COMMEMORATIVE BRICKS FOR HUSKIE STADIUM!

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1 Portage Northern High School Jim French, Principal nhs.portageps.org April 2018 COMMEMORATIVE BRICKS FOR HUSKIE STADIUM! Have you ever seen the walkways with personalized bricks and thought, It would be really cool to be a permanent part of this? Our new stadium will open with our first home football game on Friday August 24, 2018, and here s a fantastic opportunity to Leave a Legacy, Brick by Brick for families, alumni, community members and businesses, student organizations or clubs, sports teams, etc. You can also honor the memory of a loved one or maybe a beloved staff member with these personalized brick pavers. And what a great gift for a graduate! #HuskieforLife Deadline to order for Summer 2018 installation is May 15, 2018! Buy a personalized brick paver to be installed at Huskie Stadium: 4x8 brick with 3 lines of text with up to 20 characters each =$100 8x8 brick, 5 lines of text with up to 20 characters each = $200 Replica brick with paver purchase = $50 pnbricksale.com We are thrilled for our community to play a part in bringing this stadium to life, with these bricks becoming a part of our new history. We are also excited to have this opportunity to raise funds to beautify our campus with beautiful fixtures, lighting, banners, outdoor furniture etc, as the new athletic facilities come online and bolster the departments and programs taking part. Leave a Legacy, Brick by Brick, right here on Northern s campus! SENIOR CALENDAR UPCOMING EVENTS Yes, it's April already! And in another blink of an eye, your 'baby' will be tossing his or her graduation hat high into the air. Where have those years gone? These next two months will be very full with an assortment of activities & events for all of you, and to help you stay focused and organized with all the dates and data you ll need, we will send a SENIOR CALENDAR early April AND will also be posted on our Huskie home page. Also in that mailing with be more information on Grad Bash including a waiver that must be signed in order for your student to attend. Here are a few highlights from that calendar: Mon April 16 Senior class meeting, 1st hour in the auditorium (students only) Thur April 19 Senior Speaker Auditions, Community Rooms, 3pm (draft speeches due April 17) Mon April 30 Wed May 2 Thur May 3 Tues May 22 Fri Jun 1 ACADEMIC AWARDS Senior class Academic Awards meeting during 4th hour (students only) Cap and Gown Distribution 10am-1pm Senior Academic Awards Ceremony 6:30pm Senior Breakfast 7am, Lower Commons Graduation at Miller Auditorium 7pm Our seniors are honored on Thursday May 3 in the evening, beginning at 6:30pm. Our underclassmen are also honored for their academic achievements, each class with their own ceremony during the day on May 3. Qualifying students will receive invitations in the mail. Ceremony times are: 11th grade 8:42am, 10th grade 10:36am, 9th grade 1:09 pm. Huskie Tracks - April Page

2 SENIOR GRADUATION SPEAKERS Seniors interested in speaking at graduation must submit a copy of a 2-3 minute speech to Mrs. Dixon via adixon@portageps.org no later than 3pm Tuesday, April 17. Late speeches will not be accepted. Auditions will be held in the Community rooms at 3pm Thursday April 19 and will be presented in front of 4-5 teachers and at least one administrator. PN CHOIRS PRESENTS CABARET 2018 You will not want to miss the choir department's annual Spring Cabaret which features some of the greatest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Groove with us to the music of Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles, rock on with the music of Elton John and Billy Joel and jam to the music of Whitney Houston and Queen. Performances will be Friday and Saturday May 4-5 at 7pm, and Sunday May 6 at 2pm. Tickets include dessert and a hot beverage of your choice. Save the date on your calendar! PROM 2018 The Seniors are formally invited to join the Juniors in a farewell celebration dance that they will never forget. This year's prom, with "A Secret Garden" theme, will be held at a new location we are very excited to announce we ll be at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo this year! Prom will be on Saturday, April 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Themed colors are green, purple, gold and white. We would love to see Juniors and Seniors in their finest attire dancing the night away. Tickets are just $35 in advance, and $40 at the door. You may purchase tickets following Spring Break before or after school in the counseling office (make checks to Portage Northern Prom). Students must have a completed guest pass if they are bringing a friend from a non-pps high school. If their guest attends Portage Central or Community High, they will simply need to bring their official school ID. Parents, if you have any questions or would like to help with decorating, please contact Shari Smith at POETRY OUT LOUD In January, select Portage Northern classes participated for the eleventh year in a row in the annual "Poetry Out Loud" national poetry recitation competition. The contest is sponsored yearly through the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council Humanities Council. Many students offered powerful memorized recitations, and senior Matthew Hurwitz earned the opportunity to represent his school at state finals in Lansing earlier this month. Matt recited two poems in front of a live audience and enjoyed hearing the recitations of students representing 35 schools from around Michigan. While Matthew did not progress to national finals, he gave outstanding performances of his selected poems. Congratulations Matthew! GRAD BASH UPDATES Senior Parents will be receiving a packet of information in the mail right after Spring Break and it will be full of important details about Grad Bash 2018 and no, it s not at Craig s Cruisers. :-) Grad Bash tickets will go on sale during both lunches in the Lower Commons the week of April 16 and we will be selling tickets for an Early Bird Discount amount of $50!! We will also be selling tickets the week of May 7 for the regular $60 price. Make sure to bring the sign-up/waiver form with your payment to reserve your spot on the bus. Checks payable to PN Grad Bash. May 20 is the deadline to turn in photos for the senior video shown prior to graduation at Miller and during the Huskie Tracks - April Page 2

