Good Afternoon Patriots,

I hope you are all enjoying your three-day weekend, and for those of you who have people you love that have passed away, I hope you are able to spend some time on Memorial Day remembering them in whatever way makes your heart feel a little less heavy.

Can you believe it? We are down to our very LAST and incredibly busy week of school. I know for many of us, the year seems like a year that will never end. Still, for me, I feel like every year goes by at a far more rapid pace than the year before, and while I look forward to summer, I also feel a little piece of my heart break knowing that this is the last week I am going to get to see our eighth graders on a daily basis.

I can say with 100% certainty that THEY are ready for their next chapter, but I can also say with 100% certainty that while my brain is super excited for them, my little heart is struggling to get on board. Not to worry, though, I will put on my game face and do my very best to save the ugly crying for after the final car has pulled away on Friday. (I will do my best, but I do not actually promise this will be something I will be successful at)

While talking to a couple of students last week, we talked about how sometimes I have to wonder if I am just a little bit broken because I seem to have a hard time identifying when I am in potentially dangerous situations with people known for being what some might consider scary or nefarious. In fact, Mr. Summers is convinced that one day it will either be the end of me or save me. Obviously, I choose the "save me" option.

As I shared some examples of my apparent issues with these students, they suggested that I share them in the newsletter, so per their request, I will share the part of my brain that is obviously a couple of slices short of an entire loaf.

My first two years working at Alta High School, which was my first year of teaching, I was hired to be the teacher for their Special Education Behavioral Unit. I was as pumped up about the position as a new pair of fully inflated Air Jordans! This class comprised of approximately 15 students (All high school-aged boys at that point) with intense behavioral support needs.

I am not sure why, but that first year I mainly had students diagnosed as Oppositionally Defiant, violent, or having extreme mood regulation disorders. These were the kiddos that destroyed classrooms, verbally and physically attacked teachers and kids, stole property, and most came to be with well over 100 disciplinary referrals. Most people were scared of these kids, I thought they were intriguing and adorable. (See what I mean...broken!)

While the stories I could share about my two years in this classroom are endless, the one the students, thought I should share involves a student we will refer to as Michael. (Not his real name.) Michael came to me from another local high school and was the son of a father in the Cartel from Mexico, and in addition, he had recently lost his brother due to gang violence. Michael had grown up in violence and was determined to be a gang member and continue the only life he had ever known.

Before I move on to the next part of the story, I have to advise you that Michael had the kind of face that would make it insanely difficult for a mother to enforce any sort of discipline on him. He was stout like an English bulldog, with deep olive skin, a round face, big brown eyes, and the most adorable deep double dimples I had ever seen. This face, unfortunately, in my opinion, was going to be Michael's hurdle to achieving his life goals.

One day while in class, Michael felt particularly passionate about his disdain for the Science assignment that I had worked so diligently to prepare, and was making it extraordinarily clear that he was not going to complete the work. As I approached his desk to redirect him, I was promptly met with a waterfall of words and threats that would make a sailor blush. Some involved how I would be taken out, while others were very descriptive and correctly used adjectives to describe me. (Which I was secretly proud of.) While he was screaming and posturing at me, I had to cover my mouth not to get caught laughing and instead appear to be intently listening.

When he finally ran out of air, and asked me, "What I was gonna do about it?" I uncovered my mouth, looked from side to side so as not to sell him out in front of the other students, and whispered, "Is it okay if I tell you something?" With a confused face, he nodded yes, so I leaned in and said, "Okay, listen, Michael, I can tell you are super upset about doing this assignment, and I want you to know I hear you. I just feel like, as your teacher, because I know you want to be in a gang, I am morally obligated to tell you something." He leaned in a little bit closer, positive I was going to tell him he was going to the office or going to be suspended.

I then whispered, " Okay, here is the thing... Your words, body language, and yelling are really on point, and I can tell you are going for scary, but here is the problem. Your double dimples literally make it IMPOSSIBLE for me, or anyone else for that matter, to take you seriously, so I think we are going to have to explore other career options for you besides being in a gang. It just isn't going to work for you, and I don't want you to commit to something that will not serve you the way you are hoping it will."

