We are very excited to begin another school year here at PCHS!!! The start of the year is always full of anticipation and excitement mixed with a little nervousness for both students and staff alike!
Did you know that each year, despite numerous efforts and incentives, PCHS’ Chronic Absenteeism Rate averages about 41%? 41% of our students miss 10% or more of the school year (18 or more days). This is significantly higher than the national average of 24%. Students who are chronically absent each year of their K-12 careers end up losing out on a full year of schooling by the time they graduate.
WE NEED YOU!!! I am reaching out to ask for help and support from you as we look to start this year! PCHS’ motto is “The Opportunity is Here; The Fire is Within”. We are so proud of the opportunities that we offer students from the variety of course work options available to the countless number of extracurricular activities, clubs, and sports students can participate in. In addition, in the last several years we have also implemented several Future Focus activities/days to help students start to focus on their future and start to determine their path! However, students have to be here and engage in order to take advantage of these opportunities.
I am a true believer that you “get out what you put in”! Our staff works so hard to be able to provide quality curricular lessons/activities that encourage student engagement, while our building team and administration continue to try to incentivize attendance and teach the importance of being present! But we cannot do this alone!
Our mission is to “prepare students for a lifetime of success”. As we know, success comes to those who SHOW UP; those who show up when they are tired, those who show up when it is hard, and those who show up consistently. Please encourage your students to show up! Teenagers are tough; however, if we work together to stress the importance of school and good attendance and continue to set the expectation that they go to school and take advantage of everything that is at their fingertips, I truly believe that we can make a difference!
We cannot wait to see our Dragons next week! Please help us set a positive tone for this coming year by encouraging your student to engage with us. It will make all the difference in their high school experience; one that we want to be great!!!
Thank you, in advance,
Danielle Owens