Osprey Family Update

12/11 - 4th Grade Holiday Concert

12/12 - OMKC

12/15 - 12/19 - Holiday Spirit Week

12/19 - Early Release at 11:50

12/20 - 1/4 - Holiday Break

1/6 - First day back at school

1/9 - OMKC

Pender County Schools calendar: 25-26 School Year

Our December PBIS focus is “Organized.” 📚✨ We’ll be on the lookout for classes showing strong organizational skills throughout the month. The classes with the most SOAR awards in December will earn a cozy hot cocoa and cookies celebration! ☕🍪

Let’s finish the year strong by staying organized and continuing to SOAR! 💙🦅

This holiday season, let’s show our gratitude to our Veterans and Active Duty military. We are collecting handmade holiday cards to be sent to ‘In Tuckers Mailbox’ in support of a local Veterans home and deployed service members.

How you can help:

📦Make a homemade card (students, families, and staff are all welcome!). No envelopes needed, do not exceed 8 x 11 paper folded in half

💗Include a kind message of thanks and holiday cheer. Be creative!

🎁Keep it positive, respectful, and put first names only and school name, state.

📫Drop off your finished cards in the box in the counselor office or in MFLC Reiss mailbox in front office.

Deadline: Thursday December 11, 2025

For questions, contact: MFLC Jackie Reiss/ jacqueline_reiss@pender.k12.nc.us

We are getting ready to kick off the PCS Million Minute Reading Challenge runs from October 1, 2025 - May 21, 2026. PCS is trying to reading a million minutes! Student may count any minutes read at home throughout the year to help us get to the million minute goal. Anytime your student reads at home, please complete this form so we can track the minutes.

We have a few important systems that will help our school year run smoothly. Please take a moment to make sure you have access to each one:

Here Comes the Bus

• What it does: Allows you to see your child’s bus location, receive alerts when the bus is near, and have peace of mind about arrival times.

• What you need: Your child’s Student ID number

  • If you do not know it, email julie_martine@pender.k12.nc.us and she will send it to you.

• District Code: 29081

• Sign Up Here: Here Comes the Bus

• 
  

Infinite Campus

• What it does: Lets you view your child’s grades and attendance, and submit excuse notes.

• Step 1: Get your student’s activation code here: Lookup Activation Code

• Step 2: Use your code to create your account here: Infinite Campus Login

• (we are also in a district competition to have the most families sign up, help us win!)

• 
  

Rooms

• What it does: Our county-wide communication system for messaging between teachers and parents.

• Set up your account here: Rooms Information

We are excited that we now have a double secure entrance at the front of the building in order to continue to increase security.

We also have a new visitor and volunteer check in system that we will be using. If you would like to visit or volunteer in the building. You MUST have a valid ID to run through our new security program. You will not be able to visit or volunteer during the school day without your ID.

If you are volunteering, you must have completed the volunteer background check. You can find it here.

Arrival: 7:25 - 7:55

Tardy Bell: 7:55

Ending Bell: 2:50

Dismissal: 2:50

Early Release: 11:55 pm

Find a detailed map HERE

All breakfast and lunch information including the online payment account system can be found on the district here.

The cost for breakfast and lunch will remain the same this year.

Breakfast = $1.45

Lunch = $2.30

Lunch menus are now live!

If you need to make any changes to add or remove bus transportation services for your students please email Mrs. Martine Julie_Martine@pender.k12.nc.us.

As we enter the new year we wanted to highlight some important reminders of our BUS RIDER EXPECTATIONS. Please review and talk to your bus rider about following the rules and how they can make good choices.

Reminder:

-K-2nd grade riders MUST have a responsible adult at the bus stop or get off with an older sibling in order for the student to exit the bus.

-You must be at your stop 10 minutes PRIOR to the bus arrival.

-Have your child stand back from the road until the bus makes a complete stop. At no point should a child run towards a moving bus.

-Your child MUST remain seated, facing forward, and be respectful for the duration of the bus ride.

For your convenience you can download Here Comes the Bus on your smartphone, tablet, or computer to view the real-time location of your child's school bus.

Visit http://www.herecomesthebus.com for more information.

Thank you for your cooperation! Safety is our number one priority when transporting your child to and from school.

If your student has a change in transportation that is different then normal, please take the following steps:

• Send in writing (handwritten note, email, rooms message) to your child's teacher
• If you do not get a response by 12 pm the day the change is needed, please call the front office. We will still ask you to send it in writing, but we will be sure the teacher gets the information
• No student can ride a bus other then the bus they are assigned to
• No student can ride a bus with a friend unless they are assigned to that bus

In order to streamline attendance, this year we will be receiving attendance excuse notes electronically, not paper copies.

All excuse notes should be sent to tae_attendance@pender.k12.nc.us

This includes doctors notes, parent notes, etc. This allows us to make sure all excuse notes get to where they need to be. It also allows families to have documentation that they sent in their notes instead of things getting lost.

It is still best practice to communicate with the teacher in the event of the absence to ensure students have all necessary make up work, but you do not need to give the teacher the excuse note.

Please review Board Policy 4400 for the full attendance policy to ensure you are up to date on what constitutes an excused absence. It can be found here:

https://www.boardpolicyonline.com/bl/?b=pender#&&hs=1686781

To submit a request for educational leave please utilize this form.

📚YEARBOOKS📖 are on sale now until 4/1/26! The cost is $20. Please visit www.strawbridge.net, click “order picture and yearbooks” and enter YB33055 to order.

Do you have pictures for the yearbook? Please upload them to the link below. It is IMPORTANT to give us as much info as you can (teacher, grade, student names, etc). https://plicbooks.com/go/92V349

4th grade parents, if you would like a baby picture or a special picture of your student in the 4th Grade Dedication page you can upload them at any time, YOU MUST include their name as the photo tag in order for them to be included. https://plicbooks.com/go/62YAB5

Join the PTA here:

https://tes.givebacks.com/store/items/12228

If you are interested in volunteering, please complete this form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3TE9CSNEkhXY820IzjQkZHTL-dI0FWRCoG1qs749N0a2zwA/viewform

Please complete this form to reserve your day. PTA will respond confirming your date. It is first come, first serve so we recommend signing up early.

Student

August - 98.95%

September - 96.67%

October - 94.83%

Staff

August - 97.4%

September - 93.48%

October - 93%

Parents, we invite you to follow us on social media:

Follow us on twitter: @tes_ospreys

Find us on Facebook: Topsail Annandale Elementary School

Find us on Instagram: topsailannandale