April Newsletter

Dear Families,

April is here and it feels like summer is early this year. TCAP is quickly approaching. The dates are April 23rd - 27th. It is very important that all students attend the week of TCAP. The TCAP test counts 20% of their final grade in each subject tested.

We have bought 10 new computers for Mrs. Scott's computer lab with our US Cellular money. These along with 9 other new computers provided from other sources has her computer lab pretty well updated at this point.

We have two night of Jr. Pro left this year. They are Monday, April 2nd, and Tuesday, April 3rd. There will be 5 games per night these last two nights instead of 4 games. We will present metals on Thursday, April 5th, at 10:15 a.m. in the gym. All coaches are encouraged to attend. We want to thank everyone who participated, coached, and supported the games this year. We use this as a fundraiser to have our gym floor refinished each year.

There will be an open house for the new Pickett County Agricultural Learning Center on Friday, April 13th, from 1 until 4 in the afternoon. This building is located between the K8 and the High School.

April is Washcloth month in our collecting for Operation Christmas Child.

Important Dates for April are:
April 2 - Jr. Pro Games
April 2 - Jr. High Golf - Upperman
April 3 - Jr. Pro Games
April 3 - Jr. High Golf - Algood
April 5 - Easter Parties
April 6 - Good Friday - No School
April 10 - Jr. High Golf - Upperman
April 13 - Open House - Pickett Co. Ag. Learning Center
April 19 - Jr. High Golf - Jackson Co.
April 20 - Progress Reports Go Home
April 23-27 - TCAP TEST - Please make sure students are at school on time
April 26 - Jr. High Golf - Jackson Co.
April 28 - PEACE Program Trip
April 30 - Jr. High Panther Classic Golf Tournament

Picture Orders

Spring Picture orders are due Wednesday, March 21st! :)

Celebrating National Pi Day

Mrs. Lisa Suiter's 6th Grade Math classes celebrated National Pi Day, Wednesday, March 14th. Students enjoyed Pi activities and many circular snacks. National Pi Day was a total success! Here are a few pictures of Mrs. Suiter's classes, as well as some additional information about National Pi Day.

Think number 3.14 is a bore?

Think Again!

National Pi Day

14 March 2012

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you! National Pi Day really is a whole 24 hours dedicated to celebrating Pi, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter!

But then, if you're a maths expert you'll already know that. It's been a while since I was in school studying maths and I'm a little rusty!

So do you know why Pi is so interesting? Well it's a transcendental number meaning it's infinite - no mathematical operation can be the equal to its approximate 3.14 value.

This is why it has fascinated and confused mathematicians for centuries and possibly many more to come!

It even made the news after a Japanese psychiatric counsellor recited pi to 83,431 decimal places from memory - setting an unofficial world record!

Larry Shaw recognised the significance of all this and created Pi Day on 14 March - the 14th day of the 3rd month (3.14, geddit?!). It's even been passed as a non-binding resolution by the House of Representatives!

Past pi day activities included walking round a circular section of the Exploratorium art and science museum in San Francisco - before marching back and eating fruit pies!

If you fancy getting involved check out the pi rap online or take on National Pi Day challenge

Or bake a cake - delicious and its not like you'll ever run out of numbers to fill the round shape!

Catchin' Up...

Tuesday afternoon the PC Cheer Parents gave the students a preview of their performance that will be doing at the Canaan Am Cheer Nationals this weekend. Great job parents!

Mrs. Cross celebrated Dr. Suess in the library the week before we got out for Spring Break. Here are a few pictures of a couple of very familiar guest readers reading to Pre-K and Mrs. Barber's 3rd Grade.

March Newsletter

Dear Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break. It is now time for Jr. Pro to get going. We had a wonderful interest again this year with 153 students participating. Games will start Monday, March 12th running through Tuesday, April 3rd. Games will be played on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Report cards will be sent home on Friday, March 23rd. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be on Thursday, March 29th, from 3:00 until 6:00 pm.

We are quickly approaching the TCAP Test. It will be the week of April 23rd through the 27th.

We seem to have already entered the Severe Weather Season. I would like to remind you of our current procedures for lockdown in the event of severe weather:
When the Central Office is notified that tornado warnings are two counties away, schools will go into lockdown and all students will go to the designated safe area. Once in lockdown, students will not be released from the building until the threat of severe weather is passed. While in lockdown, the buses will not run. In the event tornado warnings are issued before buses run in the morning, buses will not run until the tornado warning has expired.
In the event that the K-8 goes into lockdown, telephones will not be answered in the office because all staff will be in the designated safe areas. To review these procedures further, they are located in the Student/Parent Handbook. (next to last page)


Important dates for March and April:
March 12th - Jr. Pro Begins
March 13th - Cheerleading Parents Perform - 2:30pm for grades 5-8
March 23rd - Report Cards go Home
March 29th - Parent/Teacher Conference - 3-6 pm
April 6th - No School - Good Friday
April 20th - Progress Reports go Home
April 23rd-27th - TCAP Test

Kenny Tompkins, Principal

Closing Due to Possible Severe Weather

Due to the possibility of severe weather, Pickett County Schools will be closing at 12:00pm today, March 2, 2012.
Everyone please keep an eye to the sky and take precautions to stay safe as these storms roll our way!

Picture Day

Tomorrow is Spring Picture Day

March 28th - Pre-K through 3rd

March 29th - 4th through 8th and
Jump Rope, Golf, Softball, Band, and FCA

Operation Christmas Child

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD……STARTING EARLY

PCK-8, along with schools in neighboring Fentress County are taking part in Operation Christmas Child, a program which collects small items to send to needy children around the world. The program will run from February through May and then resume in August through November. Each month there will be a designated item for students to bring in if they want to participate. February’s item is TOOTHBRUSH. If your child’s classroom is participating please send that item in by the end of the month. The following is a list of items for the remainder of the school year, so everyone will know what to be sending.

March - Toothpaste

April - Washcloths

May - Hair Accessories (Hairbrushes, Combs, Ponytail holders, Hair clips, etc.)

August - School Supplies (Paper, Pencils, Pens, Crayons, Erasers, etc.)

September - Flashlights (Wal-Mart has these for $1)

October - Toys (yo-yo's, jacks, jumpropes, anykind of small toy that will fit in a shoe-box)

November - Will be Filler Month (hard candy, stuffed animals, anything to fill the box)

Jr. Pro Applications

Tomorrow, Friday, February 17th, at 3:00pm is the absolute deadline for all Jr. Pro Basketball Applications.

NO Application will be taken after this time.

Products of Students At Work!

Students have been very busy over the past several weeks. Here are just a few of the things I found displayed in the hallways....