The Panther Post
PAWS for the Panther Lake Family news!
A Message From the Principal
We hope you enjoyed a restful and refreshing holiday break with your family. It is hard to fathom the reality that December is here and winter break is fast approaching. This month is a busy month for all our Panthers as we near winter break. Please take a look at the following "Key Dates" for December.
- Scholar Led Conferences: This year, we will be holding scholar led conferences via Zoom on December 10th-11th. While we have school-wide conference times and will work with our families and our teachers to ensure interpreters are available for support, we also know that schedules can be complex. Please complete the short survey embedded in this newsletter so Mr. Sanchez (our family liaison) and your scholar's teacher can begin reaching out to you to schedule these conferences. Please remember that our goal is 100% attendance for all our scholars and families. The power in this time with your scholar's teacher is incredible and we can accommodate most needs for our families regarding schedules.
Panorama Student and Family Survey begin December 1st! Every scholar who completes their survey online before December 15th will have their name entered into a raffle for a pizza party! One scholar per grade level will be chosen to receive a pizza party for them and their family! Scholars will complete the survey during school time with the support of their teacher! Families can receive another raffle entry by completing the family survey from December 7th through 15th! Each family will earn an extra entry into the draw for their scholar(s). More details will come soon!
- 11:00-12:00pm Wednesday Study Hall: Your scholar's teacher will notify you if your scholar needs to attend study hall on Wednesdays to complete any missing assignments or incomplete tests. Study Hall is optional, but we highly recommend scholars attend study hall if they have missed a day of school, need additional support with completing assignments, or just want to pop in for some collaborative work time with their grade level peers. A link will be sent out to families with the Panther Lake Study Hall Zoom link and this link will also be easily accessible via the teachers' Canvas pages.
- 12:30-1:00pm Wednesday Virtual Recess: We will begin implementing a school-wide virtual recess via Zoom. Please make sure your scholar has completed any missing assignments and/or attended study hall prior to coming to recess as we want to make sure your scholar is receiving the support they need to be successful in class. Virtual recess will be supervised by our regular recess supervision staff and activity breakout rooms will be driven based on scholar interest. For example, this week, virtual recess could include a Kahoot room (fun online games), Field Trips (virtual exploration), Creative Design (follow along art video), and more. Recess is not mandatory and should serve as an opportunity to socialize with peers in a structured and monitored virtual environment.
- Character Trait: Collaboration: Teachers will be looking for scholars who are demonstrating collaboration with their peers as we become a stronger community at Panther Lake.
- Heritage Focus: Hispanic/Latinx: This month we are focused on community and teamwork. As a school, we will focus on learning more about Hispanic/Latinx culture and heritage during our principal read aloud. We usually celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15- October 15th and want to be sure we take the time to dive into diverse cultures that represent our scholars, staff, and families: Community. Feel free to explore this online resource on Mexican America from the Smithsonian.
Winter break is a good time to reset and recalibrate for school. As we approach our two week break at the end of December, we remain focused on the following:
- Attendance: We will begin Home Visits for scholars who are struggling to attend school consistently. When we arrive at your home, we adhere to all safety and health guidelines and will work with you in partnership to develop a plan for improving your scholar's attendance.
- iReady: We will continue monitoring iReady progress for each scholar. Please continue encouraging your scholar to complete both iReady reading and iReady Math lessons. We monitor "Time on Task" and Lessons Passed: Which means, we look at each scholar's MyPath to see how much time they are spending on iReady and what their passing rate is in each lesson.
- Grades: Grades should be updated weekly for you via ParentVue. If you are not seeing regularly updated grades for your scholar, please let us know so we can partner with your scholar's teacher to ensure you are receiving timely communication regarding your scholar's academic progress.
In partnership,
Tabatha Ritch
Principal
253-945-3634
253-391-7444 (Cell- Text okay)
!ATTENDANCE Matters!
Here is the reality:
- Remote learning significantly decreased the amount of time our teachers have with our scholars.
- Scholars only attend LIVE Zoom sessions FOUR DAYS per week. If your scholar misses ONE day of Synchronous learning, they have only attended 75% of their LIVE instruction with their teacher.
- Study Hall has been implemented to support scholars completing work but cannot replace live teacher instruction.
- Any scholar attending less than 90% of their live Zoom instruction without an attendance plan in place with Assistant Principal Harlow will be scheduled for a Home Visit to partner in improving attendance.
Upcoming Save-the-Dates
PAWS with the Principal- Morning Parent Feedback Session
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020, 10:00 AM
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PAWS with the Principal- Afternoon Parent Feedback Session
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020, 04:00 PM
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Scholar Advisory Panel
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020, 09:00 AM
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Heritage Read Aloud with the Principal
Friday, Dec 18, 2020, 12:00 PM
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Panther Pride Spirit Assembly
Friday, Dec 18, 2020, 03:00 PM
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School T-Shirt Design ART CONTEST
Calling ALL Panther Lake Artists
Do you have Panther Pride?
Would you like EVERYONE to have the COOLEST T-Shirt EVER?
Can you design that t-shirt?
Use a blank piece of paper or the following template to design our Panther Pride Spirit Wear for the 2020-2021 school year!
You can email us the design or send us a text with a photograph of your artwork!
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: December 11th, 2020
Voting will take place December 14th-December 17th via Facebook and schoolwide voting!
The T-Shirt design with the most likes on Facebook and the most votes from the school will be our new design for the school year.
Be creative and HAVE FUN!
RULES:
- Our school name Panther Lake Elementary must be present in the design
- You can include our schoolwide expectations: Be safe, Be kind, Be responsible!
- All drawings must be school appropriate (no violence or offensive language)
- Submission information must be included, but not in the design (Name, Grade, Teacher).
Email or text your design to Principal Ritch by the deadline!
We want your feedback!
Parent Feedback to the Principal
Grades, Attendance, and teacher messages
Do you need to update an absence?
Want to know how your child is doing on assignments?
Need to connect with the teacher?
School Supplies COMING to YOU- Every Friday
You can now check ParentVue to find the School to You Bus Stop closest to your family.
School to You - Parent Pick-Up of missed supplies Wednesday 2nd December, 9:00 - 3:00pm
School to You Drop off will resume this Friday, December 4th.
Questions about School to You Supplies and Pick Up?
Contact Assistant Principal Dianne Harlow at dharlow@fwps.org or 253-391-9748
Non-Discrimination Statement
Federal Way Public Schools does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin or ethnicity, religion, creed, sex or gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, age, marital or family status, veteran or military status, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal. The district provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups.
If you have questions or complaints regarding alleged discrimination please email one of the coordinators listed below, or call the district office at 253-945-2000 and ask for one of the coordinators listed below.
Civil Rights Compliance Officer, Dan Dizon, compliance@fwps.org
Title IX Compliance Coordinator, Dan Dizon, titleix@fwps.org
504 Compliance Coordinator, Dr. Jennifer Westover, 504@fwps.org
ADA Compliance Coordinator, Janet Hodson, ADA@fwps.org
Panther Lake Elementary
Email: tritch@fwps.org
Website: https://www.fwps.org/PantherLake
Location: 34424 1st Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003
Phone: 253-945-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PantherLakeFWPS/
Twitter: @PantherLakeFWPS