Lion's Roar

December 2-20 - National Crayon Recycle Program COLLECTION (see flyer)

December 4-18 - Toy Drive (see flyer)

December 3-17 - Reindeer Color Games

December 13 - PBIS Brag Tag Store

December 17 - Reindeer Color Day

December 10 - Yearbook Cover Contest Entries Due

December 18 - School Spelling Bee - 6:00 p.m.

Dec. 23-Jan. 3 - Winter Holidays

January 6 (Monday) - Students Return to School

THERE ARE NO EARLY RELEASE MONDAYS IN OCTOBER, NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER!

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

Dear Pride Families,

The merry month of December is here, and we couldn’t be more excited about the wonderful activities we have in store for our students and families! Be sure to ask your child about Pride Elementary’s annual Reindeer Games, which kicked off this week. A big thank you to Coach Ballash and Coach Short for organizing these fun and friendly competitions that will keep our students active and engaged all month long. We also enjoyed a wonderful Singing in the Season Concert on Thursday evening directed by our talented music specialists, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Smith. I know that everyone in attendance felt the warm, holiday spirit in the air!

As we embrace the holiday spirit, I want to take a moment to express how proud we are of our school and the incredible work happening with our students every day. None of this would be possible without the exceptional support of you—our parents—and our community.

This season of giving is also a great time to gift Pride Elementary a little extra love! If you’ve enjoyed your experience with our school, please consider leaving a glowing review on our Google My Business page (Pride Google). You can also share your kind words on Niche.com and GreatSchools.org. Your thoughtful reviews not only uplift our amazing staff but also help highlight what makes Pride Elementary so special.

Thank you for being an integral part of our Pride family. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and memorable December!

With gratitude,

Mrs. English, Principal

Mrs. Moncrief, Assistant Principal

Congratulations to one of our amazing 5th grade Math and Science teachers, Mr. Adam Wilinsky. Mr. Wilinsky was selected by his colleagues as our Pride Elementary Teacher of the Year back in September. On Monday, a Hillsborough County Schools and Hillsborough Education Foundation PRIZE PATROL (including Superintendent Ayres and School Board Member Vaughn) arrived on campus to announce that Mr. Wilinsky has been selected as one of five finalists for HCPS's Teacher of the Year!

All finalists will be recognized, and the winner will be announced at the Excellence in Education Awards at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts on January 23, 2025. Members of our school community are invited to attend. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased online using the link below. We are proud of Mr. Wilinsky's accomplishments and grateful for his dedication and service to our school family!

Congratulations to Mrs. Jackson's and Ms. Kovach's homerooms for tying for the highest average daily attendance in the school - 97.03%

Kindergarten - Garlinghouse 94.33%

First Grade - Perron 96%

Second Grade - Jackson 97.03%

Third Grade - Kovach 97.03%

Fourth Grade - Chester 96.61%

Fifth Grade - Fassel 96.11%

Each of these classes received a HUGE TROPHY to display in their classroom for the month!

Kindergarten - 91.64%

First Grade - 91.71%

Second Grade - 92.64%

Third Grade - 93.23%

Fourth Grade - 95%

Fifth Grade - 94.21%

THE GRADE LEVEL WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER WAS FOURTH GRADE WITH 95%.

OUR SCHOOL-WIDE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER WAS 93.18%% AND OUR AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR THE YEAR IS 95.25%. (SO CLOSE! OUR GOAL IS 96%).

Metropolitan Ministries will pick up donations on Thursday, December 19th.

We want to see what amazing artwork our Pride Lions can dream up! The contest is open to all students. One entry will be selected by a panel of judges from all student entries as the cover. The top 4 runner up entries will be featured inside of the yearbook. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10TH. PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT BELOW FOR RULES AND DIRECTIONS.

The We Are Connected Mindset teaches us that everyone who comes into our lives can help us to achieve and live our dreams. Working with, for, and through others is crucial to realizing our dreams. When you understand this and constantly seek the positives from relationships with others, your performance in every area of your life improves. In the lessons for this mindset, we help students explore synergies with others, embrace diversity, and relish the competition that will allow them to maximize their potential by working with and through others.

Please click on the link below to find ways to encourage this mindset at home.

Parent-Newsletter-We-are-Connected.pdf

Enroll today….Spots fill up fast!

TENNIS CLASS DATES: Thursdays, January 30th - April 10th

SOCCER CLASS DATES: Wednesdays, January 29th - April 9th

BASKETBALL CLASS DATES: Mondays, January 27th - April 14th

CLASS AGES: K-5 CLASS TIMES: 2:00-3:00pm (at the school)

CLASS COST: $285 (discount for multiple club enrollment)

Program Details:

• 10 week session- Option of one or two - 2 hour classes per week

• Wednesdays and/or Fridays

• Open TO K-5 students

• Boards, pieces and other chess materials provided

• Class Tournament with prizes awarded at the end of the session

• Cost is $250 for a weekly session or $450 for twice a week sessions

• Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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

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