From the Desk of Principal McIntyre

Greetings Pointer Ridge Families,

🐾 The countdown is officially on! We are just hours away from welcoming our Panthers back for an exciting new school year, and we can’t wait to see our hallways filled with smiling faces again!

I strongly encourage families to join us for Sneak-A-Peek tomorrow. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to meet their teacher, visit their classroom, become familiar with their new learning environment, and drop off school supplies before the big day. We hope this early visit will help our Panthers feel comfortable, excited, and ready for their first day!

Our first day of school is Tuesday, August 25th! On the first day, we will welcome students only into the building and classrooms. We have found that our Panthers transition much more confidently when they enter alongside their peers. This also allows our staff to focus fully on welcoming students and ensuring the safety of every child during a very busy morning.

Enjoy these final hours of summer, and get those backpacks ready! Please take time to review the important reminders below as we prepare for the first day and first week of school

🐾 One Team. One Mission. Together We Thrive! 🐾

Sincerely,

Jamila McIntyre, Principal

Sneak-A-Peek is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to visit their new classroom, meet their teacher, find their seat, and drop off school supplies before the first day of school. This brief visit helps reduce first-day jitters and supports a smooth, confident start to the school year. There will also be various information stations for parents to visit to receive resources for the school year.

I strongly encourage all families to attend Sneak-A-Peek as parents and visitors will not be permitted to visit classrooms on the first day of school to ensure students’ safety and promote independence. I am asking parents to adhere to schedule below so we can effectively manage the volume of families we expect to visit the school.

We want to encourage all returning Pointer Ridge Panthers to wear their Panther Pride shirts during Sneak-A-Peek or wear your class color to show your school Pride!

Help Us Get Every Student Home Safely!

One of our top priorities on the first day of school is ensuring that every student arrives safely, meets their teacher and classmates, learns new routines, and most importantly, gets home safely. Whether your child rides the school bus, walks home, is picked up by a parent, or rides a daycare van, careful planning is essential.

Please complete the First Day of School Departure Form 2026 - 2027 by Monday, August 24th (Sneak-A-Peek/Orientation) in order to indicate if your child rides the school bus, walks home, is picked up by a parent, or rides a daycare van. Early responses allow us to verify each student's dismissal plan before the first day of school and help ensure a safe and smooth dismissal process.

Thank you for partnering with us to make sure every Pointer Ridge Panther has a safe and successful start to the school year!

First Day of School Departure Form Link 2026 - 2027

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Before the First Day

Complete the First Day of School Departure Form 2026 - 2027 . This information helps us ensure every student is dismissed using the correct method.
Log in to ParentVUE to review your child’s teacher assignment and bus route information.
Label all jackets, sweaters, backpacks, lunch boxes, and school supplies with your child’s first and last name.
Place an emergency contact card in your child’s backpack. Do not include your child’s name but provide Pointer Ridge Elementary School (PRES) as their school, and current parent/guardian and emergency contact phone numbers. Please do not include your home address.
Begin re-establishing school routines now, including consistent bedtimes, morning routines, homework/reading time, and limits on screen time.

During Sneak-A-Peek

Bring your child’s school supplies to Sneak-A-Peek. Dropping off supplies in advance will make the first morning easier for students.
If your child will be a daily car rider, please visit our Transportation Station during Sneak-A-Peek to receive your assigned student/car decal. Students will receive new numbers this year; last year’s numbers will not be used.
Join our PTA! Membership information and sign-up opportunities will be available during Sneak-A-Peek.

Arrival & Transportation

Students may not be dropped off before 7:15 a.m. Please do not leave students unattended before our staff is available to receive them.
If your child has been assigned a bus in ParentVUE, we strongly encourage your child to ride the bus beginning on the first day of school. Starting on Day 1 helps students establish their transportation routine, become familiar with their bus driver and route, and allows our staff to confirm that students are connected to the correct bus.
All kindergarten and first-grade bus riders must wear their orange transportation vest every day. The vest helps school staff and bus drivers quickly identify students who require an adult to receive them at the bus stop. Please do not skip days, as a substitute driver may be assigned at any time.

Early Dismissal & Afternoon Dismissal

Early dismissal ends promptly at 1:00 p.m. Please plan accordingly if your child needs to leave school early.
Students will be dismissed by their designated method: bus, van, walker, or parent pick-up through the car line. Parents will no longer be able to walk up to the school to have their child dismissed as a parent pick-up student.
All parents and guardians must have an identification when picking up students.
Please expect dismissal to take longer during the first two weeks of school. Our priority is getting every Panther home safely and correctly. Staff will carefully verify bus assignments and, in the parent pick-up line, check identification before issuing and confirming assigned car tag numbers. We appreciate your patience as everyone learns the new routines.

Save the Date

Back-to-School Night is Tuesday, September 15th. We look forward to welcoming our families back to learn more about the school year and your child’s classroom experience.

Thank you for helping us start the year safely, smoothly, and successfully. One Team. One Mission. Together We Thrive!

2026 - 2027 School Supply List

Please note that each student in Kindergarten - 5th grade will need an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Wide Ruled Half-Sized Paper Composition Book for Music class.

For your convenience, I am providing a link to previous Principal Newsletters so families can easily revisit important information, reminders, updates, and resources shared throughout the school year. I encourage you to use this link whenever you need to reference information previously provided.

Principal McIntyre's August Parent Newsletter Link

Thank you Greater Mt. Nebo

We are excited and incredibly grateful to continue our wonderful partnership with Greater Mt. Nebo! Reverend Stewart, who leads the church’s youth ministry, recently stopped by Pointer Ridge with an amazing donation of 40 fully stocked backpacks filled with school supplies for our Panthers.

We are truly thankful for this generous and much-needed donation. Partnerships like this make a meaningful difference for our students and families and remind us of the power of a community coming together to support our children.

If your family is in need of a backpack and school supplies, the donated backpacks will be available during Sneak-A-Peek. Please feel free to stop by and pick one up while supplies last.

Thank you to Reverend Stewart and our Greater Mt. Nebo family for continuing to support and invest in our Pointer Ridge Panthers! One Team. One Mission. Together We Thrive.

Thank you Precious Cornerstone Gospel Church

We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of our neighbors at Precious Cornerstone Gospel Church, located right here in Bowie! The church, under the leadership of Bishop Willard R. Johnson, Jr., generously donated a wide variety of school supplies to help our Panthers begin the new school year prepared and ready to learn.

Their thoughtful donation included backpacks, pencils, composition books, tissues, and many other much-needed classroom and student supplies. These items will directly support our students, families, and classrooms as we begin another successful school year.

We are truly thankful to Bishop Johnson and the entire Precious Cornerstone Gospel Church family for investing in our children and demonstrating what it means for a community to come together in support of its neighborhood school.

Thank you for helping ensure our Panthers have the tools they need to learn, grow, and thrive!

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