Pioneer Puma Post
April 14, 2020
A message from Mr. Jakious ...
I just want to make sure you know that we appreciate you and are here for you when something does not make sense or you (or your child) need some support. Don't hesitate to reach out. While we would all rather have your amazing kids learning in our classrooms, I know that we are Pioneer and WE'VE GOT THIS ... TOGETHER.
Thank you!
David Jakious
Principal, Pioneer School of the Arts
Next Week's Important Dates
April 20 - 24: Virtual Spirit Week! ... See Below for Themes
April 20 (8am) - April 21 (5pm) - Hard Copy Remote Learning Packet Distribution In Front of Pioneer
April 22 - Roaring Reader Logs Due - CLICK HERE
April 22 - Parent Class Input Forms Due - CLICK HERE
Virtual Spirit Week - April 20 - 24
April 20: Rainbow Day
- How many colors can you wear at once?
April 21: Scrabble Day
- Make a decorated sign/poster of a letter that is meaningful to you (Link to PDF letters or MAKE YOUR OWN).
- What words can we build TOGETHER? PTA will build some with submitted pictures!
April 22: Bring Your Pet (or stuffed animal) to "School" Day
- What special animals, real or stuffed, are remote learning with you?
April 23: Kindness Day
- Wear yellow and ...
- Commit ACTS OF KINDNESS!
April 24: Pioneer Spirit Day
- Wear RED & BLACK with pride!
**Check out the PTA FACEBOOK PAGE to find the Spirit Week Flyer & Much More**
We encourage you to capture your school spirit. Then post a picture (or video) to the PTA Facebook Page and/or e-mail your picture Pioneer.President@gmail.com if you want it included in their Spirit Week video!
Coming Soon: PTA will also be hosting a virtual BINGO night activity later this spring!
Online Class Placement Parent Input Forms - Due 4/22
Important: Please read the information at the top of the form carefully. We appreciate you carefully considering whether an input form is necessary for your child.
Roaring Reader Logs Due 4/22!
Personal Item/Supply Pickup & Library Book Return Plan To Be Determined
Library Books: We will also develop and communicate a way for library books to be returned. In the meantime, please just have your child keep them somewhere safe ... or read them again!
What if I can't get the learning packet on Monday morning?
Example: You are not able to pick up a learning packet until Monday nights. Simply complete the "Monday" work on Tuesday and shift the schedule accordingly for the rest of the week and complete the "Friday" work on Monday. Repeat that schedule the next week.
Remember that you are able to adjust/modify Remote Learning plans to meet the needs of your child and your family. Teachers have developed meaningful learning activities that often build on each other throughout the week. As such, the order of the tasks from day to day matters more than which day they are actually completed.
Teaching During Our Soft Closure
Wondering what our teachers are doing right now?
They are reporting to work remotely each day, individually and collaboratively preparing to meet the current learning needs of our students while also planning for instructional adjustments that will help us address learning needs at the beginning of next year. This includes, but is not limited to ...
Connecting with Families
- We continue to connect with every family via phone, e-mail, and Teams.
- We are here for you. Don't hesitate to reach out to with any questions. E-mail may be the best method right now, but your teacher will share how to most effectively contact them throughout our remote learning model.
Developing Remote Learning Resources
- Valuable learning tasks that focus on application and transfer of skills they have worked on this year while creatively finding ways we can continue to take our students' learning deeper and further.
- Working to make activities interesting and fun.
Planning and Preparation
- For this year - Remote Learning and making adjustments/considerations so we are prepared to meet our students needs no matter what happens next.
- For next year - Revising instructional calendars, common assessments, and proficiency scales to address content gaps that might result from missed instruction.
Vertical Alignment
- Teams are meeting with adjacent grade-levels to ensure that they know the most effective instructional strategies to use to teach content that we might not have time to get to this year, making plans for how to remediate as needed, and share/develop resources.
Office Hours
- Each teacher is refining what "office hours" look like. This will be the time each day that they set aside where they will be available to be responsive to parent/student questions.
- Your teacher will communicate how to access them during this time.
So while our world may feel like it has come GRINDING TO A HALT at times, our teachers are PUSHING FORWARD with that trademark Pioneer enthusiasm and are HARD AT WORK!
Free Breakfast & Lunch Combo Meals for Kids
FREE Breakfast & Lunch Combo Meals for kids ages 1-18 will be available Monday - Friday, from 11am - 1pm. Go to https://www.westada.org/FreeMeals for more information.
About Us
Website: westada.org/pioneer
Location: 13255 West McMillan Road, Boise, ID, USA
Phone: (208)855-4100
Facebook: facebook.com/pioneerpumas
Puma Ponderings
If you have a time-sensitive specific question, don’t hesitate to call the office at 208-855-4100.