PLE Updates

November 5, 2026

Pine Lane Crew,

As we head into November, the reminder to be grateful is so powerful. When I pause to consider the bulk of what I talk about or hear about in the news, it tends to have a negative flavor. Our problems often monopolize our thoughts and attention, and yet the majority of our life goes to plan and we have blessings beyond what we deserve.

The month of November helps us pause and develop the discipline of reminding ourselves what we have to be grateful for. One thing I am grateful for is our Crew, here at Pine Lane, our students, our staff, and our families. The relationships we form as we strive toward a common goal bring me great joy. I encourage you all to take a moment of reflection and write down a few people you are thankful for and then tell them.

Next week, we are excited to express our gratitude to our Veteran’s during our 2nd and 5th grade Veteran’s Day Performance. If you are a Veteran, we’d like to extend a special invitation to you all to join us as we thank you for your service in our Armed Forces. Please extend this invitation to any Veteran that you may know. There are more details below.

This month, we have also launched our Winter Reading Challenge. Throughout the week, students are tracking their nightly reading and returning reading logs to their teachers on Monday mornings for a small prize. This will continue through the quarter. The classroom with the highest percentage of participation will earn a Hot Chocolate Party. This effort will culminate on the day before winter break with our Winter Wonderland of Reading. That morning, we are inviting you all to join your child for 30 minutes of reading across the entire school. Thank you for your help in asserting the importance of reading and encouraging your child to let their imagination go as they indulge in their curiosity about space, animals, notable people and events, and many times just a fun story or poem.

I hope the students enjoy the extra day! Our staff will be engaged in their own learning tomorrow. It is their turn to be a student. Have a wonderful weekend!

Chris Stairs

Principal

Pine Lane Elementary

Important Dates

November

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
19 | Pine Lane Invitational | Legos Robotics Club
20 | Friday Delayed Start
23 - 27 | Thanksgiving Break
30 | Students Return after Break

PLE Year Long Calendar

December

3 | PLEA Spirit Night | Panda Express
4 | Friday Delayed Start
8 | 5th Grade Parent Meeting | Transition to Sierra
11 |Friday Delayed Start
14 | Pawsitive Bear Assembly
15 | Winter Concert | Band, Orchestra & Choir
17 | Winter Reading Challenge
30 | Students Return after Break
18 - Jan 4 || Winter Break
Jan 5 Students Return from Winter Break

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:

Nov 9 | Bus: 142
Nov 16 | No Cancellations
Nov 30 | No Cancellations
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.

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! 🇺🇸

STEM News

🤖 LEGO Robotics Competition – Come Cheer on Our Students!

Join us for an exciting evening of LEGO Robotics as our Pine Lane students put their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to the test!

📅 Thursday, November 19, 2026
⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 Pine Lane North Campus Gym

Families are invited to come watch and cheer on our talented students as they compete with their LEGO robots, completing challenges on the LEGO mission table!

Come support our future engineers and innovators! 🤖🎉

🔬🚀 PLE STEM FAIR | coming in January 2027!

2. STEM FAIR - coming in JANUARY 2027!

Required for all fifth grade students.

It is optional for other grade levels. There are awards for top 3 science and top 3 engineering projects for each grade level.

JANUARY 22: Projects are Due! Bring them to the North Innovation Lab!(They will be judged and scored.)
JANUARY 25-28: Projects are on display for everyone to see in the Innovation Lab ! Classes come and visit!
THURSDAY JANUARY 28: STEM FAIR NIGHT! In the North gym 5:00 - 7:00 pm
JANUARY 29: Take your amazing projects home!

Click Here to Sign Up for the STEM Fair

PLEA News

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.

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

5th Grade - Transition Meeting for Sierra Middle School

December 8th | 5:30pm

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, we 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.

Save the Date: Winter Wonderland of Reading

New Event Sign Up

NEW**** We will be using our Raptor System for our Events going forward. Please register using the link below: (If you preveiously communicated to us via the google form, please re sign up using the link below.

PLE WinterWonderland of Reading Visitor Sign In

Note:

You will be directed to Download the Raptor App on your Phone
Once you have downloaded the app you will be able to register for the event.
You will then receive a ticket in your raptor App on your phone to show us when entering our buildings.

This is new, so please let us know if you experience any issues, but we are hopeful this will assist us with the safety and security for all when attending any event at 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.