The Pine Bough
Pine River Elementary School Newsletter, February 2020
February Calendar
February Lunch Menu
Pine River Post Office
Students enjoy sending and receiving letters through the Pine River Post Office! The post office is run by fourth grade students, their teachers, and parent volunteer Mrs. Nikki Maurer. Each student and staff member has an address, and students get practice in writing friendly letters and correctly addressing envelopes by sending letters. Fourth graders sort and deliver the letters twice a week. Everyone enjoys receiving mail!
Send your student a Valentine through the Pine River Postal Service!
Pine River Postal Service Directory
Staff Spotlight: Kathy VanderMeulen
Kathy VanderMeulen is a beloved teacher in the upper elementary cognitive impaired classroom at Pine River Elementary. She was hired by East China in 1993 and is in her 26th year of teaching, taking one year of maternity leave to be home with her boys when her youngest son was born in 2008.
Kathy started teaching in an elementary special education classroom at Palms Elementary. After two years, that classroom/program was moved to Pine River, and she has been there ever since. Currently, she is the teacher who has been at Pine River the longest.
Kids are the favorite part of Kathy’s job. She loves their enthusiasm and energy. She also loves that kids are sometimes brutal honesty, and she enjoys their sense of wonder. Kathy revels in working in a community of learners where ALL are striving to be better than they could be on our own. She feels that her fellow staff members are on this journey with her, and she is grateful that they are always willing to collaborate and share ideas, materials, and manpower.
Kathy is well known for developing independence, life skills, and community involvement experiences with her students. Every Friday, the class cooks an entire meal using fresh ingredients. They also enjoy participating in projects to better Pine River and the greater community. The class spearheads an annual Hat Day to raise money for the St. Clair County Child Abuse and Neglect Council, and the students deliver the money to the organization’s annual Community Roofsit.
Being a California native, Kathy’s proudest accomplishment is surviving and thriving through Michigan winters. She has also completed her Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts and provided opportunities for children with special needs to be involved with their peers during school hours and beyond, including Special Olympics, soccer teams, etc.
When Kathy is not teaching, she likes to travel to California to spend time with her family (husband and two sons) and extended family. She especially likes impromptu get togethers. Kathy also enjoys her church family, good books, being active, and watching college basketball games. Her dream would be to attend a Final Four Basketball Game in the not so distant future.
Hat Day
Pine River Students Raise Money for Australian Koala Bears
Foster Grandparent Audrey Stafford
Pine River Student Rose Hill Starring in Matilda at the Riverbank Theatre
Rose Hill, a third grader at Pine River Elementary, is starring as Matilda Wormwood in the Riverbank Theatre’s production of Matilda. The character Matilda, like Rose, is an extraordinary girl who possesses an unwavering spirit and a sharp mind, so Rose is the perfect choice for this role.
Rose has been practicing hard and has memorized all of her lines. She tried out for this play because she has been in plays before and enjoys performing. Rose commented, “Matilda is my dream character to play because she is brave to stand up to mean people in her life.”
The play will be presented February 7th to March 8th. Tickets cost $28, plus a $2 service fee for reserved seating, and can be purchased by calling 810-278-1749 or visiting riverbanktheatre.com.
Spring Concert: K, 1, 2, and Mrs. LaParl's Classes
Spring Concert: 3, 4, and Mrs. VanderMeulen's Classes
Cold and Flu Season
We are in the middle of cold and flu season, so here are some tips to help protect your child from getting sick and prevent the spread of germs and illness at school.
1. Know How and When to Wash Hands
One of the most common ways children get colds is by rubbing their noses or eyes after cold virus germs have gotten on their hands. Children often don't wash their hands often enough or well enough at school. Make sure your child knows to use soap and warm water. S/he should scrub all over -- including the back of her/his hands, between fingers, and around nails -- for about 20 seconds (about the time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice). Then rinse well in warm water, dry with a paper towel, and use the towel to turn off the water. Our students are encouraged to wash their hands many times a day in school, especially after using the bathroom and before eating.
2. Reinforce Germ Etiquette
Teach your child to stay away from sick children as much as possible. When children see another child hacking or sneezing. they should move away from the person. On the other hand, your child should cover coughs and sneezes to prevent spreading germs if s/he is sick. When possible, sneeze into a tissue and throw it in the trash right after and then wash hands. Otherwise, s/he should cough or sneeze into crook of her/ his elbow, not her/his hands.
3. Don't Share Personal Items at School
Especially during cold and flu season, children should not share food and drinks. They especially should not share items like lip balms. We do share books, learning materials, and computers at school, but frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer helps reduce the spread of germs.
4. Keep Backpacks Clean
As you know, school backpacks can get pretty nasty from long-forgotten lunches and all the other things children stuff into them. Have your child clean out her/his backpack regularly. Then clean the inside of the backpack with a wet cloth or sanitary wipe to remove spilled food items and dirt.
5. Build Immunity
Help protect your child from the inside as well as the outside. Make sure that s/he gets enough sleep and exercise, avoids stress, and eats a well-balanced diet. Pack healthy lunches and snacks. Encourage her/him to drink water at school to help keep her/his immune system strong.
