Last week, Pinedale 3rd graders had a special visit from the new Raider mascot and some of our "big buddies" at Stevens High School. One of them was Mrs. Benson's daughter! Students from the SHS Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) were gathering ideas for a new mascot name. We're excited to hear what they choose!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This kindergartener was nominated by Ms. Wilson for consistently setting a great example. She has learned quickly what Panther Pride means and enjoys doing the right thing! This student demonstrates kindness and responsibility, and Pinedale is proud to celebrate her today!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 2nd grader was nominated by Mrs. McNabb for always being polite and showing Panther Pride everyday! He can often be found holding the door open for his peers and teachers. He is respectful in class, has a contagious smile, and knows how to tell pretty funny jokes. His family (and his school family) sure are proud of him!
🎃THANK YOU! One of our Pinedale parents, Scott Henrikson, was able to arrange a large pumpkin donation. We're giving these away during the month of October! We have raffles going on for Spooktacular Behavior choices during the school day and to families that attend conferences this week. This 4th grade class was full of happy helpers as we unloaded them near the front office!
Panther PTA October Newsletter
Reminder for next week!
No school on Monday, 10/13/25 for Native American Day. This is a no school day for ALL RCAS students.
No school on Friday, 10/17/25 for RCAS Elementary students ONLY for daytime conferences. Evening conferences will be held Thursday, 10/16/25. Confirm your scheduled conference day/time with your child's teacher.
Thank you!
No school on Monday, 10/13/25 for Native American Day. This is a no school day for ALL RCAS students.
No school on Friday, 10/17/25 for RCAS Elementary students ONLY for daytime conferences. Evening conferences will be held Thursday, 10/16/25. Confirm your scheduled conference day/time with your child's teacher.
Thank you!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 1st grader was nominated by Mrs. Bendewald for always bringing her best self forth - whether it's doing her best work, participating, or working with classmates! She has a heart of gold, and we're so happy to celebrate her. The phone call home sure made her family's day!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This kindergartner was nominated by Ms. Shaw for showing Panther Pride in the hallway even when no one was looking! (Or so we thought!) When asked if he did this because it just felt good to do, he replied enthusiastically, "Yes!" Pinedale is proud of you.
Our teachers are life-long learners! Did you know that in a typical K-12 system there are over 3,000 learning benchmarks? During our Early Release time together today, teacher teams engaged in work focused on some of these essential K-5 learning standards. When we teach to high levels, our students will learn at high levels. Go Panthers!
Early Release Friday at 12:50 PM!
Tomorrow , October 3rd, is an RCAS scheduled Early Release Friday. Pinedale's dismissal time is 12:50 PM. Students will have lunch before they are dismissed.
Thank you!
Tomorrow , October 3rd, is an RCAS scheduled Early Release Friday. Pinedale's dismissal time is 12:50 PM. Students will have lunch before they are dismissed.
Thank you!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 4th grader was nominated by Ms. Eining for showing great leadership and being a positive role model for her peers. She is kind and respectful to her classmates and teachers, and she consistently works hard as a critical thinker in the classroom! The surprise phone call home brought lots of proud smiles! Way to go!
Last week, all K-5 classes learned about Fire Safety topics during grade-level presentations with Bailey Wild, Fire & Life Safety Specialist with the Rapid City Fire Department. Grade-specific topics such as Home Fire Safety, Detecting Dangers in the Kitchen, and The Science of Fire were covered. Bailey said, "Thank you, Pinedale, for taking the time for me to come talk to your students about essential fire and life safety skills. Educating others on these topics is a deep passion of mine, and the students in these classes were AMAZING listeners and participants!" Kudos to all our Panthers! After their presentation, kindergarten students got a special visit from Truck 3 and Rescue 3 from Fire Station 3! Check out the pictures!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Pinedale Elementary students will be participating in a daily 20-40-minute block of time called “WIN,” which stands for What I Need. This time is set aside for teachers to provide instruction that targets the individual needs of each student.
To help identify these needs, all Pinedale students are screened three times each year in reading and math. Our first round of assessments has already been completed, and students have been placed into groups based on this data.
During WIN time, instruction is supported by classroom teachers, Intervention Specialists, Literacy Specialists, Special Education teachers, and paraprofessionals.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.
