Calling All Future Raiders!
Elementary students get in free for the Stevens Raiders basketball games on Saturday, February 7th, including fun activities and prizes. Games will be at at Stevens High School Gymnasium. See the flyer for more details!
Elementary students get in free for the Stevens Raiders basketball games on Saturday, February 7th, including fun activities and prizes. Games will be at at Stevens High School Gymnasium. See the flyer for more details!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY! Pinedale teachers just keep learning, just keep learning! Today was all about digging in to data, reflecting on actionable steps to impact student learning, and sharing powerful instructional strategies from a recent book study. Go Panthers!
HAT DAY – REPTILE GARDENS FUNDRAISER! 🐢
Pinedale is incredibly proud of our Student Leadership Team (SLT) and our entire Panther family for the generosity shown today! After learning about the tragic fire at Reptile Gardens in November, SLT members took the initiative to find a way to help—and thanks to a true whole-school effort, we raised $1,002.77!
Today, Mr. Terry, Head Curator at Reptile Gardens, visited our campus to collect the donation and speak with SLT members. He shared that the empathy and kindness demonstrated by our students will support the purchase of new baby tortoises and help rebuild what was lost. He was deeply moved by the thoughtfulness of our school and reminded our students that their actions are truly making the world a better place. 💙🐾
Pinedale is incredibly proud of our Student Leadership Team (SLT) and our entire Panther family for the generosity shown today! After learning about the tragic fire at Reptile Gardens in November, SLT members took the initiative to find a way to help—and thanks to a true whole-school effort, we raised $1,002.77!
Today, Mr. Terry, Head Curator at Reptile Gardens, visited our campus to collect the donation and speak with SLT members. He shared that the empathy and kindness demonstrated by our students will support the purchase of new baby tortoises and help rebuild what was lost. He was deeply moved by the thoughtfulness of our school and reminded our students that their actions are truly making the world a better place. 💙🐾
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 3rd grader was nominated by Mrs. Cameron for his kindness, manners, and always wanting to be helpful. On any given day, whether interacting with adults or peers, you can always count on hearing him say "please" and "thank you." We're happy to celebrate him with a phone call home. Feel proud, buddy!
NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 19th for MLK, JR. Day
NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, January 20th for RCAS Professional Development Day
NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, January 20th for RCAS Professional Development Day
Panther PTA Newsletter January 2026
INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR PINEDALE TEAM?
Candidates interested in applying for a position within RCAS or specifically here at Pinedale - be sure to keep an eye on the open position postings updated here:
https://skyward.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wscomrapidcitysd/rapplmnu03.w
You can search by location: Pinedale.
In addition to any specific Pinedale listings you may see, we may also have openings in K-2 and 3-5 Elementary Teacher as well as Special Education Teacher K-5 (Learning Center) for next year. These are currently listed as "Location - To Be Assigned" so will not specifically state Pinedale. Both internal and external candidates need to apply through FastTrack.
Thanks for your interest!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 2nd grader was nominated by Mrs. Bruce for consistently working hard at being respectful, responsible, and kind. She finds joy in helping others and is always ready and willing to learn new things. We are happy to celebrate her with a phone call home. Way to go!
BEHAVIOR REFRESH! Earlier this week we had another all-school assembly to welcome students back after the long break and to revisit expectations of some of our shared areas - like the playground, hallways, and lunch time. We have a lot to celebrate when it comes to students being respectful, responsible, and safe. And we have great goals to start 2026 off with a bang! In our lunchroom, for example, we talked a lot about what it looks like and sounds like to have good manners and enjoy eating together in our Panther Paw Cafe. Check out these polite Panthers enjoying conversation, keeping their area tidy and clean, and keeping hands and feet to themselves while eating. Keep it up, kids!
NO Early Release Day
This Friday, January 9th, is NOT a calendar-scheduled Early Release Day due to the holidays. Pinedale dismisses at the regular time of 2:50 PM this Friday.
This Friday, January 9th, is NOT a calendar-scheduled Early Release Day due to the holidays. Pinedale dismisses at the regular time of 2:50 PM this Friday.
Blood Drive at Pinedale on 1/14/26
This year, Pinedale’s blood drive is going to be in honor of Jalon Janke.
Jalon Janke is a junior at Stevens High School and is a former Pinedale Panther. In 2020, Jalon was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and underwent treatment for almost a year, which included a partial amputation of his right leg. In September of 2025, he was having pain, and it was discovered that he has metastatic osteosarcoma, which has spread throughout his body. Throughout Jalon's bouts of cancer he has received many units of blood and platelets.
