Welcome to Our New Assistant Principal

Ms. Zabala

Please join our PTA in welcoming Pinecrest Elementary's new Assistant Principal, Ms. Maria Zabala! Ms. Zabala comes to us from Paul Bell Middle School. We are excited to get to know her and to show her why it's great to be a Pinecrest Parrot. She will be in attendance at our next general PTA meeting in April to introduce herself and to meet our parents. We encourage you to join us then!

Camp Pinecrest Carnival

**OUR PTA THANKS YOU**

We know that "Adventures are Better Together," and last Saturday's event was no exception. Our Pinecrest community is extra special and what we accomplished was something for the memory books! The weather was beautiful, our faculty and staff were present and volunteering, our community sponsors supported us in many ways, our parents showed up, volunteered, and bought all the shirts, tickets, auction items, and more, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, our children smiled, laughed, screamed with joy, and had a BLAST! We have many to thank and want to do so here...FOR ALL TO SEE!

THANK YOU TO OUR FAMILIES!

A huge shout out to all families who supported our Family Underwriting Campaign, who bought t-shirts for their children and for themselves, who bid on our beautiful Art Auction pieces and bountiful Baskets, who purchased tickets, and who came out on Saturday, despite all other commitments, to prioritize our school and our children. It means the world!

THANK YOU TO OUR FACULTY AND STAFF!

"Teaching kids to count is fine but teaching them what counts is best." - Bob Talbert

Our faculty and staff led by example at CAMP PINECREST by showing our students that community and togetherness is what counts. We thank you for the support leading up to the event, for working the event, for being at the event with your own families, and for encouraging your students and families to come together at our carnival.

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!

This year's event ran smoother than ever, and these individuals deserve the credit and ALL the kudos you can muster!

THANK YOU TO BABY BUBBA BALLOONS!

How about the amazing balloons that flanked our entrance sign and PE Shelter?! We thank PES parent, Lanan Vargas Nash, and her company, Baby Bubba Balloons, for their generosity in donating the supplies and the talent to create the amazingly spirited displays. We loved the extra touches, and we are grateful for your support of our event!

THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS!

Some sponsors are new to our school and many show up for our school each and every year. We hope that you all will support them in return as best as you can.

February Values Matter Parrot Club

Kindness

Congratulations

Theodore Gibson Oratorical Finalists

Congratulations to the six students who made it to the finals of the district's Theodore Gibson Oratorical Competition. Please give them a big round of applause as they have worked so hard!



Harper Hall - First Grade

Ethan Lago - First Grade

Francisco Garza - Second Grade

Ryan Scurlock - Third Grade

Sofia Webel Ramirez - Fourth Grade

Sophia Pell-Gonzalez - Fifth Grade

Our students will compete in the final round on March 8th. It will be aired live on TV for all of our school to watch and to cheer them on!

PTA Parent Seminar

"Screenagers"

Please join us for a showing of Screenagers, an important film regarding the impact of screen use on our children. Following the movie, we will engage in a brief conversation with a panel of experts regarding the movie's topics and how it all applies to our own children. Light refreshments will be served.

PTA Nominating Committee Members Needed

Our PTA is looking for members interested in assisting with the PTA Executive Board nomination process for the 2023-24 school year. We'd love to have both parents and teachers on this committee. Members will need to meet once or twice via zoom to select nominees prior to presenting their proposed slate to the greater PTA community for a vote.

NOTE:

You may apply for a PTA Board Member position for next year AND still participate as a member of this committee.



If interested, please email pinecrestptacommunication@gmail.com.

Save the Date: Career Day

Watch D.O.G.S. Needs You

M-DCPS Mobile App News

Make Plans Not Dinner

Family Mental Health Webinar Event

Wednesday, March 8th

Calling All 5th Grade Students and Families

PTA would love to see all 5th graders and their families at our Marine Debris Clean up on Saturday, March 11th, from 9:30am - 12:00pm.

Pre-registration is REQUIRED. Click on the link below to create an account to register a parent and a child.

Attention 4th and 5th Graders: Join the Cortada Science Art Academy

The Xavier Cortada Foundation is launching the Cortada Science Art Academy at Pinecrest Gardens (CSAA) for students between the ages of 9-12. The Academy is an afterschool program that begins on March 27th and will run for two hours (3:45pm - 5:45pm), twice a week (Monday/Thursday) for 6 weeks.

Students will discover how they can use the power of art to spur social and environmental action. Through engaged studio sessions and presentations at Pinecrest Gardens’ Hammock Pavilion, students will learn how to use creativity and leadership to help conserve Florida’s ecosystems, defend global biodiversity, and advance the work of climate scientists.

The Foundation has been awarded a grant to provide 15 full scholarships for Village of Pinecrest students. Recipients of this scholarship will attend this afterschool program for free. For those who would like to pay, the entire six-week program has a tuition of $300.

You can learn more about this program here: https://cortada.com/academy/ 

Birthday Book Club February & March

Miami-Dade Public Library Contest

MDPS Mental Health Assistance Line

School Crossing Guard Needed



The Village of Pinecrest is looking for individuals interested in helping Pinecrest Elementary School traffic (grandparents are perfect for this job). This is a part-time position with a schedule of 4 work hours per day (7:30 am to 9:30 am and 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday). Please click the link below if you are interested in learning more.

WPEN to Recognize SOAR Students

Community Partnerships

The companies below are helping to support our Pinecrest PTA and aiding us in offering the best activities and events we can to our Pinecrest community. We are grateful for their partnership.

Please consider supporting them in return. You can easily learn about each by clicking on them and being linked to their websites.