Park Center Pirate Newsletter

November 2025

There is no school Tuesday, November 4th because it is Election Day. See what's on your ballot! Staff will be participating in professional development.

Trimester 1 ends Tuesday, November 25th. Check in with your student about their grades and what they need to do before the end of the trimester now.

There is no school Wednesday November 26 through Friday November 28th. The new trimester starts when we return on December 1.

During the Trimester

• Students must be allowed to submit formative work until the end of the current unit/module/topic
• Teachers are not required to accept work after the unit/module/topic summative assessment

End of the Trimester

• Students may submit formative work for the current unit/module/topic until 2:00 PM on the last student contact day of the trimester

During the Trimester

Students must be allowed to show knowledge on all summative work

• If absent, a student has a minimum of one week to complete the missing summative

• At least one option for students must be during the school day

• Teachers must communicate the deadline to students

Students should be given the opportunity to show their knowledge a 2nd time (be given multiple opportunities).

• Teachers must communicate multiple opportunity expectations

• Teachers may set deadlines on multiple opportunities. The deadline to complete a 2nd opportunity may not be sooner than 1 week after students receive their scores

• Teachers may require students to complete additional learning practice before being allowed to complete their 2nd opportunity

• In selected situations, teachers may choose not to offer a second opportunity if through extensive work during the learning process, students are receiving feedback that helps them prepare for success on the summative assessment. (ie. multiple draft writing project in which students receive feedback from the teacher as they write and revise each draft)

End of the Trimester

• Teachers may set deadlines up to 5 days before the end of the trimester to allow sufficient time for grading. With the expectation that learning occurs through the end of the trimester
• Teachers are not required to allow multiple opportunities on final summative work

Greetings from The Park Center Counseling Team! Trimester 2 is just around the corner and students will soon be able to view their schedules.

On November 20th-25th, and also December 1st and 2nd counselors will be available for students during all 3 lunches in the auditorium to address schedule change requests. 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

  
  

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

Our fall play, Leaving Iowa, opens this Friday and runs for the next two weekends! Tickets are $8 adults and $6 for students and seniors. Tickets at the door!

• Friday, November 7 at 7pm
• Saturday, November 8 at 7pm
• Friday, November 14 at 7pm
• Saturday, November 15 at 7pm

Winter registration is open! Please make sure sport physicals are up to date and educational benefits applications are completed (Links can be found here). You can register through EduTrak. If there are any questions, reach out to Ms. Samantha in the Activities office, zolnoskys@district279.org.

Start dates for each sport:

• Dance: October 20th
• Girls Hockey: October 27th
• Nordic Ski: November 10th
• Alpine Ski: November 10th
• Gymnastics: November 10th
• Girls Basketball: November 10th
• Boys Hockey: November 10th
• Adapted Floor Hockey: November 17th
• Wrestling: November 17th
• Boys Basketball: November 17th
• Boys Swim: November 24th

Be on the lookout for PAC (Parent/Caregiver, Athlete, Coach) meeting dates! This year each sport will host their own meeting. You will be able to find these dates on pcactivities.com.

Congratulations to Blake Beaver for representing PC at the MSHSL State Cross Country Meet for the 2nd year in a row! Blake ran 16:26.1 and finished 56th out of 160 runners in class AAA! Blake improved his place and time from last year when he finished 131st with a time of 17:19.2. Way to go Blake!

Big thank you to Senator Susan Pha for coming to PC to speak to students in our Youth OnBoard group. Students shared their experience at PC and why after school programs matter!

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

Applying to college can seem intimidating, especially if you are the first one in your family going to college. However, breaking the process up into tasks and creating a schedule makes it much more manageable. There are three main steps when applying to college: 1) the college application; typically online on the college’s website, 2) sending an official transcript to the college; this is done using Parchment, a service free to all PC students, and 3) completing the FAFSA; the application for student aid. Some colleges ask for a college essay. If an essay is optional, it is best to submit an essay. It is important to pay attention to deadlines. There are multiple deadlines to choose from. Early decision deadlines (ED) are usually in November. ED admissions are binding and the student MUST enroll if offered. Early Action (EA) applications are due in Nov/Dec. EA applications are not binding and students hear back sooner than a rolling admission. The CRC presented this information to all seniors in Advisory on September 24. If you missed the session, you can watch the recording on the CRC website > Advisory > CRC Sessions.

