PLE Updates

1st - 6th Grade Families - w e are so excited to welcome our Pine Lane Bears back for Orientation Day on Wednesday, August 12! This is a modified day designed to help students and families get ready for a great new school year.

Kindergarten families will come to your student’s scheduled assessment time and have your student’s picture taken.

🌟 ORIENTATION DAY HIGHLIGHTS

• 📅 Wednesday, August 12 – Modified Day
• Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

During your visit, you will have the opportunity to:

• Meet your student’s teacher
• Tour the school
• Bring in school supplies
• Have your student’s school picture taken
• Download the PikMyKid app
• Complete Express Check-In if you have not already done so

⏰ ORIENTATION TIMES

• 9:15 AM–12:00 PM
  Families with last names A–M
• 12:00–1:00 PM
  BUILDINGS CLOSED FOR STAFF LUNCH
• 1:00–3:30 PM
  Families with last names N–Z

🚌 IMPORTANT: NO BUS TRANSPORTATION

There will be NO bus transportation on Orientation Day.

💚 WE'RE HERE TO HELP!

Our offices will be open, and representatives from Transportation, Nutrition Services, and PLEA will be available in our lobbies to answer questions and assist families.

🎒 KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES

Kindergarten families will come to your student’s scheduled assessment time and have your student’s picture taken. The Kindergarten Team will communicate directly with you regarding the specifics for the Thursday and Friday schedule, as well as your student’s first full day on Monday, August 17.

❤️ CAN'T MAKE YOUR ASSIGNED TIME?

No problem! We are flexible! If your assigned time doesn't work with your schedule, simply come anytime during our open hours. We want to make sure we see as many of our Pine Lane families as possible.

Please remember: Our buildings will be CLOSED from 12:00–1:00 PM for staff lunch.

We can't wait to see our Pine Lane Bears and kick off another wonderful year together!

Together, we Elevate & Engage! 💚🐻

Pine Lane Elementary

AUGUST

• 12 | Pine Lane Orientation Day (Modified split day schedule see below for details)
• 12 | Kindergarten 15 Min Assessments & Photos
• 13 | First Full Day of School 1st - 6th Grade
• 13 & 14 | Kindergarten 1/2 Day sessions
• 17 | First Full Day of School Kindergarten
• 17 | PLEA Kinde YaHoo/BooHoo. 9:10am - 10:00am
• 21 | First Friday Delayed Start
• 24 | PLEA Swirls Frozen Yogurt
• 27 | Band and Orchestra Rental Night at Mammoth Heights Elementary

SEPTEMBER

• 1 | NC Vision & Hearing Checks

• 2 | PLEA Bear Brunch 8 - 9am
• 2&3 | SC Vision & Hearing Checks
• 3 | 5th/6th Grade PLUM Parent Mtg
• 4 | PLEA Bear Crawl Kick-Off
• 7 | No School Labor Day

📢 Beginning in the 2026–27 school year, all Douglas County School District elementary and middle schools will start ⏰ 45 minutes later every Friday beginning August 21st.

• 🏫 Pine Lane’s Friday start time will be 9:55 AM.
• 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫 This time will be dedicated to teacher collaboration focused on improving instruction and better supporting students.
• 📄 Please review the information below for complete details and scenarios.View full district information about PLCs

Teacher names will be posted to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Monday August 3rd.

• To login to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, use just your username and password.
• To login to the EngagED Parent Portal, add “@p.dcsdk12.org” to your user name. (It is not your personal email address.) .

• Classroom teachers will not be released until the assessment days have been completed.

• Questions about Registration/Enrollment or call 720-433-0095
• Questions about Open Enrollment (closes August 3rd at 4pm)

Whether you are a new or existing family, below are some helpful resources to assist with your family’s transition to Pine Lane Elementary including Express Check In, our Contact Information, School Supplies, PikMyKid, and Transportation.

We know there are several steps and a lot of information, if you have questions or need help, please reach out to PLERegistrar@dcsdk12.org at any time.

Thank you for choosing Pine Lane for your family.

Express Check-In is a Douglas County School District application that allows parents to update household information, sign off on district forms, update health conditions and pay select school fees. This application helps prevent families from having to manually enter a full batch of information for numerous children in the household when checking in prior to the start of the school year.

