Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page

HOLIDAY COLLAGE The Music Department proudly presents the annual Holiday Collage Concerts on Saturday December 14 at 7pm and Sunday December 15 at 2pm. This remarkable performance features over 300 students performing 45-50 pieces of music in a non-traditional format. The concert will feature the Band, Orchestra and Choir programs, but will also feature sever-al individuals and small ensembles performing music of all varieties and genres. Tickets are $8 each and are available online starting December 4 at https://pndrama.ludus.com/index.php.

EIGHTH GRADE PARENT NIGHT Eighth Grade Parent Night is scheduled for 6:30pm, Wednesday February 19 at Portage Northern High School. The program will begin in the high school Auditorium with a brief general session, followed by your choice of several group meetings with departmental representatives. The program will conclude at approximately 8:45 p.m. Students are invited and encouraged to accompany their parents to this meeting.

We hope that parents of our incoming Class of 2024 will take advantage of this opportunity to participate in the educational planning for their child who will be attending PNHS as a 9th grader in the Fall of 2020. We look forward to seeing you at the Parent Night program on February 19 at 6:30 p.m.

PN PARENTS COMPASS END-OF-YEAR CONTRIBUTIONS Did you know that our PN Parents Compass is the main contributor to keeping our graduation ceremony at Miller Auditorium each year? This parent association raises almost the entire rental fee for this gorgeous location and without their support, we would not be able to afford such an elegant venue for this special event. PNP only raises funds in two ways—no candles, gift wrap or magazines.

The first and primary is parent donations but PNP is currently short from their fundraising goal for this year. Can you help with even a small donation? You can either send in a check to our main office made to PNP or you can donate online at pnparentscompass.wordpress.com. PNP is a 501c3 non-profit, making your donation tax-deductible, and you will receive a receipt.

The secondary way they raise funds for graduation is The Holiday Dance, coming up on December 7. It takes many parent volunteers to make this is a successful event for our students and for our school. You can find more infor-mation on this on page five of this edition.

Portage Northern High School • Jim French, Principal • portageps.org/schools/high/nhs • 269.323.5400 • Dec19/Jan20

BREADLIFT Senate sends a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone involved in our 54th Annual Breadlift on November 23. The weather was chilly but dry as our Huskies walked the community and together we raised over $20,800 for the Southwest Michigan March of Dimes. This brings the total donation of the PNHS community to the Kalamazoo March of Dimes to over $470,000 since the first Breadlift!

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 2

EXAM SCHEDULE FOR FIRST SEMESTER JANUARY 21, 2019 – JANUARY 24, 2019

SPECIAL NOTES:

For students who attend EFE, EFA, KAMSC etc… They should follow their Home School schedule. Seminar classes do NOT meet during exam week. Students will report to the Lower Commons during these times if

they are unable to leave campus. Cafeteria will serve breakfast Monday through Thursday. Cafeteria will serve ‘grab-n-go’ type lunch (salads, pizza, deli) Mon-Wed from 11:55 to 12:30. During Exam sessions – no deliveries will be made. If your student must leave a session early, this must be arranged with their Grade Office prior to 7:25am. SHUTTLE BUS AND VAN between Northern and Central January 21-24 BUS shuttle @ 7:20 — VAN shuttle @ 9:30 — BUS shuttle @ 12 Neighborhood Buses depart @ 12:10 Shuttle Buses for EFE/EFA, run as scheduled until students notify the driver that they will no longer need the service. Shuttle Buses for KAMSC run as normally scheduled.

MONDAY, JANUARY 20 7:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. 1st Period 9:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. 2nd Period Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:10 (Maps posted in Main Office.) Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 7:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. 3rd Period 9:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. 4th Period Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:10 (Maps posted in Main Office.) Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22 7:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. 5th Period 9:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. 6th Period Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:10 (Maps posted in Main Office.) Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23

7:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. 7th Period 9:50 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. Make Up Exams As this is a district-wide half day, all buses will run on normal half-day schedule, leaving PNHS at 11:05am.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

COCOA AND CRAM Link Crew will be hosting our annual Cocoa & Cram study session on Sunday January 19 in the Lower Commons from 6pm-8pm. Freshmen will come join our Link Leaders in a last minute informal study group event as they put the finishing touches on their final exam preparation. Our leaders will lend advice, guidance, and knowledge while helping relieve a bit of the stress of final exams!

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE INFO MEETING If your 8th, 9th or 10th grade student is considering participation in the International Baccalaureate Program during their junior and/or senior year, we encourage you to meet with Northern’s IB Coordinator, Rick Searing, at an informational session on Wednesday January 29 at 6:30pm in the PNHS Auditorium.

