Portage Northern High School • Jim French, Principal • portageps.org/schools/high/nhs • 269.323.5400 • January 2014
EXAM SCHEDULE FOR FIRST SEMESTER
JANUARY 20, 2014 – JANUARY 23, 2014
SPECIAL NOTES:
For students who attend EFE, EFA, KAMSC etc… They should follow their Home School schedule.
Seminar classes do NOT meet during exam week. Students will report to the Lower Commons during these times if
they are unable to leave campus.
Cafeteria will serve breakfast Monday through Thursday.
Cafeteria will serve ‘grab-n-go’ type lunch (salads, pizza, deli) Monday through Thursday from 11:45 to 12:30.
During Exam sessions – no deliveries will be made.
If your student must leave a session early, this MUST be arranged with their Grade Office PRIOR to 7:50 a.m.
SHUTTLE BUS AND VAN between Northern and Central
January 20, 21, 22, 23:
BUS shuttle @ 7:30 — VAN shuttle @ 9:40 — BUS shuttle @ 12
Neighborhood Buses depart @ 12:15
Shuttle Buses for EFE/EFA, run as scheduled until students notify the driver that they will no longer need the service.
Shuttle Buses for KAMSC run as normally scheduled.
MONDAY, JANUARY 20
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
1st Period
2nd Period
Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:15 (Maps posted in Main Office.)
Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
3rd Period
4th Period
Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:15 (Maps posted in Main Office.)
Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
5th Period
6th Period
Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:15 (Maps posted in Main Office.)
Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
7th Period
Make Up Exams
Specific Neighborhood buses leave @ 12:15 (Maps posted in Main Office.)
Study Hall is available in the afternoon in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
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GRAD BASH FUNDRAISER
The January Benefit Dinner for Grad Bash will be at Penn
Station on Tuesday, January 14th from 4-8pm. The will
generously donate 20% of all sales and you do not
even need to bring a flyer—just show up! Stay
tuned for details on our February fundraiser at
Noodles and Company.
EIGHTH GRADE PARENT NIGHT
Eighth Grade Parents Night is scheduled for 6:30pm, Tuesday
February 4 at Portage Northern High School. The program will
begin in the high school Auditorium with a brief general session,
followed by your choice of several group meetings with departmental representatives. The program will conclude at approximately 8:45 p.m. Students are invited and encouraged to
accompany their parents to this meeting.
We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to
participate in the educational planning for your son or daughter
who will be attending PNHS as a 9th grader in the Fall of 2014.
We look forward to seeing you at the Parents Night program on
February 4 at 6:30 p.m.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE INFO MEETING
If your 8th, 9th or 10th grade student is considering participation in the International Baccalaureate Program during
their junior and/or senior year, we encourage you to meet with Northern’s IB Coordinator, Rick Searing, at an informational session on Tuesday January 14 at 7pm in the PNHS Auditorium.
PN DRAMA PRESENTS “THE CRUCIBLE”
Portage Northern’s Drama department is proud to continue its 2013-2014 season with “The Crucible,” Arthur Miller’s
spellbinding drama. This terrifying historical account of hysteria and deceit in Salem, Massachusetts is bound to
strike the core in each of us. Neighbor is pitted against neighbor after a group of girls, lead by Abigail Williams
(Hailey Burger), accuses innocent people of witchcraft. Against this backdrop, John Proctor (Hayden Smith) must
wrestle his own demons, knowing that his life and the life of his wife Elizabeth (Callista Brown) hang in the balance. This riveting drama from one of America’s best playwrights examines the jealousy and prejudices that live
inside us all.
The cast features 26 high school students including Dylan Jones (Reverend Parris), Levi Hambright (Reverend
Hale), Rachel Hurwitz (Marry Warren), Shania Wolf (Tituba) and Drew Dixon (Judge Danforth). Show dates
are January 31,February 1, 7, 8, and 9. More information will be posted at www.pndrama.org . Seating will be
limited for performances as the audience will join us in sitting directly on the stage.
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FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE
Happy New Year! We hope that the Winter Break was safe, healthy and happy for all! Please remember that the
first semester is still winding down. Semester exams (during the week of January 20-24, 2014) will conclude the
first semester. Second semester will begin January 27, 2014.
Scheduling:
Scheduling for next year’s classes will begin in February and end by late March. Students will receive very detailed, outlined and specific presentations regarding graduation requirements, course selection, course prerequisites and academic planning. All presentations will occur in their English classes. More detailed instructions will
follow in February’s issue.
ACT Plan:
The ACT Plan—a practice test for the ACT- used to be administered here at PN in the fall; however, this year this
test is being moved to the spring. Counselors will present detailed info, will register students and will provide
test interpretations for the ACT Plan this spring. All freshmen and sophomores will take the ACT Plan here at PN
in March.
PSAT:
PSAT results arrived in December. Students picked up their test results in the Counseling Office. A detailed test
interpretation guide was included. In addition, counselors presented an informal test interpretation session after
school so that students could thoroughly understand their data and ask questions.
All National Merit Qualifying Scholarship info will be released next September. The National Merit program will
notify the Counseling Office first in mid-September. Counselors will then notify students who qualify.
Helpful info regarding semester exams:

