May 2 - School Lunch Hero Day

May 5-9 - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week

May 8 - Spring Music Concert at Wharton HS at 6:00 p.m.

May 9 - Chuck E Cheese PTA Family Night - 3-8 p.m.

May 21 - PTA General Assembly

May 21- Yearbook Signing/Ice Cream Social

May 26 - Memorial Day - No School

May 30 - Last Day of School - 5th Grade Clap Out begins at 11:00/Student Dismissal begins at 11:25

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

Dear Pride Lion Families,

Thank you to our PTA for organizing such a wonderful Spring Festival! It was a joy to see our families come together and enjoy a fun-filled day. A great time was truly had by all.

As we move into the final stretch of the school year, it’s a perfect time to reflect on everything our students and teachers have accomplished. This season is all about gratitude and recognizing the hard work, dedication, and heart that make our school community so special.

Friday, May 2nd is School Lunch Hero Day and May 5th–9th is National Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. I invite you to join me in celebrating Pride Elementary’s outstanding educators and support personnel. We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and I couldn’t be more thankful to be part of this wonderful village.

Please take a moment to look at the flyer below for fun and thoughtful ways your child can participate in "Our Teachers & Staff are Wicked Oz-Some Week", happening May 5th–9th. Let’s come together to show our appreciation and make this week memorable for our amazing staff!

Warm regards,

Mrs. English, Principal

Mrs. Moncrief, Assistant Principal

On Friday, May 2, we celebrate School Lunch Hero Day — a special day to recognize the amazing people who keep our students happy, healthy, and well-fed every day. From preparing balanced meals to serving them with a smile, our Lunch Ladies do so much more than just serve food — they help create a welcoming and caring environment in our school.

Whether it’s a favorite pizza day or the surprise of cookies and special treats, they make lunchtime something to look forward to. We are truly thankful for their hard work, kindness, and the heart they put into every meal.

To our wonderful Lunch Ladies: You are truly our heroes!

The School Advisory Council (SAC) is an integral part of Pride Elementary School. Members are informed of curriculum updates and pertinent school information and are invited to provide input and suggestions for improvement. Members of the SAC Team include the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support employees, parents, and business and community citizens who are representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school. Please see the attachment below for more information including a form to return if you are interested in being a part of this council. Please submit the form below to Shelby.Perron@hcps.net by May 5th.

Please check out the document attached below for information about our kindergarten program and registering your child for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. This information was shared at our Ready, Set, Kindergarten meeting in February.

• REGISTRATION OPENS ON MARCH 27th
• Completed forms and supporting documentation should be submitted to the main office on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9:00-11:00.
• If you are unable to submit forms and supporting documentation on the designated days above, call (813) 558-5400 to schedule an appointment.

The Time Is Now Mindset teaches us the importance of harnessing the power of the moment and taking purposeful action. The simple fact is that all of our power to act and make an impact exists in this moment. We cannot change the past, and the future hasn’t happened, so we must recognize that our only path to happiness, fulfillment and meaning is to take purposeful action in the present toward creating the lives of our dreams. Check out the 7 Mindsets parent newsletter linked below to see ways you can help to inspire your child to take action!

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

• 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.
• Student supervision is not provided at Cross Creek Park. Students should be met at the park by an adult or should walk/ride bikes directly home while crossing guards are present.
• 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)

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

Place your order for your 2024-2025 PRIDE ELEMENTARY YEARBOOK! Yearbooks are hardcover with 144 color pages! Reserve this special keepsake for your child NOW!

Visit our PTA Member Hub linked below to place your order.

Givebacks (memberhub.com)

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)

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