WELCOME TO THIS WEEK’S PCS NEWS ✨📚
Welcome to this week’s PCS News! With less than 20 days (18.5) left in the traditional school year, the countdown is on and Pender County Schools is making every moment count! From celebrations and special events to student highlights and helpful reminders, this week’s newsletter is packed with the energy, pride, and excitement that make this time of year so special. 💙💛
As the finish line gets closer, our schools are still buzzing with learning, laughter, and lots to look forward to. Thank you for being part of our PCS family and for cheering on our students and staff all year long. Let’s finish strong, Pender County! 🌟
SPRING GAMES SHINE BRIGHT IN PENDER COUNTY ✨🏅
🌈 What a joy-filled day at the Pender County Special Olympics Spring Games at Heide Trask High School! 🎉 Our amazing athletes brought so much energy, heart, and happiness to every moment. From exciting events to big cheers from the crowd, the day was bursting with smiles, determination, and unforgettable memories. 💙💛 Every run, jump, throw, and victory dance reminded us that true champions shine brightest when they lead with courage and joy! 🏅✨ We are beyond proud of our athletes, coaches, families, volunteers, and supporters who made the Spring Games such a shining success. 🌟 The laughter, teamwork, and encouragement shared throughout the day were truly inspiring, and the Pender County pride was impossible to miss! ❤️👏 Thank you to everyone who helped make this celebration so special. Our athletes showed us all that with heart, hard work, and a little sparkle, anything is possible! 🎈😊
PILLARS OF PRACTICE
We excited to share that Karla Shand, principal at Surf City Elementary, has been selected as our March "Pillar of Practice" Award recipient, with this month’s focus on Community Building. Rooted in trust and lifted by every voice, Mrs. Shand has intentionally cultivated a school environment where students, staff, and families feel seen, heard, and valued. Her commitment to building authentic relationships has created a strong sense of belonging across her school community, one where connection is not just encouraged, but embedded in the daily work. Because of her leadership, Surf City Elementary is a place where relationships truly drive success.
PCS BUS DRIVER EARNS SPOT IN STATE BUS ROADEO 🚌✨
Pender County Schools is proud to congratulate Mr. Kevin Whaley on his strong performance at Thursday’s District Bus Roadeo in Cumberland County. Competing against approximately nine bus drivers for a chance to advance, Mr. Whaley finished 3rd overall, securing his spot in the State Bus Roadeo in Raleigh on June 4, 2026. 🚌👏 This accomplishment reflects Mr. Whaley’s skill, dedication, and commitment to safely serving our students each day. We are excited to see him represent PCS at the state competition and wish him the very best in Raleigh. Congratulations, Mr. Whaley! 💙💛
👀PHISHING SCAM ALERT ⚠
From our IT department. NCDPI has received multiple alerts about a growing social engineering campaign in which threat actors are requesting payments for test-related items by posing as WIDA or ACCESS representatives, The ACT, or a test prep company acting on their behalf. Under no circumstances will NCDPI ask for payment regarding these tests. NCDPI has also made The ACT aware of the situation. The ACT does not use email, postal mail, or telephone campaigns to sell third-party test prep resources or services. The threat actor(s) have been contacting parents, students, and districts in various ways, including, but not limited to, email, phone, and SMS. In some cases, they have been aware of information such as the student’s name, address, and grade level. Please carefully investigate any test prep offer and be on the lookout for common signs of scams, including:
- Sense of urgency
- Suspicious domains, links, or attachments
- Unexpected payment requests
Please reach out to Fallon Fuller if you have any questions regarding the legitimacy of a test-related communication.
PENDER HIGH STUDENTS GAIN REAL-WORLD BUDGETING EXPERIENCE THROUGH SECU SIMULATION
Students at Pender High School got a hands-on lesson in personal finance today as representatives from the State Employees’ Credit Union joined school and district staff for SECU’s Reality of Money financial simulation. Designed for students in grades 8–12, the interactive activity gave students the opportunity to step into real-world financial decision-making. Each student received a profile that included a profession, salary, marital status, and number of children, then worked through a series of stations to build a monthly budget based on their assigned scenario. You can read more about the event HERE
Local Volunteers Support Student Language Learning in Library
Students from Ms. Fabianna Seri's English as Second Language class and local community volunteers participated in our first ever “Language Connection” program at Heide Trask High School.
