GOOD TIMES
Mrs. Fobell’s class has been working hard to gear up for their Special Olympics bowling. They have been practicing every Thursday. They have been getting better and better every day. We are all so very proud of their hard work and dedication to the sport.
Last week, Mrs. Fobell’s class had some fun in the sun. The students enjoyed all the animals at the zoo. On Wednesday, they had a picnic and had fun at Kidsview. Our students are having a good time learning and enjoying each other's company.
EXCEL
When selecting the Pirate of the Month for September, ExCEL staff looked for the student that most demonstrated excellence inside and outside of the classroom. Along with that criteria, the student had to show respect not only to staff but also to fellow students and show exemplary character. Congratulations to Khailaun Thomas who was elected ExCEL's Pirate of the Month for September!
Khailaun came to ExCEL this school year. He was doing well in the traditional classroom setting but he says he came to ExCEL to "get a jump start" on his future by graduating early. . Outside of his schoolwork, he holds a part-time job at McAllister's.
He describes himself as always being full of joy. That is one reason why ExCEL teacher, Jennifer Wilbur, selected him. "Khailaun always has a smile on his face, even when you see him in the hallway," she said. Khailaun says he really loves being able to make people smile and laugh. It is important to him to be able to do that.
Khailaun plans to become a firefighter after graduation. He is currently training in the fire academy offered by Kilgore College. It is his mom who inspires him to be successful. His mom has had health problems for as long as he can remember and he wants to be able to take care of her. She inspires him by her determination to take care of him and his younger sister as best as she can despite her health problems. "She just keeps going," he said.
MIDDLE
On Thursday, October 5th, 16 students from Pine Tree Middle School TAME Club (Texas Alliance for Minority in Engineering) attended the 2023 TAME Kick-off competition at Region 7. The theme for this year is “Equitable Access to Safe Food”
As part of the launch, students played the role of food engineers and worked with their teams to build a prototype of a device to preserve food (cooler or other food storage device). Each team had a budget and had to purchase materials to build their prototype.
Students who participated are: Amelia Arnett, Jeyland Dies, Riley Donaldson, Tucker Fairman, Jade Goodloe, Indie Gray, Olivia Guerra, Carter Hall, Hannah Holder, Kahlan Martinez, Brenna Mettler, Sheldon Smith, Hunter Watlington, Clara White, Deacon White and Cheyenne Willis. The club sponsor is Melina Moore and the co-sponsor is Amy Streetman.
The Middle School hosted a Career Night with students displaying their dream career. Many students dressed up and outlined their plans, with costs, and requirements of each career. Pictured below is Olivia Guerra who would like to be a stewardess for an airline and Bailee who hopes to be a pediatrician. Several fifth graders are planning to be doctors, teachers and lawyers in Mrs. Verden’s class.
Our students are excited about Fall Fest and our upcoming CBA’s. They are ready to show off their hard work. Our campus will host a Fine Arts Festival the last week of October for our parents to enjoy so watch for more news about that event coming soon.
PACE
PACE recognized our outstanding custodians during National Custodian Day on October 2nd! Thank you, Cathey Taylor and Tyrin Mack, for all you do at our PACE campus!
Congratulations to the Pine Tree PACE Challenge Coin recipients for September 2023! Our Educational Aides, Tavoskia Jones and Beverly Grant, have done an exceptional job in rising to the challenge of serving some of our ABU students who need them the most! We honor these outstanding members of Pine Tree and thank them for their service to all of their students.
PRIMARY - CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHT - BOZARTH
In Mrs. Bozarth’s class we are learning so many things! In writing, we are learning to stretch our words and write them. In Math, we are learning to add and subtract, as well as to understand concepts such as one more, one less, greater than, and less than. This week also begins our Benchmark testing in Reading. We are also learning about our emotions and how to make good choices with Mr. Robert from TGFD with Wellness Pointe.
CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHT - CARTER
Mrs. Carter’s class is currently working on learning their letters and sounds! They sing songs, build anchor charts, and graph whether or not the letter of the week is in their name! They have also been focusing on feelings and emotions, and how they can control their own emotions in different situations.
Mrs. Carter’s goal is for every student to feel loved and safe in her classroom!
PRIMARY OPEN HOUSE
PTP had an amazing turnout for our first open house. Parents visited classrooms and went on a scavenger hunt with their students. Also, our Fall Book Fair was a hit!
We had several volunteers come help throughout the week and staff stepped up to help during Grandparent’s Day and Open House.
Want to help out our campus? Sign up to Volunteer at bit.ly/PTPVolunteer.
