December Newsletter

Dec. 1: 7th GBB vs. Eudora 4pm

Dec. 1: 8th GBB @ Eudora 4pm

Dec. 2: 7th GBB @ Spring Hill 4pm

Dec. 2: 8th GBB vs. Spring Hill 4pm

Dec. 4: 7th GBB @ Woodland Spring 4pm

Dec. 4: 8th GBB vs. Woodland Spring 4pm

Dec. 8: 7th GBB @ Baldwin 4pm

Dec. 8: 8th GBB vs. Baldwin 4pm

Dec. 10: Winter Choir Concert 6pm

Dec. 10: Holiday Band Concert 7pm

Dec. 11: 7th GBB vs. TBD 4pm

Dec. 11: 8th GBB @TBD 4pm

Dec. 15-Dec.17: Boys Basketball Tryouts

Dec. 19: Early Dismissal

-All students dismissed at 1pm, buses will run at this time

Dec. 20 - Jan. 5: Winter Break

Before School: Doors open at 7:30 a.m.. School begins at 8:00 a.m.. Please have students arrive at 7:30 a.m. or after, as any students arriving prior to 7:30 a.m. will remain outside of the building and not be under supervision.

School Release: School ends at 3:00 p.m., students are asked to exit the building immediately unless working with an arranged teacher or have an activity/practice.

Home Sports/Activities: Students are not allowed to enter the gate until 3:30 p.m..

Attendance Reminder: If your student is absent, please notify the office as soon as possible.

Email: pms-attendance@usd368.org

Phone: (913)294-8030

As we approach winter, we will utilize the following to notify parents and the community should the need arise to cancel school.

• PantherAlerts - this text feature is available to any parent or community member who wants to sign up. A link to sign up is available on our district webpage under the Parents & Students tab.
• Infinite Campus Messaging system. Emails and phone calls will be sent from Infinite Campus.
• TV (channels 4, 5, 9, 41)
• USD 368 webpage
  
  

When possible, a decision will be made the night before, however when this is not possible a decision will be made by 6:00am in the morning.

Please encourage your student to dress in appropriate clothing for the weather outside. Layers are a great idea, especially when they are waiting outside before/after school! The building is temperature controlled, but parts of the building are cooler/warmer than others. Reminder, blankets are prohibited at school.

We have 115+ items in our lost & found at PMS! Hoodies, pants, water bottles, lunch boxes, etc.. PLEASE encourage your child to check it out and see if any of the items belong to them, but please encourage them to only take the item if it is theirs! Any remaining items will be donated at winter break.

In our classroom, helping students grow as responsible, independent learners is one of our top priorities. A key part of that growth comes from learning to meet classwork deadlines. Staying on track helps students build strong organizational and time-management skills, skills that will benefit them far beyond the school year.

Teachers only have so much time in the day to support each student individually. When work is completed on schedule, we can provide timely feedback, review concepts that may need extra attention, and offer targeted help before new material is introduced. This keeps learning moving smoothly and reduces students' stress.

However, when students accumulate excessive unfinished work, it becomes harder for them to stay engaged and understand new lessons. Large amounts of missing work can quickly feel overwhelming, making it challenging for students to know where to begin or how to catch up. Completing assignments on time helps prevent this snowball effect and ensures students get the most out of their learning time.

We encourage families to check in with their child regularly about upcoming assignments and class expectations. As we near the end of the semester, it is important that all grades be submitted before the final deadline so students receive full credit for their hard work. Taking a few minutes to review any missing work in Infinite Campus can make a big difference in helping students stay organized, monitor missing work, and stay confident in their progress.

Thank you for partnering with us in building strong habits that set students up for success!

-6th Grade Team

Reminder: time change for the Winter Concert. The concert is Wednesday, December 10th at 6pm.

Star Panthers are Maisie Burkhart, Cora Chase, Kenneth Mersman, Hailey Howard, Conor Keegan, Savannah Ruggles, Morgan Foster, Mason Gray, and Clara Ramsey.

Congratulations to Ani Yates and Emma Grass for being selected to the Kansas State Middle Level Choir. They were selected to represent out of almost 1000 auditions. They will perform at the state convention in February. We are so PROUD of them!

Level III students had to work together and practice communication because THE FLOOR IS LAVA!

In Mr. Scott’s communications class, 8th grade students read stories like The Monkey’s Paw leading up to Halloween. Next they were challenged to retell the story in a different way using graphic novel format. The students love doing this project and they create some really interesting posters. Here are a couple around the theme of “be careful what you wish for.”

Mrs. Bowman's 8th graders are learning about potential energy and designing toys that use potential energy. They have created catapults, marble runs, slingshots, yoyos, elastic paddle ball, and more!

On November 11th, we had the privilege of honoring men and women who have served our great country. Our students attended an assembly hosted by Mrs. Bowman which included singers, speakers, and recognition. Thank you to all Veterans!

Teachers & Staff played a a fun game before heading to Thanksgiving Break! Whoever ended with the "turkey in their pocket" at 3:00 pm won a yummy prize! Our winners were: Mr. Schad and Mrs. McDow!

As we come into cold and flu season, be reminded our current school policy, based on guidelines from Miami County Health Department for all Respiratory Viruses (COVID, Influenza & RSV) are as follows:

• Any person with a positive case shall remain in home isolation until fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medications AND overall symptoms are getting better. Contact school health staff for any additional questions.