Community Newsletter
August 21th, 2026
Upcoming at Palmer
Monday, October 5--5-8 Block Schedule
Wednesday, October 7--Palmer Choir Concert will be held at 6:30 pm at the Palmer Auditorium.
Thursday, October 8--last day of Quarter 1!
Thursday, October 8--students will participate in Future Ready Day in the morning, and classes 1-4 in the afternoon. More details shared below!
Friday, October 9--Teacher Work Day. Students not in school.
Monday, October 12--5-8 Block Schedule
Thursday and Friday, October 15-16--Parent Teacher Conferences!
See other activities below!
Palmer Proud
My Terror of the Week is Molly Peake.
Molly is very intelligent and a hard worker. It comes naturally to her to get her own work done and to help the people around her. When class gets lively, she is resilient and remains a source of calm, and even in the face of daily challenges, she is so friendly and kind. I want Molly to know that I see all of her efforts and they don't go unnoticed!“
-Galilee Dillard, Terror TRCSS* teacher
*TRCSS is an acronym for the IB Approaches to Learning: Thinking Skills, Research, Communication, Social, and Self-Management Skills
Palmer Proud Continued..
Story of a Diploma Program Senior
We would like to celebrate the hard work and achievements of Alleigh, who is a senior in the IB DP program. She has an impressive 4.3 grade average heading into her senior year while also supporting her 8 siblings. She recently completed the Questbridge Scholarship, a highly competitive college scholarship and access program for high-achieving students. As young as 7 years old, Alleigh knew her dream was to go to Harvard; she recently wrote, “I knew early on that school was my way to big things is my education.” Alleigh told us that she chose the IB programme because of the rigor and challenge it gave her, but also because it challenged her to think about how big she could make her dreams, and she has chosen to dream it all. When we asked her what advice she would give younger students she said, “no matter your struggle, you can have anything if you keep working hard.” Palmer Staff sees how hard you are working, Alleigh, and we celebrate you. --contributed by DP/CP Coordinator AnneMarie McClintock
Palmer Proud again!
Did you know The Palmer Lever newspaper has been telling our school's story since 1887? For nearly 140 years, Palmer students have used journalism to document school life, amplify student voices, and capture the history of our community. Today's student journalists are carrying forward one of Palmer's oldest traditions.
Freshman Elyse Barnett writes for The Lever. In her words, "I love writing about sports, because that is what I am most involved in at Palmer. I also think that any type of person can be interested in Palmer sports and want to know more!" After high school, Elyse aims to get a scholarship to play volleyball in college. To finish her Palmer education, she plans to take DP courses and keep playing volleyball and writing. According to Elyse, "the coolest thing about the Lever is that anyone can read the stories we post. Our goal is to help more people learn about the Lever, so more people read our story!"
The Lever Link: https://phslever.com/
What Families Need to Know
Future Ready Day--Planning for What Comes Next--Thursday, October 8
Future Ready Day gives every Palmer student dedicated time to think about what comes next — whether that means college, career training, military service, or another postsecondary pathway. Students will participate in grade-level activities designed to help them build skills, explore options, and make informed plans for the future.
What students will be doing
9th Grade
Students will complete a PSAT 9 practice assessment from 7:35–10:35 a.m., followed by time to review and understand their results.
10th Grade
Students will work on their IB Personal Project from 7:35–10:00 a.m. They will then attend a class meeting focused on options for 11th and 12th grade, including IB Diploma and Career-related Programmes, dual and concurrent enrollment, and D11 Promise opportunities.
11th Grade
Students will take either the PSAT/NMSQT or ASVAB from 7:35–11:00 a.m.
12th Grade
Seniors will begin with a class meeting about graduation and a postsecondary panel, followed by sessions focused on next steps such as FAFSA, college applications, Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance opportunities, D11 Promise, and voter registration.
Why take the PSAT/NMSQT or ASVAB?
These assessments are not simply “another test.” They can give students useful information as they plan for life after high school.
PSAT/NMSQT:
The PSAT gives students practice with the format and skills measured on the SAT and provides a snapshot of college-readiness strengths and areas for growth. For eligible 11th-grade students, the PSAT/NMSQT is also the qualifying assessment for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
ASVAB:
The ASVAB helps students identify strengths and possible career areas through assessments in academic, technical, and vocational skills. Although it is used by the military for enlistment qualification, students do not have to plan to join the military to benefit from the career exploration information it provides.
