Pioneer Press

Pioneer Elementary Families,

June is here and the end of the school year is drawing close! The next few weeks of school are full of fun learning opportunities, as well as end of year assessments. Thank you for ensuring your child is here each day and on time for school so they can participate in these important events.

Do you know a neighbor, family member or friend who lives in the Pioneer boundary area AND has a child who will turn 5 years old by August 31, 2024?

If you answered YES to that question, please encourage them to stop by the Pioneer Elementary office or call us at 253-931-4986. Now is the time to register children for Kindergarten (for next school year), and we are here to help with this process!

Staff are working hard to make sure students are learning and staying safe while at school. When the weather gets warm and the sun comes out we often have more students and families who walk or bike to school. Please help us ensure safety by reminding your student to be aware of their surroundings, walk (not run) on sidewalks, walk bicycles until off campus (and wear a helmet). We are also reminding students to keep following the Pioneer PATH while walking to school, at school and walking home. The Pioneer PATH is:

Pioneers Are Trailblazers! Here we are RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE & SAFE.

Lastly, please remember our “See Something, Say Something” initiative. If you see or hear of something unsafe in our Auburn School District community, please say something. Click the link above for more information.

Pioneer is a wonderful school community, and I appreciate the support you provide your child and our school. Let’s finish the year strong!

Pioneer Together,

Paul McKenzie - "Mr. Mac"

Principal, Pioneer Elementary

Pioneer Families,

I want to update you with news regarding a staffing change for the administrative team at Pioneer.

This will be Mrs. Collins’ final year as assistant principal at Pioneer, as she will become the new assistant principal at Lakeland Hills Elementary starting in August. Mrs. Collins and I joined Pioneer at the same time (fall 2018), and she has done a wonderful job of serving our school community. During those 6 years, Mrs. Collins has helped lead us through learning during the COVID pandemic and supported Pioneer during a complete rebuild of our school. Pioneer has also seen significant student enrollment growth (nearly 300 more students) in just the past three years, and Mrs. Collins cares deeply for each student of our 650+ students.

I encourage you and your child to stop by Pioneer and say thank you to Mrs. Collins, send her a note in the mail (2301 M Street SE – Auburn, WA) or email her words of appreciation at rcollins@auburn.wednet.edu.

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The second part of this announcement is to share that Tamikya Gore will be the assistant principal at Pioneer starting in fall 2024. Currently, Tamikya works in the role of Assistant Director of K-12 Student Instructional Focus for the Auburn School District and was previously an assistant principal at Olympic Middle School. Please join me in welcoming Tamikya to our school community.

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Next school year will mark the start of my 7th year as principal at Pioneer. The time sure flies by! This year's 5th grade students were in kindergarten when I began, and it's exciting to see them prepare for middle school. I am humbled and honored to serve and lead our community as principal. We have the best students and parents, and I am blessed to watch our students learn and grow each day.

Sincerely,

Paul McKenzie - "Mr. Mac"

Principal, Pioneer Elementary

(This is our new mission statement, and we are encouraging all students to memorize it!)

• Monday, June 3: 1-Hour Late Start (School Starts at 9:45am)
  
• Monday, June 10: 1-Hour Late Start (School Starts at 9:45am)
  
• Tuesday, June 11: 5th Grade at ASD Jr. Olympics (AM session)
• Tuesday, June 11: Volunteer Appreciation Dessert (3:30-4:40)
• Wednesday, June 12: 5th grade visits Olympic Middle School (9:45-11:15)
• Friday, June 14: Auburn HS Graduates walk the Pioneer hallways! - Spirit day: Wear Green, Gold & White (Auburn HS colors)
• Friday, June 14: Kindergarten End of Year Assembly (2:15-2:45)
• Friday, June 14: End of Year Music Performance for 4th & 5th Gr. Families (6:00-7:00)
• Monday, June 17: 1-Hour Late Start (School Starts at 9:45am)
• Tuesday, June 18: 5th Grade Completion Ceremony (2:00-2:40)
• Wednesday, June 19: NO SCHOOL (Juneteenth)
• Thursday, June 20: Last Day of School & Early Dismissal + full scale emergency drill practice (School begins at 8:45am and ends at 10:45am)

The “Lost and Found” at Pioneer has grown to be quite large! Is your student missing a jacket, sweatshirt or water bottle? If so, please remind your student to visit the “Lost and Found” to check for their missing item. REMINDER: Any items not retrieved by June 21 will be donated. Please stop by the office to check for items. We encourage families to write their child’s name inside of their jackets and sweatshirts, as this makes it easier for students to find their items.

Key #1

Read for 20-30 minutes each day!

• Books, magazines, online reading websites, go to the library - it all supports continued reading growth!

Key #2

• Finger Stretching & Blending (throughout the day)

Key #3

Ask your child questions about what they are reading! Foster their interest in reading.

Pioneer is one of the largest elementary schools in ASD!

To ensure safety and improve efficiency in our arrival and dismissal procedures, please review and follow these procedures. CLICK HERE to review our arrival and dismissal reminders.

