For Thursday, September 17
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
Be a part of our Pickleball Tournament Fundraiser with music and prizes – and Do Good for others at the same time!
Some seniors are hosting a pickleball tournament to fundraise money for Ripple Effects! Ripple Effects is a nonprofit organization with the aim of fostering inclusion among the community, as well as helping individuals in the community who might have developmental or learning differences.
If you are interested in participating in a fun pickleball tournament with music and prizes, while also raising money for Ripple Effects, click the link below! The tournament will be at Ramona Park on October 4th, from 2 pm-5 pm!
https://forms.gle/uj6PqNLtAMr9a2zK8
We hope to see you there!
Want to get some community-service hours in?
Next Wednesday, September 23 after school some students will be working out in the Garden to do some weeding and trimming, to prepare for winter. They will be working until about 4:15.The Garden is located next to the Art Patio. Thanks for considering it!
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 – like our PCTV kids make clear right here, We Care.
When students are away, make sure they sign back in at the Attendance Office
Any late arrival or early dismissal will be recorded as an absence until the student checks in at the attendance office upon their arrival or return. This will help keep our attendance records accurate throughout the day. Please advise your student to check in when they arrive at school or return back from an appointment. Failure to do so could result in inaccurate attendance records, which may affect their total number of absences and eligibility for lunch passes. Thank you so much!
Congratulations to PC choir!
PC's Treble Ensemble has been invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Conference in October! These singers are preparing a 25-minute set of music and will perform for music educators from across the state. Their performance is at Alma College on Friday, October 9th and is open to the public. Congratulations to these fabulous singers on representing the PC choral program at the highest level!
Bring the whole family!
The 5th Annual PC Marching Invitational is this Saturday!
Portage Central Bands is excited to host our 5th Annual Scholastic Marching Band Invitational on Saturday, September 26th at McCamley-Knight Field from 3:15-8:00 pm. Ten High School Marching Bands will be competing at this event plus an exhibition performance by our Portage Central Marching Band at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens, and children five and under are admitted for free
Bring the whole family, enjoy as many bands as you’d like, and you’ll be supporting your Portage Central Band program with every ticket you purchase and every item you grab at the concessions stand!
More information about the PCMI - General Info can be found on the PC Bands Website. You can also view the 2026 Schedule of Performing Bands and see our event site map. We would LOVE to see you check out this event and watch local bands perform in competition. Our very own Portage Central Marching Band will perform at 7:00 pm. We hope to see all of you on Saturday, September 26th!!
Our awesome PTO wants to welcome you back!
As always the PCHS PTO is already working behind the scenes to spoil and treat our teachers and staff. Our first volunteer opportunity comes this Friday before the home football game with a 4 pm set up on tables and chairs for the Food Trucks (look for the yellow shirts) and tear down an hour after kick off! Your student need community hours? We can help with that too! We have forms on hand to sign off if they are willing to do some lifting and placement.
Everyone's welcome at our meetings which are held on the second Monday of the month at 5:30pm in the Teachers Kitchen. Here is this week's meeting minutes. Find us on Facebook at Portage Central High School PTO. Questions can be directed to- pchsptopresident@gmail.com
From Kathy Jepson
Wednesday, October 7 is Count Day! A strong and accurate Count Day starts with two things: students in school and attendance entered carefully. As we get closer to October 7, please help us spread the word. When you have the opportunity, encourage students to be at school, arrive on time, and, when possible, schedule non-essential appointments for another day. On Count Day, we also appreciate everyone taking a little extra care when recording classroom attendance so that our records are complete and accurate.
Thank you for helping make every student COUNT!
October PSAT/NMSQT testing information for this fall
On October 14th, 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, with more details regarding the schedule to come.
Student Readiness Check and Senior Meeting - Wednesday, September 30th
The PSAT/NMSQT is all digital. To get students registered for the test and also to make sure that their Chromebook is working and has all the necessary updates, we are going to have them go to their testing rooms and log in 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 Student Readiness Check (SRC), juniors will go to their testing rooms with their test proctors – the same ones they will attend for the PSAT/NMSQT on October 14.
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.
The SRC is required for all Juniors. Off campus classes that may be impacted have been notified.
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 |
SRC | 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/
Community-service hours update
The deadline for summer hours submission has passed. We will not consider additional summer service hours for the PC community service award. Some other reminders:
All hours must be served in person with a nonprofit organization.
Virtual service is not accepted.
Service cannot be performed unsupervised. Example: writing letters or sewing at home
The authorizing person cannot be a relative.
9th graders cannot apply their required Modern American History service hours toward the community service award.
Service forms must be submitted to Mr. Brown in room 1133 or the Main Office within four weeks from the service date. For example, a service date of September 1 must be turned in by September 29. Click here for more detailed guidelines and service form.
More news about construction on Westnedge
Just click right here!
Have you moved recently?
If you have recently moved, please notify the school by emailing our registrar, Nicole Gutshall. Here is her email address: ngutshall@portageps.org When you do, please send a new Proof of Residency so that we can update your address accordingly. We ask that you please include your child’s name in the email and to send the updated documentation by September 22 so we can take any necessary steps to ensure your child is all set to continue attending Portage for the 2026/27 school year. Acceptable forms of proof include a recently dated gas, electric, trash, water, cable/internet, or utility bill; property tax bill; lease; mortgage statement; or renters' or homeowners' insurance. Please note the following:
We cannot accept a driver’s license, cell phone bill, medical bills, expired leases, old utility bills, incomplete documents, or other mail or invoices as proof.
The document should be in full, including the homeowner's name, the mailing address, and the service address, all visible in a single file/document.
If the document is submitted electronically, the file size should also be large enough that the information is legible when printed.
Last call!
Please come to Friday, September 18 for our Elementary Night at the football game!
We will have wonderful community food trucks coming in about 4:30 – so join us for dinner! Here is who is on tap:
Every elementary student will get in free with a paying adult, and elementary students will receive a gift from our Booster Club, as supplies last. Elementary students can also participate in the on-field pre-game tunnel and post-game speeches. Click this link for a flyer with even more information!
We hope to see you all there!
Looking forward to dinner with you all tomorrow night,
Eric Alburtus
And if you want even more PC news…