Weekly Message for 3-29-20

Posted by Andrew Livengood on 3/29/2020

Hello Pine Hollow Middle School community. This is your principal, Andrew Livengood, with the weekly message for March 29.

I have missed seeing our Pilots over the past two weeks. These are certainly uncharted waters we now find ourselves in! I appreciate all of the hard work our teachers are putting in behind the scenes as we prepare to begin virtual teaching of new material next week. Parents, thank you for your patience and understanding as we figure this out together.

  • Schools Closed: until at least May 15, per Governor Cooper.
  • Access to Remote Learing: I have asked each team to make contact with their students/families to determine who does/does not have the ability to participate in remote learning. Specifically, we need to know of any students who do not have a device (laptop, Chromebook, iPad) and/or do not have internet access. If you or another family lacks the ability to access the internet at home, please let your child’s team teachers know so we can try to help get you connected.
  • Coronavirus Information: Visit wcpss.net/coronavirus for the latest information from WCPSS.
  • Emotional Safety for Students: WCPSS has created a webpage with tips for parents to support their students at home: https://www.wcpss.net/domain/16631
  • Digital Learning: WCPSS will soon pivot from students reviewing and supplementing previously taught material to teachers covering new material. Pine Hollow teachers are in the process of coming up-to-speed with this new way of teaching. In the meantime, please continue to use WCPSS Remote Learning Resources (https://sites.google.com/wcpss.net/instructional-continuity-wcpss) to support your student at home. PHMS teachers will begin teaching new material on Monday, April 6. Your child’s teachers will communicate with you regarding the various platforms, expectations, etc.
  • Elective Registration: We have added information to our school website to help students register from home for next year’s classes. Please try your best to enter your student’s elective choices for next year by April 24. After the 24th, counselors will reach out to students individually. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s counselor.
  • Field Trip Refunds: We are working with WCPSS central office and our field trip vendors to determine how/when refunds will be issued. It is complicated. Not all vendors are able to refund us the full amount paid, so we are working to determine how to handle those situations too. As soon as I have more information, I will forward it to our PH community.
  • National Junior Honor Society: All 7th grade students may apply for membership in the Pine Hollow Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society who have a cumulative GPA of a 3.8 on a scale of 4.0 and have attended PHMS for one full semester. The due date for application packets will be after we return to school. Do not worry about that right now! Contact Mrs. Price if you have questions: kprice4@wcpss.net. The induction ceremony is currently scheduled for June 2 at 6PM in the auditorium.
  • WCPSS Student Survey: Every spring our district asks students in grades 5-12 to complete a survey. Students need their Power School ID to complete the survey, and it is available in English and Spanish. Students can complete it now through April 1.Please ask your student to click the following link to complete the survey: https://surlogin.wcpss.net/
  • Yearbooks: We currently have 106 yearbooks still available for purchase. The price will increase to $50 on April 1, so order yours today and save five dollars. All yearbooks are ordered online http://www.strawbridge.net/Our school code is YB112059.
  • From the PTSA:
  • Have a great week and remember to wash your hands often, cover your mouth/nose when you cough, and maintain social distancing. And at Pine Hollow Middle School, the sky is still the limit!