Thank you for your help!

The City of Auburn has signs along M St. SE and K St. SE showing "No Parking" zones.

For the safety of our students and community:

• Do not park or pull over in these areas to drop off or pick up students.

Thank you to our parents, volunteers, staff and students who helped with our Multicultural Night, which took place on Friday, May 31. This was a hugely successful event, with approximately 500 people in attendance!

Multicultural Night was an amazing time of celebrating the cultures represented within the Pioneer Elementary community! Students and families presented information on their culture, students displayed artwork they created all through the hallways and on screens via slideshows they created, and several students performed songs/dance and poetry. Thank you also to families who prepared delicious food to share!

Special thanks to Mr. Nolan Moyer (Family Engagement Liaison), our Multilingual teachers and staff and office staff for their leadership and coordination of this event. We look forward to doing this again next school year!

5th Grade students had an amazing time of learning about science, social studies, leadership, social emotional skills and team building at Camp Auburn last month. Here are a few picture from their time at Camp Auburn, located in Ravensdale, WA.

Thank you ASD staff and HS camp counselors for making this a memorable time for our students!

Last week, students had the opportunity to meet people from a variety of career fields from our local community. At Pioneer, we are committed to ensuring every student will graduate high school and be prepared to go to college and/or the future they choose. As part of this goal, we organized a "Meet Me in the Future Week" which took place during recess. Students had the opportunity to meet people from a variety of career fields from our local community, which helps them dream about what they want to do after high school.

Thank you to our staff equity team for organizing this special event! And, a huge THANK YOU to the following community partners for sharing with our students about their careers:

- Boeing (Aviation)

- Auburn City Council

- Auburn Valley Regional Fire Authority

- Seattle Police Department

- Molen Orthodontics

- Assistant Soccer Coach for Local Semi-Professional Team

- Mariners Baseball Employee

- Pima Medical Institute

- Optometry

- Health Care

Students from Pioneer competed against teams of students from other ASD schools at a recent Math Competition. Competition Assessments included Individual Tests, Mental Math Tests and Team Tests. We are proud of our students! Special thanks to Ms. Millan and Mrs. Wong for leading our students at this special event.

The national mental health crisis has hit hard at home here in Auburn with one of the highest

percentages of people with mental health issues in Washington State. Your help is needed.

Auburn’s Blue Ribbon Committee “Healthy Auburn for Life” has developed three mental health videos. To watch the videos, click the link below.

https://www.auburnwa.gov/city_hall/mayor/healthy_auburn_for_life

The Auburn City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting mental wellness. This resolution challenges Auburn residents to fight this mental health crisis by watching at least one of their mental health videos and encouraging your friends and neighbors to watch too!

Hello Pioneer Families,

We are having a Volunteer Appreciation event this coming Tuesday June 11th at 3:30PM. There will be desserts/food for you to enjoy as a token of our appreciation for all the work you did this year with our students.

If you did not volunteer this year, no worries! We understand that you live very busy lives, but you are still invited to the event. We will have information on volunteer opportunities for the upcoming school year, so please join us and get more involved in the school if you are interested.

If you plan to come, please RSVP by letting Nolan Moyer know via Email or text. (We want to make sure we have enough desserts).

Sincerely,

Nolan Moyer, Family Engagement Liaison

nmoyer@auburn.wednet.edu

(253) 765-8238

We are excited to invite the families of 4th & 5th grade students to a music performance on June 14, 2024 from 6:00 until 7:00pm at Pioneer Elementary in the gym.

(PLEASE NOTICE THIS EVENT CHANGED from June 13 to JUNE 14)

Our 4th Grade students will be sharing two songs that they have learned on the recorder and our 5th Grade students will share two songs that they have learned for the Bridge Concert. The students will also perform “Come to Play” together.

This is an opportunity for your student to experience performing in front of a large group of people in a familiar setting, as well as fulfill the performance requirement for 5th grade. This will not only help build their confidence, but also give them the opportunity to show you what they have learned.

Please add this special evening to your calendar. I am sure it will be a fun and enjoyable evening!

Mrs. Simon

Music Specialist

Pioneer Elementary

SUMMER NOTES FROM THE HEALTH ROOM:

YAY, it’s summer time! Summer can be filled with fun and exciting activities for students and their families. But summer can also be a time for potential dangers when exploring the outdoors or when playing around water. For tips on how to enjoy your summer safely, please review this article on how to keep outdoor fun safe.

https://publichealthinsider.com/2023/06/27/summer-vacation-is-here-at-last-how-to-keep-outdoor-fun-safe/

Summer is also the time to make sure your students are ready to attend school in the fall. Do they need a vision check up, a well child appointment, a dental cleaning, or catch up on immunizations? State law requires that all students be fully immunized prior to starting school. If your student needs health or dental check ups or immunizations, please be sure to make those appointments now and have them seen by their provider during summer break. If you are uncertain if your student is missing immunizations, please reach out the school health room for assistance.

