PEMBROKE HIGH SCHOOL

WEEKLY UPDATE

June 9, 2025

Dear PHS Students and Families,

Here is this week's update, the last of the 2024-25 school year! As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions on these or any other matters, and please keep your eyes open for various communications during the summer as the need to communicate arises. My thanks for all of your support this school year.

UNDERCLASSMAN FINAL EXAMS :

Tomorrow, our final exams begin. Exam days are half-days, with two exams scheduled per day, Tuesday through Friday. Student dismissal is at 10:50 a.m. each day, except the last day, Friday, June 13, when student dismissal is at 9:05 a.m., unless a student has to stay for the make-up period.

Here are a few important notes about exams:

Because of their importance, student attendance is required on exam days. Students without an excused absence are not allowed to make up an exam. Parents are urged to contact their child's administrator, Mr. Rix (grades 9, 11) or Ms. Kelley (grades 10, 12), if they know that their child is unable to attend school during exam week.
That said, students do not need to be in school if they do not have an exam during a particular period (i.e. study hall).
While dismissal is at 10:50 a.m. each morning, we are not able to add a bus run at that time. Buses will make their usual afternoon run at 2:20 p.m. While most of our students leave at 10:50 a.m. via alternate transportation (parent pick-up, getting a ride with a friend), our library and our cafeteria are open to students that need to wait for the 2:20 p.m. bus run. Students can use these spaces to prepare for their exams the next day.
We also serve lunch to any student staying until 2:20 p.m. Students should order their lunch and let us know what bus they take in the main office before 7:35 a.m. each day that they are planning on staying.

TERM 4 REPORT CARDS - REPORTING PROGRESS on ATTAINING OUR VISION OF A GRADUATE:

Report cards for Term 4 will be published and emailed to parents on Monday, June 16. In addition to the traditional term and midyear grades, this year's final report card will also update students and families on our students' progress toward attaining our Vision of a Graduate (VOG), which we have named the Portrait of a Pembroke Titan.

Using the comment field on the report card, our teachers will make a note of how well your child is progressing toward meeting the four pillars found within our Portrait. To report this information to you more efficiently, each of our academic departments has been assigned the responsibility of measuring student progress toward attaining one of those four pillars, and because we have more than four departments, you will receive at least two comments for each of the four pillars.

VOG #1 - Empowered Learners - Math and English
VOG #2 - Effective Communicators - World Language and Visual Arts
VOG #3 - Engaged Citizens - Special Education and Social Studies
VOG #4 - Meaningful Collaborators - Physical Education, Science, and Performing Arts.

SUMMER SCHOOL:

Once grades close on Friday, our Guidance Department will be sharing information regarding summer school for those that did not successfully earn credit for a graduation requirement this year. Pembroke High School does not offer an in-person summer school option, but several surrounding communities do. Pembroke does offer a virtual option for certain summer school courses.

Regardless of what option you choose, PHS offers all 9th and 10th graders a free summer school opportunity for English and Math only. If your child attends summer school in one of those neighboring communities, PHS will reimburse your tuition once the student submits proof that the course was successfully completed. For those that enroll in an online course offered here at PHS, students will be enrolled without cost and will only be charged if the student fails to successfully complete the course. If a student does not successfully complete the course, the cost of the course will be placed on the student's account as an obligation that must be paid. Again, this tuition-free offer is for 9th and 10th graders in English and Math.

Any student in any grade that is taking a course to recover credit this summer must please ensure that the course has been approved by PHS. Again, much more information about all of our summer school options will be forthcoming next week once we have all final grades. Please contact your child's guidance counselor if you have any questions.

CLASS LISTS FOR 2025-26:

This afternoon, all students in grades 9-11 will receive their Class Lists for the 2025-26 school year. The list indicates the names of the courses your child is scheduled to take next year. It does not include the teachers' names or period numbers. Class lists for our rising 9th graders (currently in grade 8) will be released later this week.

Students and families are strongly encouraged to review this list for accuracy and contact their guidance counselor if there are any issues. Our counselors work five days after the end of the school year and will have open office hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Monday, June 16 until Monday, June 23 (Thursday, June 19 is the Juneteenth holiday, so school is closed). Counselors also return five days before the start of the school year and will hold the same hours from Monday, August 18 to Friday, August 22.

Students and parents are also encouraged to view the handbook to fully understand the challenges of changing classes in the fall and the process used to do so. That is why it is so important to meet in the spring and/or in late August before school starts.

A FINAL CONGRATULATORY NOTE TO THE CLASS OF 2025

Congratulations to the 169 graduating seniors in the Class of 2025, 85% of whom will be continuing their education in a 2- or 4-year college or university.
Seven percent will be entering the trades.
Another 6% will be reporting directly to the workforce and/or taking a gap year
The remaining 2% will be enlisting in the armed forces of the United States military.
Over $260,000 in local scholarships and other awards were issued to dozens of members of the Class of 2025 thanks to their hard work and our very generous donors.
The Valedictorian for the Class of 2025 is Jordan Fay, and the Salutatorian is Daniel Noguer. Congratulations to both of these outstanding students.

SUMMER READING:

Students and parents can find all summer reading requirements on our school's website under the For Students tab or by clicking here.

OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES-SPECIAL EDUCATION SURVEY

As part of our ongoing efforts to evaluate and improve special education in our district, we are inviting parents and caregivers of students who currently receive special education to complete a short survey about their experiences this school year.

The purpose of this survey is to gather feedback that will inform our practices and help us strengthen support for students with disabilities. If you have more than one child in special education, please fill out a separate survey for each child. Please click on the link provided to complete this survey.

LINK

UPCOMING DATES OF NOTE:

June 16 - T4 Report Cards issued
June 16 through June 23 - Guidance Counselors' Office Hours
August 4-8 - Marching Band Camp
August 6 - Fall Sports Night (6 p.m., Randall Auditorium)
August 15 - First day of football tryouts
August 18 - First Day for all other fall sports
August 18-22 - Guidance Counselors' Office Hours
August 20 - Freshman Orientation (8-11 a.m.)
August 25, 26 - Staff Convocation and Professional Development
August 27, 28 - First Days of School for Students
August 29 - No School
September 1 - No School - Labor Day
September 4 - PHS Open House (6 -8 p.m.)

Thanks again for your support of our school throughout the year, and I wish all of our families an enjoyable, healthy summer. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on August 28. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can answer any questions that you may have.

Kind Regards,

Marc