PHS Newsletter

It's Homecoming week! I'm so excited to see how the high school does it. Given what I've observed about our kids this past month, I'm certain it's going to be a fun week. In the midst of the fun, just a heads-up that we have a six-week grade check on Tuesday and midterm is in four weeks. We're definitely settling into this school year and want to thank you for partnering with us in your students' educational journey!

October 2nd - 6th: Homecoming Week (see details below)

October 3rd: 6 Week Grade Check

October 4th: 90 minute early dismissal for PD

October 11th: 90 minute early dismissal for PD

October 18th: 90 minute early dismissal for PD

October 24th: 9 Week/Midterm Grade Check

October 25th: 90 minute early dismissal for K-6 Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 25th: Picture Retakes

October 26th No School

October 27th: No School

November 13: Future Ready/Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:30-8:00

November 16: Future Ready/Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:30-8:00

Homecoming week is October 2-6.

Important Dates:

Monday, October 2 - King and Queen Coronation @ 11:07

• The coronation assembly will take place in the HS auditorium

• Catered meal for court parents to follow coronation assembly

• Parents of the homecoming court may attend the coronation assembly

Thursday, October 5 - Classes Dismissed @ 1:45

• 1:50 - 2:40 PM - Class Competitions

• 2:45 PM - Drama Skits and Lip Sync

• 6:00 PM - Jungle Volleyball at the High School

• 7:15 PM - PowderPuff Football to follow Jungle Volleyball at the Pella HS Stadium

Friday, October 6 - Homecoming Pep-Assembly

• 2:45 PM - High School Pep Assembly @ Pella HS Stadium (weather permitting)

Homecoming Dance to follow the football game in the High School Commons until 11:30

The Class of 2024 Homecoming Court at Pella High School has been announced. The following seniors chosen were: Hunter Hughell, Emily Blom, Alexa Klein, Bryn Higginbotham, Tess Hopkins, Jackson Van Kley, Stephen Gaul, Jack Briggs, Luke Hardman, & Isaac Treimer

Lifetouch will be at the High School on October 25 to re-take school pictures.

Congratulations to Doug Cutler on being Iowa’s nominee by the Iowa Track Coaches Association (IATC) and Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) for the Boys' Cross Country Coach of the Year to the National Federation of High Schools Coaches’ Association (NFHS) . While the NFHS award hasn’t been announced yet, it is a great honor to be the nominee.

Parent-Teacher Conferences at the high school will be on Monday, November 13, and Thursday, November 16, from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. Teachers will be available in their rooms for Future Ready Conferences and for parent visits during scheduled times.

Conferences Dates and Times:

• Monday, November 13 & Thursday November 16: 4:30 - 8:00 PM

• Links will be sent home in late October to sign up for times.

Stay tuned, and please be watching for more communication in the upcoming weeks for an event that will take place on November 17th.

Parking has been an area of improvement and emphasis this year, and our students celebrated a popsicle this week because we had less than five parking violations last Friday. We are hoping to maintain that moving forward. If your student drives to school make sure they are parking in the proper lot and have a parking pass. Parking passes are $5.00, and parking violations are $15.00.

Please encourage your student to:

• Purchase a parking pass if they have not already

• Park in the appropriate parking location

• Pay the fine

Please pay fines at your earliest convenience. *All fines and fees are required to be paid prior to participating in our graduation ceremony.

We are approaching our midterm of the school year and we want to thank both parents/guardians and our students for what is being accomplished in our classrooms. That being said, there will be students who are challenged by the content of our classes. Our senior release policy states that any senior who has an F at midterm will lose senior release privileges and will be assigned to iStudy during free periods for the next three weeks to allow those students the opportunity to work on improving their grades. If during those three weeks a student provides his or her iStudy instructor with a grade report signed by the teacher showing a passing grade, senior release privileges will be restored. If you have questions about senior release, please contact Mr. Manning or Mr. Schulte.

Through the Campus Parent Portal, parents are able to update emails, phone numbers, addresses and emergency contacts through the Infinite Campus parent portal. See the steps below on how to make your updates on the ICPP:

• Address update: under MORE > ADDRESS INFORMATION

• Phone & Email update: under MORE > FAMILY INFORMATION

• Emergency Contact update: under MORE > DEMOGRAPHICS

Password & Security Email: under PERSON ICON > ACCOUNT SETTINGS

Email Shayla Gift if you have questions of need support.

The planning for post-secondary education greatly hinges on financial aid for families, especially as educational costs continue to rise. The regulations state families of seniors are allowed to apply for aid starting October 1st. Visit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) website to begin.

ICAN website

For a free resource in Iowa, you may visit the ICAN website for any assistance about the online filing process and policies.

FAFSA Application

Through the Campus Parent Portal, parents are able to see a journal on all fees paid to the Pella Schools for school fees and food service fees. See the steps below on how to see that fee journal on the ICPP:

• Fee Journal: under FEES > TYPE DROPDOWN > PAID

• Food Service: under FOOD SERVICE > CLICK ON CHILD’S NAME > SELECT TIME FRAME

Applying to college? Please follow these steps on the Pella District website for any official transcript requests: pellaschools.org/transcript or click HERE.

Pella HS Monthly Habits to Home LINK

Twitter - @pellaschools and @pellahigh

Facebook - Pella Schools

Instagram - @pellaschools

Website

www.pellaschools.org