For Thursday, October 12
Hit the GLIC!
The Grade-Level Information Center has information that is relevant for each class.
An index and archive for this year’s weekly Mustang Minutes
Our Daily Announcements to our students
The social studies department would really appreciate your input!
The Portage Public Schools K-12 Social Studies Department is dedicated to offering an inclusive, rigorous, and real-world education to our students. As we are starting our curriculum review cycle and working to create a curriculum that aligns with K-12 courses and the Michigan content standards, we are asking for your feedback before October 27 to guide our work in the coming months and years. Please take 5-10 minutes to offer us feedback. The results of this survey will help guide our upcoming discussions, decisions, and work. If a question does not apply please feel free to leave it blank. Thank you!
PPS Social Studies Survey (Link)
Some updates to the Senior Guide
Now that the district calendar is settled, and after some changes to the launch date of the 2024-25 FASFA Form, we have an updated version of our 23-24 Senior Guide. You can also always find the most current version of the Senior Guide on the Senior page of the GLIC.
Looking for Money for College?
For your convenience, we have several virtual Financial Aid Nights offered on Tuesdays during October, November and December. Here is a link with more information: Virtual FAFSA Nights. We also have several scholarships listed on the Senior GLIC Scholarships Page.
Pick up and drop off at PC
Before and after school are busy times on our campus as we move more than 2000 students through our doors here and at the middle school -- many of them traveling in individual cars. It is interesting: between when we built the new PC in 2011 and just before the pandemic, bus use by our students decreased by 50 percent – and the percentage decreased further as we maintained distances as we responded to Covid. So we have far more cars on campus than we ever imagined.
We know that it can be frustrating at times, and so we ask for an extra measure of patience. We would also ask that everyone keep these tips in mind.
Slowing down can help keep everyone safe. The speed limit in a parking lot is 15 miles an hour.
While waiting in the designated loops, please close the gap between you and the car in front of you.
And please, only drop off and pick up students in the designated loops, not in the roads or drives. Picking up kids in the drive off Westnedge in particular can push other cars out into the city streets, slowing down everyone and everything.
It may be tempting to help keep things moving by rolling through our stop signs, but unless someone is directing traffic and indicates for you to proceed, please come to a stop and look for oncoming traffic before continuing.
Remember that we work with awesome kids – and as a friend of mine says, they are not well practiced in the art of driving. Heavens… I think about what I put my first car through (an intensely ugly, brown 1978 Ford Granada), and I know I can never be judgmental toward a high-school driver. So please give care and grace.
Also, later in the day, when picking up athletes or students in activities, it isn’t as crowded, but it is just as important for everyone to keep their speed appropriate for a parking lot rather than a cartoon frog.
Congratulations PC Marching Band!
The Portage Central Marching Band kicked off their competition season at Stevensville Lakeshore HS with a 1st Place win in Class A with a score of 91.5 and winning all captions - Music, Marching, Percussion and Color Guard. This performance marks another year in a long-standing tradition of wins at the Stevensville Lakeshore show, as the Portage Central Marching Band had the highest score across all classifications that day. The band competes again this Saturday, October 14, at Vicksburg and next Saturday, October 21, at the East Kentwood Invitational. Go PCMB!
Link Crew Meeting on Wednesday, October 18th, during 4th hour
We wanted to let 9th Graders know that there is a Link Crew Meeting next week. Freshmen will be doing their handprints in the Garden, learning about the clubs we have at Portage Central in the Auditorium, and having a fun team-building activity in the Commons. Please be looking for an email from your Link Crew Leaders reminding you what group you are in. And, if you don’t know, please reach out to Mrs. Smith in the Activities Office, nsmith@portageps.org, and she will let you know. It is important that you know your group number before that day, because you will be exiting to different areas of the building when you are dismissed from class.
Groups: | 1-9 | 10-18 | 19-28 |
1st Rotation 10:36-10:49 | Commons | Garden | Auditorium |
2nd Rotation 10:50-11:03 | Auditorium | Commons | Garden |
3rd Rotation 11:04-11:17 | Garden | Auditorium | Commons |
PC students…
Now is a great time to register to vote!
To all upperclassmen who will be over the age of seventeen and six months by Tuesday, October 17th, during the lunches, there will be a Voter Registration event in the Welcome Center! Two representatives from the city will be there to help our students navigate this process during their lunch hour. Be sure to bring your driver's license and the last four digits of your social security number.
Thanks for being thoughtful about keeping pepper spray out of the school building
We have talked with a few of our students who have carried pepper spray on their keychains for protection. While we understand the value of self-defense sprays, these are included in the weapons-free school zone rules and are, therefore, prohibited at school. It is also important to know that being in possession of pepper spray in school or at a school event could result in disciplinary action up to expulsion. Students who need to carry pepper spray may leave it in their vehicle or can bring it to the Main Office immediately upon arrival at school to be picked up after school. Thanks for this!
Might you be interested in participating in the
I Love Portage contest?
Portage Parks is looking for participation in our “I Love Portage” essay contest. This is a tradition the city does each year around the holiday time. The City Council will vote on their favorite essay, and students who are selected will be asked to present their writing at the annual Traditional Holiday/Tree Lighting Celebration event on Saturday, December 2. Click here for more information and for what you are asked to write about.
In a lot of thanks, as always,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…