For Thursday, November 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
As we head into cold and flu season, please review these reminders from our Attendance Office
To report an absence or to obtain an early dismissal, please email jthrash@portageps.org or call the attendance line at (269)323-5259 and leave a message noting the reason and time of dismissal. For an early dismissal, your student is then responsible for picking up their early dismissal slip at the Attendance Office anytime prior to their dismissal time. They will then show their teacher their pass as their ticket out the door. Upon exiting, the student will hand their slip to one of our amazing hall supervising staff. If they return to PC, they must sign back in at the Attendance Office to adjust their attendance accordingly.
We are required to report the number of cases of specific illnesses and diseases to the county health department and follow their guidance as it pertains to slowing the spread of illness and disease in our community. Please be specific on a student's illness when reporting an absence. An illness is an excused (totaling) absence when called in. In order to waive an absence (which would be non-totaling), please turn in a doctor’s note from the facility to the Attendance Office upon return. As with any illness, a student may return to school when they have been symptom-free for 24 hours. Please note, when a student reports that they have vomited at school, no matter what the reason, the student must get an early dismissal and go home, get rest and be supported by their families. Some of the other things we are responsible to identify include fever over 101 degrees, oozing sores and gastro-intestinal illnesses.
For more detailed information on our attendance policy, please visit our link in the GLIC. Thanks for all that you do to keep all our kids healthy and in school!
With the holiday season upon us, consider donating to make a difference!
Hope Away From Home is a student-run initiative collecting toys locally to donate for Bronson Children’s hospital patients as a way to not only foster joy, but also help relieve stress for families. From November 22nd- December 12th donate new toys to collection bins located at Excel Dance Center, St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Airborne Adventure Park, and from 12/1-12/5 at the PCHS welcome center! For further information, click here to see this flyer!
Just a reminder…
Want to learn more about the Career Connect Campus?
Click right here to get an overview of the programs at the new career and technical education campus. Students will learn even more on Tuesday, January 27th as CCC colleagues present in our English classes. Then, families will decide if they want their daughters and sons to attend a tour of the campus on Friday, February 6th from 9:30-10:30 am. (Students will likely leave PC about 9:15 for the ride over, and they will likely return to classes here at 11. So they will miss parts of 2nd and 4th hours, and all of 3rd.)
In order to attend the tour here are the steps ahead for each interested student.
Talk it over with your family.
Anytime between now and Thursday, January 29th at 3 pm, this link to sign up.
Also, anytime before Thursday, January 29th at 3 pm get these things completed:
download this permission slip, and print it;
ensure your parents or guardians have given their permission and signed it;
and return it to the Counseling Office.
The first 45 students to return the slip are guaranteed bus transportation to and from the CCC for the tour.
If we have more than 45 folks sign up, we will work with our Transportation district Department to see if they can provide more buses
If we cannot provide additional buses, parents can drive their own sons and daughters to the CCC for the tour. Just let the Attendance Office know if you plan to do this. Sorry, students cannot drive themselves.
And remember, as with all field trips, you have to be passing all your classes the week before the trip in order to participate. So stay focused on your success!
Just a reminder on upcoming events and dates to put on your calendar…
The Sweet Dreams Choir Cabaret Show
Will be held on Thursday, December 4, Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 7th at 7 pm, and a 2 pm show on December 6th. Tickets will go on sale Monday, November 24th, and the prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students. It will also be held in the Central Middle School Black Box Theatre. Here is the link to order tickets: Box Office
And, the PC Bands Collage Concert
Will be on Wednesday, December 10th at 7 p.m in Portage Central High School’s Auditorium.. Tickets are $5.00 each, and it is General Admission. Here is the link to order tickets: Box Office
Just a reminder…
Please remember to drop off students in the drop-off areas, and not elsewhere
Between when we built the new PC in 2011 and 2019, the number of students who rode school buses before and after school declined by 50%. And bus ridership declined further through the pandemic.
So it is more important than ever to make sure we are all communicating to one another as we drive near and on campus. One way we do this well is by only dropping off our kids at the drop-off loops -- and nowhere else. We have had some really close calls, particularly when folks drop off or pick up students on the drive off Westnedge or in the roadways.
Too, parents of PC, please do not drop off students in the middle-school loop, unless of course you have a middle-school student too. They have many of their own families, and our presence makes their world more congested.
Thanks for helping keep our kids safe!
Speaking of parking …
For evening events, please park in The Stable and pool parking lots
Since the Auditorium and the Gymnasium are on the south side of our building, we are asking all patrons to park in the Stable Parking Lot and the Natatorium Parking Lot. Only those doors will be unlocked, only those parking lot lights will be on, and only those lots will be plowed. By parking there, you will be much closer to all events. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
Back by popular demand for the Holidays…
Buy a brick for McCamley or Mustang Field, or a tile for the new pool! Great Holiday Gifts! So many families and community members purchased bricks at the new McCamley and Mustang Fields and tiles at the new pool — to leave their mark in these spaces where so many great kids, parents, families, and community members celebrated and where so many more will celebrate decades into the future.
This sale continues until Graduation Day this spring. So if you are considering a brick at the new McCamley or Mustang Field, click here. If you would like a tile at the new pool, click here.
Thank you — again and again — for all that you have done!
Thank you all for your support of Toby and our kids!
And our thanks also goes out to Taco Bob’s!
The Ketteman family and Taco Bob’s have been incredible supporters of our community and Portage Central – and we are so thankful.
The Ketteman Family has also helped us take steps toward getting a new counseling dog when that need comes. This summer we already started working on raising funds for our next counseling dog. Our goal: to raise $10,000 -$12,000 to pay for the next counseling dog, long after I am gone. If you would like to help, you can hit this link anytime, and we would be so, so grateful – as will our kids years into the future.
Hoping you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…