Pinedale Elementary

Don't forget that tomorrow, Friday May 1st, is an Early Release Day. Pinedale students are dismissed at 12:50 PM.

HAPPY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT DAY! 🎉Here at Pinedale, we’re so grateful for the incredible support our administrative assistants provide each and every day. The number of tasks they juggle—and the care they put into everything they do—is truly remarkable. A big thank you to Ms. Anna and Ms. Miranda in the front office, Ms. Renee in the kitchen, and Ms. Benson in the library (not pictured) for all the ways you keep things running smoothly. Your Panther family appreciates you today and every day!

SHOUT OUT! Every day during our morning announcements, we celebrate our students’ achievements—big milestones, personal goals, and meaningful moments both in and out of school. Hearing their names recognized brings smiles across campus. We also display these celebrations all year long on a bulletin board in the front hallway. Check out this growing collection of ‘little victories!’ Way to go, Panthers! 🐾

Elks Summer Movie Passes are now available to purchase in the Pinedale office!
$10 per pass, good for 10 movies over 10 weeks! Our PTA receives a portion of the money - this is always a fantastic fundraiser for our school!

We're still in need of volunteers to help support the Pinedale Carnival on Friday, May 8th. Shifts are available across different activity stations, and support from families helps to ensure the event runs smoothly for everyone!

CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! These 5th graders were all nominated by Mrs. Tschetter for reaching a big 5th grade milestone - passing all 1,000 high frequency words! Showing hard work and commitment to a long-term goal like this sure is something to be proud of. Several of these students made it down for a special surprise call over the last few days. A few more also recently met this goal and were able to join in on the group photo to celebrate together. Pinedale is happy to celebrate this crew!

From Panther PTA - April Newsletter!

2nd Grade Science Fair!

Here are some pictures from this week's 2nd Grade Science Fair. These students work incredibly hard to be ready to present their projects to their families on this big day. They even get to show off their knowledge to students and teachers from other grade levels!

Way to go 2nd Grade! We are proud of you!

Habit #5 - Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

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!

March's habit was "Seek First to Understand - Then, to be Understood"! These students were chosen for representing the habit of listening before they speak.

Students who are learning Habit #5 listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. They try to see things from other viewpoints. They listen to others without interrupting. Then they have the understanding and confidence to successfully voice their own ideas with clarity and respect. Habit 5 means balancing courage and consideration.

- I listen to others without interrupting
- I raise my hand when I want to speak and I wait to be called on
- I don’t blurt out
- I try to understand other people’s views and feelings, even if they are different from my own

Congratulations to these students, and to all our Pinedale Panthers for being awesome!

Tomorrow is an Early Release Friday. Pinedale students will be dismissed at 12:50 PM.

Tomorrow is "Purple Up for Military Families" Day!

Wear purple to honor and support the military children who share in the service and sacrifice of their families. Many military members serve multiple deployments during their time in the service, which creates unique hardships and challenges for these families. Let's show them love and support on Purple Up Day!

Return your Pinedale PTA yearbook orders this week! Deadline is coming up on Monday, April 13th for stragglers...don't forget!!

Don't forget to register your upcoming Kindergartener for next year! This helps determine our staffing for next year, so we want to make sure everyone is accounted for sooner rather than later.

Start a new registration by logging into your Skyward account, or create your account by following the instructions in this link:

https://www.rcas.org/page/kindergarten-sign-up

Our Screening Day will be held at Pinedale in the morning on Friday, May 22nd.

Family Reading Night at South Middle School tonight, 5-7 pm. This is open to ALL Rapid City Area Schools families!

CELEBRATE WITH US! Katie Casteel, one of Pinedale’s dedicated Special Educators, has been nominated for the 2026 South Dakota SPED Staff of the Year!  Mrs. Casteel was recognized at last week’s RCAS Board of Education meeting, along with fellow RCAS nominees. We are incredibly grateful for her unwavering support, collaboration, and hard work that make a difference in the lives of so many students every day. Congratulations, Mrs. Casteel—we are so proud of you! 

CONFETTI CALL ANNOUNCEMENT! This 1st grader was nominated by Mrs. Salter for treating others with kindness, working hard to make good choices, and having a respectful, responsible attitude. She is a positive role model at school! Her family and her school family sure are proud of her.

Don't forget about the time change this weekend!

"Spring forward" on Sunday morning - 1 hour ahead!

Does your family want to see the new Disney movie "Hoppers"?

Pinedale families are invited to a Panther PTA-sponsored movie night on Monday, March 9th, at the Elks Theater, for their showing of Hoppers!

Admission is free, courtesy of our PTA. Doors open at 5:45 PM and the movie starts at 6:15 PM.

See you there!