Greetings C.F. Pope Families,
I am happy to share some good news and provide what I hope will be our final update regarding the air quality concerns at our school.
The two classrooms that remained closed were cleaned and underwent another round of air quality testing on Thursday. We received those results today, and both classrooms have been cleared to return to normal use.
This means all classrooms at C.F. Pope are now available for students and staff.
I know the past couple of weeks have caused concern and raised questions for many of our families. I appreciate your patience as we worked through the process. At each step, rooms that required additional attention were kept out of use while cleaning, remediation and follow-up testing were completed.
I also want to thank our teachers and staff who adjusted classrooms and routines while this work was underway. Most importantly, thank you to our families for your patience and understanding as we worked to get this right.
We are glad to have this work behind us and to have all of our classrooms back in use.
Thank you,
Ms. Moore
Principal
C.F. Pope Elementary
What a GREAT first week in Panther Nation! 🎉 Our Panthers jumped right into **learning, building relationships, practicing routines and procedures, and RISING to our expectations!** 📚✨
We are so proud of the energy, excitement, and Panther Pride filling our school! 💪🏽🐾
**One week down and an AMAZING year ahead! LET’S GO, PANTHERS!** 💙💛
#PantherProud #PantherNation #FirstWeek #EveryChildEveryDay
We are only in the **FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL**, and our Panthers have already checked out **OVER 100 BOOKS** from the Media Center! 🐾📖 What an incredible way to kick off the 2026–2027 school year!
A special **SHOUTOUT to Mrs. Dancy’s class** for jumping right in and showing their love for reading! 🎉📚 Keep turning those pages, Panthers!
We are excited to see just how many books our students will explore this year. **Readers are leaders, and our Panthers are off to an AMAZING start!** 🐾💙💛
#PantherNation #PantherProud #ReadersAreLeaders #CFPopeElementary #LoveOfReading #FirstWeekOfSchool #PanthersRead
A HUGE thank you to our amazing PTO for treating our staff to a beautiful—and delicious—coffee bar! ☕️✨
There’s nothing like a little caffeine, a sweet treat, and a whole lot of love to help our teachers and staff power through the excitement of a new school year! The thoughtful details and tasty selections made our team feel incredibly appreciated. 💙💛
We are so grateful to have a PTO that continuously finds ways to support, encourage, and pour into our Panther Family. Thank you for making our day a little sweeter! 🐾
#PantherNation #PantherPride #ThankYouPTO #StaffAppreciation #CFPopeElementary
Our halls were filled with smiling faces, warm welcomes, new friendships, learning, laughter, and plenty of Panther Pride! From our littlest Panthers beginning their school journey to our 5th graders starting their final year at CFPE, today was a day to remember!
A HUGE thank you to our incredible teachers and staff for making sure our students felt welcomed, loved, supported, and ready to learn. We are also grateful to our families for trusting us with your most precious gifts and for your patience and support as we worked through our first-day routines.
✨ Day ONE is officially in the books, and we are just getting started!
Here’s to a year of learning, growing, achieving, and becoming the best versions of ourselves!
💙💛 Panther Nation, let’s make 2026–2027 our BEST YEAR YET! 🐾
#PantherNation #PantherPride #CFPopeElementary #FirstDayOfSchool #BackToSchool #PantherStrong
Our Administrative Team would like to extend our sincere thanks and deepest gratitude to our C.F. Pope Elementary School family, District Office staff, Operations Department, HES Staff, Pender County Board of Education, and our amazing community for the incredible support shown this weekend.
Because of your hard work and dedication, our teachers were able to get their classrooms cleaned, prepared, and ready to welcome our Panthers tomorrow for their First Day of School!
While many spent the weekend relaxing, shopping, and enjoying the final moments of summer, our Panther family spent the weekend showing up, lending a hand, and supporting one another to ensure our students could return to a safe, welcoming, and prepared school environment.
This certainly wasn't the traditional weekend before the start of a school year, but it was a powerful reminder of what happens when a community comes together with one common purpose: our students.
We are especially grateful to our Cabinet for their support and commitment throughout this process, as well as our district leaders and Operations Department for working alongside us to make sure our school was ready for our Panthers.