Michael leaned back, looked at me, shook his head, and said, "Mrs. Summers, I think you are not right in the head." I said, " Ugh, I know, and I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, I just want to be straight with you in case no one else has the guts to tell you. "

Michael then sat down and completed his work. We still had a few run-ins over our four years together, but for the most part, they were pretty mellow, and when he would start to get spicy with me, all I really had to do was make a dimples gesture to him, and he would smile, shake his head, and walk off.

Here is the thing, Patriots, everywhere we go, we will see people that when we look at them or watch them, we will naturally make assumptions about who they are because, let's be honest, that's how humans roll. I challenge you as you continue to write your story, find as many times as you can to assume the good in people. It is far easier to assume the worse, but when we practice assuming the good, we will be surprised how often the good is actually the true story that sometimes people are too scared to tell.

As always Patriots...

Remember YOU are L❤️VED!

Mrs. Summers

Mrs. Turley

Mr. Joyce

This night is a BIG deal, and we take it pretty seriously here at PHJH because we want to really honor all of the hard work that you, your parents, and your teachers have put in over the last three years.

• Parents, please encourage students to COME IN their BEST DRESS
• Students can invite whomever they would like. We will do our best to accommodate seats for everyone.
• Please do not bring blow horns or confetti.
• You are welcome to have students wear items along with the best dress request that are important to your family's culture.
• Our front steps outside are absolutely stunning for pictures at that time of night. We welcome you all to take pictures with your family after the event.
• This is a wonderful time to teach gratitude to our young Patriots. There are so many people that have helped them for the last three years. I would encourage them to write letters of thanks.

Q- Do I need to drop my student off at Boondocks?

A- PLEASE, no. We have buses, and we would like to take them. (If you have to drop off due to a doctor's appointment or other commitments, please email Mr. Joyce at cjoyce@providence.com)

Q- Do I need to bring money?

A- Nope. We are providing everything besides money for the arcade games if you want to bring money for games that is totally optional and up to you.

Q- Is lunch provided?

A- Yes. We have pizza and drinks provided. If you have special dietary restrictions, you can pack a lunch and we will have a cooler to keep it cold.

Q- Do I have to have passing grades and No NG's to attend?

A- Nope...This is your eighth-grade event. No requirements. However, if you violate Boondocks rules or standards of PHJH, parents will be called for pick up. This is a privilege not a right.

After over a decade of service to Providence Hall, Edith Cutrer, our FAMOUS front office knower and doer of all, has decided to spread her wings and move on to a new chapter in her life. There are no adequate words to express our gratitude for her years and years of service to the school and the community. She has given thousands of students love, bandaids, advice, and attendance slips over the years. While no student will ever admit it, I believe they will even miss her keen ability to dress code students like a seasoned CIA agent. We will miss her laugh, dance moves, and wicked awesome Spanish translation skills.

Thank you for taking care of us Edith!!!

We LOVE you and remember once a Patriot ALWAYS a Patriot.

I, along with so many others that watched this year's Chalk the Walk unfold, have no words to express how impressed we were with the artistic talent contained in all of these JUNIOR HIGH aged students!!!

Every year I think I can't be more impressed, and then BOOM, y'all step it up yet another notch. Thank you for making this event one of my favorites of the entire year.

Also, thank Mrs. Petrucci, Mr. Gianfredi, and Mrs. Cutrer for organizing all the moving pieces that made this day a success.

Thank you also to all of the parents and teachers that helped by donating snacks, canopies, and water to help keep all of our artists from getting to hangry throughout the day.

We sent out the voting ballots and will announce the event winners at the end of the day Wednesday.

Check out some of the art and beautiful, messy faces I was able to capture below.

Recruiting highly engaged members for the Providence Hall Board of Trustees (Board) with diversified experience and a variety of backgrounds is vital to the success of Providence Hall as our school is constantly growing, expanding, and evolving to meet the needs of our students, parents/guardians, employees, and community. If you are interested in having your application considered to be a member of the Board, you can read more about the Board and complete the Board Member Application by visiting https://www.providencehall.com/page/board-of-trustees"

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