadcasts on stormy days
• decide whether or not to send children to school on threatening, stormy days
In the event the decision is made earlier to open schools and the storm worsens, parnets are expected to:
• know that students may be dismissed earlier than normal
• listen for an early dismissal announcement
• make sure children know what to do and where to go if dismissed early
• not rely on telephones to make last minute arrangements for their children. (Lines tend to malfunction during storms.)
Title 1: Parent Right to Know
Your child participates in a program in Widefield School District which receives funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. You have the right to know what professional qualifications are held by the teachers who instruct your child. The Act gives you the right to the following information about each of your child’s classroom teachers:
Whether the teacher is licensed or qualified for the grades and subjects he or she teaches.
Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency permit or other provisional status under which state licensing criteria have been waived.
The college major of the teacher, any advanced degrees held by the teacher, and the subject matter of those degrees.
What instructional aides or similar paraprofessionals, if any, provide instructional services to your child, and if so, what qualifications they possess.
If you are interested in receiving information of this sort, please contact the Human Resources office at 391-3015.
Notice Concerning Directory Information:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Widefield School District 3 (“the District”), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records. However, the District may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the District to include this type of information from your child's education records in certain school publications. Examples include:
A playbill, showing your student's role in a drama production;
The annual yearbook;
Honor roll or other recognition lists;
Graduation programs; and
Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.
Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent's prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories - names, addresses and telephone listings - unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written consent. If you do not want the District to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by September 20th each year. The District has designated the following information as directory information:
Student's name
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Address
Telephone listing
Weight and height of members of athletic teams
Electronic mail address
Photograph
Degrees, honors, and awards received
Date and place of birth
Major field of study
Dates of attendance
Grade level
The most recent educational agency or institution attended
Annual FERPA Notice
Annual FERPA Notice The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the school to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal [or appropriate official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the school has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
[NOTE: FERPA requires a school district to make a reasonable attempt to notify the parent or eligible student of the records request unless it states in its annual notification that it intends to forward records on request.]
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Educational Rights of Homeless Children
- Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there.
- Choose between the local school where they are living, the school they attended before they lost their housing, or the school where they were last enrolled.
- Enroll in school immediately, without proof of residency, immunizations, school records or other documents.
- Get transportation to their school of origin
- Get the school services they need.
- Be free from harassment and isolation
- Have disagreements with the school settled quickly.
Calendar of Events
January
-Jan. 8th-Students return from Winter Break, Third Quarter begins
-Jan 9th- Report cards go home
-January 11th-PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the Library
-January 12th-Renasisance Assemblies, K-2 at 1:30, 3-5 at 2:30
-January 15th-No School Martin Luther King Jr. Day
-January 16th-Coffee with Principal at 8:45 am
-January 18th-3rd Grade Music Program at 2:45 and 6:00
-January 26th-Buck a Hat Day
-January 31st-District Chess Tournament
February
-February 3rd-Science with a Twist 3rd-5th
-February 6th-Spelling Bee 4th-5th
-February 8th-PTO Meeting 4:00, Academic Night 5:00-6:00
-February 9th-No Students Professional Development Day
-February 12th-Midterms sent home
-February 13th-Spring picture Day
-February 14th-Valentine's Day Parties
-February 16th-Buck a Hat Day
-February 19th-President's Day-No School
March
-March 5th-4th Grade Music Program
-March 7th-Third quarter ends
-March 8th-No students Professional Development Day/Parent Teacher Conferences
-March 9th-Coding in Action grades 3rd-5th
-March 11th-fourth quarter begins
-March 14th-PTO meeting
-March 15th-Report Cards go home
-March 22nd-Buck a hat day/Renaissance Assemblies, K-2 @ 1:30, 3-5 @ 2:30
-March 25th-29th-Spring Break-No School
Launch
Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners. .