PLAINFIELD SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

COUGAR NEWSLETTER

Volume 4, Edition III

January-February, 2005

Important Dates:

• February 8 PTSO Meeting
• February 15 Exploration Night – Drauden Point Middle School
• February 17 Exploration Night – Ira Jones Middle School
• February 21 Presidents’ Day – NO SCHOOL
• February 22 Cougar Caravan
• February 24 Band Concert
• March 1 Choir Concert
• March 4 End of 4^th 6-Week Grading Period
• March 4 Teacher Institute – NO SCHOOL
• March 8 PTSO Meeting
• March 10 CAPE Awards - PHSCC

From the Desk of Dan Goggins:

v Well, the first semester came, went, and WOW – are good things going on here at Plainfield South High School. The students and staff continue to grow together and shape our school. We look forward to adding to that growth process by welcoming incoming freshmen on Explorations Night and registering them for classes. There was a lot of excitement around school recently, as our school was featured on the CBS morning news. The student clubs around school have been active raising funds for the victims of the Tsunami disaster and our athletic teams are competitive each time out. We strongly encourage parents and community members to come to South for the Cougar Caravan on February 22^nd to see for yourselves the many good things that are going on here and to have an opportunity to share your views. Remember, cougars can go by several names, including mountain lion, panther, and puma, but in reality it is always “best to be a Cougar”.

Have a great second half!

Student Services:

v Looking for financial assistance to pay for college or post high school training? Parents of seniors, don’t forget to log on to www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply for your PIN number. The PIN number is your electronic signature needed to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Every student planning to attend JJC or a four-year college/university needs to fill out the FAFSA. Most technical and trade schools also encourage filling out the FAFSA. Even if you feel that you may not qualify for financial assistance, the FAFSA SAR report is usually required documentation for other scholarships and financial aid packages offered by colleges.

Parents are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA on-line starting in January. However, before you can apply you need to receive your PIN number. So, why wait…Apply for the PIN today so you are set.

v Making College Count scheduled for Wednesday, March 23^rd is for seniors who have applied to colleges and other schools. It offers perspective to students on how to: set and achieve personal goals, avoid first year pitfalls, manage time and set priorities, achieve academic and career success, choose extracurricular activities to set themselves apart, utilize internships and develop experience that will impress future interviewers and graduate schools. Seniors interested in attending should sign up in Student Services by Monday, March 21^st.

v National Counseling Week is February 7^th through the 11^th, and to celebrate Plainfield South is having Career Round Tables all week long. We have invited some fascinating participants from the community to speak to interested students about their careers. There will be an FAA controller, a travel agent, a builder, a T.V. producer, a newspaper reporter, and a telecommunications pioneer, to name a few. This takes place in a small group setting, only twelve students per visit.

v “Pi (p) Day 2005”: Members of the Plainfield South Mathematics Department invite everyone to join in the celebration of Pi day! Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, (3.14), which also happens to be Albert Einstein’s birthday. How many digits of pi do you remember? PSHS students have shown in the past that they know as many as 67! Many math classes on 3.14 will be involved in activities to help celebrate p. Calculus classes will be determining the volume of many common solids, for example, the volume of a muffin. Some of the Algebra and Geometry classes will try to discover pi by blowing up balloons and measuring their circumference and diameter. Other students will be studying the many digits of pi to see if there are any patterns, or perhaps to discover if their birthday appears in the digits. Some classes will create bar graphs to show the most common digit in the first one hundred digits of pi. Those who like to sing will celebrate by singing some pi day songs. For the artist, there will be a pi to decorate and hang on their locker. It is a day we invite everyone to celebrate the many ways mathematics is fun!

v Guten Appetit! German 2 students did a project about food and restaurants in Germany. They created their own menus, wrote and performed skits using authentic props and costumes, and brought in German food to share with the whole class. Some of the dishes shared were Rouladen (beef rolls), Gulaschsuppe (goulash soup), and Spätzle (homemade noodles). Several of the students are of German heritage and brought in a dish that has been a tradition in their families. Thus, it was a great opportunity to share traditions, enjoy homemade German food, and learn about the German culture as well.