Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Outbreak in Pine City Public Schools.

Several lab confirmed cases & suspect cases of pertussis (whooping cough) have been identified in students attending Pine City Elementary School. Click here for important information about the signs & symptoms of pertussis.

Additional pertussis links

Pine County

Minnesota Department of Health

SchoolView Gets Facelift, New Features

SchoolView is getting a whole new look and feel. It will be mobile friendly with a new login screen and easier registration and passwords.

A calendar has been added to SchoolView so parents can combine district, school, classroom calendars and more. They can view just one or combine several to keep track of everything going on with all students in a family:

• homework assignments
• sports and other activities
• community ed classes
• other district calendars
• plus the family's Google or other iCal-type calendar

The calendar will be available April 9.

For more information contact:
Coleen Peterson at the elementary
Linda Boland at the high schoolNCLB

Testing At Pine City Schools

Testing is in full swing at Pine City Public Schools. Please check the dates to see when your child will be testing, remember the best test results are achieved after a good nights sleep & a healthy breakfast!

11-12 Spring Testing Schedule
Click here to view

Waiver Approved

Minnesota is among the first 10 states to receive waivers, read more here.
Minnesota's Waiver Explained

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Are you a grandparent raising your grandchild? Check out the newly formed support group.
Click here for more information.

PCPS Reading Podcasts

Pine City Schools has continued to develop reading podcasts as a strategy to help all readers comprehend, decipher, and navigate a variety of materials. Click here to view the list of podcasts.

The Pine City Community's facilities

We are often asked if a community group or organization can use the school district's classrooms, gym space, commons areas, or outside grounds.

We are always happy to allow such requests. There is a set procedure to follow and form to complete to make sure the facility is ready on your arrival. For more information on using your school facilities, click here.

 


23rd Annual Blackboard Review Saturday, May 19th

The 23rd annual Blackboard Review, Pine City Schools’ variety show, featuring songs and skits performed by district staff, is Saturday, May 19, at 4:30 and 8 p.m. at the Pine City Elementary Auditorium. All proceeds from ticket sales go to Pine City High students’ scholarships. Tickets are $5.00 and can be bought at the door, in the elementary and high school office or from any faculty member.

PC Teacher Selected to Attend STEM Academy

Jamie Campbell, 8th grade Earth Science Teacher at Pine City Junior Senior High School, has been selected selected to participate in the Siemens STEM Institute this summer. The Siemens STEM Institute is an immersive professional development program promoting real-world, hands-on integration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the classroom. Jamie will join a diverse group of 50 educators who were selected from hundreds who completed a rigorous application process to attend one of these prestigious in-person professional development programs. For more information about the program click here.

Local Potter Creates Gifts For Retiring Teachers


Local potter Barb Dryer worked with the school district to create bowls as gifts for this year's group of nine retiring teachers.  The bowls were made from slabs of clay shaped like partial circles, with texture given by pine needles. Retirement year of 2012 was at the bottom of each, and they were fired, glazes applied, and fired again.

Superintendent Dennis Fischer presented a bowl along with the district's appreciation to each of the nine teachers before the May 14th board meeting.  The retirees include Kathy Fontaine, Susan France Weber, Dave Johnson, Ann Mans, Elisa Mill, Carol Nyrhinen, Deb Ringer, Brian Scholin, and Bonnie Sparling.



Three Pine City Teachers Selected for Summer Institute

Sarah Cahill, Education Director for Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, has announced that Julie Anderson, Julie Berglund, and Sheila Hughes have been selected to participate in a four-day institute scheduled for July 31-August 3 in Mystic, Connecticut. This unique educational experience is co-sponsored by the Seaport and the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation.

Mystic Seaport is the fourth-largest museum in the U.S., and while there, these Pine City teachers will learn about the evolution of American perceptions of whales from a multi-disciplinary perspective including science, social studies, literature such as Moby Dick, and current policy. They will study object-based teaching strategies in the museum/classroom through use of primary source materials. Also, they will go on a one-day whale-watching trip.

Anderson, Berglund, and Hughes started offering units on this topic during the past academic year, offering students virtual field trips to the Seaport. Mystic staff will support their endeavors to enrich the educational opportunity of local students in 2012-2013, making their museum objects and exhibits available to Pine City learners electronically.

Students of Excellence 2012

5 Pine City students were recently honored at the 25th annual Students of Excellence Awards & Recognition Ceremony. Over 650 people attended the event honoring the area's top high school seniors. Earning the award from Pine City this year were Kyle Webster, Elizabeth Anderson, Joshua Monson, Adam Stolt, & Renee Schminkey (not pictured).


"The Rockin' Tale of Snow White"


The 5th-6th Grade Musical, "The Rockin' Tale of Snow White" was recently presented to the Elem. students & to an evening public audience.  Over 80 students participated in the show, as well as 12 crew members.  Several very catchy songs highlighted the performance.  A musical is done every other year so all 5 & 6th graders have a chance to be a part of the stage action.  Directors of the musical were Jennifer Hansmann, Sheila Hughes, Kolette Lind, & Roxy Guerin. More pictures from the musical can be found here.

 

Schminkey Places 4th

Renee Schminkey placed 4th at the Class A State Speech Tournament last Friday at Chanhassen High School in the category of creative expression. Schminkey, a senior, performed an original piece called, "You're Not Actually Funny". Over a hundred Minnesota schools were represented at the state speech tournament this year.

 

Three Local Educators Awarded STEM Grant   

Elementary teacher Kerri Larson, high school science teacher Anna Potvin, & chemist Dr. Marlene Mixa from Pine Technical College were notified this week that they received a grant from the Science Museum of Minnesota & National Science Foundation to work on science, technology, engineering, & mathematics (STEM) with students in the Pine City Schools.  In addition to the funding to pay for their ongoing training over the next year, they were awarded $2500 for supplies & materials that the schools will use to implement the initiative.  
This program will supplement and support the STEM Program that is already underway in the Industrial Technology Department at PCHS.  The goal is for both boys & girls to leave high school well-prepared in science & math areas so that they could be successful in post-secondary education & careers. To read more about the $35,000 grant received by the High School, click here. 

6th & 8th Graders to Receive iPads Next Year

Next year all students in grades 6 and 8 will receive iPads to use in the classroom and at home. The following year grades 5 through 8 and possibly 4 through 9 will all be using the Apple iPad as a learning tool in the classroom.

Since they were first introduced into the Pine City Schools reading curriculum with the use of Federal Special Education funds, iPads have proven to show promise as devices that motivate and engage students. As we know, our students are "digital natives" and not only very comfortable using technology, but as we have seen are reinvigorated and inspired by using technology. This has also placed the responsibility of learning back into their own hands.

For more information regarding Pine City's Schools plans to incorporate mobile devices in the classroom, click here.

Previous articles and pictures featured on the homepage can be found by clicking here.
Independent School District No. 578, Pine City Public Schools, Pine City Public Schools 1400 Main St S, Pine City, MN 55063, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or disability.

Pine City Public Schools 2010