April 2008

Dear Parents,

PHS will be spending the first week back from spring break training all student on STAT. Your son or daughter may develop questions following the training. Please refer to the information provided on the home page. If your questions are still not answered, you are welcome to email me or call me. For example, a common item of clarification for parents of juniors has been their "new found freedom" to leave campus during lunch. This is true, but there are strings attached; namely, juniors can only leave three days a week and only for those who do not have an F on their last progress report. Additionally, if you do not want your son or daughter to leave, we can easily put them on the list that will not allow them to leave.

Parents of sophomores and freshmen. Tuesday, April 15, your son or daughter will be taking the math WASL. Please encourage them to do well, feed them well, and make sure they get enough sleep. Freshmen will not be testing Thursday and Friday. The state is not offering Science to freshmen. PHS will provide meaningful activities for students during this time.

February 2008

Below is information that hopefully will keep you informed of upcoming events.

Assessment

PHS will be WASL testing March 10-13 and April 14-17 (click here for draft of bell schedule). Each year when PHS conducts WASL testing we are faced with new circumstances that create challenges. This year is no exception. Please consider the following points:

·        All students who have passed the reading, writing, and math WASL do not have to come to school until 11:00am: at which time regular classes will begin. This also means that any student who has not passed one or more of the three components of the test will need to take the test and arrive at 7:30am to take that test. Those students will be notified.

·        Busses will run their normal times. This may create a challenge for those students who rely on the bus to attend school each day and don’t have to arrive until 11:00. Traditionally there have only been a few students who fall under this category during WASL testing. If your child must take the bus, they will remain in the commons area to study during WASL testing time until classes begin at 11:00. 

·        All freshmen will be taking the WASL this year. Conditions have change in the state so that freshmen can take the test early without any negative consequences. The benefits of ninth graders taking the test early are all positive and beneficial. We believe many students will pass the test while those who don’t, will have had an opportunity to access the test and become more familiar with it in preparation for taking it next year.

·        Instructions to students will be given the week prior to testing. Students will be directed to classrooms.

·        No Cell Phones and Electronic Devices. One of the most common testing violations is cell phones and other electronic devices. Such devices may invalidate your child’s test. Please do not call or text during school hours and during testing times. There is no time during WASL testing where students can use electronic devices: not even during breaks.

Student-Teacher Access Time (STAT)

Towards the end of April PHS will be implementing a change in its daily bell schedule. Under the leadership and direction of our School Improvement Team composed of staff and parents, PHS has redesigned its lunch hour for purposes of strengthening the learning opportunities for students. To learn more about the changes and why PHS is implementing changes, please click here.

Additionally, PHS will also be hosting two parent meetings/trainings to present the new design. In the next two weeks you will receive a letter and information in the mail regarding the parent trainings.

2008 is here. As we near the end of our first semester this month, please support us by maintaining constant dialogue with your son or daughter about finishing strong in their classes.

Below are some things to keep in mind and things to keep in you informed about what PHS is working to improve.

• Check your child's second semester classes this month to make sure you know what they are taking.

• Senior parents. There are new graduation requirements this year for the class of 2008. Please know them. Contact a counselor if you have any questions. Make sure your child has completed their culminating project!

• PHS is working towards purchasing an electronic reader board. Our old one is not very visible, outdated, and broken most of the time. We have most of the funds to begin. The sign messages will be shown on both sides. If you would like to contribute please contact me at 885-5012. Click here to see sample

• No School Monday, January 21 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

• Finals are January 24 and 25. These days are half days. Students will be out at 11:00am

The Battle Ground School District auditorium was completed earlier this month. We hope you attend a concert or play in the near future so you can see the upgrades.

Please be aware of our attendance procedure changes. See attendance tab on this website for more information. The key understanding of our attendance procedure pilot change is that absences beyond seven may will not be eligible for make-up work if they are not reasons defined by the state.

 For parents: Rachel's Challenge information.

Summer 2007

Dear Parents,

Summer is in motion at PHS. We are working diligently to prepare for the start of the year. Below are new things we are working to improve and informational items you should know about.

• Auditorium is being refurbished.
• The class of 2007 bought PHS a new senior lounge carpet. Be sure and check it out the next time you are passing through.
• Slade McSheehy is our newest Assistant Principal. He will primarily work to meet the needs 9th graders and 11th graders.
• PHS is holding its second annual clean up day on Saturday, August 25, from 9:00-3:00. We will be painting and doing landscape work. Please visit the "Home" page of the website for more information in August.
• PHS is working on making some adjustments to our attendances procedures. Please look for information regarding those changes as we draw closer to the start of school.
• You may have heard about our plans regarding S.T.A.T. (Student-Teacher Access Time). We have had two parent focus meetings last June to share and receive input from the community. We are still in the planning stages so stay tuned for more information which is will be forth coming in the future. To provide some basic understanding behind S.T.A.T., please click here for a brief Q and A. 
• If you have parent access you may view your student's class schedule sometime after August 15.

April 2007

Dear Friends of PHS,

In the last couple of weeks we have been deciding on how to make up 6 days for seniors. State law requires a minimum of 175 days for seniors. We should have a schedule out this week (4/23).

WASL testing was a success again this year. Thank you for the support you have given PHS and your sophomore child.

More....

Recently I have requested from parents some assistance. Below is a list. Contact me if you can help in any of these areas: (click here).

• Help tutor during our study hall class, 9:30-10:30 a.m. One day a week per parent will work.
• We are in the process of creating our first two computer labs. We are in need of some assistance in designing and making the furniture to hold the computers. Please contact me if you can help.

More....

I am approached often by parents who are interested in helping PHS financially. The Battle Ground Education Foundation makes this process simple. You can mail your contributions to: Battle Ground Education Foundation P.O. Box 2574 Battle Ground, WA 98604. You can designate the money to PHS. Please contact me for more information or click on our Parents & Community tab on the left of this screen.

I would like to thank all parents and friends of PHS for attending a very successful Booster Auction on October 28. I would also like to thank the businesses and individuals who donated their resources to the auction on behalf of PHS. The auction was an exceptional event to witness. It was impressive to see our community volunteer its time and resources to benefit kids and their activities. The evening was very successful.

There were many miracles that occurred that evening, but one that stands out was the Prairie Paddle item. This single item was established to raise money to offset the loss of funds due to our recent levy failure. Approximately $25,000 dollars was given. Thank you all.