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 3

GRAD BASH UPDATES From the Grad Bash 2020 Parent Committee: Plans are underway to make this year's Grad Bash a special and memorable event for our Seniors! Our parent group, the Portage Northern Parents Compass, sponsors the annual Grad Bash, which is an overnight celebration that takes place directly following the graduation ceremony in May.

To get the latest and most important information on all things Grad Bash, please join us at our monthly meetings. Our next two meet-ings will be on December 4th and January 8th, both in the Media Center at 7:00PM.

Fundraising is a key activity for the Grad Bash Committee. We need the funds for venue rental, entertainment, and to provide meals/snacks for our new graduates. Our first fundraiser was the Bake Sale at Fall Conferences and it was a success, bringing in $450! Thank you to our Bake Sale Committee Chair, Lisa Mace and to all of the parents and Senior students who donated baked goods and/or worked at the Bake Sale!

Other fundraisers this year will include restaurant nights and a few others that are currently in the works. Please stay tuned for further information that will be coming in the daily Huskie Headlines. And if you have any ideas for fundraisers, please either attend one of our meetings or contact one of the Co-Chairs, Nancy Mein (nancy.e.mein@gmail.com) or Rita McKenzie (ritabisaromckenzie@gmail.com).

A major fundraiser that will be coming up in February is the annual Grad Bash Euchre Night and Silent Auction. So if you are a euchre fan or just want to come and socialize and take a look at some awesome items in our Silent Auc-tion, we would love to have you attend! More info will be coming soon!

Senior Parents will also be receiving information on donating to Grad Bash. Donations of all sizes are welcome. These cash donations help to keep Grad Bash affordable for all Seniors. You may make your tax-deductible check payable to Portage Northern Parents/Grad Bash and mail it to Portage Northern High School, 1000 Idaho, Portage MI 49024, ATTN: GRAD BASH.

DOES YOUR STUDENT NEED HELP WITH MATH? Did you know there is a math teacher here for an hour before school and after school every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday? The offer free drop-in help with any level of math. Students can show up as early as 6:30am and drop in for help with any of the teachers ’on duty’ as shown here, not just their assigned teacher. If your student is struggling in math, there are no excuses for them not to ask for help. The math department is here for them!

Math Help: Before School After School

Tuesday Swinehart 1.136 Powell 1.135

Wednesday Callen 1.132 McKenzie 1.137

Thursday Messing 1.134 Callen 1.132

BOWLING FOR THE BANDS January 23rd from 5-8 pm join the Portage Northern Bands for some bowling at Revel and Roll West. All shoe rental fees will be donated back to the band program. Grab your friends, enjoy some bowling and help support the band program.

TRAVEL TO JAPAN? Want to send your student on the trip of a lifetime? Ms. Nott is taking students to Japan in the summer of 2021! This is our second time visiting Japan and our first experience was AMAZING. If your child is interested in this trip, visit http://www.educationaltravel.com/Nott-2021 or email Ms. Nott at sjnott@portageps.org.

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 4

PN DRAMA PRESENTS The Evans sisters never were especially close, but after Tilly’s death ( Mia Pelligrini) her older sister Agnes (Ellie Mancina) finds a notebook containing a game scenario created by her sister. She discovers that Tilly was well-known Dungeons and Dragons player. In order to unlock more secrets about her mysterious younger sibling, Agnes re-cruits a “dungeon master” named Chuck (Liam Fagan) to help her understand and grieve Tilly. Chock-full of D&D characters including a big red demon (Hunter Pitsch), a demon queen (Ashley Rentz), a dark elf (Adrienne Plesco) and a horde of monsters, She Kills Monsters is a surprisingly sweet and comedic tale of friendship, loss, and ac-ceptance. Debuting in North Middle's new black box space, this is sure to be a "critical hit" of a show!

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 5

CAN YOU HELP WITH THE ‘EVERGREEN GALA’ HOLIDAY DANCE? Holiday Dance is coming up soon! This is the only fundraiser for Graduation at Miller Auditorium, as well as the only fundraiser hosted by our PTO. It takes a big village to make this a beautiful event for our students, as well as a successful fundraiser. Check their SignUpGenius links if you can:

1. Help decorate, cleanup or chaperone the Evergreen Gala,

2. Donate supplies, refreshments and/or cookies or

3. Help sell tickets during lunch periods the week of December 2.

Note that PN students can also help sign up to help with decorating on Friday Dec 6 or clean up on Sunday Dec 8. Any hours worked in these roles can be claimed and reported as community service hours for school requirements (for example, National Honor Society, IB requirements, etc.).

