PCH Community Update

2024-2025: The Weeks of 11/18, 11/25 & 12/2

This past Friday, at the beginng of Academic Lab, I shared with students via the PA the letter below, which I received following our Day of Service in October.

Dear Dr. McCarthy:

Yesterday I attended Special Olympics because my granddaugter was competing, and I had the opportunity to observe your students who were Buddies to the athletes, not just helping my granddaughter, but many others as well. Whether they were helping spread ketchup on a hot dog, tying a shoe, or shepherding their athletes to the appropriate place at the appropriate time, they all displayed patience, gentleness, and budding professionalism. It was clear that they took their responsibilities seriously, and were not doing it simply to get out of class. They deserve great commendation and I thank them all. When your students leave school and go out into the world, I am confident that the future will be in good hands.

The sentiments expressed above capture so much of who our students are as people and to the families that nurture and support them at home. Thank you for your ongoing support for our school wide Day of Service and for all you do to make Central High a positive and supportive school community!

In the weeks to come, there will be several opportunities for students and families to continue that spirit of service and giving by supporting three different initiatves led by three different school sponsored student groups. Thank you, in advance, for your support and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

This is a three week edition of the PCH Community Update; please take a few moments to review the information below, which includes...

Calendar Reminders
Attendance Line Update
Spur Yearbook: Senior Pictures
Talk 4 Tyler
Salvation Army Angel Tree
Parkway Holiday Cup
The Coral Newspaper & PCHTV
Athletic Pass for 2024-2025
Colts Corner Store
Student Absences: Reminders for Parents
Free & Reduced Meals
Parkway Food Pantry
Find Your Bus Stop
Student Parking for 2024-2025
Morning Arrival Procedures
Daily Building Procedures
Afternoon Dismissal Procedures
Parents: Update Your Family Profile
Parents: From the PTO
General Resources
Links to Nutrition, Technology, Staff Directory.
Central High Administrators

As a reminder, PCH Community Update is the school newsletter shared with students and parents throughout the school year. For much of the content, students are the primary audience. Parents, please encourage your student to regularly check their Parkway email account to review new updates. The next Update will be sent on Sunday, December 9, 2024 at 4 pm. Thank you for your support and, as always, Go Colts!

Sincerely,

Tim McCarthy

Principal, PCH

Calendar Reminders

The daily schedule for the week of November 18 is:

Monday, November 18: ALL (Purple) Day
Tuesday, November 19: ODD (Red) Day
Wednesday, November 20: EVEN (Blue) Day --- Ac Lab: Modules 1 & 2
Thursday, November 21: ODD (Red) Day
Friday, November 22: EVEN (Blue) Day --- Ac Lab: Modules 1 & 2

The daily schedule for the week of November 25 is:

Monday, November 25: ODD (Red) Day
Tuesday, November 26: EVEN (Blue) Day --- Ac Lab: Modules 1 & 2
Wednesday, November 27: No School - Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, November 28: No School - Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 29: No School - Thanksgiving Break

The daily schedule for the week of December 2 is:

Monday, December 2: ALL (Purple) Day
Tuesday, December 3: ODD (Red) Day
Wednesday, December 4: EVEN (Blue) Day --- Modified Ac Lab Schedule: Modules 1 & 2
Thursday, December 5: ODD (Red) Day
Friday, December 6: EVEN (Blue) Day --- Ac Lab: Modules 1 & 2

Additional minutes of Study Time are built into 6th Block on ALL (Purple) Days, which are scheduled on the following dates in the next few weeks:

Monday, November 18 --- District Survey for Students During Study Time
Monday, December 2

In addition, please note the following IMPORTANT dates / events on your calendar:

Wednesday, November 20: Concert Band & Jazz Band Concert, 7:30 pm
Friday, November 22: Senior Pictures --- During Ac Lab
Monday, November 25: Powder Puff, 6 pm
Wednesday, November 27: No School --- Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, November 28: No School --- Thanksgiving Break
Friday, November 29: No Schoool --- Thanksgiving Break
Monday, December 2: Return to School --- ALL (Purple) Day
Tuesday, December 3: Talk 4 Tyler Basketball Games
Wednesday, December 4: Modified Ac Lab with Link Crew Follow Up
Wednesday, December 4: BSU Fundraiser Begins
Monday, December 9: Parkway Holiday Cup Begins
Tuesday, December 10: Masterworks Concert, 7:30 pm
Wednesday, December 11: E-ER Day, Dismissal at 12:30 pm --- No Ac Lab
Wednesday, December 11: Central Area Band Concert, 7 pm
Monday, December 16: PCHTV
Friday, December 20: E-HD, Dismissal at 11:35 pm --- No Ac Lab, No Lunch

To download the newest final version of the calendar (dated 07-29-24), click on the attached PDF.

