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.

 

 

 

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!

First Dance of the School Year a Huge Success

 

This past Friday, we had our first dance of the year for all grades. Judging by the reactions of students, it appears that everything was a HUGE HIT! A special thank you to our PTSA Dance Committee for all of their work to coordinate this event for our students. This is yet another example of the many ways that our PTSA supports so many things within our school community that quite frankly may not be possible without the support of all of you who support our PTSA. We’d also like to extend a special thanks to all of the other adults (parents, staff, community members) who assisted with chaperoning or assisting with snacks. It takes a village!

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. Numerous times this past week, administrators and counselors have even had to be pulled away from supporting students to assist in the front office to handle waves of students coming in, which is not a practice that we will norm.

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

Halloween Costumes Allowed on October 31

 

Students who wish to wear costumes on Halloween (Friday, October 31) are permitted to do so. As is the case with any other day, however, student attire must adhere to the WCPSS Dress Code Policy as adopted by our school. 

 

Furthermore, students must adhere to all other policies outlined in the Student Code of Conduct when considering what they may (or may not) wear as a part of a costume (or any attire for that matter). Below are a few things to remember:

 

• Full face coverings/masks are NOT permitted.

• Facsimiles of any weapons (e.g., toy weapons, plastic axes for costume prop, etc.) or other potentially dangerous instruments are NOT permitted.

• Anything that promotes use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs OR anything that depicts profanity, vulgarity, obscenity, or violence are NOT permitted

 

Again, to reiterate the earlier point—if students wouldn’t be able to wear something to school any other day of the year, they would not be permitted to wear it as a costume.

Dr. Carrington Makes Good on Blond Fundraising Promise

 

In keeping with my promise to dye my hair blond if we met our fundraising goal a few weeks ago, this weekend, I finally took the plunge with the assistance of a very talented master stylist—and member of our PHMS community—Mrs. Jenny Smith of the Samuel Cole Salon off of Strickland Road. She took great care of this anxious principal and made the process super easy!

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.

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.

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.

 

 

No School for Students on Monday, October 20

 

This is a reminder that there is no school for students on Monday, October 20 as it is a Teacher Workday. We look forward to seeing students on Tuesday, October 21. 

Fall Dance Tickets on Sale This Week

 

Our first school-wide dance of the year will take place on Friday, October 24, 2025, from 5:00 – 6:30 pm for all PHMS students, grades 6-8 (students from other schools are not permitted to attend). The theme for the dance is Glow in the Dark. Click here to view the flyer.

Tickets will be $7 per person and will be sold before school and during lunch at the following times:

• Before school Tuesday, October 21 - Friday, October 24 from 7:45 am until 8:10 am

• During lunch on the following days for each grade level

  • Tuesday, October 21 for 6th Graders During Their Lunch

  • Wednesday, October 22 for 8th Graders During Their Lunch

  • Thursday, October 23 for 7th Graders During Their Lunch

 

Tickets will NOT be sold at the dance on Friday.

 

As a reminder, the dance will conclude promptly at 6:30 pm, at which point all students will need to be picked up. Students who are not picked up within a reasonable amount of time may not be able to participate in future after-school activities.

Volunteer to Assist with Fall Dance on Friday, October 24

 

We will have our first school dance on Friday, October 24 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. This dance will be open to all Pine Hollow Middle School students who meet behavior expectations. Additional details about ticket sales will be available in the coming week or so. If you would like to sign up to chaperone and/or donate snacks, please sign up here. 

Halloween Costumes Allowed on October 31

 

Students who wish to wear costumes on Halloween (Friday, October 31) are permitted to do so. As is the case with any other day, however, student attire must adhere to the WCPSS Dress Code Policy as adopted by our school. 

 

Furthermore, students must adhere to all other policies outlined in the Student Code of Conduct when considering what they may (or may not) wear as a part of a costume (or any attire for that matter). Below are a few things to remember:

 

• Full face coverings/masks are NOT permitted.

• Facsimiles of any weapons (e.g., toy weapons, plastic axes for costume prop, etc.) or other potentially dangerous instruments are NOT permitted.

• Anything that promotes use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs OR anything that depicts profanity, vulgarity, obscenity, or violence are NOT permitted

 

Again, to reiterate the earlier point—if students wouldn’t be able to wear something to school any other day of the year, they would not be permitted to wear it as a costume.

Makeup Picture Day 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.

Check-In Tests Coming Up Soon

 

On Monday, November 10th, the students will be taking their first ELA Check-in. We will be operating on a different schedule that morning to give the students time to take the Check-in without interruption. Please try to make sure your student comes to school by 8:15 am on Monday, November 10th.

 

The NC Check-Ins 2.0 are formative assessments developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Annual Testing Program and are aligned to North Carolina grade-level content standards. The main purpose of the interims is to provide students and teachers with immediate in-depth data and a reliable estimate of students’ current performance on selected subsets of content standards. The end-of-grade (EOG) and end-of course (EOC) tests share a common question bank with the NC Check-Ins 2.0, which then exposes students to similar question types and rigor found on the EOGs and EOCs. 

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.

Trunk-or-Treat from One of Our School Partners on October 25

 

Our friends from New City Church have invited our families to enjoy an afternoon of candy, costumes, and family fun on Saturday, October 25, from 4–6 PM at Pine Hollow Middle School! This free community event will feature decorated car trunks for safe trick-or-treating, plus games, inflatables, complimentary snacks, and more.

 

Students are welcome to wear kid-friendly costumes and bring a bag or tote to collect candy. They’d love for you to invite friends and neighbors to come enjoy the fun!

Reminders from Previous Week(s)

 

Behavioral Expectations and Impact on Extra-Curricular Activities: In an effort to maintain a safe and orderly school environment, we have been meeting with students recently to reiterate behavioral expectations at our school. As such, effective September 29, students who are assigned three (3) or more full days of ISS or OSS during the respective quarter will not be permitted to participate in after-school activities during that quarter. Furthermore, students who receive excessive partial-day assignments to ISS will also not be able to participate in these after-school activities.

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.