Palatine HS Principal's Newsletter
October 2023
Hello Pirate Parents,
It has been a great start of the school year! Our students and staff are working very hard to make sure we all help make this a great year.
Homecoming 2023 was a success. Students and staff celebrated throughout the week with Spirit Days as well as daily activities that provided us all with some exciting and most importantly a fun experience. We celebrated our Hall of Fame inductees during the Homecoming football game and the week was culminated by the Homecoming dance!
Parents, please continue to encourage your students to get involved in a club or activity. Please see the following site for a complete listing of all of our activities offered at PHS: https://adc.d211.org/domain/154. Students who are involved have a much higher level of success than those who do not participate in school activities. Activities offer students stronger connections to other students and staff and provide a sense of belonging that otherwise may not be present.
Thank you as always for your support! GO PIRATES!
Tony Medina
Principal
Pirate Boosters
We encourage all Palatine High School families and staff to support the efforts of PHS Boosters by becoming members of the Pirate Boosters Club. It is not too late to join!
With the Athletic Deluxe Booster Membership, you receive free passes to all home football AND basketball games! Please join today and help Boosters reach their fundraising goals which benefit ALL PHS students, clubs, departments and Booster Events! The money collected from our memberships directly funds all the Teacher Mini Grants and Scholarships.
Booster memberships can be purchased by visiting our PHS Booster Website.
On the PHS Booster website you can also find the school spirit wear store, prior year mini grant details, upcoming events and the link to volunteer opportunities.
The success of the Boosters is only possible through the involvement of PHS parents and the community. We hold regular meetings via Zoom on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm. We invite you to join us in our mission to support the students, faculty, and administration at PHS. The zoom link is emailed out to all Booster members in advance.
We are looking forward to the PHS Craft Fair on Saturday, November 4, 2023. Please also save the data for the PHS Dinner Auction on Friday, March 8, 2023. These are the two largest Booster fundraising events of the school year. Please consider attending and/or volunteering for these two wonderful fundraising events.
Don’t forget to visit the Pirate Boosters on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PHSBoosters, on Instagram @phspiratesboosters and Twitter (X) at @PalatineHSBooster to catch the latest news.
The 2023-24 school year is off to a great start and your PHS Pirate Boosters have been busy planning another exciting and successful school year.
Rachel Stevens and Mindy May
Co-Presidents
School Safety and Security Information
Safety and security are of utmost importance at Palatine High School. Students or parents who hear or witness something which they think might jeopardize student or staff safety or security should share this information in a confidential way with an administrator, teacher, or counselor. This can be done in person or by contacting a staff member. Other alternatives include using the anonymous reporting system on the PHS website or the Information Hotline at 847-755-1600.
Latinx Heritage Month
The Latinx Heritage Month Committee organized a series of events to celebrate the Latinx culture that makes our school community so special. Each event was planned with the purpose of fostering connections between our students, families and school. Activities included dance classes, craft days, Latino snack fundraisers, a photo booth, lotería (bingo) games during student lunches, dance performances and more.
Additionally, our families participated in various events, such as our Lotería night, which saw an impressive turnout of more than 50 families. La Kermés, another highlight, drew approximately 200 people, coming together to support our varsity soccer team and contribute to fundraising efforts for four of our clubs.Through these activities, we not only celebrated the Latinx culture but also embraced the power of unity, joy and shared learning.
Academic Corner
World Language
This school year, the World Language Department at Palatine High School has continued its success with Spanish and French language programs and with a 100% success rate with AP Spanish Literature students passing the AP Exam.
We have German 1 back in the books as a selected course and are hoping to run this course next year if we have enough student enrollment.
We are continuing our morning tutoring sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in room 293 from 7:45 to 8:15. On average we have about 5-6 students partake in strengthening their language abilities per day. We are in our tenth year running Spanish Advanced Topics (L476) class, where we have been triumphant in partnering with Virginia Lake Elementary School and having our high school students read to students in the bilingual classroom during late start morning work sessions.
We also gave a rebirth to our students of the quarter and our Honors Induction Program given to students who have maintained and earned a B+ average in all of their language classes. Each induction takes place in March, but students have to complete enrollment forms each fall after being enrolled in 3 consecutive semesters and averaging a B+ or higher.
We feel that as a department we are very well connected and strive to incorporate output skills in all of our classes that are aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards. We have been promoting the Seal of Biliteracy and hope to have more students in our upper language courses take advantage of taking the test in order to seek that seal of biliteracy on their diploma.
Our upper courses in Spanish and French continue to enhance their class field trips to Chicago’s Art Institute and then culminated at a “Tapas” Spanish restaurant in Chicago while the French visit the French Café and Market at Ogilvie Center or French Restaurant in Lake Zurich to bring real life experience and culture to their learning. Foreign Exchange Club continues to thrive, with more than 36 regular student attendance at our weekly meeting on Wednesday in room 283 from 3:35 to 4:30pm.
We are also hosting our German students from our sister school Marineschule in a suburb near Düsseldorf Germany named Krefeld. Foreign Exchange Club has continued to work towards service and volunteerism by collecting donations for our community and working on the Linus project where we make blankets each spring and donate them while also providing gifts during Christmas to Adopt an angel where we provide for a few families.
