Parent Newsletter
Purcell High School - February 12, 2021
Por espanol, Escoja el buton para traducir.
Purcell High School Contact Info
Email: sandersj@purcellps.org
Website: https://www.purcellps.org/o/phs
Location: 2020 North Green Avenue, Purcell, OK, USA
Phone: 405-442-0099
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purcellhs
Message from the Principal
Happy Weekend!
My best wishes for a safe and warm week for all PHS Families!
It was wonderful to watch many of our students, staff, and organizations focus on kindness and empathy as a Valentine Day theme this week. This was a productive and healthy way to celebrate this often hectic and chaotic holiday for schools. Our teachers and staff deserve credit for using this time to build and reinforce positive character traits for our students.
This week I had the opportunity to visit with a student about the need to make better choices. It reminded me of an article in my resource archive titled, " How do we help kids make better choices? Let them practice." (article linked below).This particular case reminded me that teenagers often make decisions based upon their powerful need to gain approval from their peers. As we all know, sometimes these are not the best decisions. However these experiences also provide teenagers an opportunity to practice and learn from their mistakes.
One of my primary goals as a leader is to create a culture that builds strong relationships between students and trusted adults. As students navigate the challenges of teenage years, they are more likely to experience positive growth if they have at least one positive relationship with a trusted adult at school. How do we define a positive relationship? Would that student go to a teacher or staff member if they were experiencing a personal crisis? My goal is for every student who walks in our building to have that trusted adult.
Positive relationships between teachers and students are a key indicator of a school's success. Students learn at a higher level when they have good relationships with their teachers. Furthermore students are more likely to adapt positive character traits, like kindness and empathy, if those traits are modeled by the adults they watch and observe.
I'm proud of the culture we are working to build at PHS. A positive culture that promotes student voice and relationships is a strong foundation to powerful student learning experiences.
Relationships and Resilience
Jason
Go Dragons!
Always feel free to call or email me if you have questions,
405-442-0099 ext 505
Staff Spotlight: Geneva Oswalt
Anyone who has worked long in a school knows Paras or Teaching Assistants are the unsung heroes of a school. Underpaid and too often under appreciated, they nevertheless are essential to a school operation. We are blessed to have wonderful paras at PHS and Geneva Oswalt is one of the best. Geneva served as a full-day sub for consecutive days on multiple occasions recently. When I asked Geneva if she minded helping, her response not surprisingly was: "I'll do whatever you need me to do." Without her efforts and many others, school could not have remained open on several instances this year.
However Geneva not only covered classes, she ensured learning continued and students remained on task. She coordinated with the front office to make sure she had the necessary materials and information. She helped student learning continue and supported teachers and staff who were unable to attend school. We are very proud of her.
Geneva brings a positive and kind spirit to work each day. Although she certainly faced her own struggles this year, she displayed resilience and returned to help others facing their own challenges. Geneva exemplifies the efforts and attitude of so many who stepped up this week.
Geneva Oswalt has been with the Special Education Department for many years. She works closely with the students, has a sweet disposition, and is always reliable to lend a hand when needed. At times the work can be challenging, but she steps in and does her job well. We are happy she works with our PHS family.
---Cyndie Childers, special education teacher
Jason
COVID-19 Update
Our covid 19 numbers have improved significantly over the past few weeks. Adherence to mask-wearing and strict quarantine protocols have paid off. As a result we remain full in school and most importantly continue to make the safety of staff and students our highest priority.
Current total quarantines: 2
Active positives: 0 (although we do have a staff member on covid recovery)
I'm extremely thankful for these numbers and proud of staff, students, and parents for their commitment to safety. Great job PHS!
Students of the Month!
We are very excited to honor two outstanding students as PHS students of the month: Liz Caralampio and Keila Rojo
Keila has a 3.75 GPA and is active in Key Club, STUCO, Spanish Club
and serves as manager for the cross-country and track programs. Keila plans on attending OCCC and eventually majoring in elementary education or sociology. We hope she chooses teaching!
Liz holds a 4.22 GPA and participates in cross-country, track, cheer, student council, key club, NHS and was recently named to the Principal's Student Advisory Council. She plans on attending either Creighton or OU and study medicine or nursing.
We are very proud of both students!
Weather this Week and Virtual Learning
Key Points to Remember about Virtual/Remote Learning:
- Students are accountable for any work/lessons assigned during virtual learning
- Students must check daily with their individual Google Classrooms as work/lessons are assigned daily for each class.
