For Thursday, March 27
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
We just met with seniors on Tuesday…
… and here is what we shared with them so they can take care of all their loose ends
There are so many loose ends to tie up before graduation, having to do with transcripts and email accounts and a whole bunch of other things. And if seniors get them done before graduation, they are easy. But if one were to wait until after graduation, it could be impossible.
So we walked all our seniors on Tuesday through this presentation, and they also had time to get this all done that morning too. So my hope and prayer is that they all got all the pieces completed. But as an anxious old dad, can I ask you a favor? Can you ask them if they have all these loose ends done? If they do, awesome! If they don’t, they can accomplish it all by following along on the presentation. If you need a hand with anything, reach out to me anytime – soon. Thanks!
One of the things we talked about Tuesday morning, so just a reminder…
SENIORS! Please request your final transcript in Parchment ASAP
Be sure and select the option to ‘Hold for Grades.’ If you will be attending a school that is on your Common Application, please request the transcript to the Common App, and NOT the college directly. Colleges will require a final transcript that shows your graduation date, and sometimes schools will put your account on hold until they get your transcript. Once grades are finalized in mid-June, your final transcript will be sent to the requested college. So get this done now to avoid issues later.
Last reminder, Seniors!
Are you interested in speaking or performing a musical selection at graduation?
If the answer is yes, then we ask that you please stop by Señora Reidel's room (1105) to sign up for an audition time slot. The deadline to sign up to audition is this Thursday, March 27th. Auditions for graduation speakers will be held on Thursday, April 17th, and auditions for musical performances will be held on Monday, April 14th. We hope you will consider taking part in our special graduation tradition.
Save the date!
Underclassmen Achievement Awards Assemblies will be taking place on Thursday, May 1 during the school day
…and you are invited to attend in person or via livestream! Freshmen, sophomore, and junior award recipients are invited to their grade-level assembly and will have an opportunity to mingle with family and friends for photos in Centennial Park for a short time following their assembly. Stay tuned to Mustang Minutes for the awards program and a specific assembly schedule in the weeks ahead.
Looking at exam week at the end of the school year
Due to religious days of observance, our exam schedule is different this year. 1st and 2nd hour exams will be Friday, May 30. No exams will be given on Monday, June 2 and Tuesday, June 3. And then exams resume:
Wednesday, June 4: 3rd and 4th hour exams
Thursday, June 5: 5th and 6th hour exams
Friday, June 6: 7th hour exams and then our make-up exam session
Please plan ahead for…
“Dancing Queen” Prom information that you don’t want to miss!
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 went on sale at the Welcome Center and online for SENIORS ONLY starting Monday, March 24. They are $35.
All school fines must be paid before purchasing a ticket. Students will be receiving notifications really soon to let them know if they have fines.
We highly recommend you purchase a ticket as soon as possible as we have sold out of tickets the past several years. (Just for context: the number of tickets we sell is based on how many people that the facility – in this case the KIA – can hold legally based on our community’s fire codes.)
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.
Remember, if you purchase a ticket online, Prom Tickets, you must pick up your actual ticket from the Welcome Center prior to prom, or you will not be allowed to enter.
Lastly, to buy a ticket for anyone who does not attend Portage Central High School, you must have a completed Guest Pass Form; this includes Northern and Community High. Please see Mrs. Darrah at the Welcome Center for these forms.
For any questions, contact Nikki Smith, Activities Director, at nsmith@portageps.org. Find that disco fever and get ready to boogie the night away!
Some important reminders if you want a 2025 yearbook!
Future you will thank you for getting a yearbook now, if you haven’t already done so. Plus there is an additional book just for seniors! We still have some copies of both the 232-page full-color main yearbook left for pre-order online, as well as copies of the 24-page soft cover Senior Book. Go to yearbookordercenter.com and use school code 3604 to see if you’ve already ordered a 2025 Roundup yearbook or to purchase yours today! As long as copies are available, the online order center is open through April 26. Got questions? Reach out to yearbook adviser Ann Alburtus at aalburtus@portageps.org.
As spring comes in, so does severe weather
Our first responsibility is to make sure kids are safe and feel safe – and that includes responding thoughtfully to bad weather. We work closely with our Portage Police Department and Portage Public Schools colleagues to keep watch when severe weather threatens. All our kids are well practiced at our tornado drills, with how they are to respond and where they are to go. If we were to be directed by local authorities to shelter in place, we would go quickly to our appropriate positions and stay there until authorities confirm that the coast was clear. As always, if you have any questions or thoughts, throw them my way!
Thinking about next year and course requests
The PPS Counseling Team has completed the course registration for the 2025-2026 school year. Please take a look in your child's schedule tab in Skyward Family Access. In this schedule tab, you will see what has been entered for course requests and alternatives for the 2025-2026 school year. If you would like to make any changes to your child's requests or alternatives, please use this link.
This year we are taking schedule requests for the 2025-2026 school year through a paper form that can be found in the Central High, Central Middle and West Middle Counseling Offices.
The schedule request period will be open until Friday, April 11 at 3 p.m. Using this approved form, you are allowed to request two scheduling considerations. Those considerations may include a request for a specific hour or for a specific teacher. Please understand that we cannot guarantee that we can carry out your requests. But, as always, we will do our best.
One last reminder…
SAT and PSAT testing is the week after Spring Break
Here’s the schedule again:
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. |
Please note that students with extended time due to accommodations that have been documented and approved by College Board may start earlier than 8:30 and/or run later than 11:30. We will be reaching out to all students with their specific times /dates.
We are asking students not to share private information in the SAT/PSAT testing app or sign up for the College Board’s Connections services on testing days. We recommend that you check out the benefits and privacy issues associated with this service and make a decision as a family whether to share additional information with the College Board. Students have access through the Blue Book app on their Chromebooks and through their College Board accounts.
On the “Work from Home” days it is critical that students turn in the work electronically on the day assigned in order to be marked present. This is a state rule that we don’t have any wiggle room on. If a student is not able to turn the work in by midnight on the day assigned, they will be marked absent (which can be excused by a parent or guardian, but does count against credit in the course and towards the student’s lunch pass). If a student needs to be at school for internet access or other reasons, we can absolutely provide a supervised location for them. Please contact your student’s Assistant Principal to make arrangements.
Just a reminder: Do you have this on your calendar, seniors?
Senior cap-and-gown pictures will be Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23
To continue our tradition of taking class pictures since 1922, we will be taking pictures of each of our seniors Tues. 4/22 and Wed. 4/23 up on the third-floor bridge, and these pictures will be used for our class composites that hang down near the Activities Office.
We will have our photographer at the 3rd-floor bridge taking pictures of our students wearing caps and gowns on
● Tuesday, hours 5-7
● Wednesday, hours 1-4
Seniors, you don’t need to bring your own caps and gowns; we will have some waiting for you. Wear a nice shirt; this picture of you will be hanging on our wall for at least the next 100 years. We will be calling seniors down alphabetically. If you have an off-campus class, stop up there when it works for you; we want to make sure that we don’t miss anyone. You might have to stand in line for a few minutes, so thanks in advance for your patience. Any questions? Drop me an email anytime – and thanks!
Looking forward to a wonderful spring,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…