3 Grad Bash event. Please send digital photos (.jpg format) to to be included in the video. Photos from high school years only, plus we would like to have a selfie of every PNHS senior submitted for a special video collage. Grad Bash is looking for parent volunteers to help the evening of graduation to load the buses at Miller Auditorium and/or ride the buses with them and attend as chaperones at the party venue. Here is the link to SignUpGenius: This is a great way to really contribute and be a part of the last event for the Class of Next Grad Bash meeting is Wednesday April 11 at 7pm in the Media Center at PHNS. All senior parents are welcome. FORENSICS UPDATES Our Forensics team invites everyone to their Evening of Champions on Friday April 20, beginning at 6pm in the auditorium. Come watch the top Forensics performers as they prepare for their State tournament performances. The evening will allow you to see up to 26 different events and travel to different rooms to see performers of your choice. We wish the entire team good luck as they prepare to compete at the State Forensics Tournament on April at Oakland Community College. If your forensics student is planning to attend the Mackinac tournament May 18-20, there is a Mandatory Parent meeting on Tuesday May 8 at 6:30pm in the auditorium. Friday April 27, 4-8pm Saturday April 28, 9am-2pm Huskie Tracks - April Page 3

4 NOTES FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE Scheduling Thank you for your help in guiding your student(s) through the scheduling process for next year. Spring is the time in which the master schedule for the 2018/2019 school year is created and refined. Freshmen will receive their schedules at freshmen orientation. Students in grades can access theirs view Skyward toward the end of summer break. We will post a specific date on social media when it is available. Counselors will be contacting students via their school with any concerns or questions regarding schedules so please make sure your student continues to check their PPS throughout the summer. All communication regarding next year s schedule should be handled in the same manner, via PPS . Sophomores Counselors visited all tenth grade science classes in March to give class presentations on career explorations. Students did hands-on activities to explore different career options. This was an interactive presentation that was designed to get the students thinking outside the box when it comes to career options. The discussions included some of the most popular careers and investigating other careers in that same area that may be lesser known. For example, many students dream of playing a professional sport, but what other jobs are tied to professional sports that may be a better fit for the individual student. Students were encouraged to begin to explore career options that align with their individual strengths and areas of interest by using specific resources available to them. Junior Interviews & College / Career Presentations Throughout late spring, counselors will meet with each junior student individually to discuss post-secondary plans. We will focus on the college application process in three phases: research, application and scholarships. Very detailed info will be given to all juniors. There will be a timeline of action items and a list of web resources. Resources and information for career options will be explored and discussed at the same time. Seniors There will be a senior field trip to KVCC on May 11 for any student interested in attending KVCC in the fall. Seniors will tour campus, meet with an academic advisor and a financial aid representative. They will also have the opportunity to register their classes for the fall semester of This trip will serve as the required orientation that all incoming first year college students must complete prior to starting classes in the fall. Any senior interested in attending should pick up/turn in a permission slip and then sign up in the counseling office. Scholarships All students are encouraged to check out the counseling office scholarship book in our office. For any scholarship questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Beverly at or dbeverly@portageps.org. National Testing Dates For test dates and registration, please visit the appropriate websites: ACT: SAT: Last testing date is June. No tests scheduled over summer. Huskie Tracks - April Page 4

