Parent Newsletter

Email: sandersj@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
Twitter: @purcellhsdrgns

High School Grading Policy

This week I met with our Teacher Leadership Team and Student Advisory Council. We discussed handbook policies currently under review for possible revision next year. One area we are exploring is the high school grading policy that requires all summative tests comprise 70% of a student's grade in all classes. (the policy can be found in the student handbook which is linked below). A summative test is an exam that assesses learning over a unit of study. For example it could be a chapter or unit test that is typically given once every 2-3 weeks in a course.

All classes, as determined by handbook policy, have a 70/30 split between tests and daily work. Each chapter or unit test counts for 70% of a student's grade and each daily assignment counts for 30% of a student's semester grade. While this currently incentivizes students to master and demonstrate their understanding of concepts on tests, it can penalize students who don't traditionally perform well on tests. Although grading and assessments can be a very complex issue, one could reasonably argue that a test should measure what you know or can do. Daily work should also provide a snapshot of student knowledge, but can also measure important "soft skills" that students need.

For example, students who perform well on daily work tend to better meet deadlines, have good attendance, and possess strong organizational skills. In other words they tend to know how to "do school." They also tend to have better home support. One of the students on my advisory council made an interesting point. They said, "some students are less likely to complete all daily work as they know it only represents a small percentage of their overall grade. If you can "ace" your tests you can possibly still make an A while not doing your best on daily grades." Obviously we would discourage this as we want our students to do their best at everything.

Of course one could argue that this is the point of a 70/30 split in favor of tests over daily work. If a student can make an A on their test then they have demonstrated mastery of the content. Therefore daily work should be much less relevant. However if we place too much emphasis on test scores, are we minimizing the importance of the "soft skills" daily work can measure? It is a complicated but important question.

We would like to hear from all parents. Please take a few moments and complete the brief survey linked below and provide your input. Do you think our grading calculation should remain the same? Do you think we should change the calculation to reflect more importance of daily grades? Please discuss with your student. Your feedback is important.

Jason

cell phone number: 918-873-0354

Friday, Oct. 21; Noon - 2PM in the high school library. Please access consent forms below and return on Friday or to the front office. Consent forms can also be picked up at high school office.

Congratulations Mercer Martin for being selected Student of the Month by the PHS Faculty. Mercer is the daughter of Faith Martin. She is the Student Council President, a member of National Honor Society, Key Club and plays tennis. Her honors include Letter P Award Winner, Superintendent's Honor Roll and Girls Nation Senator. Her favorite class is being Ms. Matthew's Aide and she plans to attend college and major in business before attending law school.

Congratulations Hayden Ice for being selected Student of the Month by the PHS faculty. Hayden is the son of Krista and Daniel Ice. He is active in SAAC, National Honor Society and plays football, basketball , and track. Honors include Superintendent's Honor roll, All-Canadian Conference for basketball and Region 5 All-District Basketball Player. Hayden's favorite class is Pre-Engineering @ MATC. Hayden plans on attending OU's College of Engineering.

Susan works as a teaching assistant in our special education room. Read the praise for her work from one of her colleagues:

Susan came into this position with no previous para experience and has truly shown her love and compassion for students and the job as a whole. She has grown and strives to keep growing without being asked. She is professional and has a great work ethic that should not go unnoticed. Always willing to help and volunteer when we needed. Goes above and beyond to serve our students.

Congratulations to our September Student Athletes of the Month Allison Schlotthauer and Boston Knowles. Allison is a member of the Girls Cross Country team and the drum major for the band. Boston plays football and baseball for the Dragons. Great job Allison and Boston!

• Last week we conducted an unannounced Lock-in Drill. This drill was held during a time when many students are moving to different parts of the building and located outside. I was pleased with our ability to quickly move inside to secured areas of the building. Regular drills help not only increase safety preparedness but lessen student anxiety as they better understand how to respond calmly in the case of an emergency

• Mr. Hammer, our Athletic Director/Assistant Principal heads up our Safety & Wellness JET Team. Each staff member of PHS is part of a JET Team. These teams allow every staff member to play a role in continuous school improvement. Our Safety JET team meets monthly and reviews our safety procedures and issues related to staff and student wellness. This year they will also be tasked with reviewing our report we received this year from our safety assessment conducted by the Homeland Security Department. This assessment provided us important feedback to help us ensure the safety of our building.

• I would always encourage parents and guardians to discuss with their teenagers issues concerning mental health. Teenage anxiety and depression rates have increased dramatically nationwide. This is an issue I've highlighted consistently in my newsletters for good reason. This has become a national crisis and teenagers are in need of additional support. I've linked an article below which details simply but easy daily practices that can promote mental health. We must all work together to better support our students mental health.

