PIRATES’ SPYGLASS

Website: www.phillipsprep.com Twitter: @phillipsprep42

Facebook (PTSA administered): PPS PTSA

May/June 2017

IMPORTANT DATES April 28 – 8th Grade Field Trip to Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theater in Montgomery May 1-4 – PPS Volleyball Clinic and Try-outs May 2-3 – PPS Football Try-outs May 5 – 8th Grade French Field Trip to New Orleans May 10 – National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony (by invitation only)

May 11 – Recycle Club Field Trip May 12 – 8th Grade Social May 23 – Honors Day at PPS for 6th grade (9:00 AM) and 7th grade (12:30 PM) (by invitation only; see newsletter

announcement) May 24 – Honors/Awards Day at PPS for 8th Grade (9:00 AM) (by invitation only; see newsletter announcement) May 25 – 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony Practice Field Trip at The Grounds (9:00 AM) May 29 – Memorial Day HOLIDAY June 1 – 8th Grade “Meet and Weep” for students only (12 noon) (see newsletter announcement) June 1 – Promotion Ceremony for 8th Grade at The Grounds (6:00 PM) (see newsletter announcement) June 2 – Students’ LAST DAY OF SCHOOL EVERY DAY 1st Bell of the Day rings at 7:25 AM and 1st Class of the Day begins at 7:30 AM (tardy bell) Final Bell of the Day rings at 2:30 PM 2:35 PM - Carpool & walkers report to side or front of school for pick-up.

NEWS for PARENTS & STUDENTS from ADMINISTRATION

UNIFORM NOTICE for BUSINESS WEDNESDAYS – All Grades Blazers are no longer required for springtime Business Day Wednesdays (requirement is for October through April only). Ties will continue to be required. If, however, a student would like to wear outerwear on a Business Wednesday, then the blazer (grades 6 & 7) and PPS sweater (grade 8) are still the acceptable Business Day Wednesday choices.

NEWS for PARENTS & STUDENTS from TEACHERS UPCOMING SPRING RECOGNITION/HONORS EVENTS – All Grades 6th Grade – May 23, 9:00 AM - 6th Grade Class Honors/Awards Day on

campus for those students receiving class awards; Due to seating space restrictions in the gym, attendance is by invitation only - parents of recipients will receive an invitation.

7th Grade – May 23, 12:30 PM - 7th Grade Class Honors/Awards Day on campus for those students receiving class awards; Due to seating space restrictions in the gym, attendance is by invitation only - parents of recipients will receive an invitation.

8th Grade - May 24, 9:00 AM (time change from earlier announcements) – 8th Grade Class Honors/Awards Day on campus for those students receiving class awards; Due to seating space restrictions in the gym, attendance is by invitation only - parents of recipients will receive an invitation.

June 1, 12:00 noon – “Meet and Weep” final good-byes party for 8th graders only June 1, 6:00 P.M. – Promotion Ceremony for all 8th graders @ The Grounds at Zeigler and

Cody Roads (location change from first announcement) - Top Ten announced, Top Scholar and Top Citizen speak; all 8th grade students will be recognized and will come forward, shake Mrs. Hartzog’s hand, and receive their PPS certificate.

OPPORTUNITIES TO VOTE FOR PPS – All Grades

Help us win money and supplies for our science

classes!

http://www.siemensstemday.com/sweepstakes/enter

Vote for PPS as Best Middle School in Mobile County! 2017 Nappies - Lagniappe Mobile votenappies.com http://votenappies.com/#/

ERIN’s LAW SAFETY CURRICULUM – All Grades

In 2015, the Alabama Legislature passed Erin’s Law, which mandates

that each school system provide a personal safety curriculum

dealing with sexual abuse prevention and awareness education for

all students, grades K-12. MCPSS’s safety curriculum has been

updated and revised to meet the guidelines set forth by our state

legislature. Our counselors, Stacey Eiland and Madonna Burden,

will be sending home additional materials and information about

this updated curriculum and will be teaching the curriculum in classes at all grade levels and

in collaboration with classroom teachers during the end of 4th quarter. For more information

about Erin’s Law, see http://erinslaw.org/.

YEARBOOK BALANCES – All Grades If you owe a yearbook balance of $19.00, it is past due! Please send your check to Ms. Fosnight in room A106 now!

MIDDLE YEARS COUNSELING NEWSLETTER – PARENTS of All Grade Levels The PPS counselors, Madonna Burden (6th grade) and Stacey Eiland (7th & 8th grades) send out a monthly Middle Years newsletter for parents. It will usually come as second attachment in the email with the Pirates’ Spyglass newsletter and will also be posted on the PPS website (www.phillipsprep.com). The purpose of each newsletter is to promote ways for home and school to work together for school success.

NEWS for PARENTS & STUDENTS from the NURSE

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL and ACCESS TO THE SCHOOL NURSE Students are not allowed to carry any type of medication on person. Certain medications such as inhalers for asthma may be carried on person when a completed SCHOOL MEDICATION PRESCRIBER/PARENT AUTHORIZATION FORM is signed by the prescribing physician and authorized by the parent. A parent/guardian must contact the school nurse, Ms. Donna Campbell, RN, and/or school office if a child has the need for medication at school. Nurse Campbell is available at Phillips Prep daily from 7:00 am until 2:30 pm. You may contact her at 221-2282 to discuss your child’s health concerns or if you need a medication form, have questions or need further clarification of the medication policy. Please note: A student found carrying medication on person at school without permission will be subject to disciplinary actions.

