Dear Pine Avenue parents,

I’m privileged to work with a group of great educators who spend the school year helping your children learn, grow and develop. But a key component to student success is engagement by parents and families. Research has shown that parental engagement is a significant factor in student achievement.

“Students whose parents stay involved in school have better attendance and behavior, get better grades, demonstrate better social skills and adapt better to school,” according to a 2022 Annie E. Casey Foundation report.

Throughout my career I have emphasized the value of parent involvement in a student’s education, leading initiatives and events that bring families into my schools: family resource fairs, college nights, Back to School events, parent classes and family STEM nights. I look forward to scheduling such events this year.

According to the Family Engagement Lab, a non-profit organization that promotes connecting classroom and at-home learning, enhanced engagement benefits parents as well as students.

“By partnering with teachers and developing trusting relationships, families can gain regular insight into their child’s academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as strategies that can be used to support their child’s learning at home,” the organization reported in a July 2024 paper.

The 2022 Annie E. Casey Foundation report emphasized that family engagement and family involvement are different but both are important.

“Involve­ment is the first step toward engage­ment. It includes par­tic­i­pa­tion in school events or activ­i­ties, with teach­ers pro­vid­ing learn­ing resources and infor­ma­tion about their student’s grades. With involve­ment, teach­ers hold the pri­ma­ry respon­si­bil­i­ty to set edu­ca­tion­al goals,” the foundation reported.

“With engage­ment, home and school come togeth­er as a team. Schools empow­er par­ents and care­givers by pro­vid­ing them with ways to active­ly par­tic­i­pate, pro­mot­ing them as impor­tant voic­es in the school and remov­ing bar­ri­ers to engage­ment. Exam­ples include encour­ag­ing fam­i­lies to join the fam­i­ly-teacher asso­ci­a­tion or arrang­ing vir­tu­al fam­i­ly-teacher meet­ings for fam­i­lies with trans­porta­tion issues.”

At Pine Avenue, we encourage involvement and engagement and I welcome input from parents. Please reach out to me at kkonowalow@almaschools.net or 989-466-7651 if you’d like to engage with us. Please see the APS Family Engagement Approach below.

Your partner in education,

Dr. Konowalow

Summer greetings from the desk of Pine Avenue’s MTSS Coordinator

Greetings from the MTSS office at Pine Avenue! My name is Jennifer Jaeck and I am the new MTSS coordinator for this school year. My goal this year is to foster positive relationships between students, staff, parents and the community. In order to achieve this goal, parent involvement is necessary and we need YOU to partner with us for your child’s success.

Research shows that when a parent is involved in their child’s school the following improvements occur:

1. Educational outcomes (students graduate!)

2. School attendance (students want to come to school!)

3. Higher grades (parent involvement had a higher impact on grades than their childs’ intelligence)

Ways that you can get involved now:

1. Attend your child’s open house on Wednesday, August 14th

2. Ask your child’s teacher how to volunteer in the classroom

3. Sign up for the APS App and Powerschool Parent Portal

We are excited for the school year to begin and are thrilled to partner with you in providing your child with experiences to maximize their potential!

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

August 14, 2024, Open House

August 20, 2024, First day of school

August 29, 2024, Community Tailgate

August 30, 2024, No School

September 2, 2024, No School

September 6, 2024, School Pictures

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