News from the Nest
October 2, 2024
A note from Mr. Thorne and Ms. Sobers . . .
We really enjoyed seeing everyone at the Back to School Nights and were happy so many families stopped by our Book Fair and Virginia Literacy Act Information Night Center. This week is exciting for our students and PTO as it’s the start of our yearly Color Craze fundraiser! Color Craze will be Oct. 31. It’s a totally inclusive color run during the school day that all students participate in. Check out the PTO’s website for the details of how to raise funds to support our school and earn color run prizes. Fundraising to earn the official T-shirt is due by October 13. Stay tuned for a volunteer sign-up to help make this day a memorable one for our students.
- Color Craze!
- Impact Aid
- Watch D.O.G.S.
Sincerely,
Steve Thorne and Monica Sobers
Fresh Takes
Color Craze - Registration NOW OPEN!
Get ready to unleash your energy at Piney Branch Elementary School's most vibrant event of the year. The Piney Branch PTO is thrilled to present the 2024 Color Craze. On October 31st, the school grounds will transform into a colorful canvas as students dash through clouds of color, laughter, and excitement. Download the packet on the PTO Color Craze website for instructions to register and start your fundraising to help your child win one of our grand prizes! Fundraising/T-Shirt Deadline OCTOBER 13th at 5pm EST
Battle of the Books
Attention all FOURTH and FIFTH grade families! Battle of the Books (BoB) will be starting in October! BoB is a fun, competitive group in which students are responsible for reading and discussing 10 books (that are pre-selected and purchased by the school) to prepare for a BoB tournament this spring. Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Kay will be our BoB sponsors this year. Each school team can only have 12 members who can compete in the tournament, so there may be a lottery for participation on the team. Students will come to meetings prepared to discuss the books and to write questions that may be featured in the BoB county-wide competitions. Meetings will take place on Wednesdays at 8:30am. The schedule will be finalized and sent home once students are selected for participation.
If this is something your students may be interested in, please fill out the attached link to this Microsoft form by October 4th OR complete and return the application form that your student brings home from school. On it, they are asked to indicate whether they wish to compete or not and to write a paragraph explaining why they would like to join the team. Your student will be notified by Monday 10/7 if they have been selected for the team. If you do not hear by 10/7, your student was not chosen by the lottery but is encouraged to apply again in the future either at Piney Branch or at the middle school! Feel free to contact Mrs. Kennedy with any questions at [email protected]. 🙂
Battle of the Books Application Link
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 will open September 30th. Surveys should be completed by November 30, 2024.
Watch D.O.G.S.
Calling all Watch D.O.G.S.
There are still plenty of opportunities to serve as the Watch Dog for the day. The students, teachers, and staff are looking for all fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers and father figures to be the Hero of the Hallway for at least one day. Use the links below to see available openings to be a Watch D.O.G.S. or the day.
For Good Measure
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:
PTO News
October PTO Meeting
Please join us in person for our next PTO Meeting on Wednesday, October 16th or join us remotely . Join in person to enter our monthly PTO gift card giveaway; you do not need to be a member to join us!
Color Craze - Registration NOW OPEN!
Get ready to unleash your energy at Piney Branch Elementary School's most vibrant event of the year. The Piney Branch PTO is thrilled to present the 2024 Color Craze. On October 31st, the school grounds will transform into a colorful canvas as students dash through clouds of color, laughter, and excitement. Download the packet on the PTO Color Craze website for instructions to register and start your fundraising to help your child win one of our grand prizes! Fundraising/T-Shirt Deadline OCTOBER 13th at 5pm EST
Silent Auction/Bingo Night - Friday, October 18th, 2024
Get ready to shout “BINGO!” and win some amazing prizes at our fun-filled Silent Auction/Bingo Night. Don’t know how to play – don’t worry! It’s easy to learn. Our own Piney Branch teachers will guide you through multiple rounds of the classic game so there will be plenty of opportunities to win big. Grand Prize – an electric scooter!!!!
On Bingo Night we will also be hosting a Silent Auction to benefit Piney Branch Elementary School. Get a bounce house for your next party, spend a weekend away at Lake Anna, get sporting event tickets, or a lunch for your student with one of our PBES teachers. There are so many great options. Online bidding is currently underway, click here to start the bidding!
PTO Silent Auction
The PTO will be hosting a silent auction to benefit our school. In addition to donations from local businesses and community groups, we are calling on our families to donate items as well. Each grade level has been given a theme. Donated items can be sent into school through October 4th. Please let your child's teacher know the item is for the PTO Auction.
Grade Level Themes for Auction:
Kindergarten- Death by Chocolate
First Grade- Out on the Town
Second Grade- Let's Get Crafty
Third Grade- Tailgate Time
Fourth Grade- I Scream for Ice Cream
Fifth Grade- Firepit Friday
Families will have a chance to bid online and then in person on items at our Bingo Night, Friday, October 18. More details to come.
