February 4, 2022

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Ryan Kelling

New Principal Selected

I am thrilled to share the news that the principal search is over and that Sean Keating will be taking over as the next principal here at PCMS. Sean has a wide variety of experience and came across as calm, supportive, and student-focused in the public portion of the interview process. To read more about Sean, please check out our district’s website.

Black History Month

February brings with it Black History Month, a great time to, as then-President Gerald Ford said when he became the first president to officially recognize the celebration, “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

This year’s theme for the recognition is Black Health and Wellness, and we will be creating and sharing mini-lessons that students will view in their Advisory classes as well as other recognitions throughout the month. Heritage months like these are a great opportunity to recognize and share a more-complete version of our nation’s history and I encourage you to ask your student about their learnings during this month.

Green Team Grant

We are fortunate to have a Green Team here at PCMS, where students take a hands-on approach to recognizing humans’ impact on the environment around them and in taking some proactive, as well as corrective, measures to mitigate those negative impacts.

This week, the PCMS Green Team was awarded a $600 grant from a local non-profit organization, Earth Win.  The grant will cover the costs of trees that the Green Team intends to plant on PCMS campus to offset carbon emissions of students commuting to school.  Green Team is also running a month-long competition between Advisories to inspire students to reduce emissions by finding greener ways to commute to school. 

Just another example of our students connecting their learning to the community!

High School Preparations

For our 8th grades students and families, high school is now just one semester away! As you prepare for next year, we want to share information on our district’s choice high schools, Realms and Bend Tech Academy. I have experience in alternative education (even in this district), and know that there is tremendous value in the rare atmosphere and opportunity schools can offer all students, even those who may not be an obvious candidate for the experience only a small school can provide.

Both schools will host information nights at their respective schools for prospective students and families to learn more about their offerings, as will Bend High, to discuss its International Baccalaureate program. Dates below.

  • Feb. 1 BLPS online enrollment opens for 22-23 school year. New Area Change Request (ACR) process opens in ParentVue
  • Feb. 9 BTA@MHS Information night 6 pm to 7 pm, Main Gym
  • Feb. 10 Realms HS Information night 6 pm to 7 pm, Main Commons
  • Feb. 15th BTA@MHS Information night 6 pm to 7 pm, Main Gym
  • Feb. 16th Bend High IB Information Night @ BSHS Auditorium – 6:30-8:00
  • Feb. 22nd Realms WebEx Information Night from 6 pm to 7 pm. WebEx linked
  • Feb. 23rd BTA@MHS WebEx Information Night from 6 pm to 7 pm
  • Feb. 24th Realms On Site Family Tours at 4:45 pm. Call 541/355-5500
  • Feb. 28th Realms On Site Family Tours at 4:45 pm. Call 541/355-5500

I encourage you to check out the videos that Realms and Bend Tech Academy made that highlight some things that make them unique.

Orientation Nights | Choice Options | Application Deadlines

During the coming months, families and students will have the opportunity to learn about many schools and programs throughout the district and, in some cases, to apply for specific options. The following key dates offer families information about the opportunities available to students at Bend-La Pine Schools’ 33 schools. Click here for more information.

Val-O-Gram Fundraiser for Sparrow, Mariah

Here is a great opportunity to support Sparrow Mariah. Beginning Monday, 2/7 through Friday, 2/11 our WEB Leaders will be selling a limited number of Val-O-Grams for $2.00 each which includes a bag of heart candy for the recipient and a personalized message from the sender. Remaining anonymous is an option as well! Parents are welcome purchase Val-O-Grams at the main office next week from 9:30 – 4:00. Val-O-Grams will be delivered to students and staff on Monday, February 14.  Click here for all the details. Don’t miss out, buy early!

Community Service Sparrow Voucher

Speaking of Sparrow Mariah, we want to remind all students who have and continue to provide support to others through service to log your hours via this Google Doc. Your service hours ultimately equate to dollars to support Mariah. So if you have raked leaves, walked dogs, shoveled snow, service meals at shelter, picked up trash, etc….this is the time to log your time.

AM Open Gyms Start This Week

In an attempt to help give our students access to more activity, we will be opening our gym on Tuesday Thursday mornings beginning this week through the 17th of March for some structured and supervised Open Gym sessions.

In order to gauge the structure needed, we are going to have the gym doors open from 7:30-7:45am, then locked so we can control the flow of students. The sessions will run until 8:45 and students will have access to the locker rooms.

We know that this eliminates the possibility of our bus riders participating and we are actively looking for ways we can accommodate them as well!

Calendar

  • Feb. 7 | 2nd Semester Begins
  • Feb. 7 – 14 | Val-O-Gram Fundraiser for Sparrow Mariah
  • Feb. 21 | No School | President’s Day
  • Feb. 21 | Online Registration for Track Opens | Ends March 18th
  • Feb. 24 | Orchestra Concert | Summit High School | 6pm
  • Mar. 21 – 25 | No School | Spring Break
  • Apr. 14 – 15 | No School | Middle School Conferences
  • May 30 | No School | Memorial Day
  • June 15 | Full Day of School | Release at 4:10 PM
  • June 16 | Last Day of School | Early Release at 2:40 PM

Helpful Links

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