Pence Press
January 2020
WELCOME BACK!
Pence Families-
Happy New Year! We hope the break provided you with a time for reflection, celebration, and renewal.
We are delighted to be back and moving forward into the new year as we finish the end of our first semester of the school year. Winter sports are well underway, and our drama department will be starting their busy season. It is always so exciting to see our Pence students enjoying their time on the courts, mats, and the stage. In the classroom, students will be beginning new projects and topics of study, in addition to setting new goals for the second semester ahead.
This is an excellent time for students to stop and reflect on their role as positive members of our Pence community. We ask our students to stretch themselves both academically and artistically and to strive to be the best version of themselves. We hope that through reflection, students will establish the importance of their role as a classmate and a friend to all.
As our Pence community works together to maintain a safe, positive learning environment for all, it is essential to take time and set our focus on kindness, acceptance, support, and encouragement. A wonderful aspiration for the new year would be to start our day by asking ourselves, “What is something I can do to make today a little better for someone else?”
How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it ---- George Elliston
Upcoming Dates:
Monday, 1/6 (Odd) -- 8th-grade basketball @ J. Frank Hillyard Middle
Tuesday, 1/7 (Even) -- Afterschool Tutoring Bus
Wresting Meet at Pence w/ EMS & MMS
Musical Rehearsal begins, Parent Meeting 5:00
Wednesday, 1/8 (Odd) -- TA/ WSPMS Band Side by Side, TAHS
Thursday, 1/9 (Even) -- Afterschool Tutoring Bus
8th-grade basketball @ Elkton Middle
Monday, 1/13 (Even) -- 8th-grade basketball @ Thomas Harrison Middle
RCPS School Board Meeting at JWES
Tuesday, 1/14 (Odd) -- Afterschool Tutoring Bus
Wrestling Meet at Pence w/ Montevideo Middle & J. Frank Hillyard Middle
8th-grade Basketball @ Shelburne Middle 5:00 - 8:00
Wednesday, 1/15 (Even) -- RCPS Spelling Bee at J. Frank Hillyard Middle
Thursday, 1/16 (Odd) -- 1:18 release
Wrestling Meet @ WMMS 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Friday, 1/17 (Even) -- 1:18 release
End of 6th-grade Rotation #3
End of First Semester
End of the 2nd grading period (T2)
Monday, 1/20 -- No School - Teacher Workday
Homework Help Reminder
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d6IuBEdOyuQGpJDnveB4W9LPi9w6KIQn-2mr4QYEm7A/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uQAmfwWxDXzeVvi5pik-0WpZJWaHTzm8YKM-Vuh0HA8/edit?usp=sharing
Important Attendance Information
Afternoon dismissal:
1. Our afternoon dismissal bell rings at approximately 3:18 (once all the buses arrive from TA)
2. Please communicate with your child in the morning prior to them arriving at school if there will be any transportation changes. As long as your child knows of these changes you do not have to notify the school.
3. If your child will be riding the bus home with another student or bringing another student home on the bus, we must have a parent note from both students.
4. We do realize emergency situations come up. Please try to notify the school by 2:30 pm if we need to make your child aware of a transportation change.
5. Power 30 begins at 2:50 and lasts until the end of the day. This is still a class and counted as part of our day. Please try and refrain from routinely picking your student up during power 30 especially for convenience reasons.
6. Our parent pick up line does get long at times, but once the students are released, it moves quite quickly. The line is usually done by 3:30 pm on most days. It’s also helpful to delay your arrival to pick up your student until 3:25 pm - 3:30 pm. This will help relieve congestion and prevent frustration from waiting in line.
7. Excessive early dismissals due to activities, convenience, and other nonessential reasons will be counted as unexcused, and per RCPS attendance policy, an Attendance Improvement Plan may have to be developed.
Other attendance notes:
Please notify the school by 9:00 am that morning if your child is sick and will not be attending. You may do this by phone (540) 879-2535 or email wspmsattendance@rockingham.k12.va.us.
If at all possible, please try to schedule appointments outside of school hours. However, we understand that this is not always possible. We just ask that you communicate with the school on these occasions.
If your child is planning on missing school due to vacation or being out of town, please notify the school before that time by sending in a note or emailing us.
We usually try and send out attendance calls out by 9:30 am each day. Please make sure you respond to us via phone or email when you receive these calls to let us know why your student was marked absent.
RCPS Proposals For The Future
Upcoming dates for the remaining two meetings to be held by RCPS School Board to encourage understanding and community involvement. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.
January 27 - Keezletown Ruritan Hall
February 10 - Bridgewater Town Hall
Athletics
Basketball & Cheer
8BB @ JFHMS
Monday, January 6th,⋅4:30 – 6:00 pm
8BB @ EMS
Thursday, January 9th,⋅4:30 – 6:00 pm
Wrestling Meet
Wrestling HOME w/ EMS & MMS
Tuesday, January 7th, 4:30 – 6:30 pm
About Us
Wilbur Pence Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1j84fxh9NC/?igshid=1ugnqkq1hn27l
"Parent Resources" & "Student Resources"
http://wspms.rockingham.k12.va.us/
Email: jchilds@rockingham.k12.va.us
Website: http://wspms.rockingham.k12.va.us/
Location: 375 Bowman Road, Dayton, VA, USA
Phone: 540-879-2535
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penceknights/