September 5: No School, Labor Day

September 6: Yearbook Senior Ads Go on Sale

September 6-23: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Supply Drive

September 7: Boys Lacrosse Fall Ball Try-Outs, 3-6PM

September 20: Teen Talk Roundtable, 2:20-3:30PM, Room 3103

September 8: First PTSA General Meeting, 7PM Media Center

September 13: Clubs Fair

September 14: Senior Parent Night, Virtual (link TBA)

September 15-16: Underclass Picture Days

September 21: Open House, 6:30pm

September 24: Digital SAT

September 26: No School, Teacher Planning Day

October 8: Palmetto Alumni Association’s Night w/Ron Magill, Pinecrest Gardens

October 10: College Fair, 6:30-8:00, Gym

October 11: Financial Aid Night, 6:30, Virtual (link TBA)

October 12: PSAT

October 18: Teen Talk Roundtable, 2:20-3:30PM, Room 3103

November 15: Prices for Yearbook Senior Ads Increases

November 18: Teen Talk Roundtable, 2:20-3:30PM, Room 3103

November 26: Deadline for Senior Yearbook Photos

December 6: Teen Talk Roundtable, 2:20-3:30PM, Media Center

2022-2023 PTSA MEMBERSHIP

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

The 2022-2023 Annual Love Our Panthers Membership Drive is now OPEN! Please join and support PTSA today. Membership starts at $8. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. This year we are aiming for 100% participation! All proceeds go back to the students and our school. Sponsorships are tax-deductible.

We don’t sell gift wrap or candy. This is our once-a-year fundraiser. Please consider joining/giving today!

Click here for more information

Online Mobile Device Request Form

Use this form to request a mobile device from Miami-Dade County Public Schools

https://www.palmettopanthers.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=801771&id=0

Testing Information

• F.A.S.T testing (new version of the old FSA ELA) will start at the end of August. The test is for all 9th and 10th graders only. Students will be informed by their English teacher. There will be three F.A.S.T tests throughout the year. The first two F.A.S.T tests will be more of a baseline and it will not count against the student or scored. The last F.A.S.T, which will take place in May, will count as a score and it will be based on the 1-5 level in May 2023.
• Fall Retakes will take place from 9/12/22 through 9/30/22. Students are usually informed by their English and/or math teachers. I also send testing information to all faculty.  

• TEST INFORMATION: 

• Algebra 1 EOC concordant score information

• If you did not take or pass your algebra 1 EOC, do not despair. There are several options for you to meet the algebra 1 EOC graduation requirements. 
•  
• You can get a 3 and above score in your geometry EOC. For those students who are taking the geometry class this year, you have a good chance at getting a comparative score for the algebra 1 EOC. DO YOUR BEST next May 2023!
• Score a 430 and above in your PSAT/NMSQT exam 
• Score a 420 in the Math section of the SAT. (collegeboard.org) 
• Score a 16 in the Math section of the ACT. (ACT.org) 

• Take the algebra 1 EOC again. I strongly suggest the ACT/SAT/PSAT/NMSQT  

• FSA ELA Retakes concordant score information
• If you did not take or pass your 10th grade FSA ELA (graduation requirement), do not despair. There are several options for you to meet the FSA ELA graduation requirement.
• Score a 480 in the READING section of the SAT. (collegeboard.org) 
• SAT Reading subtest score of 24 and above.
• Score an average score of 18 in your English/Reading section of the ACT. Simply, add both scores and divide by 2. (ACT.org). A score of 17.5 rounds up to 18.

• ****If you have Free/Reduce lunch, you may qualify for a fee waiver for the SAT. Please apply for free/reduce lunch. This year, the district is allowing all students to have free lunch. HOWEVER, this is NOT the same thing as actually qualifying for free lunch. If you qualify, it will allow you to get fee waivers for the SAT.  Fill out the application for free lunch.
• Contact Ms. Olga Gonzalez (She is the counselor's secretary). You will find her in the attendance office.
• SAT fee waivers are a first come-first served and there might not be one always available. Waivers are constantly being offered. Best of luck! 

• PLEASE go to collegeboard.org and/or ACT.org for testing dates. These tests are given throughout the year. See the schedule at the bottom of this post.

