PIONEER ACADEMY
Knowledge - Challenge - Integrity - Diversity
Dear Parents and Students,
We hope everyone has a great weekend. As we are in October and begin
looking forward to nature’s beautiful display of the change in season,
learning is underway at Pioneer. The students have settled into their
new classrooms and the teachers are providing engaging lessons on a
daily basis.
We would like to remind everyone that this year’s first parent
conferences will take place from Monday, October 21 to Thursday,
October 24 for grades K-4 and Wednesday October 23 for grades 5-12
We will once again be utilizing the online portal to schedule
individual conference times for grades 5-12. An email will be sent to
you providing more detailed instructions. If for any reason you
are not able to access the website or schedule an appointment online,
please do not hesitate to contact our office directly.
There are three necessary components to any successful school system:
safety, organization, and high expectations for teaching and learning.
Our school excels in all three areas because the strong and robust
relationships between students and staff. While safety will always
remain the highest priority, as educators, we know that relationship
building, connections with students, and compassion are key elements
to a safe and positive learning environment. We
firmly believe that every child has the ability to be a successful
learner and that a powerful partnership to create an
environment that promotes success in each student.
To ensure the best possible environment, we all need to work together
to create the mindset that we will arrive at this school every day
with the intention of contributing to the well-being of others. We
believe that the 323 students who arrive daily should commit to
making each day better. Some questions you might want to ask your
child(ren) each night are:
Have you filled someone’s bucket today? Whose and how?
How do you show respect to your classmates and the adults at Pioneer?
We also want to encourage kindness from students. We ask that they
play appropriately, keep their hands and feet to themselves, and use
appropriate language and voice levels when interacting with peers and
adults.
Lastly, we want to encourage families to contact our office with any
questions or concerns they may have. We want to keep an open line of
communication between home and school!
Owen O. Akman
UPCOMING EVENTS IN OCTOBER
Oct. 10 Picture Day
Oct. 14 Columbus Day - School Closed
Oct. 21-24 K-4 Parent-Teacher Conferences - No Afterschool Clubs K-4
Oct. 23 Full Staff Inservice - MS & HS Parent Teacher Conferences 5-12 -Students off
Oct. 28-Nov. 1 First Quarter Benchmarks
Hurricane Dorian Fundraiser
Picture Day
School pictures will be taken on Thursday, October 10 for all students (PreK-12). Students will receive a personalized envelope on October 4, and must have their envelope returned before coming to the photographer, regardless of whether or not they are ordering portraits. Everyone must wear the school uniform for their photos.
Mr. Tushar Ghandi visit
College Counseling Corner
College Visits
There are three scheduled college tours in October. They are listed below. Please return permission slips to the college counselors.
Montclair State University: October 1 for all Freshmen
Seton Hall University: October 8 for all Sophomores
Princeton University: October 17 for all Juniors
Saturday Academy for SAT Prep
The Pioneer Academy College Counseling Department will be offering an SAT prep program on Saturdays. The program will take place at Pioneer Academy. Students will have the opportunity to gain knowledge and improve skills required to be successful on the test.
This is a rigorous program that is suitable for students who are interested and focused on improving their scores. There will be an expert instructor for each section.
The registration deadline is October 5 and payment is due by October 12.
1:1 Counseling Meetings
One-to-one counseling meetings are well underway for grades 9 through 12. Our counselors advise in order to ensure college readiness.
SGA Corner
An Interview with the Student Government President
SGA Spotlight: Isa Palamar, senior and SGA President.
Isa Palamar has been a student at Pioneer Academy since he was a freshman. He has participated in a myriad of clubs, and is well-known for his acting each year in the school's theatre production. Isa’s teachers find him to be charismatic and clever, while his friends find him trustworthy and funny. This is his second term as president of the Student Government Association (SGA). SGA took a moment to interview Isa on his thoughts serving his peers.
1. What makes you want to be part of SGA? What's your favorite part?
I think the thing that makes me want to be part of SGA most is knowing that I can work together with all the members of SGA, organize events, and provide for our students. I love knowing that we can truly make a change here at Pioneer Academy, and that with our hard work we can make our goals come to fruition.
2. What are the difficulties you have being the SGA president? And how do you combat them?
One difficulty I have being SGA president is conveying the idea that I am not “superior," or “the big boss." All of the hard-working members that I have the pleasure to work with are my equals. I deal with this by making sure I can convey the idea that SGA makes things
happen as an organization, not through one person.
3. What has been your favorite event so far and why?
My favorite event has most definitely been the spirit weeks. Spirit week is not only a fun way to bring classmates together within their grades, but also a way to promote healthy competition between grade levels.
4. What are your goals for this year?
My goal for this year is to organize more events than last year. I believe that each year we establish new annual events that the next SGA administration can build on. With the help of my fellow SGA members, I will see to it that this year is jam-packed with fun experiences and opportunities for everyone to bond with one another.
5. What is the legacy you want to leave behind at Pioneer Academy? What do you want people to remember you for?
If I could leave behind anything it would be an idea. This idea is that no matter what anyone says, Pioneer Academy is a community. Even if we’re all scattered throughout North Jersey, we still have a common place in which we all learn. But this place is not only for learning, it is a place to make memories, build friendships, and have a great high school experience. We must understand that it is our job to make this dream a reality. I believe that with this affirmation, all generations of Pioneer students to come can do even better than we are doing now.
6. What are your goals after Pioneer Academy? How has SGA helped you to be able to accomplish those goals?
My goals after Pioneer Academy are to get involved in my community and become involved in organizing events within my community. It is my hope that these events can bring people together and new friendships are made. SGA has not only given me experience to accomplish this goal, but it has created this goal within me.
Important SGA dates
October is Anti-bullying Month
Oct. 1 - Oct. 4 Hurricane Dorian Fundraiser Competition
Oct. 2 Freshman Student Government elections
Oct. 3 Basketball MidDay Madness Pep Rally
Oct. 31 Halloween