PRMS UPDATE

Attendance is a key component in the success of your student. If they are missing school then they are missing learning. We understand that we have illnesses that cause students to be out, but please make sure students are here as much as possible. If you look at the image you can see that just 1 day every few weeks adds up to a lot of time missed in one year and to even more learning loss over multiple years. Students are allowed 6 unexcused absences each semester. We send reminder letters out when a student has missed 2 days and 4 days. Please look at our district attendance policy to understand what is counted as excused. As always if you have any questions give me a call at the school or email me at rallen@pearidgek12.com.

Hello! My name is Brandi Newsom and I am the Assistant Principal at the middle and intermediate school. My husband and I moved to Pea Ridge at the end of June from Northeast Arkansas. I am the mother of three wonderful kids. Jax is a junior at the University of Tennessee. Avery is a sophomore at Harding University in Searcy. Madden is a freshman at the University of Arkansas. Although they are grown, we are still actively involved in all of the things they enjoy. Moving to NWA has been our plan for many years. We are enjoying meeting new people and establishing new friendships. In our spare time, we enjoy traveling, spending time with our puppy, Sunday, and exploring NWA. The community has been so welcoming to us. I am excited for all the new adventures!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have started teaching a class to the students about Internet Safety. If

your student hasn’t seen me yet, they will. In the class we are talking about personal information, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and safe adults to report to. This topic is one we deal with daily and will continue to be more necessary as technology evolves. While restricting your kids from any online use all together is the best way to keep them safe, it is not very practical for today’s society, especially as they get older. You should be talking with your student about what they are doing online and who they are talking to. Stranger-danger is a very real thing in the virtual world. Please reach out to me with any questions on how to better protect your kids online.

October 16th and 17th from 3:30 - 6:30

We will have student led conferences this year. You will bring your student with you and they will be showing you their report card and talking through some of the great things they have been working on this year. Then you will have the opportunity to speak to any of your student's teachers to ask any questions needed. You will not need to schedule times, but just drop in anytime between 3:30-6:30 on either October 16th or 17th.

We will have our first Blackhawk and House Spirit Assembly on October 19th at 8:30. Parents are welcome to join in the fun and attend the assembly. We will have showing our house spirit, playing games, honoring our house leaders, and recognizing students for their attendance.

On October 19th during our Blackhawk Spirit day we will be having our House Party for the points winner for the quarter. We will also be celebrating the houses and all our hard work. Students may dress up in full spirit gear for their house colors. We will be giving out extra house points for the most house spirit. If they use face paint it can only be used like "eye black" or designs. We can not have face paint covering their whole face. This is optional and not required.

Report cards will be handed out during parent conferences. If you do not attend conferences we will send report cards home with the students on October 18th.

There will be no school for students on October 20th and October 23rd. Enjoy your time off with family and friends.

Red Ribbon Week is October 23-27. This year’s theme is “Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free.” Students will be participating in lessons and activities to reinforce this important message. We’ll have a fun contest with a prize for each student in the winning class. We hope to see students participating in our dress up days that week!

Our teachers and staff work so hard each day. We like to celebrate them with a little Happy Wagon treat at least once a month. If you would like to sponsor one or help contribute to one please fill out this form and Ms. See will reach out to you.

Make sure that you have downloaded the new district app and that you check out our new Middle School website. Find information about the new app on the flyer. These two things will be our main way of posting information about events and things around our school. We will not be posting as much information on facebook.

You should be receiving a link every Monday for a Curriculum Update from your student's homeroom teacher. If you are not receiving this please let their teacher know. This weekly update will give you information about what your student is learning that week and when important assignments might be due.

Students are only allowed water within their classrooms. All other drinks have be drank in the cafeteria during breakfast or lunch. Please make sure that if you send your student with a beverage before school that they have time to drink it before going to class.