New Administrator Joining PHMS

 

We are excited to share that we will be welcoming a new administrator to the mix effective December 1 when Mrs. Corder joins our team as an assistant principal intern. Mrs. Corder previously taught at Olive Chapel Elementary School and  is currently pursuing her Master of School Administration at UNC Chapel Hill. Please join us in welcoming her to the PHMS community!

Crew Applications Available for Spring Musical (Xanadu Jr.!)

 

Crew applications are now open for Xanadu Jr.! If your student is interested in working behind the scenes for the musical as part of our set, tech, or stage crews, they will need to fill out our crew application. The application can be accessed at bit.ly/xanaducrew. All crew applications are due by Wednesday, December 3.

PTSA Stocking the Teacher’s Lounge

 

Our PTSA  is restocking the staff lounge for the holidays between December 8th-16th. As a part of the restock, they are looking for sweet and salty snacks, drinks, and small amount gift cards. Items can be dropped off in the front office  December 8-16 or during morning carpool on Tuesday, December 16. Click here to access the SignUpGenius.

NJHS Winter Donation Drive Running December 1-12

 

The PHMS National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is excited to announce their upcoming winter donation drive in which they will be collecting items for care packages supporting Oak City Cares from December 1-12. For those who wish to contribute, please drop off donated items in the library, office, or Ms. West's classroom (room 3705). As a part of the donation drive, they  will be collecting new hats, new socks, and travel size hygiene items such as shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and body wash bars. Thank you for helping Pine Hollow support those in need this winter season!

Thank You to Our 2025-26 PTSA School Sponsors

 

A special thank you to the generous local businesses who have signed on to be a sponsor for the 2025-26 school year. If your company—or one that you know—is interested in serving as a sponsor, please connect with our PTSA Fundraising Co-Chairs at phmsptsafundraising@gmail.com.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to Our PHMS Community

 

As we head into the Thanksgiving break this week, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude for our entire school family—our amazing students, dedicated staff, and supportive parents/guardians. Whether you celebrate this holiday or any other, we wish you a time filled with peace, joy, and connection with loved ones. As a reminder, school will be closed beginning on Wednesday, November 26, until we return to school on Monday, December 1.

Thank You for Your Notes of Gratitude

 

Thanks so much to everyone who filled out one of our special “Thankful for You” notes that we were able to share with staff. We had almost 250 personalized notes that we were able to share with staff, which was a great way to spread a little joy and gratitude.

New Spiritwear Now Available for Pre-Sale Until November 30

 

New PHMS spiritwear available online! Pre-order new hoodies and sweatpants by clicking here! Orders close Sunday, November 30th at 10:00 pm. Delivery set for the week of December 8. These make great student/family gift ideas!

Thank You to Our 2025-26 PTSA School Sponsors

 

A special thank you to the generous local businesses who have signed on to be a sponsor for the 2025-26 school year. If your company—or one that you know—is interested in serving as a sponsor, please connect with our PTSA Fundraising Co-Chairs at phmsptsafundraising@gmail.com.

 

 

PHMS Takes on Bullying Through Second Step® Lessons 

 

Over the next several weeks, your child will be discussing bullying and harassment as part of Second Step® Middle School. As we know, bullying is at its peak in middle and high school. Research indicates that taking proactive steps to address bullying will help reduce occurrences of it in our school. Furthermore, addressing bullying and harassment will benefit students in high school and beyond. Research also indicates that bullying in middle school is associated with sexual harassment and gender-based harassment in high school and beyond. We are taking proactive steps to reduce occurrences of bullying and harassment at our school.

 

Second Step® Middle School is designed to support your child in developing the knowledge and skills to help stop bullying and harassment. Each grade level will complete their own lessons on bullying and harassment. Below is a list of topics that will be covered as a part of lessons that students across the school will complete:

 

• How to recognize bullying in various contexts

• How to recognize the similarities and differences between bullying and harassment

• How to use strategies to stand up safely to bullying

• How to safely challenge social and environmental factors that can enable bullying and harassment

• How to recognize sexual harassment and gender-based harassment

• Their rights and responsibilities at school when it comes to bullying and harassment

• How to seek help if they or someone they know is being bullied or harassed

Staff Celebrations in November

 

Did you know that this Thursday, November 19, is Intervention Coordinator & Coach Day? At Pine Hollow Middle School, we are so grateful for all the work that our intervention coordinator (Ms. Stern) does each day along with our math department chair and math intervention teacher/coach (Ms. King). Their dedication, compassion, and tireless efforts make such a difference in the lives of our students. Thank you!

