-PHS Update- August 20

August 21 - Teacher Inservice

August 21 - Open House

August 22 - Teacher Work Day

August 23 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 25 - Pep Assembly, 3:10 pm @ PHS

August 26 - HS VB Pre-Season Tournament @ JLHS

August 28 - JH VB @ YCHS

August 29 - HS VB @ Bronaugh

August 31 - JH/HS XC @ Anderson County

August 31 - JH VB/FB @ Crest

September 1 - HS FB @ UTHS

September 4 - Labor Day, No School

September 4 - HS JV FB @ Home vs UT

September 5 - HS VB @ St. Paul

September 5 - Tardy tracking begins

September 7 - JH/HS XC @ Fort Scott

September 7 - JH VB/FB @ JLHS

September 7 - HS VB @ Home vs Hume

September 8 - HS FB @ Home vs Arma

September 8 - Pep Rally @ 3:10 @ PHS

September 9 - HS JV VB @ MVHS

September 11 - JH VB @ JLHS

September 11 - HS VB @ Home vs Rich Hill

September 11 - HS JV FB @ NE Arma

September 11 - Academic Watch Begins

The countdown is on, we are down to three days!

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 23 and the commons area doors open at 7:30 am. We invite all students, staff, and community members to meet us in the PHS gym for a welcome from Mr. Epps at 8:00 am. We will release from the PHS gym to classrooms.

For the 2023-3024 school year, we will continue our three major behavior expectations for the students of PHS. Found on page 5 of the student handbook, each of the expectations listed below is described in more detail. These behaviors are what we will teach, reinforce and re-teach to our students. These are the same behaviors that we will hold ourselves accountable for modeling each day.

1. Take care of yourself.

2. Take care of each other.

3. Take care of this place.

Senior windows are ready to decorate!

There are some seniors that prefer to decorate their own windows and others whose parents do the decorating for them. We love to see those baby pictures! All we ask is that the display and pictures are school appropriate.

We are excited to announce our new PHS staff members! We are thrilled to have them join our team and help us to provide the best experience for our families. Over the next couple of weeks, we look forward to sharing more information with you about our new team members. We encourage you to meet them during open house and welcome them to the Bul-Jay crew!

Mrs. Mercedes Pruitt - JH/HS Social Studies

Mr. Seth Gabbert - JH/HS Math

Mrs. Lauren Edwards - FACS

Mrs. Amanda Goddard - K-12 Music

Kady LePorte - JH SPED Para

Chanda Enright - JH SPED Para

Trianna Todd - HS SPED Para

Colleen Sweat - HS SPED Para

In an effort to provide our students with a high-quality education, we restrict the use of cell phones during instructional time. Students may access their cell phones before school, after school, in the hallway, and during lunch.

The only time it is acceptable for a student to have a cell phone in class is with the explicit permission of a teacher. For example, if a student's Chromebook is being repaired and a cell phone would allow them to better access the lesson, then a teacher may grant permission for that class period.

Teachers will post their classroom expectations regarding cell phones and provide students with one reminder. If the student fails to comply, the student will be sent to the office with their cell phone. The cell phone will be kept in the office for the remainder of the day and we will follow the district policy for consequences.

Last year we brought IMPACT referrals to PHS and by the end of the year our students, staff, and community had completed over 500 IMPACT referrals in a school year! We will continue making referrals and passing out bracelets this year.

Inspire.Motivate.Praise.Assist.Champion.Teach

"You never know when a moment and few sincere words can have an impact on a life."

- Zig Ziglar

Has someone been exceptionally helpful? Did someone do something to make your day? Did a teacher go the extra mile to reach your child? Is there a community member who supports your student or all students?

Please take 2 minutes to recognize a student, staff member or community member who has made an impact on you. Click the link below to fill out a quick Google Form and we will take care of the rest.

People who make an impact make our school a better place!

The Academic Watch System was established to provide a process for intervention when a student begins to struggle in a class. The goal of the system is to connect students to the resources they need in order to be successful.

Each teacher has a policy for grading in their classroom, each of these policies explains how much assignments are worth, the procedures they use for grading, and their policy regarding late work. The staff handbook requires that teachers update grades by the time they leave each Friday, in order to make sure their grades in PowerSchool are reflective of student performance.

The first academic watch list will be published on Monday, September 11 for all students.

1. Each Monday at 10:00 am, Mr. Nolan compiles a list of students whose grades have fallen below a 60% and creates their Academic Watch slips. Academic Watch lists are shared with the staff.

2. Monday afternoons, Mrs. Conley confers with students and parents regarding their Academic Probation status.

3. Staff members who sponsor extracurricular activities or events can check the shared Academic Watch lists for updates on student progress/plans.

Academic Watch Status - Students in the first three weeks of failing a class are assigned WIN time with the teacher whose course they are failing or to a structured study hall. These students may also be assigned by Mrs. Conley to after-school tutoring/work time with a teacher or staff member who can provide support in the content area. Students who follow their academic watch plan are eligible to attend practices and participate in events. If a student fails to follow their plan or make progress after three weeks, they move to academic probation status.

Academic Probation Status - Students who have continued to fail a class for longer than three weeks are moved to academic probation. Once a student achieves academic probation status, a meeting is scheduled with the student, parent(s), high school principal, counselor, teachers, and coaches/sponsors (if needed) in order to create a plan to help the student to become successful. Students are ineligible to attend practices and participate in events until the probation meeting is held, a plan is created and the student is following the plan.

We love to hear from you, if you have questions, compliments, or concerns please feel free to contact us!

Email: sara.conley@usd344.org
Website: https://www.usd344.org/
Location: 1001 Ash Street, Pleasanton, KS, USA
Phone: 913-352-8701
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pleasantonschoolsusd344/
Twitter: @344_usd