PCHS Community,

Next week, we have school on Monday and Tuesday only before enjoying a much-deserved Thanksgiving holiday. This is a transitional time in many ways. We're closing in on our first (and well-earned) break. The winter sports season is launching. Act 2 is wrapping their performance of 12 Angry Men this weekend. Before we all know it, we'll be heading into Winter Break, and by February, students will be selecting their courses for the 22-23 school year! Sometimes the days can feel slow, but truly, the school years fly. We got to spend time in classrooms this week, both to observe and to cover some classes, and it's such a joy to see our students connecting with one another and their teachers and to sense the little communities that develop in each class, each hour as the school year unfolds.

As we near Thanksgiving, we feel sincere gratitude for our students and staff, for their resilience, efforts, smiles, laughs, and care. And we thank you, parents, for your ongoing support of your children and this school community.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mrs. McBride & Mrs. Woods

Invitations went out today for our PCHS Academic Awards Night, which will take place on Monday, December 6 at 7pm in the PCHS Auditorium. Students who have earned a 3.5 or higher for 2 or more consecutive semesters will be recognized for their outstanding achievements. Keep your eyes on the mail!

In preparation for snow, please know that only our lots with assigned student spots and the staff lot (to the last row of light posts) will be plowed before school starts in the morning. The athletic lot will be prioritized for after-hours use. This is our strategy for maximizing our building and grounds team and our student and staff's access to cleared spots. Thanks!

We were thrilled to be able to have ALL of our students attend this production during Seminar this week! It is a beautiful thing to observe our students in their passion zone. :)

Get your tickets for the weekend productions via the QR code in the poster below, and consider buying some Pirate Drama Gear! Visit the store via the link below; it will be open until Nov. 30th for delivery in time for the holidays.

Pirate Drama Gear Store: https://kensingtonvalleyvarsity.com/pinckney_theatre_2021/shop/home

This year, we are piloting the NWEA Map Growth Assessment with our 9th graders, an assessment our Freshmen have been taking for years in PCS. This is in service of experimenting with a common assessment tool that can provide real-time insight into our students' knowledge and skill in two areas: Math & ELA. This year, we intend to deploy the assessment twice (typical practice is 3 times). Our Freshman teachers will be supported in a data analysis process to inform their instruction in response to students' outcomes on these assessments, and we'll learn from their experience to inform our next steps. Freshmen will take the Math test in Seminar the week of December 6 and the ELA test in their ELA class the week of December 13.

We will continue to use the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Covid Guidance (for now). You can view those guidelines here.

All of our teachers are using Google Classroom this year. Google Classrooms will be updated regularly and in a way that students can access resources and assignments from anywhere with the internet.

Every teacher's Google Classroom will be organized in the following ways:

• A daily agenda posted in the Stream (which is the landing page of the Classroom), and potentially in the Classwork area
• Syllabus posted in a Classroom Materials section in Classwork
• Resources and assignments organized in a logical manner in Classwork (i.e. by day, week, unit, or project)

We will be working together as a staff to continue to improve our Google Classroom approach so that students can continue their learning with relative ease if quarantined. Your feedback will continue to be appreciated to inform this process.

A Note Re: Quarantine Attendance

Students in quarantine will have their attendance proactively entered by our Main Office. It will be marked with an "M" with the note of Covid quarantine, so teachers know this is the situation and can support these students accordingly.

A reminder that the best defense against quarantine is vaccination!

Seminar @ PCHS has 3 objectives: student wellness, academic success, and a healthy school climate.

This week...

• All students attended Act2's production of 12 Angry Men!
• Many students engaged in some fun activities around gratitude in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

2021-22 PCHS Calendar: Check out the 2021-22 school year calendar here!

• November 24-26: Thanksgiving Break
• December 6: PCHS Academic Awards Night - 7pm in PCHS Auditorium
• December 18-January 2: Winter Break

Get your tickets to any and all games here! --> https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10053

Follow along for all athletic tryout, registration, and updates at https://pinckneypiratesathletics.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 necessary to make your post-secondary plans a reality!

If you have any questions please let your counselor know:

Ms. Robinson (A-Le) or Mrs. Perales (Li- Z)

Pinckney Community Schools: https://pinckneypirates.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx (Come work with us!!)

• Full-Day Schedule: 7:30am-2:30pm
• Half-Day Schedule: 7:30am-10:55am
• Friday Early Release Schedule: 7:30am-1:09pm
• PCHS is a closed campus. Only those approved to leave the building (i.e. for CTE, Dual Enrollment, Co-Op, sign-out) may exit the building during school hours through the North or 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 now assigned parking spots as a part of purchasing a parking pass. Make sure you're parking in your spot!
• PCS Transportation Code of Conduct
• 7th-12th Grade PCS 2021-22 Student Handbook

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