YEARBOOK GIFT CERTIFICATES Surprise your student with a 2019-2020 yearbook as a special holiday gift! The last day to purchase a yearbook is March 1st, but now is a great time to order online. To order online, simply go to Northern’s website & find the YEARBOOK link under ‘Organizations’. Yearbooks (with Spring Supplement included) are $70 and will be delivered before the end of the school year.

If you’d like an actual gift certificate with your purchase, contact portagenorthernyearbook@gmail.com. Don't miss out on this fun and memorable gift for your student.

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 6

1 The Holiday Dance is open to every student from every class year…..so come celebrate a night out with ALL of your friends!

2 A special message to the SENIOR class, 100% of the proceeds help keep YOUR gradu-ation ceremony at the beautiful and classy Miller Auditorium on WMU’s campus. Please attend this awesome dance and support this important fundraiser!

3 You get to see the Doghouse transformed into a Winter Wonderland! PN Parents Compass sponsors this dance and spends hours transforming the gym space into a winter fantasy land with trees and thousands of lights. If you came last year, come check out a BRAND NEW THEME for decorations!

4 Bring a date, come on your own, or make it a night out for your whole squad! You’ll have a blast no matter how you choose to attend!

5 Come see your classmates all dressed up! You don’t have to wear fancy clothes, but it’s a great occasion to do so!

6 Do it for the ‘gram’: There will be selfie stations for photos as well as some wonderful decorations that present great photo opportunities! Who doesn’t want to get some fun and fancy pictures with their friends?!

7 You can make a night of it (but you don’t have to)! You can dine out before, invite friends over for a dinner or potluck at home or just meet up with your friends at the dance!

8 You can dance the night away to awesome tunes spun by a popular DJ! Song requests can be made when you purchase your tickets in advance during lunch the week before the dance.

9 You can bring your friends from other high schools! Just get a guest form from your grade office ahead of time and once their school and a parent has signed it, we would be honored to have your guest attend.

10 Tickets are only $10 in advance, and $12 at the door! This includes 3 hours of entertainment, free coat check, free beverages and awesome cookies donated and baked by your own Portage Northern FACS students!

Top 10 Reasons You Don’t Want

to Miss the Holiday Dance!

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 7

NOTES FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE

The counselors would like to remind parents and students that we are here to advocate for students and their needs. We would like to encourage parents to:

remind students of upcoming semester exams the week of January 21. Many teachers give very detailed review sheets, study guides and practice tests; encourage students to study often and early.

contact teachers first with concerns about assignments, grades or student progress.

ask teachers for specific feedback and to offer specific recommendations/suggestions for improving academic achievement in their classes.

Students and parents should access teachers’ Google sites / classrooms or websites for detailed calendars, assignments, resources and more. If you’re not sure of how to access that site or if a teacher has an online resource tool, please email the teacher and ask for more clarification.

contact counselors if grade concerns are not resolved, after talking with the teacher.

contact counselors if/when questions arise.

Seniors Counselors met with each senior individually to discuss their post-secondary plans from the start of the school year through now. If a student was applying to college, counselors assisted him/her with the application process (application, transcript, test scores) and provided several resources and handouts with instructions. If a two or four year university is not in the post-secondary plan for students, resources were provided regarding registered apprenticeships, skilled trades and their union information or further training information, armed forces contact information and more.

College Applications Most colleges have a Dec 1 or Jan 1 deadline. Be sure to research and know your school’s application deadline. All colleges will require that a transcript be sent electronically to their admissions’ offices. Students must use Parchment.com for all transcript requests. They should create an account and manage their transcript orders through their free site.

Colleges require that all standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) need to be sent to the schools via the testing agency’s site. Students should request that their SAT test score be sent to the college directly from the College Board’s website.

Financial Aid for Seniors / FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Counselors met with English 12 classes in October to discuss the tenets of Financial Aid: grants, loans, work study, scholarships. Detailed presentation information can be found on our counseling website. All students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA online. The deadline is March 1, 2020 for state aid.

In October, financial aid representatives from area colleges were here at PN to help senior students and parents start and complete the FAFSA. The FAFSA became available Oct 1, 2019. Many colleges and institutions have their own deadlines for scholarships. Be sure to research your school’s financial aid deadline for scholarships.

PEF Scholarships Go to the PPS main page. Click on Community. Click on Portage Education Foundation. Click on Scholarships. Read through the possible scholarships and apply online. Some scholarships have a few PDF printable forms that are required. Be sure to note all scholarship requirements and deadlines. There are a few scholarships that are specifically for Northern seniors only.

Kalamazoo Community Foundation Scholarships Go to kalfound.org. Click on Scholarships. You can search from here or access applications. Pay attention to deadlines.