If your student has a health condition that requires them to have access to medications during the school year, summer is also a great time to get those medication orders completed. If your student has a life-threatening health condition requiring emergency medications such as an EpiPen or an Asthma Inhaler, your student will not be allowed to start school until they have medication orders, medications, and a care plan at school prior to the first day of school. So make those appointments now. Links to the required documents are provided below. Reach out to your school nurse if you have questions or concerns.

https://www.auburn.wednet.edu/Page/22264

SAVE THE DATE!

https://www.auburn.wednet.edu/Page/2#calendar1/20240815/event/133475

Free dinner, community resources, immunizations, school district programs and so much more!

Kelly Benshoof, MSN, RN

School Nurse

Effective communication between schools and families is a foundation for student success. Beginning in August, the Auburn School District will be using a new communication platform called ParentSquare so we can better communicate with families.

ParentSquare lets families choose how they want to receive messages and designate their preferred language. The district has been testing the new system at multiple schools and the results have been great! We look forward to using this new tool at all schools in August.

Look for more information about ParentSquare in the coming months!

In the event of a class celebration or birthday recognition, please keep the following guidelines in mind. Thank you for your cooperation!

• District policy states home baked goods are not to be brought to school for class or birthday celebrations. All treats/snacks must be store bought. We encourage families to consider healthy food options when bringing in treats (ex: pre-packaged apple slices, crackers, pretzels, raisins). Although not as healthy, store bought items such as cookies, Rice Krispies Treats or cupcakes are allowed.

• Helium balloons are not allowed on campus, as they cause a distraction, are difficult to retrieve if they are released and cause problems with our school alarm system.

Please first contact your child’s teacher to find a mutually agreeable day/time if you wish to help recognize your child’s birthday in the classroom. Our preferred time for celebrations is near the end of the school day.

Cell phones and electronic devices are not allowed to be used by students during school hours (ex: in class, at recess, or during lunch).

The goal of our cell phone and electronic device policy is to maximize the safety and learning of students in our classrooms while preventing distractions and reducing inappropriate and unsafe behavior (including bullying and harassment).

Students who bring these items to school are reminded they must remain in their backpacks (stored in their locker) and turned off during school hours. The school is not responsible for loss or damage to personal items.

Students who have their cell phones or electronic devices out of their backpacks and/or in use during school hours will have their device(s) confiscated by staff and brought to the office. A parent or guardian will be asked to pick up any cell phones or electronic devices that are used by a student during school hours.

We ask parents to partner with Pioneer Elementary by reviewing this policy with their children and reminding them of the school's expectations. Parents who need to communicate a message to their child can call the office at 253-931-4986 and the office will relay the message to the student.

We encourage families to consider holding off on allowing their child to use social media during their elementary school years. If your child has a social media account they use when at home, please make sure you are speaking to your student about appropriate use of technology and frequently have family conversations about how this form of technology is to be used.

School rules for the playground still apply when school is not in session. Please help us by following these playground expectations, and reviewing these expectations with your child.

#1 - Remember that fireworks are prohibited on school property. Aside from being dangerous to use, fireworks can cause significant damage to school property and buildings.

#2 - The playground is open 8:00am - dusk. (Dusk is after sunset, when it is dark out) The playground will be closed during hours of operation for summer school or district related activities.

#3 - Other playground expectations:

• Playground equipment is used properly

• Help us by leaving the playground in the best condition possible. Make sure garbage is thrown away.

• Pets and other animals are not allowed on the playground or turf field at any time.

• No bikes, scooters or wheeled vehicles or toys of any kind are allowed on the turf field.

• Use of alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, nicotine delivery devices, marijuana or drugs is strictly prohibited.

We have put together a SUMMER SAFETY TIPS resource for you.

Please review these slides so you and your family can enjoy summer fun while staying safe!

Auburn School District wants to hear from families about your experiences with your child’s school. Education Northwest is helping the district administer an optional survey to families. We invite you to take this 15-minute survey to help us know how we are doing to engage with our families and how we can improve. The information you share will help Auburn schools build stronger partnerships with families. To take the survey, please click here: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7874612/Auburn-Annual-Family-Engagement-Survey

Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/asdpioneer to follow our school on Facebook! Each week we post our Monday announcements, and also post other important school and district news.

Website: www.auburn.wednet.edu/pioneer
Location: 2301 M St SE, Auburn, WA 98002, USA
Hours: 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday

Phone: 253-931-4986
Facebook: facebook.com/asdpioneer

• Principal: Paul McKenzie - “Mr. Mac” pmckenzie@auburn.wednet.edu
• Assistant Principal: Rachel Collins rcollins@auburn.wednet.edu
• Office Manager: Karin Ode kode@auburn.wednet.edu
• Office Assistant: DesMarie Wilson dwilson@auburn.wednet.edu
• Office Assistant: Kimberly Tenorio ktenorio@auburn.wednet.edu

• Family Engagement Liaison: Nolan Moyer nmoyer@auburn.wednet.edu