Sincerely,
Pinedale Staff
Pinedale Elementary students will be participating in a daily 20-40-minute block of time called “WIN,” which stands for What I Need. This time is set aside for teachers to provide instruction that targets the individual needs of each student.
To help identify these needs, all Pinedale students are screened three times each year in reading and math. Our first round of assessments has already been completed, and students have been placed into groups based on this data.
During WIN time, instruction is supported by classroom teachers, Intervention Specialists, Literacy Specialists, Special Education teachers, and paraprofessionals.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.
Sincerely,
Pinedale Staff
If you haven't done so yet, check out our updated Pinedale page on the RCAS District website: https://pinedale.rcas.org/o/pinedale. Our principal, Mrs. Kamarainen, has been busy adding photos and info about what's happening at Pinedale!
Each week, Mrs. Kamarainen is spot-lighting a Pinedale staff member. Over morning announcements, she reads clues for students to "guess who" and then shares that staff member's name - our students have been having fun getting to know a little more about the adults they see around school! If you scroll to the bottom of the webpage, you'll see a quote from each staff member who's been highlighted so far!
CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 1st grader was nominated by Mrs. Salter for working hard, staying focused, consistently participating in class activities, and always trying her best! The surprise phone call home made for lots of smiles today. Way to go!
Gourd-geous news, everyone! 🎃
We're so excited to host a booth at The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival this Saturday! Come find the Rapid City Area Schools booth for free temporary tattoos, cool swag, and a chance to chat with us! We can't wait to see you there!
We're so excited to host a booth at The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival this Saturday! Come find the Rapid City Area Schools booth for free temporary tattoos, cool swag, and a chance to chat with us! We can't wait to see you there!
Pinedale's Picture Day is coming up on Thursday, September 18th!
Pictures will take place in the morning. All students will have their picture taken for their school ID.
Pictures can be ordered through www.inter-state.com/order using code 0060RPN.
Picture Re-Take Day will be on November 5th in the morning.
Pictures will take place in the morning. All students will have their picture taken for their school ID.
Pictures can be ordered through www.inter-state.com/order using code 0060RPN.
Picture Re-Take Day will be on November 5th in the morning.
Early Release Friday at 12:50 PM!
Tomorrow , September 5th, is an RCAS scheduled Early Release Friday. Pinedale's dismissal time is 12:50 PM. Students will have lunch before they are dismissed.
Thank you!
Tomorrow , September 5th, is an RCAS scheduled Early Release Friday. Pinedale's dismissal time is 12:50 PM. Students will have lunch before they are dismissed.
Thank you!
First PTA Meeting of the year was last night! Join us for the next PTA meeting on October 7th at 5:30.
And if you are a classroom Room Parent, don't forget to mark your calendar for the Room Parent meeting on Tuesday, September 23rd at 3:30 in the Pinedale library!
And if you are a classroom Room Parent, don't forget to mark your calendar for the Room Parent meeting on Tuesday, September 23rd at 3:30 in the Pinedale library!
If you plan on helping with any field trips, PTA events, hallway work, or other school-related activities involving student contact, please use this link to register as an approved volunteer:
https://www.rcas.org/o/rcas/page/volunteer-opportunities
For field trips in particular, there is a "Level 2" form to fill out in addition (available in the link above or in the Pinedale office). This form will need to be returned to the school to be signed and approved ahead of time before going along on any field trips. Level 2 volunteers are screened through Background Screeners of America and the approval is good for 3 years.
The volunteer approval process is to ensure that students have appropriate supervision at all times and that volunteers are covered under District insurance for any injuries that occur while volunteering.
Thank you for taking time to be a very important role in supporting our school!
https://www.rcas.org/o/rcas/page/volunteer-opportunities
For field trips in particular, there is a "Level 2" form to fill out in addition (available in the link above or in the Pinedale office). This form will need to be returned to the school to be signed and approved ahead of time before going along on any field trips. Level 2 volunteers are screened through Background Screeners of America and the approval is good for 3 years.
The volunteer approval process is to ensure that students have appropriate supervision at all times and that volunteers are covered under District insurance for any injuries that occur while volunteering.
Thank you for taking time to be a very important role in supporting our school!
