PTSA NewsletterA Letter From the PTSA President:Welcome to Panther Creek for the 2015-2016 school year! We are excited to have our new and returning students and families here for the upcoming school year! It is an honor to serve as your PTSA president for the second year and I encourage all of you to get involved with the PTSA and with our various booster organizations. The primary purpose of our PTSA is to support our wonderful students and staff through our Student Recognition and Staff Appreciation Committees. You will read about all of the programs we support inside this newsletter. The PTSA strives to reach each and every student and staff member at Panther Creek through our programs. However, we cannot support them without your help, so please join the PTSA. We offer various levels ranging from $10 to $100. Each level includes coupons to local restaurants and opportunities for raffles; our patron level memberships even include a PCHS magnet frame. This is our only method of raising funds so you will not be asked to purchase or sell cookie dough, magazines, wrapping paper, etc. We depend solely on your support to fund our programs. We have an excellent group of PTSA officers and committee chairs and I feel privileged to work with them. Their names and contact information are listed inside. Don’t forget to sign up to be on the email distribution list for the weekly PTSA update. See instructions for doing so inside the newsletter. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Karen Bisijk2474@aol.com

2015-2016

We communicate with parents and students through the Panther Creek Website. Please click on the Panther Creek PTA link at the top of the PC homepage.

panthercreekhs.wcpss.net

Panther Creek HS PTSA Sponsored Programs

The Panther Creek PTSA’s goal is to support ALL students and staff of Panther Creek High School. The following programs are supported with your PTSA Membership Fundraiser giving (our ONLY FUNDRAISER). Thank you for your support!

Kudos for Catamounts: When a teacher spots a student exhibiting one of the Character in Education traits, the teacher gives the student a Kudo’s. The student then deposits the Kudo into the collection box where once per week, a name is drawn. The honoree receives a $15 gift card purchased from local businesses for the weekly awards. A $25 gift card is given at the end of the quarter.

Reflections Contest: Each year, students are invited to participate in the National PTA Reflections Contest which celebrates creative thinking and the arts. Panther Creek submissions are judged first at the school level, and the winners advance to compete at the district, regional, state and national levels.

Presidential Volunteer Service Awards: Students may track their 12-month volunteer hours online at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov and upon completing the required number of hours and turning in forms to the PTSA, they will receive a pin, and letter, signed by the President of the United States thanking them for their service. The next deadline to turn in completed and signed spreadsheets will be October 23, 2015. For any questions, please contact Junghee Lim at lim.junghee@gmail.com Thanks for your service to the community!

Academic Letters: Our Academic Letters Program recognizes PCHS students for outstanding academic performance. To qualify, students must have a 3.75 or higher unweighted GPA for all four quarters for one school year while enrolled in four courses during each nine week period. Qualifying students receive a chenille ‘PC’ letter and a lamp of learning pin during their first year. Students who have previously received a letter are presented bar pins for each of the following years.

Honor Roll Recognition: Those students achieving all B’s or higher receive a certificate and small gift after each nine-week period to celebrate their accomplishment. A list of students receiving this honor is displayed in the front lobby display case. The list is updated at the end of each nine-week period. During the last school year, approximately 1500 students received this award each quarter.

End of the Year Awards Day T-shirts: The PTSA supplies the end of the year Awards Day T-shirts for the Faculty’s Choice Awards. The PCHS faculty nominates students based on the following criteria: *Student consistently exemplifies WCPSS character traits *Student strives to excel *Student consistently meets and exceeds the PCHS Basic Expectations.

Freshman Camp: We provide financial support for the summer time freshman orientation as well as a trinket for each freshman.

Senior Award: We have historically offered a $500 scholarship to a senior based upon teacher recommendation, and have plans to include this scholarship in the draft budget for 2015-2016

Staff Appreciation: The PTSA hosts a “Welcome Back” breakfast in the fall and a “Thank You” luncheon in the spring. We also pay for our “Teacher of the Year” to attend the annual banquet. We present the staff with small gifts throughout the year, celebrating our appreciation of their dedication to our students.

