PHS Parent Newsletter

Email: hammerr@purcellps.org

Website: https://www.purcellps.org/o/phs
Location: 2020 North Green Avenue, Purcell, OK, USA
Phone: 405-442-0099
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purcellhs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purcellhighschool/?hl=en

Dear PHS Parents,

As I step into the role of Interim Principal, I want to take a moment to connect with you regarding our path forward. While there has been a change in leadership, our dedication to your children remains unchanged and our mission is clearer than ever.

During this transition, our administration and staff are staying firmly focused on what matters most: the growth and well-being of our students. Moving forward, we are doubling down on three core priorities:

• Student Success: Ensuring every student has the tools, support, and encouragement they need to reach their full potential.

• Classroom Rigor: Maintaining high academic standards that challenge our students and prepare them for the future.

• A Safe Learning Environment: Providing a secure, welcoming space where every student feels safe to learn, grow, and thrive.

Our students are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to providing them with the stability and excellence they deserve. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to finish this school year strong.

Sincerely,

Rick Hammer

Interim Principal,

Purcell High School

Spread the love!

We know everyone is excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day! To ensure our school day runs smoothly, please follow these guidelines for deliveries to students:

Delivery Date: Friday, February 13th

Delivery Time: Please ensure all deliveries arrive AFTER 1 PM

Drop-off: All deliveries must be received in the High School Office.

We appreciate your help in making this a sweet and organized day for everyone!

Thank you for following these guidelines!

PLEASE NOTE: All parents/guardians of freshmen and sophomore students will be receiving a family report of their student's winter MAP assessment scores in reading, math, and science. These assessments provide critical information and tracking over time of your student's learning progress in these three critical areas. They are strong predictor of college/career, and ACT readiness. This is the last round of MAP testing for this year, as we now prepare for our college/career, and ACT tests in the spring. Please feel to reach out to me if you have questions about your students fall assessment scores.

Upcoming Drill:

This Thursday (2/12), we will have a "Choice" drill. This allows the administration team to choose the drill. This drill will occur 6th hour on Thursday.

🚗 Critical Pick-up Traffic Safety Reminder

We need your help to keep our students and staff safe in the parking lot during dismissal.

Recently, we've noticed a trend of pick-up drivers "cutting" through the parking lot rows after picking up their students instead of using the designated outside exit lane.

Please avoid this practice. This maneuver creates unnecessary, unpredictable traffic flow in areas where students are actively walking to cars, significantly increasing the risk of an accident.

For the safety of all students, please exit the parking lot in the outside lane only.

Thank you for driving carefully and remaining distraction-free during pick-up and drop-off times. Your cooperation ensures a safe dismissal for everyone.

Big News for Dragon Brew!

We are so proud to announce that Jennifer Allen-Price (Mrs. AP) and our very own Dragon Brew have been featured in this week’s NextUp Transition Curriculum newsletter!

Dragon Brew was the focus of their "Student-Run Business Spotlight," highlighting the incredible impact this program has on our students. As the newsletter perfectly put it:

"Dragon Brew is more than a classroom; it's a living learning environment where students take ownership, collaborate, and gain the confidence and skills to transition successfully into work, community, and independent life."

Congratulations to Mrs. AP and all the hard-working students who make Dragon Brew a success every single day. You make our school community better, one cup at a time!

Spanish Club Update: Building Community & Gratitude 🌍

Our Spanish Club recently held its monthly meeting, and the energy was contagious! Here is a look at what our students have been up to:

• Planning for the Future: Students are already hard at work organizing our next community outreach project. Their excitement to give back and participate in local service is inspiring to see.

• Showing Appreciation: In the spirit of gratitude, the club took a moment this week to celebrate our school counselor, Melissa Feroli, with a small gift of appreciation. It was a wonderful way to recognize the support Mrs. Feroli provides to all our students.

We are so proud of these club members for their leadership, kindness, and dedication to both our school and the community!

