Park Place Middle School
PUMA PRINTS-January 13th
The Park Place Puma Way "Pride, Excellence, and Character"
- Like us on Twitter @MonroeWASchools
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ppmspride/
- Find us on Facebook @ParkPlaceMiddleSchool (https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceMiddleSchool/) and @MonroeWASchools (https://www.facebook.com/MonroeWASchools/)
- Did you know? Puma Prints are archived on the Monroe School District website: https://www.monroe.wednet.edu/ppms/about/puma-news
Martin Luther King Jr.
In honor of the important civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.; there is
no school Monday, January 17th.
Video
Our Leadership is creating a Martin Luther King Jr. video to be shown on Friday, Jan. 14th during connections time. Similar to last year, it will be an interactive video/discussion focusing on his work, life and his success with non-violence. This is in lieu of an assembly, which we can’t have.
Here are 10 things you may not know about Martin Luther King Jr. (https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-martin-luther-king-jr)
1. King's Birth Name Was Michael, Not Martin
King was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. In 1934, however, his father, a pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his five-year-old son.
2. King Entered College At the Age of 15
King was such a gifted student that he skipped grades nine and 12 before enrolling in 1944 at Morehouse College, the alma mater of his father and maternal grandfather. Although he was the son, grandson and great-grandson of Baptist ministers, King did not intend to follow the family vocation until Morehouse president Benjamin E. Mays, a noted theologian, convinced him otherwise. King was ordained before graduating college with a degree in sociology.
3. King Received His Doctorate in Systematic Theology
After earning a divinity degree from Pennsylvania’s Crozer Theological Seminary, King attended graduate school at Boston University, where he received his Ph.D. degree in 1955. The title of his dissertation was “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman.”
4. King’s 'I Have a Dream' Speech Was Not His First At the Lincoln Memorial
Six years before his iconic oration at the March on Washington, King was among the civil rights leaders who spoke in the shadow of the Great Emancipator during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom on May 17, 1957. Before a crowd estimated at between 15,000 and 30,000, King delivered his first national address on the topic of voting rights. His speech, in which he urged America to “give us the ballot,” drew strong reviews and positioned him at the forefront of the civil rights leadership.
5. King Was Imprisoned Nearly 30 Times
According to the King Center, the civil rights leader went to jail 29 times. He was arrested for acts of civil disobedience and on trumped-up charges, such as when he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.
6. King Narrowly Escaped an Assassination Attempt a Decade Before His Death
On September 20, 1958, King was in Harlem signing copies of his new book, Stride Toward Freedom, in Blumstein’s department store when he was approached by Izola Ware Curry. The woman asked if he was Martin Luther King Jr. After he said yes, Curry said, “I’ve been looking for you for five years,” and she plunged a seven-inch letter opener into his chest. The tip of the blade came to rest alongside his aorta, and King underwent hours of delicate emergency surgery. Surgeons later told King that just one sneeze could have punctured the aorta and killed him. From his hospital bed where he convalesced for weeks, King issued a statement affirming his nonviolent principles and saying he felt no ill will toward his mentally ill attacker.
7. King's Last Public Speech Foretold His Death
King had come to Memphis in April 1968 to support the strike of the city’s Black garbage workers, and in a speech on the night before his assassination, he told an audience at Mason Temple Church: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
8. Members of King’s Family Did Not Believe James Earl Ray Acted Alone
Ray, a career criminal, pled guilty to King’s assassination but later recanted. King’s son Dexter met publicly with Ray in 1997 and argued for the case to be reopened. King’s widow, Coretta, believed the Mafia and local, state and federal government agencies were deeply involved in the murder. She praised the result of a 1999 civil trial in which a Memphis jury decided the assassination was the result of a conspiracy and that Ray was set up to take the blame. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation released in 2000 reported no evidence of a conspiracy.
9. King's Mother Was Also Slain By a Bullet
On June 30, 1974, as 69-year-old Alberta Williams King played the organ at a Sunday service inside Ebenezer Baptist Church, Marcus Wayne Chenault Jr. rose from the front pew, drew two pistols and began to fire shots. One of the bullets struck and killed King, who died steps from where her son had preached nonviolence. The deranged gunman said that Christians were his enemy and that although he had received divine instructions to kill King’s father, who was in the congregation, he killed King’s mother instead because she was closer. The shooting also left a church deacon dead. Chenault received a death penalty sentence that was later changed to life imprisonment, in part due to the King family’s opposition to capital punishment.
10. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Are the Only Other Americans to Have Had Their Birthdays Observed as a National Holiday
In 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that created a federal holiday to honor King. The holiday, first commemorated in 1986, is celebrated on the third Monday in January, close to the civil rights leader’s January 15 birthday.
IMPORTANT-TRAFFIC NEWS
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Due to more than normal parent pick up and drop-offs because of COVID concerns, our traffic volume has increased here at Park Place. Even without this increase of volume, our parking lot poses challenges for the amount of student drop offs and pick ups occurring daily at Park Place. Patience is certainly required as you navigate your way in and out. If you are here picking up or dropping off a student, please make sure you pull as far forward as possible - and students ONLY exit or enter your vehicle along the sidewalk on the west side of the building.
