Elementary School

Check out April's newsletter from Mrs. Carlson! It is full of important info.

Our 1st grade teachers took April Fools’ Day to a whole new level today! 🤪 They showed up dressed as EACH OTHER—outfits, mannerisms, and all—and then went to greet the wrong classes pretending to be their fellow teacher! Let’s just say there were some very confused faces at first… followed by LOTS of laughter! 😂 Students and staff got such a kick out of the switcheroo. We’re still not totally sure who was who by the end of the day! 🤷‍♀️ What a fun way to keep everyone on their toes! 🎉

Thank you to the Pocahontas Economic Development group for greeting our students on High Five Friday!🖐

School Radon Results - 2026.03.26

Recently, the Pocahontas Area Community School District completed the process of testing its Elementary school, District Office/Regional Learning Center and Transportation Building for radon. We recently received good news: Our test results came back below the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) advised radon action level of 4.0 pCi/L. This means we now have peace of mind that our students, staff and community are learning in spaces that are as safe as possible from radon.

What is radon and why does it matter? Radon gas cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and moves upward through cracks and other openings in the foundations of buildings from the soil under a building. In the United States, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers.

The State of Iowa requires radon testing at least once every 5 years for all Iowa public school attendance centers, licensed preschools and licensed child care centers.

To learn how to accurately do the initial radon testing ourselves, we saved taxpayer dollars by receiving training from the School Radon Training & Support System facilitated by Energy Association of Iowa Schools (EAIS). If we would have found elevated radon in our school, EAIS would have coached us through the process of fixing it. EAIS also helped us proactively place our school building on a multi-year rotating radon test schedule so we can continue to ensure radon safety in the future.

For most students and staff, research suggests that schools are actually the second largest contributor to radon exposure. The home is likely to be the most significant source of radon exposure. Please test your home for radon and if necessary, take action to reduce the risk of lung cancer by reducing elevated radon concentrations.

If you have questions regarding radon testing for PACSD, please feel free to contact Robert Boley, superintendent, at 712-335-4848. More information regarding residential radon testing can be found at www.epa.gov/radon.

🏰📚 ISASP Week Kickoff = Success! 🎉 We had an awesome start to ISASP week today! Our 3rd–6th graders kicked things off by meeting their castleball teams, made up of students from every grade level. The energy was high as teams decorated posters, shared a snack, and headed outside for some fun team-building recess time. 💪🎨☀️ Tomorrow, it’s time to buckle down and show what they know on the reading test… and then the FUN begins! 🎯 In the afternoon, students will compete in our 2nd Annual Castleball Tournament, led by the one and only Mr. Johnson! 🏆 We are so proud of our students already! Working hard, supporting each other, and getting ready for a great week ahead! Let’s do this PAC elementary! ❤️🖤

🖤❤️🐾 Kindergarten Round-Up was PAW-sitively perfect! 🐾❤️🖤 We loved welcoming our future kindergarteners for a ‘tail-wagging’ good time! 🐶 These sweet preschoolers got to take a tour of our school, listen to a fun story, and explore hands-on stations that had everyone smiling. From squishing and shaping Play-Doh, to creating adorable puppy hats, to counting “Scooby snacks” (dog bones!) and so much more! There was learning, laughter, and lots of excitement along the way. 🦴✨ Our hearts are so full watching these little learners take their first steps toward kindergarten. We can’t wait to see them grow, learn, and shine in the year ahead! 🐕💛 We can’t wait to welcome them to our school family… we’re so “furr-tunate” to have you! 🐾

Edwards’ Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 18, Awareness Day was on Wednesday, March 18th this year. So last week our preschool students wore blue to support those impacted by this syndrome. 💙

First graders have been working extra hard on writing✍️ and researching birds. They have been using informational text to find out about different bird body parts and how they help specific birds survive.🐦 They then used this knowledge to create "expert bird riddles!" During this process they practiced forming quality sentences and using adjectives to describe their birds! Today they got to celebrate their hard work by presenting their work to other first graders and even were able to have the second graders try to guess their riddles! If you see 👀 these riddles in the hallway, do you think you can guess the birds? 🤓 Great job first grade!🥳

Thank you Pocahontas AEA team for joining us on High Five Friday! 🖐

Our 3rd graders had a sweet time on their field trip to the Sugar Shack near Algona! 🍁 Students learned how sap is collected from trees and the process of turning it into delicious maple syrup. The best part? Taste testing their hard work! 😋 It must have been hard work, because there were some sleepy kids on the ride home! 💤

Preschool had some fun making leprechaun snack traps! 🍀 The whole elementary was filled with green 💚and St. Patrick’s Day excitement!

Watch this fun video and hear advice from our current kindergarteners! Your preschooler might learn a thing or two about what to expect! 💬💛
https://youtu.be/58rYstXYia0

We’d love for you to sign up for a time slot to get a one-on-one tour of our building and meet our amazing staff.

📅 Friday, March 20th
📍 PAC Elementary
⏰ https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0449AAA823A1FAC07-62362354-kindergarten#/

Get ready for an exciting start to your child’s kindergarten journey! We can’t wait to meet our future students! 🍎✏️

Have some general questions or want information before your tour? Click this link! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vS9H5YrC-YtY3i2GQEAkBS582a-HzZTMpWu7H9-duunsQJuxNRIPZkb2xtwPn40OtzEZmA8yO8I7Wvs/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=10000

Thank you to PCH Surgical Department for joining us on High Five Friday! 🖐

💻✨ Part 4 of our 4-Part 4th Grade Computer Science Series is here!

Ever wondered about the application software on a Chromebook? 🤔 Emersyn is here to explain it all! She’ll show us how these programs help us learn, create, and get work done on our devices.

🎬 Check out Emersyn’s video and learn along with us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ2f77Ue8qM

Our last video of our 4th grade Computer Science series will drop today at noon! Stay tuned for Emersyn Reeves!

💻✨ Check out Part 3 of our 4-Part 4th Grade Computer Science Series!

🎬 Today’s featured student: Eleanor! She is going to tell us all about external hardware components and how they help our computers work! 🖥️⌨️🖱️

Be sure to watch and learn along with us. Stay tuned for Part 4 coming soon! 🚀

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJs3UI5yUYE

💻🎉 Part 3 of 4 in our 4th Grade Computer Science Series is coming your way!

In this video, Eleanor shares her knowledge about external hardware components and the important role they play in how our computers work. 🖥️⌨️🖱️

⏰ Stay tuned... the video drops at noon!

We are excited to host Kindergarten Round-Up and look forward to welcoming your child to the PAC Elementary family! To help you learn more about our school, please scan the QR codes on this flyer. You can explore information about PAC Elementary and sign up for a building visit where you’ll have the chance to tour the school, meet our staff, and ask questions as you prepare for this exciting next step in your child’s education.

Here is the link in addition to the flyer to sign up for a one on one tour through our building!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0449AAA823A1FAC07-62362354-kindergarten#/