We are incredibly grateful for the love, flexibility, patience, and support that has been shared across our school, district, and community. 💙💛
Thank you for showing us what Panther Pride—and true family—looks like!
Tomorrow, we welcome our Panthers home! 🐾📚✨
Let’s make it an AMAZING first day!
I want to share an important update about our school and the first day of school Monday.
Based on the latest air quality testing and information reviewed today, C.F. Pope will open Monday, August 24, as scheduled.
The latest testing showed great improvements after the remediation. Based on the results though, we still have two classrooms in need of additional remediation. Those rooms will remain closed off to students and staff until the work has been completed and test results are in normal range. All work will be completed after hours.
The two classes that are impacted will temporarily meet in other classrooms.
I understand that families may wonder how school can open while work continues in these two rooms. Each classroom in that area has its own air handler. Rooms do not share air with other classrooms around them, which allows those two rooms to be isolated while the rest of the school operates normally.
Additional cleaning will be completed in the two rooms, followed by another round of testing before they are used again.
I know this situation has caused concern for some of our families, and I appreciate your patience as we have worked through each step. We have continued to make decisions based on the information and testing available to us, and we will continue to keep you informed.
We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to C.F. Pope Elementary on Monday.
The Pender County Health Department will hold a one-day extended Back-to-School Immunization Clinic on Tuesday, August 25, from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. at both locations:
📍 Burgaw — 298 Progress Drive
📍 Hampstead — 15060 Highway 17
📞 For more information or assistance, call (910) 259-1230.
Help your student start the school year healthy and ready to learn! 🎒📚
💉 ¿Necesita poner al día las vacunas de su hijo para el nuevo año escolar?
El Departamento de Salud del Condado de Pender ofrecerá un horario extendido para su Clínica de Vacunación para el Regreso a Clases el martes 25 de agosto, de 7:00 a.m. a 7:00 p.m., en ambas ubicaciones:
📍 Burgaw — 298 Progress Drive
📍 Hampstead — 15060 Highway 17
📞 Para obtener más información o asistencia, llame al (910) 259-1230.
¡Ayude a su estudiante a comenzar el año escolar saludable y listo para aprender! 🎒📚
Greetings, Panther Families!
We are excited to welcome our families to Open House tonight from 4:00–6:00 p.m.! We look forward to seeing you and helping our students and families get ready for an exciting new school year.
Kindergarten Orientation
Kindergarten Orientation will take place today from 2:00–4:00 p.m. in the Media Center.
2:00–2:30 p.m.: Formal Kindergarten presentation in the Media Center
2:30–4:00 p.m.: - Opportunity to meet Kindergarten teachers in the gymnasium
Please note that only Kindergarten families will be permitted to visit teachers during the early orientation time. Kindergarten families are also welcome to visit their child’s teacher during the traditional Open House from 4:00–6:00 p.m.
PreK–2nd Grade Open House Location
Due to the temporary closure of our Annex building for air-quality testing, all PreK–2nd grade teachers will host Open House in the school gymnasium tonight.
While we know this is not the traditional Open House experience, our teachers are excited to meet families, answer questions, and help everyone feel prepared for the first day of school.
Once the Annex has been deemed safe for students and staff to access, we will be flexible in allowing parents and guardians an opportunity to walk their child to their classroom and become familiar with the building, since you will not have the opportunity to visit the classrooms tonight.
Building Update & First Day of School
As we have shared throughout this process, we remain committed to being transparent and keeping our families informed about the status of the Annex and the testing process.
The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority. Students and staff will not return to the Annex until the building has been determined to be safe for occupancy.
Results from the most recent testing are expected to be available Friday afternoon. Once those results are received, we will provide an update regarding whether our school year will begin as scheduled.
If you have questions or concerns regarding the building or school operations, please contact Ms. Moore, Principal, directly:
📧 brittany_moore@pender.k12.nc.us
📞910-789-6021
Despite the circumstances we are currently navigating, our Panther staff is ready to hit the ground running! We are excited about the 2026–2027 school year and cannot wait to welcome our students back.
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued partnership. We’ve got this, Panther Families! 💙💛
We’ll see you tonight!
