A Letter to Pinewood Families

Dear Pinewood Elementary School families,

Pinewood Elementary is committed to providing rigorous and differentiated instruction to ensure all our students succeed. We serve a diverse population of more than 500 students. Our school was established in 1954. In 2004 we moved into a new building near the original school.

Our commitment is to nurture our Pinewood Panthers to be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn. We also teach students to take ownership of their learning and actions through a daily practice of Steven Covey’s Seven Habits.

Students are recognized for meeting academic goals and showing growth through quarterly awards celebrations. They also participate in club activities that help them connect their daily learning to creativity, exploration and problem resolution.

We have amazing community partnerships that support our students, families and staff. They provide weekend snack backpacks, fund Freedom School for our students during the summer, support the angel tree during the Christmas holiday, provide school supplies, provide family meals and student incentives, volunteer as mentors and tutors, fund staff lunches and so much more. Without our community partnerships, we could not provide the support needed to help our students and families on a daily basis.

I invite you to participate in our school community as often as you can. Please remember to register as a CMS volunteer. All volunteers must register each year and select Pinewood Elementary as the site. Please also remember to bring your ID to sign in upon entering the school as we are working diligently to keep our school safe.

I would like to share a little about myself. I am a native of Camden, New Jersey, and I have resided in North Carolina for the past 20 years. I received my bachelor’s degree from Johnson C. Smith University. As I pursued my teaching career, I was recognized in  “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.”  I obtained my master’s degree in education/curriculum and supervision from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and I have my administrative certification from Winthrop University. I have also successfully completed the yearlong Cahn’s Fellows for Distinguished Principals program at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York.

Finally, as principal of Pinewood I am passionately committed to ensuring that every student succeeds and takes ownership of learning. This ownership will provide our students with the academic skills to become leaders as they pursue the next step of their educational journey.

I look forward to working with you and your child. Thank you for choosing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Pinewood Elementary School.

Natashia Pegram