6. Provide Classrooms Germ Supplies
We appreciate donations of hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and tissues for our classrooms. Teachers may also appreciate soaps with a fun smell or color to encourage lathering up.
7. Follow the East China Elementary Student Handbook Guidelines
Please do not send your child to school with a fever or after s/he has recently vomited.
Please adhere to these guidelines:
From the East China Elementary Student Handbook: The school does not diagnose illness; however, we do exclude any child suspected of having a contagious disease. It is the parents/guardians’ responsibility to notify the school office concerning any specific health problems of their child. Students may not attend school if they have had a fever (100.0 degrees or higher), diarrhea, or have vomitted within the last 12 hours.Parent Dashboard for School Transparency
Michigan has adopted the "Parent Dashboard for School Transparency" to provide information about its public schools. The online Parent Dashboard shows the performance of every public school in Michigan.
Families and others can use the dashboard to get a more complete picture of how their child’s school is serving students. They also can use the Dashboard to compare a school’s performance with the average performance of other similar Michigan schools.
State Board of Education members commissioned the Parent Dashboard because they believe that all Michigan residents deserve to easily discover how well public education is serving their children.
The easy-to-use Parent Dashboard:
• was designed with parents to show school information they say is important, and enhanced by ongoing parent feedback;
• provides one easy location where parents and caregivers can view building-level information and data;
• can be accessed on any computer or mobile device;
• offers a more balanced picture of school quality, since it contains information about more than just test scores.
Information in the Parent Dashboard:
• includes nearly 20 different factors—or measures—that parents say are important to them;
• comes from data that are already collected from schools;
• can be viewed for a whole school, or viewers can dig deeper to see performance for certain groups of students;
• can inform decisions and encourage richer conversations about school progress—with students, with other parents, with school leaders, and within communities.
Check out the Parent Dashboard for School Transparency by clicking on the button below.
Kindergarten Registration
Young Fives Program
Using a unique, specialized curriculum, Young Fives teachers will help children develop social skills through activities that build confidence and communication. The social, emotional and academic skills children learn in Young Fives will help them confidently navigate the elementary school day routine.
Additional information about Young Fives can be found on our website at www.ecsd.us and will be available during our annual Kindergarten Round-up. This year’s Round-Up is scheduled for March 25 and 26, 2020 from 12:00 – 5:30 p.m. in the East China School District Administration Building. If you should have questions after reviewing the information, please contact Dawn Demick at (810) 676-1030.
Please download the Young Fives FAQ document below for more information.
January Pioneers of the Month
All of our students strive to be motivated learners, as well as model citizens. Each month we will honor students from each class who exemplify the following qualities:
Academic
- Student prepares for classroom activities.
- Student approaches learning with enthusiasm.
- Student has made steady progress in the classroom.
- Student has been working to his/her potential.
- Student completes all assignments and homework.
- Student has a good work ethic and is diligent.
Leadership/ Citizenship/ Character
- Student demonstrates respect of self and others.
- Student assists others in need.
- Student shows acts of kindness.
- Student demonstrates a positive attitude.
- Student displays good conduct.
- Student is a positive role model by example.
- Student participates and puts forth full effort in all areas.
- Student follows school rules.
Kindergarten
Mrs. Jones' Class: Kaliana Williams and Elliot Verstegen
Mrs. Malburg's Class: Christian Oliver and Sydnee Stanko
Mrs. Schneider's Class: Drew Langmesser and Esmeralda Gramer
First Grade
Mrs. Jensen's Class: Emma Shaughnessy and Loughlin Kavanagh
Mrs. Trudeau's Class: Skilar Mirrendorf and Max May
Mrs. Wise's Class: Peyton Cunningham and Michael Ursitti
Second Grade
Mrs. Kenyon's Class: Genevieve Hoeninghausen and Steven Mitchenall
Mrs. McNeill's Class: Clara Schneider and Carlos Reinke
Mrs. Williams' Class: Ashlynn Bowen and Ally Roberts
Third Grade
Mrs. Dodge's Class: Dameion LeBeau and Ella Murray
Mrs. Koprivica's Class: Maiya Land and Owen Ecker
Ms. Peterson's Class: Mackenzie Heythaler and Susanna Vaughan
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Huston's Class: Erin Betz and Ben Koehn
Mrs. Ursitti's Class: Zaine Sullivan and Kaitlyn Herms
Mrs. Visnaw's Class: Aiden Doviak and Emma Roberts
Mrs. LaParl's Class: No one for this month
Mrs. VanderMeulen's Class: Aidan Dornoff
Pioneer Code of Conduct
Kind,
Courteous,
Respectful,
Responsible,
and always Safe!
Mission: The mission of the Pine River school community is to work collaboratively, providing an enriched curriculum that allows for intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and creative growth in a positive and safe environment, empowering all children to become productive lifelong learners.
Pine River Elementary is dedicated to the belief that all students can learn and achieve through the combined efforts of the staff, parents, students, and community.