STUDENTS IN THE NEWS

STATE SCIENCE FAIR WINNER - MaKensey Alford

Congratulations to MaKensey Alford who placed second in the Zoology and Botany Division at State of Alabama Science and Engineering Fair in Huntsville. This event was held on April 6th and 7th, and is only open by invitation to students placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd at their regional science fair. In addition to placing second in the state in her division, MaKensey also was invited to the National Middle School Science Fair.

NATIONAL HISTORY DAY PARTICIPANTS & STATE/COUNTY WINNERS – MIDDLE SCHOOL Most counties only send a couple of projects to the Alabama National History Day competition in Montgomery each year, but PPS was so successful at the Mobile County level, that our school alone took 48 projects and 70 students from Phillips Prep to Montgomery this past Friday, April 21! PPS Pirates have dominated, winning 19 of the 24 junior level place awards for middle school for MOBILE COUNTY, and 14 of the 24 places at the STATE LEVEL. Alabama’s qualifiers will compete in Washington, D.C. this summer from June 11-15. Way to go, PIRATES!!! EXHIBITS – Group & Individual Savannah Creel & Rachel Cuthkelvin Gracie Falgout & Maleah King Sophie Formwalt &Anna Marie Fulton Ruth Delmas & Jocelyn Bradley – STATE 3rd

place group; MOBILE COUNTY 2nd place group

Jailah Pickens & Imani Ivory

Makayla Cross & Harley Riddle Chloe Fernandez & Victoria Fernandez –

MOBILE COUNTY 3rd place group Louisa Bagot & Sarah Kerr Daisy Detiveaux & Lien Nguyen – MOBILE

COUNTY 1st place group

EXHIBITS continued Brynn Devries – MOBILE COUNTY 1st place Joshua Burnham – MOBILE COUNTY 3rd place Hope Coleman Hailey Phelps Madeline Erickson Walker Carlisle Emma McElroy Anna Daniels Julianne Legg Logan Norris Noah Clark Caroline McLendon Starlyn Fistein – MOBILE COUNTY 2nd place PERFORMANCES – Group & Individual Tiyanna Watson & Deztonie Cunningham –

STATE 2nd place group David Couch & Ethan Bruton Lexi Day & Isabelle Gautier & Alice Miller –

STATE 3rd place group; MOBILE COUNTY 3rd place group

Kendall Floore & Colleen Bearden & Autumn Cuthkelvin – STATE 1st place group; MOBILE COUNTY 2nd place group

Orin Wilson & Darryon Pough & Dominic Nettles & Deyshun Turner

Isabel Mayo – MOBILE COUNTY 3rd place Alicia Jones – STATE 3rd place; MOBILE

COUNTY 2nd place Daisy Ferrell – STATE 1st place; MOBILE

COUNTY 1st place Makensey Alford Molly Kate Blair – STATE 2nd place WEBSITES – Group & Individual Jasmine Ngo & Isabelle Reimer Miguel Gapud & Austin Henn – STATE 3rd

place group; MOBILE COUNTY 3rd place group

Meredith Hamrick & Sallie Herndon – MOBILE COUNTY 2nd place group

WEBSITES – Group & Individual continued Dash Allred & Parker James – STATE 2nd place

group Adhvika Mahadevan & Vivenne Raczkowski –

MOBILE COUNTY 1st place group K K Inman – STATE 1st place; MOBILE COUNTY

1st place Madison Hayes Loren Lewis Ligaya Gapud Jordan Hobbs – MOBILE COUNTY 2nd place Lydia Burnham Elias Jones Audrey Diczhazy DOCUMENTARIES – Group & Individual Tracy Nguyen & Morgan Split – STATE 2nd

place group Faith Riley & Shajerian Jamison – STATE 1st

place group Marina Gibson & Hannah Broders – STATE 3rd

place group; MOBILE COUNTY 3rd place group

Alex Shelley-Tremblay Haley Kennedy – STATE 3rd place; MOBILE

COUNTY 2nd place Jayde Garrettson Evan Callaghan Aydin Plosczynski – MOBILE COUNTY 1st place Brenna Moody Sebastian Cubitt

TECHNOLOGY, PIRATE, and BAND CAMPS – All Grades See LATEST NEWS on the PPS website (www.phillipsprep.com) for hot links to forms and more information about PPS’s summer TECHNOLOGY, PIRATE, and BAND CAMPS.

FOR MORE

INFORMATION

VISIT

NEWS about International Baccalaureate (IB)

IB LEARNER PROFILE OF THE MONTH: REFLECTIVE: Looking back at the year

It is hard to believe this school year is almost over. It is time to look back over the year and see where changes need to be made for next year. IB defines this as being reflective. When students are reflective, they consider their own learning and experience. They can assess and understand their strengths and limitations to support their learning and personal development. It is important to sit down with our students and help them reflect on the school year. We as parents can help our

students look back on the year and see what they did well and what areas they could improve in for next year. If your student did not make honor roll this year, a simple change in study habits or homework habits could help them achieve this goal for the following school year. Being reflective also means looking at the positive things which happened this year such as making a sports team, winning in the Science Fair or National History Day Competition. Reflection helps us become better individuals as we learn how to reevaluate ourselves and our goals. You will be amazed at what happens when you and your student reflect on the school year!