The Weekly Update #4

As we head into Spring Break, I want to take a moment to thank our students, staff, and families for the energy and commitment you’ve shown throughout these past months. It has been wonderful to see the growth in our students—academically, socially, and in how they support one another each day. Pioneer truly is a special place because of this community.

A few quick reminders as we wrap up this week:

Please encourage your student to check in with teachers and make sure any missing work is completed or a plan is in place before the break.
Spring Break runs from April 6–10. We look forward to welcoming students back on Monday, April 13.
State testing is coming up in May, so continuing strong attendance and daily engagement really matters.

We hope all of our Pioneer families enjoy a safe, restful, and well-deserved break. Thank you for your continued partnership—we look forward to a strong finish to the school year when we return!

Warmly,
JoAnne Fernandes
Principal, Pioneer Middle School

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our incredible volunteers. Your time, energy, and dedication make a meaningful difference in our school community each and every day.

Whether you’ve supported in classrooms, helped at events, assisted in the office, or contributed behind the scenes, your efforts do not go unnoticed. Your commitment helps create a positive, supportive environment where our students and staff can thrive.

We would like to recognize our Top 10 Most Active Volunteers, whose exceptional commitment has gone above and beyond:

Allison Marrero - 52 hours

Kenneth Hayes- 42 hours

Maddyn Gorman - 20 hours

Jack Southard - 16 hours

Roman Pawlik - 15 hours

Phillip Bleinberger - 14 hours

Lauren Peterson - 14 hours

Shawn Elshire - 13 hours

Peggy Wanner - 13 hours

Bruce Hayes - 11 hours

We are truly grateful for your generosity and partnership. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community!

With appreciation,

Pioneer Middle School

6th grade students have just completed their phase change unit, where they explored what happens at the molecular level as substances change phases. Along the way, they made meaningful connections to their previous unit about thermal energy. They investigated a moon on Titan that had a lake of liquid methane that disappeared in two years. Ask your 6th grader what they now think happened to it.

7th grade is finishing up Populations and starting to learn about Matter and Energy. Good old Photosynthesis!

Mr. Stugelmeyer's 8th graders did a quick mini-lesson on coding and microbits and then jumped into magnetic fields. We have been doing a lot of hands-on with magnets and discussing roller coasters and their use of magnets as well. Mateus's 8th grade team finished the Egg Car STEM challenge in February. It was quite a "smash", as less than 25% failed in their attempt to protect an egg from breaking.

As we move forward in the spring, the 8th graders will do an extra day of State testing called the WCAS (Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science). We look forward to seeing them show what they know about the world around them.