Tiger Update

Tiger Nation,

We board our education vessel that is Pickerington High School Central starting this Thursday when our ninth grade students with last names A-K come in to kick the year off with day one of our staggered start. Day two will see the remainder of our ninth graders with last names L-Z come in Friday to round out the week. The early days of the school year bring so many emotions; happiness; excitement; nervousness; fear; and uncertainty as well. I hope that ALL of our students come in with a clear mind and a clear understanding of the goals that they want to achieve this school year. It will take hard work and consistency to make progress toward achieving those goals. I know that my daily goal is to try to make Central better than it was the day before. A constant and laser-like focus on our CORE values of Trust, Integrity, and Empathy provide a wonderful foundation for helping everyone work toward their goals. My hope for everyone this year is that you find ways to work through the inevitable difficulties that will present themselves to you. Lean on one another to find common strength in our unity to push each other toward success. Remember that failure is not fatal...it is a natural part of the learning process AND it means that you are trying and are in the game.

Let's have a fantastic journey and help each other along the way. I know I will be a better person at the end of this wonderful journey.

Tiger Up,

Mr. Lanier

August 13 4-6 p.m.: Tiger Open House and Meet the Teacher. Students and families are welcome to visit Central to meet their 2024-25 teachers.

August 13 6-7 p.m.: New student presentation. New students and their families are welcome to attend a presentation to help them learn more about PHSC. You will meet the administrative and counseling team in this presentation as well.

August 15: Staggered Start Day 1: 9th grade students with the last name A-K come to school. This is a regular day time wise (7:55 a.m.-2:55 p.m.); buses will pick up students at their normal a.m. pick up times.

August 16: Staggered Start Day 2: 9th grade students with the last name L-Z come to school. This is a regular day time wise (7:55 a.m.-2:55 p.m.); buses will pick up students at their normal a.m. pick up times.

August 19: First day of school for ALL students.

August 20, 6-7 PM: Workforce Development Center Meeting at the Fairfield County Workforce Center.

August 22: School Pictures for all students (we will conduct an additional photo session for senior pictures on Tuesday, October 8).

PHSC does not have a general school supplies list. Each class may have specific supplies for their course and this will be communicated by the teacher at the beginning of the school year. Students need the typical supplies of notebooks, paper, and writing utensils. Students should make sure that their chromebook is charged and ready to go each day. 9th grade students will receive their new chromebook device during the staggered start days on August 15 or August 16.

Students and families can pay outstanding school fees online using the links in Infinite Campus. It is important to stay ahead of this as students progress through high school as unpaid fees will affect students' graduation and transcripts their senior year. Please reach out to the school if you have questions or need financial assistance.

Twelve Grade Immunization Requirements

Per the Ohio Department of Health, all students entering grade 12 must show documentation of having received two doses of Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine before being allowed to attend school in the fall. Your student will not be able to start school on August 15th and devices will be deactivated until documentation of the required vaccine or a signed exemption form is on file.

New Students Immunization Requirements

All new students to Pickerington Schools must present written evidence of immunizations or written evidence to indicate that they are in the process of receiving immunizations, to be completed no later than the day of entrance. Students failing to complete immunizations within 14 days after entering are not permitted to return to school.

Please review the pdf below for important immunization information for the Class of 2024. Failure to complete this process will prevent students from attending school.

Lunch Program: Lunch (and Breakfast) is Free for all students for the 24/25 School Year! Click here for more information.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application: Families MUST apply and qualify for reduced SCHOOL fees for 2024-25 school year. This process is done each year.

My Payment Plus Account: Use this link to load money into your students My Payment Plus Account.

• Information about My Payment Plus can be found at the following link.

PHSC is launching a new student led tutoring program this year. Students interested in becoming tutors on the Zap Team should click the Zap Team Volunteer Form and complete it. Zap Team tutors will push into study halls to provide support to their fellow Tigers. This is a great way to earn volunteer hours and to give back to Tiger Nation. Remember the quote, "a rising tide raises all boats." Our Zap Team will help raise everyone up at Central so that they experience success.

The Zap Team will work to get organized in August and will begin pushing into study halls in September. #TigerUp

We believe that regular attendance to school plays an important role in our students' academic success. Whenever possible, we ask that routine appointments and travel are scheduled outside of the school day.

In the event that a student will be absent from school, parents are asked to notify the school by 10:00 AM by calling the 24-hour Attendance Hotline, 614-548-1801. Additionally, please notify the school office in advance, either by phone or in writing, if your student will need to leave school early. Students must obtain a dismissal pass, and be signed out by the office before being permitted to leave the building. Please be prepared to show appropriate ID in order for the student to be released to you.

