PG Parent Communications

Below are Pine Grove parent messages we have shared with families:

PINE GROVE SCHOOLMESSENGER 6-23-20

Pine Grove Families:
The yearbooks have arrived and are ready for pick up if you ordered a copy. Drive through pick-up is available in front of the Pine Grove entrance tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24. There will be a tent set up for your convenience so you don’t have to get out of your vehicle. Parents with students in multiple grade levels or with limited time may come at any time between 9 a.m. and Noon. 

Here is the grade-level schedule of times for yearbook pick up:

• 8th grade: 9 to 10 a.m.
• 7th grade: 10 to 11 a.m.
• 6th grade: 11 a.m. to Noon

If you need to make other arrangements to pick up your yearbook, please contact the main office at 315-434-3050.

Ashleigh E. Wilson
Principal
Pine Grove Middle School

PINE GROVE SCHOOLMESSENGER 6-8-20   8th grade

Pine Grove 8th Grade Families:

Please take note of important dates and information as students begin their final week of school before summer vacation. 

Chromebook & Material Returns for 8th Graders

8th graders at Pine Grove should return Chromebooks, chargers, graphing calculators, textbooks, library books, and other school materials to Pine Grove since they are transitioning to the high school in the fall.

We have a special gift to give each 8th grader, courtesy of the Pine Grove PTO, that will be handed out when materials are returned. Students will receive an awesome “Class of 2024” t-shirt that includes the winning artwork design on the front and all students’ names on the back.

Chromebooks, Chromebook chargers (both parts), and materials should be dropped off at the main entrance of Pine Grove. Individuals coming to drop off materials must wear a mask and practice social distancing protocols. 

• Tuesday, June 16: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 17: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Thursday, June 18: 6:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Students currently in 6th and 7th grade will keep materials over the summer and should plan to return their Chromebook, charger, and any other school materials and textbooks on September 8, the first day of school.  Also, any parent who wishes to return their child’s Chromebook to the school for the summer may do so by returning it on one of the designated dates. 

Yearbooks
If you ordered a yearbook, we appreciate your patience and understanding while we await the shipment from Jostens. Due to Covid-19, book production has been delayed. Jostens is doing everything they can to get the books to the schools as quickly as possible. As soon as we have a ship date, we will be able to make a plan. We will then let you know how we will get the books to your child. 

PG Marking Period 4 Grading 
Our focus for Marking Period 4 (MP4) has been on prioritized, essential learning standards and learning targets during this time of distance learning. MP4 should be a reflection of students’ progress toward showing proficiency in those standards and learning targets. 

• June 12: MP4 Ends and Last Day of School
• June 17: Parents may view MP4 Report Cards on SchoolTool

We thank our parents and families for their efforts and flexibility during this time to support your child in their education. We know students, staff, and parents have been working incredibly hard during these challenging times. Please be aware of the following grading guidelines being implemented at Pine Grove for MP4 averages for the final report card of the school year.

• A student who has been participating regularly during distance learning for a course will not receive a grade lower than a 65 for that specific course
• A student not engaged or participating in distance learning can score no lower than a 50 on MP4

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel to contact me at 315-434-3050.

Pine Grove Middle School Families:

Please take note of important dates and information as students begin their final week of school before summer vacation. 

Chromebooks:
We are only collecting Chromebooks from 8th graders at Pine Grove, as they are transitioning to the high school in the fall. Students currently in 6th and 7th grade will keep them over the summer and should plan to return their Chromebook, charger, and any other school materials and textbooks on September 8, the first day of school. 

If a 6th or 7th grader has a broken or damaged Chromebook, please plan to return it to school so it can be repaired and ready for the fall. Also, any parent who wishes to return their child’s Chromebook to the school for the summer may do so by returning it on one of the designated dates. Chromebook, charger, and material drop off will be held at the main entrance of Pine Grove. Individuals coming to drop off materials must wear a mask and practice social distancing protocols.

• Tuesday, June 16: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 17: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Thursday, June 18: 6:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Yearbooks:
If you ordered a yearbook, we appreciate your patience and understanding while we await the shipment from Jostens. Due to Covid-19, book production has been delayed. Jostens is doing everything they can to get the books to schools as quickly as possible. As soon as we have a ship date, we will be able to make a plan. We will then let you know how we will get the books to your child. 

