PCHS Updates

Congratulations to these hard-working Pirates!

The Winterfest Dance is almost here, and we need your help! We are looking for volunteers to serve as chaperones, as well as donations of gallon-sized water, individually packaged snacks, cups and napkins.

Chaperones are needed from 7:45–10:00 PM on the night of the dance. Snack and drink donations can be dropped off at the main office between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM during the week leading up to the dance.

As always, thank you for your continued support—we truly appreciate it!

Are you a 9th or 10th grader with a passion for business, marketing, technology, or finance?

Join us for Discover Days: Business & IT— an exclusive event for Livingston County students who want to explore exciting careers in Business Management & Administration, Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, and Information Technology/Cybersecurity!

Friday, March 6, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

LakeTrust Credit Union | 4605 S. Old US Hwy 23, Brighton MI 48114

Get a behind-the-scenes look at real-world careers, connect with local professionals, and discover how your interests today can lead to a successful future in these fast-growing fields.

You can expect to experience:

• Presentations from business/IT professionals about their careers and training
• Interactive activities showcasing real-world job tasks.

Spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t wait to secure your spot!

For more information, contact your high school counselor.

The presentation linked below provides a high-level overview of the outcomes of our student, staff, and parent climate survey deployed in November, compared to the previous 3 years.

A few pride points for us:

• Increase in student perception of school safety
• Increase in staff connectedness (one of our measures of success this year)

Areas of priority for us:

• Increase in perception of student-student respect (this is a priority for us this year, and our fall survey data suggests we still have work to do)
• Increase survey engagement (response rate)

Most of our students continue to do a wonderful job of adhering to our revised electronic device policy this year! This speaks volumes to their adaptability and also to our staff's commitment to policy enforcement. Our revised policy also puts us in good position to already be aligned with new state law that appears to be headed to our Governor's desk, which will ban cell phones during instructional time (with some exceptions). Give the article below a read to stay informed, and thank you for continuing to partner with us in holding students accountable for this policy, which we believe strongly is having a positive impact on student engagement in the classroom.

It's already that time of year again! See the flyers below for a calendar of events, including Course Exploration Night, designed to support students' awareness of their options and intentional decision making about a course plan for the '26-27 school year that best sets them up to meet their postsecondary goals.

Questions? Email your student's Counselor! See contact info in the Counseling section of this newsletter.

Know a family with an 8th grader not currently in PCS who might be interested? Pass this along!

We’re excited to share upcoming Parent Engagement Sessions hosted by LESA, in partnership with Community Bible Church and FlexTech Brighton—and they’re open to all school-age families in our county!

Each session focuses on a timely topic to support families and students, and dinner is provided at every event. We’re also thrilled to welcome back Katey McPherson, who many of you may remember as a keynote speaker from last year’s inaugural Parent Summit.

As we kick off 2026, our goal is to continue equipping families with the resources, tools, and skills to truly thrive.

📅 Upcoming Sessions:

• Thursday, February 12, 2026 – Anxious Generation
  📍 Community Bible Church, Brighton

• Thursday, March 12, 2026 – Childhood 2.0
  📍 FlexTech High School, Brighton

We hope you’ll join us for these meaningful conversations and opportunities to connect. Please help spread the word—we’d love to see our families there!

Next Meeting: February 17 at 6pm in the Pirate Union.

Previous Meeting Minutes: 1/20/26

Recent Activity:

• Gift for Deputy Gwinn on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
• Approval of purchase of additional mints/gum for spring testing
• Approval of purchase of additional drinks for stocking the teachers' lounge

Upcoming Activities:

• Providing treats for students who grew on the NWEA Math and/or Reading from fall to winter (early February)
• National School Counseling Week recognition (2/2-2/6)
• February 9-20: Change War PTO fundraiser! (Seminar competition)
• Feb 22: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day recognition
• Feb 26: PTO presence at Course Exploration Night

Every week, students and staff have the opportunity to nominate a peer and PCHS staff member for recognition in the school, and for the student, recognition in The Livingston Daily. Nominations are based on how fellow Pirates are demonstrating the character strengths we prioritize in Pinckney Community Schools. Our Leadership & Link Crew class reviews nominations and selects each week's honorees. Enjoy learning about our excellent Pirates!!