Use study guides and practice tests for upcoming exams

Seek teacher help before/after school

Pace yourself…work ahead of schedule

Do not try to “cram” hours into studying the day before an exam

Spend a little time daily on your most challenging subjects

Sleep and eat well before all exams
ACT and SAT National Test Dates and Info
All test dates, info and registration occur online through each test’s website.
For ACT testing info, go to www.actstudent.org.
For SAT testing info, go to www.collegeboard.com.
Important dates to remember:
MME:
March 4, 5, 6, 2014
ACT Plan:
March 5: 9th grade. March 6: 10th grade
A detailed letter to each particular grade level will be mailed home in February outlining the specific testing
schedule and other important notices regarding the MME in March. Listen to announcements for further information.
NEW SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION!! The Robert P. Amrhein Memorial SCHOLARSHIP
Robert Amrhein was a young man who participated in many activities. In addition to being a valued member of
the debate team at PNHS, he competed in forensics, the swim team, was a member of the USS Great Lakes
Aquatics team and was a member of the National Honor Society. During high school he received several awards
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for outstanding academic performance, leadership and citizenship. These awards included the Daughters of the
American Revolution Good Citizen Award, the Portage Northern Principal’s Leadership Award, the Jimmy Holms
Perseverance Award and the Portage Northern Debate Departmental Award.
As a PN graduate of the class of 2006, some of Robert’s most admirable qualities were: honesty, integrity, selflessness, acceptance of others, concern for others, leadership, compassion and a general spirit of good will.
Robert succumbed to cancer after a long, courageous battle on June 7, 2007.
How to apply:


Applications will be available in the Portage Northern Counseling Office after Winter Break, 2013.
Students may be nominated by Portage Northern faculty. Nominated students interested in being considered for the scholarship will be asked to fill out an application. If not nominated, a student may nominate
himself/herself.
Deadline:



Applications must be turned in to the Portage Education Foundation (PEF) by February 14, 2014. Listen for
announcements for more info about PEF
Recipient will be selected in March of 2014.
Recipient will be honored at the Senior Academic Awards Ceremony in May. The selected student will not
be notified if he/she is the recipient until that Senior Academic Awards night. This “surprise” is the preference of Robert’s parents, who fund the scholarship.
Criteria:


