SEE YA SEPTEMBER 📅
As we wrap up the final newsletter of September, it’s clear this school year is already off to a strong start. From classrooms filled with curiosity to celebrations of learning, the first full calendar month has set the tone for a year of growth and accomplishment across Pender County Schools. 🍂✨
Looking ahead, October is shaping up to be a busy and exciting month. We’ll be honoring our school leaders during National Principals Month 👩🏫👨🏫, while also observing important awareness campaigns that highlight the health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff. With events, recognitions, and opportunities for families to get involved, there’s so much to look forward to in the weeks ahead.
WATCHING THE TROPICS
September may be ending, but Hurricane Season is not - and the Tropics are heating up. We're keeping an eye on a pair of systems as our area could be impacted in the coming days. We have not finalized any plans as the forecast is currently anything but definite. We will continue to watch and make adjustments to schedules as needed (if needed at all). Please keep an eye on our district website, social media platforms, and your email for any possible updates.
SCHOOL SPIRIT SHINES AT PECHS HOUSE OPENING
Pender Early College High School brought the community together today for its annual House Opening Ceremony, a tradition that highlights school spirit, teamwork, and friendly competition. The celebration began with a lively house procession around the historic Burgaw Courthouse, followed by spirited field day competitions on campus. Families, community members, and even groups like Paws for People joined in the fun, while students cheered each other on and enjoyed the festive atmosphere — complete with the Something Cool food truck. 🎉
The house system, introduced last year by teacher Mr. Sidor after his internship in South Africa, was designed to strengthen connections between underclassmen and upperclassmen, many of whom take classes off campus at CFCC. House events like today’s not only build school spirit, but also give the entire PECHS community a chance to unite. With Rush Week in August to welcome new members and the Opening Ceremony in September to kick off the year’s house points competition, students are set for a year of camaraderie, leadership, and fun in true Pender Early College style. 🏆
COMMUNITY SUPPORT FROM TATE FARMS
The Pender County Special Olympics fundraiser was held this past weekend at Tate Farm in Willard, bringing families together for a day of fun and support. From corn mazes and hayrides to sweet fall treats, the event offered something for everyone while raising awareness and funds for local athletes.
During the fundraiser, Dr. Jimmy Tate—one of our Pender County Commissioners—presented a check for $550 from Tate Farms to Special Olympics Pender County. His contribution reflects the strong partnership between community leaders and our schools in supporting opportunities for all students
🚗🔧 BUILDING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS AT PHS!
Pender High School’s Automotive Program is putting students in the driver’s seat of their futures thanks to a strong partnership with Fairway Ford. A big thank you to Fairway Ford for donating shirts to the program and to Mr. Highsmith for visiting class to share the many opportunities available in today’s automotive industry.
Students are now preparing for their next module — Brakes — which will run October 20 through December 17 (Monday–Thursday, 8:30–11:45 AM).
✅ Interested in joining? See Mr. Fields at Pender High School.
✅ Planning ahead for Steering & Suspension in Spring 2026? See Ms. Stokes at Pender High School.
Together, we’re driving students toward success in high-demand careers! 🚀
🔢✨ DISCOVERING THE FUN IN MATH
Our first graders have been busy exploring all the different ways numbers can work together — and the excitement in the classroom is contagious! Using counters, teamwork, and plenty of curiosity, these young Rams are building strong addition skills while learning that math can be a true adventure. 🧮💡🎉
👉 Read the full story HERE
📖⚔️ OPERATION: SAVE HISTORY AT WPMS
Ms. Alexis Christoff’s 7th grade social studies students kicked off the year with a one-of-a-kind simulation that brought history to life. Faced with “The Eraser,” a villain determined to wipe out history, students rose to the challenge — joining “the Resistance,” defending the past, and debating why history matters. 🕰️✍️💡
👉 Read the full story HERE
🍎SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS🍕
You can find school lunch menus for each grade level by following THIS LINK
WEEKLY SCHEDULES
RIVALRY NIGHT🏈
The Sharks football team lit up the field last night with a thrilling 36–6 victory over Topsail Middle School! The stands were packed with cheering fans as Colby Roberts led the way with three touchdowns, while Robo De’Leon and Xander Scaldaferri each powered in for 1 touchdown of their own. The defense held strong, highlighted by a spectacular interception from Saul Botkin and some huge blocks that stopped TMS in their tracks. It was an unforgettable win for the Sharks! 🦈🏈
From Surf City Elementary - 🍎👮♂️ Lunch with the Law 👮♀️🍎 Thank you to our awesome SC Police Department for sitting down to lunch with our first graders. This community program gives the officers the chance to connect with students, answer their curious questions, and build positive relationships in a fun, relaxed setting. We’re grateful for the opportunity to show these young students that police officers are here to help, support, and keep them safe.
AND...Ms. Stewart's 4th graders took a deep dive into poetry to launch their new book, Love That Dog. Students worked in groups to explore a variety of poetry books, discussed what they enjoyed about their book and showed their rating using sand dollars. Finally, students chose an object of their choice and wrote their very own poem!
From Topsail High - The faculty at Topsail High is simply THE BEST! Each day they raise the bar to help our students achieve excellence! What do you do when they go above and beyond? You recognize them each month with a certificate, words of affirmation, and a prize! Please join me in congratulating September's Pirates of the Month!
From C.F. Pope Elementary - 👐📚 Hands-on learning was in full swing across our school today! From creative projects to problem-solving activities, our Panthers were actively engaged, exploring, and making learning come alive. 💡🐾
AND...Check out who showed up in Panther Nation today to teach our 5th graders valuable lessons about risks and consequences and how to use the D.A.R.E decision making model to work through tough decisions! We are so thankful for our D.A.R.E instructors for the invaluable work they do for our students!
