HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
This is a short school week, so we’re keeping this edition of the PCS Weekly Newsletter on the lighter side. With Thanksgiving coming up 🦃, we’re taking a moment to highlight some of the fun happening in our elementary schools. This tends to be the grade span where students really get into the holiday activities—classroom projects, small celebrations, and those little traditions that make the season feel special. Here's one of those little traditions we're building on. For the second-straight year we set up a microphone and a camera with a simple message - What are you Thankful for? Kids, take it away....
As we head into the break, it’s a good time to appreciate the memories we’ve made with family, friends, colleagues, and our students. We hope the long weekend gives everyone a chance to rest, enjoy familiar routines, and make a few new moments worth holding onto. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving 🍁
From Pender County Schools - Throughout the month of November PCS has been collecting food through our County Wide Food Drive. As we head into the Thanksgiving break, we've collected more than 1,000 pounds of food that will help our friends and neighbors who need it. THANK YOU to all who have and will continue to give! #OnePender 💙💛
From C.F. Pope Elementary - C.F. Pope Elementary celebrated a heartwarming Thanksgiving Lunch today, thanks to the incredible dedication of our Aramark staff. With more than 100 families and guests in attendance, the event brought our school community together for a memorable afternoon of connection and gratitude. The Aramark team prepared a delicious holiday meal and created a warm, welcoming atmosphere for all who attended. Their hard work and commitment continue to make events like this special for our Panther community. We are grateful for the support of our families and proud to uphold traditions that bring our school community closer together.
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - 🎉📚 What an incredible day in Mrs. Bloodworth’s class! 🍂 Her students took the lead with impressive student-led conferences, proudly sharing their growth, and learning with their families. ✨They also put on a wonderful program teaching all about the Pilgrims. To top it all off, the class celebrated with a festive feast, enjoying food, friendship, and the spirit of Thanksgiving together. 🦃🥧
From Cape Fear Elementary - Check out these disguise a turkey family projects from Mrs. Robertson's Preschool class. This project allows children and families to work together, use creativity, and develop other essential skills such as fine motor, language, problem solving skills and much more. - Mrs. Johnson’s class did a great job disguising their turkeys!!! We have Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Spiderman & a gum-ball machine just to name a few!! - Kindergarten worked so hard disguising their turkeys, and their creativity is incredible.
From Rocky Point Elementary - Thank you to all of our RPE families who came out to our "Lunch & Learn" Thanksgiving event yesterday! It was so wonderful having you in the building, showing love and support for your student!
From North Topsail Elementary - Have you ever wondered what it’s like to step inside a teepee? If you drove past North Topsail on Monday morning, you weren’t imagining things—we had a special surprise on campus!
From Malpass Corner Elementary - 🦃 Thanksgiving Lunch at Malpass Corner Elementary! 🦃 Today was filled with gratitude, full plates, and even fuller hearts. ❤️ A huge thank you to our amazing parents who joined us for lunch and made the day extra special for our students. Your presence means so much! Big shout-out to Aramark for putting together an awesome Thanksgiving meal—our Eagles definitely enjoyed it! 🙌 And a special thank you to our teachers and staff for your flexibility and teamwork. Days like today remind us how strong we are when we work together. Here’s to making great memories for our Eagles and celebrating the season of thankfulness as a school family. 💛🦅
From South Topsail Elementary - Today was the annual 2nd grade Thanksgiving Feast 🦃 Stingrays have so much to be thankful for! 🩵
AND...3rd grade celebrated their annual Friendsgiving Brunch this morning 🦃
From Surf City Elementary - A heartfelt shout-out to our incredible cafeteria team for preparing such a delicious Thanksgiving lunch for our 3rd-5th grade students and their families today. ❤️🦃We are so grateful for everything you do—not just today, but every single day for our school community. Thank you for filling our bellies and our hearts! 🧡
AND...Ms. D'Zurilla's class enjoyed a special Thanksgiving Feast today! The room was filled with smiles, teamwork, and lots of delicious treats. We are so grateful for our amazing students and staff who make our school family extra special! 🍽️🤗
We snuck in middle school 👀 From Surf City Middle - Mrs. Clarke’s 7th grade Learning Lab students participated in a small “Friendsgiving” potluck on Monday, Nov. 24th. The students previously worked on money and budgeting through a math computation activity. Students planned a Thanksgiving menu and recorded the prices of five items they selected. After that, they partnered up to create a new Thanksgiving menu—this time with a $40 budget based on their previous choices. The lesson gave students a hands-on look at the kinds of decisions families often make when planning holiday meals, especially when working within a budget. The “Friendsgiving” celebration was a fun way for students to come together, practice social and life skills, and celebrate the season. 🦃🥧
As we wrap up this short week, we want to thank everyone who helps keep our schools running smoothly—teachers, staff, students, and families. Your steady support makes a real difference, especially during busy stretches like this one. We hope the stories and photos from around our elementary schools brought a small bit of joy to your day 😊. Thanksgiving break is a good chance to slow down and recharge. Whether you're traveling, hosting, or keeping things simple at home, we hope you find some time to rest and enjoy the company of the people around you 🧡. Even a quiet moment or two can go a long way before we head into the final weeks of the semester. We’ll be back next week with the full newsletter and more updates from across the district. Until then, have a safe holiday, enjoy the time away, and take good care of yourselves and one another 🦃🍂.
Credits:
Created with an image by NaMong Productions - "hand holding smart phone with application icons interface and globe networking system. concept technology social network communication."