Staying informed is an important part of our school-home partnership! We encourage all families to take a few minutes each week to read and review the Panther Press for important updates, upcoming events, school expectations, reminders, and opportunities to stay connected with C.F. Pope Elementary.
We know how busy life can be, but taking a few minutes to review the Panther Press each week can help ensure that your family doesn’t miss important information.
Link to weekly memo: https://pendercountync.edurooms.com/newsletters/c-f-pope-elementary/newsletters/the-panther-press
Read it. Review it. Stay connected. Stay Panther Proud! 💙💛🐾
Thank you for partnering with us to make this a successful school year for every Panther!
New energy-efficient LED lighting is being installed in the cafeteria dining hall, creating a brighter and more welcoming space for students and staff to gather and enjoy meals together. ✨🍎
It’s another summer improvement helping our schools shine for the year ahead!
🚌 Need school bus transportation on day one?
All students who need bus transportation for the first day of school must be registered by August 10.
Requests submitted after the deadline cannot be guaranteed service during the first 10 school days. Register by August 10 to help ensure your student has transportation available when school begins.
Thank you for helping us prepare for a safe and successful start to the school year!
Enroll - https://www.pender.k12.nc.us/page/enroll
🚌 **¿Necesita transporte en autobús escolar desde el primer día?**
Todos los estudiantes que necesiten transporte en autobús escolar el primer día de clases deben estar inscritos a más tardar el **10 de agosto**.
No se puede garantizar el servicio durante los primeros 10 días de clases para las solicitudes recibidas después de la fecha límite. Complete la inscripción antes del 10 de agosto para ayudar a garantizar que su estudiante tenga transporte disponible cuando comiencen las clases.
¡Gracias por ayudarnos a prepararnos para un inicio seguro y exitoso del nuevo año escolar!
Inscribirse - https://www.pender.k12.nc.us/page/enroll
📅 Thursday, August 6
⏰ 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
📍 Black River Health Services
301 S. Campbell St., Burgaw
❤️ Free and open to the entire community! School supplies will be available while supplies last.
🎒✏️ ¡Prepárense para el nuevo año escolar! Black River Health Services invita a las familias a un evento GRATUITO de regreso a clases con útiles escolares, actividades para niños, recursos familiares y organizaciones comunitarias.
📅 Jueves, 6 de agosto
⏰ 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
📍 Black River Health Services
301 S. Campbell St., Burgaw
❤️ ¡El evento es gratuito y está abierto a toda la comunidad! Los útiles escolares estarán disponibles hasta agotar existencias.
Today, we proudly welcomed our rising **Kindergarten** and **3rd grade** Panthers as they kicked off our **Panther Prep Summer Bridge Program!** This exciting week is designed to build confidence, strengthen foundational skills, and prepare our students for the next step in their educational journey.
Our rising kindergartners are becoming familiar with school routines while making new friends and developing a love for learning. Our rising third graders are sharpening their reading and math skills as they prepare for the important transition into upper elementary.
We can't wait to see all of the growth, learning, and smiles this week brings. Here's to a strong start and an even brighter school year ahead!
💙🖤💛 **Once a Panther, Always a Panther!**
#PantherPrep #FutureReady #CFPopeElementary #PantherPride #GrowingGreatness #PenderCountySchools
📚 The countdown is on—just 38 days until students on our traditional calendar return to school on Monday, August 24!
As we prepare for the 2026–27 school year, families are asked to complete their student’s Beginning of Year Information Update. This update is not required for newly enrolled students.
Keeping contact and emergency information current helps ensure a safe, smooth and successful start from day one.
We can’t wait to welcome our students back! 🚌✏️🏫
As our 21st Century Camp comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible teachers and staff from across the district who dedicated their time, energy, and passion to making this summer an unforgettable experience for our students.
Because of your commitment, our students explored new opportunities, strengthened their skills, built meaningful friendships, and created memories that will last a lifetime.
Thank you for investing in our children and helping make this summer one filled with learning, laughter, and lasting impact. We appreciate each of you for making a difference! 💙💛
#21stCenturyCamp #SummerLearning #MakingMemories #PantherPride #PenderCountySchools
