The Panda Pulse REVISED EDITION
Week of January 21 - February 1, 2019
THE PANDA PLUNGE T-SHIRTS ARE COMING!!!!!
CALENDAR
Jan 21
- No School/Martin Luther King Jr Day
Jan 22/Day 4
- 2 Hour Delay
- Patrol Meeting in Library 12:45
Jan 23/Day 5
- CLT Meetings in Carrie's office
- PANDA PLUNGE T-SHIRTS will be given to Staff TODAY (Karen W. will be placing t-shirts in your mailboxes).
- PLEASE WEAR PANDA PLUNGE T-SHIRTS TODAY - STAFF PICTURE in PANDA PLUNGE T-SHIRTS at 8:45 AM in the Cafeteria on the stage (please go ahead and start sorting yourselves tallest in the back and shortest in the front)!
- K-5 Panda Plunge Assembly from 9:30-10:15 am (Cafeteria)
- All strings classes cancelled
- PTO Meeting 4:15-5:15 (Rescheduled from January 15, 2019)
- Half Day Dismissal/Parent-Teacher Conferences @ 12:35 pm
- End of 3rd Grading Period
- Retention Possibilities Due to Carrie by 9 AM
- Spirit Wear Day
Jan 28
- Teacher Workday
- Carrie out of the building today/Anna in the building today
Jan 29/Day 3
Jan 30/Day 4
- Panda Plunge Principal Read Aloud in Room 125 at 9:30. Once a student has earned and attended a read aloud session, they do not attend again.
- Panda Plunge T-Shirt Day
- CLT Meetings in Carrie's office
Jan 31/Day 5
- Autism Awareness T-Shirt Day
Feb 1/Day 1
- Spirit Wear Day
Panda Plunge T-Shirt Day
Our proud sponsors for this year's Panda Plunge Reading Challenge
are Sandy Springs Bank, Bookworm Central and PWCS Spark Foundation!
Attendance Policy Update
Attendance
The attendance policy has changed for the state of Virginia in the past two years. There are specific guidelines for schools to follow including monitoring closely the number of unexcused absences. Please help us alleviate extra work so that we can focus on the actual families who need our assistance with attendance issues. See below for how you can be of assistance.
Homeroom Teachers should:
- Forward to office any communication (notes from parents or doctors, emails) regarding absences immediately.
- It is great that you are being proactive to enter a note excusing a child in SMS, but the office must know because they are the only staff members with rights to make the official change from unexcused to excused. Unfortunately, this is skewing our attendance and creating unnecessary work for our office team and our attendance officer.
- If you have folders for communication with parents, please check them daily for attendance notes and send them to the office ASAP.
- If you receive a phone call from a parent, please email both Stephanie and Staci in the front office with the excused absence information. Your Subject Line should be:
Retention Process/Notification Regulation
PWCS Regulation 665-1 Promotion and Retention
(See excerpt below from Regulation 665-1 that pertains to Elementary Retention)
Note: A discussion with Carrie must take place PRIOR to sending home Attachment 1 at the end of the grading period/January Conference Day AND parents must be aware of this possibility (the letter should NOT be a surprise). A copy of a signed Attachment 1 form may be obtained from Stephanie or Staci once you have discussed sending the letter home with Carrie.
II. Retention
The principal and appropriate staff members shall make the decision as to whether students are retained in a grade. However, this should be done with the full understanding of students and parents and should always be done in the best interest of the students and their development. Students shall be considered for retention in Grades K-5 under the following conditions:
A. The student has not been previously retained more than one time in Grades K-5.
B. The student is not able to retain and apply the basic academic skills that have been defined as the minimum expectations for that grade level, according to county expectations and basic learning skills.
C. The student has missed 10 or more days of school in which little or no make-up work was completed. An exception is granted if a physician’s certification of illness is provided to school staff.
D. Before retention is to be recommended a second time in Grades K-5 to a parent/guardian, various approaches and programs, such as Title I, remedial reading, and other special programs, should have been considered and found inappropriate.
E. Parents/guardians must be informed in writing (Attachment I) by the end of the first semester (18 weeks) that retention is a distinct possibility for their student. Notification in writing (Attachment II) shall again be sent to parents at the end of the third nine-week grading period (27 weeks). In addition, teachers are encouraged to arrange conferences with parents of these students. Students who transfer into a school after the end of the first semester may be considered for retention. Parents/guardians shall be notified in writing of possible retention within 15 days of the enrollment date, or as soon as it can reasonably be determined that retention is a possibility.
F. For each student in question, a retention advisory committee shall be established consisting of the individual's teacher(s), a principal or assistant principal, and a resource person, if applicable. This committee shall review all relevant data regarding the student in question and make a recommendation to the principal to pass or retain the student. Parents of the student shall be invited to attend the committee meeting.
G. When a student is being considered for retention, the teacher shall submit a cumulative folder of the student's daily work to the committee for review.
H. For grades in which SOL tests are given, achievement of a passing score on the SOL tests shall be one of the multiple factors considered.
I. Notification must be made in writing (Attachment III) to the parents at least 15 working days prior to the close of school.
J. Promotion and retention decisions which are contested by parents must be appealed in writing in accordance with Policy 731, “Appeal of Student Matters,” and as described in the third and final retention letter from the school.