Mr. Elkins' Weekly Wrap: Week of April 7

Hey Panda Family,

There are only 29 days of school left for this year. Time is an item that we can't get more of, so we need to make sure we maximize every second that we have - both academically and in our relationships. Strategically prioritize your time to teach and practice the skills they still need help with so they can be successful on their end of the year assessments, while also taking time to laugh, play, and build lasting memories that they will carry with them as they venture on to the next grade. Enjoy every minute of the next 29 school days as we work hard to finish out this amazing year on a high note! Thanks for all you do and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Here are the Weekly Wrap updates for this week:

New Updates

Staff Meeting: Our monthly Staff Meeting will be next Tuesday, April 15 @ 3:30 in the Media Center. Here is the agenda:

Good News & Pandagrams
SEL Activity/Game - Does Mr. Elkins recognize your voice?
Field Day - Ms. Fox
EOG Test Training - Ms. Lloyd
Legal Updates - Mr. Elkins
Good of the Order

Mclass EOY: The window for Mclass EOY is April 14 - May 6. If you need to invalidate anything please let Ms. Gardner know. Here is an Mclass help guide - One Page Help Guide

Spring Music Program: Our 2nd grade students will be performing their Spring Musical next Tuesday, April 15 @ 8:45. All grade levels will attend.

iReady Reading Diagnostic: If you have any students that didn't finish the iReady Reading Diagnostic this week then they can finish it next week. The window is open until April 25.

Fire Drill: Our monthly fire drill will be Wednesday, April 16 @ 9:00.

Field Day: Field Day is on Thursday, April 17. Here are the field day times:

K - 2nd: 8:45 - 10:45
3rd - 5th: 11:45 - 1:45

Progress Reports: 4th Quarter progress reports will go home on April 25. Please make sure to enter grades weekly.

EOG Days: There will be no Specials on May 13 & May 15 due to EOG testing. We will also be using the majority (if not all) of our Instructional Assistants to help with proctoring on these days. I wanted to let everyone know now so you can properly prepare.

Educator's Warehouse: We’re excited to invite you to the Educator Warehouse Annual Book Giveaway happening on Saturday, May 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.!

This special event is open to all WS/FCS teachers—and the best part? No registration is required! Just stop by and pick up books to build or refresh your classroom library before the end of the year.

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, May 3rd
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Educator Warehouse @ Diggs-Latham Elementary School

This is a great opportunity to stock up on high-quality books for your students. Whether you teach Pre-K or high school, there’s something for everyone!

Updates from Last Week

Hiding iReady Diagnostic: There are some new steps to hide the iReady diagnostic assessments until you are ready for your students to access them. Thank you to Ms. Gant for making these new directions for how to hide the iReady diagnostic - Hiding iReady Diagnostic

PBIS Events for the Remainder of the Year: The chances for the students to spend their Paw bucks are winding down. Below is a list of the ways students can spend their money in the last 34 days of school.

Panda Personalization - Google Form
Book Machine (1 book per student; $100 Paw bucks)
Paw Store - see schedule here

Continue to be positive, monitor the students, and hand out bucks when the students earn them.

Infinite Campus Courses: If you have completed your registration for Infinite Campus you should have begun receiving some emails about webinars and trainings. I have checked with the IT department and you do need to start completing these. You can complete these lessons at your own pace.

Terms of Employment for 2025-2026 (from the district): The purpose of this communication is to provide you with the attached Terms of Employment and Staff Calendars for the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, we are listing a few important updates and reminders below.

Pre-Service Days: All pre-service days (RS, PD, RT) are required for all employee staff who are under terms of employment. Annual Leave (AL) will not be approved on these days, as attendance is required to ensure we are prepared to welcome students on the first day of school.
RT Days after the first student day: On the other five RT days, employees may take AL days if the RT days are within their terms of employment. 10-month employees who positions permit remote work may telework on the RT days on December 22, 2025, and January 2, 2026
RS/PD Days on August 5 and 6: The professional development (PD) days on August 5 and 6 will be designated separately for elementary and secondary staff, with one day allocated for each group. The remaining day will serve as an RS (Reserved) day for schools.
RS Days after the first student day: Employees may be approved for Annual Leave on RS days with supervisor approval and if their job group does not have professional development.
Specific employee groups (such as Teacher Assistants and certain support staff) have designated mandatory R days, as detailed in the Terms of Employment document.
Inclement weather makeup days are noted by a snowflake symbol on April 6, and May 26-29. In the event of an inclement weather day, the day becomes an RT day for 215-day employees unless otherwise stated. The district is developing a clearer specific code structure for inclement weather days for next year which will be shared in August.
May 29 indicates the last paid employment date for the 215-day school year. Please note that this date may be adjusted due to inclement weather, which could result in changes to the calendar.

Please ensure you review the Terms of Employment and the attached 2025-2026 Staff Calendar to understand the expectations for your role. If you have any questions regarding your specific schedule, please reach out to your supervisor or the Human Resources department.

Thank you for your commitment to ensuring a successful start to the 2025-2026 school year. We appreciate your dedication and look forward to another great year ahead.

2025-26 Terms of Service Document
2025-26 Staff Calendar

PTA Reimbursements: All PTA reimbursements are due by April 30. Please make sure you keep your receipt. Here is the link to complete your reimbursement request - PTA Reimbursement Link

Updated Piney Grove Calendar: Please take time to review the PGE Event Calendar 2024-2025. We have added EOG Dates, adjusted Awards Day celebrations, and set a date for 5th grade graduation. Please review and mark your calendar accordingly. Here is a link to the calendar: PGE Event Calendar 2024-2025
Awards Celebrations
Kindergarten - May 16 @ 10:00
1st Grade - May 14 @ 12:00
2nd Grade - May 16 @ 12:00
3rd Grade - May 20 @ 10:00
4th Grade - May 20 @ 12:00
5th Grade - May 21 @ 10:00
EOG Dates
Reading EOG - May 13
Math EOG - May 15
Science EOG - May 19
Read to Achieve - May 19