Knighthawk Family News
Pleasant Knoll Middle School - November 2019
Message from Mr. Young
I hope that all of our families are doing well and getting ready for the holiday season. We have had a wonderful month at Pleasant Knoll Middle School. Our students are continuing to grow academically and I am amazed at how service-oriented our PKMS students have been this year. They have collected money for the Susan B. Komen Foundation, participated in our Giving Tree for the Holiday season, Toys for Tots, and have volunteered in many other ways to help their community. Our students are taking the opportunity each day to be better students and citizens of our community. I am so humbled and proud to be the principal of such a wonderful staff and student body.
I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to spend time with family and friends. Thank you again for all you do for PKMS!
Grey Young, Principal
Congratulations to our October Knighthawk Flyers who are being recognized for being wonderful role models and showing great character! Front row (L-R): Thomas Ford, Isaac Whitlock, Braden Zubrod, Olivia Belue, Harper Ross, Katherine Ford Back row: Hayden Sova, Katie Hanson, Gavin Mitcheson, Heidi Kipper, Josie Alsbrooks Not pictured: Colin Martin
November TOP Knighthawk
Chorus Winter Concert
Winter Band Concert
Wednesday, December 11th
7pm NFHS Auditorium
3rd Annual PKMS Giving Tree
PKMS Third Annual Giving Tree
Pleasant Knoll Middle School is teaming up with the Fort Mill Care Center this holiday season and will be sponsoring families in the area that are in need. If you would like to aid in our effort and sponsor a gift for a child, please have your student stop by the cafeteria in the morning between November 18 - December 13 to select a gift from our Giving Tree. Items should be new and be returned to the cafeteria by December 13th. Please email us if you have any questions!
If your family or company would like to sponsor an entire family or help out in another way, please let us know.
Thank you for helping us help our community!
Ms. Still - StillR@fortmillschools.org
Ms. Griffin - GriffinAg@fortmillschools.org
Counselors' Corner
Counselors’ Corner:
Online PSAT scores will be released by College Board on December 9th. Students must create an account at www.collegeboard.org in order to view scores online. Paper copies of the score report will be given out to students in homeroom mid-January. Parents will receive email notification on how to access online scores and when the paper copies of the score report are sent home. Please contact your child’s Guidance Counselor with any questions.
Short Stops to Share:
Take Good Risks: Encourage your tween to try an activity that appeals to them, even if they are nervous. Maybe they want to join the cross-country team but haven't run longer distances. Or perhaps they are interested in the Improv Club but are hesitant about public speaking. Stepping out of their comfort zone will stretch their abilities and build confidence.
Agree to disagree: If your usually agreeable child starts poking holes in your opinions, that's a sign their reasoning skills are developing. Try not to take it personally, and ask them to share their views respectfully. They'll learn that it's okay to disagree, as long as they're polite about it.
Puzzle me this: Crossword puzzles boost your tween's vocabulary. Have them print free puzzles they find online or get crossword books from a dollar store. Or they could make crosswords for each other on graph paper or with a website like puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com.
Worth quoting
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." -Walt Disney
November Band News
PKMS Band: Knighthawk Notes
Our band is steadily progressing and finally back in the “groove”. The 7th & 8th graders are preparing for our annual Winter Concert while the 6th graders are getting better every day!
