Panther Pulse
November 12, 2021
Greetings Panther families! The weekly Panther Pulse from Parcells Middle School appears below. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Debbie Redlin, Assistant Principal
Samantha McGrath, Assistant Principal
Chess Club!
The Homework Station is open!
The Parcells Homework Station is open for business. It's located in room 108 and runs from 3:18 - 4:18, Monday through Thursday. 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 no sign-up needed, and students do not have to stay for the entire hour.
Performing Arts
AVID
Thanks to all of those who placed holiday wreath orders for our AVID/WEB fundraiser. Pickup will take place on Tuesday, November 23rd, just in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday! Stay tuned for more information.
The AVID classes continue to move right along. The 8th grade classes have already jumped into tutorials while the 6th and 7th grade groups are currently researching career clusters. We’ve discussed the difference between a job and a career, and all of the elements that go into choosing a career. Now we research the nuts and bolts of a career that piques our interest.
PTO
PTO IS LOOKING FOR Volunteers to help with our Annual Bazaar.
Parcells PTO members or anyone who has agreed to help with this years Holiday Bazaar, there will be a meeting in the Parcells Media Center (library) on Monday November 29th from 6:30-8pm.
Please enter through the custodians door off the back parking lot.
Family and Consumer Sciences
Thank you to everyone who signed up to make our Thanksgiving Service Learning possible! We are gearing up for a busy week next week- we'll be making 24 turkeys, mashed potatoes and gravy throughout the week. Students will prep, cook and carve the turkeys on Tuesday and Thursday. We will then prepare individual meals on Friday for the Motor City Mitten Mission.
Students from GPN, GPS, Brownell and Pierce will be sending us cornbread muffins, vegetable sides, and cookies to round out our meals. We are thrilled with this opportunity for our students to give back to the community, and we couldn’t do it without your generosity!
Here’s what we made this week- Pancakes and Waffle Iron Hash Browns
Advisory
Unit 1: Growth Mindset and Goal Setting
5th Grade- This week's lesson will be a review on Parcells rules and expectations.
6th Grade- In this week’s lesson, your child will bring it all together and create an action plan to help them accomplish one of the goals they chose at the beginning of the unit. Reinforce this at home by asking your child what their goal is, how they broke it down into smaller goals, and their plans for achieving it. Discuss how you can support them if things at home or in school slow them down or stand in their way and about how you can celebrate when they achieve their goal.
7th Grade- In this week’s lesson, your child will put their knowledge about overcoming roadblocks into action by giving advice to a sixth-grader who is struggling to learn something new. Tell your child about a time you had to try something new to overcome a roadblock, such as asking someone for help or looking at a problem with a different viewpoint. Tell your child what eventually helped you overcome that roadblock.
8th Grade- Some students will be continuing their adolescent health and CPR training. Those students who are not learning health this week will continue their Advisory program by imagining who they want to be in the future. Ask your child what they want their life to look like in the future. What skills or abilities do they want to have? What qualities or values do they want to develop?
PBIS- Our Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Program
Happy November! This month, PBIS celebrates Ms. Butler as our November face on the Panther Buck! Our prizes this month are 3 raffles - $10.00 Amazon Gift Card (1 per grade level); Principal for the Day (1); and Pick-a-Prize! They can also save their Panther Bucks for the end of the month treat - Snacks and chips (regular and gluten free). You can sign up to make November donations here- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C4AA9AF29A6FE3-pbis Thank you!
PANTHERPALOOZA - New date has been set to May 12th! Stay tuned for more details!
5th Grade News
Please remember to check your child’s binder on a weekly basis. We need to work with the children to keep their binders organized. You can take out completed work, tests, and quizzes. The children are also in need of new pencils and erasers. Many students continue to need highlighters to complete assignments. You can access your students' grades and missing assignments on Schoology. Please try to assist your child with any missing assignments.
To families of students in Mrs. Bolen’s, Mrs. Porada’s, Mrs. Hool’s and Mrs. Gallagher’s classes: This letter was sent home on Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week from Mrs. Saroli (general music teacher): January 12 concert announcement!