Also, please review the bell schedule for the starting times of the start of school along with each class period. It is imperative that students arrive on time for school and for their classes. Arriving on time gives students the maximum amount of instructional time in each class and correlates to success in the classroom. Let's make this a priority for our entire school community!!

For detailed information regarding PLSD's Attendance Policy, as well as The State of Ohio's Administrative Code, please refer to Board Policy 5200.

Administrators: Tom Lanier, Principal

• A-D - Carly Wells, Assistant Principal

• E-K - Lazaro Fuentes, Assistant Principal

• L-Ri - Roshawn Parker, Lead Assistant Principal

• Ro-Z - Joseph Cooper, Assistant Principal

Counselors: Please note that the Counselor Alpha has been adjusted. Click on the counselor name to schedule an appointment with the counselor.

• A-Co - Jennifer Dashner

• Cr-Ho - Maria Perez

• Hu-Moon - Ashlee Hoffman

• Moore-Sh - Chris Peirano

• Si-Z - Marieca Mattox

We are pleased to offer our students in the Class of 2028 a chance to experience their first day of school with the support of their fellow students and our staff with our Staggered Start days August 15 and 16. Ninth grade students whose last names begin with A-K will attend school on August 15 while Ninth grade students whose last names begin with L-Z will attend school on August 16.

Students will participate in team building activities; follow an abbreviated bell schedule so that they can meet their teachers; get a guided tour of the building from our Link Crew Student Leaders; and receive their new chromebook device. This is a great way to start the year on a positive note!!

We conducted a cap and gown senior photo shoot last year and will do it again this year on October 8. We will provide students with a cap and gown to wear for the photo shoot. More details about this event will be in the newsletter as we get closer to the date.

Please complete the form below to submit your application to volunteer at Central this year. Please note that there is a background check process for level II volunteers that is part of the application. Volunteers are managed at the building level instead of District Office Please reach out to Joseph Cooper, Assistant Principal (joseph_Cooper@plsd.us), if you have questions about volunteering at Central.

Lisa Morelli - Athletic Director - lisa_morelli@plsd.us

Evan Doughty - Assistant Athletic Director -evan_doughty@plsd.us

Mary Jo Carlisle - Athletic Secretary - maryjo_carlisle@plsd.us

Office Number - (614) - 548 - 1825

Welcome to another exciting year of Tiger Athletics. We look forward to seeing students, parents, and community members come out to support our Tigers this year. Due to the passing of House Bill 147, we have new ticket prices this year to attend our home athletic events. These ticket prices are the same for online and cash sales at the gate.

All Varsity level athletic events are $10 for adults and $8 for students.

All lower level athletic events (JV,freshman, and junior high) are $7 for adults and $5 for students.

To help offset the cost of attending home Pickerington Central/Ridgeview athletic contests we offer year long passes. These passes are good for ALL home contests, ALL sports, ALL year. The costs are below:

Adult - $103 + fees

Student - $53 + fees

We also offer a free senior citizen pass for residents of Pickerington who are at least 62 years of age or older. Contact the athletic department to obtain this pass.

We also offer reserved seats for all home varsity football contests ($60 for 6 home games) and reserved parking spots for all home varsity contests ($30 for 6 home games). We encourage our families and community members to purchase the reserved parking, which is the easiest access to the new stadium.

Pickerington Central/Ridgeview Ticket Box Office

https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/Page/126

To get the latest information or schedules for any of our Tiger Teams visit our new athletic website

https://pickeringtoncentral.bigteams.com/

Final Forms for parent/athlete registration

https://pickerington-oh.finalforms.com/

NFHS Live Streaming Link for all Home Events

https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/

The Pickerington Central Athletic Department takes pride in hosting all of all home athletic contests. We strive to create a positive environment for all athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators. When attending our athletic contests please remember to ACT with dignity, SPEAK with courtesy, and PLAY with pride.

We encourage ALL of our students and staff to know the words to our Fight Song and be ready to sing it at games and special events. We even have a Fight Song challenge that we'll do in conjunction with Homecoming week. The tune is to 'On Wisconsin' so look it up on YouTube and get your vocals ready for this year's contest!!

Fight Song:

Purple White, Purple White

Wrap up that ole score.

We're the team with lots of pep

So let's pep it up some more.

Purple, White; Purple, White

Fight on to your fame.

Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight

To win this game!!

Pickerington High School Central

300 Opportunity Way

Pickerington, Ohio 43147

614-548-1800

https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/pickerington-central-high/