Kindergarten and First Grade Parent –Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Friday, March 7, 2025. If you have not yet signed up for a conference and would like one, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Monday, March 10th: King (PC Conference Room) & Duff (Room 307)

Tuesday, March 11th: Nusser (PC Conference Room) & Lumpp (Room 307)

Wednesday, March 12th: Richards (Room 307)

Parents will have the opportunity to jump rope with their child during their scheduled PE class on March 4, 5, 6, & 10. Please use the link below to sign up. All parents must have their license scanned in advance and please use your name as it appears on your license. Please arrive 5 minutes early to check in. We can’t wait to see you! Please no siblings.

When visiting the PC for school events, parking is available at the Primary Center Parking Lot and Administration. Please do not park on the grass or along the hill connecting the PC & MAE. We appreciate your understanding.

Just a reminder as we are in winter season, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Students will go out to the playground when the temperature is 32 degrees or warmer.

The Primary Center is a very busy place, and we could always use an extra set of hands! Volunteers serving all District Schools must comply with Mars Area School District Policy 916, which clearly defines roles and requirements for parent /guardians and community members interested in volunteering in our schools. Policy 916 establishes the following three categories for volunteers:

1. Assistive Volunteers

2. Independent Volunteers

3. Volunteer Coaches/Sponsors

Mark your calendars! The PC's Open House will be held on April 10, 2025 from 5:45-7:45 PM. We can't wait to see you!

What is a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day?

On a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day, students will be able to connect remotely to their classes during the school day. Note: This school year, all schools will run on a Two-Hour Delay Schedule on a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Days to better enable both teachers and students to prepare for the school day.

What will be expected of students on a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day?

On a Remote Learning / Flexible instruction Day, students will need to connect remotely to their classes during the school day. Students will be expected to log on to each class to participate in live instruction throughout the school day. Assignments and other instructional materials will be available via the Schoology learning management system, which may be accessed via the District website, www.marsk12.org.

ELEMENTARY — At the elementary level, students will login with their homeroom teacher to verify their schedule for the day, which may vary. (Note: The Two-Hour Delay Start Time for AM Kindergarten as well as for Grades 1-6 is 11 a.m. The delayed start time for PM Kindergarten is 1:45 p.m.)

When a remote learning day is called, all buildings are closed to students, as well as all after school events. When referring to the local television and radio stations, please continue to check for updates regarding delays and remote learning days. Our schools may start out as a two-hour delay but change to an official remote learning day if the weather continues to worsen throughout the morning. If you have any questions regarding a two-hour delay or remote learning day, please check the district website www.marsk12.org.

Two-Hour Delays: No child may enter the school before our delayed starting times. A two-hour delay means buses will pick up children two hours later than normal and parent drop-off will be 2-hours later than usual. Our official entry time for students to enter the building is 10:35 AM on a two-hour delay schedule. Afternoon kindergarten students can be dropped off no earlier than 1:30 PM.

*There is no breakfast served when there is a 2-hour delay.

Just a reminder that there are no birthday treats of any kind permitted in the Mars Area Primary Center. If you would like to distribute birthday invitations to students in your child’s class, an invitation needs to be provided for ALL students in the class.

Any student having to be picked up for an emergency early dismissal or needing to be a car rider for the day of and did not have a note for their teacher, please call the office to let the school know. Our teachers are busy teaching and instructing and may not see their email until the end of the working day. Please call the office and we will relay the message to the classroom teacher.

Parents please be reminded that if your child is absent for any reason, you are required to provide a written excuse for the absence. On the excuse, please provide your child’s first and last name, date of absence, classroom teacher’s name and reason for the absence.

If you need to pick up your child during the instructional day, please write a note to your child’s teacher letting them know the day and time you will be picking your child up. All AM Kindergarten students need to have an early dismissal no later than 11:00 AM and Grade 1 and PM Kindergarten students may have an early dismissal no later than 3:00 PM.

Drop-Off: Parent drop-off will be from 8:35-9:00 behind the school at the cafeteria entrance. Parents will pull up in lane 1 to the drop-off area and your child will exit the car by themselves. Any student arriving after 9:00 will need to report to the front office and will be marked tardy.

End-Of-Day Parent Pick-up: Student pick-up is behind the building at the cafeteria entrance. Please use all 3 lanes. Dismissal is at 3:25.

Thank you so much for all of the donations we have received for our "Positive Planet" prizes. Your generosity and support for our PBIS initiative means so much! An Amazon "Wish List" has been created to support the PC students in being "Positive Planets." We will also accept any donations of items you have at your home that you would be willing to donate for prizes. Donations can be dropped off in the main office. Help us reward our students for doing a fantastic job at school. Thank you!

Our school will celebrate filling up the Principal's Club with a school-wide celebration to end the third nine weeks! Students will rotate through different stations in the gym to show that we are "Wild About Positive Behavior!" Activities will include a photo booth, art station, movement station, and awards. Students are encouraged to wear animal print on March 28. We are so proud of our students for being "Positive Planets!" Keep up the great work!

We will also hold a PBIS fundraiser March 10-14, 2025. Please see the flyer below!

On May 7 & 8, kindergarten students will have their field trip at the PC and will rotate through stations set up and conducted by the Carnegie Science Center Mobile Fab Lab. Classroom schedules coming soon!

Grade 1: Keystone Safari

Tuesday, May 13: Fox, Huggins, & McKee

Wednesday, May 14: Davis, Diani, & Wild

Thursday, May 15: Rhea, Shine, & Shuck

Friday, May 16: Detore, Raible, & Rios

First Grade Permission slips will be coming home this month.

Spread the word:

Enrolling for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. Please keep checking the District's website for more information.

Important Dates:

March 7: On-line enrollment begins at 8:00 AM

April 25: Watermelon Welcome

May 9: Pre-Kindergarten Assessments

K-6 Special Consideration Letters

Principals are approaching the time of building classes for the 2025-2026 school-year. Regarding future teachers and class placement, most children will function quite well with most classroom assignments. We do, however, recognize that there may be special circumstances that warrant special consideration. In light of this, the following guidelines and procedures are to be used if a special circumstance warrants your parental input for a classroom assignment:

1. Parent input should be made in writing when an identifiable need exists…or if there is pertinent information, of which you believe, we need to be aware.

2. If you wish to provide input, you may submit a letter describing your child’s personality, learning style, and other pertinent information.

3. The purpose of a letter is NOT to request a specific teacher OR the classroom assignment of students with specific friends.

4. Please note that specific teacher requests and students with specific friend requests will NOT be honored.

NOTE: Special consideration letters are to be sent to the receiving grade level building principal

by: May 9, 2025.