Dear Arcade Families,
THANK YOU for everything you did to make Back to School a success! We appreciate your partnership in creating the best possible learning environment for our students every single day. One proven way to promote your child's learning is to read to and/or with them regularly, so we invite you to participate in Project Read this year. With this letter you will find a calendar asking you to mark the days on which you read 15 minutes or longer with your child. This does NOT have to be in addition to any reading expectations set by your child's teacher! It can be incorporated as part of a bedtime routine, alongside an afternoon snack, or even while waiting for an older sibling to finish practice. Kids notice everything their adults do, and if they see that reading matters to you, it becomes more important to them as well. Completed calendars should be returned the first or second day of the next month, and we'll have some prizes for some individuals, some classrooms, and maybe even schoolwide! Of course, the biggest reward is developing a skill that is not only enjoyable but essential for our whole lives.
We take school safety very seriously, and we will begin our fire drills next week. We have six to complete before the end of 2025, and we need to take advantage of decent weather while we still have it! We will also complete two lockdown drills before the end of 2025, and you will receive more specific information on each one in advance. If you ever have questions or concerns about safety procedures, do not hesitate to reach out to me or to Officer Benkelman.
We appreciate your students bringing water bottles each day! Please ensure caps are on tightly, or better yet, send them empty. We often have unintentional spills or intentional silliness, resulting in wet backpacks and belongings, including ruined school library and classroom library books.
Please see below for a list of key September dates. As always, I'm grateful for your support and for the opportunity to work with your amazing children!
Sincerely,
Kerry Slocum, Principal
Important Dates for September 2025:
Tuesday, September 9: HSA (Helping Students Achieve, our parent organization) meeting @3:45 in the auditorium. All are welcome.
Thursday, September 11: Patriot Day. Wear your red, white, and blue!
Monday, September 15: Picture Day. Please check our website and Facebook page for the link to order.
Monday, September 22: HSA fundraiser kick-off. Funds raised go toward events like Fall Fest, Christmas Magic, 4th Grade Celebration, and our many field trips.
Thursday, October 2: Open House (more information to follow)
Note: We LOVE our clubs and sports, so most fall Fridays are Bills gear or Panther green. If your child participates in a sport or club outside of school and you'd like me to give them a shout-out on the announcements, please email me at kslocum@pioneerschools.org