News from the Nest
August 23, 2023
A note from Mr. Thorne and Ms. Sobers . . .
Piney Branch Families,
This year’s theme, “Harder. KINDER. Faster. Stronger.” has already been proven accurate in the first 3 days of school! Our Cardinals continue to welcome and support fresh faces across the school, including our kindergartners, and exemplify PBES kindness. Transportation ran faster than ever…achieving the fastest time in Piney history for departure of all students on the second day of school.
Today, all students in the 1st-5th grade met with administration to review the PWCS Code of Behavior. We framed everything through our Cardinal creed and framed our expectations for the year. Important takeaways for our students include clear expectations for personal responsibility, respect, and conduct that will keep our students safe, happy, and healthy. We reviewed specifics of anti-bullying, honesty and kindness, electronic safety, personal privacy, weapons and substance bans, and attendance law. We set a 10-day absence goal for all students for the school year and encouraged bravery to stop mean and unkind behaviors the first time to avoid the patterns and cycles that evolve into bullying. Take time to talk about the Cardinal Creed with your student sometime this week.
“We are kind, caring, courageous Cardinals who SOAR by focusing on . . .
Safety,
Outstanding behavior,
Acting Responsibly, and being
Respectful every day.
Together we are Soaring to Success!”
Thank you for an outstanding first week of school!
Steve Thorne and Monica Sobers
Fresh Takes
Attendance
Did you know attendance is the number one predictor of dropout and graduation rates? That’s why this year we are increasing communication to our parents and students around the importance of attendance- a critical indicator of success. Attending school every day helps our students build a solid foundation for their future in school and in life.
Our new strategy includes an attendance management system that carefully tracks attendance and ensures that parents are notified in a timely and consistent manner. Our goal is to connect with parents quickly so that we can remove any barriers that families face in getting students to school on time, every day.
You may receive a letter regarding your students’ attendance in the mail. Please understand that these notifications are to bring awareness on how much school has been missed this school year. We pledge to partner with you to find solutions and resources to support your student. If you feel you have received the letter in error or have questions, please contact your school directly.
We understand there are unavoidable illnesses or other times when your child should remain at home. We also know that absences add up quickly, and that “showing up” is critical to your child’s success in school and in life.
We are committed to achieving our goals and supporting our Prince William County Public School families. Our students stand to benefit the most from this!
Together, let us create a culture of showing up. Thank you for your continued support.
Back to School Packet
The Back to School Packet is available in ParentVUE. Having up-to-date emergency contact information for our families is vital. We need all families to complete the annual Back to School Packet. Until this packet is complete, parents/guardians will be unable to access valuable information in ParentVUE. If you do not have an active ParentVUE account, please call our office.
Beginning of Year Lockdown Drills
Per PWCS regulation, we are required to hold our four Lockdown drills this year; the first being in the first 10 days of school, and the second in the first 20 days of school. The purpose of this drill is to prepare students and staff for our procedures if there is any danger outside or inside the building. We understand that these drills can be a little scary for students, so classroom teachers will be talking to their classes and walking them through our procedures. Just like when we practice fire drills, these drills are necessary to make sure all students know what to do in case of an emergency.
We will have our first 2 required lockdown drills in September. For the first drill preschool and kindergarten students will not participate.
2023-2024 Bell Times & Bus Information
Piney Branch bell times remain 9:20-4:00. Kiss n’ Ride drop-off will occur at 9:10am. For more information check the PWCS Transportation webpage for updates.
Preliminary bus stop information will be available in ParentVUE the week of August 14.
Information on how to access The Hub’s StudentVUE and ParentVUE applications can be found on The Hub page of the PWCS website.
Kiss N’ Ride (Car Drop-off)
If you are new to Kiss N’ Ride (car drop-off) and require a hang tag or are a KNR vet and need a replacement tag, please come by the office 9-4 daily, or at supply drop-off/orientation events. ID will be required. If you want to double check your number, please call the office and we’ll be happy to help you.
Health Treatment Plans & Medication Dropoff
Students requiring health treatment plans and medication while at school should plan to make arrangements with Nurse Denise beginning August 14.
School Meals 2023-2024
Applications for free and reduced-price meals are now available on the PWCS Nutrition Site. Below, please find the USDA-approved school meal prices for the 2023-24 school year:
Breakfast
- Student full price - $1.60
- Adult price - $2.75
Lunch
- Elementary student full price - $2.60
- Middle student full price - $2.75
- High student full price - $2.85
- Adult full price - $4.50
- A la carte - Milk, $1
Club Information
Does your student like to run? Then the Running Club is for them! We will have 2 sessions this year. The fall Running Club is open to students in grades 1-2. (The spring session will be for grades 3-5.) We meet Mondays and Wednesdays after school until 5:00. Students participating should be able to attend both days. We will show off all our hard work with a mile run on October 22nd. More details will be available closer to the date.
If your student is interested in joining, please fill out the form below by Monday, September 4 at 7 pm. Our first practice will be Wednesday, September 6! Please contact Mrs. Blue, [email protected], or Mrs. Zervoudis, [email protected], if you have any questions.
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:You can see other helpful videos on our website's Tech Tutorials Page.
Security and Crisis Management
As we prepare to welcome back our students this year, we want to assure our families that security is our top priority. In addition to our extremely robust Crisis Management plan, we also have the following measures in place to ensure student and staff safety:
- Single point of entry: During school hours all exterior doors are locked. All visitors must come to Door 1, ring the bell, and state the nature of their visit to be granted entry.
- Visitors must present, provide, and leave a valid government photo identification. IDs are cross-referenced with states’ sex offender registries. IDs are returned upon exit.
- All visitors, staff, and county employees are visibly identifiable by badges that must be worn while on school premises.
- All staff receives training annually on Crisis Management
- Upgraded HD security cameras throughout the building, all points of entry, and outside.
Safety is our number one priority, and all staff is diligent in assuring that students are safe during the school day. Further information about Crisis and Emergency preparedness can be found on the PWCS Crisis Management webpage.
Mark Your Calendar/Upcoming Events
- September 1-4 – NO SCHOOL Labor Day Holiday
- September 8 – PTO Movie Night
- September 13- Fall Picture Day
- September 15 – NO SCHOOL Rosh Hashanah
- September 21 – First PTO Meeting
- September 25 – NO SCHOOL Yom Kippur
- September 27- Back to School Night (K-2)
- September 28- Back to School Night (3-5)
- October 13 – PTO “Color Craze” Run-a-thon
- October 19 – PTO Meeting
PTO News
Save the date for Movie Night on September 8! We will be showing Super Mario Bros. Bring your chairs and blankets. Movie starts at 7:15 p.m. See flyer!
Support our school and get free PBES swag by joining the PTO! Join online on our website!
The PBES PTO is excited to announce we've launched a new website*! We hope this will allow you quick and easy access to important information (Color Run, Movie Night, Spirit Nights, etc.). You can also now join the PTO right from the website (no need to fill out and return a membership form).
*This Website (Webpage) is not managed, approved, or sponsored by the Prince William County Public Schools.
Community Flyers and Announcements