Dear Pine Avenue parents,

Mastering grade-level standards is crucial for your child's academic success and future learning. These standards provide a roadmap for our Pine Avenue students' essential math, reading, science, and social studies skills. Mastering them matters and how you can help your child succeed. As your partner in your child's education, we know how much it matters for students to master grade-level standards.

Why is it essential that students master grade-level standards? One reason is that they provide the learning foundations students need for middle and high school. Also, mastering grade-level standards fosters confidence and positive attitudes toward learning. Meeting grade-level standards increases student achievement and prepares them for college entrance and vocational schools.

Mastering grade-level standards requires a student's commitment to learning, lots of practice, organization, and completing daily homework. Parents can help their children by fostering a love for reading, ensuring they have a scheduled time and place after school to complete homework and practice work, and helping them stay organized. Parents can also support their children by reinforcing positive work ethics and habits and showing them how to work with real-world problems.

Teachers consistently track their students' progress through pre- and post-unit assessments and weekly common grade-level assessments. When students do not show mastery of these assessments and assignments, they are supported with reteaching the standard with additional strategies and provided with practice work.

Working together, we can accomplish the task of ensuring that all our students achieve mastery of grade-level standards.

Your partner in education,

Dr. Konowalow

Thank you PTO for hosting Donuts with Grownups! Parents and students enjoyed their donut and apple cider. Your support in building a strong family engagement program at Pine Avenue is valued and much appreciated.

Pine Avenue students are learning to pay it forward to the Community of Alma. As they parade in their Halloween costumes, students will bring joy to the elderly. Fourth-grade students will walk and parade to the Masonic Home at 1:00 p.m., and fifth-grade students will parade to Arbor Grove at 1:30 p.m. Parents can watch the walking parade as they go to their destination. Students will return to school to enjoy their class parties at 2:30 p.m. Please know the majority of the day will be spent on core academics. Wishing all our Pine Panthers a safe Halloween.

From the desk of Pine Avenue’s K-5 Counselor

Greetings parents and caregivers of Pine Avenue students. We enjoyed seeing and meeting some of you at our Donuts with Grown Ups event this past Friday. The success of your child’s education is dependent on many moving parts, including your connection with the amazing teachers and support staff at Pine. Thank you for coming if you were able to make it.

Our school year has transitioned from new beginnings, and is now settling into the daily grind. Students are working so hard academically, while also becoming model citizens and bonded peers. Every day I’m at Pine, I witness kids assisting one another in the classroom, hallways, and connecting at lunch and recess. We seem to have grown a culture of mutual respect and tolerance for diversity at Pine Avenue. It’s an amazing sight, and for me, a privilege to be here.

This week I intended to write about ADHD, and remarkably I did not get distracted and lose my notes (no pun intended), rather, I decided a little bragging and celebration was in order. Your children are truly remarkable and I thank you for all you do to make their school days successful. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me any time. Best wishes for a safe and wonderful week.

I can be reached at Pine Avenue Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My phone extension is #6526, and my email is aswan@almaschools.net Have a wonderful weekend.

Please see the Google link for our new Drop off/Pick-up Procedures below.

October 31 Halloween

November 8 Early Release, end of the trimester

November 13 Late Start; Report Cards go home

November 15 Trimester Awards

Novemeber 27-29 Thanksgiving Break

Late Start or Early Release

Alma Public Schools will implement Late Start or Early Release Days September through May. The dismissal time for Pine Avenue’s early release is 11:43 am. The school day at Pine Avenue will begin at 11:43 on the late start days. Please note, Late Start days are on Wednesdays and our Early Release days will be on Fridays.

September 11-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

October 11-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

November 8-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

November 13-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

December 11-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

January 10-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

February 28-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

March 12-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

April11-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:43 am

May 14-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:43 am

Thank you in advance for planning transportation for your students.

