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:

Social Media & Schools

Social Media is a powerful tool and provides schools an opportunity to showcase their programs as well as their staff and student accomplishments. In the age of increasing school choice, it's important to showcase the quality of programs our school can offer. I'm a big proponent of social media, while I also understand and experience the downside. However the positives far outweigh the negatives and it's an opportunity to communicate with parents and promote the successes of our school.

The United State Supreme Court has ruled recently in favor of protecting free speech rights for students when it comes to school and social media. In 2021 the Supreme Court ruled in Mahanoy School District vs. B.L. that a public high school could not discipline a student for a snapchat post that was critical of the school. The court upheld free speech rights of students for social media posts made outside of school. This important decision was a landmark case that established important guidelines for schools moving forward when dealing with social media and student free speech.

I'm proud of the work our staff has done on building a successful social media presence. Our clubs and organizations have used these outlets to provide parents updates, news, photos, and communication. This allows parents to remain more engaged in our school. Our high school social media outlets have large followings and allow us to promote the success of our school to a broad following. Our high school facebook site has a following that exceeds schools 4 times our size. While this allows us to reach many people, there can be a downside.

We receive many DM's requesting additional information and sometimes messages critical of our school or policies. I respond directly to every message in the name of transparency. We are often tagged on private posts that are positive and promote our school. We appreciate the support! We are also tagged on posts or shared posts that are critical of our school and are negative in nature. We understand and respect the free speech rights of our patrons and community members. However I would also remind everyone that just because you have the right to say or post something doesn't mean you should.

Our staff works incredibly hard to provide our students a positive high school experience. I know many of our staff worked well beyond their contract hours last week to make homecoming a special experience for all students. This included, for some, wrapping up a 20 hour day with a dance for our students Friday night. Some staff members were still working to clean up the library well after midnight.

It can be hurtful to read negative comments on social media. I've long accepted that it comes with my job. I'm also grateful that the vast majority of our parents and community members are positive and responsible on social media. We are certainly not perfect and not above criticism. We are a public school and accept that responsibility. However I would always urge our parents and community members to reach out directly to the school if you have questions or concerns. My email and private cell phone number are posted below. Always feel free to call me and I will always be open and transparent.

By contacting us directly you can avoid the misinformation that can spread on social media. That misinformation can be harmful and can have a negative impact on our students, staff, and school as a whole. We respect everyone's rights to free speech. It's a right as sacred as any in our Constitution. However all rights come with responsibility.

Go Dragons!.

Jason

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

-sandersj@purcellps.org

405-442-0099 ext 505

cell# 918-873-0354

Sam teaches junior English and has served as Prom Sponsor. Read the nominating tribute from one of her colleagues:

Sam is a new to the teaching profession. She has a passion for literacy that is evident in her engaging curriculum. She prepares learning opportunities for her students that broadens their horizons. She is an excellent teacher with high standards for her students.

Katy is the daughter of Krysta Matthews and the late Kody Keith. She is President of the Student Council, a football manager, member of NHS, and the tennis team. She is a 3X Superintendent's Honor Roll member, state qualifier for tennis, and a graduate of Youth Leadership of Oklahoma. Her favorite class is Calculus with Mr. O'Neal. She plans to attend OU and major in elementary education (I love this!) #phsdragons

Carter Goldston: PHS Student of the Month! Carter is the son of Joe & Christie Goldston. He is a 4 Year STUCO officer and member of NHS, FCA, and the football & baseball teams. He is a 3 year Letter P recipient, 3X Superintendent's Honor Roll, 2X Football Player of the Week and 22-23 2nd Team All District Baseball.

Carter's favorite class is Mr. O'Neal's Calculus class. He plans to attend UCO and and major in Kinesiology and become a Physical Therapist. #phsdragons

Congratulations to all of our students and a special thanks to all staff members who made this day such a special day. Special recognition for our STUCO and sponsors Krysta Matthews and Emma Rolin for all of their hard work and the countless hours outside of school they work.

