Hey Panda Family,
We made it to the end of this whirlwind first quarter that consisted of budget cuts, staff relocations, and schedule changes. It also consisted of resiliency, hard work, and determination to succeed regardless of the challenges. Take these workdays coming up to finalize grades, reflect on the positives from the first nine weeks, prepare for second quarter, review your data and lay out next steps, and most importantly - catch your breath 😊 Enjoy the weekend knowing you don't have to come to a busy classroom on Monday. Thank you for exploring this first quarter with me. I am so thankful for each of you! Have a wonderful weekend! 🐼
Here are the Weekly Wrap updates for this week:
New Updates
School Improvement Plan Vote: The School Improvement Team has finalized our goals for this year. We need all staff to review these goals and vote on their approval. You will VOTE HERE. If you have any questions regarding any of these goals please don't hesitate to reach out to Mr. Elkins or your SIT representative. Here are the goals for this year:
- Goal 1: To increase overall school attendance to 95% as measured by Infinite Campus
- Goal 2: To increase school-wide grades 3-5, EOG reading and math proficiency by 3% by 2026. To also increase the overall school performance score by 2 points by 2026.
- Goal 3: Students across grades K-2 will be at least 82% proficient based on the composite score at Mclass EOY.
- Goal 4: By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, reduce the number of minor behavior incidents among male students in grades K–5 by 10% (from 629 to 566 or fewer) through targeted Tier 1 and Tier 2 behavioral supports, proactive supervision in high-incident areas, and increased student engagement strategies.
- Goal 5: By June 2026, the fifth grade “class of 2027” will demonstrate consistent year-over-year growth in ELA and math proficiency as measured by state assessment data, without experiencing a decline in overall proficiency from previous years in either subject. By June 2026, the fifth grade “class of 2030” will demonstrate consistent year-over-year growth in ELA proficiency as measured by state assessment data, without experiencing a decline in overall proficiency from previous years.
October 13 & 14 Workdays: Please see the email from Mr. Elkins with the directions for working or taking leave on the upcoming workdays. If you plan to take leave please complete a white sheet and turn it in to Ms. Owens. The building will be open both days at 7:30. October 14 is a district PD day. Here is the catalog so you can sign up for a session: October 14 PD Sessions. Reach out to Mr. Elkins if you have any questions.
Report Cards and Comments: Report Cards are due to Ms. True on Monday, October 13 by 3:00. Here is my suggestion with the report card comments. Please make sure every child has at least one comment under behavior and one comment under work habits (feel free to add more if you like). Since you can't edit or customize any comments in Infinite Campus, I suggest sending a separate note in the report card with additional comments or sending a Dojo to parents with additional comments if you want to add a custom comment with the report card.
Math NC Check-In: We will have our first Check-In on Thursday, 10/16. 3rd and 5th grades will begin first thing in the morning and 4th grade will begin after Specials. The Check-In is untimed.
- Teachers Testing: 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, Idol, Seely, Landis, Barnes, Russell, Postle, Lawson, Bowman, Flynn, Vermilyea, and Pereda
- Testing Locations: Testing Plan
- You may pick up your testing bins in the media center between 7:15 and 7:45.
- Please email Ms. Guffey with questions/concerns.
Field Trip Bag Lunch Forms: If your class is going on a field trip and students need bag lunches from the cafeteria, please fill out a field trip bag lunch form and turn it in to the cafeteria at least seven days in advance. They need this time to make sure they have enough items on hand to prepare these lunches.
Paw Forms: Please take advantage of the workdays next week to get caught up on entering your Paw Forms into Educator's Handbook. Thank you!
Afternoon Buses: Some of our afternoon bus drivers have been assigned additional routes at other schools before coming to Piney Grove. This is causing some of our buses to be a little later getting to Piney Grove in the afternoons. We just wanted to make sure everyone was aware in case they had to keep their students a little longer than normal each day. Our goal is still for all of your students to be dismissed by 3:25-3:30 each day.
ELLevation Forms (from Ms. Pereda): You might have noticed an email from ELLevation recently. It is time to complete your ML students' forms again. This year, it has been streamlined so we only have one round to sign. This is only for homeroom teachers with ML students and some specialists. I will work with the specialists individually since this is new for them this year. They are due by October 14th, so please log in to ELLevation and complete them as soon as you can. Here are the directions if you need help: Completing Forms in ELLevation
Counseling Updates (from Ms. Ceglowski): Here are some updates from Ms. Ceglowski.
- October is Bully Prevention Month
- We are promoting wearing orange on October 22 to show our solidarity in creating and maintaining a bully-free environment at Piney Grove.
- I will have students sign the grade level posters and hang them in the cafe as usual.
- Anti-Bullying messages will be added to the news each Friday in October.
