
Parent Newsletter
Purcell High School - July 17, 2021
Por espanol, Escoja el buton para traducir.
Purcell High School Contact Info
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
Message from the Principal
Good Afternoon Dragon Family:
I hope everyone has enjoyed a relaxing and fun summer with friends and family. We are only a few weeks away from the beginning of a new school year and we eagerly anticipate returning to a greater sense of normalcy. We are optimistic for the opportunity to offer our students and families a normal school year while keeping our focus on student success and safety.
Throughout the last year our School Improvement Team has worked on strategic planning for the next five years. We have established four overall goals focused on the continuous improvement of our school and the services we provide to Dragon families. These goals are based upon our shared values and we will work to review and revise these goals throughout the next 5 years. Please take a moment to review these goals and also to read about the opportunity for parents and guardians to serve on a Principal's Advisory Team this year (see below).
As we approach the beginning of the year I would like to remind all parents and guardians of my open door policy for parents and students. All parents and students should never hesitate to contact me if you need help or have questions. Email is always the best option to contact me. I will get back with you as soon as possible. However you are always welcome to stop my office and visit if you need help or have concerns that need to be addressed.
Thank you Dragon Families for your amazing support of our school!
Thanks!
Jason
Proud to be a Dragon.
Go Dragons!
Always feel free to call or email me if you have questions,
405-442-0099 ext 505
School Starts Thursday August 12th!
PHS School Improvement Goals
Instruction & Learning
Every student has access to high-quality instruction, curriculum, resources, and classroom experiences that are relevant to their lives and experiences. We measure student success through a variety of assessments methods and data sources.
Climate & Culture
The commitment to creating a positive environment for the staff and students at Purcell High School will be established through common expectations and agreed upon norms while finding the opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of both students and staff.
People & Personnel
In an effort to successfully employ and retain staff committed to all students succeeding, PHS will consistently support current staff, seek opportunities to collaborate with potential employees, build leadership capacity and provide meaningful feedback to all staff.
Safety & Wellness
We are committed to providing all students and staff with an environment that ensures the safety, security, and wellness of all individuals. We will promote and encourage all individuals to focus on habits that encourage both safety and individual wellness in the workplace.
New Additions to the Dragon Family
Carolyn Anyong
school email: anyongc@purcellps.org
Roxanne Venegas
school email: venegasr@purcellps.org
Sherrie Smith
school email: smiths@purcellps.org
Deserae Austin
school email: austind@purcellps.org
Rachel Barnett
school email: barnettr@purcellps.org
Bryan Young
Assistant High School Baseball
school email: youngb@purcellps.org
Jasmine Quinonez
school email: quinonezj@purcellps.org
Enrollment Confirmation Dates
We will have a station set up to help any parents login to parent portal. Parent portal allows parents/guardians 24/7 access to student grades on Infinite Campus, our student information system. Counselor, Administrators and Registrar will be on hand to assist. Enrollment confirmation and Freshman Orientation will be held in HS Commons.
Seniors: Monday, 7/26; 9AM-Noon
Juniors: Tuesday, 7/27; 9AM-Noon
Sophs: Wednesday, 7/28; 9AM-Noon
Freshman: Thursday, 7/29: 6PM-8PM (enrollment confirmation and orientation)
Please contact Melissa Feroli, high school counselor, with any questions
New Cell Phone Policy This Year
Prior to this year, and for the last several years, teachers have been allowed to establish cell phone policies within their classrooms. However cell phone use was only allowed for instructional purposes. Teachers were able to allow cell phones use within their classrooms. As you can imagine, it's very difficult for teachers to monitor whether a student is using a cell phone for instructional purposes or personal use. Furthermore, with the addition of school laptops, students no longer need a cell phone for instructional purposes within the classroom.
Under our proposed new policy, all cell phones will be silenced and put away in all classrooms during each class period. The classroom is a protected instructional space and should be devoted entirely to instruction and relationship building between teachers and students. Cell phones are not only a distraction to student learning, they prevent both students and teachers from spending time collaborating with each other and establishing strong working relationships. We are committed to protecting this valuable learning space.
