News from the Nest
August 30, 2023
A note from Mr. Thorne and Ms. Sobers . . .
Piney Branch Families,
Piney Branch Cardinals continue to impress us with how quickly they have fallen into routines and procedures for everything from arrival to learning. They clearly understand the importance of the work we will do here at school and aim to make us proud of their learning, dedication, and kindness. We thank you for your continued commitment and support for your children’s education.
Please be sure to read all the Nest for information about school operations, opportunities for school clubs, and special PTO events. Have a great Labor Day weekend, please remember there is no school on Friday, 9/1, or on Monday 9/4.
Sincerely,
Steve Thorne and Monica Sobers
Fresh Takes
Club Information
Running Club
Does your student like to run? The Running Club might be perfect for your child! 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 Monday and Wednesday afternoons after school until 5:00pm. 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.
Enrichment Matters
Piney Branch PTO is excited to offer enrichment programming this year in partnership with Baroody Camps. You can register your child during our open registration period online.
Registration opens Tuesday, Sept. 5th @ 9:00 a.m. and closes Tuesday, September 12th @ 11:59 p.m.
SCA (Student Council Association)
SCA (Student Council Association) is back for the 2023-2024 school year! SCA is open to all students in grades 3rd-5th and meets one Friday a month before school. This is a service organization, and we serve the school and our community. Applications for a position on the SCA are due by September 5th and the election day will be held September 18th, 2023. Students can find the applications here or in Mrs. Biegler’s office. For more information, please reach out to Mrs. Biegler at [email protected] or call 571-261-5300.
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!
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.
RHITHM Social Emotional Check In App
Your student’s well-being is an essential part of academic success. As part of our Launching Thriving Futures strategic plan, we are focusing resources to prioritize student well-being and belonging.
Last year, Piney Branch participated in the pilot of this program, and will continue to pilot in year two of implementation. This program will allow us check in with students about their emotions and overall well-being in alignment with our Piney Branch Continuous Improvement goal for positive culture and climate. The tool that will be used to conduct these frequent check-ins is called Rhithm. Students will complete a short questionnaire to assess their emotional state and will participate in a brief 1–3 minute activity that is tailored to their specific emotional needs.
At our school we will be having our students use the Rhithm tool, also called “getting in Rhithm”, either daily or during specific days weekly. We will use the results of this assessment to ensure that we are able to support our students overall well-being at school and pace our learning in a manner that is responsive to these results. If there is a situation where a teacher or other staff member has a concern about the student’s response to the check-in, a parent/guardian will be contacted to support next steps during the school day.
Please visit the PWCS Rhithm information page for more detailed information about the brief questionnaire and follow-up activities.
You may also have questions about how student data will be maintained and kept confidential. Click here to learn more about the protection of your student’s data.
Parents and guardians may opt their student out of participation in the Rhithm check-in. If you wish to opt your student out of this activity, please complete this Opt-Out form no later than September 17, 2023. We plan to begin introducing Rhithm to our students on or about September 20, 2023.
If you have further questions, please reach out to Ms. Sobers [email protected] or Mrs. Biegler [email protected].
Fall Virginia Growth Assessments (Grades 3-5)
The Virginia Board of Education has adopted the Virginia Assessment Program to help track progress in the Standards of Learning (SOL). The SOLs indicate Virginia’s expectations for what students should know and be able to do in the subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history/social studies. Each year, students in specific grade levels and courses are expected to participate in SOL testing unless exempted by state or federal law or by Board of Education regulations. Please note that there are no passing or failing scores associated with the growth assessments. Rather, they are designed to help track your student’s progress in reading and math over the course of the school year. If you have specific questions about SOL testing, the growth assessments, or the date that testing will occur, please contact your student’s school directly. For more information about the growth assessments, please visit the Virginia Department of Education website.
Our Piney Branch students will take the Reading and Math growth assessments on September 12 and 14. At the conclusion of the test window, you will receive a report of their performance.
If you have questions or concerns about testing, please contact Ms. Sobers [email protected]
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Movie Night
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! You can preorder pizza.
Color Craze
We’re so excited for our upcoming Color Craze! Please see the flyer sent home with your student for more information and information can be found here!
Enrichment Matters
Piney Branch PTO is excited to offer enrichment programming this year in partnership with Baroody Camps. You can register your child during our open registration period online.
PTO meeting
Our first PTO meeting of the year will be held on September 21! Stay tuned for further info.
Join the PTO
Support our school and get free PBES swag by joining the PTO! Join online on our website!
*This Website (Webpage) is not managed, approved, or sponsored by the Prince William County Public Schools.