The Language Connection program allowed students — primarily Spanish-speaking and representing countries across the Americas — the opportunity to practice conversational English with community volunteers in a safe and welcoming learning environment. Volunteers hailed from various places like the beaches of North Carolina, to the Great Lakes of Michigan, and even the Great Plains of Texas. However, no matter where they hailed from, all students and volunteers were invested in the same thing -- student success. Read more about the volunteers and the project HERE
Rocky Point Third Graders Are Growing Greatness
Our third grader Rams have been digging deep into the world of plants during their recent science unit, and the classroom has truly been blooming with excitement! From the very start, students have taken an active, hands-on approach to learning by planting their own seeds and caring for them each day. This experience has allowed them to explore the full life cycle of a plant, from tiny seed to growing sprout, right before their eyes. You can read more about what the kiddos are up to HERE
IMMUNIZATION REMINDERS
As we approach the upcoming school year, Pender County Schools would like to remind you about the critical importance of ensuring your child's immunizations are up-to-date, in accordance with North Carolina state regulations. Immunizations play a crucial role in safeguarding the health and well-being of our students and the broader school community. As you may be aware, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has specific immunization requirements for students entering various grades. North Carolina law also provides for two types of exemptions from required immunizations. To ensure your child is ready for the upcoming school year, please take a moment to review their immunization records and schedule any necessary vaccinations. This is especially important for students entering kindergarten, seventh grade, twelfth grade, and those who may be new to our school district. If your child has already received the required immunizations, kindly provide updated records to the school's health office before the start of the school year. Failure to comply with immunization requirements may result in your child being excluded from school until the necessary vaccinations are completed. We want to ensure a smooth and healthy start to the school year for all students, and your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. For your convenience, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provides a detailed guide to immunization requirements, which you can access at- https://immunization.dph.ncdhhs.gov/schools/k-12.htm If there are any concerns or questions regarding immunizations, please feel free to reach out to our school nurse or the health services department. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to a safe and successful school year. HELPFUL LINKS Kindergarten Requirements (English) Kindergarten Requirements (Spanish) 7th Grade Requirements (English) 7th Grade Requirements (Spanish) 12th Grade Requirements (English) 12th Grade Requirements (Spanish) CDC Recommended Immunizations birth-6 yrs CDC Recommended Immunizations 7-18 yrs Vaccine Information NCDHHS Immunization Exemptions
2026 GRADUATION SCHEDULE
Pender County Public Schools is proud to honor our graduating seniors. Find all the details you need for commencement ceremonies, including dates, times, and locations for each high school.
🍎SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS🍕
You can find school lunch menus for each grade level by following THIS LINK
WEEKLY ATHLETICS SCHEDULE
From Pender Early College - Shout out to PECHS student Samuel Ramirez-Santiago who celebrated his first year in the CFCC culinary arts program with their international street food fair! All food was made by Samuel and his classmates!
AND...Prom car wash over the weekend! Prom this weekend!
From Topsail High - 🎉 Congratulations to our Junior Marshals! 🎉 We are proud to recognize these outstanding students who rank at the top of their junior class. Their dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence have earned them the honor of serving as Junior Marshals. In this important role, they will assist with senior events and graduation, representing our school with pride and leadership. This achievement reflects not only their academic success but also their character, responsibility, and perseverance. We look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the year ahead—congratulations again! 👏
From Penderlea School - Did you know behind every great school are incredible administrative assistants? 🌟 Happy Administrative Assistant’s Day to Mrs. Pickett and Mrs. Farrior! Thank you for all the hard work, organization, and care you bring to our school community every day. We appreciate you more than words can say. 💐💼
AND...Did you make it to Transition Night? 🎒✨ Thank you to all the parents and caregivers who joined us! We hope you enjoyed the chance to see what your child will experience next school year.
