Welcome to Piney Orchard Elementary School!    Our school’s mission is to provide a safe environment that promotes personal and academic excellence for all students.      To live this mission, as monitored through our School Improvement Plan, we are:     * increasing access to opportunities for advanced instruction to all students    (ALPs Exploratory Trail) * challenging advanced students with curriculum specifically designed for gifted and   talented students in homogeneous groups on a daily basis    (ALPs Single Subject trails:  Mathematics and  Language Arts. * focusing on differentiating instruction to ensure the appropriate level of challenge for each    student * integrating technology to extend curriculum * helping students develop the art of written communication to extend, refine, and make     meaningful use of learning * increasing volunteer participation * continuing on our journey to become a Maryland Green School in order to be better stewards   our environment * continuing to train staff to perform multiple roles in emergency situations                 In addition to academics, our character education program will continue to compliment and support our countywide goal to provide a safe and supportive learning environment.               In our ongoing focus on parent communication and our desire to go paperless, we hope you find the website’s appearance attractive and the content informative.  You are encouraged to spend time browsing through the links to learn more about topics such as calendar of events, our supportive PTA, and countywide activities. Each of these links will be updated monthly to coincide with the Parent Newsletter.  Thank you for your continued support.  Should you have any questions or concerns about classroom procedures or a specific incident, please contact your child’s teacher.  In addition, if you need further clarification of our school’s practices, feel free to contact me or other staff members.  We truly believe we are better together!             As the principal of Piney Orchard Elementary School, it is an honor and privilege working with such outstanding students, parents, teachers, and staff.