For Thursday, August 29
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
The 3rd Annual PC Marching Invitational (PCMI) is coming on Saturday, Sept. 21st!
Portage Central Bands is excited to host our 3rd Annual Scholastic Marching Band Invitational on Saturday, September 21st at McCamley-Knight Field. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens, and children five and under are admitted for free. Bring the whole family, enjoy as many bands as you’d like, and you’ll be supporting your Portage Central Band program with every ticket you purchase and every item you grab at the concessions stand!
More information about the PCMI - General Info can be found on the PC Bands Website. You can also view the 2024 Schedule of Performing Bands and see our event site map.
We would LOVE to see you check out this event and watch local bands perform in competition. Our very own Portage Central Marching Band will perform at 8:45 pm. We hope to see all of you on Saturday, September 21st!!
We have some happy and some sad news to share about our Counseling Dog Program. Over the summer, Phoebe’s vet discovered that she had some medical conditions that prohibited her from coming back to Portage Central this fall. Just like humans, the physical diagnosis is confidential. Unfortunately, Phoebe has to take an earlier than anticipated retirement due to this news. Thankfully, she has great medical care so we are grateful that Phoebe can enjoy her retirement. You can still see what Phoebe is doing by checking out her Instagram page: pc.phoebe. We are sad to see her go, but the good news is we are recruiting Phoebe’s replacement. Our new Counseling Dog will be at PC very soon, once they finish their training program. Stay tuned to Mustang Minutes/Stable Talk for further details.
PCTV is proud to support PCMustangSports!
If you are interested in purchasing access to ALL Fall Media Day photos here is a link for online purchase: https://pchsboxoffice.ludus.com/index.php?sections=payments This money goes toward continuing PCTV's many projects at PC including live coverage of games, edits on PCMustang Sports and our weekly television program. We appreciated the support. A special THANK YOU goes out to Jay Pike for volunteering his time and talents to taking our pictures.
Order your 2025 Roundup Yearbook today for $70, the lowest price of the year!
Go to www.yearbookordercenter.com and use school code 3604. Yearbooks increase to $80 a copy on October 5. Got questions? Reach out to yearbook adviser Ann Alburtus at aalburtus@portageps.org.
Tensions on social media away from school
There is not a lot of difference between high school kids today and when I was a high schooler. (In fact, I think kids are better today then they were then… or at least better than I was.) But a big difference between today and then is, back then, we had breaks from each other. In the evenings at home, or on the weekend, we did not have to interact, giving us breathing space to have a chance to calm down.
That’s not true for kids today.
With social media and instant messaging, sharp words and unsettling pictures can be shared instantaneously in the heat of the moment, increasing tensions and making great kids feel vulnerable. With that in mind…
Talk with your kids often. Check in on how relationships are going. Ask them if they receive messages online that unsettle them. Good parenting has always needed good communication.
Let us know how we can help. If a message is threatening, please reach out to the police department; they are there to help. Or reach out to me or another colleague here you trust. The more we can work with kids when the problems are small, the better chance we can help them navigate the tensions – and help them learn from them.
Picture retakes coming on Monday, October 14
If our kids were not able to get their pictures taken last Wednesday, they have one more chance! Too, if a student did not like their picture and would like to have a retake, they can do that on October 14 as well. More information coming in upcoming Mustang Minutes, so stay tuned!
From Athletic Director Jim Schafer…
PC athletes, are you thinking about playing at the college level?
We get questions regarding what it takes to be eligible to play sports in college. While this path is certainly not for everyone, it's essential that families understand the requirements for eligibility if this is a goal a student-athlete hopes to attain. Luckily, the NCAA Eligibility Center has made it easy for families to have all the information they need to ensure they are on the right path.
Please visit the following website: https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/ and create an account.
Just a reminder…
Be sure to move your car out of the West Student Parking lot after 3:30 p.m. on specific days
Our Portage Central Marching Band uses the surface of the West Student Parking Lot on all Monday and Wednesday evenings for their rehearsal, in addition to the evenings of any home football games. On those nights, we ask for all vehicles to be moved from the lot by 3:30 p.m. Any student involved in after-school activities and practices should park in the East Student Parking Lot. If a vehicle is left in the West Student Parking Lot, it will be towed and the owner will be responsible for the cost. Thank you for your help and support of the Portage Central Marching Band!
Caution: Cheesy, old-man moment approaching
I am so proud of our kids.
Any change is hard. And with how pervasive cell phones are, any adjustment can feel jarring. So when we made the commitment together as colleagues to ask all of us to set our mobile devices aside so we can fully focus on interacting with one another in class, we were not certain how everyone would respond.
And our kids and colleagues have been wonderful.
We all get it: cell phones have long been integral to our lives, and the pandemic only made that truth more intense. And we are not looking for perfection: we are a deeply human place and thus a deeply imperfect one. We also all get that interacting with one another as caring human beings is essential for a healthy life and high-quality learning. So folks have worked thoughtfully and intentionally to set aside their cell phones — and they have engaged.
And we are so, so grateful.
Happy we are together,
Eric Alburtus