For Thursday, September 25
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
Homecoming is this Friday, September 26th! Please join us!
This Friday, September 26th, the traditional Homecoming parade starts on Marigold Avenue at 6 pm leading up to kickoff at 7 pm! Come out to see the marching band, homecoming court, floats and more! We hope to see everyone there!
Plus, join us for dinner – with food trucks owned by PC friends:
More Homecoming Information
On Saturday, September 27th from 8 - 11 pm, come join us in the Commons for our semi-formal Rio themed Homecoming Dance. The cost is $10 a person and make sure you have your student ID. And, if you’re bringing a guest, you must have an approved guest form from Mrs. Darrah at the Welcome Center desk. No exceptions. We can’t wait to see everyone there!
The Ginsburg Society is hosting a feminine product drive at the Homecoming game!
The drive will occur from 5:30-7:30, with drop-off bins located next to the mustang statue inside of the main gates to McCamley-Knight Field. We are looking for donations of pads and tampons to help restock our school bathrooms, and all contributions are hugely appreciated!
Yearbook Orders – Lowest Price of the Year!
Right now is the best time to order your yearbook for $70 -- the lowest price available! The price increases to $80 on October 4, so don't delay, and order your copy today! Go to www.yearbookordercenter.com and use school code 3604 to place your order. Got questions? Reach out to Roundup Business Manager Sophia McKinnon at PCYearbook@portageps.org.
Get the date on your calendar…
Picture retake day is coming!
Picture retake day will take place on the morning of Monday, October 13th. If your student would like their photo retaken, or taken for the first time, then please let them know to expect that opportunity on this day. PA announcements will call students down by grade level and last name. If your student has an off-campus class or is absent during part of this morning, please let them know to report to the auditorium lobby before leaving or as soon as they arrive. A proof of your student's photo will be shared with you via email within the following weeks. You should have received the proof for your student's first photo already. If you haven't, or if you have other questions, contact Strawbridge at 1-866-624-6229 or customerservice@strawbridge.net.
Can you help out the CMS volleyball programs?
My name is Payton Fleming and I am the Athletic Director at Portage Central Middle School. I am currently looking for volunteers to help run our middle school volleyball tournament.
When: Sat Oct 11th and Sat Oct 18th: Time 8:30 am- 4:00 pm
Where: Portage Central Stable
Jobs Needed:
(8 people) Game Table- Run scoreboard and Scorekeeper (No prior knowledge needed)
(2 people) Concessions- Help run Concession
(2 people) Gate- Help collect money at the gate.
(1 Person) T-shirt Sales- Help sell T-shirts
If you are interested please fill out this Google Form: Volunteer Form Volleyball
Thanks for considering this!
An upcoming visit from the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department
Technicians from the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department (KCHCS) will be at our school on Tuesday, October 23rd to conduct vision screenings for our freshmen. Students with corrective lenses should plan to bring them in preparation for screening. These state-mandated screenings are conducted by trained vision technicians and do not require any further action by freshmen students’ families. Students will be summoned for screening by last name via PA announcement throughout the school day. Have questions? Reach out to Adriana Davies at adavies@portageps.org.
PCMI 2025 - Thank you for your support!
On Saturday, Portage Central Bands hosted the 4th Annual Portage Central Marching Invitational (PCMI) at McCamley-Knight Field.
A total of 17 bands performed, concluding with a home exhibition show by the PCMB. We could not be more proud of our Portage Community and local area bands for coming out to support this amazing event.
Special thanks to our 150+ PC Band parents, alumni, and supporters who volunteered to make this huge event possible! We could not have done it without you!! We are also grateful for our PC Admin team for continuing to support this event and look forward to planning next year's PCMI 2027.
Last reminder…
Our next Count Day for the district is coming up on Wednesday, October 1
This day is important because it determines our school's funding. We want every student to be counted! Having all of our students here on that day ensures that PC receives the needed state funding so that we all can do our important work, together. With that in mind, we ask that you please avoid scheduling any non-critical, out-of-school appointments for your student on Wednesday, October 1. In addition, please encourage students who drive to school to arrive on time that day. Thank you for your help with this!
A host of reminders about the upcoming PSAT…
October PSAT/NMSQT testing information - Late start on Wednesday, October 8
On October 8th, PC will be administering the PSAT, which is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (thus the really long abbreviation). Juniors will test in the morning and other students will have a late start that day. Regular classes will start at 11:35 that day and run through all classes with shortened periods. Bus transportation times will be normal, so 9th, 10th, and 12th graders who rely on district transportation will be able to use the area in the Commons as a study hall for the morning. Other students may arrive between 11:00 and 11:30. Lunch will be served at 11:00 for all students here at that time. Here is the schedule for the day:
Testing - 7:40 to 11:00
Lunch - 11:00 to 11:30
1st hour | 11:35 AM | 11:58 AM | 0:23 |
2nd hour | 12:03 PM | 12:25 PM | 0:22 |
3rd hour | 12:30 PM | 12:52 PM | 0:22 |
4th hour | 12:57 PM | 1:19 PM | 0:22 |
5th hour | 1:24 PM | 1:46 PM | 0:22 |
6th hour | 1:51 PM | 2:13 PM | 0:22 |
7th hour | 2:18 PM | 2:40 PM | 0:22 |
Digital Readiness Check and Senior Meeting - Tuesday, September 30
This year the PSAT/NMSQT is all digital. To get students registered and to make sure that their Chromebook and all of the tech is working, we are going to have them go to their testing rooms and log in about a week ahead of time. Hopefully this will provide them with some familiarity with the program ahead of time and will give us time to track down any issues before test day.
That day, we will use the modified class schedule below, with shortened hours 1-4. Then during this Digital Readiness Check (DRC), juniors will meet with their test proctors – the same ones they will work with at the PSAT on October 8.
Seniors will meet with Mr. Alburtus in the Auditorium for a Senior Meeting. At this meeting, Seniors will get reminders about Graduation and other Senior information. Freshmen and Sophomores will have an extra Seminar Period that day during this period.
1st hour | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 0:40 |
2nd hour | 8:25 AM | 9:05 AM | 0:40 |
3rd hour | 9:10 AM | 9:50 AM | 0:40 |
4th hour | 9:55 AM | 10:35 AM | 0:40 |
DRC | 10:40 AM | 11:17 AM | 0:37 |
College Board Student Search and BigFuture Services
College Board has traditionally offered a service called Student Search Service where they shared information about students with outside organizations. There are advantages to students from that service and also significant privacy concerns so they have created a new system which addresses many of those issues. The new service is called BigFuture. Through BigFuture students can still opt in to the traditional Student Search Service. We will be directing students not to opt in to these services at school. We encourage you as a family to look into these services and make a decision about whether your student should sign up - which connects how well they did on their PSAT and SAT to other information that they input into the College Board system. More information and directions on how to opt in through your student’s College Board account can be found here: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
Would your junior student like to borrow a school-issued TI-84 for the PSAT?
Please encourage them to fill out the link in the announcements or on their math teacher’s Google Classroom page by Sunday, October 5th at 5 pm.. Thank you!
Grateful for such a great start to the year,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…