Parent Newsletter

Email: sandersj@purcellps.org
Website: https://www.purcellps.org/o/phs
Location: 2020 North Green Avenue, Purcell, OK, USA
Phone: 405-442-0099
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purcellhs
Twitter: @purcellhsdrgns

Good Afternoon Dragon Family:

I'm wishing all members of our PHS family a happy and productive final week of the fall semester. It's really hard to believe we are near the halfway point of the school year. I would like to take an opportunity to again thank all parents and guardians for your support of PHS and provide a few friendly reminders as we transition to Christmas Break.

Students will take semester tests this week in all of their classes. Semester tests account for 20 percent of their total grade in all classes. Please check with your student and remind them of the importance of these upcoming tests. We do our best to limit extra-curricular events and other activities during finals week. The semester test schedule is linked below.

Please be sure to check your email this weekend and read the important message regarding the threatening message received by the school over the weekend. Please know that student and staff safety is and will always be our top priority. We review safety procedures and protocols on a regular basis. We conduct safety drills often and go well beyond the minimum state requirements. Over the past two years we have implemented Bark which allows us to monitor student internet searches and communication on school devices. We also implemented our Stopit APP which allows students to anonymously report student safety issues, threatening behavior, or bullying and harassment. This also allows students to communicate immediately with an administrator and remain anonymous.

Most importantly our staff remains focused on maintaining strong relationships with students. I'm firm in my belief that the most important resource for student safety is a relationship with a trusted adult in the building. Strong teacher/student relationships are not only the foundation for high levels of student learning, they are the most important factor in keeping our students safe. Students are more likely to share critical information with a teacher they trust and like. We are fortunate to have a staff that establishes and fosters those relationships.

I would encourage all parents to talk to their students about issues involving school and student safety. It's important for students to know that school is a safe place and our top priority will always be their safety. They also need to be assured that we will always follow up thoroughly on reports provided to school officials. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have additional questions or concerns.

Go Dragons!

Always feel free to call or email me if you have questions,

sandersj@purcellps.org

405-442-0099 ext 505

School resumes on Tuesday, January 4th.

No School 1/3/22: Professional Development Day

Congratulations Kagan Davis and Zicorrie Davis for being selected Students of the Month by the PHS Faculty. Kagan is the daughter of Brandy Harris, Zack Harris and Randy Davis. She trains and races barrel horses and her favorite races are the futurities. She is a member of National Honor Society and her favorite class/teacher is English with Ms. Findley. She plans to continue to train futurity horses and sell equine insurance.

Zicorrie is the son of Ricky and Tammy Beasley. He is a member of the football, powerlifting, and track teams. He is a 2X player of the week in football and a 2020 State Powerlifter. His favorite class is Tech-Aide. He plans to attend college and join the Air Force.

Please click on the link below to access Melissa Feroli's regularly updated Counseling Newsletter. This is an easy one-stop shop for scholarships, ACT testing, Oklahoma's Promise and other important information from your High School counselor. Information is segmented into easy to follow grade level specific categories.

Our after school tutoring program operates weekly and will last through Spring Break

When: Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-5:00 PM

Where: PHS (Stefanie Renfro's classroom)

Who: Any student may attend but our primary focus is English and Math

All PHS teachers are required to administer comprehensive semester exams at the end of the fall and spring terms. By policy, semester tests account for 20 percent of a student's grade. This is significant to a student's grade and of course we want all students prepared for these important end of semester exams.

We are constantly reviewing and examining our school safety procedures and protocols. It's important to make safety drills a routine part of school and provide students a sense of security that we prioritize their safety. It's also important that all students have a strong relationship with a trusted adult in the building.

Student advocacy is a critical "soft-skill" that we must help students develop. Learning to talk to adults and advocate for yourself takes time and practice. A student talking one-on-one with a teacher is important practice for future conversations with professors, bosses, etc. We understand how important teacher/student relationships are to not only student academic success, but student safety.

Students are most likely to share critical information with a teacher they trust. This can be the difference in getting a student the help they need or providing important information to an administrator or counselor. We are committed to supporting strong relationships between teachers and students throughout our school. Please take a moment and read the article I've linked below that discusses how important it is for students to feel secure in their school.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/sense-security-key-students

We are excited to announce we have partnered with Parchment to provide students past and present the ability to send e-transcripts to the schools and organizations of their choice. This is a free service to all users. This service is currently live and students can order transcripts online or make a request for our school registrar to send transcripts electronically to colleges of their choice.

