Welcome to Pine Tree ISD’s electronic publication for
parents and school patrons. We are still gathering
email addresses and invite you to forward this
publication to those interested in school news.
If your email was included, and you do not wish to
receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe below.
Direct your comments and questions to the Pine Tree
ISD Public Information Office, P.O. Box 5878,
Longview, TX 75608 or e-mail [email protected].
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Proposed Calendar |
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Proposed Calendar for 2007-2008
At their regular monthly meeting in December, the PT
Board of Trustees will consider the school calendar
for the
2007-2008 school year.
If approved, the school year for Pine Tree ISD will
begin on Tuesday, September 4. Thanksgiving
vacation will run from November 21-23 and winter
vacation will extend from December 20 to January 2.
Spring vacation is set for March 17-21 and the last
day of school will be June 4.
State regulations now require that all Texas schools
start their year no earlier than the fourth Monday of
August. Superintendent, Lynn Whitaker explains,” Due
to the opening of our new Middle 5/6 Campus in the
fall of 07, Pine Tree’s start date will be one week
later than the majority of the districts in the area.
This will help facilitate a smoother start for teachers
and students of that campus.” A copy of the
proposed calendar can be found on the
district webpage.
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Remembering Jordan Barnes |
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Pine Tree Memorial Service
for Jordan Barnes
A Celebration of Her Life
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Pine Tree High School Gymnasium
6:00 pm
Please join us in remembering this outstanding young
lady and the many ways she touched our community.
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Academic Achievement |
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Local Schools Weigh Options To Meet State's
New Graduation Requirements
The State Board of Education's approval of two new
high school graduation plans requiring a fourth year of
math and science has Longview-area school districts
weighing their options for meeting the new mandate.
The new graduation plans, approved Nov. 17, are
known as the "4x4" and do not affect students
already enrolled in high school. Pine Tree High School
principal Jason Mixon said the district is in the early
stages of looking at plans to meet the new
requirement. He and Bob Jeter, Junior High
principal, are considering what would be needed and
the sequencing of classes so courses can be properly
aligned. Read TEA
Press Release
Pine Tree ISD Selects Educational Options to
Boost Credit Recovery
Pine Tree ISD has a powerful new tool to help
sophomores, juniors, and seniors recover course
credits needed to advance and to graduate.
This Spring, the credit recovery class
will begin a pilot program for using a new web-based
system called
NOVEL/STARS. Students will access information in a
computer lab setting, monitored and assisted by Ms.
Debbie Jackson. Classes are offered during the
regular day at the high school as an “off campus”
class in their schedule. Students can access their
lessons from any computer with Internet connections.
Students Get A Lesson In High-Tech
Geography
Pine Tree ninth graders were among five hundred or
so area students who participated in GIS Day at
Maude
Cobb Convention and Activity Center on Wednesday,
November 29, 2006. The nationwide event was
sponsored locally by the city of Longview and the
Gregg County Appraisal District. This year was the
first that students were invited to learn more about
the technology and how it is used locally. "I knew GIS
existed, but did not know it was used in Longview,"
said Anna Walker, 15, a Pine Tree High School
freshman.
Click
here for academic resources available from Title
I Statewide School Support/Parental Involvement
Initiative.
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Community Service |
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How wonderful it is that nobody need
wait a
single moment before starting to improve the world.
~Anne Frank
Intermediate students reach their goal to
help the needy through canned food drive.
More
Pine Tree 8th grader Kristin Burns won the
first prize of a $50 gift card with her essay which was
a tribute to veterans; it was posted in the East
Texas Workforce Center during November.
More
Students in the High School Leadership Class
have adopted the military unit, Wolfpack, this
year and will be providing letters/emails and
supplies.
More
Spreading Holiday Cheer!
- PT Pride marches in the city-wide
Christmas parade on Friday, December 1st!
- High School Choir is currently selling
Singing Christmas Cards.
- Primary's Liz Magee and High School's
Melissa Edwards perform in A Christmas
Carol, Dec. 2-3, at Longview Community Center.
- Fifth grade classes of Ms. Carlisle, Ms.
Hipke, and Ms. Grimes have been selected to sing a
Christmas program for the Retired Teachers
Association.
- Ms. Rockwell and Ms. Sims announce the
Christmas program, Santa's Holiday Hoedown by fifth grade
students, Dec. 8.
- Primary, Elementary and Intermediate
students enjoy a Christmas production by
Theatre
One students.
