Park Center Pirate Newsletter

December 2025

Let's make it another great trimester!

• Review your student's grades with them regularly and make sure they have a way to keep track off assignments, projects, and tests.
• Reach out to your student's teachers, counselor, SMS, or other school staff (or have them reach out!) with any questions or if they need support.
  
• Have your student attend Homework Center Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 2:00-4:30

• Attendance is huge factor in school success! Here are some strategies for helping your student have good school attendance (available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese).

Winter break begins on Wednesday, December 24th, and we return to school on Monday, January 5.

When: December 1st to 19th
Where: Donations can be dropped off during student's assigned lunch outside Room 100 (the orchestra room) or in the front office
What: Hygiene products, clothing, snacks, gifts cards, canned goods and other non-perishable food items
Questions? Talk to Ms. Gagnon, Emily Juaire, or any NHS member

Monday, December 1st is the start of Trimester 2!

• Students will report to their 1st hour class on Monday. We will run our regular Monday schedule.
• Trimester 2 schedules should be viewed by students on StudentVue and Schoology.
• Only students who have “Choose a Class” listed on their schedule for that hour should report to the Media Center. All other students will be sent back to class.
• Students wanting to change their workable schedules should go to the Auditorium to connect with the counselors on Monday or Tuesday during their assigned lunch. Please note below are the only reasons we are able to make a schedule change:
• Students want to change an elective the same hour
• Students who have a "choose a class"
• Student has already taken and passed the course
• Unfortunately we cannot accommodate the following reasons for schedule changes:
• Changes to accommodate sport seasons or work schedules
• Specific teacher requests
• Changed mind
• Desire to drop a full year course
• Desire to be with friends
• Desire to have a class at a certain time of the day
• Desire to have a certain lunch schedule

The last day to request a schedule change is Tuesday December 2nd. Please reach out to your student's counselor with any questions!

• GaVae Piner, Last Names A-D pinerg@district279.org
• Jack Krueger, Last Names E-K kruegerjack@district279.org
• Liz Johnson, Last Names L-Pe johnsonelizabeth@district279.org
• Denise Warner, Last Names Ph-U, X warnerdenise@district279.org
• Thomas White (filling in for Erin McCormick), V-W, Y-Z whitet@districtt279.org

The Park Center PI Adapted Soccer team brought home their first state championship since 1998 with an undefeated season!

• Quarterfinal vs. St. Paul Humboldt, Pirates win 10-3
• Semifinal vs. Rochester, Pirates win 10-6
• Championship vs. Minneapolis South, Pirates win 2-1

A student led news program is back in business at PC! What's on Deck is a weekly, student created news program that makes sure everyone knows what's happening on the Ship! Check out the latest episode!

What's on Deck is the video media half of the Pirate Press, and we're excited for the student newspaper side of Pirate Press, coming later this year!

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon visited Park Center Senior High School’s social studies classes on Nov. 12 to speak with students about the importance of Veterans Day, civic engagement and the lasting lessons of service and democracy. Simon’s visit offered students a unique opportunity to connect classroom learning to real-world leadership and history. He shared information about his office’s role in state government, the importance of voting, details on how to vote and how votes are counted.

“Voting is worth your time and energy - it’s worth your attention,” Simon told the students. “From city council and school board to President of the United States, we vote for more things and more offices in this country than any other country in the world. And what those people do - or don’t do - when they get to those offices has real downstream effects on the rest of us.”

Follow PCSH on Instagram (@pcshpirate) and Facebook to see what we're up to day to day!

Hennepin County Public Health is offering free vaccine clinic for children! The next one is:

• Saturday, December 20th from 11am to 3pm
• Eden Prairie Library

Additional options available through:

• Odam Medical in Crystal, call (612) 871-2312

The Health Science Program is designed to support and build future leaders in Health Science and Medical fields. The program provides authentic learning experiences that prepare students to achieve their future goals in medicine. Students develop practices through hand-on, project based experiences in a professional work setting. Health Science students graduate with college credits, professional certifications, internship experiences, and memories for a lifetime. Students interested in learning more can attend a Mini-Session in the CRC in January. Students must sign up in advance to receive a pass to attend; https://forms.gle/hsCwyKhj7Bz5KiDu9

Genesys Works is an opportunity for students to participate in a paid internship during senior year and earn up to $16,000. As high schoolers, Genesys Works students are offered business technology skills training, meaningful paid internships, college and career counseling, and alumni support. Genesys Works fuels students’ ambition so their dreams become lifelong realities. Students are placed with a partner company for the duration of their senior year of high school. Genesys Works partners with 49 local corporations. Partner companies include Target, Caribou Coffee, and Huntington Bank. Students receive skills training, college and career coaching and continued support in college as an alumni of the program. Students who are eligible and are selected will work with their counselor to schedule the internship. Current juniors will learn about the program during Advisory In January and applications will open in December. Application website

Page Grant is a scholarship program awarded to students of color who graduate from a Minnesota high school and attend a Minnesota post-secondary institution. Students at all levels of academic achievement seeking to pursue a 2 or 4 degree at a Minnesota college or university and agree to complete annual service projects with children can qualify for a grant. Page Grants range in value from $1,500 to $2,500 annually. Subsequent grants are based on students’ academic progress and mentoring performance. Encourage your college-bound student to sign up for a mini-session to learn more!

Here are some great scholarships that are due soon. Check out the CRC Scholarship Bulletin on the PC CRC website > Scholarships for more upcoming scholarships. In addition to local scholarships, here are some great national scholarships.

• Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation Essay Contest ($1250-5,000) due Dec 10, 2025

• Burger King Scholars Program (up to $60,000) due Dec 15, 2025

• Science Ambassador Scholarship (multiple $20,000 awards) due Dec 15, 2025

• Bick First Gen Scholarship (6 awards of $5,000) due Dec 31, 2025

• Bick Vocational Trade Scholarship (6 awards of $5,000) due Dec 31, 2025

• Terry Masters Memorial Scholarship ($1,500) due Dec 31, 2025

• GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship (multiple awards up to $40,000) due Jan 5, 2026

• Live Mas Taco Bell Scholarship (up to $25,000) due Jan 6, 2026

• Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship (up to $40,000) due Jan 15, 2026

• DCU for Kids Scholarship ($1,500-2,500) due Feb 28, 2026

• Dell Scholars Program ($20,000) due Feb 15, 2026

This school year, three Community Conversations are going to be held to better understand from family and community members what is going well and what needs improvement as well as ensuring all feel valued and heard. District leadership and school board members will host the events, which are set for Feb 3. and May 12.

Your help is needed to start the planning process. If you could please take five minutes to let us know your thoughts on our schools via this Google Form. The themes arising from your responses will help inform the topics chosen for the Community Conversations. Additionally, if you’re interested in participating in a conversation, please share your name, contact information and the dates that work best for you in the space provided on the form.

At Park Center we expect every student to demonstrate P.R.I.D.E.

• Participate in your education
• Respect yourself and others
• Inspire others
• Do the right thing
• Excel in all you do

For all Park Center rules and expectations, refer to our Student and Family Handbook