A Letter From Our Principal

PANTHER CREEK HIGH SCHOOL 6 7 7 0 M C C R I M M O N P A R K W A Y

C A R Y , N C 2 7 5 1 9 P H O N E : 9 1 9 . 4 6 3 - 8 6 5 6 F A X : 9 1 9 . 4 6 3 . 8 6 6 6

S C H O O L W E B S I T E : panthercreekhs.wcpss.net T W I T T E R : @ T H E P A N T H E R C R E E K

August 24, 2015 Dear Panther Creek Students and Parents, I hope you had a great summer! The faculty and staff of Panther Creek are ready for your return: we’ve been cleaning and repairing, reorganizing and refining. We’re set! Many of our teachers have participated in professional development which will improve the quality of learning and teaching in our school. The Panther Creek High School vision reminds us that we are a community characterized by passion, purpose and pride. The Panther Creek learning community is defined by students who accept personal responsibility and set high expectations for themselves; and by parents and guardians who are supportive and engaged. As we enter the 2015-16 school year, I’d like to encourage everyone to join the PTSA. Finally, I challenge each student to work hard to reach your full potential. Pursue the extraordinary! Go Catamounts! Sincerely, Camille Holmes Hedrick, Ph.D. Principal

WCPSS VOLUNTEER APPROVAL PROCESS FOR 2015-2016

Any new volunteer applicants for the 2015-16 school year must register and have an approved criminal record check prior to engaging in volunteer work. Applicants may register at any WCPSS site through the intranet.

For reactivations and for new volunteer applicants, the volunteer system will be open daily from July 2015 through October 2015, from 7:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Panther Creek.

From November 2015, through May 2016, the volunteer system will be open on Mondays only, excluding school holidays.

Thank you for your interest in serving as a volunteer at Panther Creek High School! During the school year, volunteer questions for Panther Creek should be directed to the schools office.

Interested in continuing as a volunteer during the 2015-16 school year? Volunteers approved for the 2014-15 school year who wish to continue must reactivate as a volunteer no later than October 31, 2015. Volunteers may go to any WCPSS site and register through the intranet. After October 31, 2015, individuals previously approved may not volunteer without a new criminal record check. Please avoid the volunteer application process by reactivating prior to October 31, 2015.

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPStaff Appreciation Committee

The Staff Appreciation Committee will recognize the staff, teachers, and administrators at PCHS with two big events this year, and will provide treats, cards, and other expressions of thanks through the year. The two big events will be a Welcome Back Breakfast in August and a Staff Appreciation Luncheon in Spring.

The committee needs your help to make these events special for the staff. From time to time throughout the year we will ask for help, through Sign Up Genius, for specific items. We'd love to have you join our committee e-mail notification list. In doing so, you'd be signing up to receive e-mails requesting assistance, and you could sign up to help out whenever you had availability. Please send your email address to redraiderdg@hotmail.com to be included in committee notifications. Help us show our staff how much they mean to all of us!

WE NEED YOU

Proctoring Monitoring for testing 2 or 3 times a

yearPicture Day2 times a year

Media Center HelpHelping with various things

throughout the yearCap and Gown Measuring

End Oct/early Nov during lunchtime

Contact Robin Rutledge robinrutledge@icloud.com

PCHS PTSA 2015-16 Board Members

Student Recognition(academic + character)  Staff Appreciation                                      PTSA Newsletter (printing)           Admin Expense (insurance, web site, etc)    Freshman Camp                                        Senior Activities                                         Senior Student Scholarship                             Reflections Program                                        Student Volunteer Awards                           Teacher of the Year Banquet                       

Where Do Your PTSA Dollars Go?

