I hope that all of you are finding your children settling in to PKMS very well! As you know, we have hit the ground running this year and it has yet to slow down. We started our SOAR (enrichment/intervention) period in September as well as Clubs on Friday. Our athletic teams have had very successful seasons so far and hope to continue their success in the playoffs, starting this week. Our Cheerleading and Dance teams have had great performances as well as leading our school spirit.

Next week, PKMS will start a new journey of reading the same book over the next 6 weeks. The book is I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda. This is the story of an all-american girl and a young boy from Zimbabwe that become pin pals through an assignment. These two students corresponded for over six years and it changed both of their lives. Every student will have their own copy of the book at school and all classes will read during their homeroom period. We believe this initiative will give our school community the opportunity to embrace literacy and have insightful conversations about diversity, life choices, and treating all people with respect. We encourage our parents to discuss the book with their child.

Thank you again for your support of PKMS!

Grey Young, Principal

Reminder: the PSAT will be given to those 8th graders that registered on October 11th.

Cookies with the Counselors will be on October 17th during the Book Fair Family Night.

Job Shadow Day will be November 21st for 8th Grade Students!

Be sure to secure your job shadow site now. Once you have secured your site, please fill out this google form letting us know where you will be.

Concussions are usually caused by a blow to the head, and in most cases do not involve a loss of consciousness. Every concussion, no matter how mild, injures your brain and alters the way that your brain functions. Never ignore the symptoms of a head injury, even if they appear mild.

Symptoms of a concussion include:

Feeling confused and dazed

Temporary amnesia

Blurred vision

Headache

Slurred speech or confusion

Vomiting

Memory loss

Irritability or feeling anxious

Difficulty with coordination or balance

Difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions

Symptoms may worsen with physical or mental exertion such as lifting, computer use, or reading. Memory loss, headaches, and problems with concentration may linger for

several weeks or months. A child diagnosed with a concussion should not participate

in sports or other physical activities until the doctor says that it’s safe. Even if your child pleads that he or she feels fine or a competitive coach urges you to go against medical instructions, it is essential to wait until the doctor has given the OK. It may take less force to sustain a second or subsequent concussion. Evidence shows that repeated concussions can result in lasting brain damage, even when the injuries occur months or years apart.

Click HERE to order a yearbook!

Now through October 31, the PKMS Yearbooks are at the lowest price they will be. You can purchase a yearbook for only $35. Students may also purchase personalization, such as their monogram, a crest, or their name, for an additional $7.

Any student that purchases a yearbook by October 31, will be able to have their name entered into a drawing to win a $5 Starbucks Gift Card (2 will be awarded) or a $5 Chick-Fil-A Gift Card (2 will be awarded). Also, the top three teachers with the highest percentage of yearbooks sold will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card. After this date yearbooks will go up to $40.

We have had a tremendous start to our first year at PKMS. Thank you to all of our Knighthawk families and our PKMS teachers and staff for all of your support!

A few updates and reminders from your PTO:

• All outstanding Attractions Book orders or unwanted books need to be returned as soon as possible. The PTO has to pay publisher of the book for all copies of the book that are not returned. We currently have about 250 copies that have not been either purchased or returned so we need your help to close out this fundraiser.
  
• Our first Box Tops contest is under way! Clip and send in those Box Tops and let's see who gets a pie in the face. Will it be Mr. Young, Mr. Murphy, or Officer Jenkins?
  
• If you missed out on our first Hawk Pop day don't fret. Hawk Pops are still available through the PTO website for the rest of the school year.
  
• New Spirit Wear is available!!! New offerings include short and long sleeve comfort color t-shirts, performance t-shirts, regular and performance sweatshirts, spirit scarves and coming soon, PKMS water bottles from Tervis! Spirit wear is available for pre-sale ordering on our online store.
  
• The PTO is partnering with Jackson Orthodontics and the Booster Club to sponsor a Pink-Out for breast cancer awareness during the first round volleyball tournament games hosted by PKMS on October 11th & 12th. Come out and wear pink to support our volleyball teams and those whom have been afflicted by breast cancer. We will also have pink t-shirts available in exchange for a donation of your choosing. All proceeds will go to a local charity supporting breast cancer treatment, research, and survivors.
  

8th Grade Volleyball - Finished the season 9-1 and regular season conference champions. Conference tournament starts 10/11 at PKMS.

7th Grade Football - Currently 4-1 and are regular season conference champions. They will host the conference semi-finals on 10/18 at PKMS.

8th Grade Football - Finished the regular season with a win over Gold Hill Middle School. They will host Gold Hill on 10/11 in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Email: zeppelink@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://pkms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 2320 Pleasant Road, Fort Mill, SC, United States
Phone: 803-835-3770
Facebook: facebook.com/PKMSKnighthawks/
Twitter: @PK_Knighthawks