FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

February 5 - Quarter 2 Report Cards may be accessed via ParentVUE

February 7 - Daddy/Daughter Dance

February 7-21 - Book Drive (see flyer below)

February 13 - Drop Saver Poster Contest Submissions Due (see flyer below)

February 13 - Parent Conference Night

February 14 - Florida State Fair Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

February 17-21 - KINDNESS WEEK

February 19 - Bicycle Helmet Giveaway (see flyer below)

February 21 - FINAL FOUR MYON READING CHALLENGE BEGINS (see flyer below)

February 22 - PTA Color Run

February 25 - Spring Portraits (Uniforms Optional)

February 26 - Ready for Kindergarten parent meeting for incoming K students- 8:30 a.m.

February 28 - PBIS Yard Games

March 7 - Mother/Son Dance (more information coming soon)

March 17-20 - Spring Break (No School)

THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS UPDATED STUDENT CALENDAR IS ATTACHED BELOW (with changes due to school closures for Hurricanes Helene and Milton).

Dear Pride Elementary Families,

We have incredible news to share—our Kids Heart Challenge campaign was the most successful in our school’s history! Our Pride Lions raised an amazing $15,343.51 for the American Heart Association! A huge shoutout to the 49 students and their families who completed Finn’s Mission and the 112 families who learned Hands-Only CPR. While we didn’t quite reach our goal of 500 registrations to earn additional PE equipment, we are so proud of our students and families for their enthusiasm and commitment to heart health!

January was a month of special celebrations! On Tuesday, January 28, we rolled out the red carpet for our S.L.A.M. (Student Literacy and Media) Showcase. The entries were outstanding, and the turnout was fantastic—thank you to everyone who participated! Then, on Thursday, January 30, we marked a historic milestone—25 Years of Excellence at Dr. Richard F. Pride Elementary. It was a heartfelt evening filled with gratitude and reflection as we welcomed current and former administrators, dedicated staff, PTA leaders, and distinguished guests, including school board members Jessica Vaughn and Karen Perez, Deputy Superintendent Shaylia McRae (granddaughter of Dr. Pride), and Superintendent Van Ayres. We were especially honored to have family members of Dr. Richard F. Pride join us in celebrating his lasting legacy.

And now, we’ve kicked off February with another exciting milestone—the 100th Day of School! Our students are officially 100 DAYS SMARTER, and we are looking forward to all the learning and growth still to come this year!

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our Pride Elementary community!

Keeping children first,

Mrs. English, Principal

Mrs. Moncrief, Assistant Principal

READY, SET, KINDERGARTEN!

SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR NEIGHBORS!

PLEASE JOIN US ON Wednesday, FEBRUARY 26th at 8:30 a.m.

Parents of children entering kindergarten in August (must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2025) are invited to attend this informational meeting and tour our school! For more information on enrolling your child and school readiness visit the link below.

Early Childhood Programs and Kindergarten / Kindergarten (hillsboroughschools.org)

• For the safety of students and families, please DO NOT use cell phones in the car line!
• When picking up in the carline, please have your QR pick-up code ready to be scanned and keep your numbered car tag hanging on your rear-view mirror until your child is in your car. Please stay in the center of the drop off/pick up lane near the cafeteria, far to the left of the yellow line and AWAY from the orange safety cones. DO NOT PULL AWAY FROM THE CURB UNTIL THE SAFETY PATROL HAS CLOSED THE DOOR AND STEPPED AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE and do not pull around cars in the line that are still loading.
• Review safe walker/pedestrian and bike rider laws/rules/procedures with your children.
• Bike riders are required to wear helmets.
• Follow all traffic laws/rules and drive cautiously through school zones and in the neighborhood.
• Please do not drop students off in surrounding streets or park/drop students off in surrounding neighborhoods such as Stone Creek Townhomes.
• HOST students should not be picked up until 2:30 or later (after car line pickup is finished).
• You may reference our Quick Reference Guide for Parents (included in first day folders and on our website) for important information including detailed drop off and pick up procedures. Quick Reference Guide for Parents 2024.2025.pdf (hillsboroughschools.org)

SEND NO MONEY TODAY! A proof or portrait package will be sent home from the school with information on how to order. (Allow 3-4 weeks).

PICTURE DAY ATTIRE Choose colors that compliment your child. Solid colors and small patterns work best. Avoid clothing with large images and logos. (Students are not required to wear uniforms for Spring picture day. )

Focusing Students on the Positive

The Attitude of Gratitude Mindset teaches us the importance of seeking the positives from every experience and being thankful for all that we have. Through this mindset, we learn that we can use the positives or the negatives of our lives as the foundation on which to build. Choose the positives, and we are on our way toward extraordinary success; choose the negatives, and we embark on path toward disappointment, resentment, and suffering. In these lessons, we guide students to focus on all the things they have, leaving no time to be distracted by what they don’t.

Click on the link below to read about how parents can encourage this mindset.

Please visit Givebacks to order spirit shirts, purchase yearbooks, purchase birthday marquee messages, make donations, and join our PTA.

We need volunteers to help in the cafeteria during lunch on a daily basis between 10:00 and 1:30. Ideally, we would like to have recurring volunteers, but any time you can help would be greatly appreciated! The role involves monitoring student behavior, assisting students with opening food items, escorting students to the bathroom or health clinic, helping with spills, etc.. Parents must have an approved volunteer application on file in order to volunteer. Please click on the link below to sign up!

Pride Elementary: Lunchroom Support Volunteers (signupgenius.com)

JANUARY ATTENDANCE DATA

Congratulations to Mrs. Cannella's 3rd graders for having the highest average daily attendance in the school 97.36%

These classes had the highest average daily attendance for their grade level and received a HUGE TROPHY to display in their classroom for the month!

Kindergarten - Mendoza - 95.29%

First Grade -Lauck - 94.48%

Second Grade - Collins96.95%

Third Grade - Cannella 97.36%

Fourth Grade - Chester 96.41%

Fifth Grade - Graham 97.24%

THE GRADE LEVEL WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY WAS FIFTH GRADE WITH 94.44%.

Kindergarten - 90.54%

First Grade - 92.73%

Second Grade - 91.66%

Third Grade - 93.76%

Fourth Grade - 93.41%

Fifth Grade - 94.44%

OUR SCHOOL-WIDE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY WAS 92.86% AND OUR AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE YEAR IS 94.53%. (OUR GOAL IS 96%).

Every day matters when it comes to attendance! There is a strong link between regular attendance and academic success. Research indicates that missing 10% of the school year, which is 2 days a month, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. Compared to students who are chronically absent, students who attend school regularly have greater success in all grade levels. Elementary school students who regularly attend class are 1.7 times more likely to achieve grade-level scores in English Language Arts and 2 times more likely to achieve grade-level scores in Math. Chronic absenteeism (10% or more of school days) leads to students struggling to read proficiently. Please note that absences for vacations and family visits are considered unexcused absences. Whenever possible, please try to schedule these activities for when school is not in session. Teachers are happy to provide students with suggestions for making up missed assignments but cannot replicate all of the learning that takes place in the classroom.

Email: Pride.Elementary@hcps.net
Website: hillsboroughschools.org/pride
Location: 10310 Lion's Den Drive, Tampa, FL, USA
Phone: 813-558-5400
Facebook: facebook.com/PrideElem