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7 TESTING SCHEDULE Portage Northern High School is actively preparing for the April administration of the College Board suite of assessments. In order to create the best possible testing environment for students, Portage Public Schools has created a modified timetable for those dates. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday 4/10 Wednesday 4/11 9th graders 10th graders Report by 9:20 PSAT9 beginning at 9:35am then lunch and 1st-3rd hours No school in the AM * Report no later than 1:25pm or by 12:50 if on-campus lunch is desired No school in the AM * Report by normal 5th hour PSAT10 beginning at 7:35 then schedule outlined below 11th graders SAT beginning at 7:35am then lunch and 1st-3rd hours WorkKeys beginning at 7:35am then schedule outlined below 12th graders No school in the AM * Report no later than 1:25pm or by 12:50 if on-campus lunch is desired No school in the AM * Report by normal 5th hour 12:50-1:20 Lunch served 11:36-1:04 Normal 5th hour classes / lunches All grades 1:25-1:54 1st hour classes 1:59-2:27 2nd hour classes 1:09-1:43 4th hour classes 1:48-2:22 6th hour classes 2:32-3:00 3rd hour classes 2:27-3:00 7th hour classes REQUIRED: The SAT and ACT WorkKeys tests are part of the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and are a requirement of the Michigan Department of Education for all juniors. In addition, to be endorsed for graduation by the Portage Public School s Board of Education, students are also required to perform to the best of their ability on the exams. The PSAT 9 and 10 assessments are a pre-cursor to the SAT and provide valuable feedback to students, parents and staff. ATTENDANCE: Every effort should be made to be in attendance and punctual on these days. SAT policy prohibits examinees to enter the test room after test booklets have been distributed. The MME test schedule supersedes all other off-site class obligations. * TRANSPORTATION: All PPS buses will run on the regular schedule. All students who ride the bus to school on April 10 or 11, and are not testing, must report to the Lower Commons until class starts. Students choosing not to ride the bus to school must provide their own transportation. Buses for off-campus classes will run as usual. Please remember, Portage Northern s schedule trumps all off-campus classes. Huskie Tracks - April Page 7

8 April and partial May 2018 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT April Spring Break! Spring Break! Spring Break! Spring Break! Spring Break! Spring Break! Spring Break! 8 Spring Break! 9 Prom tickets go on sale in the Counseling Office 10 SAT/PSAT9 Testing 11 SAT/PSAT10 Testing IB Extended Essay Evening 7pm Grad Bash meeting 7pm Media Center Senior Class meeting 1st hour Grad Bash tickets go on sale at both lunches (early-bird pricing thru Friday) 17 MSTEP Testing Senior Speaker speeches due 18 PN Parents Compass mtg 8:00 am (note it is a morning meeting!) 19 Senior Speaker Auditions 3-4:30pm Marching Band Kickoff 7pm in Auditorium 20 Forensics Evening of Champions 6pm in Aud IB Celebration at Portage Central 3pm 23 Freshmen Vision Screening 7:45-11:00am 24 Protect Young Eyes Social Media Pres 6:30pm Forensics State Tournament PN Bands Garage Sale 4pm-8pm 28 Forensics State Tournament PN Bands Garage Sale 9am-2pm Prom at the Radisson Plaza 8:30-11:30pm Jostens: Cap+Gown delivery 10am-1pm 3 Academic Awards: Juniors 8:45am Sophomores 10:40am Freshmen 1:10pm Seniors 6:30pm 4 Half Day Cabaret 7pm 5 Cabaret 7pm 6 Cabaret 2pm 7 8 Election Day Forensics: Mackinac Parent mtg 6:30pm Aud 9 PN Parents Compass Thank You Reception and College Night (Details TBA) Talent Show 8pm Deadline to order Commemorative Bricks for Stadium installation in summer 2018 is May 15!! pnbricksale.com Huskie Tracks - April Page 8