Safety Drills and Nicotine Delivery Devices (Vapes)

• We will conduct a security drill this Tuesday, September 19th at 11:00 AM. This is the beginning of 4th hour. This will be a lockdown drill. A lockdown occurs when there is an immediate threat to the school. All perimeter doors are secured and all students are moved into classrooms and behind the security doors that separate the commons from the main school. All staff and students are moved away from doors and windows. All lights are turned off. No one is allowed to enter or exit the building. Drills are important opportunities to practice safety preparedness.
• We are pleased to report that vaping offenses are down this year. This is a positive trend as we saw our number of vaping offenses peak during Covid and into last year. We are pleased to announce our YAHL (Youth Action for Health Leadership) initiative will continue this year. YAHL is a statewide youth-led health initiative funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). I'm excited that we have 3 student leaders who are taking an active role in the leadership of this initiative. The purpose is to promote healthy habits and increase awareness of the dangers of vaping.
• Vaping is a serious offense and students who bring vapes on campus impact the safety of not only themselves but other students. Students caught possessing or using vaping devices are assigned at minimum 3 days of ISS for the first offense. Students will be suspended out-of-school on the second offense
  

  
  

Please be sure to stay updated on all things counseling from Ms. Feroli. Click on the Counselor's Corner tab below for all relevant info. This newsletter is updated throughout the year and includes many important resources and info including:

• ACT Info
• Graduation Requirements
• FAFSA info
• Oklahoma's Promise
• Curriculum Guides
• Graduation pathways
• and much more

Please note the next scheduled ACT date is October 28th. REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR THE OCTOBER TEST IS 9/22 (THIS FRIDAY)

Also don't forget COLLEGE & CAREER NIGHT IS THIS THURSDAY @ 6pm

Juniors starting at 6 and a financial aid info session for them at 6:30 in the library. For seniors, financial aid info at 6 and fair at 6:30.

The senior website is complete and can be accessed by clicking on the link below. It includes important updates and information relevant to seniors and parents. I've also copied below information important to all seniors and parents.

Senior sponsors:

Michael O'Neal: onealm@purcellps.org

Amber Findley: findleya@purcellps.org

See dates below for 23/24 ACT Testing Dates and deadlines for registration. You can also find the link to register for ACT test and workshop opportunities. As always contact PHS Counselor Melissa Feroli with specific questions.

REGULAR REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR OCT. 28TH TEST IS 9/22.

Register Now for This Fall’s ACT College and Career Readiness Workshops

Start your 2023-24 school year off right with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn from college and career readiness experts and to network with fellow counselors in your region. We’ll cover trends, tips, and tools to help keep your students fully informed and prepared to start their post-high school journeys.

• All workshops are free to attend.
• A variety of in-person and virtual workshops are available.
• Some events focus on specific ACT solutions.

Sign Me Up!

• Map Assessments

I will begin sending parents MAP assessment reports this week. Every freshmen and sophomore parent can expect a family report sent to their email. This report will provide results from your student's fall MAP assessment. These assessments measure learning progress in math, reading, and science. This is the first year we have assessed for science.

• College and Career Readiness

Next month students will gather in advisory to complete their regular OK College and Career Guides. This provides us a regular opportunity to engage students in critical conversations about their future. It's never too early for students and parents to begin planning for a successful transition to their post high school life. Students should have general idea about what they want to do after high school by their sophomore year. Whether it's college, career tech, military, or straight to the workforce, students and parents need to formulate plan well before their junior year. Please engage your students in these conversations.

• Attendance Updates

Aaron Dillard, high school Dean of Students, sent out 5 day absence letters to parents/guardians of any student who has 5 or more unexcused absences. This indicates that your student is at risk of not receiving course credit due to excessive absences. We also sent out chronic absenteeism letters. This indicates your student is chronically absent from school. Students absent 10 or more days (excused or unexcused) are considered chronically absent.

