Welcome to Pinecrest Elementary
October 2021
About Us
Main Line: 651-480-7280
Attendance Line: 651-480-7281Health Office (Nurse): 651-480-7286
Kids' Campus: 651-480-7296
Hastings Bus Company: 651-437-1888
Website: pinecrest.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 975 12th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Phone: 651-480-7280
Thanks for all of your support in helping our students get off to a great start this school year! We love hearing about all of the reading you are doing at home! It is so important that reading is incorporated in your daily routines.
DATES TO REMEMBER
OCTOBER
11 - Pinecrest PTA Meeting Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 814 9976 8500, Passcode: Raiders
18 - Evening Elementary Conferences
19 - Evening Elementary Conferences
20 - No School - Daytime Elementary Conferences
21 - No School - Students & Teachers
21 - No School - Students & Teachers
27 - Picture Retakes
NOVEMBER
25 - No school - Thanksgiving break
26 - No school - Thanksgiving break
29 - No school - Staff Development
FALL CONFERENCES
Elementary conferences are scheduled in the evening of Monday, October 18th and Tuesday, October 19th and during the morning of Wednesday, October 20th.
Conferences will be held IN PERSON unless otherwise arranged with the classroom teacher. If you wish to have a virtual conference, you will need to request the Zoom link from your student's teacher.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR
The Scholastic Book Fair is back!
Our book fair will be held virtually October 14th through October 27th. Our Book Fair is online and helps our students discover new books, favorite characters, and more! Every purchase earns our school rewards for much needed resources. Plus, shipping is free on book-only purchases over $25.
All purchases benefit our school, earning 25% in Scholastic Dollars™
MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE
Please continue to monitor your child every morning for symptoms of COVID-19 that could indicate that they are not well. If your child has any COVID-19 symptoms or they have been exposed to a person with COVID-19, please keep them home and call the attendance line. Symptoms of COVID-19*
● Fever or chills (T = 100.4 or higher)
● Cough
● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
● Fatigue
● Muscle or body aches
● Headache
● New loss of taste or smell
● Sore throat
● Congestion or runny nose
● Nausea or vomiting
● Diarrhea
*This list does not include all possible symptoms (see Symptoms of Coronavirus for more information).
We learn more about COVID-19 every day, and as more information becomes available, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) will continue to update and share information with us. As our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, this guidance may change.
During the school day if your child develops illness symptoms we, the school, will notify you and help you and your family take needed actions. Students who develop illness symptoms during the school day will be sent home.
PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF REMINDERS
Please drop off and pick up, all 1st - 4th grade students, at the front. Students will need to be dropped off along the curb.
Please do not drive around the back of the building, as this area is for buses only. Students will wait outside the building until the 7:40 bell at the front doors. We also ask that students do not play on the playground before school, as we are not able to provide supervision.
Pickup runs much like a drive through, with parents remaining in their cars and continuing to move through the car line. Staff will help monitor the flow of traffic to make this process as efficient as possible, asking parents to pull all the way forward before having students enter their vehicles. Student pickup will take place between the orange cones. If you need to come into the building for any reason, please use the parking lot to help the flow of traffic continue along the curb.
For students in kindergarten, we use the parking lot on the east side of the building. Similar to grades 1-4, pickup runs a lot like a drive through, with parents remaining in their cars. Kindergarten students use a number system as we get to know our families.
Drop off times are from 7:40 to 8:00 am. Children should not be dropped off before 7:40. If you need to drop off before the 7:40 bell, you can enroll your child in Kids Campus. Further information about Kid’s Campus can be obtained from the district’s website, or from our office.
DISMISSAL SAFETY
We want to make sure all students are safe at dismissal. Getting everyone on the same page at the end of the day has some inherent challenges. Consistency with your child’s dismissal plans reduces stress on all parties involved. Keeping the same plan, day after day, helps us maintain safety throughout dismissal.
We understand that there are times when events occur that need to change dismissal plans. In those instances, it is recommended to have a note a day in advance, and the day of. We thank you for your advanced planning and communication.
In order to minimize interruptions to the classroom, students should not be picked up early unless it is an emergency. On those occasions when it is necessary to pick your child up during the school day, please go to the school office to sign your child out. The office secretary will call the classroom and have the student sent to the office.
BUS SAFETY TRAINING
All District 200 K-4 elementary students received school bus safety training on a school bus in late September. Hastings Bus Company drivers conducted the training. They have developed lesson plans that correlate with the bus safety curriculum classroom teachers cover each fall.
DRESS FOR THE WEATHER
When the temperatures start to dip into the 40’s and 50’s, we do require students to wear a light jacket or sweatshirt outside. When winter arrives, winter clothing will be required.
OVERCOMING ANXIETY
Let your children know you care. If your children are anxious about school, send personal notes in the lunch box or book bag. Reinforce the ability to cope. Children absorb their parent's anxiety, so model optimism and confidence for your child. Let your children know that it is natural to be a little nervous anytime you start something new but that they will be just fine once they become familiar with classmates , the teacher, and school routine.
Do not over react. If the first days are a little rough, try not to over react. Young children in particular may experience separation anxiety or shyness initially but teachers are trained to help them adjust. If you drop them off, try not to linger. Reassure them that you lave them, will think of them during the day, and will be back. Remain calm and positive.
Acknowledge anxiety over a bad experience the previous year. Children who had a difficult time academically or socially or were teased or bullied may be more fearful or reluctant to return to school. If you have not yet done so, share your children's concern with the school and confirm that the problem has been addressed. Reassure your children that the problem will not occur again in the new school year, and that you and the school are working together to prevent further issues. Reinforce your children's ability to cope. Give your children a few strategies to manage a difficult situation on their own. But encourage your children to tell you or the teacher if the problem persists. Maintain open lines of communication with the school.
Arrange play dates. Try to arrange get-togethers with some of your children's classmates before school starts and during the first weeks of schools to help them re-establish positive social relationships with peers.
Family Matters - A resource from the National Association of School Psychologists
KIDS CAMPUS EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING
If the Hastings Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather conditions, the Kids Campus Program will also be closed. If school is delayed two hours in opening, Kids Campus will be open at the regular time (6:30 am).
If school closes two hours early, then Kids Campus sites will close two hours early
(4:00 pm). Parents will be called and notified by Kids Campus staff to pick up their child.
Please pick up your child by 4:00 pm or authorize someone else to pick up your child by that time. Please listen to the radio and TV for school closing announcements.
Community Education Recreational Opportunities
TO REGISTER: Call 651-480-7670 or register online at www.HastingsCommunityEd.com