Portage Northern High School • Jim French, Principal • portageps.org/schools/high/nhs • 269.323.5400 • January 2013
FIRST SEMESTER EXAM SCHEDULE
Special Notes:
Students who attend EFE, EFA, KAMSC etc., 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, but not lunch.
Mon-Wed: Specific neighborhood buses leave at 12:15 (maps posted in the Main office), or students
can choose to stay for Study Hall in the cafeteria & buses will leave at the usual times. Again, no
lunch will be served—students can choose to bring a cold lunch if they are staying.
Monday January 21
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
1st Period
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
2nd Period
Tuesday January 22
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
3rd Period
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
4th Period
Wednesday January 23
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
5th Period
9:55 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.
6th Period
Thursday January 24
7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
7th Period
9:55 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Make Up Exams
Regular buses leave @ 11:07am
Friday January 25, No School for Students
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ACT ONLINE PREP
Portage Northern High School has obtained a Site License from ACT to utilize their ACT Online Prep
software for all sophomores, junior and senior students. This web-based software will assist students in
preparing for the ACT Test by providing some valuable resources. Students receive:
 Two full practice tests with complete scoring, using real ACT test questions
 Two practice essays for the ACT Writing Test, with real-time scoring
 Comprehensive content review for each of the ACT's four required tests—English, Math, Reading, and
Science
 Diagnostic test and personalized Study Path
 Anywhere, anytime access via the Internet
Before winter break, each student in 10th-12th grades should have received a mailing with an ACT Online
Prep direction sheet and student login/password information. We strongly encourage each student to
utilize this great service to prepare for the upcoming ACT test.
Note that this tool does not work when utilizing Google Chrome as your web browser but it is supported
via Internet Explorer. Visit the Northern High School website for additional resources for setting up your
individual account.
EIGHTH GRADE PARENTS NIGHT
Eighth Grade Parents’ Night is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 6th at 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.
If your 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 Thursday, January 17 at 6:00 pm in the auditorium.
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 2013. We look forward to
seeing you at the Parents’ Night program on February 6th, at 6:30 p.m.
SENIOR CLASS COMPOSITE PHOTO
Have you seen our Senior Class Composites? It’s a very traditional yet
cool gathering of the entire senior class. If your student has submitted
a senior photo for the yearbook, then their image will appear on this
composite at no extra charge. If you’d like to purchase a beautiful
11x14 print, please send a check for $15 made to Lifetouch to:
Lifetouch, Attention Ben, 8595 Byron Commerce SW, Byron Center MI
49315, noting your student’s name and obviously indicating its an order
for a PNHS composite. The deadline to order is March 1, 2013, and
your student will received their copy at the Senior Breakfast on May 15.
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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
IB PARENT MEETING
The PNHS International Baccalaureate Diploma Program will
be hosting an informational evening for parents and students
on January 17th at 6:00 PM in the auditorium. The evening
will be geared towards pre-IB students in the 8th, 9th and 10th
grade and their parents. You will learn more about what it
takes to earn an IB Diploma as well as scheduling options.
Mr. French and Mr. Searing (IB Coordinator) will be available
to answer questions.
PICKING UP YOUR STUDENT EARLY?
Rachelle Esman, Artist of the
Month From January 14 - February
1st, senior Rachelle Esman will be
exhibiting her work in Northern’s
Learning Commons. Currently a two
year IB Art student, Rachelle
has been involved with art
classes for three years at
Portage Northern.
Please drop by to
see her work!
Parents, if you need to pick up your student during the school day for an appointment, please send a note
with your student in the morning. The student should go to their grade office when they arrive for a pass
allowing them to leave class at the appropriate time, then your student can meet you in front of the
building. Showing up to pull a student from class without advance notice is extremely disruptive to the
learning environment and will often cause a delay to your schedule.
PN DRAMA PRESENTS “LEND ME A TENOR”
Winner! 3 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards Nominee! 2010 Tony Award, Best Revival
of a Play! Lend Me A Tenor is set in September 1934. Saunders( Christian Maurer), the general manager
of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world famous, Tito Morelli (Buchanan
Highhouse), Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello. The
star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and
passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max (Brett Gowen) believe he’s dead. In a
frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli's Otello costume and
fool the audience into thinking he's Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets
into his other costume ready to
perform. Now two Otellos are
running around in costume and
two women (Rachel Hurwitz &
Hailey Burger) are running
around, each thinking she is
with Il Stupendo. Aaron
Applebey, Stephanie Beckner
and Callista Brown round out the
cast. A sensation on Broadway
and in London's West End, this
madcap, screwball comedy is
guaranteed to leave audiences
teary-eyed with laughter.
Show dates are February 1, 2, 8,
9, & 10. More information will be
posted on the drama website at
www.pndrama.org.
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YEARBOOK—SPRING SUPPLEMENT
What is the spring supplement? Because our Yearbook is being delivered in the spring, all of the spring
activities including sports, prom, graduation, and grad bash will be compiled into a separate
book/supplement. The supplement will be an extension of the main yearbook: all color pages, cover
design, etc. Buyers will have an option of purchasing the supplement staring on December 1st through
March 1st. The supplement will ship to the school around the beginning of July. Students have the
choice of picking up the supplement or having it shipped to their home address for a $3.00 shipping fee.
The price of the supplement is $15.00 and can ONLY be ordered online through our yearbook website.
Please go to Northern’s homepage and click on Organizations. From there, choose Yearbook and order
your spring supplement. Questions? Email Aimee Wendland at awendland@portageps.org.
ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK?
