PHS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tuesday, December 18th
***Announcements presented to you by the Senior Technology Seminar Class***
LUNCH : Macaroni & Cheese, french fries, carrot stix with dip, fruit cup, sugar cookie and milk
CHARACTER TRAITS: Citizenship - “Citizenship is the chance to make a difference to the place where you belong.”-Charles Handy
GENERAL NEWS
We would like to wish all our students and staff a very Merry Christmas Holiday
and a Happy New Year 
.... Pocahontas Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, December 19th through Wednesday, January 2, 2019. Classes will resume regular schedule on Thursday, January 3rd.
VERY IMPORTANT! If you took any classes with BRTC 1st semester (including concurrent credit, BRTC campus classes, and online classes,) you MUST provide the office with a copy of your BRTC transcript before Christmas break! If you do not take care of this, you will receive an 'F' in the course. We cannot request your transcript from BRTC; only you can do that. Please see Mrs. Hampton immediately for a BRTC transcript release form.
PHS Clothing closet has coats and new shoes for use… Visit the closet if you have any clothing needs and take what you need. Please leave it organized :)
Tip-Off shirts are still available for $10. See Monica Brewington at MD Williams or email her at monica.brewington@pocahontaspsd.com to get yours today.
Students may make purchases at the coffee house during lunch and after. Coffee house items are not allowed out of the library. You must stay in the library until you finish your drink.
Reminder: Please remember once a student has reached 6 absences in any given class period that a parent note will not excuse that absence. After 6 absences, the only notes that excuse students are doctor notes, death or serious injury in the immediate family, an appt with government agency, participation in FFA, FHA, or 4H activities, or exceptional circumstances with prior approval of the principal/assistant principal. Please also remember excuse notes must be presented to the office within 5 days of returning to school. Notes presented more that 5 days may not be accepted. Notes should be turned into the office first thing in the morning, (for more
details see page 27/28 of the District Pupil Policies handbook.)
Project Graduation 9 Pin No-Top Bowling Tournament - twice monthly now until April!
For the month of December, there is only going to be one tournament instead of the normal two. This is due to the holidays and we apologize ahead of time for any inconvenience to those who want to participate. The December tournament will be held on December 16 at 1:30 pm, fee is still $10 dollars and Merry Christmas because there will be no late fee applied for the month of December. Also in the spirit of Christmas, while the 1st place winner will receive the cash prize, there will also be door prizes given to the 2nd and 3rd place winners!! So come on out for some family fun and let's bowl! For more information, please speak with Bryanna Lewis or Orianna Massey, or go out to the bowling alley and speak with Paula Lewis.
Smoke Signal - The Pocahontas High School Smoke Signal website is now up and running! Be sure to check out the November/December Edition online at
https://phssmokesignal.wixsite.com/eedition
FBLA - FBLA is selling chocolate covered pretzels. Cost is $1.00 each. Funds will be used to help students pay for State and National Competitions.
Key Club - Meetings are every Thursday at lunch in Mr. Smith’s room.
11th and 12th graders: They are offering an extra chance for you to take the ASVAB if you missed the school offering or if you just need to retake it. They offer it twice or so a year in addition to the school offering.
The ASVAB CEP is made up of three components:
ASVAB: The aptitude test estimates your performance in academic and vocational
endeavors.
FYI: The interest inventory measures your work-related interests.
OCCU-Find: A career catalog provides activities to help you put a plan together.
High school students in grades 10-12, and first and second year post-secondary
school students can participate. Participation in the CEP is voluntary, but the future
is mandatory. So, be ready!
How it works...
ASVAB CEP helps you figure out what you’re good at, what is important to you, and
the jobs that match your skills and interests. After you take the test, you will
participate in a series of activities to help you understand your scores, yourself, and
your options.
COUNSELOR NEWS…..
CAREER COACH – LINDSAY STEWART (Lindsay.stewart@pocahontaspsd.com)
Parents and students! Please follow Mrs. Stewart's Facebook page, BRTC Career Coach. The
site will be updated regularly with special events and important information regarding college
and career planning https://bit.ly/2w7fGrg
SCHOOL COUNSELOR – STEPHANIE HAMPTON (Stephanie.hampton@pocahontaspsd.com)
Parents and students! Please follow Mrs. Hampton’s Remind updates for specific grade
levels.
Seniors Text @phs18-19sr to the number 81010
Juniors Text @phs18-19jr to the number 81010
Sophomores Text @phs18-19so to the number 81010.
IMPORTANT DATES
PEER ADVOCACY COMMITTEE
Friday, January 25 - PAC meeting in counselor's office at 11:30
SENIORS: NEXT STEPS FOR COLLEGE
. * Please do NOT use your PHS student e-mail address for ACT, FAFSA, YOUniversal, college applications, etc. You will not have access to it after you graduate.
(ONLINE) Complete FAFSA - If you are considering going to college, you must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) form online @ https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/ (You may pick up a FAFSA ID Worksheet from Mrs. Stewart or Mrs. Hampton to record your log-in information. You WILL need this every year.)
(ONLINE) Complete YOUniversal Scholarship - Complete the YOUniversal Scholarship application online @ https://www.ark.org/adhe_financialaid (to qualify for the Academic Challenge Scholarship)
(ONLINE) Apply to Colleges – Complete online applications as an incoming, undergraduate freshman for any potential colleges you are considering attending
(Some colleges charge an application fee. If you receive free/reduced lunches, you may be able to obtain a fee waiver. See Mrs. Hampton for more information.)
(COUNSELOR) Submit Transcript Request – Obtain a transcript request form (list all colleges for which you completed an online application) from Mrs. Hampton or Mrs. Stewart, and return it to Mrs. Hampton.