- A Christmas Party for Senior Citizens,
provided by the PT Food Service Dept., is Dec. 6
- The Giving Tree, created
by Intermediate students will provide
donations to Hope Haven.
- PT Girls Soccer Team is kicking around a
great
idea for the Christmas season. They have adopted a
family in need.
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Stories from PT |
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Stories from the Folks at Pine Tree
Read about some of the interesting people who have
chosen to serve at PTISD.
My Path to Becoming a Teacher, by Jo Lynn
McKnight
When I think of my background and reflect on the
people that have influenced or persuaded me to
become a teacher, I think of walking down the
hallway of Pine Tree Elementary School. Little did I
know then that the stage had just been set for who I
was to become. Oh, yeah! Forty-two years later,
my first year returning to Pine Tree ISD to teach,
guess whose room I was assigned to teach in?
Read more
Mothers & Daughters
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from
each other? Read the mother and daughter version
from two families in PTISD:
The Burns & The Lindwall
Family
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PT Food Service Audit |
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PT Food Service Department Receives Excellent
Review
The Pine Tree Independent School District’s food
service department received an “excellent review
with minimal findings,” during a recent audit by the
Texas Department of Agriculture, according to PTISD
Food Service Director, Jeannie Wallace.
Wallace said she attributes the rating to “a great
food service team. We have a team that works
together, a team that cares about the customers they
serve and a team that cares about the job they do.
The principals, teachers, and other staff members
are very helpful in making sure the Nutrition Policy
guidelines are being followed. They are so great to
work with and were so understanding during the audit.”
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School Closings |
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Winter Begins December 21st
With cold weather upon us, it is a good time to
remind everyone where to find
information about Pine Tree Independent School
District closings due to inclement weather. Pine
Tree ISD recognizes the need for clear
communication with students, parents and employees
regarding whether or not school will be delayed
and/or cancelled.
In the event of inclement weather, any closings,
delays, or early releases will be sent to the following
media outlets:
Please note that if schools will be open, no
announcement will be made.
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Bond Updates |
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2006 Bond Passes by 63% Margin: Nov. 7,
2006
Pine Tree school officials had been cautiously
optimistic through the evening — especially after the
early balloting results showed the district's $7
million
bond issue might be well on its way to passing. Still,
the final results weren't known until about 9:45 p.m.
when the district's Tax Assessor-Collector, Melissa
Newman, read the fax from downtown with the final
results: 2,050 for and 1,199 against.
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Grant Proposals |
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Students Benefit from Granted Proposals!
Pine Tree ISD is happy to announce that
FOUR online grants have been awarded
through the DonorsChoose website -
www.donorschoose.org - an online marketplace that
allows individuals and businesses to support specific
student projects proposed by teachers. The awards
were granted to:
- Jennifer
Pope, Pre-K class,
- Susan Bryan, Intermediate Reading class;
- Eunice Morton, High School Science class, and
- Judy Haley, High School Economics class.
Visit the Pine Tree Challenge Page to view
these and other
grants submitted by Pine Tree teachers.
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Upcoming Events |
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December Character Trait: C O M P A S S I O
N
- Dec. 4-8 - HS Theatre One performs Christmas
Play
- Dec. 5 - Financial Aid for College-Workshop, HS
Library, 6:30pm
- Dec. 6 - Primary School Picture Retakes
- Dec. 6 - Christmas Party for Senior Citizens
- Dec. 7 - Combined Choir Concert 7th-12th,
7:00pm
- Dec. 7 - SBDM Meeting, 3:45pm
- Dec. 7 - Memorial for Jordan Barnes, 6:00pm
- Dec. 9 - Jazz Band Clinic/Concert
- Dec. 9 - All-Region Competition for 9th Grade
Band
- Dec. 9 - Fifth Grade Christmas Program,
9:30am
- Dec. 11 - School Board Meeting, 6:00pm
- Dec. 11 - PT Pride Band Christmas Concert,
7:00pm
- Dec. 12 - Mrs. Clause Visits Primary School
- Dec. 14 - Christmas parties at Primary
- Dec. 13-15 - Exams and Early Release
- Dec 18-Jan 2 - Student Holidays
- Dec. 31 - Pirate Precision Dance Team performs
at the Cotton Bowl Parade and again at the Cotton
Bowl halftime, January 1st!
- Jan. 3 - Students return to class.
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