6th Grade News
We hit the ground running in 2nd Quarter. Our students have settled in and know routines well. Now is the perfect time to organize binders, throw out old materials which are no longer needed, and replenish school supplies. Hand held pencil sharpeners are a must for colored pencils. Many students need new pens/pencils/erasers right about now as well. Encourage your child to arrive with a filled water bottle and use passing time to refill it. Students will be asked to sign a pass to leave class to use the filling stations.
8th Grade News
8th grade students are starting the book King George: What was his problem? By Steve Sheinkin in social studies classes. This book will take us through our causes of the American Revolution and our American Revolution students.
Students in several of the 8th grade advisories are finishing up their Adult Health Education this week and next week.
Math started the real number system; students are working to classify, order, and compare many different quantities. It's off to a great start!
Students are beginning to complete their Off the Grid project in Science. They will be evaluating a piece of property for where they will place their Wind or Hydroelectric generator in order to completely live Off the Grid.
In English classes, 8th graders just completed a Short Story unit. They read and analyzed several narratives written in a wide variety of styles and from many different eras and places. They worked independently, in small groups, and as a whole class on projects and activities. Ask your student what happens if you wish on the Monkey's Paw or if anyone can beat Squeaky in the 100-meter dash. Or, see what their opinion is about whether or not Charlie Gordon should have risked the operation to increase his intelligence.
Next, we turn our attention to poetry. A major goal of this unit is to help students interpret figurative language and find meaning below the surface, helping prepare them for the type of analysis they will be doing in high school. They will also practice writing their own verse.
Also, up and running is Griffin's Panther Snack Pantry. This is available in room 219.
Communities United in Diversity
Our Community-led Diversity Group meets monthly. These meetings are led by Ginni Winters who is the School Culture & Equity Consultant from Wayne Resa. Ginni has supported our diversity efforts as a district for many years. These meetings are intended for adults who have students at any level within our school district.
Water Bottles
Counseling
Ms. Gina Hawkins is our counselor for students with last names A-K.
Mrs. Carla Palffy is our counselor for studenst with last names L-Z.
Here is a link to our Parcells Counseling page.
Parcells Middle School is a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) school. Click here for information about BYOD. At Parcells, chromebooks are available for students who demonstrate financial need. Please email your counselor to receive the required paperwork. All information will be kept confidential.
Reminder to students
What’s ALWAYS happening at Parcells?
Late start Mondays: Every Monday, school begins at 9:00am. Doors open at 8:45am. Tuesday through Friday, school begins at 8:15am. Doors open at 8:00am.
Morning Basketball takes place at 7:45am Tuesday - Friday. Students may enter through the Gym doors off Sunningdale to participate.
Reminder: Cell phones/electronic devices are to be turned off and out of sight at school. This includes all devices associated with cell phone usage such as Apple Watches or similar devices.
Student drop off: Student safety is our number one priority, especially in the morning. In the back entrance of our building (Sunningdale), please be mindful of Drop Off & Pick Up procedures. The employee parking lot is active and is not a drop off or pedestrian zone for students. Students should not cross through the lot to access the building at any time. For their safety, please refrain from dropping students off any place other than the loop around the parking lot.
Please note:
- The parking lot is reserved for 5th grade families drop off/pick up only.
- When dropping your student off, please pull up as close to the end of the ramp outside the 5th grade door as possible. Do not stop directly in front of the doors.
- Students should be prepared to exit your vehicle quickly.
- Parents must exit the parking lot as soon as your child is out of the car. No U-Turns or cutting through aisles. Please drive around the loop and exit with the flow of traffic.
- Parking spots/rows are reserved for staff only and are not for drop off or pickup before or after school.
- Please do not park/stop/wait between entrance and exit driveways along Sunningdale.
- Refrain from making left turns out of the school parking lot off Sunningdale during drop off times (8-9 AM and 3-4 PM).
Along Mack Ave (front of building):
- Students must be dropped off in the school driveway. Do not exit a car while on Mack Avenue.
- Please keep traffic moving. Students should be prepared to exit your vehicle quickly. Exit the driveway as soon as your child is out of the car.
We have been asked by Summit Oral Surgery to ask parents to please not use their parking lot as a pick-up spot. Their parking lot is small and is reserved for patients only. Thank you!