His mom, Emily Delzer, was also a former teacher at Pinedale.
The blood drive is January 14th in Pinedale's gymnasium.
If you would like to make a blood donation, please go to the Vitalant website schedule to search for Pinedale on 1/14/26 and sign up for a time slot:
https://donors.vitalant.org/dwp/portal/dwa
This year, Pinedale’s blood drive is going to be in honor of Jalon Janke.
Jalon Janke is a junior at Stevens High School and is a former Pinedale Panther. In 2020, Jalon was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and underwent treatment for almost a year, which included a partial amputation of his right leg. In September of 2025, he was having pain, and it was discovered that he has metastatic osteosarcoma, which has spread throughout his body. Throughout Jalon's bouts of cancer he has received many units of blood and platelets.
His mom, Emily Delzer, was also a former teacher at Pinedale.
The blood drive is January 14th in Pinedale's gymnasium.
If you would like to make a blood donation, please go to the Vitalant website schedule to search for Pinedale on 1/14/26 and sign up for a time slot:
https://donors.vitalant.org/dwp/portal/dwa
We are proud to have Mr. Shane Cox represent us as Pinedale’s 2025-2026 Support Person of the Year! Mr. Shane is our dedicated Custodial Coordinator, fixer of all things, walkie-talkie first responder, buildings and grounds beautifier, lunchroom director – and so much more. He can be found wherever he’s needed, always giving his time to make Pinedale a warm, welcoming second home for both students and staff. Mr. Shane has been with RCAS for about 10 years now, and the work he does each day creates a lasting impact. He builds meaningful connections, supports our positive learning environment, and truly defines what it means to go above and beyond. We are so fortunate to have Mr. Shane on our Panther team! When you see him, please join us in congratulating him on this well-deserved recognition!
We are proud to have Ms. Averie Georgas represent Pinedale as this year’s Teacher of the Year! Ms. Georgas has served our Panther community for 22 years, primarily in 3rd and 4th grade. She is a positive influence on everyone around her, takes a collaborative approach to continuous improvement, and is always focused on doing what’s best for kids. Ms. Georgas builds long-lasting connections with staff and families and can often be seen smiling and laughing around campus. She helps students grow and feel confident both academically and emotionally. When you see Ms. Georgas, please join us in congratulating her on this well-deserved recognition!
NO SCHOOL today, Thursday, December 18th for Pinedale and RCAS schools due to the high winds and power outages.
📣 Title VI PAC Meeting Update
Due to a lack of quorum, the PAC meeting scheduled for tomorrow night has been cancelled.
🗓 Next Meeting: January 21
📍 Location: Rapid City Alternative Academy
🍽 Meal: 5:30 PM
🕕 Call to Order: 6:00 PM
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you in January!
Due to a lack of quorum, the PAC meeting scheduled for tomorrow night has been cancelled.
🗓 Next Meeting: January 21
📍 Location: Rapid City Alternative Academy
🍽 Meal: 5:30 PM
🕕 Call to Order: 6:00 PM
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you in January!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 3rd grader was nominated by Mrs. Carlson for his encouragement. He consistently gives his best effort and encourages others to do the same. He is known for his cheerful attitude, and he helps make his classroom and our school a positive place to learn. Proud of you!
SUB APPRECIATION POST! These are just 2 of our wonderful substitutes that help out regularly here at Pinedale and throughout RCAS when we need them! We appreciate the flexibility, reliability, positive attitudes, and support of all of our substitutes. Thank you from your Panther family! 💙💛
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 1st grader was nominated by Mrs. Grenz for always being kind to her classmates and going out of her way to be helpful. She consistently works hard to demonstrate the qualities of a leader. We are happy to celebrate her with a phone call home. Way to go!
Reminder that tomorrow, Friday, December 5th, is an RCAS scheduled Early Release day. * Pinedale students are dismissed at 12:50 PM. *
Habit #2 - Begin with the End in Mind!
Each month, our students practice a habit for turning small actions into big wins. This helps us work together to be successful students and leaders!
November's habit was Begin with the End in Mind! These students were chosen for representing the habit of consistently meeting their goals and successfully planning the steps needed to reach those goals. Students who are learning how to have a plan:
Do things that have meaning and make a difference
Contribute to the group
Look for ways to be a good citizen
- I plan ahead and set goals for myself.
- I am prepared
- I think about how the choices I make now will affect my future
- I think about the positive or negative consequences of my actions before I act
Congratulations to these students, and to all of our Pinedale Panthers for being awesome!
