January 24, 2024

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Sean Keating

Principal’s Hello

Dear Golden Eagle Families,

Thank you so much for participating in the YouthTruth Survey! We’ve seen a significant increase in responses, from 17% to nearly 40% in just a week! If you haven’t had the chance yet, here’s the link one more time: http://www.ytsurvey.org/bendfamily25. Please take just a few minutes to complete it—we’d love to have one response from every family.

We’ve also recently reviewed our state test results and discussed them as a staff. This year, we want to place more emphasis on these tests. While we don’t intend to “teach to the test,” we do believe it’s important for students to understand the role of standardized tests in modern American life. From the ACT and SAT to professional exams like the GRE, as well as tests for medical, law, military, and trade certifications, these “high-stakes” assessments are a significant part of growing up and entering a profession.

With that in mind, we’ll approach our state tests as an opportunity to practice this important benchmark. In middle school, the stakes are lower, of course, but we still expect your support of this approach. If a student opts out of a standardized test, they will take an alternate assessment—designed by the classroom teacher—that is similar in scope and purpose.

We also hope to incorporate these tests into student grades, pending faculty support and the timely release of test results. While Pacific Crest consistently performs above state averages, we believe we can do even better. However, what really matters isn’t how we compare to other schools—it’s our sense of pride in knowing we’re doing our best every day, growing as individuals, and preparing our students for what lies ahead.

More information will be shared as we move into testing season!

Sean

Another Huge “Thank You” to PCCO

Did you know that several times a year, Heidi McHugh takes it upon herself to rally other PCMS parents to contribute food and drink for amazing staff lunches. Here are some thanks and a photo from the staff.

“Dear PCCO…thank you so much for all you do for the staff at PCMS! We so appreciate the time and effort all of you put in to make our day brighter and better. You are the best!”

“PCCO…ummm! Thanks to all our families who provided us lunch today. It is nice to sit and socialize with other staff members during lunch occasionally. These lunches allow that to happen!”

“Pasta, lasagna, garlic bread, salads and desserts…great way to start the weekend. Thank you.”

“These lunches are varied in cuisine, which is fun and always delicious. Thanks for filling my tummy today.”

The Grove – Student Hours

Just another reminder that until the management at The Grove decides to invite PCMS students back onto The Grove premises on early release Wednesdays (2:30 – 4:00 PM) students are still NOT ALLOWED on the premises on Wednesdays before 4:00 PM. If a student stays on the premises once they are asked to leave, they may be trespassed. Thank you for understanding. Hopefully, this can be lifted in the future.

Robotics Club

Our Robotics Club, under the guidance of Crary Kraybill and several volunteer parents, hosted a scrimmage last Saturday. Don’t let their serious faces fool you, they had a blast.

PCMS Wins at Inventerprise Competition

Inventerprise is an annual problem-solving contest open to all Central Oregon K-12 students. The contest was founded in 1992 as an outgrowth of a business-education partnership between Bend Research (now Lonza) and the Bend-La Pine School District to promote science education and enrich students’ educational experience. It aims to inspire and challenge students. It fosters problem-solving skills and research, critical thinking, and creativity.

The theme for this year’s contest was “We are the Martians”. Imagine if we actually made it to Mars. How would we have to adapt our lifestyle to live in this new environment? Out of 542 projects submitted from 781 students.

We are thrilled to announce and congratulate PCMS students Adelyn Keever who won at the Middle School level as well as Boone Fowles and Parker Kang who received honorable mentions. Awesome job!

Bike Bus | A safe, healthy and fun option

A Bike Bus is an organized group of children and families riding bikes to school together along a set route. It can go to one or multiple schools, have one or multiple starting points, and can have a few or a lot of children and families, but all Bike Buses have similar joy, positivity, community feel, and transformative energy. You can get a sense for Bike Bus by watching this video.

Interested in helping start a Bike Bus this spring? Reach out to Dan Pilver at [email protected] or 541-385-5320 for more information.

Mark your Calendar

  • Jan. 28 | Internet Safety Workshop | 6:00 7:30 PM
  • Jan. 31 | Asian Family Night | 5:00 – 7:00 PM
  • Jan. 31 | No School | Workday for Staff | End of 1st Semester
  • Feb. 10 – 14 | | Share the Love Week | (more to come soon)
  • Feb. 17 | No School | President’s Day
  • Mar. 13 | 5th Grade Family Night | 6:00 – 8:00 PM (more to come soon)
  • Mar. 21 | Lost & Found is donated to local charity
  • Mar. 23 – 28 | No School | Spring Break
  • Apr. 11 | Spring Fling Dance |4:00 – 6:00 PM
  • Apr. 16 – 17 | Conferences
  • Apr. 16 – 18 | No School due to Conferences
  • May 26 | No School | Memorial Day
  • June 11 | Full Day of School | 3:45 PM Release
  • June 11 | 8th Grade Promotion & Reception | 6:00 – 7:45 PM | more info to come
  • June 12 | Lost & Found is donated to local charity
  • June 12 | Last Day of School

Helpful Links

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