Puma Post

In between these seasons of THANKS and GENEROSITY, I wanted to share my appreciation for the generosity of our parents. The giving nature of our parents makes a tremendous impact on our school community.

Whether it be giving ...

• Support to your child at home so that they can shine here at school,
• Your time and expertise as a volunteer in classrooms, the school, or with PTA, and/or;
• Your financial support to our PTA, Thank a Teacher, and other types of donations,

... our school, staff, and (most importantly) our students reap the benefits of having such a generous community of families.

Thank you for the MANY ways you show how much you value Pioneer, our teachers and staff, and the learning of our children!

David Jakious

Principal, Pioneer School of the Arts

As the holidays approach, it is a time to reflect and think about those in our Pioneer community who may be struggling during this time of year. December 4th through December 8th, Pioneer will hold a gift card drive to help those in need.

If you would like to participate, please purchase a gift card from the list below and send it to school with your student to give to their teacher. You may also drop off gift cards at the front office. Gift cards will be discreetly distributed to those in need as part of our School Counselor's family assistance and support efforts.

**Please note the amount on the gift card. **

Thank you in advance for your help in supporting our Pioneer Community.

Reflections Art Contest Entries: PTA's Reflections Art Contest entries are due to Mrs. Bisbee by the end of the school day on 12/1. We can't wait to see the creativity and artistic ability of the students who enter!

Wahooz! Fit for Fun Entries: These forms are due to the classroom teacher or office by the end of the school day on 12/1. Completed forms that are turned in on time result in a FREE ticket to Wahooz!

Milk & Cookies with Santa: We hope families will stop in between 5-8pm on 12/1 for our Milk and Cookies with Santa Event. See Santa and tell him what you really want this year! Reserve your time online using the link below or sign up when you arrive at the event. Photo slots available every 4 minutes. Get a treat, write a letter, play "snowball" dodge, listen to stories, and more!

November 30 - 3rd Grade Program

• 6:30pm @ Centennial Performing Arts Center

December 1 - Due ...

• Wahooz! Fit for Fun
• PTA Reflections Entries

December 1 - Milk and Cookies with Santa

• 5-8pm at Pioneer

December 4 - 8

• Pioneer Community Holiday Gift Card Drive

December Concerts:

• 7th - Rock Band
• 13th - Orchestra
• 14th - Band
• 20th - Choir

December 25 - January 5 - Winter Break

• NO SCHOOL

• You can let your teacher and the office know, but we will not call the student down until you arrive at the office.
• Make sure you have your ID.
• Remember that we will not call students to the office during AM or PM recess ...

AM Recess - 10:50 - 11:05

PM Recess - 2:40 - 2:55

• Please also avoid your child's lunch time ...

Grade 1: 11:55 - 12:40

Kindergarten: 12:05 - 12:50

Grade 2: 12:15 - 1:00

Grade 3: 12:25 - 1:10

Grade 4: 12:35 - 1:20

Grade 5: 12:40 - 1:25

• We will not call students to the office after 3:45.

Thank you for trying to be as consistent as possible but things come up and plans change. Please avoid this becoming a habit, but when you need to get a message to your child ...

• Please call the office (you can also e-mail teachers but they may not get it)
• We will hold the messages until the end of the day to reduce disruptions to teachers and increase the likelihood of kids remembering the change.

A few reminders regarding the Cold and Inclement weather we are sure to experience in the coming months ...

Student Attire:

• Thank you for monitoring the forecast and helping ensure that your child is dressed for the weather (coats, gloves, and hats).
• Please consider sending a spare set of socks in case your child needs to change them.

• If you need assistance with any of these items, please reach out to our Counselor (reid.amanda@westada.org).

Recess: We will call students inside for recess (before school, AM, lunch, and/or PM) when ...

• The temperature drops below 20 degrees
• It is raining hard enough that students/staff who are appropriately dressed would come in overly wet (Ex: beyond a light sprinkle ... though that can vary a bit depending on if it is a 15 or 30-minute recess)
• Conditions of the playground are unsafe
• We generally go outside in the snow and expect students to be self-controlled, responsible, and respectful (not throwing snow or snowballs, avoiding rolling around in the snow if not dressed accordingly, not destroying other students snow sculptures, etc)

Umbrellas:

• Due to safety issues and the fact that we will call students in for the reasons above, students are not allowed to have umbrellas open on campus.
• They can use umbrellas on their way to and from school if needed.
• Some staff will use umbrellas to help them with student supervision so they can hear/see students better (without having to put hoods up) and/or due to the length of time they are outside. This will not affect our decision as to whether we have students called in for recess.\

Bus Rider Recommendations: While we strive for timeliness, busses do inevitably get caught in winter weather traffic. Please prepare your student(s) for the possibility of busses being 10-15 minutes late. Please make sure your student(s) is dressed appropriately. Here are some tips to better prepare:

• As always, have students wear bright colors.
• Be cautious of anything dangling off clothing or backpacks as it can get caught on bus doors.
• Have student(s) wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing.
• Be sure hats and/or hoods do not obstruct the student(s) ability to hear and see traffic.
• Cover student(s) mouth to protect his/her lungs from extreme cold.
• Have student(s) wear shoes with good traction.
• Use the restroom before getting on the bus!
• Plan ahead for any medical needs your student may have on the bus.

With the start of winter storms, West Ada School District is again planning and ready for the possibility of school closures. The decision to close schools is a process that is not taken lightly by the district. As storms approach, district staff monitor weather forecasts in preparation to check road conditions during the night and into the early morning before the start of school. If school is canceled because of poor road conditions, information about the closure will be posted on the district website and local media will also be notified.

All efforts will be made to determine school closure due to winter driving conditions by 5 a.m. on the day of the closure in order to have adequate time to alert parents, students, staff and the community of the school closure.

• Television: Channel 2, KBCI; Channel 6, KIVI; Channel 7, KTVB pass
• AM Radio Stations: KBOI, 670; KIDO, 630; KGEM, 1140
• FM Radio Stations: KJOT, 105; K-106, 106; K-LITE, 104; KHEZ, 103.3; KIZN, 93.1; KBSU, 90.3

Website: https://www.westada.org/o/pioneer
Location: 13255 West McMillan Road, Boise, ID, USA
Phone: (208)855-4100
Facebook: facebook.com/pioneerpumas