For Thursday, October 19
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
Little Women opens next week!
Join us as we kick off another exciting season of Portage Central Theatre with a heartwarming journey through the trials and triumphs of the March family in the musical version of Little Women. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the show follows the four March sisters – Jo (Carly Koch, 11), Meg (Sanaa Olivacce-Shabazz, 12), Beth (Natalia Carreno, 12), and Amy (Ally Lothschutz, 11) -- as they navigate the challenges of adolescence and the enduring bonds of sisterhood.
Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel has captivated readers for generations, and now, Portage Central’s talented cast, crew, and creative team are bringing this cherished story to the stage like never before. With its enduring themes of family, friendship, and resilience, Little Women remains as relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1868.
Little Women features 11 high school actors and over 20 student designers and technicians led by directors Ashley Bowen and Liz Honeysett, supported by the professional design team at Portage Central High School. Tickets went on sale October 9 to the public and are available via our website, www.pctheatrearts.org. If you wish to purchase tickets in person, please leave a message on the box office phone, 269-323-5270, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
PC Marching Band Earns Grand Champion at the Vicksburg Invitational
The PC Marching Band had an exceptional performance on Saturday, October 14 at the Vicksburg Invitational and brought home the Grand Champion Trophy. PCMB earned First Place in Class A with a score of 92.0, and all captions including Best Music, Best Marching, Best Percussion and Best Color Guard.
Don’t miss out on the final two opportunities to see the PCMB show, "With Open Eyes". PCMB performs this Friday, Oct. 20 during Halftime at the PC Varsity Football Game and on Saturday, Oct. 21 at East Kentwood Invitational. Congratulations, PCMB!
Save the dates!
Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming soon too!
Conferences are Monday, November 6 and Wednesday, November 8 from 3:30 to 7:15 p.m. Like the last couple years, parent-teacher conferences will continue to be online through Google Meet. Take a look right here – Parent Instructions – so you have all the information you need so you can connect with colleagues here, and we will keep the open and healthy communication going. Thanks!
Start your Holiday shopping now!
Our Alumni Association Craft Show is right around the corner and you don’t want to miss it. Get all your Holiday shopping done on Saturday, November 4th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. here at Portage Central High School. We have amazing crafters with a huge variety of items. And, our Mustang Alumni Association utilizes the money made to help support our PC students. It’s a Win-Win!!!
Just a reminder…
Free senior portrait sessions
Senior year is an overwhelming time: college applications, letters of recommendation, and more demand our attention every day. Senior Krissy Elias hopes to lessen some of that stress by offering free senior portrait sessions to some seniors here at Portage Central. If you think The Portrait Project is a good fit for you, fill out this Google Form to request her services.
College-application deadline rapidly approaching
There are several colleges with a November 1st deadline. It is helpful to discuss application deadlines with your family. Seniors, if you are utilizing the Common Application to apply for college, invite your counselor on the Common App now. It takes time for the invite to be sent to the counselors and then they need time to complete their pieces of the application before the deadline.
FAFSA Help Nights at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Every Tuesday evening between 4:30 and 6:30 PM, the KVCC Financial Aid Office at the Texas Township Campus is available to assist students/families with completing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The student does not need to be attending or plan to attend Kalamazoo Valley to receive assistance. Feel free to drop in at KVCC at your convenience.
Thank you for helping us support a caring community
School is an intersection of the various spheres of our students’ lives: it's where students bring their history, cultures, and values; it is where they demonstrate their learning from previous schools and experiences; it is where they interact with friends and classmates, strangers and acquaintances, teachers, coaches, advisors, and other adult mentors. School is a mish-mash of people with diverse feelings, learnings, and experiences that come together all in one place, a place where all students are compelled to be — for many hours a day, for ten months of the year, for four school years — Together. That’s a lot of time for us to spend together, which is why it is so incredibly important for us to care for one another. Mustangs Care.
Part of caring means being aware of others and aware of our purpose here. It also means being aware of ourselves and how our own actions and words can affect others. Caring means knowing that our words and actions — how we carry and conduct ourselves — matter.
Already this short year, we’ve addressed incidents of threatening or fighting words and intimidating actions, and we’ve addressed incidents of the use of identity-based slurs — ethnic slurs, racial slurs, and slurs in other forms. We’ve come across many incidents of students encouraging others to kill themselves, too. We've learned from you that these unfortunate types of words and actions are taking place in spaces where it is less likely school staff will see or hear.
Words and actions meant to hurt have no place in our school community — and we are so grateful that you think the same. That's because a school requires leadership from us all. Thanks to all of you courageous people who lead with us to support a safe school community focused on learning. Thank you for talking with your kids about the importance of our shared work.
With deep respect,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…