News from the Nest
October 11, 2023
A note from Mr. Thorne and Ms. Sobers . . .
This week, all students will participate in the super exciting and fun PTO Color Craze run-a-thon. The event will occur during the school day, following our normal Encore schedule. Students should wear clothes that can stand to get dirty, even though the color is fully washable. We are so thankful for the generosity and support of the community and look forward to working with the PTO to benefit Piney Branch. As a reminder, parent runners and volunteers must sign-up as visitors with the school. Spectators will be welcomed into our spectator area. Early dismissals must occur prior to 3:15pm to ensure a safe dismissal for our school. We look forward to Friday!
We want to recognize our exceptional custodians, who once again scored a perfect score on their most recent facility inspection! We have enormous gratitude and appreciation for their hard work in keeping Piney Branch one of the nicest facilities in PWCS. Thank you Ms. Evelyn, Mr. Han, Ms. Glenda, and Ms. Divina!
Please be sure to read all the Nest for information about:
- PTO Color Craze
- Federal Employee Impact Aid Survey – please complete!
- Food Drive/One Warm Coat Drive
Sincerely,
Steve Thorne and Monica Sobers
Fresh Takes
Impact Aid Information
Impact Aid is a federal education program that reimburses school districts for lost revenue and additional costs due to the presence of nontaxable federal property (such as military installations, Indian lands, national parks, national laboratories, and Veterans Affairs hospitals) in a community.
Funding under Impact Aid is allocated to local school divisions based on the number of qualifying students. For PWCS, a qualifying student is defined as:
- Has a parent or legal guardian who is active-duty member of the United States Uniformed Services; or
- Resides with a parent or legal guardian who works on federal property, in the state of Virginia, as a civilian employee.
Please log into your ParentVue account and complete a Student-Parent survey for each child in your household. Surveys should be completed by October 21st.
Food Drive/One Warm Coat Drive
SCA is hosting a Food Drive to benefit Northern Virginia Family Service. Please see a list of the items needed and we are collecting through October 23rd. Please consider donating for this cause. There will be a special marked box in each grade level hallway and there will be a grade level contest to see who can collect the most items. The winning grade level will receive a special treat. Thank you for supporting our SCA and the Northern Virginia Family Service.
SCA is hosting a warm coat drive. As the weather gets colder, there are many members of our community who do not have a warm coat to wear. One Warm Coat is an organization who collects coats to distribute to members of our community who are in need of new or gently used warm coats. When you clean out your closets, and find you have coats that do not fit you or your children, please consider donating them to this cause. Once again, thank you for supporting SCA and One Warm Coat.
Code Orange Preparation
Teachers will be surveying parents during conferences to understand families’ needs for devices in the event of a Code Orange Emergency response day.
Code Orange is one tool, like Code Red, and 2-hour late arrivals, which PWCS may deploy should an emergency dictate its need. As communicated by PWCS, Code Orange will require simultaneous live virtual instruction attendance and interaction.
Please consider how your family will successfully engage in Code Orange:
- Do they currently need daily availability of the PWCS student device?
- Will they only need availability of the student device only when Code Orange is a possibility?
- Will all of your children have access to a device simultaneously?
- Do you refuse to have your student transport their device?
- Is software such as Zoom, Clever, Canvas, Lexia, and Dreambox available on personal, non-PWCS devices?
For Good Measure
PTO Color Craze
We’re so excited for the upcoming Color Craze event!
On Friday, October 13th (weather permitting; rain date October 20th), each grade will participate in a 45-minute Color Craze run during the school day. This will be a regular school day. Students will not be dismissed after 3:15 p.m.
Students who have raised $60 as part of this fundraiser may invite a parent/guardian/family member to join them in the Color Craze run. For every additional $30 a student raises (beyond their initial $30), the student may invite one additional individual to participate in the Color Craze with them. This additional participant will also earn a t-shirt, provided funds are raised and the e-form is completed no later than 9/22. All participants must bring a photo ID and sign in. Please plan on arriving at least 30 minutes prior to your child’s timeslot.
Spectators will be welcome to the Color Craze this year, but must remain in the designated space, away from students unless they are wearing proper visitor identification.
Watch D.O.G.S. is Back!!!!
The Watch D.O.G.S need you! Calling all dads looking to provide support at our school. The Watch D.O.G.S. program helps provide positive male role models for students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important. Meanwhile, you will provide an extra set of eyes and ears to enhance school security, reduce bullying, and provide a greater sense of campus safety allowing students and teachers to focus on learning and instruction. You will help by supporting lunch, recess, hallways, encore, and security around the school. Should you have any questions about this exciting program, please reach out to Jim Pawlak at [email protected]
If you are ready to become a Watch D.O.G.S, follow the link to sign up!
October School Counseling Lesson
During the month of October, Piney Branch's school counselors will be delivering required Substance Awareness/Medicine Safety Lessons to all students in grades K-5. If you would like to opt your student out of the lesson, please complete the Opt-Out Form or contact your child's school counselor at 571-261-5300.
PWCS Food and Nutrition Updates
**If you would like your child to be able to purchase a second lunch (at full price), please email our Cafeteria Manager, Mayra Merida, [email protected].
Accessing PBES Resources Outside of School
You can access our PBES resources like Canvas, Office 365 and Clever from almost wherever you are. Please see the following help videos to:
Mark Your Calendar/Upcoming Events
- October 13 – PTO “Color Craze” Run-a-thon
- October 19 – PTO Meeting
- October 30 – Fall Picture Retake Day
- November 6 – Parent/Teacher Conference Day (no school for students)
- November 7 – Teacher Workday (no school for students)
- November 10 – Veteran’s Day (schools closed)
PTO News
Color Craze
We’re so excited for our upcoming Color Craze on October 13th! Please see the flyer sent home with your student for more information and information can be found here!
Join the PTO
Support our school and get free PBES swag by joining the PTO! Join online on our website!
Please visit www.PineyBranchPTO.com for all information related to the PBES PTO.
*This Website (Webpage) is not managed, approved, or sponsored by the Prince William County Public Schools.
Community Flyers and Announcements
Cardinal Dance and Cheer Fall Clinic
Interested in dance or cheer? Gainesville High School will be hosting a fall clinic. Learn dance/cheer routine and techniques and perform at the Varsity football game on October 13th. See flyer for registration information.
William & Mary’s Center For Gifted Education Summer/Saturday Enrichment Program
William & Mary’s Center for Gifted Education is excited to share its Summer/Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) with your family. SEP is an academically challenging program with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning. The program is not meant to replace the regular school curriculum; rather, it recognizes the importance of allowing able children to explore additional specialized areas of science, mathematics, humanities, and the arts. There are in-person and virtual courses available in the areas of engineering, music, STEM, coding, writing, social science, and many more. For more information, please visit our website.
Mullen IB PYP
Join Mullen ES Informational Night on Thursday, October 26th, at 6:00 p.m. to learn about the IB Primary Years Program. Please RSVP to Mrs. Hooker ([email protected]) if you plan to attend and or would like more information.