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PCH - 2024-2025 - Calendar - 07-29-24 - Final.pdf

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Attendance Line Update

PCH Parents, In an effort to streamline attendance calls, we have created a dedicated phone number for you to call when your student is absent: 314-415-7926. From there you will be prompted to choose one of four options:

Option 1 - 9th grade
Option 2 - 10th grade
Option 3 - 11th grade

Option 4 - 12th grade

If you have more than one student absent, you can leave all relevant information with one grade level and that will be shared with other offices, as needed. Communicating via email is also an option. As a reminder, Missouri law and Parkway policy requires the school to keep accurate daily attendance records. Communication from parents when a student is absent is essential to that task. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation!

Spur Yearbook: Senior Pictures

The Fall Session for Senior Pictures will be Friday, Nov. 22 from 9-11 a.m. in the Gym A Lobby. If you have a senior who has not had their picture taken by Wagner, they should plan to attend. More info to come. There will be one more session in January (date tbd), but we highly recommend your senior gets their picture taken in November. If you do not want to wait until November, you can contact Wagner to schedule an appointment in their studio by phone 314-567-5900 or on their website.

Talk 4 Tyler

Salvation Army Angel Tree

Students from Central High's Black Student Union will be selling bracelets and stickers to raise money for the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Every year, the Salvation Army uses Angel Tree donations to purchase holiday gifts for children in need. Through the support of the PCH community, BSU is proud to have donated more than $500 over the past couple of years. We hope that you will continue to support us in this effort.

When: 12/4 - 12/6

Cost: Bracelets ($2 each) and Stickers ($1 each)

Parkway Holiday Cup

The annual Parkway Holiday Cup will take place from December 9th - Decemeber14th. During this week, we’ll be competing with other Parkway High Schools in school spirit days and community service efforts. One of our key initiatives will be collecting donations for FamilyForward, including new and gently used school supplies such as pens, pencils, folders, backpacks, and books. At PCH, donations will be collected in the upper commons each morning that week. The spirit days are listed below:

Monday = PJ Day
Tuesday = Meme/Character Day
Wednesday = Ugly Sweater Day
Thursday = Monochromatic Day
Friday = chool Spirit Day

Let's come together to support this great cause and win back the Parkway Holiday Cup!

The Corral Newspaper & PCHTV

The first digital edition of the student newspaper, The Corral, is out online! Go to pchcorral.com for the latest in student news, sports and more. You can also follow them on social media at pch_publications on Facebook and Instagram.

Additionally, the first episode of our student broadcast program, PCHTV, came out this week. Visit youtube.com/pchtv-stl to watch full episodes and individual stories.

Athletic Pass for 2024-2025

In Parkway, there is an admission fee for many athletic events, including football (all levels), varsity soccer, volleyball (all levels), and basketball (all levels). 2024-2025 admission fees are...

Adult- $5

Parkway Students Grades K-12 - $3

No charge for Pre-K and 65+

If you and / or your family will be attending multiple athletic events this school year consider buying an individual student or a family pass. Student passes are $40 and family passes are $110. Restrictions include...

Passes are valid for home events only.
Family passes include six (6) scans per contest.
Passes are not valid for tournaments or post-season play.
Passes are not valid for non-athletic events.

Click the image below to buy a digital pass. Students will need to enter the last name of their Academic Lab teacher (all lowercase and remove hyphens from hyphenated names) in order to receive student pricing.

Colts Corner Store

Colts Corner Store is Central High's school store and is located in the lower commons. Ms. Pam Foutch runs the Colts Corner Store and serves as Central High's school accounts specialist. Throughout the school year, students and parents will use the school store in two primary ways:

To purchase parking passes, dance tickets, school supplies, and various other items.
To pay course fees and school / district related fines.

In addition, Ms. Foutch monitors all payments made by families via Infinite Campus and provides updated spreadsheets to the coaches and sponsors. She also assists families via telephone or in person with questions regarding their students’ account information, payments, etc.

If you have questions about your school account (or that of your student's), Ms. Pam Foutch can be reached at (314) 415-7927 or pfoutch@parkwayschools.net.

The Parkway School District participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. This allows families the opportunity to apply for Free and Reduced Price Meal Benefits. The information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of determining eligibility.To apply, click on the button below.

