The Pine Bough
Pine River School Newsletter, June 2022
Summer Message
Dear Pine River Families,
This exciting year has passed by quickly! It was amazing to watch our students grow from a group of curious and magical children to the confident and challenge-seeking learners that they are now. Each child has matured, refined skills, and developed new ideas and insights. Our Pioneers are intelligent, enthusiastic, caring, creative, hard-working, and full of spirit. I am so proud of all of them!
As we reflect back on the 2021-2022 school year, please join myself and the Pine River staff in acknowledging and celebrating the rich learning opportunities that our students have experienced. Together, we have planned and facilitated lessons and activities founded in best practices, creativity, and innovation. In addition to supporting students toward meeting high academic expectations, we developed each student’s character and social skills. Pine River is truly committed and dedicated to maintaining a learning environment that supports thinking, understanding, and confidence in our students.
All of our students have made outstanding progress this year! As we break for the summer, please continue to help keep your child’s skills sharp by encouraging and supporting daily reading and math practice. Many teachers have sent, or will be sending home, materials for summer practice, and the local library offers a treasure trove of resources to support summer reading and learning.
Summer is also a special time for making memories with your child. Take time to talk, listen, wonder, appreciate, and get to know her/him more. This is a wonderful time to revel in simple, quiet moments when your child's world is less scheduled. You will notice how much s/he has matured. My hope is that you also take advantage of opportunities at home and away to have fun as a family during the weeks ahead. Those experiences help develop your child’s healthy development, which prepares her/him for success when we return in September.
Thank you for your support during this past school year. Together, we made sure that our students had the academic and emotional support to work toward their greatest potentials!
Have a safe, relaxing, and fun summer!
Sincerely,
Rachel A. Card
Principal
Medication Pickup
Report Cards
Lunch Account Balances
Summer Reading Challenge
READ 1000 MINUTES THIS SUMMER, 2022
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS READ 700 MINUTES
Be a Champion Reader!
Earn an invitation to the Breakfast of Readers in September!
Read your favorite books, magazines, mysteries, joke books, and newspapers!
Dr. Card is challenging Pine River Pioneers to read 1000 minutes (700 for Kindergarten students) or more this summer. Each time you read, log your minutes on the calendars provided during the last week of school. Log a total of 1000 minutes or more by the time school starts on September 6th, and you will be invited to a special Breakfast of Readers in September. You can count the time someone reads aloud to you, too.
Happy Reading!
Thank you to Jen and Joe Real Estate One for sponsoring our Golden Dustpan Award!
Mrs. Bean's first grade class won The Golden Dustpan Award for May! Each month, our custodians choose the class that keeps their room the cleanest. The winning class receives a pizza party, a class certificate, and the honor of displaying the Golden Dustpan on their hallway cubbie.
Positivity Project Resources for Families
The mission of The Positivity Project is to empower students to build positive relationships with others and be their best selves as individuals. Each week at Pine River, we focus on one of the 24 character strengths that everyone possesses. Through lessons presented daily by their teachers, our students learn to be more self aware and self confident in the content of their own character. In addition, they learn to understand and appreciate these character traits in others. Together, we are building meaningful relationships and connections with one another that are essential for learning and growing.
Below are some resources to help our families support The Positivity Project at home.
Thank you to Bistro 428/Neiman's Catering in Marine City for sponsoring our Pioneer of the Month Program!
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.
Young Fives/Kindergarten
Mrs. Guzowski's Class: Elyse Heraty
Ms. Brosky's Class: Easton Gauronskas and Iris Thomas
Mrs. Malburg's Class: Kollin Highlund and Liam Heythaler
Mrs. Schneider's Class: Owen Lockwood and Landon Donnelly
First Grade
Mrs. Bean's Class: Connor Kelly and Trace Vandiver
Mrs. Jensen's Class: Kaylee Jenerou-Ward and Jase Metcalf
Mrs. Trudeau's Class: Joshua Schindler and Ariana Snay
Second Grade
Mrs. Dingman's Class: Leah Straub and Kaliana Williams
Mrs. Kenyon's Class: Isaiah Brown and Madison Hamilton
Mrs. McNeill's Class: Alexis Price and Samuel Strozeski
Third Grade
Ms. Dewey's Class: Emma Mitchell and Owen Sullivan
Mrs. Dodge's Class: Loughlin Kavanagh and Rhiannon Salisbury
Mrs. Wahl's Class: Parker Freeland and Claire Middel
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Huston's Class: Olivia Hogan and Lainy Floer
Mr. Scillian's Class: Sophia White and Aydan Vankehrberg
Mrs. Ursitti's Class: Connor Riley and Kenzie Nicolai
C.I. Class
Mrs. Wong's Class: Sofia Kmetz
Yard Sign Pickup
Reflecting on the School Year
Here are some questions to guide a reflective conversation with your student:
- What is something you did well this year? What are you most proud of yourself for?
- What brought you joy?
- What was your biggest struggle?
- Do you think there are things you could do next year to make next better?
- What have you learned about yourself this school year?
- If your classmates were honest, would they describe you as a person who is nice to everyone?
- What is your best quality as a friend?
- How could you improve the way you interact with others?
- Do you think you were respectful to your teachers?
- Do you think your teachers thought you were respectful?
- How can you improve the way you interact with your teachers?
- When you think about the things you want to do and become, did your choices this year help you get closer to those goals?
- What could you do next year to make more progress toward these goals?
- How would you describe your attitude this year?
Now, it is time for you to reflect as a parent.
- What did I do for my child this year that s/he could do for herself/himself?
- Are there ways I can help my child learn to solve her/his own problems? Was there a time I intervened when I could have coached instead?
- Were there times I didn’t intervene but should have?
- Several years from now, my child will be leaving home. Am I using these years to help build resilience, confidence, and autonomy? What can I do to make this more a part of my parenting?
- Did I encourage my child to enjoy an activity without putting the emphasis on winning, getting a leading role, or earning a trophy?
- Did I try to make my child's teacher an ally?
- Did I find ways to praise my child’s efforts in something, or did I focus mostly on results?
- Have I helped my child set limits on technology, gaming, etc.? Have I done this for the summer?
- Have I given my child some reading goals this summer?
- What are five things I did well this year? Times I tried, even if it didn’t work out quite the way I envisioned. Give yourself credit for that!
Extra Credit: Have your child write a note to her/his teacher, and send an email or note yourself. Teachers teach because they want to make a difference, and realizing that they are positively impacting lives is the best year-end gift they could receive!
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.