The PHS Post

September 26 - September 30

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Homecoming week was a great success! From the festive decorations (thank you Cheer and StuCo), to the fun dress up days, the WIN over Ottumwa - Let's Go!, and the dance - Everyone was on Cloud 9. Thank you to students, staff, and families that supported throughout the week, it wouldn't be possible without YOU!

This week's PHS Post brings a lot of new information, please read through all of the following as you will not want to miss out on important dates and information, AND lots of pictures from the past week.

Enjoy every moment!

Mrs. Hawley

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Jostens Orders for Seniors and Sophomores...

Senior Homeroom: Wednesday, September 28 Jostens will meet with Seniors regarding Graduation Apparel - Order Packets will be sent with Senior to take home - orders will be taken during lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 5

Sophomore Homeroom: Tuesday, October 11 Jostens will meet with Sophomores regarding class rings - look for an order packet to come home - orders will be taken during lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 19

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PHS Picture Day...

PHS Student Picture Day: Tuesday, Oct. 4 - 7:30 - 3:45 during English class. All Sophomores and Juniors are required to get their photo taken. If you would like to order photos, here is the online link . Students may also pick up an order form in the PHS Main Office. If you are writing a check, please make checks payable to HR Imaging.

***Delta Students will have their photos taken on Oct 14 @ Prairie Delta from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm.

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Students: READ your EMAIL...

Attention Students: Please read your email at least once per day, important communications regarding your classes, registration, Activities Office, and other updates and announcements are shared with you daily.

PHS Student Services...

US Service Academies Senior Deadline 10/22

Events and Information

Volunteer Cord Process

Testing Information

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 appointment

Student Planning Guides

Available NOW...

Mercy Urgent Mental Health Care

The start of the school year can cause some anxious feelings for students. This is common. But sometimes those feelings don’t settle down and start to impact life at school and at home.

Mercy Urgent Mental Health Care is available to all Prairie students and is conveniently located at the Mercy Prairie Creek office east of the Prairie Campus.

This service is free to all Prairie students and the referral process is simple. If you’d like more information or to schedule an appointment, please reach out to your student’s school counselor. All counselors’ contact information is available at this link.

We are grateful to the Mercy organization for their partnership with College Community Schools.

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College and Career Transitions

University of Northern Iowa Multicultural Visit Day - Apply here!

On Tuesday, October 4, 2022, in partnership with the University of Northern Iowa, Prairie High School will be taking a group of students to UNI’s Multicultural Student Visit Day. This day is specially-designed for students of color, with these unique highlights:

Hearing from current UNI students of color
Visiting the Center for Multicultural Education and meeting its staff
Meeting with an expert from the student’s major of interest
Learning about specific scholarships available for students of color
The visit also includes a tour of campus and dorms, lunch in a dining center, an admissions presentation and more!

Space is limited. Priority will be given to students who register by September 29th, 2022.

Sign-Up to attend a FAFSA Workshop: The FAFSA opens up on October 1st, 2022. Submitting and completing the FAFSA is one of the single most important things you can do to open access to various forms and sources of financial aid. College admissions and financial aid professionals encourage all families, regardless of income, to submit and complete the FAFSA as there are financial aid opportunities for everyone. For example, Future Ready’s Last Dollar Scholarship covers any remaining gap between federal and state grants/scholarships and tuition and qualified fees for students enrolled in an eligible program, regardless of financial need! Questions or concerns? Contact Ms. Rawson at nrawson@crprairie.org or 319-848-5340 x 2061.

Saturday, October 1, 2022: Cedar Rapids Area FAFSA Workshop, Cedar Rapids Public Library (450 5th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401), 9:30am - 12:30pm. Sign-up here.

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022: Prairie High School FAFSA Workshop, Prairie High School Presentation Room, 3:00 - 6:30pm. Sign-up here.

More events will be scheduled in November and December, stay tuned!

FAFSA Prep Checklist:

Both students AND a parent must create an FSA ID. An FSA ID is a username and password that will be used to access and sign the FAFSA electronically. The FSA ID will stay with you for life, so make sure to use an email that you will have access to after leaving PHS. Write down your username and password somewhere secure.
Start collecting the following documents:

Parent and Student SSN# or Alien Registration #'s
Parent 2021 federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned
Student 2021 federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned (if applicable)
Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
Records of untaxed income (if applicable)

Have questions about college or career planning?

Reach out to Ms. Rawson at nrawson@crprairie.org or schedule an appointment here.

Click Now! PHS Daily Schedules...

The PHS student school day is 9:15am - 4:00pm. Teachers are available from 8:15am to 4:15pm daily - We encourage you to email teachers directly whenever you are needing assistance. The PHS Main Entrance opens for student arrival beginning at 7:30am.

Click Here for this weeks Activities and Athletics...

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GT Corner...

GT Parents: Thank you so much for attending the District GT Parent Night on the evening of September 12th. We appreciate your support!

EFFECTIVE STUDYING STRATEGY - TEST YOURSELF

Washington University in St. Louis did a study to figure out if it’s more effective to study flashcards by taking out the cards you’ve mastered or leaving them all in and studying the ones you know and don’t know together.

They found something surprising: it didn’t matter at all. What DID matter was frequent testing that kept all of the words fair game in all of the quizzes. It turns out that one of the most effective study techniques is to give yourself mini-test experiences.

To do this, try the following:

Creating actual or virtual flashcards and then practicing them - Think Quizlet!
Do any problems you can find in the textbook or online
Take practice tests, if possible

Thanks,

Mrs. Hoffman

Career Services: Internships and Job Shadows

Juniors and Seniors can sign up for Winter & Spring Internships through Workplace Learning Connection starting Monday, September 26th. Check out www.kirkwood.edu/wlc/internships for more details. Students can earn elective credit for participating in 45 hour experiences with local employers.

The Iowa Labor Center is offering a pre-apprenticeship program to area high school students. Students in 11th and 12th grades interested in apprenticeships in the building trades after high school are encouraged to attend this class. See https://laborcenter.uiowa.edu/preapprenticeship-program for more information and to apply.

Please contact Mary Gudenkauf, Prairie High School Career Services for additional information and thank you for supporting this student-focused exploration program.

mgudenkauf@crprairie.org