For Thursday, August 20
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
For 9th graders and your families – Freshman Orientation is here!
Don’t forget that Freshman Orientation is Monday, August 24th, from 8 am to 11:30 am. Freshmen, you’re welcome to enter through our student entrance doors or our athletics entrance doors, where Link Crew leaders will be standing by to point you in the right direction. Please plan to be in the Commons (cafeteria area) by 7:45 a.m, and remember that Orientation is for students only! At 11:00 am, in our Auditorium, parents can return to hear Eric Alburtus, our principal, discuss all things Portage Central High School. And then, please feel free to stay for our Code of Conduct meeting at 11:30 am. If you have any questions, please reach out to Nikki Smith, Activities Director, at nsmith@portageps.org. We can’t wait to welcome our future Mustangs!!!
Please join us next Tuesday evening at our Open House!
The Portage Central High School Open House will be held on Tuesday, August 25th from 6:30 pm to 8 pm It is truly an Open House: the time is all yours to walk around, to say hi to visit teachers, to check out your schedule and to enjoy time with friends and family. It will be so great to see you there!
Here are some highlights!
There will be an Activities Fair in Centennial Park, weather permitting. (Otherwise it will be held in the Commons.) Students can get club information before school starts. Too, we will be selling this year’s yearbook, and we also have raffles for free stuff, like t-shirts, blankets, stuff Mavericks, athletic passes and parking passes! There will also be an open Meet and Greet to say hi to your students’ teachers and other staff, and you will be able find all your classes – and enjoy time with friends as you walk along!
Want to get a head start on thinking about all those clubs and sports? Cool! Check out The Welcome Guide. This is built to support all our kids and their families, to get a sense of our culture and values, and to help them get involved in the tons of activities that we are blessed to provide our kids.
The Corral is Open during Open House! Please stop by to check out all of the new gear you need to start your school year in style. Visit us on your way to the Athletic Office. Or, if you can't make it in person, shop online at https://pcschoolstore.ludus.com.
Yes, the Corral is open! Show your Mustang Pride in style with some new gear. The Corral (located in the Commons at PCHS) will be open during the entire PC Open House. We have some 2026-27 school year changes, including an online store. Go Mustangs!
Don’t forget to stop at the Welcome Center to buy your parking pass! Please fill out the parking registration form found on the GLIC; hit this link to get all the information you need. After you have completed the online form, bring your driver's license and vehicle registration to the Welcome Center to purchase a parking permit for $20 cash or check made out to PPS. Every car in the parking lot MUST have a permit for this academic year. (As an important aside, the funds raised from permit sales go toward paying for our Mustang RideOut and graduation each year.)
Athletic passes will be on sale too! Plus, later they will be on in the athletic office
Athletic office summer hours are Monday through Friday 8-2. Passes will be available for purchase during Freshman Orientation and Open House. The cost of the passes is the following:
student passes are $45 until Sept. 10 and then increase to $55,
10-game family passes are $60,
and 20-game family passes are $100
We accept cash, check (made out to PPS) and credit cards. (There is a processing fee for credit card payments.) If you have any questions please call the athletic office at 323-5361.
PC Yearbook wants your summer photos for the 2027 yearbook!
Did you travel? Hang out by your pool or on the lake? Volunteer? Condition for sports? Chill with friends and family? Work a summer job? We'd love to see what you did after school got out in June!
Students can click on this Summer Fun Photos link to share their summer photos and stories! Got questions? Email yearbook adviser Ann Alburtus at aalburtus@portageps.org.
Keeping you in the loop on construction around PC
Click right here to see the City of Portage roadwork webpage and sign up for real-time updates! Too, the folks who are working on Westnedge have more detailed information right here.
Emergencies, student cell phones and crisis communication
Portage Public Schools is always actively looking for ways to best keep our students safe. High school students are often away from their school building for numerous reasons, including for off-campus classes, appointments and for lunch.
