NEWS FROM THE PANTHER DEN

MID SUMMER UPDATE

Greetings from PTHS! I hope everyone is having a safe, enjoyable, restful summer. I recently returned from my yearly vacation from the Jersey Shore where I had the opportunity to relax a bit, put my toes in the sand and spend time with family and friends. Walking into school this week with a renewed sense of energy and purpose was exactly what was needed as we turned the calendar to August.

We have been busy here at PTHS as we prepare for another school year. The summer is certainly going fast. It seems like just yesterday we were saying goodbye to the Class of 2026 in what was a truly wonderful ceremony. Very soon, many of them will be getting ready to head off to college as the PTHS Class of 2030 (!) gets ready to start their high school journey. Our IT Team has been working hard to transition from Realtime to Genesis for our Student Information System. Our fall sports teams have been hard at work in preparation for their upcoming seasons. The Marching Band is getting ready to head to camp in a few weeks to finalize their fall show. Our custodial and maintenance staff is getting the school ready and our counselors are putting the finishing touches on student schedules that will come out the week of August 17th. In just two short weeks, the district will welcome our new teachers for their orientation as they join the Golden Panther team. It has been a busy summer at PTHS!

For those of you that enjoy getting a jumpstart on planning, this newsletter will provide you with some key dates and upcoming events in preparation for September. Our first football game is here at home on August 27th!

Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer and be on the lookout for Back to School information during the week of August 17th.

TWEET/INSTAGRAM OF THE WEEK

Our boys soccer program hosted an alumni game in preparation for the upcoming season. It was a great way for our current players to learn from those who have helped build the program. Welcome back to our Alumni and good luck to our boys team this season!

NEW WEBSITE AND MESSAGING PLATFORM

Check out the new district website at www.pequannock.org! Thank you to our IT Department for getting it up and running. We also have a new two way communication tool called, Apptegy, that we will be using to communicate between players, coaches and advisers.

FIRST DAY FOR STUDENTS

The first day for students will be Wednesday, September 2nd. We will be following an ALL MEET SCHEDULE where students will see all of their classes. As a reminder, Friday, September 4th is a single session day at PTHS. Dismissal for students and staff will be at 12:26 pm

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

Mark your calendars for the PTHS Back to School Night! We are excited to welcome parents on Thursday, September 24th at 7:00 pm. There will be a special "Hidden In Plain Sight" program beginning at 6:30 pm and available throughout the evening. More details will follow!

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

We look forward to meeting our incoming Grade 9 students and any other students who are new to the district at our new student orientation on Tuesday, August 18th from 8:30am -11:30 am.

CELL PHONE POLICY

PTHS will be implementing a new policy on Student Use of Internet Enabled Devices that is aligned with the new state law. Devices such as cell phones, earbuds, apple watches, meta glasses and personal laptops/chromebooks cannot be used during the entirety of the school day. This will include in the hallway during passing time, study halls and lunches. Devices will be required to be turned off and stored away (not on your person).

We are continuing to develop the policy that will be adopted at the September 8th Board of Education meeting. More information will be sent as we get closer to the start of school about the expectations for students and staff.

PARENT ORIENTATION

We will be having a Grade 9/new parent orientation on Wednesday, August 26th at 7:00pm. There will be a brief presentation from the PTHS Administration about the schedule and expectations and then our Peer Leaders will conduct a student panel and provide some tours.

PTHS HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION REGISTRATION

The PTHS Home and School Association is excited to kick of the 2026-2027 school year. We are asking that each family please pay your membership dues prior to the start of the school year. Families who pay their membership for four years become eligible for scholarships when their child is a senior. You can pay your membership dues here: https://pthshsa.org/

STUDENT SCHEDULES

The counselors continue to put finishing touches on the Student Schedules for the 2026-2027 school year. Student schedules will be released on August 20th via the Genesis Student and Parent Portals. Grade 9 students and new students to PTHS will receive their schedules at New Student Orientation on August 18th.

STUDENT TECHNOLOGY FEE

As a reminder, there is a $25.00 yearly student technology fee for our 1:1 Chromebook program. The 2026-2027 fee can be paid through the Genesis parent portal starting on August 20th. This $25.00 fee covers minor damages that may occur throughout the year.

2026-2027 PTHS SCHEDULE INFORMATION

Below you will find documents pertaining to the 2025-2026 academic calendar. For the purposes of planning, the first block at PTHS will begin at 8:05 am. This means that students should be dropped off prior to 7:50 am at PTHS. The school day will conclude at 3:04 pm. Please read the following documents about information pertaining to the schedule. All information can be found on the website at: https://hs.pequannock.org/o/pths/page/bell-schedule-26-27

Frequently Asked Questions

Bell Schedules

Daily Rotational Schedule

The document below is great to print out and put on the fridge!

pdf

insert_drive_file

Daily Rotational Schedule

Download

2.7 MB

CLASS MEETINGS

Class meetings for all Grade levels will be held on Friday, September 4th (Day 4) at the following times:

Grade 12: 8:10 am (Block 1)

Grade 11: 9:00 am (Block 2)

Grade 10: 10:25 (Block 4)

Grade 9: 11:10 (Block 5)

A reminder that this is a single session day for students and staff.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

The high school does not post a supply list for the school year as generally teachers have specific needs based on the individual courses they teach. The students will receive information from their teachers during the first week of school. We would encourage the students to come to school on the first week with the following:

Their charged chromebook
At least one 3 subject notebook
Pencils/Pens
3x3 Post It Notes
Highlighter
Earbuds that plug into your chromebook

SUMMER HOURS

The school will be open from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Thursday until August 21st. Starting August 24th through the 28th the main office will be open from 7:30 am - 3:00 pm Monday through Friday.

SUMMER PRINTS

Our Summer Work Website can be found here at: https://sites.google.com/pequannock.org/pequannock-twp-prints-2026/home

It is expected that the students have their summer work completed prior to the start of the school year. Please check the website to see what work needs to be completed, particularly for Language Arts, Science and Mathematics.

ATTENTION SENIORS: COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING WORKSHOP

Come meet with our School Counseling Department and Ms. Bellardino as they help you get a jumpstart on your college essays! See the graphic below for more information!

ATTENTION GRADE 9 STUDENTS: STUDENT COUNCIL NEEDS YOU!

The Student Council is looking for Grade 9 students who would be interested in running for the following class positions:

Class President
Class Vice President
Class Secretary
Class Treasurer
Class Representative (2)

You would have an active say in Student Council activities, organize fundraisers and meet with the PTHS Administration. If you are interested, be on the lookout for information at the start of school. You can also reach out to the Grade 9 Adviser Mrs. Moore at katherine.moore@pequannock.org.

NJAC SPORTSMANSHIP LETTER

Fall sports will be heading into their preseason prior to school starting. Pequannock Township High School belongs to the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) that stresses the importance of positive sportsmanship by our student-athletes, coaches, parents and spectators. Please read the letter below from the NJAC Committee.

pdf

insert_drive_file

NJAC Sportsmanship Letter 2026.pdf

Download

153.3 KB