Email: sandersj@purcellps.org
Website: https://www.purcellps.org/o/phs
Location: 2020 North Green Avenue, Purcell, OK, USA
Phone: 405-442-0099
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purcellhs
Twitter: @purcellhsdrgns

Parents & Guardians:

As we move into the heart of the semester, I want to encourage all parents to remind students the importance of maintaining good grades, building relationships, focusing on character development, and finding ways to serve your community. These factors all contribute to a successful transition from high school to adulthood. They are also key parts of our overall school mission:

• Academic Excellence: Consistent effort in all classes is crucial. Good grades reflect hard work and dedication and are the most important factors that predict future success. Regular school attendance is equally important.
• Building Strong Relationships: Fostering positive relationships with teachers, counselors, and other trusted adults is invaluable. These connections provide guidance, support, and a sense of belonging.
• Character Development: Emphasizing the importance of hard work, honesty, and integrity will equip your child with valuable life skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
• Community Involvement: Finding ways to serve our school and community through volunteer work or extracurricular activities can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

We understand that high school can be a challenging time. Please remind your child that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. We offer a range of support services, including academic support, counseling, and mental health resources.

We can all work together to create a positive and supportive learning environment where your student can thrive. Always feel free to reach out to for help or support. We want the best for your student!

Thank you,

Jason

cell: 918-873-0354

Congratulations Kenzie Hay: PHS Staff of the Month!

Kenzie teaches math and serves as special education department chair. She is a member of our curriculum team and a critical member of our staff. Kenzie is great at building relationships with students, staff, and parents. She is a problem solver and understands how to lead through serving people. Read what one of her colleagues said about her:

Kenzie encapsulates all of the important parts of teaching. She puts kids first and is a staunch advocate when needed. She is organized, knowledgeable, and motivated to learn and grow as an educator. She is consistently happy, wears a smile on her face, and treats everyone with kindness...peers and students alike. She is an asset to our building and to the students she serves! We are lucky to have her!!

--Candy Clark, PHS English Teacher

Congratulations to both basketball teams for a successful Heart of Oklahoma Basketball Tournament. The girls lost to Bethany in the championship game to finish runner-up. The boys defeated the OKC Knights to claim the consolation championship. Great job players, managers, and coaches Toney Cooper, Matt Lohn, Mandy Clay, and Paul Wollenberg. Also a special thanks to the following individuals for their hard work helping make our 2025 tournament a big success:

• PHS Athletic Department: Ricky Hammer, Sarah Jones, Aaron Dillard, and Cara Simonton.
• Dragon Fire Booster Club: A special thanks to Char Page for her hard work.
• Workers: Gate and scorers table workers including announcer Lee Roberts.
• Custodial Staff including Kyle Shaw.
• STUCO clean-up crew and STUCO sponsors Amy Stone and Leigh Ann McGregor
• Purcell Police Department and McClain County Sheriff's Department
• Tournament Sponsors
• Parent Volunteers

Quick Access to Recent Updates

Families can view all recent messages and announcements for all children, across all teachers, in dedicated spotlight sections in new footer buttons.

• One Pager: Shares a summary of key updates (English)

• Help Articles: Provides more guidance to navigating the app

• Family Survey: Empowers families to share their feedback with Apptegy.
  

• VIDEO:

  English: https://youtu.be/zW9d0VzqDFI

  Spanish: https://youtu.be/W8Cnu-tgK9M
  

• Rooms Support

Dear Parents & Guardians:

I'm writing to provide a brief update on campus safety efforts over the past two weeks. We've continued to prioritize the safety and well-being of all our students and staff.

This week, we conducted a successful lockdown drill, coordinated and supervised by our School Resource Officer, Daniel Fumi, and Assistant Principal Rick Hammer. The drill allowed us to practice our emergency procedures and identify areas for continued improvement. I want to emphasize the importance of everyone's cooperation during these drills and, of course, in the event of a real lockdown. For the safety of everyone involved, we require all parents on campus, or immediately outside the building, during a lockdown drill or actual lockdown to follow all school lockdown procedures. This means remaining in place as directed by staff and refraining from attempting to enter or exit the building until the lockdown is lifted. Your adherence to these procedures is critical for maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff.

In other safety initiatives, Officer Fumi will be working with student leaders in the coming weeks on a safe driving awareness campaign. The spring & summer months are the most dangerous times of year for teen drivers. Teen driving injuries & fatalities increase significantly during these months. This important initiative will include a school-wide advisory lesson designed to promote responsible driving habits among our students.

We appreciate your continued support in our efforts to keep our school a safe and secure learning environment. If you have any questions or concerns regarding campus safety, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Jason

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States and its territories. The 988 Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, combining local care and resources with national standards and best practices.

