Hornet Herald November 2014 The PHS Community-School Organization (CSO): A Great Way to Get Involved at Your Child's School While this long list of activities would be enough for the CSO to earn recognition at the school, their involvement at PHS goes much further than that. The CSO has organized forums for parents to learn about topics relating to school and to express opinions that are used by both our school-level and district-level administrators. In the past, forums have dealt with the following topics: Hornet Herald PLATTSBURGH HIGH SCHOOL Educational research has shown time and again that there is a direct correlation between a student’s success in high school and the level of involvement of both the parent and the student in organizations at the school. One of the best organizations to get involved with, as a parent, is our school’s CSO. This group of parents works throughout the year to raise money to provide needed funding for a variety of clubs and programs at PHS. The CSO also participates in a variety of school-wide events such as the Open House, coordinating this past month’s free Homecoming Barbecue, organizing the Homecoming Scavenger Hunt, providing refreshments at the Homecoming Dance, sponsoring the Homecoming Breakfast, organizing the Homecoming Powderpuff Football game, sponsoring an Ice Cream Social on Valentine’s Day, and providing a luncheon for our faculty and staff in order to recognize their efforts throughout the year. -Scheduling Options at PHS -Internet Safety Awareness -The Co-Curricular Code of Conduct -The PHS Dress Code -AP and CAP Courses -Mental Health Services -State Funding for Schools -Common Core Testing We, as administrators, seek the opinions of the CSO because they are key stakeholders in the PHS community. Additionally, CSO parent representatives participate in decision-making through our school’s School Improvement Plan (SIP) committee and the district’s DistrictWide Educational Improvement Committee (DWEIC). If you are interested in participating in a variety of school-wide events or learning more about what really is happening at PHS, then think about joining the PHS Community-School Organization. You can learn more by contacting : Margarita Garcia-Notario at [email protected]. The CSO will meet at 7 pm in the school’s conference room on the following Wednesdays: *November 12th *December 10th *January 14th *February 11th *March 11th *April 8th *May 13th *June 10th I hope that you'll take the time to join us at one of these meetings! Page 2 H O R N E T HE R A L D Important Dates in November: November 5: SIP Meeting, 3-4 PM, in the Conference Room November 7: Last Day of First Quarter November 11: Veterans Day Holiday/No School November 12: Early Release Day CSO Meeting, 7-8 PM, in the Conference Room November 14: Deadline for All Newsletter Submissions for the December Hornet Herald November 17: Child Study Team Meeting, All Day, in the Conference Room November 21: Emergency Go-Home Drill at 2 PM November 24: CFES Financial Aid Presentation for All Juniors, 4th Period, in the Auditorium PHS Report Card Pick-Up Night, 6:00-8:30 PM November 25: PHS Report Card Pick-Up Day, 9:00 AM -1:00 PM November 26-30: Thanksgiving Break H O R N E T HE R A L D Page 3 College For Every Student (CFES): Upcoming Events: CFES will be sponsoring a trip to Clinton Community College for Freshmen on Thursday, November 13th. Students who participate in this trip will have the opportunity to take a career interest survey and participate in at least one college class. Permission slips are due to Ms. LaPierre by 3 pm on November 5th. On November 14-15, Seniors will have the opportunity to participate in an overnight trip to St. Michael’s College in Vermont. Permission forms were already turned in last month. The students who are going will attend some college classes, tour the college, attend a student forum, eat in the dining halls, attend a dance, and visit the college’s admissions and financial aid offices. A financial aid assembly will also take place on November 24th in the auditorium. This assembly will be for Juniors and has been organized through CFES. Winter Sports: Start Dates Winter Sports practices and try-outs will begin on one of the following two dates, depending on the sport. Tuesday, November 4th: JV and Varsity Boys Basketball JV and Varsity Girls Basketball Boys Swim Cheerleading Monday, November 10th: Boys Hockey Girls Hockey Bowling Modified A Basketball News from the Guidance Office: The PHS Parent Portal is available on Schooltool. Parents who are interested in being able to look at their child’s grades, attendance, and discipline records should fill out a form requesting access. We are also granting students access to their own records through their student e-mails. Please call Lori Schudde, Guidance Secretary, with any questions. Her number is 561-7500, extension 5071. Mrs. Schudde will also be available at both of our Report Card Pick-up dates. Deadlines for college applications are approaching quickly. All seniors should schedule a meeting with their counselors to work on their college applications and/or plans for after high school graduation in the month of November. The final fall dates for college entrance exams are in December. This will be the last chance to take the ACT and SAT exams until the spring. The SAT exam is scheduled for December 6th, with a registration deadline of November 6th. The ACT will be offered at PHS on December 13th. Registrations for the ACT exam are due on November 7th. Finally, we have the following scheduled for college visits in the month of November: November 12th: November 18th: Johnson State College at 11:30 in the Guidance Office SUNY Adirondack at 1:15 in the Guidance Office* *Students meeting with this rep can receive a $35 fee waiver.