Real-World Readiness: Transition Life Skills Simulation 🚗💨

Our Transition Life Skills class has officially kicked off Part 1 of their Life Simulation, a hands-on project designed to prepare students for the responsibilities of adulthood. This week, the focus was all about "The Road":

• Insurance Essentials: Students explored what car insurance is and—more importantly—why it is a legal and financial necessity.

• Emergency Procedures: We walked through the "what now?" of accidents, including what to do if you get in a wreck or if someone hits you.

• The Aftermath: Students practiced making the tough phone calls to insurance companies and auto body shops, and even learned the process of how to pay a traffic ticket.

A huge thank you to Thomas Peña from State Farm for visiting our class! He provided invaluable information on the differences between Full Coverage and Liability. His presentation was so compelling that Coach Beal actually made an insurance change with his own company right then and there while we waited for the students' fake quotes to generate!

It was a fantastic day of learning that brought high-stakes concepts to life for our students.

Big shout out to the PHS Academic Team on a fantastic season!

They qualified for the Area tournament this year—a huge accomplishment for these students! A special thank you to Coach Jasmine Quiñónez for her dedication and all the hard work she put into leading our weekly practices.

We are so proud of our amazing seniors for their leadership, and with so many talented underclassmen, the future of this team is looking bright!

Monday 2/9--Musical Theater Practice 3:15-5; Vocal and band solo practice 5-7

Thursday 2/12--Vocal and band solo practice 3:15-5:30; Show Choir Practice 5:30-7:30

Friday 2/13--Vocal and Band solo practice 3:15-5:30

Tuesday 2/17-Vocal District solo and ensemble contest @Ada HS

It was a dominant night of basketball in Purcell as both teams took care of business on their home court.

Lady Dragons:

The Lady Dragons set the tone for the evening with a massive defensive performance, upsetting the 4A #16 ranked Lady Bobcats.

Final Score: Purcell 43, Bridge Creek 29

Dragons:

The boys kept the momentum rolling, put up a huge offensive performance, and never looked back.

Final Score: Purcell 64, Bridge Creek 41

Kamdyn competed in the OCCTCA Indoor Track and Field Preliminary this past weekend. She took home 2nd place in the shot put! Her performance now qualifies her for the Championship Meet on Saturday, February 21st at OU! Great job, Kamdyn! #GoDragons

Say “hello” to two-way messaging and classroom announcements in the Purcell app! With the addition of Rooms, our district app keeps getting better. Parents/guardians check your email and text messages tomorrow (9/3) with instructions to sign up and access new features.

To make sure you are ready to use Rooms, download the Purcell app today!

Download for Android https://aptg.co/Bp9PVp

Download for iPhone https://aptg.co/H7tnMs

Quick Access to Recent Updates

Families can view all recent messages and announcements for all children, across all teachers, in dedicated spotlight sections in new footer buttons.

• One Pager: Shares a summary of key updates (English)

• Help Articles: Provides more guidance to navigating the app

• Family Survey: Empowers families to share their feedback with Apptegy.
  

• VIDEO:

  English: https://youtu.be/zW9d0VzqDFI

  Spanish: https://youtu.be/W8Cnu-tgK9M
  

• Rooms Support

Students can access Varsity Tutors platform on their school-issued Chromebooks through their Clever account. Students & Parents can also access Clever account @ purcellps.org by selecting the Student Learning Page from the menu.

You can learn more about the tools available to your student here.

Please contact the high school if you are unable to access Parent Portal. This allows students and parents to access real-time grades 24/7, attendance information and update personal information. I include a parent/portal link for all parents/guardians on every Parent Newsletter. This link is located immediately below this message. It's very important all parents have access to parent portal.

Please complete this form linked here if you are need of a Parent Portal Account:

https://forms.gle/kcw4yFh9UghpFKW76

If you have any problems accessing Parent Portal please contact the school directly: (405) 442-0099