Cougar Campus News
August/September
05/06
Important
Dates:
o
September
5 Labor Day (no school)
o
September
8 Curriculum Night
o
Sept.
15/16 Underclassmen Pictures
o
Sept.
30 End of 1st 6-week
grading period
o
October
7 Teacher Institute (no school)
o
October
10 Columbus Day (no school)
o
Oct.
11-15 Homecoming Week
From the Desk of
Dan Goggins:
Hello again to a whole new school year! As part of the Plainfield South family we
will be sending you a hard copy of the newsletter every six weeks. We are doing this as part of our school
improvement goal to improve parental and community involvement and
communications. Each newsletter, which
can also be found on the website, will contain important dates and times of
events at PSHS. In addition, you will
be provided information about parenting programs, PTSO (Parent Teacher
Student Organization) updates, athletic booster updates, as well as
missions, values and goals for our school.
On occasion you will also receive student highlights, specific
department highlights and student achievement data. We are excited to be able to bring this into your home as an easy
read, highly informative document.
Research findings clearly indicate that parental involvement and
effective communications between the school and home significantly increases
student achievement and the quality of schools. It is to this end that we (school, parents and community) must do
all we can for our kids. We thank you
in advance for playing your part and, as always, “IT IS GOOD TO BE A COUGAR!”
Mission:
To empower all learners to contribute
and succeed in a changing world
o
Empower
– To promote the self actualization or influence of
o
All
– Every member
o
Contribute
– Play a significant role
o
Succeed
– to turn out favorable and desirable
Values:
v
The
kids come first. Decisions are based on
what is best for the students.
v
Great
teachers make great schools. The most
important factor influencing student achievement is the teacher.
v
Relationships
are the key.
v
Positive
Expectations
v
Systems
of Interventions
v
Collaboration
and a Professional Learning Community
v
Data
driven decisions
Goals:
1.
To
provide all students the opportunity to learn critical content necessary to
meet or exceed standards on PLAN, ACT, PSAE and common assessments
2.
To
improve student literacy
3.
To
improve parental and community involvement and communication
4.
To
provide a safe and orderly environment with special emphasis on student
attendance, teaching respect and celebrating diversity
From the National Standards
for Parent/Family Involvement Programs 100 Ways for Parents to Be Involved in
Their Child’s Education:
1.
Give
positive feedback and show appreciation for teachers and the principal.
2.
Approach
interactions with a positive attitude and an open mind.
3.
Listen
to other’s viewpoints.
4.
Share
your student’s strengths, talents, and interests with the teachers.
5.
Share
expectations and set goals together for your student.
6.
Make
appointments as needed to discuss your student’s progress or concerns.
7.
Attend
parent teacher conferences and curriculum nights with specific questions.
8.
Indicate
the best way to give you information (phone, e mail, notes, etc.)
9.
Understand
and reinforce school rules and expectations at home.
10.
Participate
in informal opportunities to talk with and get to know school staff.
Perfect ACT Score:
PSHS senior Nicholas W. Edds
achieved a perfect score of 36 on the ACT test taken in April as part of the
Prairie State Achievement Exam. He was
one of only 30 Illinois students, out of a total of about 127,500 who took the
ACT test in April. We congratulate him
on his outstanding performance. In a letter
recognizing this exceptional achievement, ACT president Richard L. Ferguson
pointed out that Nicholas should have a choice of the widest possible range of
future educational options. ACT scores
are accepted by virtually all U.S. colleges and universities. Nicholas also scored perfect 5’s on the AP
(Advanced Placement) tests in Calculus, U.S. History and English Language
Composition.
Scholarship Awarded:
The American Association of
Teachers of French has announced that Margarita Levasseur, French teacher at
Plainfield South High School has been awarded an AATF Summer Scholarship to
Quebec, Canada, offered by the Quebec Ministry of International Relations in
2005. The scholarships are intended to
allow teachers to perfect their language skills and learn about the culture
firsthand in an immersion setting.
We congratulate Margarita on
receiving this scholarship.
New Security Check-in:
Ø As mentioned in a recent
letter to you, our school has acquired a new system to help protect your
children – it is called V-soft. V-soft
helps track visitors, students, faculty, contractors and volunteers at our
school, thus providing a safer more monitored environment for the students.