Last week I visited 4 classrooms as part of my classroom observation duties. As administrators we spend the entire hour in the class while observing. This allows us to provide teachers valuable feedback, support, and celebrate their successes. I observed the following classrooms last week:

Kurt Gray: U.S. History (juniors)

Josh Beal: Math Concepts (all grades)

Michael O'Neal: Trigonometry (juniors)

Bryan Young: Math / Alternative Education (all grades)

What was interesting to me was the fact that in all of those classes I never observed a student on their cell phone. Additionally I never observed a student on a computer. I did observe all students engaged in productive learning experiences. I observed students collaborating and learning difficult concepts. I observed teachers working one-on-one with students. I observed teachers using questioning strategies to measure whether their students were learning.

Sometimes I hear reports that students today are consumed by technology and that it plays too big a role in education. While our students have access to their phones at school and all students are issued a Chromebook, technology remains an important tool in their learning process. A real, live, highly effective teacher remains the most important factor in your student's education!

I've shared a picture of one of the lessons I observed last week. Josh Beal is a new teacher in our school. He teaches in our special education classroom. He designed a lesson that helped his students better understand the concept of money and the impact of inflation. He, along with Susan Bennett (paraprofessional), facilitated a classroom store called Beal's Meals. One of the students worked as a clerk. The other students counted money and bought items depending on their respective budgets. They were able to master complex economic topics like inflation through the lesson. It was incredibly impressive. Well done Josh & Susan!

Our Academic Team is off to a good start this year! We are currently 4-2. We have several new team members. Senior Rose Allen & Junior Kaleb Bailey are among them, and have been a great addition to our already outstanding team!

Music Theater is working on their first musical for December. Little Women: Christmas. Lines, music, props set, wardrobe, hair and makeup are at the forefront of our minds!

Choirs are gearing up for their second annual Country Comedy Hour in October. Practices are starting Monday for Honor Choir auditions as we start our competition season. A lot of changes are in the works in the vocal department as we’ve double in size since this time last year.

The choir received a Donors Choose Grant that provided them with a portable sound system allowing us to move our sound and show to venues outside the classroom and auditorium.

Hi, my name is Carli Thomas! I am a sophomore and I’m currently serving as your FFA Chapter Vice President. This is my third year in FFA and I could not be more excited to be apart of all of the big things our chapter has to come. I have a passion for livestock judging, public speaking, and most of all, showing livestock. I am member in student council and Spanish club. Aside from school activities, I really enjoy attending church and spending time with my youth group. Through church I have also discovered that I love to play sand volleyball in my free time! After graduating from high school I plan on obtaining a degree in agricultural communications and pursuing a career in graphic design and photography.

• PHS Football defeated Lexington 56-0 to move to 2-1 this season. They open district play this Friday night in Crooked Oak!

• PHS Softball is currently 21-7 overall and 11-1 in district. They host Ada @ 5PM this Monday and will also celebrate seniors with Senior Night. The playoffs will begin this Thursday with district play.

• PHS Cross-Country competed this Saturday @ a tough and highly competitive CCS meet. Our boys team finished 5th overall and continue to excel this season. Pre-State meet at Edmond this weekend.

Follow all of our PHS sports team on their Facebook accounts linked below.

Celebrate Senior Night this Monday night!

Rank One Forms are now available to be completed. Visit rankonesport.com or scan the QR code to complete your athletic forms for the 23-24 school year.

Registration is now open for the Oklahoma Math Tutoring Corps (OMTC) for the 2023-24 school year. This high-dosage tutoring program is available for Oklahoma students in grades 7, 8 and 9, providing 50-minute virtual tutoring sessions three times a week in groups of no more than four students.

Along with feedback from students and families, 78% of 7th and 8th grade students who participated during the 2022-23 school year had 2023 assessment scores within the same performance level as in 2022 or improved a performance level. Remaining at the same performance level is considered growth as the state’s academic standards increase in complexity each grade level. Please note, 9th grade does not have a state assessment, so we do not have testing information on them.

OSDE’s Math Tutoring Corps will host two sessions during the 2023-24 school year. The first runs September 17 through November 18, and the second in Spring 2024. Each session can accommodate up to 1,500 students and students are eligible to participate in one or both of the sessions. Families and students can register through this link. The OSDE will provide any needed technology or internet access, and tutoring schedules will occur during students’ free time outside of the school day.

Please contact the high school 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