Panther Pulse
November 4, 2022
NJHS
News from Parcells Middle School
Ken Milch, Principal
Debbie Redlin, Assistant Principal
Samantha McGrath, Assistant Principal
This week, there's news about:
- District Open House, Sunday November 6th
- Upcoming field trips for 5th and 8th grade
- PTO Holiday Bazaar
...and more!
Donuts and sunshine!
Evacuation Drill
The morning of Wednesday, November 9th, is Parcells Middle School's whole school evacuation drill. Please do not come to school or call the office during the drill so our staff and public safety officers can remain focused on the drill and our students’ safety. Please plan ahead as students cannot be released for appointments during the drill. GPPSS will be testing our emergency text system with students.
The district will notify you when the drill is complete and students are back in class. Thank you for partnering with us to provide a safe and secure learning environment.
PTO News!
Parcells Panthers this upcoming Monday, November 7th from 5:30-7:30pm is a Great Skate Fundraiser! Cost is $7/rental.
Please consider participating in the next PTO meeting scheduled for Monday, November 21st at 6:30pm. We are in critical need of volunteers for our upcoming Holiday Craft Bazaar on Saturday, December 3rd! All the proceeds of this event benefit our school and teachers!
Please feel free to contact Rania Routsis: routsir@gpschools.org for volunteer opportunities, thank you!
Saturday, December 3rd from 9am-4pm is the Parcells Holiday Art & Craft Bazaar! All monies raised benefit our school! Please consider volunteering your time to make this fundraiser a success!
Important PTO Dates:
Important PTO Dates:
Monday, November 7th-Great Skate Fundraiser
Tuesday, November 8th- NO SCHOOL-Election Day
Wednesday, November 9th- Bazaar Meeting 7pm
Monday, November 21st-PTO Meeting 6:30pm
The Homework Station is OPEN!
The Homework Station is a place where students can get help with homework, just work on assignments or borrow supplies to finish projects. There is always a staff member present.
There is no sign-up needed, and students do not have to stay for the entire hour. You DO, however, have to remember you're there to WORK, and so is everyone else.
All students grade 5-8 are welcome.
Automated attendance notifications
Counseling Office
Dr. Amy Macey, LPC, students with last names A-K.
Email: maceya@gpschools.org phone: (313) 432-4618
Carla Palffy, LPC, students with last names L-Z.
Email: palffyc@gpschools.org phone (313) 432-4620
We are in the process of updating our Counseling Page on the Parcells website. Parcells Counselor Page Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.
I forgot my lunch!
Did your student forget their lunch at home?
If your child left their lunch at home you can drop it off by coming into our Secure Vestibule and leaving it on the shelves outside the office doors with their name and grade. We will deliver it for you to the cafeteria during their lunch!
Important information for students on their way home
REMINDER: Most of our elementary schools have Kids Club after school, so the playgrounds are not available to others until AFTER 6:30 PM.
Cross Country
The Parcells Cross Country season was a smashing success with many athletes running a personal record time (PR)!!!! Our first meet at Patterson Park earned us several Top 20 spots!!! Mathew McBrady , Finn Ryan, Ethan Churchill, and Megan Huizdos all finished in the Top 20 for girls and boys. In addition our next meet at Ghesquire was quite impressive!! Our boys placed 3rd overall with nine teams competing. Andrew Kubitz placed 1st overall out of 140 boy runners with a fantastic time of 12.33 minutes for his first cross country race ever!!! Mathew McBrady and Megan Huizdos both placed in the top 20. We had 22 runners compete in the first Middle School Regional at Dakota High School on 10/27.