Sophomore Interviews Counselors are meeting with each sophomore individually to do a tenth grade ‘check in’. We’ll review basic school info (accessing grades in Skyward, accessing Google classrooms, school email and more). We’ll begin the conversations about scheduling for next year. Scheduling presentations will begin in February. We’ll continue our college planning and career planning/research conversations and remind them of our services and support. Students will also receive a sophomore checklist and materials about career exploration and career interest surveys. Counselors will give a presentation on Career Planning and College Major Exploration in the spring of this year for sophomores.

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 8

Freshmen Interviews All counselors met with all freshmen students in September and October to meet them individually and check in about how their year is going. We discussed school email, Skyward, Google classrooms and how to seek help from a teacher or other academic resources here at school. Students were reminded of the counseling services and resources that are available at PN. Additional academic and social/emotional resources were included in their folder.

College Board Testing / Scores Please be advised that students will receive their PSAT or SAT test results prior to when the school will receive the school report. It is imperative that students maintain their College Board account information in order to be able to access their scores. All test results for PSAT and SAT are only accessible in the student’s College Board account online. Since the school does not receive individual student reports, it is essential that students request that their SAT score be sent directly to their interested colleges (juniors/seniors) or directly to a scholarship committee, like the Kalamazoo Community Foundation (seniors).

Career Expo A huge THANK YOU to all the parents who volunteered for our first Career Expo at PN in October! Thanks for encouraging your student to participate. A project this large and complex is a team approach and we certainly couldn’t do the first (or the future ones) without your help and support. Please stay tuned for an email with a SignUp Genius link from BMarsh for our next event.

Career Expo #2

Skilled Trades, Construction, Architecture

PWednesday, December 11, 2019

NHS Doghouse 9-11 am

Students may sign up in the Counseling Office.

Our future events are:

Wed, March 18: Engineering and Manufacturing

Wed, May 20: Business, Management and Hospitality

If you - or someone you know- would like to present at one of our Career Expos or would like to help in any way, please contact Amy DiMaggio @ adimaggio@portageps.org or 323.5472. Thank you!

Skilled Trades Jobs in the skilled trades fields (electrician, plumbing, HVAC, welding, pipefitting, ironwork, etc) are in the highest demand in the country and in the state right now. Many industry leaders are reporting that they simply cannot find enough skilled trade employees to fulfill the current job demand. Ask your counselor about resources for future skilled trades training or union contact information. Great pay/high demand!

ACT and SAT National Test Dates and Info All test dates, info and registration occur online through each test’s website.

For ACT testing info, go to www.actstudent.org.

For SAT testing info, go to www.collegeboard.com.

Happy Holidays! We hope you and your family have a safe, happy winter break!

Should there be an unfortunate counseling emergency or crisis after school hours, over a weekend or over winter break, please call either the local police department or Gryphon Place 211.

Thank you. Take care.

Huskie Tracks - December 2019 / January 2020 - Page 9

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

2 3

Marching Band Awards + Dessert 7pm Auditorium

4

Grad Bash meeting 7pm

NMS Band Concert 7pm

Holiday Collage Tickets on Sale (see page 1)

5

6

Holiday Dance Decorating Party Beginning at 4pm

7

EarnBackTime 8am-noon

Holiday Dance/ Graduation Fundraiser 8-11pm

8

Holiday Dance Cleanup Party

Doghouse 8-11am

9 10

NMS Choir Concert 7pm

11

Career Expo II: Architecture, Construction, Skilled Trades 2nd-4th Hours

12

Senate Blood Drive

13 14

Science Olympiad 8am-4pm

Holiday Collage 7pm

15

Holiday Collage 2pm

16

Nat Zegree Fundraising Concert 7pm

17 18 19 20 21

Winter Break begins

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31 1 2 3 4

5

Last day of Winter Break

6

School resumes

7 8

Grad Bash meeting 7pm

CommunityRoomA

9 10 11

EarnBackTime 8am-noon

12 13 14 15 16 17

She Kills Monsters Opening Night

7:30pm

18

EarnBackTime 8am-noon

She Kills Monsters 7:30pm

19

She Kills Monsters 2:00pm

Cocoa & Cram 6pm

20

Exams 1st + 2nd hours

21

Exams 3rd + 4th hours

22

Exams 5th + 6th hours

23

Exams 7th hour

24

NO SCHOOL

She Kills Monsters 7:30pm

25

She Kills Monsters 7:30pm

26

She Kills Monsters 2:00pm

27 28

29

IB Parent Info Night 6:30pm

30

31

February 1

December 2019/January 2020