PTO Spirit Wear
Get ready to show your Piney Branch pride! Our new spirit wear collection for the 2024-2025 school year is here, featuring fresh designs and options for both youth and adults.The online PBES Spirit Wear Store will be open for a limited time only! Online sales started Wednesday, September 18th and will close Wednesday, October 2nd. While we will have limited spirit wear quantities available for purchase at a select few of our fall PTO events, your best opportunity to get the style and size you want is to order online. Don’t miss this chance to support our school and look great doing it.
Baroody Camps
Piney Branch PTO is excited to offer enrichment programming this year in partnership with Baroody Camps.
Registration for our enrichment programming will open September 23rd at 9/23/2024 @ 9:00 a.m. Sign your student up for one of our exciting classes this season by visiting the PTO Baroody Camps Page. Registration closes TONIGHT at @11:59 p.m.
Explore which classes would best fit your student.
Become a member*! Your membership helps us support the Piney Branch community. You can also attend meetings and vote on initiatives that are important to you - but that is not a requirement. You do not have to attend meetings or volunteer to become a member.
Your time as a volunteer helps us execute our mission to support the students, teachers, staff, and parents at Piney Branch. It is also a great way to connect with our community. Volunteer opportunities are vast and flexible - choose what works best for you.
Payments can be made by clicking the Piney Branch venmo link*.
Save the Date for More Exciting PTO Events
- October PTO Meeting - Wednesday, October 16
- Silent Auction & Bingo Night - Friday, October 18
- Color Craze - Thursday, October 31
- November PTO meeting - Wednesday, November 20
- Spirit Night @ Haymarket Iceplex - December TBD
*This Website (Webpage) is not managed, approved, or sponsored by the Prince William County Public Schools.
Community Flyers/Announcements
Gainsville High School Fall Festival
Gainsville High School would like to invite Piney Branch families to come and enjoy their Fall Festival on October 5th from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There will be a movie showing, activities, and food.
Marsteller Math and Science Specialty Program
The Marsteller Math and Science Specialty Program is an interest-based program. All students interested in math and science are eligible to apply. It is the mission of the program to provide students with opportunities to explore in-depth mathematical and scientific concepts and principles in an enriching program of study while further developing their critical thinking skills.
Once in the program, students must earn at least a grade of B in Math and Science and Cs in all other classes to remain in the program. Students must also earn satisfactory conduct and effort grades and have good attendance. Students must maintain these standards throughout middle school.
Rising 6th-grade students are eligible to apply for the Math and Science Specialty Program if they are zoned to attend Marsteller Middle School. Students who are zoned to attend Bull Run, Gainesville, Nokesville, Parkside, Reagan, and Unity Braxton Middle Schools may be eligible to apply as transfer students. Families should check the PWCS find my school site to check school zones. Marsteller accepts 25 transfer students per year by lottery.
Families apply for their students with the online application beginning November 1st through February 1st. No students are automatically added to the program. All students, even Marsteller zoned students, must apply and be accepted in order to participate.
More Information about Marsteller Math and Science Program
Important dates:
- Information Night: October 30 at 6:00 pm at Marsteller Middle School (Spanish translation will be available)
- Information Night: January 9 at 6:00 pm at Marsteller Middle School (Snow date Jan 14) (Spanish translation will be available)
- November 1st, 2024: Application opens
- February 1st, 2025: Application is due (no late applications will be accepted)
- Mid-Late February 2025 Program decision is released
- March 5th, 2025: Program Acceptance is due
Flu Shots
PWCS has made it easy to get your flu shot this year by setting up a free flu vaccine clinic. The first one will be held at the Kelly Leadership Center on Saturday, September 21. We hope everyone can take advantage of this opportunity.
September 21, 9 am to 1 pm, Kelly Leadership Center
September 26, 8 am to 4 pm, Kelly Leadership Center
September 30, 11:30 am to 4 pm, Independence Nontraditional School
November 18, 8 am to 4 pm, Unity Reed High School
November 21, 8 am to 1 pm, Potomac Transportation Center
Click here to register for one of the clinics
Mighty Sprinters
Mighty Sprinters is now open for registration for children ages 3-10. They are offering a kids running, and a fitness program. For more information you can visit their website.
Stemality
Come by Stemality's Gainsville location to explore coding, robotics, and so many of their hands on workshops and with their expert instructors. More information is available on the Stemality website.
Mark Your Calendars/Upcoming Events
- October 13 – Color Craze donations to earn a T-Shirt due
- October 14 – Teacher workday, No school for students
- October 16 – PTO Meeting 6:30/PBAC 7:30
- October 31 – Color Craze Color Run (during school day)
- November 1 – Diwali observed PWCS closed
Click here for a look ahead at Piney Branch’s Encore events Calendar