Runners who qualified were:
Matthew McBrady
Andrew Kubitz
Alex Steiger
Ethan Churchill
Zane Hemler
Finn Ryan
Sam Loflin
Zach Keuten
Caleb Brissette
Greg Tod
Santi Delgado
Jimmy McBrady
Thomas Kezhaya
Eli Kociba
Tommy McBrady
Gabi Scott
Anna Albright
Megan Huzidos
Giovanna Izzard
Annalise Miller
Sydney Jensen
Eloise Purcell
Andrew Kubitz placed 28th overall out of 215 runners with almost a minute shaved off his time (11.40 minutes) from his previous race!!! We are so proud of everyone that worked so hard and persevered to hit some of our best Cross Country times yet!!!!
Each member made the meets incredibly fun with how hard they worked and all the barriers they overcame. Cannot wait for next year!
Cross Country was coached by Susanne Babcock, Courtney Hughes, and Amy Olenzek
5th Grade
Permission slips and $5.00 in due to your child’s first hour teacher by Friday, November 11th. We will be walking to North High School on November 16th to see Beauty and the Beast.
6th Grade
8th Grade
8th graders are excited for their upcoming visit to Grosse Pointe North on Tuesday, November, 22!
Important information regarding visit:
All 8th Graders should report directly to North at 8:30am. Students should not report to their middle school first. Drop students off by the Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Students should attend the high school that matches their attendance boundary area unless they are part of an IEP based categorical program that would place them at the other school.
Buses will pick up students at approximately 10:30am and return them to Parcells prior to lunch time. Parcells students will report to the auditorium before continuing with the remainder of their school day.
Students will be instructed to leave most materials at school on Monday afternoon (in lockers) if at all possible. They should not plan to take anything (e.g. backpacks) to the high school visits that isn't necessary, to lessen the chance of leaving anything behind.
Student Council News
Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2 from 3:20-3:50 in the Library.
PBIS
October raffles were especially fun this month due to the generous donations of parents! We were able to hand out 13 Amazon Gift Cards and 8 students got to go into the Treasure Box to Pick-a-Prize! I am happy to have some extra help this coming Wednesday as we now have 3 students that won the Wild Wednesday Helper raffle!!!
We closed out October today with students using their last 2 Panther Bucks to buy donuts! Thanks to our fabulous community of parents our students had so many different types of donuts, muffins, and cookies and their smiles were so great!!
November raffles are in full swing and we are even adding a 4th raffle! November raffles will be 1. Cookie decorating with Ms. Griffin 2. Pick-a-Prize! 3. Jimmy John’s Gift Cards and 4. Lunch with a staff member! We have many teachers signed up so students that win this will be able to choose which staff member they want to have lunch with!!
Please help support our PBIS program by making a donation if you can. We appreciate all you do to help us fill our students' days with excitement and help us to build a strong sense of community! Check out our Sign Up Genius for ways you can donate for our PBIS rewards. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C4AA9AF29A6FE3-pbis
Bridge Club
Bridge club meets after school on Tuesdays OR Thursdays, so watch and listen for announcments!
This year, The Bridge Club is partnering with The Anti-Defamation League to promote our new initiative No Place For Hate. We will work together to make Parcells a school that will not tolerate any form of hatred towards anyone. Please help us out by taking 15 minutes to fill out a Parcells Climate Survey. We do not need your name, just your experiences and thoughts. Click the link below to help make Parcells Middle School a No Place For Hate school.
Remember: Bridge Club is an inclusive community, but also a group that practices confidentiality. Tell only your stories!
There are so many positive changes to make! Let’s start with our school and let’s start with us. See you then!
Family & Consumer Science
We made it through the first quarter…way to go! Sixth grade Life Skills students received their Adolescent Health Education (AHE) this week, and they did great! Thank you for helping to prepare your student for this content. Please encourage your student to share with you what they learned.
Here’s what we made this week- The Chewy and Baked Donuts
Choir
Lost and Found
We have a lost and found near the main gym (unless it's something like a computer, a phone, or other valuables). Right now, everything is mostly lost and unclaimed. Please have your student check the lost and found area if they/you are missing a hat, jacket, lunchbox, water bottle, etc. Thank you!
Advisory
5th Grade: During Advisory this week, your child will participate in a WEB activity with 8th graders.
