Pioneer Press

Thank You for a Wonderful Conference Week!

Thank you to all of our Pioneer families who attended fall conferences! It was wonderful to see so many of you connecting with teachers and engaging in meaningful conversations about your student’s progress.

We received a great deal of positive feedback about the arena-style conferences, which allowed families to meet with multiple teachers in one setting and have short but focused conversations about learning and growth. One parent shared,

“I really appreciated the arena-style conferences. It was nice to have short but meaningful conversations with multiple teachers. I learned a lot about each class in less than 10 minutes and appreciated being able to talk openly about questions and learning without having to follow the student-led format.”

We’re so glad this format helped make the experience more personal, efficient, and productive for families and teachers alike.

A huge thank you to our amazing PTA for their incredible support during conference week! From organizing our Silver Sabotage fundraiser to providing snacks, drinks, and meals for staff, your hard work and generosity made a big difference. Our teachers truly felt appreciated and energized thanks to you!

Mrs. Fernandes

Cell Phone Reminder

As a reminder, student cell phones must remain “off and away” during the school day.

We’ve also seen a few concerning incidents involving students taking—or pretending to take—photos or videos of others without their consent. Please know that this behavior is not acceptable and may be considered harassment or bullying under district policy.

We ask that you talk with your student about using technology responsibly and respectfully. Our goal is to ensure that every student feels safe, respected, and free from unwanted attention at school.

6th Grade students are finishing their 1st unit working with numerical expressions and factors. Then, we will begin our unit on fractions and decimals. Please encourage your child to practice their multiplication facts, if they have not mastered them yet. Multiplication flash cards are helpful. There are also a lot of online games that help students master their facts. This plays a critical role in the upcoming unit.

The 6th grade Hi Cap classes are working on multiplying and dividing fractions.

7th grade math classes just finished their unit on integers. They are now learning how to simplify expressions and solve equations. Please make sure your child is in school as much as possible. 7th grade is full of new learning, and being away from instruction makes it challenging for students to understand new concepts.

8th Graders are finishing up their Expressions and Equations chapter and review of fraction operations. Next, they will begin chapter two which focuses on transformations of figures in the coordinate plane. They will learn about translations, dilations, reflections, and rotations.

Algebra students are finishing their unit on writing, solving and graphing linear inequalities. Next week, they will review graphing proportional relations, and then start working on graphing linear equations.

Geometry students have started chapter two which focuses on introducing proofs. They are currently discussing conditional statements.

🍁 Volunteers Needed for the Fall Social! 🎉

Our Fall Social is coming up on Thursday, October 30th from 2:45 PM – 4:30 PM, and we need your help to make it a great event!

We’re looking for approved volunteers to assist during the social. If you haven’t yet submitted your volunteer application, please complete it using the link below:

👉 Submit Your Volunteer Application

If you’d like to help out, please email Mrs. Marrero at amarrero@steilacoom.k12.wa.us to sign up!

We truly appreciate your time and support — we couldn’t host fun events like the Fall Social without amazing volunteers like you!

Thank you for helping make this a memorable afternoon for our students!

📌 Lost and Found Reminder

All Lost and Found items have been placed next to the attendance window. Please remind your student to check for any items they may have left behind. Parents and guardians are also welcome to stop by to pick up their student's lost items.

⚠️ Important: Any items not picked up by October 31st will be donated to a local shelter.

Thank you for helping us return these items to their owners!

Veterans Day Assembly

Date: Monday, November 10, 2025
Location: Pioneer Middle School

Pioneer will host a Veterans Assembly to honor those who have served our country.

Veterans are invited to join us for light breakfast refreshments from 7:40–8:05 a.m. in the commons conference room followed by our assembly beginning at 8:15 a.m.

We warmly welcome all veterans to attend.

Would you like to honor a veteran at our assembly?

Leadership is collecting photo submissions of veterans in our community to feature during the event. Please submit your photo using the https://forms.gle/KMQQCDADjqvqVZTT8 (One photo entry per veteran, please.)

📅 Photo submissions are due by Thursday, November 6, 2025.

The end of Term 1 is fast approaching!

Thursday, October 31st will be the last day of Term 1 for our 6th graders.

Starting Monday, November 3rd, students who are on the elective rotation will begin a new elective course. Students who are not on the rotation will continue in their current elective through the end of Semester 1.

Families can view their student’s updated elective schedule in Skyward.

If you have any questions, email us at pioneermsoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us

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Attention 8th Grade Pioneer Families:

Don’t forget to purchase a Baby Ad for the yearbook! Baby Ads are a wonderful way for parents, guardians, or loved ones to celebrate graduating eighth graders with a baby photo and a heartfelt message.

• Cost: $12, paid directly to Mrs. Ruby

• Photo Submission: Please send a digital picture to Dr. Pilon at mpilon@steilacoom.k12.wa.us

• Message Submission: Include a short message to accompany the photo.

• Important: Be sure to include your student’s first and last name when submitting the photo.

Celebrate your student and create a keepsake they’ll treasure forever!

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Season 2 Sports (Girls Basketball, Boys Soccer & Co-Ed Wrestling)

Registration:

Starts October 20th - November 12th

Tryouts November 12th - 14th

Link to Register https://steilacoomhist-wa.finalforms.com/

Tuesdays

• Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) – Room A101 with Mrs. Percefull

• Christian Faith Group (CFG) – Room B103 with Mrs. Vaccaro

Thursdays

• Pokémon Go! Club – Room E129 with Mrs. Elshire

• Game Club – Room A202 with Mr. Milton

• Builder's Club - Cafeteria with Mrs. Holyfield

Transportation:

After-school activity buses are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays for students attending school clubs. Click here for route information.

October 29th - ACE Day - 1:40 pm release time

November 5th - ACE Day - 1:40 pm release time

November 10th - Veterans Day Assembly - Pioneer Gym

November 11th - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL

November 26th - Half day - 11:40 am release time

November 26th - 27th - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL

See our website for more information: https://pio.steilacoom.k12.wa.us/

Dropping Off Your Student in the Parking Lot

To keep traffic flowing smoothly and ensure everyone’s safety, please do not drop your student off in the parking lot without first parking in a space. Students should only exit safely from a parked vehicle and walk to school.

🚫 Handicap parking spaces and surrounding areas are strictly reserved—please do not use them for drop-off or pick-up.

Thank you for helping us keep our school community safe!

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🚍 Transportation Changes

If you need to make a change to your student’s after-school transportation, please contact the main office by 1:45 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and by 12:45 p.m. on ACE days (Wednesdays).

You can reach us:

• Phone: 253-583-7205

• Email: pioneermsoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us

These deadlines ensure we have enough time to communicate the change to your student before dismissal.

Please note:

• Transportation changes requested by parents/guardians after the deadline cannot be guaranteed to reach your student before the end of the school day.

• Bus passes will NOT be issued to students at the end of the day.

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🌐 Skyward Family Access

Families can find a variety of important information in Skyward Family Access, including:

• Grades

• Bus route information

• Lunch account number and balance

• Locker combination

• Student ID numbers (used to check out library books, sign in when tardy, request counselor appointments, and more)

Use the link below to access your Skyward account:
👉 Skyward Family Access

If you need help with your login or password, please email us at pioneermsoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us.

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Office Hours

Our office is open from 7:40 AM to 3:30 PM. If you need to reach us after hours, please leave a voicemail or email us at pioneermsoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us

Voicemails and emails are checked throughout the day. If a return call is required, we will contact you as soon as possible; otherwise, there’s no need to leave more than one message or email.