November Reminders:
6th grade students START monthly practice logs
2nd nine weeks/November
Due this first Tuesday of each month
8th grade students STOP monthly practice logs
2nd nine weeks/November
8th grade OPTIONAL Spring Trip
Payment #2 ($150)
Due Wednesday, November 6th
Paid online via “pay fees”
*Note: all fundraiser credit will be deducted from the last Orlando trip payment.*
December dates to look ahead:
8th grade OPTIONAL Spring Trip
Payment #3 ($150)
Due Wednesday, December 4th
Paid online via “pay fees”
*Note: all fundraiser credit will be deducted from the last Orlando trip payment.*
York County Honor Band Auditions (eligible 8th graders only)
Tuesday, December 10th
Fort Mill Middle School
Audition approval deadline: Tuesday, December 3rd
(audition times will be issued 2 weeks prior)
PKMS Band Winter Concert (7th & 8th grade)
Wednesday, December 11th
7pm-7:30pm (students arrive by 5:50pm)
NFHS Auditorium
*Please see parent letter for details, mandatory after/before school rehearsals, & concert attire*
Moe's Night to support the 7th grade Charleston field trip
Wednesday, Dec 11, 2019, 04:00 PM
1751 Pleasant Rd #104
Nurse News
In Fort Mill Schools, a priority is providing a safe environment for all students. As you may be aware, food allergies are becoming increasingly common among students in the District and throughout our nation. While some allergic reactions are mild, many students have severe food allergies and experience life-threatening reactions when exposed to their allergens. In some cases, this reaction can occur simply through contact or airborne exposure even when the allergen is not ingested.
Health and safety has always been a top priority for us, especially when working with students who have a life threatening medical condition. We appreciate your support of the following safeguards to limit their exposure to these risky foods:
· We encourage all students to wash hands with soap and water before and after eating. Hand sanitizers and water alone do not fully remove allergens.
· We remind students not to share food with others.
· When preparing your child’s lunches and snacks, please check food labels and consider sending in alternative food items to reduce exposure to common allergens. For instance, there are several alternative butters that can be used in place of peanut butter (e.g., Sunbutter, which is made from sunflower seeds).
· Per District policy, all food items brought to school for group consumption by students must be commercially prepared (store bought) and have labels declaring the ingredients. If you need help identifying treats that would be safe for all of the students who will be partaking in the celebration, please let me know.
· For celebrations, please consider non-food alternatives. This is a good idea not just because of food allergies, but also due to the growing issue of childhood obesity.
We appreciate your awareness, understanding and cooperation in working toward keeping our students safe. Please check with your child’s teacher about specific classroom concerns.
Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly. You get the flu from other people. The flu virus spreads through coughing or sneezing. It is also spread when a person touches something that a sick person has touched, and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth. People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
•Fever* or feeling feverish/chills
•Cough
•Sore throat
•Runny or stuffy nose
•Muscle or body aches
•Headaches
•Fatigue (tiredness)
•Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
* It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
Flu viruses usually cause the most illness during the colder months of the year. However, influenza can also occur outside of the typical flu season. In addition, other viruses can also cause respiratory illness similar to the flu. So, it is impossible to tell for sure if you have the flu based on symptoms alone. If your doctor needs to know for sure whether you have the flu, there are laboratory tests that can be done.
The best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated each year along with washing hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
PKMS Yearbooks!
Yearbooks are now on sale for $40.00. Students may also purchase personalization, such as their monogram, a crest, or their name, for an additional $7.
Click here for link to order yearbooks.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Munn: mailto:munns@fortmillschools.org
School Counselor Assignments
- All Students (Last Names A-G)
Allison Davis - davisa@fortmillschools.org
- All Students (Last Names H-N)
Margaret Causey - causeym@fortmillschools.org
- All Students (Last Names O-Z)
School Administrator Assignments
7th GRADE - Daniel McCallum - mccallumd@fortmillschools.org
8th GRADE - Grey Young - youngg@fortmillschools.org
Parent Communication
We would like to keep all of our parents informed of upcoming events, classroom news, and school news. Please use the PKMS website, http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/. It should be a primary source of communication for our families and Mrs. Munn does an outstanding job of updating it on a regular basis. Please also use our Twitter and Facebook pages for information as well.
Twitter - @PK_Knighthawks
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/
Pleasant Knoll Middle School
Email: zeppelink@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 2320 Pleasant Road, Fort Mill, SC, United States
Phone: 803-835-3770
Facebook: facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/
Twitter: @PK_Knighthawks