Message from Mrs. Hustedt
As I look back on this 2020-2021 school year, I am blown away with everything our students have overcome. I am so proud of their achievements and grateful for their joy, insights, and talents. Our students make me proud to be a PKMS Knighthawk.
I also want to recognize our amazing PKMS teachers and staff. This year could not have occurred without their endless energy, skills, and devotion. Thank you and well done teachers and staff!
Lastly, our parents are a key piece to our students' success. We appreaciate the teamwork, waves in the car rider line, and support. You all add so much value to our school.
Let's have a fantastic last two and a half weeks of school. Go Knighthawks!
Cori Hustedt
PKMS Principal
End of Year Calendar of Events
This week:
June 3rd & 4th - Shrek Jr. School Performances
June 4th - $1 Hat Day PTO Fundraiser
June 4th - Pine Straw Car Rider Line Fundraiser
Next week:
June 7th - Academic Challenge National Tournament
June 7th - SIC End of Year Drive Through @ 4:00 pm
June 8th - 2020 - 2021 Athletic Banquet @ 3:30 pm
June 9th - 8th Grade Field Day
June 9th - 6th Grade STEAM Career Day
June 10th - 7th Grade Field Day
June 10th - 8th Grade Awards
June 11th - 6th Grade Field Day
Last week:
June 14th - 8th Grade Recognition Practice
June 15th & 16th - WEB Training
June 17th - 6th Grade Awards and 7th Grade Awards (1/2 Day)
June 18th - 8th Grade Recognition (1/2 Day)
Registration Reminders!
This is a reminder that the Back To School Registration Portal is open and available for your student’s 2021-2022 Returning Student Registration. If you haven’t already completed this, please do so as soon as possible using this link: https://cas.fortmillschools.org . You will need your student’s ID number which is accessible through Parent Portal. The password is the student’s birthday in the MM/DD/YYYY format.
If your student is not returning to Fort Mill Schools for the 2021-2022 school year, please contact Tammy Fowler at fowlert@fortmillschools.org or (803)835-3724 to request a withdrawal form.
PTO Pinestraw Fundraiser this Friday during our Car Rider Line
This Friday (June 4th), we will be collecting donations in the car rider line to help enhance the appearance of our school. Thank you for your continued support of PKMS.
Nurse News
Attention Pleasant Knoll Middle School parents!
Medications: Prescription and OTC
The last day to pick up your child’s medication (prescription or non-prescription) is Wednesday, June 16. Parents must come into the school to pick up the medication. The students are not allowed to carry medication home with them on the bus. Medication left after Wednesday will be discarded per district policy.
Medical Paperwork
If you have indicated that your child has a medical condition that may require management in the school setting please have all necessary paperwork completed during the summer before the start of the new school year. The intention is to make it easier to obtain necessary physician signatures and have the plans/medication forms in place by the first day of school. All paperwork must be updated by the physician annually. You should have received your packet by email.
Please feel free to contact Nurse Young at 803-835-3734 or youngp@fortmillschools.org if you have any questions.
Reading this Summer!
Hooray, summer is almost here! I know all of us are looking forward to summer! Whether your summer plans call for busy or relaxing days, please make time for your child (and yourself, if possible) to read. It may seem difficult to find 20 minutes each day for your child to read, but the cost of not doing this is far too great. Children who read for just 20 minutes per day see 1.8 million words each year and have scores on standardised tests in the 90th percentile (because they have experienced so many words!). Compare this with the child who is reading for just 1 minute per day, they only see 8000 words each year and have scores in the 10th percentile on standardised tests. A small amount of reading each day makes an incredible difference! (See graphic)
So, how do we show our children the benefits of reading? We live in a fast-paced world and children today are exposed to so many stimuli, and have many ways to consume both entertainment and knowledge. In a world with so many distractions, how can we keep them focused on reading? Here are a few tips to give your child the tools to succeed:
A book filled home: Have books, magazines, and newspapers around the house to show children that reading is part of everyday life.
Model reading: Read on your own and show your child that you enjoy reading too!
Talk books: Talk to your child about what you are reading and ask questions about what he/she is reading. We have a great summer reading selection through the South Carolina Junior Book Award Program, so choose a book to read with your child and have book chats with him/her. (Your child should read one book from this list for summer reading assignment).
