December/January Newsletter

Dear Pioneer Families,

Thank you for joining us at Parent/Teacher Conferences. We had participation for 317 of our students, that’s 64%. If you have questions about your child’s progress, please reach out to their teachers.

I’m proud of the efforts that Pioneer families have made to ensure students are at school every day. At this point, 74% of Pioneer students are on track for ‘good attendance’, which we define as missing less than 10% of school days. Keep up the great efforts to have your children at school every day, it helps our entire student body!

As we approach the Winter Break, we have several events planned for students, including:

• Thursday, December 5 from 6:00-8:00 PM - School “Snowball” Dance (free to those who raised money for the Fall ASB Fundraiser, or $10 for those who did not) hosted in the Cafeteria.

• Friday, December 6 from 6:30-7:30 PM - Folklorico Winter Concert at Wenatchee High School.

• Thursday, December 12 from 7:00-8:00 PM - Winter Music Concert in the Gym.

Our last school day before Winter Break is Friday, December 20. We will return on Monday, January 6, at our normal Monday start time of 10:20 AM. I hope you all enjoy time with loved ones during this season.

Thank you for your support and helping your child flourish at Pioneer. Go Bears!

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Estephan
Principal

Parents we need your help!

Please remind your student to bring their Student ID to school everyday.

Every Student received a free Student Identification Card at the start of school.

If your student has lost or damaged their ID, replacements can be purchased at the school office for $5.

For those students frequently borrowing a temporary Student ID, one will be printed out and charged to their account .Charges will remain as fines, until paid.

Thank you for your support.

The purpose of the counseling program at Pioneer is to create a positive environment that challenges students to grow socially, academically, and personally.

Ms. Kelli Ottley, 6th-grade counselor. I also work with 7th-grade students with the last names (A-J).

ottley.k@wenatcheeschools.org

Mrs. Karissa Harle, 8th-grade counselor. I also work with 7th-grade students with last names (K-Z).

harle.karissa@wenatcheeschools.org

Dear Parents,

Shelley Valdez-Shultz is the Student Assistance Professional for Pioneer Middle School, and is an employee of North Central Educational Service District 171. She provides a wide variety of behavioral health education, prevention, intervention, and recovery support services to students.

. The goals of the program include:

1. Preventing substance use/abuse

2. Reducing the prevalence of substance abuse among teens

3. Providing support and referrals for mental health well-being

She is available on Mondays, Thursday and Fridays from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. If you are worried about your student and would like to speak to Mrs. Valdez-Shultz directly, please email her at valdez-shultz.michelle@wenatcheeschools.org. All communication will be confidential.

To continue to decrease the spread of infection throughout these winter months, please ensure your student remains at home if they are not feeling well. If your student has an episode of vomiting or diarrhea, your student should remain home for 24 hours from the last episode. If your student has a fever (defined as a temperature of 100.0 or above), your student will need to be fever free for 24 hours, without medication, before returning to school.

Please make sure your contact information is updated and have a plan for what to do if your child needs to go home. Last, please call me if you are unsure of the guidelines or have any questions/concerns.

Katy Boreson, MSN, RN
School Nurse
Pioneer Middle School

7th and 8th grade Folklorico Concert on December 6th at Wenatchee High School Auditorium at 6:30pm

Winter II Season

January 6th - February 21st---- 7/8 Girls Basketball

January 13th - February 21st---6th Girls Basketball

(6th grade basketball practices are in the morning 7:15-8:20).

Winter III Season

January 21st-----March 8th---- 6/7/8 Boys Wrestling

February 24th ---- April 4th ---Girls Swimming

Grade Checks:

Athletes are given grade checks twice per season. If any teacher marks "No" on their grade check, the athlete is ineligible for games until it gets to a "Yes." Our Pioneer Bear culture is that we are students first, then athletes! This helps prepare them for high school.

