Dear Pine Avenue parents,

Just as missing a day of work can put an employee behind on assignments, students who are chronically absent also face significant risks.

Studies have found that chronic absence — defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days — can create reduced reading proficiency by the third grade and lower achievement in middle school, culminating in not graduating.

For the 2022-23 school year, the most recent year for which data is available, Alma Public Schools had 518 students — out of a student population of 1,978 — considered chronically absent.

Attendance Works, a non-profit initiative, works with school districts and communities to recognize the perils of chronic absenteeism and address it.

At www.attendanceworks.org/resources/toolkits/bringing-attendance-home/, parents can download a toolkit to help understand the cost of chronic absences and how to prevent it.

According to the toolkit, “just two or three absences a month can add up to too much lost time in the classroom. While some absences, especially those due to illness, may be unavoidable, it is important to get children to school as often as possible. Another myth is that attendance matters mostly for older students in middle or high school. We don’t recognize the adverse impact that poor attendance can have on learning as early as preschool or the importance of building a habit of good attendance from the beginning.”

The Annie E. Casey Foundation wrote in a 2023 article that chronic absenteeism rose during the pandemic and has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. “The share of fourth graders who were chronically absent from school spiked during the pandemic, from 24 percent in 2019 to 36 percent in 2022,” accord­ing to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress on the Kids Count Data Center.

I encourage you to connect with your child’s teacher and myself if your child’s attendance starts to slip so that we can work together to get kids back on track.

Your partner in education,

Dr. Konowalow

The students at Pine Avenue had a great first week. Students participated in team and class building activities, learning school-wide and individual classroom procedures. Below are our first set of Student of the Week pictures.

Mr. Jeff Calhoun, director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and three students from Pine Avenue shared their experiences of the Lunch Buddies Program and the Big Brother/Big Sister program with first-year students at Alma College. The program at Pine Avenue has positively impacted the 35 students it serves. This year, we want to increase the number of students participating in the Lunch Buddies Program.

We want to thank our parents for their patience while we checkout our pickup students after school. This procedure helps us ensure the safety of our students as we learn who is allowed to pick a student up. Parents are encouraged to update their pickup list.

Greetings parents and caregivers from the desk of your Alma Public Schools K-5 Counselor,

It’s been quite a start to the school year! My Congratulations to you all as I remember the days well, the effort it takes to get your child to school, fully clothed, and in one piece, carrying ginormous backpacks containing everything but a kitchen sink. Many of you are accomplishing this superhero task for more than one child who also attend different schools spread throughout our community. Traffic lights are not friendly to busy caregivers and bus drivers navigating the highways and byways to school. And yet you’ve gotten them here in one piece, with snacks, Kleenex, homework assignments, and a clean driving record thanks to our reminder speed limit signs that now light up when we may be a smidge over the limit. You do this day in and day out and we appreciate you! Some day your children will too. As Dr. Konowalow shared in her Message from the Principal, there exists volumes of data supporting the connection between school success and regular attendance. This is not only tied to academic performance, but also positive social, emotional adjustment which promotes a sense of belonging, purpose and future. This is the culture we are building at Pine, one SEL (social emotional learning) lesson at a time, one lunch buddy, one game of ball with a new student on the playground who hasn’t made friends yet…we are making progress together. Recently I’ve decided to hang my son’s Columbia University Diploma in my Counselor office at Pine. It’s written in Latin and I cannot understand what it says, but my hope is that our curious Pine students will ask about it. Then I can share the fact that their Pine Avenue Math Coach, Mrs. Andrea Oswald, was my son’s first math teacher at the DPMS. She explained things in a way no one else could, which eventually led to his full scholarship and degree in mathematics. That gift is priceless, and that is the caliber of staff you have here at Pine Avenue, dedicated, brilliant people, full of heart, just like your kids, our students! So please never hesitate to reach out, ask questions or inform us in the ways we can continue to best support your children along this journey. We look forward to hearing from you. It’s going to be a great year..

Please see the Google link for our new Drop off/Pick-up Procedures below.

August 29, 2024, Community Tailgate

August 30, 2024, No School

September 2, 2024, No School

September 6, 2024, School Pictures

September 16, 2024 PTO

September 24, 2024 Parent Teacher Connection Night

Late Start or Early Release

Alma Public Schools will implement Late Start or Early Release Days September through May. The dismissal time for Pine Avenue’s early release is 11:43 am. The school day at Pine Avenue will begin at 11:43 on the late start days. Please note, Late Start days are on Wednesdays and our Early Release days will be on Fridays.

September 11-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

October 11-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

November 8-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

November 13-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

December 11-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

January 10-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

February 28-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

March 12-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

April11-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

May 14-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

Thank you in advance for planning transportation for your students.

