Panther Pride STEM School
Achievement: Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts
March Newsletter
A message from Pinello’s Administrative Team:
I can't believe we made it to March in the school year. It is going by fast! Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up on March 8th. If your child's teacher will be requesting a meeting with you, they will contact you. As a continued reminder, attendance at school is important. Over 10 absences in a school year is considered truancy, and leads to students falling behind. Student attendance in elementary school leads to good attendance habits in middle school and high school.
CMAS testing is coming in April for 3rd-5th grade! The schedule will be sent home soon with specific times. In my calendar listed below will be the dates. Please try to plan on your student being at school unless they are home ill.
Yearbooks are still for sale and can be bought at this link:https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1091967/Pinello-Elementary-School/
I hope that everyone has a fun and restful spring break!
Together we can make a difference!
Respectfully,
Amber Crigger – Principal
Tiffani Lind – Assistant Principal
Note from Nutrition Services
Don’t miss out on Summer-EBT Benefits!
The State of Colorado has made Summer-EBT a permanent program. All families that are
approved for Free and Reduced school meals will receive $40 per month for each school aged
child (K-12) for groceries. You must have an application or direct certification on file with
Nutrition Services. You can call Nutrition Services to check the status of an application or if you
have a free or reduced status on file at 719.391.3560. Free and Reduced applications can be
filled out online at Linq Connect https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?identifier=BBZS4V
Counseling Corner & Social Worker:
Social Emotional Learning
Pinello Families!
Since our 3 rd -5 th graders will be taking CMAS tests starting the week of April 1st, they
may feel anxious about these tests. For this reason, Pinello’s staff and parents can
encourage students to focus on the following test taking tips.
Note test dates on your home calendar
Schedule outside appointments for students on non-testing days
Practice relaxation techniques like taking deep, slow breaths
Encourage your child to remember to think positively (“I Can Do It!”)
Praise your child’s strength and good effort
Make sure your child is well rested and is on time on testing days
As we get closer to the testing period, more details will go out to parents to help prepare
our students.
Additionally, this month we are focusing on having and showing courage. This is the
monthly theme for March through the school wide program, Capturing Kids Hearts. We
will be focusing on having courage with decision-making, behavior, and with students
taking CMAS.
As always, please reach out to Mrs. Monson or Ms. Z with any questions, comments, or
concerns! Take good care!
Take good care,
Darlene Monson,
Pinello Counselor
Emily Zarkovacki
Pinello Social Worker
About Pinello
Email: criggera@wsd3.org
Website: pinello.wsd3.org
Location: 2515 Cody Drive, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719-391-3395
Facebook: facebook.com/PinelloElementary
A Note from Music
Hello Families,
The Music classroom has been busy even though it has been cold outside. Kindergarten is learning about some of the opposites in Music (loud/soft, fast/slow). First Grade is working on playing on the beat while others are playing rhythms. Third Grade is working on playing melodies. Fifth Grade is learning more about pitches and how we move between pitches.
Two programs are coming up, so make sure to mark your calendar. The Fourth Grade has a program on March 5. The performance times are 2:50 pm and 6 pm. Families are welcome to both performance times.
The Second Grade program is April 17. The performance times are 2:50 pm and 6 pm. Families are welcome to both performance times.
Choir is getting ready for the Southern Colorado In Harmony Festival 2024 that will happen in April.
Stay Safe and Warm,
Mrs. Means
STEM News
By Miss Siedler
STEM has partnered with PE this month and has been focusing on the heart and circulatory system. Students in all grades have been doing various activities to learn about the parts of the heart and its purpose as well as about heart health.
Students even had the opportunity to utilize AI in the STEM classroom. Using a tool called SchoolAI, students were able to ask their own individualized questions about the heart. SchoolAI is a text based AI program that is designed to be used in schools by students and staff. It can be programmed to generate varying levels of complexity in its responses based on students' ages and is designed with use in the classroom in mind. Using SchoolAI, students were able to ask questions that they found interesting and engaging. This allowed us to delve much deeper into student interests about the heart within the classroom.
Heart Unit-2nd Grade
Heart Unit-2nd Grade
Heart Unit 3rd Grade
PE News
We are finishing up our Heart Unit and we will be starting fitness stations in March. Then... hard to believe but after Spring Break we will start preparing for Field Day!
How time flies!
Mr. Lubich
Birthday Celebrations
PTO News
Pinello PTO wants to thank everyone for their support at our Panda Express restaurant night last month. Because of you, your family and friends we earned $375. The money earned from our fundraisers will be used to spoil our staff during teacher appreciation week, and to help purchase new posters for Pinello's 60th birthday next year. Our next PTO meeting will take place on March 14th from 3:45-5:00pm. During this meeting we will be focusing on our upcoming fundraiser in April and planning teacher appreciation week. We will also be serving pizza, so be sure to use the link below to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
Attendance
One criteria of a student’s success in school is regular and punctual attendance. To report an absence or tardy, please call our attendance line, available 24 hours, at (719) 391-3396.