President Karen Bisi jk2474@aol.comSecretary Kate Rees katerinnc@gmail.comTreasurer Jennifer Simis jensimis@aol.comVP-Communication Gail Gaetani PCHSvpcommunicationsPTSA@gmail.comSummer Newsletter Amy Sheehan amysheehan512@gmail.comWeb Site Jay Williams jay1williams@gmail.comVP-Ways & Means Nicole Gagnon nmgagnon@nc.rr.comCatamounts Night Out Don Rosenbaum drosenbaum44@gmail.comBusiness Rewards Beth Graff beth.graff@gmail.comMembership Barbara Kelly bakel@sbcglobal.netVP-Services Michelle Lombana mlombana@icloud.comSenior Activities Sarah Martin sarah@hokiefan.netStaff Appreciation Teresa Morris redraiderdg@hotmail.com Amanda Amyot amandaamyot@yahoo.comVolunteers Robin Rutledge robinrutledge@icloud.comVP-Programs Stacey Kashuba staceykashuba@msn.comStudent Recoginition Colleen Gregg colleengregg@gmail.com Melissa Bond ncbondcrew@gmail.comPresidential Service Award Junghee Lim lim.junghee@gmail.comReflections Michelle Martin Gonzalez michmartin@hotmail.comOther Committees Audit Committee Vicki Pritko vpritko@gmail.comAudit Committee Alice McDaniel almac64@att.netAudit Committee Lisa Coole danandlisa@nc.rr.comNominating Committee Principal Camille Hedrick chedrick@wcpss.net

2015-2016 Catamounts’ Night Out(Spirit Night for Panther Creek High School)Calling all Panther Creek students, parents and staff! Don’t miss the chance this school year to dine out with your family and friends while raising money for the PTSA. Just be sure to tell the restaurant staff you’re from Panther Creek when ordering so the PTSA will receive a percentage of the sales. If you are too busy to eat in the restaurant, just order take-out and enjoy a night out of the kitchen! Some restaurants are also including lunch. It is a fun way to relax, connect with your family and friends and help your school at the same time! Keep checking the PTSA website and newsletters and announcements for upcoming Catamounts’ Night Out!

Shop and Support! Show your support for PCHS by linking your shopping cards to the school. Last year PCHS families contributed $6000+ to the PTSA simply by linking their cards. Remember, HARRIS TEETER cards need to be re-linked every year, so even if you linked your HT cards before, you’ll need to re-link them again for this 2015-16 school year. You only have to link Target once – it stays linked every year. Kroger has re-launched its Community Rewards Program in NC. Publix Partners is underway & Panther Creek needs more supporters! The sooner you link your cards, the sooner the school starts earning funds!

All funds are used for Student Recognition and Staff Appreciation Harris Teeter: : • Go to www.harristeeter.com• Click Community then select Together in Education from the drop down menu.• Click Link to Your School from the menu options on the left side of the screen.• Fill out your contact information, including your VIC card number or phone number. Enter 6087

beside School Codes to link to PCHS. Target: Just use your Target® Visa® or Target® Card and PCHS will receive ½ to 1% of your total purchase in the form of a cash donation through the Take Charge of Education® program. How it works: • Go to www.target.com/tcoe• Click Enroll in Take Charge of Education• Enter School ID #123668• Click Select This School when Panther Creek in Cary is displayed• Enter your contact information and RedCard number (if you don’t have a RedCard you’ll have the

opportunity to apply for one)

KROGER:

• Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com• Sign up for Kroger Rewards Account• Fill out your contact information & check email inbox for link to click• Click My Account then Edit Kroger Community Rewards & fill out Kroger Plus card number• Enter 94127 for NPO, select Panther Creek High School from list and click to confirm

PUBLIX• Get your Publix Partners Card from the school office• Swipe your card everytime you shop at Publix

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If you’d like to receive a weekly update of Panther Creek news, activities, and upcoming events please send me your email address and I will add you to the distribution list. In the subject line of your email, please write, “Panther Creek PTSA Newsletter” so I will know it’s a legitimate email and not SPAM. We use Constant Contact to distribute the PTSA newsletter.. My email address is pchsvpcommunicationsPTSA@gmail.com - Gail Gaetani VP Communication

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