1. Always show your ROARS.

2. Look ahead, not back. Each moment and day are a new beginning.

3. Meet high expectations and goals for yourself, and always display GRIT.

4. Build positive relationships with everyone. Care about each person, and make sure they know you care.

5. Follow directions, procedures, and always do your best.

6. Respect yourself and others.

7. Always play fair, include others, and use words to resolve problems and conflicts.

8. Take responsibility for your actions, accept consequences, and the word no.

9. Do not spend time engaging in rumors or making fun of someone, and always remember words can hurt.

PPanther Paws are used as an incentive to promote positive school behaviors throughout the school setting. Students earn Panther Paws when they are caught displaying their ROARS behaviors. As students acquire Panther Paws, they turn them to enter Panther Paw drawing every Friday. Mr. Nevins draws Panther Paws and announces the winner over the loudspeaker. Panther Paw winners pick a prize from the Panther Paw Prize Cart.

Each week, one student per class will receive the teacher-selected Student-of-the-Week. Teacher-selection is based on students consistently displaying their ROARS, PAES Behavior Norms, and learning grit. Student-of-Week winner will receive a mini certificate and will have the class Student-of-the-Week trophy sit on their desk for the week.

We look forward to celebrating all of our students and their accomplishments. Please know that each week we attempt to get all the pictures of our winners, student pictures are updated regularly.

Volume levels are being taught and reinforced in classrooms and buildings with K-5 students. This structure allows students to be mindful of their voice level across the various school settings when interacting with others throughout the school day. Volume levels are being taught and reinforced in classrooms and buildings with K-5 students, and this structure teaches students to be mindful of their voice level when interacting with their peers across various school settings. Throughout the school day, students utilize the appropriate level based on the learning activity they are engaged in based on the direction of the teacher.

ROARS stands for Respect Others, Act Responsibly, and be Safe. These are district-wide behavior expectations that all staff members reference as they provide instruction in the classroom and move throughout the school setting. ROARS is the anchor to all school procedures and routines.

Please make sure you are using and checking the APS app, Rooms. Using APS APP-Rooms is how your child's teacher will communicate with you throughout the year. Studies show that parent involvement in a child's education increases the student's education. Your partnership with this program is essential. Each week, you will learn about what is happening in class and the many excellent learning opportunities the teacher provides for your child. Remember to turn on the notifications.

Ensuring student safety before and after school is a high priority. We are asking all parents and guardians to support Pine Avenue during school drop off and pick up by adhering to the following procedures:

Campus supervision for students begins at 7:35 a.m.

MORNING Drop Off:

• Pull all the way forward to the light post to drop off students.

• Keep students in the vehicle until you are past the overhang at the entrance.
  
  

AFTERNOON Pick Up:

• Pull all the way forward until you are asked to stop by an adult. This is usually 2 car lengths past the light post.

• For student safety, students will enter vehicles when told to do so by an adult.

• This occurs when the vehicle is past the light post.
• ID checks will be requested as needed. (Please make sure all adults who will pickup your child are on your pickup list.)

Parents are asked to refrain from making left hand turns into the parking lot. This vehicle maneuver will cause the traffic to backup on Pine preventing a smooth flow of traffic.

Parents/guardians who are choosing to park in the parking lot and pick up their student afterschool:

• To ensure students' safety , please use the school's crosswalk which is located outside our main doors, by the overhang. This is the only location people should be crossing the parking lot for safety. We have a paraprofessional assigned to assist students in crossing upon seeing their parent/adult.

We appreciate your support in assisting us to ensure a safe student drop off and pick up.

We understand that events come up for parents, and changes must be made to students' dismissal plans. Parents are asked to please make sure to call in any transportation changes before 2 pm. The end of the day is hectic at an elementary school, and we must be aware of any changes before then. In addition, we also encourage you to send a note to your child's teacher or the office on the day of a transportation change. Students will not be dismissed to anyone not on a student's pickup list. Parents who have given us permisson to release to an adult through a change of dismissal plan, the person picking up the student must present a valid picture ID.

Parents: A medication authorization form must be completed each school when a student requires medications to be distributed at school. Should you need a form, don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Bailey or Mrs. Quiroz in the office at 989-466-7651.

The listed titles below are also direct links to the desired information.

Pine Avenue Elementary

1025 Pine Ave.

Alma, MI 48801

Phone:

989-466-7651

Principal:

Dr. Kathy Konowalow

Administrative Assistant:

Mrs. Carrie Bailey

Start Time: 8:03 am

End Time: 3:10 pm

Late Start/Early Release: 11:43 am