Compulsory School Attendance
In order to reduce the incidents of truancy, parents/guardians are hereby notified that every child who has attained the age of six (6) on or before August 1 of each school year and is under the age of seventeen (17) shall attend public school for at least the following number of hours.
One thousand fifty –six (1056) if secondary school pupil;
Nine hundred sixty-eight (968) if an elementary school pupil in a grade other than kindergarten;
Nine hundred hours (900) if a full-day kindergarten pupil;
Four hundred fifty hours (450) if a half day kindergarten pupil;
(Except as otherwise provided in CRS 22-33-104)
Two hour Late Start
Red Flag Days
The red flags will be hanging on the playground and out front to let parents know that it is indoor morning recess. The guidelines for calling red flag is as follows: The red flag temperature will be 25 degrees or below including wind chill. Students will enter through outside classroom doors.
Inclement Weather Procedure
Widefield District 3 will:
• make inclement weather decision(s) based on students’ safety
• collect data at the earliest appropriate time
• make the decision as to whether schools will be open and announce no later than 5:30 am by calling radio stations and TV stations
• not penalize students if parents keep them home or pick them up from school early on questionable snow days.
In the event the decision made earlier is to open schools and the storm worsens unexpectedly, Widefield District 3 will:
• inform the same media as stated above that schools will dismiss students early
• keep buildings open as long as necessary to evacuate all students safely
• announce that if an early dismissal occurs, afternoon activities, and evening events will be cancelled
Parents are expected to:
• be responsible for custody of children
• listen to the news broadcasts on stormy days
• decide whether or not to send children to school on threatening, stormy days
In the event the decision is made earlier to open schools and the storm worsens, parnets are expected to:
• know that students may be dismissed earlier than normal
• listen for an early dismissal announcement
• make sure children know what to do and where to go if dismissed early
• not rely on telephones to make last minute arrangements for their children. (Lines tend to malfunction during storms.)
Title 1: Parent Right to Know
Your child participates in a program in Widefield School District which receives funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. You have the right to know what professional qualifications are held by the teachers who instruct your child. The Act gives you the right to the following information about each of your child’s classroom teachers:
Whether the teacher is licensed or qualified for the grades and subjects he or she teaches.
Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency permit or other provisional status under which state licensing criteria have been waived.
The college major of the teacher, any advanced degrees held by the teacher, and the subject matter of those degrees.
What instructional aides or similar paraprofessionals, if any, provide instructional services to your child, and if so, what qualifications they possess.
If you are interested in receiving information of this sort, please contact the Human Resources office at 391-3015.
Notice Concerning Directory Information:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Widefield School District 3 (“the District”), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records. However, the District may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the District to include this type of information from your child's education records in certain school publications. Examples include:
A playbill, showing your student's role in a drama production;
The annual yearbook;
Honor roll or other recognition lists;
Graduation programs; and
Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.
Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent's prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories - names, addresses and telephone listings - unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written consent. If you do not want the District to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by September 20th each year. The District has designated the following information as directory information:
Student's name
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Address
Telephone listing
Weight and height of members of athletic teams
Electronic mail address
Photograph
Degrees, honors, and awards received
Date and place of birth
Major field of study
Dates of attendance
Grade level
The most recent educational agency or institution attended
Annual FERPA Notice
Annual FERPA Notice The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the school to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal [or appropriate official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the school has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
[NOTE: FERPA requires a school district to make a reasonable attempt to notify the parent or eligible student of the records request unless it states in its annual notification that it intends to forward records on request.]
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Educational Rights of Homeless Children
- Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there.
- Choose between the local school where they are living, the school they attended before they lost their housing, or the school where they were last enrolled.
- Enroll in school immediately, without proof of residency, immunizations, school records or other documents.
- Get transportation to their school of origin
- Get the school services they need.
- Be free from harassment and isolation
- Have disagreements with the school settled quickly.
Calendar of Events
March
-March 5-4th Grade Music Program 6:00 pm.
-March 7-3rd Quarter Ends
-March 8-No Students-Parent/Teacher Conferences
-March 9-Coding in Action grades 3-5
-March 11-4th quarter begins
-March 12-Report cards go home
-March 14-PTO meeting at 4:00 in the library-pizza served
-March 22nd-Buck a Hat Day/Renaissance Assemblies K-2 at 1:30, 3-5 at 2:30
-March 25-29-Spring Break
April
- April 2-4 3rd and 5th CMAS ELA and Math
-April 4-Battle of the Books at French Elementary
-April 9-11 4th ELA and Math CMAS, 5th Science CMAS
-April 9-Coffee with Principal at 8:45
-April 11-PTO meeting at 4:00 in the library
-April 13-District Art Fair
-April 17-2nd Grade Music program at 2:50 and 6:00
-Aril 18-Academic Night 5:00-6:00, Mid terms sent home
-April 19-No School April Day
-April 22-26 BOGO Book Fair
-April 26-Buck a Hat Day