Please note: Progress reports go out on October 2, 2009.

Welcome back! School is officially underway and despite a bus accident on the first day, we’re off to a great start. Our freshmen seem excited to be here and are quickly contributing to the culture of the building. My interactions with them have been great and I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from staff members about their attitudes and behaviors. The upperclassmen seem very optimistic about this school year and have done a great job demonstrating good leadership and positive behaviors.

As I mentioned a moment ago, there was a bus accident on the first day of school. As you may have read in the local media, one of our busses traveling back to PMHS from the vocational center at Kingswood was hit by an oncoming vehicle. The accident would have been far worse had it not been for the quick-thinking and brilliant defensive driving by bus driver Tom Carney. On behalf of PMHS, we thank Tom for his bravery and owe him a debt of gratitude for keeping 23 of our students safe.

Tom Carney (center) poses with the PMHS

students he drives to Kingswood every day.

The bus accident reminded me that it’s time once again to remind all of you about the PMHS Emergency Plan. As I am not going to outline the specifics, I want you to know that we have a detailed plan of action to respond swiftly and effectively in the event that an emergency should occur. With guidance from State and local emergency officials, the PMHS Emergency Pan was created to respond to a large or small emergency and includes evacuation to an off-site location. Please know that your child’s safety is the number one priority to all of us at Prospect Mountain. Our staff is trained to respond to emergency situations in a calm, reassuring manner as we regularly practice necessary and appropriate drills. You can help us in an emergency situation by following the guidelines outlined below. I recognize some of these requests are difficult and may seem impractical for us to ask of you; however, I’ll try to explain the justification for such requests.

- Do NOT telephone the school. Keep in mind that our telephone lines may be needed for emergency communication with police, fire, and other emergency personnel.

- Do NOT come to the school until requested. During an emergency, access to the school must be kept clear for emergency vehicles. Coming to the school during an emergency situation may hinder our response effort and jeopardize peoples’ safety.

- Do NOT call your child’s cell phone. Please realize that cell phone connections can create unsafe electrical charges (in the case of a bomb threat). Plus, conflicting and unconfirmed information is better left to be sorted out by those in charge.

- Please join our effort to impress upon your child the need for them to follow the directions of any school personnel in times of an emergency.

The decision to keep students at school or at an off-site location will be based upon recommendations from our local responders. In the event our students are evacuated to an off-site location and we have received permission to dismiss them, we will release students to parents or persons you have specified on the emergency form you filled out (or are in the process of) during the first week of school. In such a situation, you should expect our dismissal process to be tightened up to ensure student safety. Please be patient if staff members ask you to show some form of identification or if you have to wait a few extra minutes. Although we do not anticipate emergency situations, we do believe that planning ahead will help alleviate additional stresses and concerns, and as the saying goes: “We hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

On a lighter note, I know it’s over a month away, but I do want to make an early plug for the October 8^th Back to School Night. Back to School Night is an opportunity for you to tour the building and experience your child’s daily events. When you arrive that evening, we will provide you with your child’s schedule and even offer some free entertainment courtesy of the PMHS music department. You’ll spend the rest of the evening traveling from classroom to classroom meeting your child’s teachers and learning about their courses. Back to School Night is a great opportunity for you to see what goes on here at PMHS and it is equally important that we have the opportunity to meet you. Speaking of which, I was very pleased with the turnout for our Freshmen Orientation Night and want to thank those of you who attended. We had 68 freshmen represented that evening and for those of you who attended, I hope you found it valuable. I really enjoyed meeting you and having the chance to respond to your questions and concerns.

Until next time, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at 875-8800 or at jfitzpatrick@pmhschool.com and don’t forget to check out the school’s Website at www.pmhschool.com for other important dates and notices.

Take care.

Student Recognition

PMHS is pleased to welcome three foreign exchange students this year. They are Jiri Dahlgren, from Finland; Jaime Fraile-Torres, from Spain; and Wan Qing Sun, from China. We hope their time at PMHS is enjoyable and enriching.

Guidance News

SAT and ACT Test Dates

ACT Test Date Reg Deadline Late Reg Deadline

Sept 12, 2009 Aug. 7, 2009 Aug 8-21, 2009

Oct. 24, 2009 Sept. 18, 2009 Sept 19-Oct 2, 2009

Dec. 12, 2009 Nov 6, 2009 Nov 7-10, 2009

Feb 6, 2010 Jan 5, 2010 Jan 6-15, 2010

Apr. 10, 2010 Mar 5, 2010 Mar 6-19, 2010

Jun 12, 2010 May 7, 2010 May 8-21, 2010

Register online at www.actstudent.org

SAT Test Date Reg Deadline

Oct 10, 2009 Sept 9, 2009

Nov 7, 2009 Oct 1, 2009

Dec 5, 2009 Oct 30, 2009

Jan 23, 2010 Dec 15, 2009

Mar 13, 2010 Feb 4, 2010

May 1, 2010 Mar 25, 2010

June 5, 2010 Apr 29, 2010

Register online at www.collegboard.com

Senior Spaghetti Supper

Thursday, September 24, 2009, the Class of 2010 will hold the Annual Senior Spaghetti Supper from 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the PMHS Cafeteria. The menu will include Spaghetti with meat or marinara sauce, lasagna, salad, beverage and dessert. Cost will be $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for senior citizens and $5.00 for children under 10. Come join us for a terrific dining experience!

Please Note: Change to

Sports Physical Policy

During the student’s high school career and prior to the start of their first athletic season all student athletes must have on file with Prospect Mountain High School a medical statement provided by a physician certifying the student athlete has passed a pre-participation physical examination. The pre-participation physical must have been performed no earlier than July 1^st of the year the student is to start high school. In every subsequent year, athletes shall provide the school with an updated medical history form completed by the parent. Medical history update forms can be found in the high school’s main office or by contacting the student athlete’s coach. Any student athlete significantly ill or injured since the last physical shall be re-examined by a physician and submit an updated physical statement completed by the physician in order to be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics.

In summary, student athletes are now only required to have one physical within their entire high school athletic career unless the student becomes ill or suffers a significant injury.

PMHS Calendar of Events September, 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1 School Board Meeting 6:30 pm Library	2	3	4 No School	5
6	7 Labor Day	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15 School Board Meeting 6:30 pm Library	16	17	18 Kickoff Dance 6:00 – 10:00 pm Cafeteria	19
20	21	22	23	24 Senior Spaghetti Supper 5:00 – 8:00 pm Cafeteria	25	26
27	28	29	30