From Malpass Corner Elementary - 🌍✨ Our Kindergarten Eagles Are Exploring the World! ✨🌍 Today our Kindergarten students continued their exciting journey through the seven continents! We wrapped up our third book by diving into fun and interesting facts about Africa. To bring learning to life, students played a fun “Would You Rather” game! Working in pairs, they practiced asking questions using the linking word “or” and explaining their thinking using “because.” One of their favorite questions was: 👉 Would you rather see elephants in the Sahara Desert or the pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt? Our young learners are building strong speaking and thinking skills while exploring the world beyond the nest. We are so proud of our curious, thoughtful, and SOARing Eagles! 🦅💛
From Cape Fear Elementary - Happy Earth Day! Our 21st century students planted mini bell peppers, cantaloupe, sunflowers, squash, zucchini, potatoes, and a fig tree in our school garden for Earth Day. They did an amazing job working together and engaging in hands-on learning. A special thank you to the Wells family for donating to our school garden—we truly appreciate your generosity! 🌱
AND...The halls are filled with positive messages, and our K–2 students are rocking their tests! So proud of their hard work, confidence, and determination—keep shining bright Cubs!
From South Topsail Elementary - 🌱 Happy Earth Day! 🌎💚 Today, our students in Ms. Comperry's Class celebrated by planting long beans in yogurt cups generously donated by members of our amazing community. This hands-on activity gave us the opportunity to talk about the importance of reusing materials and how even small actions can make a big difference for our planet. We love watching our students learn, grow, and care for the world around them—just like the plants they started today! 🌿
From North Topsail Elementary - We loved having members of the THS Lacrosse team at our car line this morning! Tonight’s game is against North Brunswick and they started their day giving high fives and fist bumps to our Dolphins! Go Pirates!!
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - We are so proud to celebrate our TAES and TMS 4th and 5th grade All County Choir members! 🎶 Their dedication, positive attitudes, and hard work truly shined through during practices and a full day of rehearsals. The experience ended with a beautiful concert alongside talented choir members from nine other schools—what an incredible performance! A special shoutout to our student speakers, Hazel and Remi, and to Addy for her meaningful sign language performance that added something truly special to the music. 💙 Way to go, Ospreys!
AND...Congratulations to our four Honorable Mentions in the Pender County Springfest t-shirt contest! We had 4th graders Remi Golden, Brynne Bullard, and Addie Philimon. Also honored was 3rd grader, Meg Nicholson. TAES is very proud of you!
From Surf City Middle - Mrs. Dapper's students read biographies today and took notes for their One Pagers. We really enjoyed a day of tech-free research!
From Surf City Elementary - 🎉 Happy Administrative Professionals Day! 🎉 We're so thankful for Ms. Oliver at Surf City Elementary. Her dedication, calm presence, and kindness make every day smoother for students, teachers, and families. Ms. Oliver — thank you for everything you do behind the scenes to support our school community! 🙏💐 Drop some ❤️👇 to show your appreciation for Ms. Oliver.
AND...Ms. Withers' Pre-K class completed designing houses that they placed in the container they used to plant grass seed. Her class discussed what it takes to make something grow and can't wait to watch their lawns grow so that they can cut them over the next few weeks. 🌱
From Pender High - 👀Look out for our seniors - they are really going places!🎉
From Burgaw Middle - Students and staff celebrated our amazing front office staff members for Administrative Professionals Week! 💗
AND...Miss Foster's classes participating in Unit 6 Lit Circles! 📚 😊
From West Pender Middle - Spreading good vibes! ✨ Students in Amistad House ❤️❤️ are making banners of encouragement to cheer everyone on for EOGs! 💪📚
AND...Sunshine + stories = the perfect combo ☀️📖 Mrs. Nelson's 6th grade ELA class took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed outside to read in the courtyard!
Port City Daily - Pender County Schools identifies $6.5M in needs amid county budget disarray
WWAY - Pender County schools discuss next year’s budget WWAY - Pender County School District says reported Topsail Middle threat not credible
Pender-Topsail Post - Front Page
Credits:
Created with images by Vitalii Vodolazskyi - "Speech bubble with the phrase What is new.,Curiosity and communication." • fizkes - "Close up of frown Latina woman hold credit card smart phone experiences problems with e-payment, feels annoyed due lack of money, payment insecurity, insufficient funds.,Victim of fraud, scam concept" • mnirat - "Close-up photos of black graduates hats" • Uuganbayar - "What else word written under torn paper concept." • manit - "Hand of young business using smartphone, Social media concept."