A PNHS senior who has attended Northern for at least 2 years and plans to attend a two or four year accredited college, university or vocational/technical school.
The student demonstrates the following qualities: Honesty, integrity, selflessness, acceptance of others,
concern for others, character, leadership, compassion and a general spirit of good will. The award is primarily merit based, but financial need may be considered.
Award:
$4,000 non-renewable award…payable only to recipient’s college/university/school.
EFE and EFA Presentations
Education for Employment (EFE) and Education for the Arts (EFA) will hold presentations here at Northern in English 10
classes in January. All tenth graders will receive detailed information regarding EFE and EFA class options for the next
academic year.
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):
We encourage all seniors planning on attending a two or four year college or university next year to file a FAFSA form.
Online applications are the only form to apply. They are no longer accepting paper applications. All seniors had financial aid presentations in their English classes in mid-November. Each received information about how to file a FAFSA
form and general information about financial aid and scholarships. A parent Financial Aid Presentation was given on Dec
5. Info from that presentation is available on our PN website.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING TO FILL OUT THIS FORM!
USE WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV
Get help filing your FAFSA for FREE on FEB. 9th 2014!
Local college financial aid professionals will be available at WMU’s Schneider Hall to work one on one with families. For
questions about the workshop, please call WMU. Apply for the money now and decide later. If you wait, chances are
you’ll get less.
For questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the counseling office at 323-5475. Also, please refer to our
counseling section on the Portage Northern homepage atwww.portageps.org. Thank you.
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PORTAGE NORTHERN PARENTS
Keeping you Connected with Information Parents Need to
Know!
Our Next Meeting is February 12, 2014 (NOTE No January Meeting)
Join us for our next meeting of Portage Northern Parents (PNP) on Wednesday, February 12 at 11:30 a.m.
Parents can park in the South lot at the front entrance, or if needed, extra parking is available in the North Middle
School lot. Our meetings are held in Community Room A, near the main entrance. Check in at the PNHS Main
Office for a Visitor Badge and directions. We make every attempt to adjourn by 1:00 p.m.
If you can’t attend PNP meetings, read the minutes online: From the options on the Portage Northern home page,
click ‘Organizations’ and then ‘Parents’ to get to the PNP page.
Memberships and Donations
Thank you to all of the parents who have made donations and volunteered for PNP events by filling out our “Get
Connected” form! Our main source of income is parent donations. We ask you to sell nothing – just write a taxdeductible check (PNP is a 501c3 nonprofit). Did you know that without the financial support of PNP, Northern
would not be able to hold our graduation each year at the beautiful Miller Auditorium? Our funding sponsors over
half the cost for this classy venue. Our funds are also used to support annual student events (Breadlift, Academic
Awards, etc.), the Staff Appreciation Luncheon, and special grant requests that benefit our students. If you haven’t
already, please take a minute to support PNP! You can find a link to our Membership and Donation (“Get
Connected”) form on our PNP page.
HOLIDAY DANCE THANKS!
Thank you to all of the parents who helped with this year’s holiday dance “Puttin’ On The Glitz”! We had an
incredible group of parents that helped decorate on Friday afternoon and evening. We also had wonderful
volunteer parents who chaperoned at the dance, worked coat check, and donated drinks and cookies. Last, but
certainly not least, were the very dedicated parents who showed up Sunday morning to tear down the glitz, pack it
all away, and get the Doghouse cleaned up and ready for classes the next day.
Thank you to the dance co-chairs Connie Livingston, Kelly Peterson, and Sheila Labian. Also, special thank you’s
to: Ellen Robare for coordinating volunteers, Jean Truitt and Janet Ingersoll for coordinating refreshments, and
Jonathon Willoughby and his crew for engineering our fabulous hanging decorations and lights.
GRAD BASH 2014
The next Grad Bash meeting will be January 8 at 6:30pm in Community Room A. The next Grad Bash meeting will
be January 8 at 6:30 PM in Community Room A.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Applebee’s fundraising event in December!
Our next dining fundraising event will be at Penn Station on Tuesday, January 14th from 4-8pm. They will
generously donate 20% of all sales and you do not even need to bring a flyer—just show up! Watch for details on
our February fundraiser at Noodles and Company.
Stay tuned for our Mixed Bags fundraiser which will also be held in January followed by our Pampered Chef
fundraiser in February or March.
STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCHEON
This year’s luncheon to show our appreciation to PN’s terrific staff will be January 20 th from 12 PM to 2 PM in the
Lower Commons. Parent volunteers are needed to help with planning and to host the event. To join in the fun,
contact Paula Spray (paula@laserabilities.com). You may also contact Paula by phone or text at 269-274-8880.
There will also be a meeting on January 6 at 10 AM in the Community Rooms to discuss plans. Volunteer and show
your gratitude – Northern’s staff loves this event!
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January 2014
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
Winter Recess (return to school Monday January 6)
Cheer Invitational Home BasketballUgly Sweater
Night
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
15
16
17
18
22
5th-6th Exams
23
7th Exam
24
No School for
Students
25
29
30
31
Feb1
Grad Bash Mtg
6:30
Community Rms
12
13
14
IB Informational
Meeting for
8th-9th-10th
graders + parents
7pm Auditorium
19
20
1st-2nd Exams
21
3rd-4th Exams
Staff Appreciation Forensics Parent
Luncheon
Meeting 6:30
Media Center
26
27
28
The Crucible 8pm The Crucible 8pm
STAY IN THE HUSKIE LOOP!!
If you’re a parent who likes to know what’s going on around here, you’ll want to give us your email address. You’ll get
the daily announcements delivered right to you every morning, plus other important notifications like when the Huskie
Tracks is ready (~first of every month). News will come right to you, ‘hot off the presses’, into your emailbox.
Just visit our webpage, scroll to the bottom and fill out the super-simple form.
www.portageps.org/schools/high/nhs.
Are you on Facebook? Friend us at
www.facebook.com/portagenorthern.com.
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