• PSAT/NMSQT will be on 10/12/22. I will schedule 10th graders to take this test. 10th graders will NOT need to register or pay for this test. The district pays for all 10th graders. If you are a 9th or 11th grader, you will have to pay $18, should you wish to participate. This is a first come-first served and our 11th graders are given priority.  Limited number of exams. Exams might be sold before the due dates of payments.  The due date does not mean that we will have exams available.

• Pre-registration will be done on test day for everyone.
• Study guides will be distributed by English teacher to all 10th graders once they are received.
• 9th and 11th graders will need to come to my office, in the media center room 2106B and show proof of purchase to receive a study guide and free practice test. I will notify English, reading and math teachers when study guides arrive. 
• Please do not email and ask me to register you for the PSAT/NMSQT test. Pre-registration will happen in the testing room on test day. The PSAT/NMSQT exam can be purchased online on our OSP payment platform found in the student/parent portal. ONLY students who are in 9th and 11th grade will need to pay for it.   

• Go to the student or parent portal and login. Go to Apps/services on the top and look for OSP. Click and you will look for the PSAT/NMSQT 11th grade OR the PSAT/NMSQT 9th grade. DO NOT PAY on the WRONG grade level. If you do, then you will not get a test because you are using the wrong grade level. You might miss your chance on a test.
• 11th graders can start paying on 8/25/22 through 9/10/22 (midnight). Make sure that you pay As soon as possible because, I will open the payment to 9th graders on the last week. First come, first served. 
• 9th graders can start paying on 9/5/22 through 9/10/22 (midnight). First come, first served. 
• All payments should be done through the OSP system (Online Student Payment). I STRONGLY suggest that you pay through OSP. If you cannot pay through OSP, then You will need to go to the treasurer's office in the main office, room 1102, ext:2330 to pay in cash.
• Treasurer office time= Monday through Thursday 7:00AM-12:30PM. No cash payments are accepted on Fridays.
• OSP payments= go to your student or parent portal, click on apps/services found on the top bar, Look for and click on OSP and look for either PSAT 11TH grade or PSAT 9TH grade for payment.

• 10TH graders- If I do not schedule you to take the PSAT/NMSQT, you MUST CONTACT ME! I might have missed you, so please contact me if you are not in my list. The list will be given to ALL teachers, but the ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS teachers will be responsible for distributing testing passes.

Alejandra Valencia

Testing Chairperson

Co-AP Coordinator

Miami Palmetto High School

(305)235-1360 x2284

avalencia@dadeschools.net

College Board National Awardees

Congratulations to the following Panthers who have been selected as a College Board National Recognition Program awardees.

Students earned this recognition because of their academic achievements in school and outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, and/or AP® Exams. They've accomplished these milestones during an immensely demanding period of their high school career.

The following MPSH student(s) have been awarded recognition (award key below):

Alexa Fein: NHRA

Alexandria Browne: NAARA

Anette Rodriguez: NHRA

Ariel Garcia: NHRA

Casey Pita: NHRA

Clayton Detant: NAARA

Daniel Perodin: NAARA, NHRA

Daniella Bustamante: NHRA

Emily Prado: NHRA

Emma Behar: NHRA

Estefania Cerna: NHRA

Ilana Mac Lennan: NHRA

Isabel Duran: NHRA

Isabella Diez: NHRA

Jasmine Judge: NHRA

Jayda Amador: NHRA

Katie Gray: NHRA

Kristopher Menendez: NHRA

Liz Arnold: NHRA

Logan Shapiro: NHRA

Lorenzo Castillo-rios: NHRA

Lucas Gomez: NHRA

Lucas Vidal: NHRA

Luciana Gomez: NHRA

Madison Barbeito: NHRA

Madison Nifah: NAARA

Maya Behar: NHRA

Mia Gonzales-lazar: NHRA

Nicholas Corgan: NAARA

Penelope Murray: NHRA

Rafael Linhares: NHRA

Ruben Behar: NHRA

Sebastian Font: NHRA

Sophia Duque: NHRA

Travis Gettinger: NHRA

Ziyah Mcgriff: NAARA

Zulyene Jimenez: NAARA, NHRA

Award Key:

National African American Recognition Award = NAARA

National Hispanic Recognition Award = NHRA

National Rural and Small Town Award = NRSTA

National Indigenous Award = NIA

Underclass School Photos: Sept. 15^th and 16^th

Fox-Mar will be taking underclass school photos on Sept. 15th and 16th. They are encouraging parents to pre-pay for them here: https://ppay.us/uZzy

Boys Lacrosse Fall Ball Try-Outs

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Supply Drive

Teen Talk Roundtable

All students are invited to “Teen Talk Roundtable” discussions. The following dates are the meetings for the first half of the year. The others have yet to be determined: 9/20, 10/18, 11/18, 12/6. All meetings will be held in room 3103 except 12/6, which will be in the media center. Some of the topics we will discuss are school climate, generation gaps with families, peer pressure and body positivity.

