Dear Pine Avenue parents,

As our valued partners in education, we recognize your crucial role in helping our students succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. At Pine Avenue, our dedicated staff consistently implements Positive Behavior Intervention Systems, supporting students and classrooms throughout each school day. We outline some methods we employ to help our students, and we strongly encourage your active participation in these efforts. Your involvement is not just welcomed but integral to our students' success.

• Our use of ROARS, in conjunction with school and classroom routines, has proven to be highly effective in fostering a safe and confident learning environment. ROARS, which stands for Respect Others, Act Responsibly, and Be Safe, guides our students' daily interactions, ensuring a positive and supportive atmosphere. We also use CHAMPS to inform students what we expect from them. C=Conversation, H=Help, A=Activity, M=Movement, P=Participation, S=Success.
• We model and teach students different ways to calm down, plan, and cope with problems they encounter during the school day. For example, they can breathe deeply, say positive things to themselves, and ask an adult for support.

At Pine Avenue, we are deeply committed to open communication and problem-solving. We engage in daily conversations with our students, listening to their worries and feelings and helping them solve their problems. This approach fosters a sense of support and belonging, ensuring that every student feels heard and understood. We all aim to provide our students feel safe and know they belong at Pine Avenue. If your child has expressed difficulties at school, we encourage you to contact the office, Ms. Swan, or Ms. Jaeck. Your involvement is crucial in our efforts to support your child, and we are here to help.

Your partner in education,

Dr. Konowalow

The school year is off to an amazing start! We are so excited to have students back in the building and witness their enthusiasm to grow and learn. Our staff has been working hard to reinforce our school wide expectations using our ROARS (Respect Others, Act Responsibly and Be Safe). The teaching and reinforcing emphasis has been on how we (staff and students) show our ROARS in different areas of the school setting. These include the bathroom, bus, cafeteria, classroom, hallway, office and playground. Please help us by asking your child about how they show their ROARS at school!

We are also in the process of student assessments where the staff is collecting data to see how the students are performing at the beginning of the school year so we can see their progress and growth by the middle and end of the school year. We are currently assessing students using the NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) along with Acadience for the areas of Math and Reading, as well as DIBELS (Diagnostic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills) for reading. You can help your child on their assessments by encouraging them to do the following:

1. Get a good night's sleep

2. Try their best even if the test gets hard

3. Communicate any concerns about assessments to your child’s teacher

We are lucky to have your child at Pine Avenue and look forward to working with you to meet their needs and help them grow!

Make Parenting a Pleasure registration form is now live for the Fall 2024 Cohort!

Make Parenting A Pleasure is a free, evidence-based, 7-session class designed for parents, grandparents, and caregivers with children aged 0-8. Grounded in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, which recognizes the critical and vulnerable nature of early childhood development, this class is set to provide participants with:

1. Informational, Social, and Emotional Support
2. Guidance in Parental Self-Care
3. Tools for Creating a Positive, Nurturing Environment

Our next Make Parenting A Pleasure class will begin on Sunday, September 8, 2024, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Child Advocacy. Subsequent sessions will take place every Sunday from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, with the final class scheduled for Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Registration for our fall cohort of Make Parenting A Pleasure is required. If you or someone you know is interested in this transformative parenting class, please use this link to register: https://forms.gle/tid6A2hsXRsa1Sqr9

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

August 29, 2024, Community Tailgate

August 30, 2024, No School

September 2, 2024, No School

September 6, 2024, School Pictures

September 16, 2024 Title I Annual Meeting

September 16, 2024 PTO

September 20, 2024 Homecoming Parade

September 24, 2024 Parent Teacher Connection Night

Greetings parents and caregivers from the desk of your Alma Public Schools K-5 Counselor,

It’s been quite a start to the school year! My Congratulations to you all as I remember the days

well, the effort it takes to get your child to school, fully clothed, and in one piece, carrying

ginormous backpacks containing everything but a kitchen sink. Many of you are accomplishing

this superhero task for more than one child who also attend different schools spread throughout

our community. Traffic lights are not friendly to busy caregivers and bus drivers navigating the

highways and byways to school. And yet you’ve gotten them here in one piece, with snacks,

kleenex, homework assignments, and a clean driving record thanks to our reminder speed limit

signs that now light up when we may be a smidge over the limit. You do this day in and day out

and we appreciate you! Some day your children will too. As Dr. Konowolo shared in her

Message from the Principal, there exists volumes of data supporting the connection between

school success and regular attendance. This is not only tied to academic performance, but also

positive social, emotional adjustment which promotes a sense of belonging, purpose and future.

This is the culture we are building at Pine, one SEL (social emotional learning) lesson at a time,

one lunch buddy, one game of ball with a new student on the playground who hasn’t made

friends yet...we are making progress together. Recently I’ve decided to hang my son’s

Columbia University Diploma in my Counselor office at Pine. It’s written in Latin and I cannot

understand what it says, but my hope is that our curious Pine students will ask about it. Then I

can share the fact that their Pine Avenue Math Coach, Mrs. Andrea Oswald, was my son’s first

math teacher at the DPMS. She explained things in a way no one else could, which eventually

led to his full scholarship and degree in mathematics. That gift is priceless, and that is the

caliber of staff you have here at Pine Avenue, dedicated, brilliant people, full of heart, just like

your kids, our students! So please never hesitate to reach out, ask questions or inform us about

the ways we can continue to best support your children along this journey. We look forward to

hearing from you. It’s going to be a great year..

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