Sand Pine Spotlight

Welcome to Volume 2 of the Sand Pine Spotlight for the 2021-22 school year. Please continue to look for more newsletters like these to keep you updated with the latest and greatest information this year.

Crane Collective Commitments

Positive and Safe Environment

Inclusive Community (where ALL means ALL)

High Expectations for Impactful Learning

Collaborative Relationships

Collective Responsibility

Progress Reports for the first quarter were posted in the myStudent Parent Portal on Friday, September 10. Please be sure to check on how your child is doing! Contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns. It is our goal for all our Cranes to be successful: academically, behaviorally, and social-emotionally!

Individual pictures will be taken on Friday, September 17. Flyers will go home on Monday, September 13. We look forward to seeing all our Cranes looking sharp!

Arrival:

The car line begins each day at 8:15 am. All other students will be welcomed on campus at 8:20 am. Students are to get breakfast at the cart by the front office if they wish, and then head directly to the classroom. The tardy bell rings at 8:40 am. Cars entering campus after the tardy bell rings will have to park and sign in their child at the front office. Thank you for helping us begin learning as soon as possible in the morning!

Dismissal:
School is dismissed at 2:50 pm daily, except for Early Release Days. If you need to sign out your child before this time, you must be in the office no later than 2:15 pm. Also, if you need to change your child's mode of transportation for the day, we must receive notification no later than 2:15. This allows us ample time to let both the teacher and child know of the change. You may change transportation by calling the office at (813) 794-1900 or by using our online form on the school website. Please do not send last minute notification to the teacher via Class Dojo, as there is no guarantee that they will see it in time.

On Early Release Day, dismissal begins at 12:50. Please have change of transportation reported by 11:15 am. The latest time you may sign out your child on these days is 12:00 pm.

Rainy Day Dismissal:

Here at Sand Pine, we utilize the Remind app to notify parents if we call Rainy Day Dismissal. Please see the codes below to sign up! We will also post a flag at the front entrance of the school if we will be having rainy day dismissal. Rainy day will be called if it is raining hard or if there is lightning in the area. If it is just sprinkling, rainy day dismissal may not be called. Again, parents need to sign up for the app notification to be sure. Our first priority is student safety! We will make every effort to send a notification by 2:30 pm if we will have rainy day dismissal.

Car line safety:

Our goal is for the car line to move swiftly and safely! Please refrain from being on your phone while dropping off or picking up your child on campus. Also, when dropping off your child, please make sure that they are ready to exit the vehicle when you arrive at the drop off location. Staff members on duty can assist students with putting on their backpack after they have exited the vehicle. Parents, you have done a great job so far this year! Let's keep it up!

Each year, Pasco County hosts a 9/11 memorial event at Sims Park in New Port Richey. As part of that event, school choirs perform and artwork is displayed. This year, our fabulous art teacher Ms. Burns submitted artwork from some of our Cranes! Please see these beautiful pieces below!

We want to thank you for utilizing the student screener daily to ensure the health and safety of our school. If your child is exhibiting any symptoms listed on the screener, please keep them home and call the office to report the absence. Our clinic assistant or school nurse will follow up with you to help you with any next steps. Student Self-Screener

The district has put together a very comprehensive array of resources on their website. Here is the home page for these resources: Navigating School in 2021-2022

We have received some questions about when students should quarantine and how notifications about positive cases occurs. Here is the link to the district page that explains these protocols: Coronavirus Protocols

At this time, visitors are still not allowed on campus for lunch.

We are still utilizing enhanced cleaning protocols, as well as distancing students as much as possible. Masks are still optional for students and staff.

The health and safety of our Cranes is our top priority! Thank you for partnering with us!

The beginning of the school year brings the first round of testing for our students. This is to get a baseline of their knowledge so that we can see how much they grow throughout the year!

So far, all students have completed NWEA-MAP testing in reading and math. Third through fifth graders also have taken the science MAP assessment.

Kindergarten students have also taken the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS). This is a short, interactive web-based test that measures how ready for kindergarten a student is. This screener is required by the state of Florida. Here is a link for more information: FLKRS

Now, all students are completing their beginning of the year DIBELS screening, which measures their proficiency in the acquisition of literacy skills. These screeners give us valuable information that help us to determine whether students are below, meeting, or exceeding grade level expectations, and help us to make individualized plans for helping students grow as readers. For more information, please click here.

This year, Pasco County Schools will engage in the accreditation process with Cognia. The accreditation process happens every five years and helps our district and school know our strengths and areas for growth. In the coming weeks, Cognia will be conducting interviews with one of our teachers and one student. We can't wait to show all the amazing things we have going on at SPES!

Ask your child about our Crane Expectations and how they show these in all areas of the school!

One of the goals in our School Success Plan is to recognize staff and students more regularly. This past week, we implemented two initiatives to help us meet that goal!

Student of the Week

Each week, every classroom teacher will select a student who is showing our SPES Expectations and making great choices! These students will be featured on Crane News Network on Fridays, as well as visit the prize cart. Here is a link to our news that honors our first Students of the Week: CNN

Golden Crane Award

Each week, one instructional and one non-instructional staff member will be honored for living our Crane Collective Commitments (see above). Mrs. Twardosz and Mrs. Grimsley honored Mighty Miller and Mr. Stokke as our first recipients! Next Friday and every Friday after that, the Golden Crane will be passed to another staff member. Stay tuned to our Sand Pine Facebook page for pictures of each recipient!

Go Cranes!

September 17 - Fall Picture Day

September 23 - School Advisory Council Meeting at 4:00 pm

September 27 - Vision/Hearing Screenings (K, 1, and 3)

October 6 - Early Release Day

October 12 - Chick-Fil-A PTA Spirit Day

October 18 - Teacher Planning Day (no school for students)

Please contact us at any time. We love hearing from our families!

Mrs. Christina Twardosz, Principal

Mrs. Lisa Grimsley, Assistant Principal

Email: lgrimsle@pasco.k12.fl.us
Website: https://spes.pasco.k12.fl.us/
Location: 29040 County Line Road, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
Phone: (813) 794-1900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandPineElementarySchool/