The Dragon Beat

Hello Parents,

Hope everyone has had a fantastic summer with family and friends! This is the week when all the August excitement begins! The faculty and staff arrived today to complete training and planning. We will be preparing a school year filled with academic growth, creative experiences and social emotional support for all students. We want to welcome you and your child to the Purcell Intermediate Family for the 2022-2023 school year!

Open House

Open House will be held on Tuesday, August 9th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. We will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of familiar faces and welcoming all the new faces.

First Day of School

Thursday, August 11, will be our first day of class. Our doors open at 7:30 a.m. and classes begin at 8:00 a. m.

Breakfast and Lunch Information

The cost of many things has increased and unfortunately, this includes the price of breakfast and lunch. If you have not filled out the Cafeteria Benefits Form, please let us know when you come to Open House, and we will be happy to help. Please have a discussion with your child about whether or not you would prefer them to eat in the cafeteria. We will be happy to help support your choices. Prices will be shared soon.

Breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 7:50.

Dismissal Procedure Update

This year we will provide car rider tags for after-school car dismissal to assist with safety. If your student is a car rider, you will be provided a tag to hang on your rearview mirror for when you pick up your child after school. You will pick up car tags at Open House. This procedure is just another step in our ongoing focus on student safety. I thank you in advance for helping us keep all students safe!

A special shout-out and thank you to Dr. Rick Schmidt & Dr. Stephanie Schmidt for assisting with our safety plan and providing car rider tags this year!

We count it an honor and privilege to provide learning and growing experiences for your child. Looking forward to nurturing, challenging and supporting the growth of each child - both academically and socially emotionally. Thank you in advance for giving us this opportunity.

If you have any questions or need assistance in any way, please feel free to reach out to me by email, phone, or an in-person visit. It is a joy to team with you in this season of your child’s life

It's a Great Day to be a Dragon!

Tina Swayze

swayzet@purcellps.org

405-442-0099 ext. 301

THANK YOU Dr. Rick Schmidt & Dr. Stephanie Schmidt for supporting our Dragon families and our safety plan!

The Cafeteria Benefits Form needs to be completed by each parent each year. If you have not completed this form, please do so now. You will know your qualifications much faster by submitting online if possible. If you need a paper copy, please stop by the front office and we will provide you a copy.

Breakfast and Lunch are not free this year, this form helps fund resources we receive from Title 1. Please help us secure funding for our students' future!

If you are a new student, please check your email for directions to set up and access your Parent Portal account. Then you will be able to fill out the Cafeteria Benefits Form online.

If you already have a Parent Portal account, you can scan the QR code here or click on this link.

PURCELL JOM - School Supply Handout Dates

Sat Aug. 6th 9:30-12pm
Mon Aug. 8th 5:30pm-7pm
Tue Aug. 19th 5:30pm - 7pm

MUST be ENROLLED at Purcell Public Schools
Parent / Guardian must complete one survey per family and sign for each child to pick up school supplies.

If the school does not have a CDIB card or Tribal membership card you will be asked to provide one for each student BEFORE picking up school supplies.

If you have questions please contact JOM@purcellps.org

Hello, my name is Carla Davis. My husband, Shawn Davis and I have been married for 39 years and have two adult children, Skyler and Michael. We love spending time together with our children and their families.

I have had the privilege of teaching in a public school setting for 30 years. I have taught grades 1st through 5th throughout my professional career. My teaching experiences have been in Oklahoma and the state of New Mexico. This has afforded me wonderful opportunities to teach a diverse group of students over the years. I am a TEAM player and always put the needs of my students first.

My husband and I are excited to be back in Oklahoma. He just recently joined Purcell First Baptist Church as the worship leader. I am thrilled to be teaching third grade at Purcell Intermediate. I am looking forward to meeting my third-graders at Open House! It is going to be a great year!

Hey Dragons. My name is Kayla Sweeney! My husband, Kyle, and I have been married for 5 years and we have two sweet/ornery boys. Our 4y/o’s name is Olin and our 1y/o’s name is Jett. They don’t have any human sisters, but they have 2 sister dogs. One named Saydie and the other named LuLu! My family and I live here in town, and Olin is starting Pre-K this year. I am so excited for this opportunity in the town I live in, grew up in, graduated from, and LOVE with my whole heart! In my spare time I LOVE spending time with my husband and my boys and also all of our other family that lives here in town. We enjoy a lot of time in my Mom and Dad’s pool. It’s probably our favorite place to be!

I attended college and obtained my bachelors degree from Southern Nazarene University. After I graduated I got married, had a baby and I stayed home with him for a year. After that, I taught Kindergarten at Purcell Elementary and that next year I switched over to be the PE teacher. Last year, I went on an adventure to the JH and I loved it also! With that being said, I decided to settle somewhere in the middle with 4th grade!

I can not wait to begin this year with an awesome group of 4th graders! And I’m looking forward to all the memories that will be made!

Hello, my name is Joseph Franco. My family consists of my wife, Rebecca, and two children, JJ and Arabella. My favorite pastime and hobby is camping with my amazing little family.

Prior to coming to Purcell, I taught for five years at Santa Fe South Hills Elementary and the Head Baseball Coach at the Middle School.

Accepting this position allows me to be closer to family, spend less time driving to work, and more time giving Purcell students the best opportunity at a quality education. My goal is to positively impact the Intermediate school Students to strive for greatness.

Hey there! My name is Kaitlyn Austin.

I have been married to my amazing husband, Corbin, for over a year now. I graduated from Southwestern Christian University and this will be my second year teaching third grade. I am a major sports junkie, especially being a former college athlete! I am beyond excited to start this school year and build relationships with my students. It’s going to be an amazing year!

My name is Desray Little. My husband Kevin and I have been married for 18 years and have four amazing children. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Elementary Education and previously taught 6th grade math at Kerr Middle School. After our first child was born, I began working from home in the financial services industry.

Our family’s hobby is traveling! We have a goal of taking our children to all 50 states before each one of them graduates from high school. Currently, road tripping over any break we can get is one of our favorite past times.

Although I have not taught inside a public school in many years, I have actively continued working with children in our community in many ways. 8 years ago, I became a nursery volunteer at Landmark Church in Purcell. For the last 6 years, I have assisted my husband in coaching 3 of our children’s youth basketball teams and this will be my 3rd year as the head coach for the Purcell Youth Football Cheer Squad. Go Dragons!

I look forward to seeing many familiar little faces in the hallways of Purcell Intermediate School. I am committed to bringing my best each and every day for your children and am thankful for this opportunity.

My name is Kaylynn Tresler. I am 24 years old. Since graduating from Purcell High School in 2018, I have worked for Susie Croslin at Education Station and interned with Oklahoma Children ministries. I attended Victory Family Leadership College and am certified and licensed by the Assembly of God Churches; currently, I am working on ordination.

My hobbies include running, reading, listening to Elvis music, and watching old classic movies.

The reason I am so excited to work at Purcell Intermediate is love, serve and teach all the children that I will get to spend time with each day. I can’t wait to get started!

Hi! I am Crystal Hamilton and I am so excited to be a part of the Purcell Intermediate family this year. Teaching reading is where my heart is, and I can’t wait to work with the teachers and students on helping them reach their reading goals this year! This is my 22nd year to teach in Purcell and 27 years total.

My husband, Mike, and I are celebrating 32 years of marriage. We have four beautiful children, Kristin, Kylie, Josh, and Caleb. Kylie, Josh and Caleb are juniors this year at Purcell. My daughter Kristin and son-in-law, Steve, are the parents to my energetic and beautiful 3 ½ year old granddaughter, Noa. My family attends Union Hill Baptist Church. My faith and relationship with Christ is what sees me through each day!

In my free time, I love being with my family and being Cece to my granddaughter, Noa! I also enjoy reading, going to the beach, spending time with friends and teaching English online. I am looking forward to being at the intermediate this year and can’t wait to get to know everyone!

As we set to open on Thursday, our building is sparkling clean and smelling great thanks to our awesome custodian, Ms. Maria Zaragoza. Maria is coming to us after having been a custodian at the Junior High and High School. We are thrilled to have her join our Purcell Intermediate Family!

We have a few classrooms that are peanut-free due student allergies. Parents, please help us when sending snacks that they are peanut free, as well as, peanut free lunches. Thank you for helping us keep students safe in our school.

Amy Wells-Norman

Purcell Intermediate

Counselor

wells-norman@purcellps.org

405-442-0099 ext. 301

Sara Nichols

Purcell Public Schools

Counselor/Student Advocate

nicholss@purcellps.org

405-442-0099 ext 311

• August 11th - Classes Begin
• September 5th - Labor Day - No School
• September 16th - Professional Development Day - No School
• October 4th & 6th - Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30-7 pm
• October 14th - End of the 1st Qtr
• October 13th, 14th &17th - Fall Break - No School
• October 24-28th - Red Ribbon Week & Dress-Up Days
• November 11th - Veteran's Day
• November 21st-25th - Thanksgiving Break - No School
• December 16th - End of 2nd Qtr / 1st Semester
• December 19th-December 30th - Christmas Break - No School
• January 2nd - Professional Development Day - No School
• January 3rd - 2nd Semester Begins
• January 5th - Report Cards go home in TH Folders
• January 16th - Martin Luther King Junior Day - No School
• February 13th-17th - District Kindness Week / Acts of Kindness
• February 20th - Professional Development Day - No School
• March 4th - End of 3rd Qtr.
• March 7th & 9th - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:30-7:00 pm
• March 10th-17th - Spring Break - No School
• May 12th - Last Day of School / Report Cards go home

Parent and Student Portal Access

Please contact the office if you are unable to access Parent Portal. This allows students and parents to access real-time grades 24/7, attendance information and update personal information. I include a parent/portal link for all parents/guardians on every Parent Newsletter. This link is located immediately below this message. It's very important all parents have access to parent portal.

Please complete this form linked here if you are need of a Parent Portal Account:

https://forms.gle/kcw4yFh9UghpFKW76

If you have any problems accessing Parent Portal please contact the school directly: (405) 442-0099 ext. 301

Purcell Public Schools counts student safety among its highest priorities and continues to find ways to improve and enhance the safety measures within the district. In our efforts to provide safe school our district launched a new two-way anonymous reporting tool, STOPit. STOPit is a mobile app that empowers any student to anonymously report school safety issues and reach out for help if they or a peer are facing a personal crisis or experiencing situations such as bullying, theft, mental health concerns, violence, sexual harassment, substance abuse or any other student safety concern. The STOPit app is available to students and parents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will be monitored by STOPit Incident Monitoring Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your school administrator will also receive a text message that a report was sent.

You can watch a short video that introduces STOPit. Please click here to watch the video. The first step to use STOPit is to download the app from Google Play or Apple App Store. You can begin to use the app by scanning the QR code found on a poster around your school or the one above. Once you are in the app, select your school and send the message- simple as that. You can upload screenshots, videos, or pictures. Remember that reporting is 100% anonymous. An administrator can message you through the app to get more information and you still remain anonymous. It is important that we all play our role in school safety. If you see something, say something!

The Purcell Intermediate Parent Resource Site has been created to enhance the communication and address the needs of our parents. This site is composed of information and links from the site counselor, music program, physical education, speech, and resource team. Just click on the button below and check out all the great available resources at Purcell Intermediate. Look for more resources as we grow this service!

This is my 33rd year in the Purcell School District. I am super excited as our school grows and adapts with each year by turning challenges into opportunities! Since being in Purcell, my experiences include teaching junior high math, reading, coaching basketball, cheer, and serving as a principal. I am a Dragon to the core and believe this school district and community are the best! My husband is Jerry Swayze and we have been married for 31 years. We raised two children, Cole and Haylee, that are products of this school system and will always be grateful for their experience as Dragons!