How does it work?

• Click on the https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/20225/account to either create an account or order a transcript from PHS.
• This order link is posted to our website.
• You will have to create a free account to order a transcript. There are 3 easy ways to create an account and I'm linking an easy to follow help document here: https://parchmentsupport.force.com/s/article/Sign-up-to-order-transcripts?language=en_US
• We will email our current students a registration code this week for an easy account set-up for them.

This past week was Project Elf. This week long fundraiser and activities culminated with our Dodgeball Tournament Friday afternoon. Unfortunately my team lost early in the tournament but it wasn't due to lack of effort or fun! Students and staff enjoyed some much needed fun and holiday spirit prior to the grind of Finals Week and money was raised for a worthy cause: the McClain County foster care system, providing gifts for kids in foster care.

A big thanks to Candy McCurdy for her hard work and organizational efforts as well as to all of her "helpers"

Both the PHS Lady Dragons and Dragons ended a busy week with Tournament Saturday wins. The girls defeated #18 class 5A Noble 54-51 for a consolation championship. The girls are currently ranked #10 in class 3A and are 5-1 on the season.

The boys team defeated Harding Prep 69-59 to pick up a win in an extremely challenging boys bracket. Our boys team is currently ranked #14 in class 3A and are 4-2 on the season.

Both teams will wrap up the Pre-Christmas schedule win a game at Lindsay on Tuesday night.

Monday

• Board of Education Meeting: 6:00 PM/Administration Building
• Winter Band Concert/Bake Sale; Old PJH Auditorium; JH @ 7PM; HS @ 745PM
• 7-8-9 Basketball (no 9th grade girls) vs. Marlow (boys @ PHS); 5PM

Tuesday

• JV/Varsity Basketball @ Lindsay; JV @ 4:30; Varsity @ 6:30

Wednesday

• Semester Tests: 2nd and 6th Hours

Thursday

• Semester Tests: 3rd and 5th Hours

Friday

• Semester Tests: 1st, 4th, and 7th Hours

1. Go to: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/

2. Search for Purcell High School at the top of the page

3. Scroll down and click on game you wish to view

4. Click subscribe to watch

5. Choose your subscription option

New this year, Purcell High School is pleased to announce that we will be using GoFan for mobile ticketing for athletic events. This will begin with the upcoming basketball season. Fans can purchase tickets online through the Purcell High School GoFan page or by presenting a card or mobile payment option at the ticket gate. All major credit cards are accepted, along with Apple Pay. We will still accept cash payments at the gate for early season games, along with the opportunity to purchase season passes. The cost for a cash ticket and online ticket will be $5.

The new ticketing policy allows Purcell High School to operate a more efficient and professional ticket gate while creating a safer and enhanced fan experience. Buying tickets online allows fans to access and share tickets easily by email or text without standing in line.

Fans are encouraged to buy tickets online prior to reaching the facility. For your convenience, signage will be set up at the venue to help fans navigate an online purchase quickly and easily.

We understand this is a change and there will be bumps along the way. However we think our fans will quickly see how easy it is to buy a ticket, share a ticket with family, and quickly access an event. I've shared some helpful links below which will provide extra help with the process.

Over the next several weeks we will work to make sure EVERY parent and student can access student and parent portal on Infinite Campus. 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

Senior Panel Pictures: click on link: https://docs.google.com/.../1nx3iBg.../edit

Senior Remind:

All Senior students and parents are encouraged to join the Senior Remind Group. It will only be used to disperse Senior Class Info.

Remind Code: @phssr22

Free meals will be provided to any student/family who wishes to receive one. Students can pick up meals as they leave campus on Friday. Please contact our office if you have any questions. Please remember food is always available in our food pantry. Please notify our counselor, Melissa Feroli @ ferolim@purcellps.org if you are in need of food assistance.

Evening Adult Basic Education classes have begun in Wynnewood. Overseen by the Chickasha Adult Learning Center, classes will be "most" T/Th evenings from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Wynnewood Middle School located at 601 E. Cherokee St. New students need to call 405-222-6562 or 405-863-3747 to pre-register for classes.

• Dec 20-31: No School; Winter Break
• Jan 3: No School; Professional Day
• Jan 17; No School; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Feb 14; No School; Professional Day
• Mar 8: Parent Teacher Conference
• Mar 10: Parent Teacher Conference
• Mar 11: No School
• Mar 14-18: No School; Spring Break
• May 13: Last Day of School