Middle School Matters

Celebrating Goodness
September 28, 2023

We have seen many examples of goodness in our students this past week.  Here are just a few!

• One of the things I love to see the most is Middle School students helping each other rather than competing against one another. Recently, one of our Class Eight teachers noticed one girl helping another with a particular assignment. I love that our students care enough about each other to do this kind of thing!
   
• We have a Class Eight student whose arm is in a sling right now. One of the Class Eight teachers noticed that one of his peers volunteered to carry some things for him to make his load more manageable. This servant-heartedness is something that we pray our students will develop in their lives.
   
• One of our Class Seven teachers shared about a student who demonstrated resolve and courage by coming tutorial and asking the questions he needed to ask. This student calmly and thoughtfully received the teacher's guidance and was not defensive. He stayed for the duration of the tutorial time so that he could learn from others more about the subject. This is the kind of lifelong learning that we aim for!

Fruit of the Spirit
September 28, 2023

For the month of September, we are emphasizing the character quality of generosity, which is related to the fruit of JOY in our lives. Additionally, we are always looking for students who are notably demonstrating respect. The following students have demonstrated generosity or respect in their classes this week:

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Interim Trimester One Grades and Comments Ready

Grades and comments for Interim Trimester 1 are now ready and available for you to view by logging into your Veracross parent portal. If you are not sure of your login information, please email pcsveracrossteam@pcstx.org for assistance.

You will notice this year that all students, Classes Five through Eight, have received an E, S, or N (Excellent, Satisfactory, or Needs Improvement) in five different categories (Tests/Quizzes, Organization/Responsibility, Class Participation, Attitude, and Classroom Conduct). This is a practice we have done in Classes Seven and Eight for many years, but it is new in Classes Five and Six. Please refer to the key for explanations for each of those designations in each of the categories.

Let me encourage you to use this information at a quick glance to see areas where perhaps your child needs to focus generally in order to have the most optimal experience possible this year.

Homecoming Next Thursday!

Our annual Homecoming celebration will be next Thursday, October 5. The day will be full of celebration, and you will want to be sure to participate, if possible! Please note that next Thursday is a Spirit Dress Day for all students. Athletes will wear their athletic jerseys (allowed on Homecoming only), and everyone else may wear a Providence t-shirt. The guidelines for Spirit Dress are on pages 56 (boys) and 59 (girls) of the Parent and Student Handbook. The following is the schedule for Homecoming:

7:15 a.m.           Little Patriot Breakfast in the Gym

2:00 p.m.          Pep Rally for Classes One through Eight

3:00 p.m.          Players vs. Parents Volleyball Game in the Gym

4:30 p.m.          Back Gates Open

5:00 p.m.          Football Game vs. McKinney Christian

                         Bounce Houses, Food Trucks, and Playground available!

Raising Sturdy Kids with Keith McCurdy – October 13 and 14

On Saturday, October 14, Keith McCurdy will be speaking to parents as part of our Parent Equipping effort. The event will take place from 5:00 until 8:30 p.m. in the Great Hall, and all parents are invited. Dinner will be served, and you will have the opportunity to hear Keith McCurdy discuss the benefits of healthy struggle as our children learn to do hard things. RSVP here if you have not already.

On Friday, October 13, our students in Classes Seven and Eight will hear from Mr. McCurdy about learning to optimize the benefits of struggle in their lives. This will take place during the school day.

Middle School Open House – Tuesday, October 17

If you know of families who are looking for a Middle School and would make a great addition to the Providence community, please invite them to our Middle School Open House on October 17. Here they will learn more about our curriculum, student leadership opportunities, and other aspects of our Middle School that set us apart from other schools. The schedule for the day is as follows:

8:00 a.m.       Providence Middle School: A Look at Curriculum, Character Development, and the Student Experience

8:30 a.m.        A Parent's Perspective: Panel with Current and Alumni Parents

9:45 a.m.        Classroom Observation Time

11:00 a.m.       Successfully Entering Providence in Middle School

11:45 a.m.       Classroom Observation Time

12:15 p.m.       A Student's Perspective: Panel with Current and Alumni Students (lunch provided)

1:00 p.m.        Dismissal

Class Eight: Reminder for High School Visits

Class Eight parents, as a reminder, when your child goes for a high school visit, we need you to log that on Veracross. This will serve a double function for us: It will obviously help us to keep accurate attendance records, but some of the high schools also ask that we submit a list of students who plan to attend the event. This will enable us to do that. Thank you!

The following dates have been set for Class Eight visits to local private schools:

• Thursday, October 5: Cistercian Open House (open to parents and students - NOT a Providence-only event)
• Thursday, October 19: Trinity Christian Academy Providence-only Visit Day (open to Class Eight parents and students - 8:45-10:30 a.m.)
• Wednesday, November 1: Covenant Visit Day (open to parents and students from local classical schools only - 12:30-2:00 p.m.)
• Friday, November 3: Ursuline and Jesuit Providence-only Visit Day (open to Providence Class Eight students only - 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Important Dates

• Homecoming: Thursday, October 5

• Class Five Team Building Day: Friday, October 13

• Parent Equipping Event – Raising Sturdy Kids with Keith McCurdy: Saturday, October 14

• Middle School Open House: Tuesday, October 17

• Class Eight Girls’ Chapel: Friday, October 20

• Book Fair: Monday, October 23, through Wednesday, October 25

• Class Seven Texas History Trip: Tuesday, October 31, through Friday, November 3