In the unlikely event of an emergency, PPS would like to communicate with high school students in a timely and effective manner to warn them of a dangerous situation at their high school. For this reason, we are giving parents the opportunity for their students to opt-in to emergency texts to their personal cell phones.
Your student’s cell phone number would be securely stored solely in the District’s emergency alert software that is accessed only by administrators and would qualify as student information protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Students would only be contacted directly using the emergency alert system in the event of a dangerous situation where it is unsafe for them to return to campus. Follow-up messages would provide updates and give the all-clear when appropriate. You will receive the same communication.
We hope we never need to contact your student using this emergency system. But, having the ability to contact students in a timely and efficient manner is another way we can work to keep our school community safe. Thank you for your consideration.
Please complete this form by Sept. 18, 2026, to have your student’s number included in the system.
Link for Google Form sign-up: https://forms.gle/Ajj2XH1KkxGoTTkP7
Our community-service awards
Every spring, Portage Central recognizes students who consistently commit their time and energy to community service. You can visit the Community Service page for more information and get a copy of the Service form. Any hours served throughout the school year that you want to count toward the award must be turned in to Mr. Brown in the Study Lab or main office within four weeks of the service date, even if the hours are part of an ongoing activity. Any hours completed over the summer must be turned in by 3:00 pm on Friday, September 11. No summer hours will be accepted after this date. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Brown in the Study Lab (Room 1133) or email rbrown@portageps.org
Please review our schedule for…
Monday, August 31, our first day of school
On our first half-day of school, all students will get information about school policies and upcoming events in their Enrollment Rooms. Students report to these Enrollment Rooms at the start of the school day. Enrollment Room classroom numbers and teachers for each PC student will be posted around the Welcome Center and Main Lobby area. Students who have off-campus class(es) will go to the Commons on August 31 during that off-campus class period(s).
Enrollment Room: 7:40- 8:35
The information distributed in Enrollment Rooms can also be found on the GLIC. Here are the quick links to those pages:
Some more useful instructional videos for our freshmen!
Last week we shared these:
How to navigate the lunch line? Easy – hit this link!
And keeping this place clean is important; click here.
And how about a new one: Lunch passes and parking passes: The Why, and where the money goes
All these instructional videos were made by our amazing PCTV students, and you will see more in the weeks to come!
Picture Day is coming on Thursday, September 3
Our photographers will be here on September 3 for school picture day. They will be on-site for most of the school day in order to allow off-campus students the opportunity to have their photos taken--however, if your student is unable to have their photo taken on this day, fear not! Picture retakes will happen on October 12. Students who did not like their photos and would like to have a retake on this day can have their photos taken on retake day as well.
Off-Campus lunch passes
All students in grades 9 through 12 with parent/guardian permission are eligible to apply for a lunch pass for $2 per month. Lunch passes are an earned privilege for students with good attendance. Students may have no more than 1 unexcused absence and no more than 3 excused absences in the previous month in order to be eligible. A student's lunch pass can be revoked at any time by school administration for academic or disciplinary reasons. Students with unserved detentions will not be eligible to purchase a lunch pass, for example. Planning a family vacation? See the GLIC for more information about the different types of absences and how they impact lunch pass eligibility. Students must reapply for lunch privileges at the beginning of each month (Aug./Sept. and May/June are considered one month). The electronic permission form was emailed to parent and guardian email addresses listed in Skyward this week. Direct any questions to your assistant principal. Thanks!
A quick word from our friends at the KRESA Career Connect Campus
The KRESA Career Connect Campus exists to provide learners with transformative experiences, skills, relationships, and resources needed to support lifelong career development.
Important Back-to-School Information
First Day of Programming: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Morning Session: 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Afternoon Session: 11:45 am - 1:45 pm
During the first week, students will meet their instructors, technical assistants, counselors, and support staff while reviewing program expectations, safety procedures, and campus resources.
We are currently working with families to complete required student forms through PowerSchool eCollect and finalize transportation and scheduling details to ensure a smooth start to the year.
Getting even more excited about meeting freshmen on Monday,
Eric
And if you want even more PC news…