PLE Updates

October 22, 2026

Good Afternoon Crew,

We are off to a great start for the 2nd quarter of the year. This week our Discovery Classes visited the Challenger Learning Center and took a simulated trip to Mars. On Wednesday, we held our 2nd SAC meeting finalizing our school Unified Improvement plan which will focus on three things: 1) Improving the percentage of students achieving proficiency in writing, 2) Improving the percentage of students achieving proficiency in reason and modeling in mathematics, and 3) Improve growth in our students with disabilities in both math and reading. It was also exciting to see the final beam installed at Sierra Middle School as they continue to make progress on the building expansion in preparation for the 6th grade transition into middle school.

Ensuring that all our students learn to read fluently and understand what they read is a central tenet of education. While the skill eventually becomes second nature, it is a complex skill that requires knowing one’s letters, their corresponding sounds, being familiar orally with language, sounding letters out to form words and then sentences, understanding when a complete thought has been communicated, and developing strategies to remember and use the information read.

As we head into 2nd quarter we are kicking off a school wide focus on becoming excellent readers which will culminate in a Wonderland of Reading on December 17th in which we invite you, Grandparents, and other important people in your child’s life to the school to spend the first 30 minutes of the day just reading together. There will be various incentives throughout the next 6 weeks to encourage your student to read on their own. The goal for grade levels will be 20 minutes a day for 4th-6th grade, 15 minutes a day for 3rd & 4th grade, and 10 minutes a day for Kindergarten & 1st grade. We are very excited to work collectively to empower our students to be excellent readers.

Please be aware that the School Board has approved a Mil Levy Override for this years ballot. Our School Accountability Committee has formally voted to support this initiative. For more information on the MLO and how that funding source will be used to support our school, please visit the following website: DCSD Funding Challenges. This site also has information on how prior community investment in DCSD has been leveraged to improve our schools and outcomes for our students.

Finally, I would like to make sure that you are aware of a few upcoming events. Our 2nd & 5th Grade classes are preparing for our Veteran’s Day Performance on November 11th. If you are a Veteran of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or Space Force we would love to have you join us for a performance in honor of your service to protect the freedom and liberty we have in the United States.

Also, if you are a 5th Grade Parent, please mark your calendar for December 8th from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. A presentation will be held at Pine Lane Elementary in which Ms. Curto, Principal of Sierra, and I will field questions and present information on what you can expect for the following school year as we transition our 6th grade students to middle school.

Chris Stairs

Principal

Pine Lane Elementary

Important Dates

October

21 | SAC Meeting
23 | Friday Delayed Start
30 | Friday Delayed Start
30 |PLEA Fall Festival

November

4 | 4th Grade Field Trip
5 | PLEA Spirit Night | Lazy Dogs
6 | PD Day | No School for Students
11 | 2nd, 5th and Choir Veterans Day Program
13 | Friday Delayed Start
20 | Friday Delayed Start
23 - 27 | Thanksgiving Break
30 | Students Return after Break

DCSD 26/27 Calendar

Bus Cancellations

Due to a shortage of bus drivers there is a weekly rotation of bus cancellations. Please make sure to update how your student will go home on the weeks their bus is cancelled in Pik My Kid.

Currently Bus 151 and 141 is fully staffed and will not have any further "scheduled" cancellations as of this time.

Bus Cancellations week of:

Oct 26 | Bus: 145 & 183

Nov 2 | Bus: 146
Nov 9 | Bus: 142
Nov 16 | No Cancellations
Nov 30 | No Cacellations
Dec 7 | Bus: 145
Dec 14 | Bus: 140

DCSD Bus Cancellations for the 26/27 School Year

🚌 Bus Cancellation Reminder

The week your student’s bus is cancelled, please make sure to update your student’s dismissal plan in PikMyKid.

Attendance Letters

We wanted to take a moment to provide some clarification regarding the attendance letters families may receive throughout the school year.

Attendance letters are generated based on a rolling 10% absence rate, meaning your student's attendance is reviewed in relation to the number of school days that have occurred so far.

Exhibit A Letter: Sent when a student reaches 4 unexcused absences or a 10% absence rate at that point in the school year.
Exhibit B Letter: Sent when attendance concerns continue after the initial letter.

Please note: All absences, whether excused or unexcused, count toward a student's overall attendance percentage.

The primary purpose of these letters is to keep families informed about their student's attendance and to remind you that we are here to support you!

We understand that illnesses, family circumstances, and unexpected situations happen. These letters are not intended to cause alarm, but rather to encourage open communication and collaboration between home and school.

Regular attendance plays an important role in student learning, building relationships, and overall academic success. Our goal is to partner with families to help every student feel connected, supported, and successful at Pine Lane.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for all you do to help our PLE Bears succeed!

Together, we can make every school day count! 🐻

Apple Awards

Nominations are due 10/26

The Foundation for Douglas County Schools is proud to honor exceptional educators and staff who are inspiring a love of learning in students and are trailblazing extraordinary innovation in our schools.

(All nominations will be live on your school site by November 19, 2027.)

Nominate a Staff Member here by October 26!

Fall Parties - October 30

Pre-Register if Attending

Please reach out to your students teacher regarding fall parties. If they are allowing parents to join please pre-register so you do not have any delays getting to the classroom. Thank you.

PLE Fall Parties Oct 30th

Student Council

CANDY WARS!

Candy Wars begins 10/1 and runs through 10/28

Keep up to date with the battle by following this link: https://canva.link/candy-war-digital-hub

🎃🐻 PINE LANE FALL FESTIVAL – StuCO MEAL DEAL! 🌭🍂

Make dinner easy and enjoy the Fall Festival fun!