Pine Grove Marking Period 4 Grading:
Our focus for Marking Period 4 (MP4) has been on prioritized, essential learning standards and learning targets during this time of distance learning. MP4 should be a reflection of students’ progress toward showing proficiency in those standards and learning targets. 

June 12: MP4 Ends and Last Day of School
June 17: MP4 Parents may view on Portal

We thank our parents and families for their efforts and flexibility during this time to support your child in their education. We know students, staff, and parents have been working incredibly hard during these challenging times. Please be aware of the following grading guidelines being implemented at Pine Grove for MP4 averages for the final report card of the school year.

• A student who has been participating regularly during distance learning for a course will not receive a grade lower than a 65 for that specific course
• A student not engaged or participating in distance learning can score no lower than a 50 on MP4

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel to contact me at 315-434-3050.  

PINE GROVE SCHOOLMESSENGER 5-29-20

Pine Grove Families:

We are excited to be holding a Pine Grove Drive-Through Parade on Friday, June 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We welcome students and their families to drive around the circle at the school and see their teachers and all the staff who miss them very much! We ask that all students and family members driving through the loop remain in their cars at all times during the parade as staff will be spread out on the sidewalk around the circle. Pine Grove staff will be practicing social distancing and will be wearing masks in accordance with health and safety protocols.

We are staggering the times for traffic purposes and our ESM School Resource Officers will be at Pine Grove assisting with traffic. Families with students in multiple grade levels or who have limited time availability during the day can attend at any time during the parade. Here is the grade-level schedule of times for the parade:

• 6th grade: 11 a.m. to Noon
• 7th grade: Noon to 1 p.m.
• 8th grade: 1 to 2 p.m.

Our last day of school is June 12. As we continue distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, many students still have materials and items at Pine Grove. Tuesday, June 2 and Wednesday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., parents and students may come to the Pine Grove entrance to pick up items that were cleaned out of students’ personal storage spaces and PE lockers, as well as art work. Items are already labeled and organized and will be ready to provide to you when you come to the door. Materials such as library books that families need to return to school may also be dropped off at this time.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel to contact me at 315-434-3050. Have a great weekend! 

Ashleigh E. Wilson
Principal
Pine Grove Middle School


PINE GROVE SCHOOLMESSENGER 5-15-20

Pine Grove Families:
As we continue distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, we know that students have materials and items at Pine Grove. Wednesday, May 20; Thursday, May 21; and Friday, May 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., parents and students may come to the Pine Grove entrance to pick up items that were cleaned out of students’ personal storage spaces and PE lockers, as well as art work and musical costumes. Items are already labeled and organized and will be ready to provide to you when you come to the door. 

If you purchased a 2019-2020 yearbook it will find its way to you! A plan for pickup or delivery will be communicated when we receive the books' delivery date and get them all checked in and organized. At this time we are sold out of books. If we are informed that there are extras printed by the company, we will let you know how we will make them available for purchase. 

While we are disappointed that we are unable to hold our traditional Awards Night ceremony, there is so much for our students to be proud of, and we at Pine Grove want to recognize and celebrate those successes. As part of our student celebrations, if your child is being recognized for an award, the transportation department will deliver it next week. A celebratory awards video will be posted on the Pine Grove website for each grade level team for families to view. Teachers will also share the link with students on their team. More information about other celebrations will be forthcoming.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel to contact me at 315-434-3050. Have a great weekend! 
Ashleigh E. Wilson
Principal

PINE GROVE SCHOOLMESSENGER Regents cancellation Letter 4-10-20

Dear ESM Parents and Students: 

The purpose of this communication is to help you understand the decision made by the New York State Education Department to cancel the Regents exams for this school year in June 2020. We will provide information to help all to understand any modifications to graduation requirements and for students to earn Regent Credit for the 2019-2020 academic year. 

These are extraordinary decisions for an unprecedented time, and we thank our school community for your support in our new model of education, called the Continuity of Learning. 

Students who, during the June 2020 examination period would have taken one or more Regents examinations, will be exempted from passing the assessments in order to be issued a diploma.  