 

This past week, we also had the chance to celebrate our school psychologist, Dr. Sulzbach, for School Psychology Awareness Week. A very special thank you to her for everything she does for our Pine Hollow community as a part of the Student Support Services team. Her expertise, support and experience is very much appreciated by our students and our staff.

Help Us Show Our Appreciation for Staff with Notes of Gratitude

 

Help us celebrate our amazing staff this season by sharing a message of gratitude for a staff member who has positively impacted your child or family. To do this, fill out this quick Google Form, which will allow administrators to generate special gratitude notes that we will provide to staff with your special words. To see an example of what staff will receive with your words, click here. 

PTSA General Meeting on Wednesday, November 19

 

All individuals who have joined the PTSA are invited to attend the General PTSA Membership Meeting on Wednesday, November 19 at 6:30 pm in the media center. We will be voting on the budget and reviewing our plans for the year. We look forward to a great turnout!

New Spiritwear Now Available for Pre-Sale Until November 30

 

New PHMS spiritwear available online! Pre-order new hoodies and sweatpants by clicking here! Orders close Sunday, November 30th at 10:00 pm. Delivery set for the week of December 8. These make great student/family gift ideas!

Thank You to Our 2025-26 PTSA School Sponsors

 

A special thank you to the generous local businesses who have signed on to be a sponsor for the 2025-26 school year. If your company—or one that you know—is interested in serving as a sponsor, please connect with our PTSA Fundraising Co-Chairs at phmsptsafundraising@gmail.com.

 

 

ELA Check-In Tests on Monday, November 10

 

On Monday, November 10, all students in the building will take their first ELA Check-In, which is one of our required state tests. We need every student to give their absolute best on this test as it provides critical information about their mastery of their learning and will be used to determine what additional support may or may not be needed. Please help us by talking with your student(s) about taking these assessments seriously and doing their absolute best.

 

We also need to ensure that students are at school on time (OR EARLY) so that we can get started as quickly as possible. We will be operating on a different schedule that morning to give the students time to take the Check-in without interruption, so this makes it even more important.

Fall Picture Makeups & Retakes on Monday, November 10

 

Students who missed fall picture day and those who would like to retake their pictures will be able to do so on Monday, November 10. Click here to view package information. To receive updates about your child’s school portraits after picture day, sign up at this link. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

 

Students who are retaking a picture should bring their original photo package with them when they go to take their new picture. Students will give the original package to the photographer.

Papa John’s Spirit Night on Monday, November 10

 

Need a quick and easy dinner that will also support Pine Hollow? If so, order Papa Johns pizza on Monday, November 10 and use our special school code (RSP003) when placing your order on their app, online, or over the phone—and 30% of all sales will come right back to support our school. It’s a simple (and delicious!) way to enjoy dinner while supporting Pine Hollow. Click here to view the flyer with additional details.

No School on Tuesday, November 11 for Veterans Day

 

As a reminder, school will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day. As a part of this holiday, we hope that you will do something special to honor the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of those who have served our country. As a school community, we recognize the invaluable contributions of veterans past and present and express our gratitude for their commitment to protecting our freedoms. We are especially grateful to the veterans who make up our community!

Spring Musical Auditions Starting Soon

 

The Pine Hollow Theatre Program is excited to announce our 2026 Spring Musical: Xanadu Jr. Auditions are being held after school on November 12-13, with callbacks on November 14. Any students that are interested in auditioning should pick up an audition packet from the chorus room and follow the instructions in their audition packet to access the google form to sign-up as well as their audition materials. Sign-ups will be open until Friday, November 7th. If you have any questions about auditions, please email our choral director Mrs. Cain at ewcain@wcpss.net.

Thank You to Our 2025-26 PTSA School Sponsors

 

A special thank you to the generous local businesses who have signed on to be a sponsor for the 2025-26 school year. If your company—or one that you know—is interested in serving as a sponsor, please connect with our PTSA Fundraising Co-Chairs at phmsptsafundraising@gmail.com.