🌭 Hot Dog + Bag of Chips + Drink = Just $8.00!

🚨 DEADLINE: ALL MEALS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH! 🚨

🎟️ Meal Ticket Pickup: North Campus Gym

Stop by the North Campus Gym to pick up your meal tickets and enjoy your meal before or after joining the Trunk-or-Treat line!

📲 Pre-order your meals today! Scan the QR code on our flyer or order online:

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZHVZS5TX305OUU_ZZ6CLWG2BKGJ8R8

🎃 Support our Pine Lane Student Council (StuCO) while enjoying a spooktacular evening of Fall Festival fun! 🐻💚

PLEA PTO

Fall Festival | October 30th

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of Volunteers if you would like to help out please sign up here: SIGNUP GENIUS

Pine Lane Elementary Fall Festival

Friday, October 30th, 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Free for the community!

Featuring:

Trunk-or-Treat

Spooktacular Hallway

Bake sale and dinner purchases benefitting StuCo!

Meal Deals need to be PRE-ORDERED by Weds. October 28th

They will not be available to purchase the night of the event!

Click here for full details for Fall Festival!

Join Our BAND App

As always, feel free to connect with our PTO group, Pine Lane Educational Alliance, via email at pleabears@gmail.com or by joining The Band app using this link: https://band.us/n/aaacb479N4c1o, or click on the PLEA image.

Veterans Day Programs

🇺🇸 Veterans Day Celebration at Pine Lane! 🇺🇸

Honoring Those Who Have Served!

Pine Lane Elementary invites our families and Veterans to join us on Wednesday, November 11th, as our 2nd Grade students, 5th Grade speakers, and PLE Choir honor our Veterans through special songs and presentations.

We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the brave men and women who have served our country!

🇺🇸 Veterans Day Performance Schedule

5th Grade Speakers & PLE Choir

Date: Wednesday, November 11th
Time: 9:40 – 10:25 AM
Location: North Campus Gym

2nd Grade Performance

Date: Wednesday, November 11th
Time: 2:15 – 3:00 PM
Location: South Campus Gym

⭐ Pre-Registration Required!

If you plan to attend and/or bring a Veteran, please pre-register by noon on Tuesday, November 10th, using the link below.

👉 CLICK HERE TO PRE-REGISTER

IMPORTANT: All visitors must bring a photo ID when attending the performances.

❤️ Help Us Honor Our Veterans!

If you know a Veteran who would enjoy attending, please extend an invitation! We would love to have them join us as we express our appreciation for their service and sacrifice.

Thank you to all our Veterans for your service! 🇺🇸

5th & 6th Grade Families - Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment for the 2027-2028 School Year

If you have a 5th or 6th grader who is Open Enrolled at PLE and does not live in the boundary for the Sierra Middle School/Chaparral High School feeder area, you will need to Open Enroll for your student to attend SMS/CHS.

If you wish your student to attend Sierra/Chap you MUST apply to Open Enroll to SMS. Otherwise, your student will automatically be enrolled at their boundary middle school for the 27-28 school year. If you live outside of the DCSD boundary, your student will not be enrolled for 6th or 7th grade at a DCSD middle school.

Round 1 of Open Enrollment will begin on November 2nd at 8AM and close on December 1st 2026 at 4PM.

You can find information about Open Enrollment, and apply on 11/2/26, at the site below:

DCSD Open Enrollment

Healthy School Team - Applications being accepted thru October 30th.

Pine Lane's Healthy School Student Leadership Team is looking for a few good HEALTH NUTS!

Are you interested in helping Pine Lane develop a Healthy Choices Campaign? Are you a 4th, 5th, or 6th grader looking for an opportunity to take on a leadership role at Pine Lane Elementary?

If you answered YES, we want YOU!

We are looking for 10–15 motivated students who are passionate about making Pine Lane a healthier place for everyone!

📅 Meeting Information

When: One to two Thursdays each month, 8:10–8:50 AM
Where: Mrs. Kawamura's Classroom, Room 34 (6th Grade Hall)
Meeting Dates: Nov. 19, Dec. 10, Jan. 7, Jan. 21, Feb. 4, Feb. 18, March 11, April 8, and May 6

📝 Ready to Apply?

Students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades are encouraged to apply!

Online Applications Due: Friday, October 30, 2026

👉 Complete the Student Application Here

No late applications will be accepted.

Teacher Recommendations Due: Wednesday, November 4, 2026

👉 Teacher Recommendation Form

Let's work together to make Pine Lane a healthier, happier place!

🌟 Healthy Students • Healthy Choices • A Brighter Pine Lane! 🌟

Quick Links

PLE Field Trips - ****New first grade field trip just added****
Before and After School Activities
Pik My Kid (our Dismissal App)
Arrival and Dismissal Information
Lightning Dismissal Information
Welcome to Pine Lane

Communications - Stay Informed

Linked below is a year-long calendar for your reference and planning:

2026-2027 PIne Lane Year Long Calendar (Highlighted Items are not finalized).

If you utilize Google Calendar, you can also subscribe to our PLE Events Calendar
Please familiarize yourself with our PLE Website.
You can also stay informed through social media via Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter.
Our community has also created a group on Facebook called Pine Lane Families; this group is a very helpful community and they are very responsive.

📣 Not Receiving Communication?

If you are not receiving school or district communications, please follow the steps below to make sure your contact information and communication preferences are set up correctly.

Log in to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Click the “person” icon in the top-right corner.
Select “Settings.”
Review your contact information and communication preferences.
If you see an incorrect phone number or email address, update your information in Infinite Campus.
If you are unable to make the change, please contact your child’s school registrar to request an update.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Please take a moment to verify your information so you don’t miss important school and district updates!