When visitors, volunteers or
contractors check in or parents come to pick up students, they will be asked to
present a valid state issued Driver’s License for entering into the
system. The system has the ability to
provide alerts on people who may jeopardize the safety of the campus.
Students will be asked to
present their student ID for purposes of monitoring late arrivals to school and
early departures from school. We feel
certain this will help us keep our campus safer, and ask for your cooperation
in presenting your valid state issued Driver’s license when checking in at the
school. Thank you in advance for your
cooperation in this matter.
Plainfield South Athletic
Boosters Need You!
v Our mission is to promote and
support the athletic programs and student athletes at PSHS. Last year, the Booster Club raised over
$35,000 through fundraisers and concessions with the help of parents like
you. Please show your support by
becoming a member. If you are
interested, contact the PSHS athletic office or send us the following
information along with $10.00: Name, Address, Phone #, e-mail, and son’s/daughter’s
name and sport. The meeting schedule is
the first Monday of each month (except holidays, 2nd Monday) at 7
p.m. in room 198. Stop in and see us;
we are seeking your support and assistance.
Thanks and GO COUGARS!!!!
PTSO Meets the New Year with
New Ideas:
Your Cougar Parent/Teacher Student Organization welcomes you to a new and promising school year! Our new board is a dynamic group of seasoned volunteers who are dedicated to contributing to an awesome high school experience for our kids.
New Member’s Form/Brochure
One of the new things about the PTSO this year you
may have noticed in your registration packet: our brochure/membership
form. We hope our expanded format gives
you a good idea of what we do and who we are.
Memberships continue to trickle in, so if you still have yours at home,
this may serve as a reminder to mail it in.
Your $10 donation makes all our work possible and your show of support
is not only appreciated, but also necessary, for us to continue to be
effective. Don’t forget to provide your
e-mail address to receive daily announcements, news of upcoming events, and
minutes for our members’ meetings.
New Meeting Time
In an effort to make our meetings more accessible to
parents who work outside the home, we have changed our meeting time from 4:30
p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Our next two meetings
on September 13th and October 4th will primarily be
dedicated to approving our 2005-2006 budget, and preparing for Homecoming
Week. We would love to have input from
many parents, faculty and students at these meetings. We meet in the Media Center for about an hour. We can use all willing and able persons with
bold and beautiful ideas!
New Cougar Homecoming Kick-Off Fun
This year we are hosting a new fund-raising event to kick off the Homecoming festivities on Tuesday evening, October 11th. PTSO will be sponsoring a donkey ball game in the gym, with a team of staff battling a team of boys’ basketball players in a match that promises to
Plainfield South High School
7800 W. Caton Farm Road
Plainfield,
IL 60586
be hysterical fun for the
whole family. We will need volunteers
to sell tickets and concessions at the game.
Look for more details as we draw closer to Homecoming Week! We will again be hosting the Alumni Pasta
Dinner, and of course we will be on hand to decorate and make the Homecoming
Dance a fun and memorable evening.
Darlene Conrad is the woman to call (436-6633) if you can lend your
energies to our Homecoming activities.
Cougar Corner Bookstore More Accessible
Another new improvement for
this year involves the Cougar Corner Bookstore. We will now be open every morning from 7:30 a.m. to 8:10
a.m. We offer students an opportunity
to purchase books required for English classes and common school supplies at
less than retail. If you have hour
free, and would be willing to volunteer one day a week, Barb Calderone would
love to hear from you at 439-6834.
Scholarship Awards
PTSO is proud to announce the awarding of 9 scholarships of $500 to deserving 2005 graduating PSHS seniors. Have your senior stop by the College and Career Center or Student Services to get more information on applying for scholarships.
We are excited about the year
ahead! We hope you are too! We look forward to hearing from our members
about their concerns and ideas.
Your Cougar PTSO Board:
Cathy Noa (577-9101) &
Melanie Jones (254-4755) – Co Presidents
Sue Dziuda (254-1713) – Vice
President
Lisa Hiestand (577-5845) –
Treasurer
Paulette Aldis (577-5512) -
Secretary