Dear Panther Lake Elementary Parents, Guardians, Families, and Community Members,

Welcome to the 2016-17 school year.  I am very proud to be in my second year as the principal of Panther Lake Elementary School.  There are several core initiatives that the Panther Lake staff will build upon this school year. Panther Lake Elementary will have two strategic goals for our focus on learning improvement that are aligned with our district strategic plan:  Goal 2: Whole Child: Thriving, Confident, Responsible Individuals and Goal 4:  Mastery of All Subjects.  These goals include our Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) that ensure all of our student scholars are successful learners with high expectations for their success.  Our new reading curriculum this school year focuses on independent reading, student scholars knowing books that are best for their reading level as this will help them grow as readers.  The more scholars read, the more improvement will be realized. Panther Lake is launching the “100 Book Challenge” this year for each and every Panther Lake Student Scholar to read at least 100 books this school year. Additionally, we have the expectation that every scholar reads 30 minutes at home in grades Kindergarten thru fifth grade.  At the same time, we are launching a Math Problem of the Month contest that will challenge student scholar thinking like mathematicians. 

I invite you to join our school improvement process and welcome your input on making Panther Lake the best elementary school. We are striving to ensure that every Panther Lake Student-Scholar is thriving, confident and mastering all subjects!

I am very appreciative of the parent and community involvement and support here at Panther Lake. I want to invite all of you to volunteer at Panther Lake.  Student-scholar mentors, tutors, PTA committees, classroom support, as well as being present make all the difference in supporting our student-scholars are great ways to get involved and making a difference.

My door is always open.  Please feel free to contact me at any time during the school year with any questions or concerns at 253-945-3634 or email me at pmcphee@fwps.org.  I look forward to a fantastic school year where your student-scholar is excited every day about coming to school!

Warmly,

Paula McPhee – Panther Lake Principal