For Thursday, April 9
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
First, here is a link to our Special Edition from this morning
Truly I don’t have adequate words for how well our kids and colleagues worked through the technical problems this morning in the state testing. Our kids were patient and kind, and they persevered on something that is not a ton of fun to begin with. Please share our and my thanks with them.
Amazing students and colleagues – and the Teacher Talent[less] Show!
Right before break we continued our more-than-20-year tradition of the Teacher Talent[less] Show to raise money for important work around here. (Here is a rough draft, uncut version, if you are in need of some chuckles – thanks to our incredible PCTV kids!)
This year our kids and colleagues raised nearly $4000 for Mustangs Care, a fund to support our students who need a little extra help to get what they need in their time here. If you would also like to help students years into the future, we would be grateful. Hit this link anytime to donate. Thanks for even considering it!
Our seniors and their WalkArounds at the elementary schools are coming soon!
The date for all 8 of our buildings will be Thursday, May 21. The times for each elementary building are all different and are indicated on this flyer. Remember, for all our Woodland graduates, remember to go to the temporary Woodland Elementary at 6633 Haverhill Ave. Also, remember seniors that you need to RSVP through your Portage Gmail account, not through a personal email or your parents' email. Here is the RSVP responder link.
Culture Fair this Saturday!
Portage Central, in collaboration with Portage Northern, is hosting Culture Fair in an effort to bring together a broad community to celebrate diverse cultures and traditions. This event features student- and organization-led booths representing different cultures, as well as performances that will highlight dance and music. Culture Fair was brought to Portage Central in an effort to create a space where students can familiarize themselves with other cultures in an interactive way. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore and taste different traditions.
This event will take place at Centennial Park on Saturday, April 11th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All students, staff, and families are highly encouraged to join this event and support all those who have kindly offered to share their culture with us. Click right here to get ready info about this wonderful opportunity!
In case you missed it…
We met with seniors before spring break, 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.
We walked all our seniors on Wednesday through this presentation. It will likely be helpful to you and your family too, because it gives a lot of useful information as we head to graduation. If you need a hand with anything, or if you have any questions, reach out to me anytime – soon. Thanks!
Quarter three (Q3) report cards have been posted to all student Skyward accounts
Your student's current report card, along with all previous report cards and transcripts, can be found in Skyward under the "Portfolio" tab. Off campus class grades (ie - online classes, dual-enrollment classes, KAMSC and CTE/EFE) are not posted on the quarter 1 or quarter 3 report cards and will therefore be left blank. Grades in these classes are only posted on a student's semester 1 and semester 2 transcripts. Please check with the program directly for more information on these class grades.
Just a reminder…
Big Band Bash this Friday!
There is still time to purchase tickets to the Big Band Bash tomorrow night, April 10th, at 7 p.m. in the Commons at Portage Central High School. You can purchase them online or at the door. They are $5 a piece. Here is the link: Big Band Bash. You don't want to miss some incredible music by our students!
Just a reminder…
Some important reminders if you want a 2026 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 2026 Roundup yearbook or to purchase yours today! As long as copies are available, the online order center is open through April 24. Got questions? Reach out to yearbook adviser Ann Alburtus at aalburtus@portageps.org.
You likely already got a separate email about this…
Invitation To Participate - Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey
Dear Parent/Caregiver,
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are conducting a survey in partnership with Studer Education to monitor our progress in creating a positive school experience for you and your child(ren). Your feedback is crucial in helping us identify areas for recognition and improvement.
The survey will ask you to select the school your child(ren) attends. Once you complete the survey for 1 school, you will have the option to provide feedback on another school, if you have a child at another school in the district. Providing feedback to each school should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. We encourage you to complete it in one sitting, as your responses will be saved once you click submit.
The Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey can be accessed here:
The survey is scheduled for 4/6/2026 through 4/24/2026.
To maintain confidentiality of the Parent/Caregiver Survey, our partners at Studer Education will be administering the survey, managing the data collection, and aggregating the data to provide results reports to leaders.
Thank you for your partnership,
Johnny Edwards, Superintendent
Just a reminder…
Senior cap-and-gown pictures will be Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22
To continue our tradition of taking class pictures since 1922, we will be taking pictures of each of our seniors Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22 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 6-7
● 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!
Don’t forget to save the date!
Underclassmen Achievement Awards are coming Thursday, April 30 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 a specific assembly schedule in the weeks ahead.
Please plan ahead for…
“A Night in the Emerald City” Prom information that you don’t want to miss!
The Emerald City Prom 2026 will take place on Saturday, April 25 from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the WMU Fetzer Center.
Tickets are currently on sale for Juniors and Seniors for $35 at the Welcome Center, and all ticket sales will end Thursday, April 23 at 3 p.m. No tickets will be sold past this date or at the door.
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 can hold legally based on our community’s fire codes.)
All school fines must be paid before purchasing a ticket.
Lastly, to buy a ticket for anyone who does not attend Portage Central High School, you must have a completed Guest Pass Form by Monday, April 21 at 3 p.m.; 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. Get ready to dance the night away at the Oz Dust Ballroom!
Forensics Friends and Family Night on Tuesday, May 5th
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 28th, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. if you would like to attend the Forensics Friends and Family showcase. This evening is a celebration of their season and promises to be an entertaining night of performances. The evening will be broken into two parts: Act 1 is "Forensics for All" where everything performed will be appropriate for everyone in the family. After a short break we will have Act 2, which is "The Heavier Stuff"--while obviously not anything beyond what students should be performing, this section will feature pieces that are more mature and may not be suitable for all audiences. This event is $5 per person and tickets will be for sale on Ludus.com beginning Monday, April 20th. If you have any questions, contact Nikki Smith in the Activities Office: nsmith@portageps.org.
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts welcomes two Nike designers – and invites you too!
On April 16 and 17 the KIA will be welcoming Wilson Smith and Dr. D’Wayne Edwards. These events are geared toward high school and college students but are open to all. Take a look at this flyer for more information.
Governor Whitmer Declares April as School Library Month in Michigan
We are so thankful that PPS supports our students and staff by hiring certified librarians to teach information literacy skills (digital literacy, media/news literacy, traditional literacies), encourage reading for learning and pleasure, digital citizenship, and more. Our libraries create welcoming environments and safe spaces for all of our students. Not every district supports librarians and not every district has librarians who do the kind of work that ours do. Thank you for recognizing this important work.
The proclamation can be found online here:
https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/proclamations/2026/04/01/april-2026-school-library-month
Rested and ready for the sprint to graduation,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…