You will need your EngagED Parent Portal sign in: yourusername@p.dcsdk12.org (not your personal email address) and your password.

Every household must complete this process. We will send out a reminder eblast prior to the open date. Complete details and instructions are available here: PLE Express Check In

Every student at Pine Lane will be issued a device to use for the year in their classrooms. Please complete the online form below for each of your students.

Students will not be assigned a device until this form has been completed.

• PLE 26/27 Technology Contract - Online Form

If you completed this during Express Check-In you do not need to complete again.

Picture Day is your student's opportunity to capture a timeless memory you'll cherish for years to come!

Pre-Order Your Photos Today!

Visit mydorian.com and search for Pine Lane Elementary. Then click the green "Order" button or the yellow "Help" button associated with your student's Picture Day.

Online pre-orders are available now through August 14, which is two days after Picture Day. Ordering in advance helps you avoid additional processing fees.

Picture Day Tips

• Wear solid colors or simple patterns for the best-looking portraits.
• Avoid clothing with large logos, graphics, or text, as they can distract from your student's smile and may be cropped in the final image.

We look forward to capturing another year of unforgettable memories at Pine Lane Elementary!

• You will bring your student to school for a 15 minute assessment. Please ensure you sign up for a time slot when it is shared out to you the beginning of August when teachers are in the building.
• If you have not already done so please sign up here: PLE Kindergarten Assessment Sign Up
• School Photos will be taken

August 13th & 14th

• Your student will be assigned a half day morning session on either Thursday the 13th or Friday the 14th.

August 17th

• Kinde "Yahoo/BooHoo" 9:10 am South Campus for Parents of Kindergarten Students
• First full day of school for students
• Parents are invited to join us from 9:10 - 10:00 for Kinde Yahoo / Boo Hoo

• 1st Full Day of School

• 9:05 am - 4:00 pm

• Staff will be outside at 8:50 to greet students as they get off buses/parent pick up

Restaurant Spirit Nights!

• 🍦 Swirl’s Frozen Yogurt on August 24th
• 🍽️ Chick-fil-A on September 24th

PLEA receives a portion of profits back from all Spirit/Restaurant Nights which will go towards the general fund for playground improvements

👟Bear Crawl: Water & Color Run

• September 18th
• more details to come including volunteer positions for adults!

As always, feel free to connect with our PTO group, Pine Lane Educational Alliance, via email at pleabears@gmail.com or by joining The Band app using this link: https://band.us/n/aaacb479N4c1o, or click on the PLEA image.

We are gearing up for a smooth dismissal process this year!

Please read below to see how to get your PikMyKid car tags:

• New Families & Kindergarten Families: You will automatically receive your printed PikMyKid car tags—no action is needed on your part for car tags.

• Returning Families: If you still have your car tags from last year, you are good to go! They are still active and ready to use.

• Need a Replacement or Extra Tag? If you are a returning family and lost your tag, or simply need an extra one for another vehicle, please let us know by filling out our quick request form below.

🔗 PikMyKid Car Tag Request Form

Again this year Douglas County School District is excited to announce its participation in the Healthy School Meals for All program for Breakfast and Lunch. All students enrolled at Douglas County School District may participate in the Breakfast (where available) and Lunch at no cost!

Even though all students will receive meals at no cost, we still ask families to complete the income information form when requested. This helps Douglas County School District RE-1 qualify for important state and federal funding. These funds go directly to our schools to help:

• Cover the cost of school meals

• Support after-school programs

• Enhance other nutrition and student support services

• Summer EBT benefits

• Reduced school fees

• Discounts on class materials

• Transportation support (bus passes)

• Utility assistance and more

• Linked below is a year-long calendar for your reference and planning:
• 2026-2027 PIne Lane Year Long Calendar (Highlighted Items are not finalized).
• If you utilize Google Calendar, you can also subscribe to our PLE Events Calendar
• Please familiarize yourself with our PLE Website.
• You can also stay informed through social media via Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter.
• Our community has also created a group on Facebook called Pine Lane Families; this group is a very helpful community and they are very responsive.