1. Always show your ROARS.

2. Look ahead, not back. Each moment and day are a new beginning.

3. Meet high expectations and goals for yourself, and always display GRIT.

4. Build positive relationships with everyone. Care about each person, and make sure they know you care.

5. Follow directions, procedures, and always do your best.

6. Respect yourself and others.

7. Always play fair, include others, and use words to resolve problems and conflicts.

8. Take responsibility for your actions, accept consequences, and the word no.

9. Do not spend time engaging in rumors or making fun of someone, and always remember words can hurt.

PPanther Paws are used as an incentive to promote positive school behaviors throughout the school setting. Students earn Panther Paws when they are caught displaying their ROARS behaviors. As students acquire Panther Paws, they turn them to enter Panther Paw drawing every Friday. Mr. Nevins draws Panther Paws and announces the winner over the loudspeaker. Panther Paw winners pick a prize from the Panther Paw Prize Cart.

Each week, one student per class will receive the teacher-selected Student-of-the-Week. Teacher-selection is based on students consistently displaying their ROARS, PAES Behavior Norms, and learning grit. Student-of-Week winner will receive a mini certificate and will have the class Student-of-the-Week trophy sit on their desk for the week.

We look forward to celebrating all of our students and their accomplishments. Please know that each week we attempt to get all the pictures of our winners, student pictures are updated regularly.

Volume levels are being taught and reinforced in classrooms and buildings with K-5 students. This structure allows students to be mindful of their voice level across the various school settings when interacting with others throughout the school day. Volume levels are being taught and reinforced in classrooms and buildings with K-5 students, and this structure teaches students to be mindful of their voice level when interacting with their peers across various school settings. Throughout the school day, students utilize the appropriate level based on the learning activity they are engaged in based on the direction of the teacher.

ROARS stands for Respect Others, Act Responsibly, and be Safe. These are district-wide behavior expectations that all staff members reference as they provide instruction in the classroom and move throughout the school setting. ROARS is the anchor to all school procedures and routines.

Please make sure you are using and checking the APS app, Rooms. Using APS APP-Rooms is how your child's teacher will communicate with you throughout the year. Studies show that parent involvement in a child's education increases the student's education. Your partnership with this program is essential. Each week, you will learn about what is happening in class and the many excellent learning opportunities the teacher provides for your child. Remember to turn on the notifications.

Ensuring student safety before and after school is a high priority. We are asking all parents and guardians to support Pine Avenue during school drop off and pick up by adhering to the following procedures:

Campus supervision for students begins at 7:35 a.m.

MORNING Drop Off:

• Pull all the way forward to the light post to drop off students.

• Keep students in the vehicle until you are past the overhang at the entrance.
  
  

AFTERNOON Pick Up:

• Pull all the way forward until you are asked to stop by an adult. This is usually 2 car lengths past the light post.

• For student safety, students will enter vehicles when told to do so by an adult.

• This occurs when the vehicle is past the light post.
• ID checks will be requested as needed. (Please make sure all adults who will pickup your child are on your pickup list.)

Parents are asked to refrain from making left hand turns into the parking lot. This vehicle maneuver will cause the traffic to backup on Pine preventing a smooth flow of traffic.

Parents/guardians who are choosing to park in the parking lot and pick up their student afterschool:

• To ensure students' safety , please use the school's crosswalk which is located outside our main doors, by the overhang. This is the only location people should be crossing the parking lot for safety. We have a paraprofessional assigned to assist students in crossing upon seeing their parent/adult.

We appreciate your support in assisting us to ensure a safe student drop off and pick up.

We understand that events come up for parents, and changes must be made to students' dismissal plans. Parents are asked to please make sure to call in any transportation changes before 2 pm. The end of the day is hectic at an elementary school, and we must be aware of any changes before then. In addition, we also encourage you to send a note to your child's teacher or the office on the day of a transportation change. Students will not be dismissed to anyone not on a student's pickup list. Parents who have given us permisson to release to an adult through a change of dismissal plan, the person picking up the student must present a valid picture ID.

Parents: A medication authorization form must be completed each school when a student requires medications to be distributed at school. Should you need a form, don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Bailey or Mrs. Quiroz in the office at 989-466-7651.

The listed titles below are also direct links to the desired information.

Pine Avenue Elementary

1025 Pine Ave.

Alma, MI 48801

Phone:

989-466-7651

Principal:

Dr. Kathy Konowalow

Administrative Assistant:

Mrs. Carrie Bailey

Start Time: 8:03 am

End Time: 3:10 pm

Late Start/Early Release: 11:43 am