Our Leadership Class highlights a different freshman each week on the building TVs, and we want to start sharing them with you too! This has been a great way to meet our 9th graders and learn about how awesome they are.

No Seminar due to cold day!

Across the month of January, we will capitalize on opportunities to put the character strength of OPTIMISM to work as a school community, during Seminar, class time, and in the day-to-day of our building. Take advantage of opportunities to touch upon this strength at home! In the image below, you can see the rationale for why the Leadership Class selected this strength to be the focus at this time in our school year.

Want to engage with this character strength at home? Check out this family resource page: https://posproject.org/p2-for-families/9-12/optimism/ You’ll find 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions to help you and your children discuss The Positivity Project’s character strength of optimism.

This is the protocol we follow as we monitor student attendance and engage in targeted interventions.

• February 6: Progress Report 4, Winterfest Basketball Games
• February 7: Winterfest Dance (8-10pm in PCHS Commons)
• February 13-16: No School - Mid-Winter Break
• February 26: Course Exploration Night - 7-8pm
• February 28: PCS Music Program Spaghetti Dinner
• March 5-7 & 14-15: Act2 Musical - Little Shop of Horrors
• March 12: NHS Blood Drive
• March 13: Progress Report 5
• March 27: Half Day
• March 30-April 6: Spring Break
• April 8: PSAT 9 & SAT (no school 10th or 12th grades)
• April 9: PSAT 10 & WIN Work Readiness Assessment (no school 9th, virtual day 12th)
• April 14-15: 11th Grade M-STEP Science & Social Studies
• April 29: Senior Scholar Dinner
• May 1: Progress Report 6
• May 5: Choir Concert
• May 7: Orchestra Concert
• May 9: Prom (at The Reserve)
• May 13: Band Concert
• May 13-15: Senior Exams
• May 15: Seniors' Last Day of School
• May 25: No School - Memorial Day
• May 27: Senior Awards Night
• May 28: Graduation Rehearsal, Senior Clap-Out, & BBQ (Tentative: Senior All-Nighter)
• May 31: Graduation, 10AM Pirate Stadium
• June 3-5: 2nd Semester Exams
• June 5: Last Day of School - Half Day

District-Wide Calendars: https://www.pinckneypirates.org/page/calendars

Get your tickets to any and all games here!

https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10053

Follow along for all athletic tryouts, registration, schedules, and updates at https://pinckneyathletics.bigteams.com/

Looking for Pirate Athletics gear?

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/michigan/pinckney/pinckney-high-school

Looking for Pinckney Community Education programs?

https://pinckney.ce.eleyo.com/

In this area, you will find relevant opportunities for building your college and career awareness and ensuring you have access to all of the information and PCHS team members necessary to make your post-secondary plans a reality!

Counseling Office: (810) 225.5603

Counseling Website: https://www.pinckneypirates.org/o/pchs (Select the Counseling drop-down menu.)

Counseling Secretary

Mrs. Leah Barkoff

lbarkoff@pinckneypirates.org

810.225.5603, fax 810.225.5610

School Counselors

Ms. Amy Robinson MA, LLPC, SCL
School Counselor (Last Names: A-Le)
arobinson@pinckneypirates.org

Ms. Nicole Braun MA, SCL
School Counselor (Last Names: Lf-Z)
nbraun@pinckneypirates.org

PCHS Mental Health Specialists

Ms. Lynn Watkins, MA, LPC, SCL, NCC
Social/Emotional Mental Health Specialist
lwatkins@pinckneypirates.org
810.225.5607

Learn more about Ms. Watkins and 31n mental health services provided through LESA here.

