Greetings Panther Lake Family and Friends!
I am excited to get to reach out to you with some school updates. First of all, I wanted to let everyone know that while Principal Ritch is on leave, I have been in contact with her - she is doing well and misses our students!
I have enjoyed getting to meet many of you this year. For those who haven't met me yet, I'm Emily Smith, Assistant Principal. Before coming to Panther Lake I was an assistant principal at a middle school in Franklin Pierce, and before that I taught in elementary schools in Tacoma and Kent for 14 years. I love the children at Panther Lake - every student I've worked with this year, I've seen growth and progress - and a desire to keep learning and doing better. I am so excited to be here with them each day supporting them on their learning journey!
It has been a busy week at Panther Lake, and it ended with a fantastic "Irish Dance: Fire and Ice" assembly on Friday! The dancing was great, and our scholars were an AMAZING audience (there are some pictures below!).
Last week was also, Education Support Professional appreciation week! We are lucky to have an amazing team of paraeducators at Panther Lake who support our scholars with everything from teaching small groups, supervising recess, working 1 on 1 with scholars, working in the office, keeping our school clean, and so much more! When you see them around, thank them for all of their hard work!
I have appreciated the opportunities this year to partner with many of you in support of Panther Lake Scholars! If you ever have questions or concerns I am always happy to partner with you!
Sincerely,
Emily Smith
Assistant Principal
Jeff Soltez
Dear Panther Lake Families,
It is my pleasure to introduce to you Mr. Jeff Soltez. He will be working as my substitute principal while I am on medical leave. He has already been at Panther Lake over the last two days, working with staff and students. He recently retired from Federal Way after 23 years of working as a principal in the Federal Way school district. Mrs. Emily Smith will still be here to help maintain and support the continuity our school needs.
Please join me in welcoming him our school!
All 3rd, 4th and 5th Graders Invited to Join Battle of the Books!
Battle of the Books is an extracurricular activity for third, fourth and fifth graders that centers on reading. Students read from a set list of books, form teams, attend practices, and compete in our school’s Battle of the Books. The winning team will go on to the district Battle of the Books. Practices will be held in the library during afternoon recess.
Practice dates are on Wednesdays on the following dates: 3/22
Seeking Members!
President- Renee Metanoia
Vice President- Katie Finch
Secretary- Jason O'Daniel
Treasurer- Glyn Jenkins (5th grade teacher/admin intern)
PTA is still in need of members to support family event planning and building up our Panther Lake community.
If you would like to join our PTA, please reach out to Mr. Sanchez or any of our board members.
To report absences:
- Call Mrs. Hagen at 253-945-3603 or office 253-945-3600, email: bhagen@fwps.org
- Report on ParentVue, preferable before school starts at 9:10am (before teacher submit absences)
*If absences are not reported before 10:15am, parents will get a district automated absence callout* to remind them to call students absence in.
TIP: If students go to a medical appointment and misses school, you can provide a doctor's note so the absence can be excused as “medical” which will not count as an absent for BECCA.
**If you have a question about BECCA, our state school attendance law, please feel free to email or call me for more information.**
Prearranged absence: Form attached needs to be completed when student is out for more than 2 days BEFORE missing school. This applies for vacations or extended absences.
*parent will complete the top portion, then teacher will complete their section, parent and student will sign and final step will be completed from our principal, Mrs. Ritch.*
Tardy hours 9:10-9:40am
Absence is after 9:40am
If students are late and check in after 9:40am and it is under an unexcused reason, parents will get the auto absence callout.
- PLEASE put a reason down when students are coming in late or leaving early, if there is no reason written down, then the attendance code will not be accurate and it will be automatically coded as unexcused.
If you have any attendance questions, please contact Data Secretary Bonnie Hagen 253-945-3603 bhagen@fwps.org