Pine River Elementary

Students in Mrs. Gettel's 3rd grade class at Pine River Elementary created their own Spirit Day: 'Dress Like a Teacher.' The students looked very polished for this day.

WEEK OF FEB. 28 LUNCH MENU Monday, 2/28: Ham and Cheese Stromboli Tuesday, 3/1: Macaroni and Cheese Wednesday, 3/2: Chicken Drumstick Thursday, 3/3: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Friday, 3/4: Homemade Pizza (cheese, pepperoni, ham & pineapple OR ham & pepperoni)

The early morning sunshine made for a lovely trip to Lansing for Pine River Elementary’s fourth graders. The students got to tour the Michigan State Capitol and visit the Michigan History Museum. Ms. Johnson’s Class, Mrs. Miller’s Class, and Mrs. Otey’s Class would like to extend a huge thank you to Senator Jim Stamas and Representative Annette Glenn for taking the time out of your busy schedules to speak with us. Also, thank you to all of our incredible parent chaperones for their help. Finally, thank you to Mr. Paul and Miss Penny, our bus drivers from Mitchell Motorcoach, and to Mr. Jerry, our tour guide at the Capitol.

Teachers and support staff at Pine River Elementary work with third grade students before school on reading skills.

Russell and Melissa Czolgosz were presented the Lancer Leader at the February Bullock Creek School Board meeting. They were recognized for the time, energy and effort in leading the GoBot First Lego League team at Pine River Elementary. Their dedication to the program and students is to be commended.

Michelle Kikta, gardener extraordinaire, was presented with a Lancer Leader Award at the February Bullock Creek Education Board meeting. She received this award for her efforts in keeping the garden beautiful, her positive mindset with the students and her dedication to Pine River's wildlife.

Fifth grade students in Mrs. Dubuque's science classes at Pine River Elementary explore the anatomy of zebra mussels and how zebra mussels affect our Great Lakes.

Pine River's third grade teacher, Mrs. Holzhauer, and student teacher, Ms. Hall, demonstrate the guinea pig scarf slings for students to use while holding the class pets.

Ms. Johnson’s 4th graders recently performed a reader’s theater of a folktale: The Gingerbread Boy. The reader's theater experience gave students the opportunity to work together to repeatedly read a script in preparation for the performance in front of classmates. It allowed for practice in fluency, expression, and the projection of voice.

We are thankful for Mr. Outinen who provides a delicious and beautiful lunch each day to the students at Pine River Elementary.

Mrs. Griggs and the Pine River fifth grade music classes performed at the Christmas Walk at Dow Gardens on Thursday, December 8. The students did an amazing job. Thank you, Mrs. Griggs, for organizing this opportunity for the students.

Students in Mrs. Chaffin's Physical Education classes were given the task of 'Decorate a Christmas Tree' by using PE materials and themselves.

Through the program, Salmon in the Classroom, sponsored by Great Lakes Steelheaders of the Bay Region, Fifth Grade teacher, Mrs. Dubuque, has brought the program to Pine River Elementary for the past 11 years. The students look forward to watching the salmon go through the life cycle and fifth graders will release the fish into the Chippewa River in the spring. Can you guess how many eggs are in the tank?

Grateful for the BC/PR PTO and their support of the Pine River Elementary Staff. We will enjoy the caramel apples with all of the toppings! Thank you, PTO!

Thank you, Veterans! Mr. Nick Clark, Veteran of the U.S. Air Force and staff member at Pine River Elementary, took the time to speak with Ms. Johnson’s fourth graders about his training and occupation as an aircraft mechanic in the military. The children really enjoyed hearing about his experience. Ms. Johnson's class would like to thank Mr. Clark, as well as all United States Veterans, for your service to our country.

Picture orders were sent home TODAY. Please look for them in your child's backpack. If you would like your child to have their picture retaken, please send back the entire picture order as soon as possible. Retakes will be on Tuesday, November 16.

Pine River had two special guests Thursday morning greeting the students as they arrived. 'Bones' and Ms. L brought lots of smiles to the kids and adults. Thank you for coming by for a visit.

Thank you to our AWESOME bus drivers for being the first smile that the Pine River students see in the morning. Your incredible driving skills are appreciated!

5th graders at Pine River learned about the transfer of matter in an ecosystem through dissecting logs.

The elementary robotics season is well underway! The theme this year is "Cargo Connect" and the students have been tasked to identify a problem getting goods and services to their destination, create a solution, present it, refine it, and then be judged at a competition the first weekend in December. (Still waiting on our location assignment, but we are assuming it will be Freeland). Last Monday, the Pine River GoBots Team had the honor of a virtual meeting with David Thomas, recently retired Executive Director of the Port of Baltimore. He gave the students insight into how ports work, why they are important, and some of the challenges facing the supply chain, particularly in the shipping industry. I've attached some images of the zoom.