- Students should check with individual teachers for required google meets. Not every class will require a google meet check-in this week if we are virtual.
- If teachers are requiring a google meet check-ins, those check-ins will occur at the beginning of a student's scheduled class.
- It's very important for students to check their school email daily (multiple times).
- Parents or students should contact the Principal directly by email if they are experiencing any difficulties during virtual learning.
- Please contact us if you need technical assistance including computer help or assistance with internet connectivity (hot-spots)
What's Happening @ PHS
SENIOR STUFF FROM MS. FINDLEY!
Senior Baby Pics: Seniors need to submit a baby picture to Findley by February 22nd. Those can be print photos or sent digitally to findleya@purcellps.org.
Principal's Student Advisory Council
I'm very excited to introduce the Principal's Student Advisory Council for PHS. I believe establishing a culture of student voice helps students want to be more involved in their school because their voice matters. These talented leaders were chosen by our student council sponsors for their demonstrated leadership abilities and commitment to academic excellence. I'm excited to work with them towards continuous school improvement.
Freshman: Noah Gracey
Sophomore: KK Eck
Junior: Dalton Holder
Senior: Liz Caralampio
Crazy Weather Week Ahead!
KINDNESS MATTERS!
Jaclyn Miller's Health Class, Stefanie Renfro and the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), and National Honor Society are joining together spread a little kindness in Purcell. Students have written three to five notes of encouragement to faculty and staff of Purcell schools, our EMTs, firefighters, and police, hospital workers, nursing home staff, and nursing home residents. They will be delivered after any potential snow storms. These moments of kindess are a win-win and kids are (re)learning that being kind to others is an amazing feeling. This is what being a Dragon is all about!
NATIONAL BEANIE WEEK??
FACS class is making omelets!
State Testing and Assessment Information: VERY IMPORTANT!
March 2: Senior ACT
April 6: OSTP Science Assessment: Juniors
April 7: OSTP U.S. History Assessment: Juniors
April 5-9: NWEA Assessments Math and Language Arts: Freshman
April 14; Junior ACT Day
Juniors: College and Career Readiness Assessments (CCRA):
Students enrolled in 11th grade will be given the College- and Career-Readiness Assessment (CCRA), which consists of two parts. For part 1, each district will choose to administer either the ACT or SAT, including the writing section. Part 2 consists of a Science Assessment which is aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science and a U.S. History Assessment which is aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for U.S. History.
Students are required to take the CCRA during the state testing window. This assessment will be used for state accountability purposes.
Freshman: NWEA Assessments
We assess all freshman students with our NWEA assessments 3 times yearly: once in the fall, winter, and spring. These assessments take place in freshman english and math courses. The purpose of these assessments are to measure student proficiency in math and language arts skills. These skills are critical to student learning and to prepare students for success in college prep courses and the ACT exam. Student achievement in college preparatory courses and the ACT exam is a strong indicator of future student success in college.
These assessment results allow teachers to identify deficiencies in specific areas and to tailor individualized instruction to target specific areas. For example if a student is struggling with numbers and operations in Algebra 1, the NWEA assessments will provide our Algebra 1 teachers with accessible data to target specific students for academic interventions in these areas.
Math and language arts skills are critical to student success in all academic areas.This data will help us provide ALL students the necessary help to achieve and learn at a high level.
Please click below if you would like to learn more about NWEA assessments:
Dragon Athletics!
It was a busy and exciting week for Dragon Athletics with homecoming activities, a girl's victory at Lindsay on a cold Tuesday night and a great boy's win over a solid Marlow squad on Friday night. We are very proud of both teams who have persevered through multiple challenges this year.
It's important to remember both of our basketball teams and cheerleading squad have faced stricter covid protocols than many teams they have faced this year in competition. Although this is completely aligned with our commitment to staff and student safety, and in accordance with CDC and local health department guidelines; it certainly has placed our coaches and players at a competitive disadvantage.
We are extremely proud of them for the resilience they have displayed.
Our girl's team is 12-8 including 10-3 over their last 13 games
Our boy's team is 13-6 and ranked #19 in Class 3A
Go Dragons!
Picture Credits: Julie Higgins and Krysta Matthews
Brody Galyean
Nate Willis
Lincoln Eubank
Jorge Munoz
In the Huddle
Mojo
Cheerleaders!
