Panther PAWPrints
September 2023
Campus News
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth/Fifth Grade
Sixth/Seventh/Eighth Grade
Special Education & Library
I am so excited to have your children back at school and can't wait to see them in the library. When classes visit the library, they will have the opportunity to partake in library skills lessons, curriculum-related support, digital technology lessons tied to the curriculum, and read-alouds.
Each student is allowed to check out 2 books. Books must be returned in order for students to continue to check out from the library, no exceptions. If a child does not return their library book on their library day, they will not be able to check out a new book during that time. They can, however, come any other day in the morning to return their book and obtain a new one. If books are lost or damaged parents will be responsible for purchasing a replacement.
Each grade level will participate in library class once a week for 40 minutes. Please refer to your child's classroom newsletter in order to find out the day your child will be visiting the library so that you may remind your child to make sure to place his/her book in his/her backpack to bring to school.
Research shows a strong link between children's love of reading and their ability to choose their own reading materials. Self-selection and free choice within our curated, well-maintained collection is so important to our students' reading lives. As library patrons, your child has the ability to select the book he/she wants to read. Having the opportunity to select reading materials is a wonderful experience for all students to have and we want them to enjoy it.
Please take some time to have a discussion with your child if you have any concerns about their book choices. If as a family, there are types of books that you do not wish for your child to check out (Example: spooky stories, special themes, etc.) make sure that your child is aware of that expectation. Having open discussions at home will prepare your child and also will give them a better understanding of what types of books or topics are acceptable for them to take home. We cannot manage this in the library, and all students have the right to self-select and check out books of their own liking, so having these discussions at home prior to them coming to the library will create a positive library experience.
Hope you have a super September!
Mrs. Burns
Superintendent's Message
Our 2023-2024 school year is off to an awesome start! Laughter and learning are filling the halls and classrooms and we cannot be more excited to be back on campus. Relationships are being formed and you can actually feel the enthusiasm of our campus.
Classroom expectations, routines, and procedures are being developed with each passing day. Expectations, procedures, and routines are incredibly important within each classroom and across campus, as they form the foundation for a smooth-running learning environment in which students are comfortable, secure, and most importantly, safe!
Make sure you keep up on the latest and greatest news by following us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pioneerelementarydistrict41
I hope you all have a wonderful September and I look forward to all of the adventures we will share over the course of this year.
Sincerely,
Melissa Schnitzmeier
Principal/Superintendent, Pioneer School
Panther House Information
By now you’ve no doubt heard your students excitedly talking about the house system we are implementing this year at our school. We wanted to write and share more information so that you can support your child in this exciting experience. A house system is a team within a school that allows students to make friends outside of their class and/or grade level, have friendly competitions, have a sense of identity and belonging with others, and have mentorship and guidance from adults that they may not otherwise interact with on a daily basis.
We have based our house system on a combination of methods used at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, a world-famous private school headed by former National Teacher of the Year Ron Clark, author of The Essential 55 and other books. Of course, his work with houses is based on what is used in the Harry Potter series.
Because magical sorting hats and other wizardly things are not available (no funds!), students were sorted into their houses this past week by popping a random balloon with a house name inside. Kindergarten students are automatically part of Doctrina, the light blue house. This is the “house in training” and groups of Doctrina students will be part of another house’s activities, apprentice style. When they reach first grade, they will take their turn popping the balloon to take their place as a full member of one of the other houses.
House points will be earned based on positive behavior and working hard to achieve their individual goals and/or house goals. At the end of each trimester, points will be tallied and the house with the most points will be awarded the Panther Citizenship Trophy and receive a special house celebration. In addition, a House of the Year will be recognized at the end of the year BBQ. House points will start over each trimester, but a cumulative total will be kept for the end of the year award.
Help your student to remember to wear their house t-shirt or Panther T-Shirt EVERY Thursday and sport their ‘colors’ on Panther Spirit Day! We look forward to teaching the students to be kind and foster good citizenship skills through healthy competition and teamwork.
Below, you will find a link to the Panther PTA Store where you can purchase your student's house T-Shirt. If you are uncertain of your student's house (they may forget) you can email their teacher or Mrs. S. T-shirts will ship to your home directly from the printers.
To ensure that every young Panther has the opportunity to celebrate Panther Spirit Day with their houses, the Panther PTA has agreed to host a panther scholarship for families needing assistance purchasing the house shirts. If your family would like to participate in the the Panther House Scholarship program, please email Mrs. S (schnitzmeier@pioneerschool.us) with the child's name, and T-shirt size.
Panther PTA News
A large THANK YOU to everyone who stepped up to volunteer to help serve hot lunch and pizza or to provide desserts for our hot lunch. We COULD NOT continue to offer these each year without you! A schedule was emailed out to you. If you did not get this, feel free to email Mrs. Schnitzmeier (schnitzmeier@pioneerschool.us) and she'll be happy to send another one out.
We are getting ready to kick off our first fundraiser of the year! Blue Books should be on their way soon. They are our highest-grossing fundraiser each year and we can't wait to see how much they bring in for our Panthers this year. Don't want to sell? You can donate to your Panther PTA by clicking the crowdfunding link below! Our goal is to raise $3,000 by the end of this year!
We're excited to introduce you all to our Panther PTA through the Montana PTA Members Hub! This hub will allow you to access a Panther PTA store (for memberships and open donations). We have also enrolled in the "Give Backs" program. By downloading the app to your mobile device and adding the extension to your desktop it allows you to GIVE BACK to your school simply by shopping as you normally would!
We are actively looking for Panther families to become active members of our PTA! For just $6.00 you can join our Panther PTA family and work to make a difference here on campus! Interested in joining? Click the link below.
We are also very excited to share that the Panther PTA has set up its very own merch store! This is your one-stop shop for everything Panther Gear and will allow you to shop year-round for Panther swag! Upon checkout, your order will be sent to the printers and then ship directly to your door!
A small percentage of each sale is kicked back to the Panther PTA so not only will you be sporting the coolest gear in town - you'll also be helping to make your school a better place to be! The ordering and shipping process should all run pretty seamlessly - but if you have any issues, please contact us so we can resolve the issue ASAP. Check out the store by clicking the link below!
Nurse Cindy's News
Monthly Value
Upcoming
Adult Education at Dover Park
Friday, Sep 1, 2023, 10:30 AM
John H. Dover Memorial Park, Mary Street, Billings, MT, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.