Give the gift of digital: The present school children are growing up in a digital world. Words may look more familiar to them on a screen. Plus an e-reader is more convenient to read on and carry around.
Apps can make reading fun: There are many apps that make downloading books easy such as: Amazon Kindle, Libby (through the public library), and Sora (through our school library) just to name a few.
Give the gift of books: Either the traditional book or an e-book so that your child has choices for reading.
ALL Rising 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students should choose ONE book from the SCJBA Nominee List. Students will have an assignment to complete that goes along with the book they choose. The assignment will be available on the Summer Reading Website, which will be posted under the Students tab on the PKMS website on Monday, June 7th.
PKMS Band
PKMS Band: Knighthawk notes
I wish everyone the best as we prepare for summer break! We are SUPER PROUD of our students’ progress and growth this year despite the challenges of COVID-19. Great job!
Checklist/Reminders
1) Return all school owned instruments June 9th-14th. (REMOVE ALL PERSONAL ITEMS FROM CASES)
2) Obtain reeds, music, and accessories (grease, oil, etc.) for the summer. You can order online at www.wwbw.com.
3) CAREFULLY clean your instrument this summer via a repair shop or the band book cleaning techniques.
4) Keep your Band Books! We use it in August for a review before issuing a new, more advanced band book.
5) ALL OWED BAND FEES should be paid! This includes any reeds, oil, etc. that was placed on a “tab”.
Summer Accessories Checklist:
· EXTRA REEDS (Vandoren brand)
· MUSIC à KEEP YOUR BAND BOOK! (we use it in August)
· CORK/SLIDE GREASE
· VALVE/SLIDE/ROTOR OIL
· INSTRUMENT ACESSORIES (Visit www.wwbw.com to order accessories as needed)
School-Owned Instrument Return Information:
Wednesday, June 9th - Monday, June 14th (last day)
-Please apply grease and oil to all slides/valves before returning
-Drop off at the PKMS Main office from 7:30am-3:30pm
-Remove all personal items (mouthpiece, oil, grease, cleaning cloth, water rag, bell cover, instrument cover, reeds, musicians mask, etc.)
Summer/Fall Instrument Use Info:
Rising 9th graders: Please contact your future high school Band about using their instruments this summer, fall, etc..
Rising 8th graders: An email will be sent about summer instrument use once they return from ultra-sonic sanitizing (COVID), maintenance, repair, etc..
School-Owned instruments: Summer use
- Once school instruments have received summer cleaning/maintenance (early-mid August), an email will be sent to parents (oboe, bassoon, bass clarinet, tenor/bari sax, french horn, baritone, tuba).
- Parents may then pick-up an instrument from the PKMS Main Office during summer hours.
- Otherwise, school-owned instrument pick-up starts during the teacher workdays in August.
Practicing during Summer Break
~If possible, Band students can occasionally practice during Summer Break (at least 1-2 times/week) ~
8th grade: Learn to play all one octave scales (8), memorize them, and go further in the band book.
***Students are NOT graded for summer practice. There’s no practice logs, tests, quizzes, etc. when we return. This is to ensure students aren’t “rusty” when we return in August and that they have fun playing music this summer. ***
Please contact me with any questions and check our “Google Classroom” website for reminders and updates about events and assignments. Have a joyful and safe Summer Break!
CLASSROOM READY's School Supply Assistance Program
PKMS Athletic Booster Club
The PKMS Athletic Booster Club is planning for some exciting 2021-22 sports seasons, but we need your help! If you would like to be part of the Booster Club, please contact Rhett at pkmsabc@gmail.com. We could use help in the areas of finding sponsorships, social media, communications, and promotions.
Go Knighthawks!
PKMS ABC President,
Rhett Eckhardt
PKMS Important Links
Parent Communication
We would like to keep all of our parents informed of upcoming events, classroom news, and school news. Please use the PKMS website, http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/. It should be a primary source of communication for our families. Please also use our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages for information as well.
Twitter - @PK_Knighthawks
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/
Instagram - pleasantknollmiddleschool
Pleasant Knoll Middle School
Email: zeppelink@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 2320 Pleasant Road, Fort Mill, SC, United States
Phone: 803-835-3770
Facebook: facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/
Twitter: @PK_Knighthawks