Back-to-School Guide
New this year, the district provided an electronic “Back-to-School” guide, which highlights various information that families to need to review prior to school such as the academic calendar, policies, annual notices, health notices and more. The district calendar is filled with building, district and community events and can be customized. The guide can be viewed at: http://www.pinerichland.org/backtoschool.

Food Service 
This year food service is offering a new app for families that coincides with the makeover of their new payment site. The new site is very similar to previous sites and can be viewed at https://www.schoolcafe.com/. Parents can make payments, view purchase history, receive low balance alerts and view school menus. School lunch prices for 2016-2017 are $2 at elementary schools and $2.20 at secondary schools. School breakfast prices are $1 at the elementary and secondary schools. Families qualifying for free/reduced meals, should visit www.pinerichland.org and click on “At Your Service” and then “Free/Reduced Meals.”

Bus Transportation
For 2016-2017, the district’s transportation provider Student Transportation of America has been busy over the summer improving bus efficiencies especially in relation to ride time and routes, realigning and updating routes for 2016-2017 through the use of onboard technology tools and improved bus routing software as well as developing a working relationship with private and parochialschools for families who live in Pine-Richland School District community.

STEAM Initiative
PRSD been selected to be a member of the cohort of 2016 – 2017 Carnegie Science Technology Engineering Arts & Mathematics (STEAM) Excellence Pathway Partnership. PRSD will send five to eight team members comprised of district and building administrators, teachers, community members and students to the Carnegie Science Center in an effort to identify current strengths and opportunities related to STEAM education and to develop an action plan to further integrate STEAM education into the district curriculum.

Technology
After focusing on transitioning from an outsourced structure to our new hybrid staffing model, which includes a combination of in-house personnel and outsourcing to build a reliable and secure infrastructure for the last few months, the district starts a new year with several projects that were completed including new cabling at three primary schools and new WiFi at all four elementaryschools.  The technology department has also implemented a district-wide Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system and greatly increased the amount internet bandwidth to all of the schools, especially the high and middle School.  The district also extended the use of Google Apps account to the high school students and will activate the middle school student accounts during the new school year.   As the final phases of several large Infrastructure updates are made, the district will look at increasing the number of student devices available to students, especially with a focus on the elementary buildings.   

2016-2017 School Hours  

School start and dismissal times remain unchanged for 2016-2017. They are as follows:

Pine-Richland High School
Start: 7:20 a.m. & Dismissal: 2:26 p.m.

Beattie Career Center
AM Session: 7:30 - 10:20 a.m. &  PM Session: 11:45 - 2:30 p.m.

Pine-Richland Middle School
Start: 7:20 a.m. & Dismissal: 2:26 p.m.

Eden Hall Upper Elementary School
Start: 8:25 a.m. & Dismissal: 3:05 p.m.

Hance, Richland & Wexford Elementary Schools
Start: 9:15 a.m. & Dismissal: 3:45 p.m. & Kindergarten: (AM) 9:15 a.m.- noon & (PM) 1-3:45 p.m.

Two-Hour Delay
Bus pickup and school opening is delayed by two hours. Lunch will be served.
Morning kindergarten will meet from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., & afternoon kindergarten will meet from 2-3:45 p.m.