- I encourage you to share this website with your students https://pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/do-you-bully/ It is a kid-friendly way to learn about bullying with information, quizzes, and videos to explore.
- Please remind students frequently that the Good Citizen trait for October is Kindness. We are looking for students to actively show kindness, especially when it's not easy.
- Referring Students: Thank you for using my form to refer students. It's very difficult to remember conversations about students when I'm on the fly in the halls. I may look like I am getting what you are saying but hallway Ceglowski forgets that she is forgetful. ;)
- Classroom Guidance: It's already time to book a time to have me come and do a Guidance Lesson in your room for 2nd quarter. Here is the link Book time with Ceglowski, Jessica: Classroom Guidance
- Good Citizens: Each month we will focus on a different character trait for our Good Citizens. October is Kindness. I will put keychains in your box each month, you can get the coin from the vault when you are ready. If you are missing a keychain, they are also in the vault.
Library Lock-In Times (from PBIS): Our first paid PBIS event, the Library Lock-in, is on Friday, October 17. During the Library Lock-in students who have paid their Paw Bucks will have their option of different activities including LEGO, bracelet making, reading, and more! Here is the schedule for the day:
- 8:30-9:00 2/3
- 9:05-9:35 K/1
- 9:40-10:10 4/5
Please reach out to your PBIS rep if you have any questions.
Shout-outs & Good News: Please see the shout-outs and good news listed below.
- Shoutout to our amazing PTA that spoils us throughout the year! 🎃
Previous Updates
Emergency Sub Plans: Please make sure you have emergency sub plans ready for if/when you have something unexpected come up and need to be out. These plans should be easily accessible and please don't incorporate lots of technology. In these emergency situations it is best to have something simple prepared that anyone can step in and help with. Thanks!
Ms. Gardner's Schedule: Ms. Gardner will be at Piney Grove the following dates in October:
- Oct. 6th, 8th, 15th, 20th, 24th, 27th, 29th, 31st
Mclass Progress Monitoring: Please make sure you are progress monitoring your students in Mclass. Here is the link to the progress monitoring calendar: Mclass Progress Monitoring Schedule
Positive Phone Calls/Messages: This is just a friendly reminder to turn in/share your positive communication log with me as soon as possible. Thank you to those who have already completed this. Here is a reminder of the bullet points from the opening staff meeting.
By the end of September, teachers should have contacted all parents with a positive Dojo message, email, or phone call
If parent does not respond, try another form of communication (phone call, email)
Turn in log by 9/26/2025
All students should receive a Pandagram home during the 1st quarter
PBIS Updates: Please be sure to read our PBIS minutes from this week's meeting: PBIS Minutes
Here is a list of the PBIS events for the year if you would like to print it to post in your classroom: PBIS Events 2025-2026
This is a list of just the paid events if you would like to give individual copies to your students.
Mrs. Coleman has her students highlight the events they would like to participate in and helps them budget to make sure they can afford those events. PBIS Paid Events
NC Check-In & i-Ready Schedules: The testing dates for NC Check-Ins and i-Ready Diagnostics are linked below. These dates have also been added to the Event Calendar.
Join PTA: If you haven't done so already, please make sure you join PTA to show your support. They do so much for our school. Here is the link to join: Join PTA
PGE Substitute List: Here is the updated list - PGE Substitute List.
District Substitute List: Here is the updated list - District Substitute List
WS/FCS Interpreter Services: If you need a district interpreter, here is the link to request one. REQUEST FOR INTERPRETATION SERVICES LINK
IEP Minutes Document: Teachers will continue to take minutes during IEP meetings.
- Please delete verbs and suggested phrases from the document at the end of the meeting.
- Here is a link to the document: IEP Minutes Template
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 13 - Teacher Workday (RT Day)
Oct. 13 - Report Cards due to Ms. True by 3:00
Oct. 14 - Teacher Workday (PD Day)
Oct. 14 - SIT meeting @ 8:30
Oct. 16 - Math Check-In (3rd, 4th, & 5th)
Oct. 16 - PTA Spirit Night @ Big Burger Spot
Oct. 17 - Report Cards go home
Oct. 17 - PBIS Library Lockdown
Oct. 20 - Tornado Drill @ 2:15
Oct. 21 - Science Check-In (5th Grade)
Oct. 21 - Staff Meeting @ 3:30
Oct. 22 - Wear Orange for Bully Prevention
Oct. 24 - 4th grade Pirate Day
Oct. 27 - 50th Day of School
Oct. 28 - W-S Symphony for 4th & 5th grade @ 10:15
Oct. 29 - ELA Check-In (3rd, 4th, & 5th)
Oct. 29 - Picture Retakes
Oct. 31 - Character Day
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