For Thursday, March 6
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 Dancing Queen Prom 2025 will take place on Saturday, May 3 from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Tickets will go on sale at the Welcome Center and online for SENIORS ONLY starting Monday, March 24. Tickets are $35.00 each. Remember, if you purchase a ticket online, you must pick up your actual ticket from the Welcome Center prior to prom, or you will not be allowed to enter.
All school fines and fees must be paid before purchasing a ticket. Students received notifications by email this week if they had textbook or library fines, and students with technology repair fees were given notice upon receipt of the repair.
We highly recommend you purchase a ticket as soon as possible as we have sold out in the past.
Tickets will go on sale for Juniors and Seniors starting Monday, April 14, and all ticket sales will end Friday, May 2 at 3 p.m. No tickets will be sold past this date or at the door – and like I said, we could sell out sooner.
For any questions, contact Nikki Smith, Activities Director, at nsmith@portageps.org. Find that disco fever and get ready to boogie the night away!
In celebration of World Languages Month, we wanted to share what we have learned as colleagues throughout the district have worked to prepare for curriculum improvements ahead. So each week in Mustang Minutes we will share different aspects of learning a new language and what that process can do for our kids.
Time makes a difference when beginning to learn a language!
Portage Public Schools currently offers Spanish and French in 7th - 12th grade, allowing students who continue their studies through 12th grade the opportunity to take the Higher Level IB exam, which not only gives them a chance to earn college credit, but also the Biliteracy Seal from the State of Michigan. This year, PPS has 1426 students enrolled in a high school world language class with over 200 students taking a world-language HL exam!
Just a reminder…
Link Crew Applications were available on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 and are due on Monday, March 10, 2025 @ 3 p.m.
For those of you who may or may not know, Link Crew is a program at Portage Central High School where upperclassmen (11th and 12th graders) build relationships and encourage participation with our 9th graders. Link Crew sets the tone not only for the freshman class but also for all of PC because of each Link Leader's commitment to modeling what it means to be a Mustang and an active, integral part of this special place. So, if you are an upcoming Junior or Senior for next year, and you think this is something you could do, please fill out the attached application and submit it by 3 p.m. on Monday, March 10th. Be sure to check the required dates and the time commitment. The link will also be in the announcements and on the GLIC. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Smith, Activities Director, at nsmith@portageps.org.
2025-2026 Link Crew Leader Application
Just a reminder…
Are you interested in earning the Community Service Award?
The deadline for the 2024-2025 Community Service Award is approaching. A specific date has not yet been chosen, but it will be sometime in the first half of April. This gives you about a month to complete your 50 hours for the yearly award or the 200 hours for the four-year award for seniors. Keep an eye out for future updates, and keep up the good work!
Spring Testing is almost here!
Soon after we get back from Spring Break it will be time for spring SAT/PSAT/WorkKeys/M-STEP testing. Remember that these tests are required by the State of Michigan and are also a Portage Public Schools graduation requirement. Here is a quick summary of the schedule on those testing days:
Student Schedule | ||
Wednesday, April 9th | Thursday, April 10th | |
9th grade | PSAT for all 9th grade 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Students who need to use the morning bus for transportation will need to stay in the Commons prior to testing. Lunch available PPS Buses provide transportation home at Noon ONLY. | No school during morning testing. Students will work from home on an assignment for their 4th hour to be turned in between 7:40 AM and Midnight. |
10th grade | No school during morning testing. Students will work from home on an assignment for their 3rd hour to be turned in between 7:40 AM and Midnight. | PSAT for all 10th grade 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Students who need to use the morning bus for transportation will need to stay in the Commons prior to testing. Lunch Available Regular PPS Buses provide transportation home at 2:40 ONLY. |
11th grade | SAT with Essay for all 11th grade 7:40 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Lunch available PPS Buses provide transportation home at Noon ONLY. | ACT WorkKeys for all 11th grade 7:40 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Lunch Available Regular PPS Buses provide transportation home at 2:40 ONLY. |
12th grade | No school during morning testing. Students will work from home on an assignment for their 3rd hour to be turned in between 7:40 AM and Midnight. | No school during morning testing. Students will work from home on an assignment for their 4th hour to be turned in between 7:40 AM and Midnight. |
Students with extended-time testing accommodations will obviously be done later than the schedule listed above. On the work-from-home days for non-testing students it is important that students complete the work and turn it in during the assigned window in order to be marked “present” for that day. Teachers who are not involved with extended-time testing will be available to work virtually with students from 12:10 to 2:40. If your student needs to physically be in school on the work-from-home days in order to access the internet, in order to receive special supports, or for other reasons, please reach out to your student’s Assistant Principal. Remember that while we can provide students a place to work on those days, our entire teaching staff will be busy administering the state testing and won’t be available to work with non-testing students.
Congratulations PC Bands: Straight Division One Ratings!
This past Wednesday and Thursday, Portage Central HS hosted MSBOA District 11 Band & Orchestra Festival with a total of 24 ensembles performing over the two days. We could not have done this without all of our parent and student volunteers who pitched in to help run a successful and smooth site, and helped to provide a great festival experience for all attendees -- thank you!
Congratulations to our PC Winds & Percussion, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band -- all three ensembles earned Straight Division One "Superior" ratings from all four adjudicators. This is an impressive achievement -- and we are very proud!
Annual Big Band Bash is Friday, March 21
On Friday, March 21, CHS will be hosting the Big Band Bash in the Commons. Tickets are $5 each and are available at the door or thru Ludus at this link. This year's BBB will be featuring Portage Northern HS Jazz Band, Central HS Jazz Band, as well as the WMS/CMS William Short Rock/Jazz Ensemble. Cost of tickets also includes a beverage and dessert. Come and join us for a night of fun and live jazz music!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, PC parents!
Thank you so much for all the snacks and drinks that you donated to feed our colleagues here during parent-teacher conferences.
Feeling better after the long weekend, and hoping you are too,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…