(This allows your listed colleges to receive your official transcript and ACT scores. You may also need to complete a shot-record release form with Mrs. Gholson.)
(ONLINE) Check Regularly – Make sure you check your email, FAFSA account, YOUniversal account, and college application accounts for any messages or tasks that still need to be completed. You will have to ‘accept’ financial aid awards. WATCH DEADLINES!
ASVAB
We have added another section of the ASVAB on Thursday, January 24, 2019 from 8:00-11:30 in the high school counselor's office. The ASVAB is NOT just a military test. You do NOT have to commit to the military to take the ASVAB. It is a great test to help you explore which careers would best suit your abilities and interests. Sign up in the counselor's office by January 16th if interested.
CONCURRENT CREDIT/BRTC COURSES
Online Courses through BRTC - If you wish to take an online course
through BRTC, you must have a period in your PHS schedule to complete
the course work in the computer lab/study hall. You will be counted absent if
you do not attend that class every day, just as your other PHS classes.
Dual Credit Courses (on BRTC Campus) - These courses must be pre-
approved by Mrs. Hampton. If you wish to take a course on the BRTC
campus during the school day, you must provide the days and times the
course meets and have it pre-approved by Mrs. Hampton. If the course will
not allow you to have 6 credit-classes in your PHS schedule per day, you will
not be approved to take the course.
ACT INFORMATION
If you are in 11th or 12th grade and receive free or reduced lunches, see Mrs. Hampton for one
fee waiver each school year. To register, visit www.act.org
Important A-State Announcement for all high school seniors planning to graduate in 2019!
Test Dates Registration Deadline
Saturday, February 9, 2019 Friday, January 11, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019 Friday, March 8, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2019 Friday, May 3, 2019
Saturday, July 13, 2019 Friday, June 14, 2019
Wednesday, February 20 ACT (All 11th grade students)
1st-4th periods
Wednesday, April 17 ACT Aspire Summative (All 10th grade students)
Morning & Afternoon (English, Reading, and Math)
Thursday, April 18 ACT Aspire Summative (All 10th grade students)
Morning only (Science and Writing)
11th Grade Students: You will all take the ACT online, provided free of charge, at the high school on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. You will NOT register online for this test. Mrs. Hampton will set up all testing and lead you through the pre-test activities prior to the test date.
Reminder: To take the ACT, you MUST take your ticket, a photo ID, a calculator, and pencils. Photo ID’s can be made at the DMV for $5.00
COLLEGE DAYS
11th Grade – 1 day in Spring Semester
12th Grade – 1 day in Fall Semester
– 1 day in Spring Semester
If you are planning to take a College Day, please remember you must not have exceeded the
allowable absences in a semester and you will need to get a form from the office prior to the
visit. The student must meet with the school counselor and have the form signed by the
counselor and a parent; then turn into the office the day before visit. The student must provide
written verification of the visit to the office upon returning to school.
COLLEGE/MILITARY REPRESENTATIVE VISITS
All representatives will set up in the student center during lunch
Monday, January 7 Army National Guard (SFC Brown)
Tuesday, January 8 Army (Sgt. Hire)
Wednesday, January 9 US Navy (PS3 Adamson)
Friday, January 4th Columbia University - New York
COLLEGE SPORTS
10th-12th grade students, do you plan to play college sports? Pick up info about NCAA and
NAIA in the counselor’s office.
SCHOLARSHIPS/CONTESTS
A-state Connection is a FREE overnight diversity recruitment program (April 26-27, 2019) for jr’s and sr’s from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds. Juniors that have over an 18 ACT score and a 3.0 GPA or seniors with a 19 ACT score and a 2.75 GPA may apply. The weekend will be filled with fun and informative sessions to connect students to all aspects of academic and campus life at A-State. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2019. http://www.astate.edu/astateconnection
Please join Mrs. Hampton’s Google Classroom titled Scholarships/Contests to get information
and updates about available scholarships and contests! To join, go to Google Classroom and
enter the class code: ip32r8… or you can stop by the counselor’s office to pick up a paper copy of the list.
ASTATE will be accepting the December ACT again this year for scholarship purposes as long as you are admitted to their college by December 1st. Deadline to register for the December ACT is November 2nd.
The ACCUPLACER admissions test will be given on December 6th in the library for interested seniors. The ACCUPLACER can be used to qualify for the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship and to prevent remedial classes at some colleges. Please check your e-mail for an invitation from Mrs. Stewart. Only the first 20 seniors to register will be tested.
ASTATE's Privately Funded Scholarship application is now open!! Seniors planning to attend ASTATE next fall are eligible to apply for a variety of privately funded scholarships administered by Arkansas State University and the ASU Foundation Inc. Complete the application and submit supporting documentation (resume, letter(s) of recommendation, essay, etc.) by February 1st.
https://www.astate.edu/a/finaid/types-of-finaid/scholarships/privately-funded-scholarships.dot
DAILY NEWS…
Tuesday 12/18
Grades due by 8:00 - make-up tests for 1st and 2nd hours and any missing assignments.
7th, Jr. & Sr. High Boys play Batesville, Away @ 5:00
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your break. School will start back on January 3, 2019.
UPCOMING EVENTS…
GENERAL UPCOMING
Jan 7 There will be a meeting with the Josten's representative for all athletes in grades 7-12 for presentation of Letterman's jackets in the high school gym at 10:00. All athletes (band, cheer, swim, golf, tennis, football, softball, baseball, track, cross country, basketball, volleyball) are invited to attend!
BOYS BASKETBALL
Dec 21 Doniphan @ home
Dec 27-29 Berryville Tournament
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Dec 27-29 Berryville Tournament
SWIM
Jan. 3 @ Home
Jan. 12 @ Conway
Jan. 14 @Paragould