Osprey Family Update

11/5 - 11/12 - Book Fair

11/6 - Book Fair open 3:00 - 5:30

11/6 - 2nd and 3rd Grade Veterans Day Concert @ 6 pm

11/11 - Veteran's Day - No School

11/14 - OMKC

11/14 - PTA Family Movie Night

Pender County Schools calendar: 25-26 School Year

As part of our continued commitment to supporting our Osprey family, we will be holding a non perishable food drive next week.

With the ongoing government shutdown affecting federal programs like SNAP benefits, some of our families may be facing additional challenges. We want to come together as a school community to help those who may need extra support during this time.

Drop-Off Locations:

• Front lobby (near the Guidance Counseling Suite)

• Outside the Library (as you enter the Book Fair)

You can send items in with your child during the week, drop them off while visiting the Book Fair, or bring them when you attend the Veterans Day Concert. All donations will go directly to support TAES students and families.

If your family could use some assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Bellflower or Mrs. Preston confidentially:

📧 jessica_bellflower@pender.k12.nc.us
📧 deirdre_preston@pender.k12.nc.us

Thank you, as always, for your incredible generosity and support of our TAES community. We are grateful for each of you!

Our first Book Fair of the year kicks off next week! Our shipment was delayed and now will not be arriving until Monday 11/3. Therefore our shop will now be open 11/5 - 11/12. Students will still shop during their guidance/media classes EXCEPT for Tuesday 11/11. These classes will shop during their Wednesday STEM Class. Students will also have the opportunity to shop during "open shop" times throughout the duration of the fair. Please email Mrs. Kopka at sarah_kopka@pender.k12.nc.us or ask your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Family Shopping Night:
📅 Thursday, November 6
🕞 3:30–5:30 p.m. (before our Veterans Day Concert)
Please note: the fair will close promptly at 5:30 p.m. so we can prepare to livestream the concert.

Payment Options:

• Students may bring cash, or

• Parents can purchase a digital gift card through our Online Fair Link, which is already open!

• You can also shop online if you prefer to avoid sending money to school.

We Need Volunteers!
If you’re able to help, please sign up here. Volunteers must complete a background check (link included in the form).

Thank you for supporting our library and helping us grow a lifelong love of reading among our students!

At our most recent SIT/PAC meeting we discussed a few topics. One issue we addressed is our dress code regarding hats. Per board policy 4316, students should not be wearing head coverings of any kind at school. This means that student should not be wearing hats at school. Students will be ask to hang up their hats or put them in their back packs upon arrival. Thank you for helping us ensure we are following policy and continuing to keep a safe, respectful, and learning focused school environment.

This year, our federally connected survey date is Wednesday, November 5, 2025. This survey will document the students who are federally connected - meaning they have a parent who is on active duty or a civilian employee on federal property. Paper survey cards will be sent home to students on that day. Please fill out the information on the card and return it to your child’s homeroom teacher. Thank you for helping us collect this information.

We will be hosting a family Thanksgiving lunch again this year. Please see the information below. We are hoping to get a headcount of families who plan to participate by 10/31 in order to ensure we have enough meals available. Please complete the form below if you plan on coming. We look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with all of our families.

Date: Monday, 11/24

Pre-registration Form: Families/Visitors, please fill out this form if planning to purchase a to-go box. Students will receive a similar meal. They can go through the line as normal with the typical fees applied.
Times: Regular Lunch Times

What to Bring: Families are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on when enjoying their meals with students on the floor of the gym side of the cafe.

Family Check-in: Families/Visitors will sign-in, get a TAES sticker, and purchase their meal ticket with $7 cash only at a table that is outside our front doors under the breezeway. PTA members will help with sign in/stickers, and Cafe Staff will receive cash and hand out tickets.

Meal Pickup: Families/visitors will walk to the gym-side of the cafe, give their ticket at the table, receive their to-go box, and help themselves to the water with flavor packets. Then, they will find a spot to picnic on the gym-side of the cafe. Children purchase their typical lunch through the lunch line and join families/visitors with their meal.
Seating: Families/Visitors will bring a blanket to sit on the gym side of the cafe with their child(ren). We will have some chairs available for any in need. Students who do not have families/visitors in attendance will have lunch as usual at their grade level tables.

*Updated Meals: Turkey gobbler sandwich (carved turkey, stuffing and cranberry mayo on a sub roll) served with spiced sweet potatoes, apple crisp dessert, and bottled water.

Families with Children in Multiple Grades: Families are welcomed to stay for more than one lunch period; however, students must eat during their scheduled lunch time. Families can wait in their cars or in front of the school in between lunches if desired.

Parking & Playgrounds: The front playground will be closed for recess in order to accommodate parking from 10:00-1:00.

Signing-out Students: Families/visitors on contact lists must sign out students in the front office using the computer if they are planning to take students home after lunch.

*It is important to note that lunch periods are 25 minutes in duration. Please plan accordingly.

• The health department will be offering flu shots during school hours. They will be at TAES on November 4th. If you would like your child to receive a flu shot while at school, please complete this form

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%

Staff

August - 97.4%

September - 93.48%

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