Park Center Pirate Newsletter

November 2024

We only have 3 weeks left in the 1st trimester! Now is a great time to make sure your student is on-track to pass their classes.

• Review your student's current grades with them. Celebrate their hard work so far this year!
• For any grades they want to improve, look at what assignments, tests, or projects they are missing
• Help them come up with a plan to complete missing work and prepare for upcoming tests and projects
• Reach out to your student's teachers (or have them reach out to their teachers!) with any questions
• Have your student attend Homework Center Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 2:00-4:30

• Attendance is huge factor in school success! Here are some strategies for helping your student have good school attendance (available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese).

Tuesday, November 25th is a professional development day for staff. There is no school for students.

Park Center will be hosting our Third Annual HBCU College Fair on Tue, Nov 19 from 3:00-5:30 pm. The HBCU College Fair is open to all students throughout the district. This is a great opportunity for students to talk with alumni and representatives from a variety of Historically Black Colleges and Universities from all over the United States. The college fair will be held in the Park Center cafeteria. Students and families may enter from the Brooklyn Blvd parking lot, Door A, or from the Noble Ave parking lot, Door L. Come and join us for a great night of opportunities celebrating Black History, Culture and Education!

The last day of trimester 1 is Tuesday, November 26. Final grades will be posted at the end of the first of December.

• November 27 is a grading day and there is no school.
• The district is closed November 28-29 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Don't miss the opening of our Fall Play - The Diviners! Tickets are on sale now - click here!

• Friday, November 8th - 7:00 PM

• Saturday, November 9th - 7:00 PM

• Friday, November 15th - 7:00 PM

• Saturday, November 16th - 7:00 PM

Girls' Hockey kicked off our winter sports for this school year check out the rest of the Winter Sports Start Dates below - make sure your student is registered before they begin!

• Alpine Ski, Nordic Ski, Boys Hockey, Gymnastics, Girls Basketball – November 11th

• Boys Basketball, Wrestling – November 18th

• Adapted Floor Hockey PI and CI – November 25th

• Boys Swimming and Diving – December 2nd

Visit pcactivities.com for more information, including information about educational benefits.

Fall Sports have wrapped up, Activities/Clubs are kicking off, and Winter Sports are right around the corner (literally!).

Check out how our fall sports did this season with a quick synopsis for each sport in our fall playoff document found here!

• Girls Swimming will be the last of our fall sports to compete in their section meet this weekend, November 7th and 9th - good luck!;

• Sophomore Blake Beaver qualified for the State AAA Cross Country Meet and competed with a great pool of runners last weekend - congrats!;

• Adapted PI and CI Soccer are gearing up for their state tournament appearances November 15th and 16th!

How would you like to get paid for getting good grades? Raise.Me is a platform that helps 9-12th grade students earn scholarships for their achievements in high school. More than 330 colleges and universities partner with Raise.Me to award micro-scholarships for both academics and extracurricular activities. High school students can sign up for a free account at raise.me and start adding their achievements right away. The platform shows students how many scholarship dollars they will be awarded when attending various colleges.

Completing the FAFSA or the Dream Act application is the first step in receiving financial aid for college. The FAFSA application is FREE. FAFSA OPENS DEC 1! Again this year, the FAFSA will be released in December.

• The Career Resource Center will be presenting the FSA ID and FAFSA application process to ALL Senior Advisories on Wed, Nov 7. A recording of this session and other helpful resources can be found on the PC CRC website > Financial Aid.
• To support students and families the CRC will be hosting a FAFSA Drop-In Support Session. This is an opportunity for families to ask local Financial Aid professionals questions about their student’s FAFSA. A reminder for this event will be sent to senior families via Talking Points after winter break.
• Check the CRC Calendar for more details. The MN Office of Higher Ed also offers some Free Virtual MN OHE FAFSA Events.

Applying to college can seem intimidating, especially if you are the first one in your family going to college. However, breaking the process up into tasks and creating a schedule makes it much more manageable. There are three main steps when applying to college:

1. the college application; typically online on the college’s website
2. sending an official transcript to the college; this is done using Parchment, a service free to all PC students
3. completing the FAFSA; the application for student aid.

Some colleges ask for a college essay. If an essay is optional, it is best to submit an essay. It is important to pay attention to deadlines. There are multiple deadlines to choose from. Early deadlines (ED) are usually in November. ED admissions are binding and the student MUST enroll if offered. Early Action (EA) applications are due in Nov/Dec. EA applications are not binding and students hear back sooner than a rolling admission. There will be a multiple Q&A mini-session just for seniors in November. Come with all your questions about the college application process and have them answered. Sign up for a mini-session. New sessions added frequently!

Some college applications and scholarships require a letter of recommendation. Typically, schools prefer a letter from a core teacher. However, if you plan to study an elective subject or a scholarship is awarded based on your experience in that field, it would be appropriate to get a letter of recommendation from that teacher. Students should give teachers at least two weeks to write the letter. It is also important to give the teacher a resume or the CRC Recommendation Questionnaire to help the teacher write a letter that is tailored to you and the school/scholarship. The CRC Recommendation Letter Handout has more information.

Apply for scholarships early and often. While most scholarships are for seniors and due between November and March, there are scholarships for all ages and throughout the entire year. While many scholarships look at GPA, there are just as many that do not. It is important to do your research and check eligibility requirements. Then, plan ahead and make sure you meet deadlines. The CRC website Scholarships page posts local, state and national scholarships, as well as scholarships for specific groups of students. Scholarships 101: This handy one-page handout outlines an overview of key terms, timelines and important information to know when searching and applying for scholarships.

An Historically Black College and University's (HBCU's) principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans. HBCUs provide connections to Black history and celebrate Black culture. They offer outstanding programs, particularly in STEM fields. HBCUs provide a supportive environment and unique networking opportunities.

Want to learn more about HBCUs? There are more than 100 HBCUs in the US. This HBCU Listing has links to all the colleges and universities. If you want to apply to multiple HBCUs, check out the Common Black College Application. The CRC will be hosting monthly HBCU College sessions with local alumni. Upcoming sessions will be posted in Schoology and on the CRC monitors. Don’t miss these great sessions! Sign up TODAY at mini-session sign up.

The Dougherty Family College offers an associate degree designed to set you up for success, providing a smooth transition to a four-year college. This program is for students that want to obtain a four-year college degree and face financial or social obstacles on the way to their goal. Students need to have a 2.5 GPA or higher and a strong desire to succeed. Daugherty Family College students transfer to the University of St. Thomas after completing an AA degree.

At Park Center we expect every student to demonstrate P.R.I.D.E.

• Participate in your education
• Respect yourself and others
• Inspire others
• Do the right thing
• Excel in all you do

For all Park Center rules and expectations, refer to our Student and Family Handbook