Yearbook News

http://www.thepalmecho.com/

Purchase your yearbook at thepalmecho.com

Book your senior session at foxmar.com/sessions

GET YOUR PALMETTO SPIRIT WEAR:

NEW DESIGNS! The PTSA's online store, Sharingwear.org, has launched three new designs that are available in several colors and lots of different shirt styles (tshirts, vnecks, long sleeve t's, hoodies, joggers, etc.). Now is the time to order!

Sharingwear.org is a charitable organization founded and operated by Palmetto High students. Designs can be purchased in multiple clothing styles and some designs are available in multiple colors. Orders are custom printed and usually take 2-3 weeks for delivery. All profits from Sharingwear's Palmetto Senior Online Store are shared 50% with the Palmetto Senior PTSA and 50% with Sharingwear's Charity of the Month. Please visit SharingWear.org to stock up on clothes for next year!

MPSH Alumni Association Event

All are welcome to this fun evening, more details TBA. Proceeds benefit the Alumni Association’s Scholarship Fund. Follow the Association on Facebook: MiamiPalmettoAlum

M-DCPS Parent Academy Webinars

FREE Tutoring through Miami-Dade Public Library System

The Miami-Dade Public Library System has two programs to help students academically, and best of all they are FREE. live, and interactive:

1- https://mdpls.org/tutor

“Help your child have a successful school year with the Miami‑Dade Public Library System’s Homework Help & Tutoring Program. Free, 30‑minute one‑on‑one virtual tutoring sessions with certified teachers are available on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. ‑ 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. to all K‑12 students who reside in Miami‑Dade County. Tutoring is available in reading and math. To participate, please submit a tutoring appointment request for your child/ren each week. To maximize learning, a computer or laptop with Internet access and a working camera and microphone is required.”

Very soon, MDPL will be rolling out a program in which we circulate laptops to take home that will include internet access. It’s a CAREs Act grant. 

2-  tutoring.mdpls.org  

Tutoring.com is normally a paid service through The Princeton Review, but is free for students with a library card (easy to get- see below). 

“Experts help you with homework, study for tests and write essays from noon to midnight daily.” The student can have typing or voice chat. They can request a specific tutor that they have worked with before or take a random tutor. The entire interaction is recorded and the student can put the transcript into a personal virtual locker. They can email it to their teacher or refer to it in the future. 

Other Notes: 

If a student doesn’t have a library card, they can get one almost instantly at https://www1.mdpls.org/webservices/ecard/Account/Register.

If they have any issues with logging on to any of the resources, customercare@mdpls.org can resolve problems from M-Th 9am-8pm, Fri & Sat 9am-6pm. 

Public libraries are open for students to study in, with safety measures in place. They also have computer access. For locations and hours: https://www1.mdpls.org/webservices/locator/

https://mdpls.org/mobile-device

https://www.mdpls.org/homedelivery

www.mdpls.org/learning#Teens

Peterson’s Test Prep

Taking a college entrance or licensing exam? Looking for a college or graduate school? Need help finding scholarships? Use this database to search thousands of college and graduate school entries. Identify scholarships that meet their financial needs. Take online practice tests and use test prep eBooks to obtain your education goals.

https://mdpls.driving-tests.org/florida/

Thank You MPSH PTSA Sponsors! Updated 8/29/22

Have Something You Want to Share?

If there is something you would like to share in the MPSH weekly e-blast or on our social media pages, please email KatieLAbbott@comcast.net by the end of the school day every Friday.

Click here https://palmettopanthers.memberhub.com/store to donate to Miami Palmetto PTSA 

PLEASE FORWARD this email to any new parents who may not be receiving it yet.

PTSA Communications

PTSA Website & Resources: https://linktr.ee/ptsampsh

Facebook: Miami Palmetto Senior High School PTSA

Twitter: @MPSHPTSA

Instagram: @MPSHPTSA

Contact PTSA: PTSA.MPSH@gmail.com