Queen and King
Homecoming Candidates
Important Prom Information
Prom tickets are also on sale until February 19th! Juniors and guests attend for $40 and seniors attend for free. Tickets can be purchased from Mrs. Swift. All dues must be paid before purchasing tickets. The prom will be on April 10th, from 7-11, at the Grand Canadian Theater on Main street. Masks will be worn at all times.
The Prom Committee is seeking donations for our FREE prom store. Accepted and appreciated items: dresses, slacks, dress shirts, suits, formal shoes, ties, and jewelry. Please bring items to Mrs. Swift or Ms. Matthews. We can be reached at swiftz@purcellps.org or matthewsk@purcellps.org.
Important information Regarding Prom and Graduation Activities
As stated above the Prom is scheduled for April 10th and planning is well underway. We expect masks and social distancing guidelines to still be in place at that time. However, our committee and sponsors are working hard to ensure as normal experience as possible.
Our Graduation ceremony is scheduled for May 14th at 6PM and will be held in our gym this year as normal. We expect there will be some seating capacity restrictions but cannot yet say what those will be. However we anticipate each graduating student will have access to 8 tickets for family members based upon current capacity restrictions. We anticipate masks will be a requirement for all those attending.
We are currently planning for our Senior Assembly to be held on Wednesday, May 12th at 2:00 PM. It is probable that students will be allotted 4-6 tickets for family members based upon expectations for seating capacity restrictions. However those numbers could change depending upon changes in those restrictions.
We will continue to keep our students and parents updated.
Thank you
Jason
PRE-ENROLLMENT FOR 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR
We are planning to move pre-enrollment dates back a week due to likely extended weather closures. Pre-enrollment is an opportunity for students to register course requests for next year. Also it will allow them to indicate their preferences for PL or traditional courses.
We are planning the following upcoming Pre-enrollment dates:
Mar 1: current Juniors
Mar 3: current Sophomores
Mar 4: current Freshman
These pre-enrollment sessions will be conducted through each student's English class at school. Students will have the opportunity to select upcoming courses for the 2021-22 academic year as well as choose the learning platform that best fits their needs. There are several changes that students and parents can expect:
- Increased elective opportunities for students.
- An opportunity for some students to select a hybrid schedule: Some traditional courses and some PL (personalized learning) courses. This would be based upon available course offerings and student ability to succeed in PL courses.
- Students will have an option for PAVE virtual school but must be approved by our PAVE committee.
NEW ORDER-AHEAD OPTION FOR LUNCH!
Our cafeteria along with Keystone will soon be offering an order-ahead option for all students and staff. This will allow anyone the opportunity to pre-select their lunch options. There remains a main meal option but this also provides 4 additional choices to students and staff. If you wish to eat the main meal, nothing is required, you just do as you always have. However if you wish to select one of the four additional options, you would need to pre-order the selections.
How does is work?
For Monday February 1st, students need to place their orders anytime after 1:00 PM on the previous school day (Fri. 1/29) and before 8:45 am on the day they wish to eat lunch. For Tuesday 2/2, students would need to order after 1:00 PM on Monday and before 8:45 on Tues. When students/staff arrive in the cafeteria their meal will be available and labeled in a box.
I have included a link below with a short video explaining the process. I have also included the PHS order link. It's very simple but please click on the order here tab when you open the link. You will also need to mark A or B lunch.
Food Resources Available for Students and Families
Counselor's Corner
PLEASE READ IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM MS. FEROLI!
Freshmen AND Sophomores: Please remember that OKPromise applications are available for those who may qualify for this awesome program that ensures students who meet certain income requirements are able to go to a state college tuition free. To apply, go to https://www.okhighered.org/okpromise/.
Click on the link below for important information regarding scholarships!
Scholarship opportunity for kids of teachers
Parent Portal Information - Infinite Campus
IMPORTANT: you will need an activation key to access the parent portal. You must email Kim Cummings @ cummingsk@purcellps.org in order to get the activation key
IMPORTANT DATES
upcoming events
- February 15th - Professional Development Day - No School
- March 9th - Parent-Teacher Conferences 4-7:30 pm
- March 11th - Parent-Teacher Conferences 4-7:30 pm
- March 12th-19th - Spring Break - No School
- April 2nd - Snow Day
- April 10th - PROM
- May 13th - Last Day of School