From Penderlea School - Something’s Buzzing at Penderlea... 🐝
While our Hornets are away for fall break, some quiet transformations are happening behind the scenes…
🎨 A little fresh paint here.
🧼 A little shine on the floors there.
Let’s just say… the building is getting a glow-up. 👀
We can’t wait for everyone to walk back in and feel the difference. 💛❤️
More to come!
From Pender Early College - Congratulations to Abby and Uri Blick for being accepted to their top school, UNC-Greensboro!
AND...Congratulations to Allison Oxford for being accepted to many of her college choices through CFNC.org's NC College Connect program! PECHS is proud of you!
From Malpass Corner Elementary - 🌟 Mrs. London is living the dream every day in Room 114! 🌟
Her passion for teaching and dedication to her students make learning an exciting adventure each and every day. 💫📚
AND...🎉 Mrs. Miles and Mrs. Joyce are bringing all the learning to 21st Century! 🎉
Afterschool kicked off Monday, and the students are already all smiles as they dive into exciting new opportunities to learn and grow! 📚✨
From Pender High - Throwback Thursday is BACK! See anyone you know?👀
From North Topsail Elementary - Happy National Lobster Day! Check out this book!
From Burgaw Middle - Ms. Foster's class is bringing stories to life in 6th grade ELA! 📚
From Rocky Point Elementary - Thank you to all of the families who were able to come out to our Title I meeting and Curriculum Night tonight! Be sure to be on the lookout for more information about our Reading Challenge for this year!
AND...2nd Grade is learning all about change! Ms. Stewart's students split into small groups to investigate details about how the seasons change. They worked together, looking for details to support what changes that leaves and trees experience during each season. If you want to learn more, here are some of the texts that the students have read:
“Weather,” Eve Merriam
"The Little Yellow Leaf," Carin Berger
"A Color of His Own," Leo Lionni
"How Do You Know It’s Fall?," Lisa. M Herrington
"Why Do Leaves Change Color?," Betsy Maestro
"Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art, "Thomas Locker
If you're interested in learning more, you can search for read-alouds online and talk with your students about what they've learned in Wit & Wisdom!
From Heide Trask High - Titan pride was on full display today in our Unified P.E. class! Unified P.E., part of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools model, brings students with and without disabilities together to learn, grow, and compete as teammates. Coach McSwain wrapped up his volleyball unit by inviting Titan staff to join the game. When we play together, everyone wins. 💙🖤
From Surf City Middle - Students in Ms. Muffett’s class observe and make inferences from artifacts found in the trash (the collections were not collected from actual garage bins like gross banana peels and used diapers. They were carefully selected discarded items)
From West Pender Middle - 🧪 Science got messy and fun today! Students in Ms. Thompson's 6th grade Science classes explored states of matter by making oobleck!
AND...In her first official week, Ms. Rabel set the standard with her students. We are so excited to see the experiences and opportunities she will continue to bring to WPMS! 🧡🩰
From South Topsail Elementary - Fifth grade students learned all about being a sailor, long ago.
From Cape Fear Elementary - 🎉 We are excited to share that Burgaws Best Parents Night Out event raised $550 for the Cape Fear Elementary PTO! 🎉
Thank you to all the families who joined in the fun and helped raise money towards our new Art Tables.
AND...This week marked an exciting start to the 21st CCLC program with students taking part in a hands-on STEM activity: the Stacking Cup Challenge. Working in groups, students used only a piece of string attached to a rubber band to stack cups into a pyramid. They weren’t allowed to touch the cups with their hands and had to rely entirely on teamwork and communication.
From Cape Fear Middle - There was a great turnout at the PCS Marching Band Showcase last night.
The following middle schools were present: Burgaw Middle, Cape Fear Middle, Topsail Middle and Surf City Middle. The following high schools performed their shows: Pender High, Topsail High and Heide Trask High.
Cape Fear Middle received the audience choice award. Great job Grizzlies!!!!!
AND...This week Mr. Odom's students have been progressing on their projects. 8th Grade is building towers to test for structural efficiency and 7th Grade is building bridges also to test for structural efficiency. 6th grade is working on their first big project while practicing some math while building tetrahedral kites!
From Topsail Middle - FCA launched its first leader meetings to start planning for this year's huddles. This week, students came together to pray for the national "See You At the Pole" event. FCA huddles will begin in October at TMS.
AND...What an incredible experience for our 8th grade band members at the first-ever Pender County Marching Band Showcase at Heide Trask High School this past Tuesday! They joined fellow musicians from across the county to play in the stands and cheer on high school performances. Everyone had a fantastic time!
🔥 Pender County Schools is committed to engaging students in exciting experiential learning activities that will prepare them for their futures. These experiences are designed to equip our students with the skills needed for enrollment, enlistment, or employment upon graduation. We're proud to offer incredible opportunities in Career and Technical Education! 🛠️👩🔬👨🎓 Click HERE for the latest from CTE Director Dominique Bates #CTEforNC #ExperienceTheExcellence
PENDER-TOPSAIL POST & VOICE - Front Page
StarNews - NC report cards: Here's the list of grades for Wilmington-area schools
Credits:
Created with images by STOATPHOTO - "Whats New.,Communication, business and knowledge concept.,Wooden table" • Thomas - "Green metal lockers along a nondescript hallway in a typical US High School. No identifiable information included and nobody in the hall. " • charles taylor - "random post it stickers" • photocrew - "Nachrichten" • NaMong Productions - "hand holding smart phone with application icons interface and globe networking system. concept technology social network communication."