Students would still have the freedom to access cell phones during non-instructional time: hallways during passing and in the high school commons. We have also allowed teachers the ability to permit a student to use their cell phone in class in case of an emergency and for special circumstances. We of course are always able to relay messages to students from parents through the front office.
I strongly believe our students will respond favorably to these new changes and appreciate our renewed focus on instructional time and fostering strong relationships between our staff and students. However we understand new policies must be enforced and there must be consequences for those who do not follow rules and procedures. We understand that cell phones are valuable personal property and we do not want to ever be in the position of taking a student's phone. Nevertheless, there will be consequences for students who are not able to keep their cell phones put away during class. We will NEVER access a student's phone without parental consent for any reason. Please read through this new policy and don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Jason
New Instructional Programs
- ROBOTICS: We will roll out our new Robotics course during the fall semester. Ray Samford, current science teacher will teach this course and lead our school Robotics club. We have worked with Paul Wollenberg from the junior high to extend the wonderful work he does with pre-engineering students from 6th-8th grade. We are thrilled to be able to enhance the STEM opportunities we offer, particularly for our freshman and sophomore students. Please contact Melissa Feroli at ferolim@purcellps.org if you are interested in enrolling your student in this class. We will offer students who have participated in the junior high advanced technology and after school robotics Robotics course first option for this new course
- ESPORTS: We are excited to collaborate with the junior high to help build our first esports team. As you may know competitive gaming is a fast-growing industry and there are now competitive gaming leagues in Oklahoma. Not only does this offer many students who lack connections to school groups an opportunity to get involved, it also offers a valuable opportunity for digital safety training and online etiquette. Ms. Katie Clayton will be helping develop this program and eventually coaching our first team. We are excited about this new opportunity!
Dragon Athletics
Fall Sports Season is Fast Approaching
Here are some changes to our coaching staffs for football, fastpitch, and cross-country as well as upcoming games and events.
Football:
offensive coordinator: Jim Bohnstedt
assistant coach: Cole Harwell
RED/WHITE Game: August 14th @ 6:00 PM; Auction and pictures start at 5.
First game: August 27th @ Lone Grove @ 7:30
Fastpitch Softball
assistant coach: Kenzie Cunnius
2021 Alumni Softball Game: August 7th @ 11AM
First game: August 9th; home vs. Davis 5PM
Cross-country
boys and girl's head coach: Jake Deviney
boy's assistant: Ray Samford
girl's assistant: Robin Hamilton
Reserve seats and banner advertising for Football!
Band Program Gears up for a New Year!
2021-22 Dragon Pride Band Drum Major: Allison Schlotthauer.
21-22 Dragon Pride Leadership Team: Sophia Butler, Hailey Carpenter, Hailey Day, Carly Hendrickson, Dalton Holder, Ronan Little, Chris Moody, Ashlee Pollard, Jimena Portillo, Raleigh Savage, Allison Schlotthauer, Rosalina Venegas, Natalie White.
21-22 Dragon Pride Drumline: Sophia Butler, Ronan Little, Kaylee Morrow, Hailey Carpenter, Emma Andrews, Avery Barrett, Ellie Feroli, Emily Shields.
21-22 Dragon Pride Color guard: Bailey Brennan, Lily Brown, Zoe Bumpass, Lillian Calixto, Kylie Honeycutt, Jordan Ingram, Chris Moody, Alicia Salazar, Natalie Thurston, Rosalina Venegas
IMPORTANT Upcoming DATES
- July 26th: Senior Enrollment Confirmation
- July 27th: Junior Enrollment Confirmation
- July 28th: Sophomore Enrollment Confirmation
- July 29th Freshman Enrollment Confirmation / Freshman Orientation
- Aug 9th: Teachers Report
- Aug 12th: First Day of School
- Sept. 6th: No School: Labor Day
- Oct 4th: Parent Teacher Conference-secondary
- Oct 7th: Parent Teacher Conference-secondary
- Oct 15-18th: Fall Break
Parent Portal Information - Infinite Campus
IMPORTANT: you will need an activation key to access the parent portal. You must email Kim Cummings @ cummingsk@purcellps.org in order to get the activation key