We are excited about next year’s summer trips to Guatemala, Germany and Canada or France where our very own Palatine students will be part of an unforgettable exchange trip. Our department overall is happy and delightful and because of our engagement to the program and our students, we always come out ahead. This was evident on our World Language Day this past month where we had student panelists talk about their travels abroad this summer and their love for learning a language and how traveling opens up this window of opportunity or baile viernes.
To students, parents and our community of language learners: Please continue to understand the path to proficiency, understanding that it takes time for one to be comprehensible in the language but one must try to speak, read and write while making mistakes in order to find success with language. Struggle will lead to success if one aims at trying to speak and learn the language. Learning the language isn’t just about grammar nor perfecting it but being communicative with the language and culture. Traveling abroad is part of this journey. If you want more information on learning languages or anything else mentioned above such as our exchange trips, please visit our school website. https://phsworldlanguage.wixsite.com/phsworldlanguage/home
Summer Exchange Trips Recap
Our summer exchange trips were back this summer. We previously highlighted our Spanish trip to Costa Rica. This month we would like to highlight our 30-plus year relationship with our sister school Marineschule Gymnasium located in Krefeld, Germany, a nearby suburb of Düsseldorf. We have also had a long-standing relationship with their two professors, Heike Lunkes and Silke Degen, who have run the trip for the last 20 years. It is because of their partnership that this trip continues to be a success.
This summer we had 14 PHS students go on this trip and return with a new profound admiration for Europe and travel as a whole. You can read more about this from a story of one of our very own student travelers who wrote a piece in our school newspaper Cutlass last month.
We also hosted 13 German students here for two weeks and they boast about our elective programs and rigor at Palatine while also are mesmerized by our facilities and activities offered after school. This past summer our students were able to visit places in the northern part of Germany such as Düsseldorf, Krefeld, Linn Castle, Köln and even spent a day in Amsterdam where we were able to visit and take a mini course on Anne Frank.
The students enjoyed their family time and variety of activities provided during their daily excursions into the German cities. The video provides a highlight into our trip and the pictures below show the German students here during their stay thru October 8th. If you are interested in traveling during summer 2024, come to our informational meeting on October 18, 2023 in room 293 at 5:30pm or see Mr. Correa, World Language Department Chairperson in office/room 297 for more information.
Dine and Share
Take a break from cooking and support Palatine High School through the Boosters Dine and Shares. Be on the lookout for a variety of restaurants each month that will give a percentage of sales back to the Palatine School community.
Upcoming Dine and Shares include:
11/8 All Day – Wendy's (265 N. Northwest Hwy location)
11/28 4-8pm – Papa Johns (Quentin and Northwest Hwy)
Buy Lou's, Support PHS
Pizza coupons are being sold for $13.25 each. The PHS Boosters get $5.00 for every pizza sold.
Coupons are good for one 9-inch frozen pizza at any Lou Malnati’s location.
Coupons are good for 6 months.
Options: Cheese, Sausage, Pepperoni or Spinach.
Coupons cannot be used for any other purchases or for shipping frozen pizzas.
Makes a great gift for the holidays, coaches, teachers, etc., or a great dinner that you can throw in the oven when you’re looking for something easy/quick to make!
Coupons are available for purchase from 10/1/2023 – 10/31/2023.
Check the Booster Website to order or visit https://phs.schoolauction.net/loumalnatis23
PHS Featured on ABC7
Pirate Golf
Pirate golf shot a school record 291 at the Dundee-Crown Invite at Randall Oaks GC in Carpentersville. Pablo Castro and Darrin Dick shot 71’s, Kasey May 73 and Will Slatkay 76 to make the score. Zach Marton shot 80 to round out the scoring.
Poms Performance
Poms Team attended U of I Band Day on September 23 and performed a halftime show alongside the Marching Illini and other Illinois high schools.
Pirate Pics
The pictures below highlight standout moments and accomplishments.
- Congrats to this year's Junior Board, selected by members of the Junior Class Club!
- Members of Junior Class decorate the bus hallway for Homecoming.
- Members of SASA pose with food items they brought for our South Asian breakfast meeting.
- Congrats to our senior tennis players Emily, Kate, Camila and Gabija!
First Semester SAT Prep Classes
Palatine High School is offering SAT Prep classes on Wednesdays (Reading & Writing prep) and Thursdays (Math prep). Each session will cover specific skills tested on the SAT, as well as test-taking tips, and opportunities for guided practice. Reading & Writing Sessions will run Wednesdays from 3:35pm to 5:35pm. Math Sessions will run Thursdays before school from 7:00am to 8:00am and after school from 3:35pm to 4:35 pm (AM and PM will cover the same material). All classes will be held in Room 379. No need to sign up in advance!
Dates to Remember
October 21 Incoming Freshman Testing, 8:00 am
October 24 D211/D15 Orchestra Festival, 7:00 pm
October 26 Trick-or-Treat Festival, 5:00-6:30 pm
October 27 Fall Improv, 7:00 pm
November 4 Booster Fall Craft Fair, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
November 16 & 17 Dance Show, 7:00 p.m.
November 21 Band Play-a-Thon, 7:00 pm
November 22 Non-Attendance Day
November 23 & 24 Thanksgiving Holiday
Join the D211 Communications Advisory
The District 211 Communications Advisory is a group of parents, staff, alumni, business partners and community members who help advise the Communications Department on topics relating to District- and school-level communications: what information you get and how you get it.
The group will meet in the evenings three times this school year: November 7, February 6 and April 23. This will be an in-person session. Those interested should fill out this application by October 27.