Students may enter the building at 7:40 am. If you wish to drop off your student prior to that time they will be asked to wait until 7:40 am in Study Club. This is offered daily - before school - at PPM for a safe place for students to study, work on homework, or be in a safe place prior to 1st period.
There are some students that are dropped off close to campus so they can walk on - please speak with your student about accessing our crossing guards at the corner of Main St and 179th.
Thank you all for your help with this !
NEW CHROMEBOOKS
Park Place Middle school will be issuing all students new Chromebooks sometime at the beginning of next semester. In preparation, the Chromebook User Agreement and Protection form will be handed out during 1st period and coming home with your student.
These forms will need to be filled out and signed by a parent. Please have your student return the forms to their first period teacher for collection. Copies are found below if you need.
Chromebook User Agreement and Protection forms
YEARBOOK REMINDER
Online Sports Applications Must Be Completed By
January 19th
7/8th grade Girls Basketball tryouts and Wrestling practices begin
January 24th
WIAA Sport League News
The Washington State Department of Health updated its K-12 COVID-19 Requirements, implementing increased testing for high-risk indoor sports and activities and will be required regardless of vaccination status. The following is a summary of the policy which can be found in the full K-12 Guidelines document using the link below.
DOH K-12 Covid 19 Activity Guidelines
- Schools are required to institute screening testing protocols for all athletes, coaches, trainers, and other personnel who work with athletes in high-risk indoor sports and activities (basketball, wrestling, water polo, and indoor cheer), regardless of vaccination status.
- Screening testing of participants must be performed at least 3 times per week using a molecular or antigen test.
- One of the three weekly tests must be performed on all athletes, coaches, trainers, and support personnel no sooner than the day before the competition. Ideally and whenever possible, pre-competition testing should be performed the day of the event.
- The other tests should be performed on a designated cadence, e.g., M/W/F, determined by the school, in coordination with local public health, to maximize assurance of safer practice and competitions.
- If a molecular test is performed, the athlete does not need to quarantine while awaiting screening test results, unless they are exhibiting symptoms then they must isolate.
Emergency Drills and Preparedness Schedule
We do emergency drills at least once a month. We will not be evacuating until April, at the earliest and perhaps not at all depending on the virus. We’ll be having a conversation in each class on January 20th regarding MED.
Here is a list of our drills that we have or will be doing as part of our Washington State requirements
- October 21st-Earthquake Drill-Students had drills in classrooms
- December 14th- Verbal Evacuation Drill
Students were verbally provided in each classroom information on the procedures of emergency evacuation and locations of emergency exits.
- January 20th- Verbal M.E.D Drill-Students will be given verbal instructions on Move-Evade-Defend procedures
- February 16th- Shelter in Place Drill @ 9:40 am
- March 15th- Evacuation Drill-practice evacuation drill procedure
- April 21st- Earthquake Drill @ 12:30 pm in classrooms
- May 17th- Evacuation Drill-practice evacuation drill procedure
- June 8th- M.E.D Drill-practice Move-Evade-Defend procedures
About Us
PRINCIPAL
Kristie Hilson
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Joel Garrison
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Amy (AJ) Adamski
OFFICE MANAGER
Jeanette Barr
OFFICE SUPPORT
Ruby Avalos
Lisa Bednarik
Shannon Maykovich
COUNSELORS
Sharron Leinweber
Last Names A-Li & PBS
Brooke Fox
Last Names Lo-Z & SLC
STUDENT SUPPORT ADVOCATE
Ken Steenis
HEALTHROOM
Jennifer Jacobs
360.804.4332
Pamela Hyvonen RN
360.804.4320
PTO CONTACT
Main Office Number
360.804.4300
Fax
360.804.4399
Attendance Line
360-804-4301
Address
1408 W. Main Street Monroe, WA 98272
Notice of Non-Discrimination
The Monroe School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Title IX Coordinator
Joanne Dickinson
14692 - 179th Avenue SE, Monroe, WA 98272
(360) 804.2539
dickinsonj@monroe.wednet.edu
Section 504/ADA Coordinator
David Paratore
14692 - 179th Avenue SE, Monroe, WA 98272
(360) 804.2609
paratored@monroe.wednet.edu
Compliance Coordinator for 28A.640 and 28A.642 RCW
Joanne Dickinson
14692 - 179th Avenue SE, Monroe, WA 98272
(360) 804.2539
dickinsonj@monroe.wednet.edu
The Monroe School District will also take steps to assure that national origin persons who lack English language skills can participate in all education programs, services and activities. For information regarding translation services or transitional bilingual education programs, contact:
Kim Whitworth
14692 - 179th Avenue SE, Monroe, WA 98272
(360) 804.2558
whitworthk@monroe.wednet.edu