Counselor's Corner is a resource for all things counseling related. Please click on the link below to access relevant information including Academic Guidance, Student Supports, Scholarships, College & Career counseling, social and emotional supports, and more. This link is updated regularly. Seniors and senior parents can also access the Senior Website which is also linked below.

Highlights:

I'm taking this opportunity to announce our short-term plan to provide students counseling coverage over the next few weeks. Purcell Intermediate School Counselor Tiffany Cook will provide counseling coverage at the high school on Mondays. Purcell Junior High Counselor Michelle Hall will provide counseling coverage each Wednesday. Additionally, Michelle Hall will be on call each day to meet student's immediate counseling needs if necessary.

Tiffany & Michelle will also work with our administration team and Kassi Buchanan, High School registrar, to support our daily academic scheduling, transcripting, and pre-enrollment preparation. I've also assigned temporary supervision duties of our alternative education program and state testing coordination to Aaron Dillard, PHS Dean of Students.

Please be assured that ALL of our students counseling needs will be met. These plans are short-term only and we will resume normal operations in the near future.

• Scholarship Information: Seniors & Parents should be aware of upcoming deadlines. Please see link below for specific scholarship information.

February Deadlines:

ESA Foundation Outstanding Senior High Youth Award

• Due to Counseling Center NO LATER than 2/12/24

• $1,000 award

• Must have at least a 3.0 GPA

• Essay required

• Must include a photo, 2 letters of recommendation and transcript

• Application outside Feroli’s office.

• MAP Testing Information

Freshman & Sophomore students completed Winter MAP assessments this week. Students are assessed on their long-term learning progress in Reading, Math, and Science. Parents should expect an individualized family report by email for your student (fresh & sophs only). This report will chart your student's long-term learning progress and predict future ACT readiness. Remember all students take the ACT as juniors as part of state mandated College & Career Readiness Exams in April. Information regarding MAP assessments are linked below.

High school seniors, even if you haven’t chosen your college yet, complete the FAFSA now. Don’t wait! Some types of financial aid are first-come, first-served. Learn more at:

https://www.startwithfafsa.org/

Get answers to some of the most common financial aid questions, such as:

• What is financial aid?
• Why is financial aid important?
  
• Who qualifies for financial aid?
  
• How do I apply for federal financial aid?
  
• When do I apply for financial aid?
  
• How often do I have to complete the FAFSA?

Purcell High School offers students both in-person and online tutoring opportunities. Our after school tutoring program began this week for the spring semester. There are math & English tutors available Mon-Thurs evening. Our first Ineligibility list ran this Friday. Students failing courses will receive regular check-ins from advisors or administration. Students failing courses are encouraged to attend After School tutoring.

Below you will find information about Varsity Tutoring which provides students free, comprehensive, and unlimited access to online help. You can click on the button below this message to access Varsity Tutors.

At PHS, we're committed to providing our students with a an engaging learning experience that prepares them for success in college and the workplace. One of the most effective ways we do this is through cross-curricular projects, which connect different subjects and help students see the interconnectedness of knowledge. Cross-curricular projects offer numerous benefits. They allow students to:

• Make connections: By exploring a topic from multiple perspectives, students gain a deeper a understanding. They see how concepts learned in one class relate to others, making learning more relevant and meaningful.
• Develop critical thinking skills: These projects often require students to analyze information from various sources, synthesize ideas, and solve problems creatively.
• Enhance collaboration skills: Working with peers on cross-curricular projects fosters teamwork, communication, and shared responsibility – essential skills for success in the modern world.
• Increase engagement: Connecting learning to real-world applications and makes learning more interesting and motivating for students.

These projects also benefit our teachers by encouraging collaboration and innovative teaching strategies. When teachers from different disciplines work together, they share expertise and create better learning experiences for their students.

A wonderful example of this collaboration is taking place right here at PHS! Our art teacher, Jon Corea, and our family and consumer science teacher, Stefanie Renfro, are currently collaborating on a cross-curricular project. It's a fantastic example of how connecting different subjects can create a truly meaningful learning experience.

We are excited to continue fostering these types of innovative learning opportunities for our students. We believe that cross-curricular projects are a powerful tool for making learning more meaningful, relevant, and engaging for all.

I've shared photos of student work below and a brief explanation of this project from Jon Corea below:

This cross-curricular project challenges Visual Art students to design a kitchen renovation and Interior Design students to evaluate those designs from a client's perspective. This cross curricular project simulates a real-world design process and encourages collaboration and critical thinking. It also gives students an opportunity to learn what the occupation of an interior designer entails.

