PHS Newsletter

We are off and running at Pella High School! I love the energy of our student body; what a great group of kids. Thanks for sharing them with us and for partnering in their education; our staff is excited for what this school year will hold!

Josh Manning, Principal

Derek Schulte, Assistant Principal

Senior parents, you should be extremely proud of your students. They engaged in the "Senior Challenge" yesterday, and it was a moving experience to be a part of. I was impressed by the authenticity of our seniors, and I would encourage you to ask them about it. We will do a recap in four weeks during iLead. Class of 2024, you are amazing people!

We are excited to share that Pella High School was recently ranked the eighth ranked high school in Iowa. Read more below!

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/iowa/districts/pella-community-school-district/pella-high-school-7755

Lifetouch will be at the High School on September 12th to take school pictures. Picture retakes will be on October 24.

September

4th No School - Labor Day

12th 3-Week Grade Check

12th School Pictures

13th 90 minute early dismissal for PD

20th 90 minute early dismissal for PD

27th 90 minute early dismissal for PD

October

3rd 6-Week Grade Check

4th 90 minute early dismissal for PD

11th 90 minute early dismissal for PD

18th 90 minute early dismissal for PD

24th Mid-Term Grade Dues

25th 90 minute early dismissal for K-6 conferences

26th No School

27th No School

During Fall iLeads, students will be working on a presentation they will present to their parents during the scheduled November conference. These activities will relate to the students’ future career, college, and life plans. Also, during this time, students will share their class requests and complete their registration for the following school year with their parents. Pella High School’s goal is to partner with parents in students’ class, college, career, and life planning.

We’re excited to continue our Leader in Me journey at the high this new school year! After reviewing the habits last year, it’s time to start putting them into practice. This year, we are going to focus in on the areas of Family & Community Partnerships, Service Learning, & Building Trust. Everything we do in these focus areas will be centered around growing and improving our school culture and climate.

Be on the lookout for opportunities for families and community members to really get involved! One of the new and big ways we get to partner with our families this year is through our Future Ready Conferences in November. More detail and information will be coming!

For now, let’s start off this school year with a quick 7 Habits refresher:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive (I’m Responsible for Me)

• Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (Have a Plan)

• Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play)

• Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Everyone Can Win)

• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen Before You Talk)

• Habit 6: Synergize (Together Is Better)

• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Balance Feels Best)

In order to encourage the 7 Habits language at home, here are some questions you can ask your child:

• How were you proactive today?

• What is your end in mind with this project/work/task?

• How do you plan to put first things first in this situation?

• What would be a win-win for us? I want to hear what you think first and then I will share

• How do you know when you are being listened to?

• How can we work together on this?

• How would you like to sharpen your saw today?

For important information pertaining to seniors, please see the link below, which can be found on our high school website:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RpDV0x93FxMzFeqEzEVeVui7N-yM_t8BAdAitSrul6M/preview

The Senior Bulletin also includes local and other scholarship opportunities. As we receive information about scholarships, we will add it to the bulletin in order of the scholarships’ deadlines.

College Admission representatives visit Pella High School from time to time. When a college schedules a visit, junior and senior students may attend the session to gain a better understanding of that institution. Most visits are scheduled during lunch in the library. The daily announcements will notify students which colleges will be visiting that week, so they can plan to attend and learn more about their colleges of interest.

Sunday, September 25th - Golden Circle College Fair @ Prairie Meadows Conference Center (Altoona)

If you are interested in more details on the College Fair in DM, please click the link. College Fairs are a great way for families to explore college options for future planning with students. Many different institutions will be in attendance to share information, 2 year community colleges and 4 year colleges - local and out-of-state.

Wed/Thurs, Oct 9 & 10 - ZAPS ACT workshop @ Pella HS

An ACT workshop is planned at Pella High School for October 9 & 10. An instructor from the ZAPS organization will lead students in a classroom setting workshop with tips and strategies for the ACT standardized test. It is encouraged for juniors to take the ACT test in April or June if they anticipate attending a four year institution. Visit the Doorway to College website for registration, study tips and statistics on the ZAPs workshop benefits. Another ZAPS workshop is being planned in March for ACT preparation closer to the Spring testing dates.

The ACT registration website has all testing dates and deadlines for the 2022-23 school year.

Wednesday, Oct 18 - PSAT

PSAT testing info

The Preliminary SAT is co-sponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The PSAT/NMSQT is available to students in grade 11 and is a great practice for taking the SAT. This year’s test will be administered on Wednesday, October 18th. Students wishing to take the PSAT/NMSQT may sign up on the form emailed to them beginning September 1. The deadline for signing up is September 8.

College and Career planning

The Pella HS counseling office is available to students and parents to assist with college and career planning. If more information is needed, please contact one of the counselors, Mrs. Manning or Mrs. Van Zante, to schedule an appointment.

Applying to college? Please follow these steps on the Pella District website for any official transcript requests: pellaschools.org/transcript or click HERE.

Homecoming week is October 2-6.

Important Dates:

Tuesday, September 26 - Homecoming Court is announced

Monday, October 2 - King and Queen Coronation @ 11:05

• The coronation assembly will take place in the HS auditorium

• Catered meal for court parents to follow coronation assembly

• Parents of the homecoming court may attend the coronation assembly

Thursday, October 5 - Classes Dismissed @ 1:45

• 1:50 - 2:40 PM - Class Competitions

• 2:45 PM - Drama Skits and Lip Sync

• 6:00 PM - Jungle Volleyball at the High School

• 7:15 PM - PowderPuff Football to follow Jungle Volleyball at the Pella HS Stadium

Friday, October 6 - Homecoming Pep-Assembly

• 2:45 PM - High School Pep Assembly @ Pella HS Stadium (weather permitting)

Homecoming Dance to follow the football game in the High School Commons

Parents and students have individual access to view grades, attendance, assignments online via the Campus Parent Portal and Campus Student Portal. This link also allows parents to print report cards for insurance purposes (under the Documents tab), deposit money for school fees (under the Fees tab) and other items (under the Optional Payments under the Fees tab), and update demographic information (under the More tab).

Download the Campus Parent app from the App Store and use the district name of PELLA. Enter your Infinite Campus parent portal username and password to log in. This app allows you to view lunch balances, grades, assignments, and student schedules. See all your students in one app!

If you have forgotten your Infinite Campus portal username and password, please contact Shayla Gift at shayla.gift@pellaschools.org.

Twitter - @pellaschools and @pellahigh

Facebook - Pella Schools

Instagram - @pellaschools

Website

www.pellaschools.org