Are you an active Facebook’r? Did you know we have our own Page where you can get updates, news,
etc right into your news feed? You can either search facebook.com/pnhsnews or you can LIKE our page
at the bottom of the PNHS homepage at portageps.org/schools/high/nhs.
ROBERT P. AMRHEIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The deadline to apply for this $4,000 non-renewable award is February 15, 2013. Please see the
Counseling department’s website for criteria, application process and more information.
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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 21-25, 2013) will conclude the first
semester. Second semester will begin January
28, 2013.
Important dates to remember:
Jan 1, 2013
Deadline for most college
applications, and the FAFSA
becomes available online.
Feb 10, 2-4pm College Goal Sunday: Held at
WMU’s Schneider Hall. Get FREE
help filling out your FAFSA!! Take
advantage of this wonderful
opportunity!
Mar 1, 2013
Deadline for the State of Michigan
for the FAFSA
Mar 5-7, 2013
MME: 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
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 of Huskie Tracks.
PSAT
PSAT results arrived in early December. Counselors
presented an informal test interpretation session after
school so that students could thoroughly understand
their data and ask questions.
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 February. All tenth
graders will receive detailed information regarding
EFE and EFA class options for the next academic
year.
FAFSA
We encourage all seniors planning on attending a two
or four year college or university next year to file a
FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student
Aid).
Filing online is recommended and strongly
encouraged. This is the form that the federal
government uses to determine your eligibility for
federal aid, including grants, work-study and loans.
Filling out the FAFSA should be FREE… do not pay for
filing out any FAFSA info ever! When you go to the
FAFSA website, be sure it is the FAFSA.ED.GOV
WEBSITE. BEWARE—there is a private FAFSA
website that charges money!!
ACT and SAT National Test Dates and Info
For ACT testing info, go to www.actstudent.org.
ACT Test Dates
April 13, 2013
June 8, 2013
Registration Deadline
March 8, 2013
May 3, 2013
For SAT testing info, go to
www.collegeboard.com.
ACT Plan
The ACT Plan, a practice test for the ACT, will be
administered in the spring. Counselors will
present detailed info and register students this
spring.
SAT Test Dates
January 26, 2013
March 9, 2013
May 4, 2013
June 1, 2013
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Registration Deadline
December 28, 2012
February 8, 2013
April 5, 2013
May 2, 2013
PORTAGE NORTHERN PARENTS
Keeping you Connected with Information Parents Need to
NEXT PNP MEETING
Know!
DONATIONS
Join us for our next meeting of Portage
Northern Parents (PNP) on Wednesday,
February 13 at 11:30am. Park in the
South lot at the front entrance; extra
parking is available in the North Middle
School lot. We make every attempt to
adjourn by 12:30pm.
If you can’t attend PNP meetings, you can
read the minutes online (PNHS website,
Organizations_Parents)
HOLIDAY DANCE THANKS!
Thank you to all of the parents who helped
with this year's holiday dance "Evergreen
Gala"! We had dedicated volunteers
helping to decorate on Friday afternoon
and evening, parents chaperoning at the
dance, parents donating drinks and
cookies and parents showing up Sunday
morning to tear down the evergreen forest
so that northern athletics could reclaim the
Dog House.
We had over 530 students attend and it
looked liked nearly everyone was dancing
up a storm. Special thank you to the event
co-chairs Sheila Labian and Connie
Livingston.
Additional thank you's go to: Melissa
Shufelt for coordinating volunteers, Jean
Truitt and Janet Ingersol for
coordinating snacks and
drinks, and to Doug
Staunton and John
Willoughby for
engineering the
fabulous multi
story decorations
that adorned the
ceiling of the Dog
House.
If you haven’t already, it’s not too late to make a
tax deductible donation to support Portage
Northern student activities! You can download a
donation form (PNHS website, Organizations _
Parents), or you can just send a tax-deductible
check made out to PNP to the main office. Thank
you—we appreciate your contributions!
UPCOMING PNP EVENTS:
TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCHEON
Show your Appreciation to our Terrific teachers
and staff with a LUNCHEON during exam week,
Wednesday January 23 from 12pm-1:30pm. We
will be catering the main dish and asking parents
to supplement with yummy desserts, salads and
drinks.
Contact Mary Beth Henry at 377-6246 or
mbhenry@ymail.com or Katie Stryker-Clark at 9985313 or katiesc@sbcglobal.net to help.
VOLUNTEER and show your gratitude—our
teachers and staff LOVE this event!
GRAD BASH 2013
Our next meeting is January 9th at 7pm in the
Community Room. It’s never too late to join in
and be part of your senior's last Northern activity.
Fundraisers are heating up for Grad Bash starting
in January. Stay Tuned for a Culver's Fundraiser
night with Northern entertainment sometime in
February.
We will also have a Pampered Chef fundraiser
planned for late January and February. Area
Businesses will also be contacted in January asking
for support of Grad Bash.
Watch announcements and emails for opportunities
to support Grad Bash 2013!!!!
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January 2012
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
30
31
Winter Break
1
Winter Break
2
Winter Break
6
7
8
13
14
20
21
1st-2nd hour
Exams
THU
3
Winter Break
FRI
SAT
4
Winter Break
5
9
10
Grad Bash Mtg
7pm
Community Room
11
12
15
16
17
IB Parent Mtg
6pm
Auditorium
18
Dance 9-11pm
19
22
3rd-4th hours
Exams
23
5th-6th hour
Exams
24
7th hour Exam
25
No School
26
31
1
“Lend Me
A Tenor” 8pm
2
“Lend Me
A Tenor” 8pm
Staff Appreciation
Luncheon 12p
27
28
29
Forensics Parent
Meeting 630
30
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