6th Grade: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn how different parts of their brains play a part in managing their strong emotions.
Staying Connected at Home Questions:
Ask your child to teach you about some of the different parts of the brain and how they manage emotions. Look up a picture or video of the brain and learn some more!
7th Grade: In this week’s lesson, your child will distinguish thoughts from emotions. They will also analyze how emotions affect their thoughts, and how their thoughts can influence the decisions they make.
Staying Connected at Home Questions:
Ask your child to explain the difference between an emotion and a thought. Take turns expressing sentiments aloud and having the other person identify if the sentiments are thoughts or emotions. (For example, Emotion: “I’m so mad at the coach for not putting me in the game.” Thought: “That’s it—I quit!”)
8th Grade: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn where stress comes from, identify stressors in their life, and examine which stressors they can control.
Staying Connected at Home Questions:
Ask your child if they have any stressors they can’t control. Discuss what they do have control over.
Morning Basketball
Students who wish to play morning basketball may be dropped off at the Student Entrance off Sunningdale at 7:45am Tuesday - Friday.
Arrival and dropoff at Parcells Middle School
The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. The Sunningdale entrance to Parcells can be frustrating when drivers choose to disregard basic traffic rules. Under no circumstances should drivers cut through the parking spaces to exit the lot.
When using the back parking lot for drop off, please pull all the way forward into the circular driveway as far as traffic will permit. DO NOT STOP in front of the Sunningdale doors if traffic allows. Traffic entering Sunningdale can become congested, resulting in a backup on Vernier. Students should exit vehicles quickly; vehicles should proceed all the way around the drive and may NOT cut through the parking lot to exit. Your student’s safety is our first priority.
We have also recently heard from Grosse Pointe Woods Police that traffic on Sunningdale Park during dismissal is causing a major traffic concern on EB Vernier. Cars are not allowed to stop and park on Sunningdale Park to pick up students during dismissal. Impeding traffic on any street may lead to ticketing.
FYI for 5th grade & families new to Parcells:
If you haven’t already gone into K12 to make a family donation of $25.00 please do so! This goes under the PBIS heading! Thank you to those of you that have already done so!!! Here's the link to K12 to make it easier! Thank you in advance.
Cafeteria Needs: Please consider donating any of the following items for our recess time (indoor or out): Colored pencils, coloring books, playing cards, crayons, sidewalk chalk. Thank you in advance!!
Important information for attendance at athletic events
We are excited to welcome our community onto our school grounds. To ensure a safe and inviting environment for all attendees, please see the GPPSS guidelines below for all GPPSS athletic events.
Guidelines for safe attendance at GPPSS athletic events:
No outside food or drink (including tumblers, Yeti’s, etc.)
No athletic balls, frisbees, etc.
No student bags or backpacks. Adult bags may be subject to a search.
No bikes or non-assistive wheeled vehicles.
No re-entry.
All students, unless accompanied by an adult, must show a valid school ID from GPPSS schools or the visiting school.
Non-high school students will NOT be permitted entry without an adult who will be present for the duration of the event. (1 adult per student unless they are part of the same family)
Exceptions may be made by the host school Athletic Director with prior approval if there is an adult present who agrees to be the responsible party for the duration of the event.
Fans who engage in inappropriate behavior may be asked to leave.
You came to the game to watch the game. Please be responsible and respectful and model the behavior expected of all students. As we share with our students before big games, “No names, no numbers, no profanity … keep it classy!”
Communities United in Diversity
In our ongoing efforts to celebrate diversity within our schools, GPPSS will be continuing our Communities United in Diversity meetings this school year with monthly sessions for the community. This group is a parent-initiated group that began over 10 years ago in GPPSS.
Over the course of the next eight months, we hope to discuss and reflect upon real situations our students are encountering and how we, as educators, parents, and community members, can support all of our students toward a greater awareness and appreciation of diversity in our community and beyond.
Mark your calendars for our upcoming meetings and look for more information to come on locations and topics.