Congratulations to the PHS Archery team for qualifying for state! They will compete at the Western Tier 2 State at the OKC Fairgrounds on February 11. Also, congratulations to the Purcell Junior High team: They finished 1st overall at the Maysville Tournament also qualifying for state!

Both teams are coached by Steve Clary, Purcell Outdoor Education teacher.

This week the Ag 1 class studied Food Science learning about food safety, processing and marketing. We had a salsa making contest to end the unit.

Dragon Brew warms up PES!!

Thank you Mrs. Jenny Allen - Price for your leadership and organizing of our PHS Students! These students made our day today! Who doesn't love someone coming into your place of work and taking your special coffee order and then delivering it right to your door??!??!! WE DO!!

They have great prices, great coffee, great treats, & great service!!

---PHS Elementary Staff

PHS Senior Haven Buchanan was recently recognized as an OKLAHOMAN Student of the Week Nominee for excellence in the classroom. Congratulations Haven!

We are super excited to introduce our Oklahoma State University Agricultural Education Student Teacher, Ms. Ashlyn Ahlgrim! She will be working with our Purcell FFA teacher Erica Keen. We are excited to welcome Ashlyn to PHS and know she will have an amazing experience working with Erica and our Ag students!

The Purcell Livestock Team had a great day at the Riley Boatwright Invitational Swine Show today!

Email Leigh Ann McGregor for more information or call the front office: (405) 442-0099

mcgregorl@purcellps.org

Say “hello” to two-way messaging and classroom announcements in the Purcell app! With the addition of Rooms, our district app keeps getting better. Parents/guardians check your email and text messages tomorrow (9/3) with instructions to sign up and access new features.

To make sure you are ready to use Rooms, download the Purcell app today!

Download for Android https://aptg.co/Bp9PVp

Download for iPhone https://aptg.co/H7tnMs

We are excited to invite your students and their families to a Group Tour at Paul Mitchell the School Norman on Saturday, February 22nd, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

This tour offers an exceptional opportunity for students to explore our programs in Cosmetology, Barbering, and Esthetics. They'll learn more about the creative career paths in the beauty and wellness industry, meet our team, and experience the vibrant culture that sets our school apart.

Please feel free to share this information with your students and their families. We’ve attached a flyer with all the details for your convenience.

Just a reminder: A high school diploma or equivalent is required for full enrollment in our programs. If students have any questions about eligibility, we’re happy to help!

If you have any questions or would like to RSVP, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (405) 928-5207.

We hope to see your students and their families at the event!

Warm regards,
Raegan Douthit
Admissions Advisor
Paul Mitchell the School Norman
3030 William Pereira, Norman, OK 73072

Functional Family Therapy

The Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs is offering the Functional Family Therapy (FFT) program for highly at-risk youth and adjudicated youth in specific Oklahoma counties. FFT is an evidence-based treatment program designed to reduce at-risk behavior in adolescents with an 70%-80% effectiveness rate. FFT is the leading treatment to address adolescent substance use, delinquency, and family system change. FFT targets youth aged 11-18, younger siblings, and their parents/caregivers. Intervention ranges from, on average, 8 -12 one-hour sessions for mild cases and up to 30 sessions for more difficult situations. FFT is conducted over an approximate three-month period and is largely an in-home intervention that is provided at no cost to the family.

FFT is appropriate for youth ages 11-17 exhibiting frequent and high degrees of the following problematic behaviors: defiance of authority figures (home and school), aggressiveness toward other people, extreme sibling rivalry, running away, truancy, vandalism, negative peer association, poor academic performance, chronic absenteeism from school, frequent school suspensions/expulsions, current/history of arrest, bullying issues, gang affiliation, and or substance abuse.

Is FFT available to students in my county?
To learn if FFT is available in your county please click below. Counties are where FFT is available are highlighted in blue: Functional Family Therapy (FFT) (oklahoma.gov)

How to do I make a referral?
To make a referral, please reach out to your local county Office of Juvenile Affairs. FFT can be provided as a preventative intervention. You will have to make a referral to OJA services and request FFT if the student does not have OJA involvement.

Students can access Varsity Tutors platform on their school-issued Chromebooks through their Clever account. Students & Parents can also access Clever account @ purcellps.org by selecting the Student Learning Page from the menu.

You can learn more about the tools available to your student here.

Please contact the high school if you are unable to access Parent Portal. This allows students and parents to access real-time grades 24/7, attendance information and update personal information. I include a parent/portal link for all parents/guardians on every Parent Newsletter. This link is located immediately below this message. It's very important all parents have access to parent portal.

Please complete this form linked here if you are need of a Parent Portal Account:

https://forms.gle/kcw4yFh9UghpFKW76

If you have any problems accessing Parent Portal please contact the school directly: (405) 442-0099