Welcome to Panther Lake Elementary, home of the Panthers! We hope you all enjoyed your winter break and continue to stay safe and healthy. As we begin preparation for the end of our first semester of school and gain momentum for our second semester of learning, I wanted to take a moment to thank all our families and scholars for your incredible dedication to partnering with us in this time of remote learning. While we are eager to see our scholars in the classrooms face-to-face, we are seeing growth in scholar academic progress and participation as attendance rates begin to rise and scholars are engaging with learning in this unique environment. We could not be successful without your partnership and we are extremely grateful to have our families and our communities! First semester ends on January 28th and more information regarding report cards will be coming in our weekly parent newsletters. Please remember to check ParentVue weekly for progress updates from teachers regarding assignment completion and academic progress.

At Panther Lake, we are focused on developing the whole child through Goal 2 work and equipping our scholars with the skills they need to master all subjects through our Goal 4 work. As we continue utilizing Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports to foster a safe, kind, and responsible school climate, we have launched our implementation of PBIS Rewards: An online platform that affords our scholars the opportunity to earn points for demonstrating school expectations. Through this online platform, scholars can also visit our Panther Store to purchase prizes, events, and raffles with these points. We remain focused on and committed to high-expectations and high-standards of learning for each individual scholar. While instruction looks differently this year, we know all scholars have the right to an exceptional and rigorous learning experience, no matter the setting. We will continue increasing our scholar efficacy to ensure each Panther Lake scholar is reaching their fullest potential.

In closing, we are looking for parent volunteers and parent feedback to continue transforming Panther Lake Elementary. Please check our weekly parent newsletter for opportunities to volunteer in the remote setting and upcoming family event dates. PAWS with the Principal is an opportunity to join the principal over coffee in a remote setting to provide honest feedback for our school improvement efforts. Please join us for a chance to be entered in a raffle for prizes for your family! I look forward to our continued partnership with our staff, families, and school community as we overcome challenges together and remain united for our scholars.    

At Panther Lake Elementary, health and safety are a priority. As we prepare for our 2021 Re-opening, we are using the guidance from the Department of Health and OSPI. Our district is hard at work developing health and safety protocols with social distancing guidelines, arranging schedules that minimize contact, considering bus transportation and engaging in deep cleaning protocols to minimize the spread of germs. As part of ensuring a safe learning environment, students will be required to wear face masks. Please continue taking time to, both, reinforce and practice the wearing of face masks. We will continue to place health and safety as a priority as we look toward to the second semester. We welcome you call our office prior to stopping by as we continue adhering to social distancing guidelines.    

Again, welcome to our Panther Lake Family and remember, we are in this together. 
Tabatha Ritch, Principal 
tritch@fwps.org