News from the Nest
September 20, 2023
A note from Mr. Thorne and Ms. Sobers . . .
Next week, PBES opens its doors for our annual Back to School Nights. We look forward to having everyone come in for this student led event that provides you with insights into your students’ classroom, their work thus far this school year, and their self-assessments of their learning, citizenship, and work habits. Please swing by the cafeteria for a short 5-10 minute presentation about Piney Branch’s Continuous Improvement Plans for this school year, as well as a brief review of our successes from last school year. The book fair will also be open for families to visit in the library.
We sincerely hope that during this season of holy days for our families of Jewish faith, that you have meaningful and happy times with your families.
Finally, as Piney Branch celebrates Hispanic and Latino Heritage month, we want to acknowledge and celebrate the rich history of Hispanic Americans like Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who make up one of the many slices of diversity in our community. We hope to raise her example, as well as others, to teach all students how to be proud of their heritage and celebrate the contributions people like her make to our country and school.
Please be sure to read all the Nest for information about:
- Fall Book Fair
- October School Counseling
- Watch D.O.G.S.
- Back to School Night Details
- PTO Color Craze
Sincerely,
Steve Thorne and Monica Sobers
Fresh Takes
PBES Fall Book Fair
Piney Branch Fall Bookfair is coming! Your students will pre-view the book fair on the 26th or 27th to make "wish list" to share with you at home. See flyer with more details on sales days and Family Nights. We are also in need of volunteers to help make our book fair happen. Please consider offering some of your time to support our wonderful library and make this event a success!
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.
Back to School Nights
Piney Branch runs special student led Back to School Nights where students guide their families through their classroom reflecting on their learning thus far this year, sharing their daily routine and organization, and discussing self-assessments. Families should plan to attend with their students for this child guided tour of our students’ days and first 6 weeks of school. The format runs as an open house, so families are invited to come anytime between 6:30-7:30pm on 9/27 (K-2) and 9/28 (3-5). This event provides valuable insights that can be discussed with your student’s teacher further at 1st quarter conferences through October and early November.
PWCS Food and Nutrition
In celebrating of National School Lunch Week (October 10th-13th), Food and Nutrition will be holding a contest to design a t-shirt. The t-shirt will be worn by PWCS Nutrition employees. You could win an Xbox or Nintendo Switch. All designs need to be submitted by September 29th. See flyer more information and guidelines.
PWCS Food and Nutrition will also be hosting a Minecraft Education Build Challenge all about school lunch. Designs need to be submitted by September 29th. See flyer for more information and guidelines.
PTO Color Craze
Please consider joining the PTO. Your membership financially supports the PTO and keeps you in the loop with events as well as opportunities to volunteer. Memberships range from $10-$50. The PTO’s efforts fund a wide variety of projects including highly engaging science lesson materials, technology enhancements, and playground expansions including our soon to be installed shade structure. Please consider attending PBES PTO’s first meeting of the year next Thursday 9/21 evening at 6:30pm and supporting the Color Craze event.
For Good Measure
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!
Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) Assessment
Piney Branch Elementary School will be administering the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) to all 1st and 2nd students and to 3rd grade students who do not have scores in the system or whose progress is being monitored this fall.
Approximate testing windows are listed below:
- 1st grade: September 11th - September 22nd
- 2nd grade: September 11th – September 22nd
- 3rd grade: September 5th-September 11th
- Make-up testing will continue throughout the testing window as needed.
A letter will be sent home with your child upon the conclusion of testing to explain the results in more detail. For more information, visit the PALS website at and click on the tab “Families +”.
Please feel free to contact Emily Kennedy, Piney Branch Reading Specialist, at [email protected] or 571-261-5300 if you have any questions about PALS testing or procedures.
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].
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.
Mark Your Calendar/Upcoming Events
- September 21 – First PTO Meeting – 6:30pm - Library
- September 25 – NO SCHOOL Yom Kippur
- September 27- Back to School Night (K-2)
- September 28- Back to School Night (3-5)
- October 9 – Mod Pizza Spirit Night
- October 13 – PTO “Color Craze” Run-a-thon
- October 19 – PTO Meeting
PTO News
PTO meeting
Join us for our first PTO meeting of the school year on September 21 at 6:30pm in the PBES Library! Join us on Zoom, as well.
Meeting ID: 848 7938 4052
Mod Pizza Spirit Day
Come join us at Mod Pizza on October 9th (from open to close). Use digital code for online orders: MODGIVES25. See flyer for more information.
Spirit Wear Update
All Spirit wear orders that have been placed thus far (via PTO memberships, etc.) will be delivered in early October!
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.
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