Apply for scholarships early and often. While most scholarships are for seniors and due between November and March, there are scholarships for all ages and throughout the entire year. While many scholarships look at GPA, there are just as many that do not. It is important to do your research and check eligibility requirements. Then, plan ahead and make sure you meet deadlines. The CRC website > Scholarships posts local, state and national scholarships, as well as scholarships for specific groups of students. Scholarships 101 is a handy one-page handout that outlines an overview of key terms, timelines and important information to know when searching and applying for scholarships. The CRC presented this information to all seniors in Advisory on October 23. If you missed the session, you can watch the recording on the CRC website > Advisory > CRC Sessions.

The Dougherty Family College offers an associate degree designed to set you up for success, providing a smooth transition to a four-year college. This program is for students that want to obtain a four-year college degree and face financial or social obstacles on the way to their goal. Students need to have a 2.5 GPA or higher and a strong desire to succeed. Daugherty Family College students transfer to the University of St. Thomas after completing an AA degree. The CRC will be taking a field trip to Dougherty Family College on January 29. Students must sign up in advance and turn in a completed permission slip. Students can sign up to receive a permission slip on the CRC Sign-Up Form

The Historically Black College and University’s (HBCUs) principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans. HBCUs provide connections to Black history and celebrate Black culture. They offer outstanding programs, particularly in STEM fields. HBCUs provide a supportive environment and unique networking opportunities. Want to learn more about HBCUs? There are more than 100 HBCUs in the US. This HBCU Listing has links to all the colleges and universities. If you want to apply to multiple HBCUs, check out the Common Black College Application. The CRC will be hosting monthly HBCU College sessions with local alumni. Upcoming sessions will be posted in Schoology and on the CRC monitors. Don’t miss these great sessions! Sign up TODAY at mini-session sign up.

Park Center will be hosting our Third Annual HBCU College Fair on Tue, Nov 19 from 3:00-5:30 pm. The HBCU College Fair is open to all students throughout the district. This is a great opportunity for students to talk with alumni and representatives from a variety of Historically Black Colleges and Universities from all over the United States. The college fair will be held in the Park Center cafeteria. Students and families may enter from the Brooklyn Blvd parking lot, Door A, or from the Noble Ave parking lot, Door L. Come and join us for a great night of opportunities celebrating Black History, Culture and Education!

How would you like to get paid for getting good grades? Raise.Me is a platform that helps 9-12th grade students earn scholarships for their achievements in high school. More than 330 colleges and universities partner with Raise.Me to award micro-scholarships for both academics and extracurricular activities. High school students can sign up for a free account at raise.me and start adding their achievements right away. The platform shows students how many scholarship dollars they will be awarded when attending various colleges.

FAFSA was released to a limited number of families in October. Park Center College Possible students were part of this group. It will open for ALL SENIORS sometime in December. The CRC will be covering FAFSA with senior students during Advisory on November 7. There will be a virtual support session for families held in January.

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.

• Amazon Future Engineers Scholarship ($amount) due Date

• Doodle for Google

Equitable Excellence Scholarship ($5,000-20,000) due

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 Nov. 5, 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.

Families are invited to the Osseo Area Schools Information Fair on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Osseo Senior High School. The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon.

The fair gives families the chance to connect with school leaders, explore academic and enrichment programs, learn about enrollment and access Community Education and district resources.

Whether already enrolled, new to the district, or considering future options, families can find resources, ask questions, and discover the wide range of opportunities available across Osseo Area Schools.

Learn more and RSVP: OsseoSchools.org/info-fair

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