Pioneer Press

This week brought our first round of STAAR interim testing (math) for grades 3-5. A huge shout out goes out to our staff for pivoting quickly and adjusting for small groups and student absences/makeups. Thank you all for your professionalism. Thank you also to Mrs. Richardson for her work in ensuring that everyone had what they needed on time and in an organized manner for testing. You are appreciated.

Our attendance total for this week was 96.18% overall. 3rd grade wins the total percentage prize with an attendance rate of 98.15%, with 2nd grade in second place with 97.43%. Our goal each week is an overall total of 98%- we've almost got it!

Now that "party season" is upon us, it's a great time to remind everyone of our policies and procedures around food allergies so that we can ensure safety for all. Our procedures are:

1. Parent provides teacher with notification of their child's food allergy and a list of acceptable edible items (food, snacks) that are safe for their child to be around.

2. Teacher acknowledges the parent's communication and notifies their class (without using student names) that there is a food allergy in the classroom. Teacher shares the list(s) of acceptable food items/snacks with the rest of the class.

3. Snacks and food items for parties strictly adhere to the "acceptable" foods list so that we are not accidentally jeopardizing anyone's health.

We appreciate everyone following these guidelines to ensure that all students are protected from a health emergency here at school.

Congratulations to Cameryn Peterson for winning the Young Writers Contest sponsored by Austin Family Magazine! This contest was open to 4th and 5th grade students. Entrants had to write a 75-300 word essay answering the following: Everyone around you turns into a robot. What next? We found out there were hundreds of entries for this contest, and five rounds of judging! As the contest winner, Cameryn receives a party at Dave and Buster's, two books signed by Carmen Oliver, a plaque that was presented in her class this week, and her essay will be published in the December issue of Austin Family Magazine. Congratulations on an amazing job Cameryn!

Hi families and friends,

PSE is participating in a creative fundraiser with Art to Remember that allows you to purchase keepsake products customized with your child's art. There are over 60 products and many are less than $20. These make great gifts for the holidays AND a percentage of every purchase goes right back to our school.

All orders are made online; for free shipping to PSE, order your keepsake by 11/20. Later orders will be shipped to your house for a small shipping fee. You can even upload artwork that your child makes and order keepsakes throughout the year!

Art To Remember Order Keepsakes

Please email me if you have any questions. Have fun shopping and thank you for supporting the arts!

brooke_hurlbut@roundrockisd.org

A state-mandated spinal screening will be performed to identify students with scoliosis or other spinal curvatures. Spinal screenings at Pond Springs will be conducted on 5th grade girls only. Previous screening programs in schools have shown that seven to ten children in every 100 may develop scoliosis and one of three will require treatment. With early detection through screening programs, severe deformity and other related health problems may be prevented. If you choose to exempt your student from the screening, please provide current documentation of physician’s spinal screening results or a notarized affidavit stating that this screening conflicts with religious tenets. Spinal screenings will begin next week starting on 11/18/24. Please make sure your student is wearing clothing that is not too baggy or bulky, or or have them bring a tee shirt with them that they can change into for screenings. If you have any questions please contact the nurse's office.

Looking for some holiday gifts the kids will love while simultaneously supporting your school library?

The Scholastic Winter Book Fair will take place during the PSE Winter Carnival on Saturday December 7th! If you are unable to join us on Saturday, we will be open during the school day and directly after school on Monday -Wednesday 12/9-12/11.

Our winter parties will be celebrated on 12/19/24 from 1:45 -2:50. Teachers will send out requests for assistance. This year we will have four adult helpers per class for parties. If you are not selected this time, please keep in mind there will be other opportunities to help in your child's class this year. (Valentine's, year-end parties, field trips, etc.) Please keep in mind that due to allergies we allow only store bought items. Teachers can share specific details about food for their rooms in their newsletters. If you are selected to assist in your child's classroom, please make sure you have filled out our form and are an approved volunteer with RRISD: https://partners.roundrockisd.org/volunteer/

We will hold our Reading/Language Arts STAAR interim tests for grades 3-5 next Wednesday. Math took place this past Wednesday, with makeups for some students still occurring. The STAAR Interim assessments assist us in determining where students currently stand in comparison to their grade level content standards, and also assist us in identifying what our forward learning focus points will be. Another benefit of STAAR interim is an opportunity to practice what a STAAR test looks like and feels like. We are asking that you please make sure that all students in grades 3-5 get plenty of rest the night before testing, eat some breakfast to help develop energy and stamina, and arrive at school on time. Again, our next testing day is:

11/20: Reading/Language Arts

This month is Native American Heritage Month - National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November to honor the history, culture, and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island communities. Click here for more information: https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/ ReadWorks has Native American Heritage specific content , in case your child(ren) are interested in reading more about these amazing cultures and their traditions.

Please bring non-perishable or canned food items to PSE between November 1-15 for those in need. Items will go to the Round Rock Area Serving Center.

Hello Fifth Grade Families,

The fifth graders are preparing for a music program! Please see the following link for special dates and information concerning the show. December Round the World Parent Meeting

The referral window for students to be considered for gifted services is from November 11, 2024 through December 13, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. You will find the registration link on the Round Rock ISD TAG website. On the morning of November 11th at 8:00 a.m. the links will be live and you can submit registration requests. After completing the online form, you will receive email confirmation of your referral for gifted services. Please keep a copy of the confirmation email for your records.

Pioneer community- we are looking for volunteers for this year's spectacular Winter Carnival on Saturday, December 7th. The Sign-up is live here

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4BA8AF2EA6FA7-52822038-psewinter

We are also looking for any other companies or organizations that would like to host a game booth!

Each year we attend a Texas Stars Hockey Game on the Sunday of MLK weekend for a PSE Spirit Night. It is the only 5:00 pm game on their schedule, and we're off of school to celebrate MLK the following day. Our PE curriculum allows us to teach hockey skills the week before and after the game, which is super exciting and fun for ALL! The link for tickets is HERE, and is in the Tuesday folder. The QR code is easy to use, and we are aiming to be the highest selling group for the third year in a row. Let's go PSE; we've got this!

November 1-15: Donations accepted for food pantry (front office)

November 15: Austin Spurs Choir Performance and PTA Spirit Night (7 am tipoff)

November 22: Last day of school before Thanksgiving break

November 23-December 1: Thanksgiving break

November 25: FIRST DAY BACK FROM BREAK!!

December 7: 11 am-2 pm PTA Winter Carnival (the Book Fair will be open too!!)

December 19: Last day of student attendance before winter break (class parties)

December 20: Professional Development Day for Staff (no student attendance)

December 21-January 5: WInter Break

January 6: Staff Development Day (no student attendance)

January 7: FIRST DAY BACK FROM BREAK!!

Principal: Sjoukje Brown, x4204

Asst. Principal: Tanya Richardson x4205

Main Office: Laura Wessels, x4299

Registrar/Attendance: Kathy Stephenson, x4202

Office Specialist: Shemeka Riley-Fairconeture, x4201

Counselor: Karen Collins, x4203

Nurse: Bethany Taylor, x4206

Ms. Brown, Proud PSE Principal