Students are encouraged to participate in Pioneer’s after-school Athletic Program. The program focuses on skill development and active participation for all student athletes. In order to be eligible for participation, students must:

1. Complete online registration through https://students.arbitersports.com/organizations/pioneer-middle-school
2. Have a physical exam turned into Pioneer Office(good for TWO years)
3. Pay $17 ASB Fee (good for ONE school year)
4. Meet scholastic eligibility requirements (reviewed on our athletics webpage)

Athletes who are in need of a physical exam are encouraged to schedule their exam as soon as possible. Due to the large number of athletes in our community who will be scheduling sports physicals in August, waiting until the beginning of a sport season to schedule the exam could result in the athlete missing a portion of the season.

CTE is expanding its services in the Middle Schools. This year our team will meet with all students in 7th and 8th grade to help determine future college and career interests, set up field trips, and prepare students for their high school classes.

Stop by our table at parent conferences to find out more of what we have to offer.

Meet the team:

Jose Camarillo Aviles- Last names A-F

Amy Spietz- Last names G-M

Taunya Brown- Last names N-R

Yumiko Savage- Last name S

Beth Hammerberg- Last names T-Z

Reach out to Beth Hammerberg with any Middle School CTE questions.

Our 8th-grade students will have the opportunity to attend various career experiences catered to their interests this year.

Small tours in groups of 7 students will include the following Wenatchee businesses:

12/11: North 40 Productions

1/15: Weinstein and Schwab Accounting

1/22: Heart Springs Counseling

Students will be invited to small group tours based on their interests in Schoolinks. If a student is not invited, that 8th-grade student can email the MS CTE Coordinator, Beth Hammerberg at hammerberg.b@wenatcheeschools.org to be added to the list of alternates.

8th-graders will also be able to try out career tasks in the police force on December 4th in the building. Up to 30 students will be able to attend. QR codes to sign up for this career experience will be available through their CTE science classes.

The library continues to be a busy place.

Students are welcome to come
in before school for game time, art activities, and of course, reading.

Please encourage your children to read over the break. It is a great
activity on a snowy day, long car ride, or waiting for a plane.

Compared to primetime TV, children’s books expose kids to 50% more
words than primetime TV, according to a paper from the University of
California, Berkeley. Reading makes you smarter, but did you know that it
can make you feel happier too? One study showed reading reduces
stress by 68 percent, more so than listening to music, having a cup of
tea, or taking a walk.

So dust off your books, put away your social media and read, Read, READ!
Need help?

Please email Mrs. Lancaster at lancaster.s@wenatcheeschools.org

Sandra Lancaster
Librarian, Pioneer Middle School

6th Grade:

Jaylene Arevalo, Esteban Arredondo, Kristoffer Baute, Viktor DeJesus, Uziel Dominguez, Raelynn Farmbrook, Sofia Herrera, Lenny Higareda, Saxton Hoffman, Reid Lorenson, Gia Martinez, Angely Palestino, Asiel Pantaleon, Jesse Russ, AJ Stepper, Charleigh Tollersrud.

7th Grade:

Daniel Adame, Kamila Barragan, Ophelia Booth, Maya Chavez, Alexa Diaz, Luis Garcia, Malakai Gloyn, Jakob Gloyn, Ava Haglund, Makenna Holt, Max Montalvo, Ashantii Mora, Kevin Muñoz, Jeannette Rios, Caleb Schmidt, Oliver Spencer, Valentina Vazquez, Charlie Yoakum.

8th grade:

AJ Avalos, Ava Bowles, Adrian Canchola, Alexa Cuevas, Ramses Eppich-Talbot, Hudson Flatness, Armando Garibay, Valeria Gonzalez, Sadie Hernandez, Ryder Lamana-Scott, Kevin Lopez, Alexander Lule, Mikayla Mitchell, Kevin Salgado, Evelyn Saravia, Nhu Ta, Ana Urbano, Gisselle Vazquez, Elijah Weller, Giselle Zambrano.