 

 

Pine Hollow Featured as One of Raleigh’s Best for 2025

 

Today, the News & Observer announced their winners of the “Raleigh’s Best” competition, and our school finished in the top three of the “Best Middle School” category, taking home the bronze! This recognition is a testament to the work we are all doing together to build a stronger school culture and community for everyone. Congratulations to all of the schools who were recognized!

Teacher Workday on Tuesday (11/4)

 

This is a reminder that students will not have school on Tuesday, November 4, as we have a Teacher Workday for staff to engage in school-wide professional development.

Spirit Week Next Week (November 3-7)

 

To wrap up the first quarter and fall sports season, we will have a full Spirit Week next week, November 3-7. Below are the dates.

 

• Monday (Nov. 3): Grade Level Color Day - Represent your grade level by wearing the following colors to help your grade level win the grade level color battle during the pep rally!

  • 6th Grade = White

  • 7th Grade = Gray

  • 8th Grade = Red

• Tuesday (Nov. 4): NO SCHOOL for Students

• Wednesday (Nov. 5): Team Day - Represent your favorite team by wearing your favorite gear—jerseys, t-shirts, uniforms, hats, scarves, whatever shows your best spirit!

• Thursday (Nov. 6): Pajama Day - Roll out of bed and go (remember to brush your teeth 

• Friday (Nov. 7): Twin/Triplet Day - Choose a friend or two (or more!) to dress alike with

Spring Musical Auditions Starting Soon

 

The Pine Hollow Theatre Program is excited to announce our 2026 Spring Musical: Xanadu Jr. Auditions are being held after school on November 12-13, with callbacks on November 14. Any students that are interested in auditioning should pick up an audition packet from the chorus room and follow the instructions in their audition packet to access the google form to sign-up as well as their audition materials. Sign-ups will be open until Friday, November 7th. If you have any questions about auditions, please email our choral director Mrs. Cain at ewcain@wcpss.net.

ELA Check-In Tests on Monday, November 10

 

On Monday, November 10th, the students will be taking their first ELA Check-in to provide students and teachers with immediate in-depth data and a reliable estimate of students’ current performance on selected subsets of content standards. We need your help in two ways:

 

1. Making sure that your student(s) take these assessments seriously as they are invaluable in helping us to determine what additional supports we need to provide students.

 

2. Ensuring that students are at school on time (OR EARLY) so that we can get started as quickly as possible. We will be operating on a different schedule that morning to give the students time to take the Check-in without interruption.

Makeup Picture Day Also on Monday, November 10

 

Students who missed fall picture day and those who would like to retake their pictures will be able to do so on Monday, November 10. Click here to view package information. To receive updates about your child’s school portraits after picture day, sign up at this link. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

 

To assist with planning, students who need to make up and/or retake their pictures need to sign up to retake or make up their picture using this Google Form (only students who are logged into their WakeID accounts can access this form) by November 6. On Monday (11/3), all students will receive an email for Dr. Carrington with a link to the form also.

Morning Arrival Reminder

 

The past couple of weeks, we have noticed a significant uptick in the number of students who are arriving late. This week, the admin team will be connecting with chronic offenders to address this; however, we wanted to highlight to everyone the importance of having students at school and in class on time. We recognize that emergencies will come up occasionally; however, we cannot emphasize enough how the number of tardies we are dealing with first thing every day is beginning to put a SIGNIFICANT strain on our staff and our limited resources.

Support our Band Program’s Donors Choose Project

 

Looking for a way to support our band program—and a growing jazz ensemble we hope to launch? If so, feel free to contribute to the band program’s Donors Choose project to purchase an electric keyboard for the band classroom. To learn more about the project or to donate, click here.

Game Design Academy Information for Rising Leesville Road HS 9th Graders

 

Leesville Road High School is now accepting applications for the Game Design Academy for rising 9th graders! Students will learn the engineering design process through hands-on game development, gain real-world experience, and connect with tech industry partners.

• For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/LRHSGameAcademy
• Space is limited — apply today: https://bit.ly/GameAcademyLRHS

Thank You to Our 2025-26 PTSA School Sponsors

 

A special thank you to the generous local businesses who have signed on to be a sponsor for the 2025-26 school year. If your company—or one that you know—is interested in serving as a sponsor, please connect with our PTSA Fundraising Co-Chairs at phmsptsafundraising@gmail.com.