April 11 - Book Fair in Media Center - Open to Parents and Students from 3:00-7:00

April 11 - PTA Spring Festival - 5:00-7:00 p.m.

April 18 - No School for Students

April 21- 25 - Toothbrush Drive Sponsored by Student Ambassadors

May 5-9 - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week

May 8 - Spring Music Concert at Wharton HS at 6:00 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,

We hope to see you this evening at our Spring Festival, happening from 5:00 to 7:00 PM! Bring the whole family and join us for an evening of fun, games, and community celebration.

📚 Don’t forget to stop by our Book Fair, which will be open from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. It’s a great opportunity to stock up on some exciting reads!

We're thrilled to share the news that Pride Elementary has once again been honored as a 2024 School of Excellence by the Florida State Board of Education! This prestigious designation is a testament to our school's commitment to excellence and the dedication of our entire school community.

The School of Excellence recognition is awarded to schools that have consistently achieved a school grade calculation in the 80th percentile or higher for at least two of the last three school years. Established by the Florida Legislature in 2017, this program aims to acknowledge and celebrate Florida's highest-performing schools.

This achievement is a reflection of the hard work and perseverance of our students, educators, staff, and the unwavering support of our parents. Together, we continue to uphold our commitment to providing an exceptional learning environment for every child at Pride Elementary.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our success and helped make this accomplishment possible. Let's celebrate our collective achievement and continue striving for excellence in all that we do!

Teamwork truly makes the dream work! We're excited to announce that we're currently recruiting PTA officers, committee chairpersons, and members for our School Advisory Council. Your involvement is crucial in empowering our future leaders. Please consider volunteering for one or both of these groups (forms are included in the body of this newsletter). Thank you for joining hands with us to shape a brighter future!

Keeping children first,

Mrs. English, Principal

Mrs. Moncrief, Assistant Principal

💜 This week, we honored our amazing students from military families. In recognition of Purple Up Day, students wore purple to show their support and appreciation. Our military-connected students received a special recognition pin and certificate and enjoyed PURPLE cupcakes with the principal and assistant principal. It was a meaningful way to celebrate the strength and resilience of our military families.

WE ARE RECRUITING PTA BOARD OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR! PLEASE SEE ATTACHMENT BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Any PTA member with the willingness and ability to serve and provide leadership is welcome! Please complete the attached form and email it to prideptapresident@gmail.com or bring your completed form to the front office in an envelope marked PTA Willingness to Serve Form.

Please return all interest forms by Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

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.

Congratulations to Mrs. Brennen's 1st graders for having the highest average daily attendance in the school 98.18%

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 - Toliver - 95.68%

First Grade -Brennen - 98.18%

Second Grade - Prajapati 96.07%

Third Grade - Kovach 96.66%

Fourth Grade - Carwise 97.27%

Fifth Grade - Wilinsky 97.50%

THE GRADE LEVEL WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH WAS FOURTH GRADE WITH 94.60%.

Kindergarten - 91.61%

First Grade - 91.61%

Second Grade - 92.13%

Third Grade - 93.72%

Fourth Grade - 94.60%

Fifth Grade - 94.58%

OUR SCHOOL-WIDE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH WAS DOWN TO 93.23% AND OUR AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE YEAR IS 94.37%. (OUR GOAL IS 96%).

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)

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)

School uniforms are mandatory at Pride Elementary. Parents may order uniforms with our school logo (optional) online at landsend.com/school or purchase from other retailers. Our uniform options include khaki or navy shorts, skirts, pants, or jumpers and a burgundy, white or navy-blue collared shirt. Students may wear spirit t-shirts or college shirts and denim on Fridays only (School Spirit Day). Spirit shirts can be purchased from our PTA - https://pridetampa.memberhub.store/store. Torn or bleach spotted denim, sweatpants, and yoga pants are not allowed. We have a “clothes closet” with donated uniform items. Anyone needing assistance with uniforms can contact our school counselor at 558-5400 ext. 227. Please contact Mrs. English if you would like information regarding the procedure for opting out of wearing a school uniform.

Hillsborough County Schools - Student Code of Conduct - Dress Code - K-5th Grades

• Shoes shall be worn and be securely fastened to the feet and have a low heel height. Footwear must be suitable for outdoor physical education classes and unsafe shoes such as “skate tennis shoes” are not allowed.

• Clothing that exposes the entire shoulder, tube tops, spaghetti straps, or similar type clothing, may be worn only with a blouse or shirt. Clothing exposing the torso or the midriff, either front, back, or sides, shall not be worn. Underwear shall not be visible. Clothing shall not expose the mid-chest area. Mini-skirts, mini-dresses and short shorts are not permitted. Hemlines shall be no shorter than fingertip length. All pants and shorts shall be secured at the waist.

• Head coverings shall not be worn in the building unless required for religious observance or health-related reasons.

• Garments and/or jewelry that display or suggest sexual, vulgar, drug, gang, weapons, or alcohol-related wording or graphics, or that provoke violence or disruption in the school, shall not be worn. Wallet chains shall not be worn.

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)

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

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