Afternoon Schedule
After lunch, all students will follow a shortened four-block schedule:
Lunch: 11:05–11:40
Block 1: 11:45–12:32
Block 2: 12:37–1:25
Block 3: 1:30–2:17
Block 4: 2:22–3:10
Palmer Graduation May 2027
Palmer High School's Class of 2027 graduation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, 2027 at 2:00 pm at Ed Robson Arena. More senior and graduation details will be shared as they are finalized, beginning with a senior class meeting at the beginning of Future Ready Day on October 8!
Around Palmer
9th Grade Dream Accelerator
9th Grade students attended a Dream Accelerator session at our D11 RJ Wasson Campus this week, where they explored future opportunities, dabbled with questions concerning qualifications and skills, and learned from local successful professionals.
What qualifications and skills do you need for which career?
And what will get you to a Career of your choice?
What has made different individuals from Colorado successful?
Students learned of experiences and achievements of people in a variety of Colorado career fields
Student Council Corner
Care and Share!
Reminder: Help Palmer Support Care and Share
Palmer StuCo is continuing our support of Care and Share Food Bank. If your family is able to contribute, every $1 helps provide the equivalent of 3 pounds of food for families in our community. Thank you for helping Palmer give back!
Donate here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/harvestoflove2026/team/1050003/
Your typical Stuco family session--students sit in mixed grade groups, learn about, and build each other up.
Stuco decorated Care and Share boxes to support in-school donation efforts!
Animal Themed boxes, and featured is, of course, our Palmer Terror!
Counseling
An estimated 1,200 attendees from 60 high schools across Colorado connected with representatives from 129 colleges, 3 scholarship foundations, and 1 military branch, resulting in an incredible 2,627 student interactions.
And a little Palmer pride: Palmer High School tied Coronado High School for the highest attendance, with 59 attendees from each school. Go Terrors!
Coming Up This Week
All Week
12th-grade individual career and academic planning meetings continue, along with coordination of 504 plan reviews.
Monday, October 5
Vassar College Visit | 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 6
Colorado Mesa University Visit | 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 7
Northwestern University Visit | 8:00–9:00 a.m.
D11 Promise Coach Visit | 8:00–11:00 a.m.
Common App Workshop | 12:30–1:25 p.m.
Thursday, October 8--Future Ready Day
Upcoming Field Trips
Students can sign up for these opportunities in the Future Center. Space is limited.
- October 6: Auto Draft Day
- October 15: UCCS Future Educator Conference
- October 28: City Jobs Career Visit
Students can stop by the Future Center or connect with their counselor for questions about college visits, career opportunities, scholarships, and upcoming events
Coming Up
Sports and Activities
Monday October 5, 2026
Strength & Conditioning in Weight Room w/ Coach Kipp – 3:30pm – 4:30
Unified Bowling @ Peak Bowl – 3:30pm
Tuesday October 6, 2026:
Strength & Conditioning in Weight Room w/ Coach Kipp – 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Volleyball vs Mesa Ridge @ Erps Gym – C 4pm, JV 5pm, V 6pm
Soccer vs Falcon @ Garry Berry Stadium – JV 4pm, V 6pm
Softball vs Mesa Ridge @ UCCS Softball Field – 5pm Senior Night
Palmer vs Fountain Fort Carson @ Garry Berry Southfield – 6pm
Wednesday October 7, 2026:
Strength & Conditioning in Weight Room w/ Coach Kipp – 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Choir Concert @ Palmer Auditorium – 6:30pm
Thursday October 8, 2026:
Strength & Conditioning in Weight Room w/ Coach Kipp – 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Volleyball vs Widefield @ Widefield High School – C 4pm, JV 5pm, V 6pm
Softball vs Mesa Ridge @ Mesa Ridge Softball Field – 4pm
Soccer vs Coronado @ Coronado High School – JV 5pm, V 7pm
Flag Football vs The Vanguard School @ Garry Berry Stadium – 6pm
Friday October 9, 2026: Palmer Spirit Fridays!!!!
Strength & Conditioning in Weight Room w/ Coach Kipp – 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Football vs Adams City @ Adams City High School – 7pm
Saturday October 10, 2026
Softball vs Sierra @ Sierra High School Double Header – 10am
Girls Rugby vs Summit @ Regis Jesuit High School – 10am