Student Absences: Reminders for Parents

As a reminder to parents and guardians, please contact the appropriate grade level office when your student is absent from school. Missouri law and Parkway policy requires the school to keep accurate daily attendance records. To that end, a phone call or email from a parent or guardian on the day of a student absence is essential. At Central High, please call our dedicated attendance line at 314-415-7926. From there you will be prompted to choose one of four options:

Option 1 - 9th grade
Option 2 - 10th grade
Option 3 - 11th grade

Option 4 - 12th grade

Free & Reduced Meals

Click the button above to submit your confidential application.

Parkway Food Pantry

Parkway families and employees are now able to sign up for food pantry distributions this year by completing this form. Families don't have to sign up to come, but it helps us anticipate the number of patrons we will be serving, as well as enabling us to email those who register with updates and reminders before the day of distribution. Click on this link Parkway Food Pantry for additional information.

Find Your Bus Stop

To find your bus stop, click on the picture to the left.

Student Parking for 2024-2025

Only seniors and juniors who purchased a school issued parking pass are eligible to park on campus during school hours. In addition, student drivers are expected to display their school issued parking pass on their rearview mirror. Student drivers are expected to park in the school's main lot or the east lot (closest to Woods Mill Rd). Failure to follow expectations for student drivers is a violation of the school's discipline policy and may result in fines and / or other consequences.

Due to space limitations, sophomore and freshmen students are NOT eligible to park on campus during the school day --- no exceptions! Doing so is a violation of the school's discipline policy and may result in disciplinary consequences.

Morning Arrival Procedures

Students and Parents: Please review this section whether you are riding the bus to school, dropping off your student, or driving yourself.

Officer Chris Kaatmann, Central High's new school resource officer, and Mr. DePriest Ammons, Central High's daytime custodian, will be directing traffic in the morning to assist with dropoff. Please follow their directions.

Buses will dropoff students in the North Parking Lot. Students will exit the bus and enter through Door 40, the back entrance to the athletic wing.
Parent Drivers may enter campus through the main entrance or via Stadium Drive. You will then be directed to the front of school via the main driveway (do not enter the North Lot). Use the lane to the far RIGHT of the median and along the curb. Pull forward as much as possible, then let your student out. Please go slow and yield to students crossing from the main lot. Student should enter through Door #1 - Main Entrance.
Student Drivers may arrive on campus through the main entrance or via Stadium Drive. You will then be directed to the front of school via the main driveway (do not enter the North Lot). Use the lane to the far LEFT of the median, then proceed to either the Main Lot or the East Lot. Please go slow and yield to students crossing from the main lot. Student should enter school through Door #1 - Main Entrance.

Daily Building Procedures

Students and parents, please review the daily building procedures below.

The building opens to students at 07:00 am.
In the morning, students are expected to enter through Door #1 - Main Entrance (student drivers and students being dropped off) or Door #40 - Back Athletic Entrance (bus riders).
Breakfast is available from 07:00 am - 07:30 am.
Classes begin at 07:35 am. Students are expected to be in their assigned room by 07:35 am. For the first few days of school, we will work with students as some adjust to a new building and all to a new schedule.
The internal set of doors at the main entrance will be locked at 07:35 am. Students tardy to school will check in inside the new vestibule. Students will be issued a pass, then report to class.
All visitors, includng parents, are expected to enter through the main entrance and check in using vestibule.
Visitors cleared to enter the main building are expected to wear their school issued visitor badge for the duration of their visit to PCH.
Students dismissed during the school day (e.g. for an appointment with a parent) are expected to exit the building through the main entrance.
During school hours (07:00 am - 02:30 am), deliveries for students from outside entities, including, but not limited to, food delivery services are not allowed. Parents may continue to drop off items for students (e.g. lunch), when necessary.

Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Afternoon Dismissal Procedures

Students and Parents: Please review this section whether you are riding the bus home, picking up your student, or driving yourself.

Buses will line up on the front driveway using lanes to the RIGHT of the median for dismissal. Students riding the bus home should exit school through the main entrance or the theater entrance, then board their bus. School staff will be available to help students find their bus, especially for the first two weeks of the school year. Buses release at 02:37 pm, seven minutes after the dismissal bell.
Parent Drivers picking up students at dismissal may wait on the front, main driveway in the near lane to the LEFT of the median or on the SOUTH bound lane of Stadium Drive. Please do not park and wait in the North Lot. Go slow and yield to students.
Student Drivers should exit school through the main entrance or the theater entrance, then walk cautiously to their vehicle. As you exit the Main Lot or the East Lot, please be patient and follow the directives of the adult releasing buses and vehicles. Go slow and yield to students.

Parents: Update Your Family Profile

It is important to have accurate contact information for each family. Parents can update their Family Profile online using Infinite Campus or in the Infinite Campus Parent app. Please complete the update before the first day of school. Update your family profile HERE.