PANTHER PRESS
Friday, August 21st
Volume 3, Issue 1
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A Message from the PKES ADministration
Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year!
As we plan for a new year unlike any we have seen in the past, our focus will continue to center on:
- Ensuring that children feel connected to their classroom and our campus.
- Continuing to establish a strong home and school partnership.
- Challenging our students to achieve new goals.
- Demonstrating how much we care for and support our community.
- Continuing to evolve as a campus, as these experiences will forever impact education.
Rest assured, the safety of our staff and students is our number one priority. We have been preparing the building with social distancing measures and established hygiene protocols to ensure we follow all health and safety guidelines. Once in school, staff, students, and parents will be asked to follow all local health and safety guidelines issued at that time.
As you can imagine, there are a lot of changes to our policies and procedures. This Panther Press provides parents with all of the information they need for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Whether your child is attending in person or virtually, we understand the difficulty in the decisions you made. We are committed to providing all students and all parents the experience they have become accustomed to at Pleasant Knoll Elementary.
Along the way, you will likely have questions. There is a lot of information in this initial newsletter. We ask that you read the entire newsletter. If you still have questions, you can submit questions for the PKES Administration & Staff by clicking here. We will publish and continually update our PKES FAQ document that we will send out later next week.
We see the unique challenges that await us as opportunities. These opportunities will continue to grow the collaborative culture of Pleasant Knoll. We can't wait to get started!
Please feel free to reach out to us should you need anything!
Mr. Chad Allen, Principal.
Mrs. Rachel Driver, Assistant Principal
Mr. Ron Bosh, Assistant Principal
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IMPORTANT DATES
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MEET THE TEACHER
Classroom teachers will record one of the sessions and we will post for parents who are unable to attend and/or unable to stay the entire time. The videos will be posted by 10:00 AM Friday, August 28th.
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PKES MATERIALS DRIVE THROUGH FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING IN PERSON FOR 20-21
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ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL
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Important information for parents
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CHANGES TO PKES VISITOR POLICY
Outside guests and visitors are not allowed at Pleasant Knoll Elementary for the 20-21 school year. Visitors will be limited to the front office. Due to DHEC regulations, we will only allow a certain number of guests in the office at a time. It is possible you may be asked to wait outside until there is more space available. All visitors will be required to wear a mask to gain entry to the PKES Front Office. Below are the major changes in regards to visitors for the 20-21 school year.
- Outside guests are not allowed to enter PKES for the 20-21 school year. See below for procedures should you need to visit the front office.
- Parents and guests will no longer be able to visit students at lunch or visit students in the classroom.
- All before/after school activities are cancelled.
- We will be unable to allow parent classroom and grade level volunteers.
All field trips will be virtual. No chaperones are needed.
Parent conferences with teachers and teams will take place virtually. All conferences should be scheduled with a classroom teacher or case manager.
Due to the family model and bell schedule, we request that all conferences take place at 1:40 PM or after.
Food from local restaurants is not allowed at PKES for students.
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PKES STUDENT HANDBOOK
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From our school counselors
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Staff Spotlight
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FMSD & PKES STUDENT NUTRITION
Classroom Celebration Baskets
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PKES Panther Pops
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VOLUNTARY INSURANCE
We have been asked by our District Office to share this information about affordable voluntary insurance . Information can be located on the district website under: Parents/K-12 Voluntary Student Accident Insurance.
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CLASSROOM READY
If your child needs assistance with school supplies for the 2020-2021 school year please check out Classroom Ready. Classroom Ready is a program created by the Foundation for Fort Mill Schools to help students be prepared by providing free school supplies.
If your family is in need of assistance during the 2020-2021 school year please consider filling out the online application below.