• Please be sure to monitor the weather. Weather in Oklahoma is always unpredictable and can change at anytime. It is not unusual to experience severe storms and winter precipitation this time of year. Please be sure to review Purcell Severe Weather Plan and sign your student up for Emergency Dismissal if they are eligible (student drivers with valid drivers license and PHS Parking Pass.)

https://www.edutopia.org/article/small-daily-practices-boost-mental-health

Please be sure to check the regularly updated Counselor's Corner Newsletter linked below. Ms. Feroli has added important information for each individual class.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE OF UPCOMING ACT TEST DATES. Students wishing to take ACT on 12/10 testing date will need to register prior to November 4th. See chart below of 2022-23 ACT testing dates. Please remember all juniors take the ACT on campus in the spring as part of their College and Career Readiness Exams. Juniors also take exams in Science and U.S. History

We are proud to announce that Purcell High School has received GreatSchools.org’s 2022 College Success Award!

Purcell High School is one of 1,742 public high schools in 25 states to be honored with an annual College Success Award, which recognizes and celebrates high schools like ours that demonstrate excellence in ensuring students are prepared to succeed in college.

Now in its fifth year, the College Success Award is based on data that show how our school prepares students to succeed after high school, including whether they enroll in college, are ready for college-level coursework, and persist into their second year.

We applaud the hard work of the entire Purcell community — including students, parents, teachers, and others that aspire to help our students succeed in college and beyond. We invite you to join in the celebration of our 2022 College Success Award!

This is our second year of our PHS Advisory Program. I wanted to take this opportunity to share more information regarding this foundational piece of our school ICAP (Individual Career Academic Program) Our senior class this year will be the first class to graduate with a diploma that reflects they have met the minimum requirements of ICAP as required by state law enacted in 2017. I've linked below more information regarding the ICAP program and requirements.

Students meet regularly with their assigned Advisors. Every teacher and administrator @ PHS has an advisory class of approximately 15-17 students. Students are assigned an advisor as freshman and stay with the same advisor throughout high school. Advisory meets on Friday afternoons roughly twice a month. Advisory lessons are built by the principal and counselor with input from other advisors. Here is a snapshot of some lessons covered in advisory:

• anti-bullying and suicide prevention
• lessons on sportsmanship and fan behavior
• College & Career Readiness Lessons
• anti-vaping
• school news and happenings
• pre-enrollment is conducted through advisory
• pep rallies and school spirit activities

Advisory is the key component of our school's ICAP program. I believe we are leading in our development of a strong College & Career readiness program due to our Advisory Program, growing Internship program, & established Concurrent (dual college/high school courses) Program.

This is part of a larger initiative to make high school more relevant to modern student needs. In addition to traditional courses and learning systems, students need career guidance and support in the development of important 21st Century "soft skills": problem solving, leadership, communication, and teamwork. These are the skills we have to develop amongst students in addition to traditional academic learning.

https://www.okedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ICAP-2020-FAQs.pdf

Beginning October 18th we will provide free after school tutoring for all subjects Monday - Thursday from 3:15-5PM. Tutoring will be available on campus and will be provided by PHS teachers. The primary focus will be extra help for students struggling in math and there will be a math teacher available each day. However students can and will receive help in all subjects.

We would encourage students and parents to take advantage of this important opportunity. After school tutoring will continue through December 8th for the fall semester.

Please reach out to individual teachers or an administrator for more information.

Attending tutoring sessions (full sessions) can also serve to make up attendance. Students with 10 unexcused absences per semester will receive No Credit for the course. Attending 3 tutoring sessions will make-up 1 unexcused absence.

Tutoring Schedule:

Mon: Young (Rm 121) / ONeal (Rm 145)

Tues: Matthews (Rm 123) / Renfro (Rm 155)

Wed: Young (Rm 121) / Renfro (Rm 155)

Thu: ONeal (Rm 145) / Matthews (Rm 123)

We are in the process of emailing family reports to all Freshman and Sophomore Parents from the fall assessment in Math and English. We will have this completed no later than this Wednesday. All freshman and sophomore students take MAP assessments in the fall, winter, and spring. These assessments provide valuable information regarding your student's progress in reading and math.

MAP tests show growth that each student has achieved since their last assessment, demonstrate whether your student is college-ready (as measured by future ACT scores) in math and reading, and help teachers understand where they need to focus instruction.

I've linked a helpful video below that explains the family report and have copied a sample picture below of a family report.

All freshman and sophomore parents should check their emails this week for this important report. I would encourage you to visit with your student's math and english teacher as well during Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please contact Mr. Sanders if you have questions

https://teach.mapnwea.org/assist/help_map/Content/AboutMAP/VideoBrowse/FamilyVideo.htm?cshid=855

They recently competed in the State Marching Band Contest. They finished 4th overall in Class 2A. 11th Overall. They took first place in Visual in Class 2A. Congratulations Band and instructors David Hilger and Bryson Tuttle.

Making a difference in our community: Students involved and serving their school and community!

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