Mustang Message
J.J. Pearce High School
First Week
Howdy Mustangs,
It has been a great start to the year. It's awesome having all of the students back on campus. I would like to thank all the volunteers who came up to help with schedule pick up. We had an excellent turn-out, and it would not have run nearly as smoothly without all of the extra help.
We have almost passed out all of the Chromebooks to our students, so they should be bringing them home every day. Please help us by reminding your child to charge them EVERY night. If you have any questions about the Chromebook, please feel to contact us or check out the district web site at: http://www.risd.org/wegrow/.
If you haven't purchased insurance yet, you can pay online or send money with your child to school. https://www.worthavegroup.com/gpo/pearcehs The last day to pay on-line is September 16th.
Construction Updates
As for our new Multi-Purpose Activity Center, we are just getting started. We had to shut down part of our Senior Way parking lot, but it will re-open Monday, August, 27. The parking lot located in between the tennis courts and the Natatorium will be shut down the remainder of the year as it will house most of our construction materials.
We will do our best to communicate with everyone about any possible lane closures due to construction. If you are interested in receiving updates, please sign up for Remind alerts. Instructions on how to do that are posted below.
Career and Technology
- Advanced Robotics and Manufacturing- state of the art Robotics Lab
- Business/Marketing and Finance-building a market/cafe to be completed in Jan. 2019-market/cafe will be run and operated by our students
- Health Science-Off site Hospital practicum
- Education-work off site at elementary and Junior high campuses-RISD teacher contract after successfully completing pathway.
- Informational Technology-Dual Credit for Computer Science
Our goal is to provide our students not only with the experience, but certifications, as well as college credit. Currently, we are offering dual credit in many of our classes as well as different certifications. Each year, we will offer more coarse selections in each of these areas. We are excited about how much we have grown in this area and the possibilities for the future. If you have questions or would like to tour our facilities, please free to contact us.
Friday Night Lights
Please come out and support the Mustangs and enjoy time with the family. Schedule for all athletics are posted below.
Our programs are all growing, especially our band, so we had to make some adjustments to seating for home games to ensure we can fit everyone. I realize this may not make everyone happy, but we spent last year getting input from each group to try and improve seating. As of now, this will be the plan we will use starting with our first game.
Focus
During our advisory time, we will have students check their own grades weekly.
Schedule Change Requests and Timelines
Schedule change request
We understand that students and parents change their mind about course selection they made in the Spring; however, we develop our master schedule to accommodate the choices that were made in the Spring. We ask that you please adhere to our guidelines for making request. I know from a parent perspective you want your student to be in the right place as do we, but please understand when we make changes it affects the entire schedule. For example, if we have 15 students drop an AP class to go into an on level class it will cause the on level class to become overcrowded, and we must dissolve an AP class to accommodate the new need. We have timelines in place to give us time to adjust without disrupting too many students’ schedules. I know that may be more information than you wanted, but I wanted to let our parents know we aren’t just being difficult, we just need some time to make the adjustments. Below are the requirements.
Guidelines for schedule change
Once all students have been scheduled, we will have a process in place to consider elective change requests. This process will begin at the start of the sixth day of the semester. Any changes will be made strictly on a first come first serve basis, and then only as space is available in elective classes. Changes in electives may cause a change of periods for all other classes and will only be done if the change does not overload other classes. Students should pick up a request form in the counselor’s office on August 27th and must be returned August 29th. New schedules will be available after Labor Day Weekend.
Requests to DROP On-Ramps, AP and Pre AP courses must follow the district guidelines and can, therefore, only be made at the end of the fourth week of the semester.
Any student wishing to move from their on-level course and ADD an On-Ramps, AP or PreAP course should contact their counselor via email with the name of the course(s) they wish to change to the advanced level. The waiting period is waived for these requests. Please be advised that most advanced courses have a summer reading and/or project requirement that the student will be responsible for completing.
Notes from the Nurse
Notes from the nurse…
1. If your child’s health information changes during the school year, please notify the clinic at: 469-593-5098.
2. If your child needs medication during the school day, please pick up a medication form in the clinic. Prescription medications do not need a physician’s signature. If you would like to keep over the counter medication in the clinic for the school year, we need a physician’s signature on the medication form or a note from your physician. The medication policy and forms can be found at http://www.risd.org/Group/Parents/Health_Services/MedicationPolicy.html.
3. Hearing and vision screening will be completed on all students who are new to the district.
4. Students who are not up to date on immunizations will not be allowed to continue at school.
5. If your child receives any immunizations during the school year, please send an updated record to the clinic.
6. Remember flu season is right around the corner, be sure to get yourselves and your child a flu shot!
7. If your child has a fever of 100 F or higher please do not send them to school. Students must be fever free for 24 hours without medication before they can return to school.
We appreciate your help in keeping our campus healthy.
Please let us know if we can assist you or your child in any way.
Shannon Duncan BSN, RN
Emily Winn BSN, RN
Laurie Perrin, Health Aide
TRE Public Meetings
RISD is holding a series of public meetings to share information about the TRE with parents, staff, and community members. Each session will include a presentation of information about the TRE and an opportunity to submit questions.
Sept. 5, 7 p.m. - Richardson YMCA
Sept. 12, 7 p.m. - Lake Highlands HS - "H" Auditorium
Sept. 17, 7 p.m. - Richardson HS - Library
Sept. 25, 7 p.m. - Pearce HS - Black Box Theater
Oct. 2, 7 p.m. - Berkner HS - Lecture Hall
Oct. 13, 9 a.m. - RISD Administration Building
For more information about the TRE, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit www.risd.org/tre2018
Pearce PTA
Our PTA is the best I have ever had at my school. They not only spend countless hours at our campus helping out with everything, they also provide much need resources to support our teachers. Last year, they replaced all of the furniture in our teachers’ lounge, provided our teachers lunch throughout the year, and made sure our teachers were appreciated all year long. I encourage you to join our PTA and give them your support.
PEEF Pearce Education Foundation
If you are looking for a way to help Pearce, please considering donating to PEEF. Each year they help us provide much needed resources to our teachers. Last year, they were instrumental in providing resources to allow us to prepare for 1:1 technology. They paid for subs so that we could send 25 teachers to other campus who have successfully implemented 1:1 technology. This was incredibly valuable for our teachers and we are way ahead of the curve in being prepared for our students to utilize their Chromebooks. This year, they provided the resources needed to have 13 of our teachers trained in AVID strategies. In addition to helping our teachers, they also host several parent meeting throughout the year focusing on helping our parents prepare for their students going to college.
College Bound
Career and College Readiness
Our goal at Pearce is to help our students prepare for life after high school. Getting into college is a very complicated process, and we are here to help. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Kathy Noland at Kathy.Noland@risd.org or 469-593-5181.
Communication
One of the most important items on the list for me is to communicate well with my parents and students. I plan to send out a bi-monthly newsletter through Blackboard connect, Facebook, Twitter, and add to our web site.
Twitter- @JJPearceHS or https://twitter.com/JJPearceHS
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/JJPearceHS/
Website- http://schools.risd.org/PearceHS
Principal twitter: https://twitter.com/mustang_lead
It is my expectation at Pearce that we are responsive to communication within a 24-hour time period. The reality is, sometimes we miss an email or phone call. If you don’t receive a response within 24 hours, please resend the email. If you still do not receive a response, please contact the grade level principal or myself to help facilitate the communication.