The PHS Post
October 11 - 15

Student ID All Day - Every Day

Hello PHS!
Congratulations to the Boys Golf Team and another fine performance this weekend by our Marching Band who took 3rd Place in Class 3A at Bands of America at UNI.
On October 6th, German students were able to participate in Meet-a-German Day via Zoom. Meet-a-German offers American schools the opportunity to have a native speaker join their classroom; this year students met with Sandra Conrad-Juhls of Bremen. Conversations included information about her hometown of Bremen, STEM opportunities, and her interesting career path. Students were able to ask questions and learn about Germany from a German for an authentic experience.
October is a busy month for activities and athletics and great things continue to happen; if you haven't been able to join in on the excitement check out the schedule below and get involved before you miss out on all of the fun!
XELLO Parent Portal...
Monday, October 11 families will receive an email from Xello to link your parent and student account. If you do not receive an email please check your spam folder. If you have any questions please reach out to your student's counselor (contact information is listed at the bottom of this newsletter). Your access will allow for you to see what your student has explored in Xello along with the numerous opportunities and supports to guide you in making decisions for your journey after graduation.
Xello is our new Career and College Tool students will be using and would like to welcome you to our parent portal launch.
- Xello Introduction Letter
- What is Xello Video
- Parent Xello Video
PHS Families - Mark you calendars for Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences on Tuesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 28 - information will be sent out soon for individual sign-up times.
Need College $$$ - Complete your FAFSA NOW - Need Assistance? We are here to help!
Schedule your individual appointment for Tuesday, October 26 - Sign-up here!
FAFSA - Don't Delay...
Seniors, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college!
Submitting the FAFSA is the most important thing you can do if you want financial aid.
The FAFSA is free,
You need to submit a new FAFSA before each academic year in which you want to get aid.
Be sure to use a permanent email address on the form, not your high school email, so you can use your FAFSA account throughout college.
Learn more information about FAFSA here!
Schedule your individual appointment for Tuesday, October 26 - Sign-up here!


Participate in all PHS activities and cheer on your Prairie Hawks!
Student Services - We are here for Y-O-U...
PHS Counselors @PHawkCounseling
Check our Calendar/Website for zoom links, ways to sign up for events & more information.
College Visit Information - Chat with College Representatives here at PHS!
- Luther College - Oct. 14th @ 8:30 AM
- Simpson College - Oct. 22nd @ 8:30 AM
- Drake University - Oct. 25th @ 8:30 AM
- University of Northern Iowa - Oct. 25th @ 10:45 AM
- St. Ambrose University - Oct. 25th @ 10:45 AM
- Drake University - Oct 25th @ 8:30 AM
- Briar Cliff University - Oct. 26th @ 8:30 AM
- University of Dubuque - Oct. 27th @ 8:30 AM
Testing Dates...
FAFSA - Don't Delay...
Seniors, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college and applications for FAFSA open today!
Submitting the FAFSA is the most important thing you can do if you want financial aid.
The FAFSA is free,
You need to submit a new FAFSA before each academic year in which you want to get aid.
Be sure to use a permanent email address on the form, not your high school email, so you can use your FAFSA account throughout college.
Learn more information about FAFSA here! You can schedule an individual appointment on 10/26 here!
ICAN Support...
ICAN Financial Aid Resources (FAFSA)
Call ICAN 877-272-4692 or visit www.icansucceed.org/apt to set up in person or virtual apt.
Student Planning Guides

GT Corner...
Congratulations to two of our Seniors for being recognized as Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Semifinalists represent the top 1% of more than 1.5 million students who took the PSAT last fall and are now eligible to be named National Merit Finalists and receive National Merit Scholarships. Congratulations to Nathan Alldredge and Christopher Davis!
Congratulations to Johnnie Each for winning the 2021 Paul Engle Day: Glory of the Senses Essay Contest, awarded by the Iowa City UNESCO City of LIterature organization. Her winning essay, “The First Morning,” is about her family memories at Backbone State Park. Johnnie will receive one year of free tuition to the University of Iowa.
Mrs. Erin Hoffman

Career Services...
Juniors and Seniors - Please consider a Spring Internship specific to your area of interest.
Why? Great question!
Internships provide an opportunity to figure out what type of things you want to do, but also what you don’t want to be doing. Such an experience may help you avoid investing money and time in a field, or choose a type of career you have no interest in. One student described, “During my internship I learned that sitting behind a computer and doing computer work is not for me. I learned that I really like to help people with more hands-on work.”
Applications for Winter and Spring Workplace Learning Connection Internships open September 27, 2021 and close November 5, 2021 at 3:00 p.m
Completed applications include:
Student Portion
Parent/Guardian Approval
Teacher Recommendation
School Approval
Once all four components are completed, you will receive an email with instructions regarding your Outside Reference. We anticipate interviews in November.
Remember, the internship program is a class in our Program of Studies. Please ensure your counselor holds a spot in your schedule (just as you do for other classes). Hosts request interns on site at either the beginning or end of the day.
Please email Mary Gudenkauf at mgudenkauf@crprairie.org for more information. She is here to help you identify, investigate and experience a variety of career paths.

Need Assistance? We are here to help...
PHS Main Office: 319.848.5340
Ms. Karla Thies, Principal - kthies@crprairie.org
Mr. Rocky Bennett, Athletic Director - rbennett@crprairie.org
Mr. Chuckie Geilenfeld, Associate Principal (Last Names A-L) - cgeilenfield@crprairie.org
Mr. Ian Kleman, Associate Principal (Last Names M-Z) - iankleman@crprairie.org
Mrs. Kelly Klekar, Building Facilitator - kklekar@crprairie.org
PHS Main Office:
Mrs. Brenda Haendler, Main Office 319.848.5340
Mrs. Lori Pleiness, Athletic Office 319.848.5350
Mrs. Debie Towe, Attendance Office 319.848.5360
Mrs. Angie Wagner, Discipline Office 319.848.5340 x2052
Officer Obbink, Student Resource Officer - jobbink@crprairie.org
Brianna Boston-Kemple, Nurse 319.848.5340 x2011 bbostonkemple@crprairie.org
Student Services: 319-848-5344
Laura Fisher, Counseling Secretary
Angela Amunson, Counselor (Students with Last Names A-G) aamunson@crprairie.org
Mike Reshetar, Counselor (Students with Last Names H-O) mireshetar@crprairie.org
Clay Stoffer, Counselor (Students with Last Names P-Z) cstoffer@crprairie.org
Nicole Rawson, KCC College and Career Transition Counselor nrawson@crprairie.org
Erin Hoffman, Gifted and Talented Coordinator ehoffman@crprairie.org
Josh Bentley, Transition Specialist
Mary Gudenkauf, Career Services: Internships and Job Shadows mgudenkauf@crprairie.org
Molly Rathe, Counselor - Tanager Services
Stormy Hinton, Counselor - Tanager Services
Jess Fitzpatrick, Community Engagement Specialist
Zeinab Osman, Community Engagement Specialist
The PHS student school day is 9:00am - 3:45pm daily. Teachers are available from 8:00am to 4:00pm daily - We encourage you to email teachers directly whenever you are needing assistance.
Senior Photos...
A high resolution jpg or png file (oriented vertically) should be sent along with a senior quote to yearbook@crprairie.org.
Questions about senior photos should be directed to Rachel Bennett at rachelbennett@crprairie.org. If you would like to set up a FREE senior photo session with a PHS photography student, please contact Mr. DuPont at cdupont@crprairie.org.