To qualify for the exemption, and still earn Regent Credit for their Regents Course students must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

• The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have earned credit in such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; or

• The student is in grade 8, is enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have passed such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; or

• The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and has failed to earn credit by the end of the school year. Such student returns for summer instruction to make up the failed course and earn the course credit and is subsequently granted diploma credit in August 2020

These modifications apply to all students enrolled at ESM in grades 8-12 during the 2019-20 school year who were intending to participate in one or more of the June 2020 Regents Examinations.

It is important that your child complete all work assigned in our Continuity of Learning Model. In addition to the work assigned by the teacher via Google Classroom, there will be various assessments given to determine if your child has met the standards assessed for earning the course credit.

ESM teachers are flexible in the completion of assignments by specific dates, however, students must have their essential learning assignments completed to be assessed for meeting the standards. If you have any questions, please continue to partner with us and check with your child, their teacher and/or counselor about their commitment to course completion via email, phone calls, etc.

Sincerely,
Mary Schiltz
Interim Principal

Pine Grove Parents and Students,

Happy Friday! 

Parents, thank you for all your support in this new model of education called, the Continuity of Learning. 

Students you have been participating, being creative, producing quality work, making up missed assignments, and learning to structure your academic day. Bravo to you! 

As we continue to support you in the Continuity of Learning, we would like to share this important resource, Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts is a tool that allows a two-way mode of communication between the students and teachers. Teachers use Google Hangouts to present lessons and also allows students to reach out to their teachers for assistance. We want to share this tutorial link to help you navigate through this great resource. 

Another great resource is your email. Please check your emails as this is another tool that teachers are using to reach out to communicate with parents and students. School personnel are using email to let you know if your child is not working on or completing assignments in their Google Classrooms.

In addition, here are some useful resources from the Pine Grove library: Need a book? Learn how to access e-books and audio books.  Looking for other information including books, hands-on activities and mental health resources?  Resources linked here.  

If you have any questions or concerns please continue to partner with us by contacting your child’s teacher and/or counselor. Contact information is located on the Pine Grove Middle School website. 
With much appreciation and gratitude for all you do,
Mary Schiltz
Interim Principal

Link to Google Hangouts tutorial: https://youtu.be/lfZ1Wyltxjo

PINE GROVE SCHOOLMESSENGER EMAILED TO FAMILIES 3-24-20

Starting Monday, March 30, 2020, ESM will transition to delivery of all breakfast and lunch meals free of charge to ESM families that sign up for delivery during the State of Emergency. As of that date, on-site meal pickup at East Syracuse Elementary School will be discontinued, and meals will only be delivered directly to homes. Meals will still be available at East Syracuse Elementary on Thursday, March 26.

Please complete the form (online link) if you want to sign up for free meal delivery. Families that already receive delivered meals DO NOT need to complete this form. For delivery, someone needs to be home from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., but they will not need to come to the door. Those who sign up for delivery are asked to please leave a balloon, box, cooler, sign or other item out to help us identify where to leave meals.  
 

As a reminder, meals are only for children age 18 and younger (including children who are not school-age). Delivery will continue throughout the State of Emergency, including the previously scheduled Spring recess. Meals will be delivered Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two days’ worth of meals will be delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Pine Grove SchoolMessenger Emailed to Families 3-20-20

Good Afternoon Parents and Students:
 
This is your administrative team checking in. We noticed that so many of you are doing a fabulous job using Google Classroom.
 
We had over 150 pick-ups and deliveries of materials since Tuesday. Thank you parents!
If you are experiencing any problems, you can contact your teacher, counselor, school nurse or grade level administrator. We have a distant learning section on our Pine Grove website that contains contact information and tips for distant learning.

We just wanted you to know that you are missed!

Ms. Schiltz, Ms. Wilson & Mrs. LaMarsh

Pine Grove SchoolMessenger Emailed to Families 3-17-20

Pine Grove SchoolMessenger Emailed to Families 3-16-20

Additional Messages: 

• Band: Please read an email sent to Band parents from Mr. Penfield. Email is asking students to bring home their instruments. Students will be provided information from the Google Classroom (class code: pyz5cyy) 
• As information evolves, We will keep you informed via Pine Grove's website, text, or school messenger. We know that students are going to be away from their teachers, but they still will be connected. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to navigate these uncharted times together.
• Other district resources for free meals, technology help and more are available online.  

Please read the District Letter on COVID-19:
District wide letter COVID-19