Mrs. Sandra Parker
Social Worker Project SUCCESS Counselor, Youth-Led Prevention Facilitator, and Community Outreach Coordinator
sparker@pinckneypirates.org
810.225.6534

Explore relevant resources for planning career, college, and financial aid/scholarship next steps by checking our Pirate Path Calendar!

Overwhelmed by the college-search process? U.S. News & World Report has given our school community access to a free resource – the digital edition of its Best Colleges 2026 Guidebook. This book features profiles of more than 1,600 colleges, a variety of college rankings, and advice articles for every step of the process, from entrance exams to financial aid. Just click here to access the entire book, free of charge.

SENIORS: As the college admissions decisions roll in, here is some information regarding What To Do If You've Been Deferred.

Put together by our counseling office, this resource includes links to practice tests, skills practices, and resources to set students up for success in the testing environment.

On Thursday, 9/18, our Counselors visited each Senior English class to give the presentation below. For our Seniors without an ELA class on campus, they had the opportunity to experience the presentation during Seminar on 9/19. Check it out!

Through school, family, and community connections, the PCHS Career Development Program empowers students to discover and develop meaningful career paths, ensuring they are prepared to step into the next chapter of their lives with confidence.

There are hundreds of jobs available right now in Livingston County (www.mitalent.org). Check them out by filtering the search at www.mitalent.org.

Michigan Works! Southeast is open to the public and Creating Connections to a Better Future!

What we offer our Employers:

• Qualified Talent – we help employers fill thousands of positions each year!
• Grant Opportunities – Offset the cost to expand and train your workforce; call us to learn how!
• Corporate Assistance Program – Navigate financial hardship with expert consulting.
• Free Job Posting – Share job opportunities for free with MiTalent. We can even post for you!

To learn more about Michigan Works! Southeast, please visit: https://www.mwse.org/

Another new resource put together by our counseling office, this document includes links to a wealth of information about grief and loss, including understanding common phases of grief and loss, and where to find support.

Pinckney Community High School is hiring!

https://pinckneypirates.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

Right now: PCHS Special Education Aide & Science Teacher

If you are passionate about creating a learning and work environment where every student and adult feels connected to one another, empowered to lead, and prepared to do whatever they want to do next, join us!

Feel free to share employment opportunities with us, and we will place them here for future newsletters!

Follow along for all the latest news, written by PCHS students! https://www.pchsmedia.org/

Follow us on:

• Instagram at @pinckneyhighschool
• Facebook at Pinckney Community High School.

We do our best to use these platforms for important announcements, newsworthy events, and fun things that keep parents and students connected to PCHS.

• Full-Day Schedule: 7:30am-2:30pm
• Half-Day Schedule: 7:30am-10:55am
• Friday Early Release Schedule: 7:30am-1:09pm
• Building Hours: 7:00am-3:00pm (Need to pick up your child's cell phone? Must arrive by 3pm!)
• PCHS is a closed campus. Only those approved to leave the building (i.e. for CTE, Dual Enrollment, Co-Op) may exit the building during school hours, and only through the South entrance. This is in service of ensuring all students are safely where they should be!
• If running late to school, students need to park in the Main Entrance lot (South side) in order to sign in at the Main Office. The North doors will be locked after 7:45am.
• Students are required to have a parking pass if parking in the PCHS lot during the school day. Make sure you've paid for your pass in the Main Office!
• PCS Secondary Student Handbook
• PCS Transportation Code of Conduct
• Have a tech issue? Submit a helpdesk ticket at: helpdesk.pinckneypirates.org

• Attendance Hotline: 810-225-5510 / hs-attendance@pinckneypirates.org

Email: jmcbride@pinckneypirates.org
Website: www.pinckneypirates.org
Location: 10255 Dexter-Pinckney Road, Pinckney, MI, USA
Phone: 8102255500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinckneyhigh
Twitter: @PinckneyHigh