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

October 10: Deadline for First PTSA Sponsor Banner Order

October 11: Financial Aid Night, 6:30, Virtual

October 12: PSAT

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

October 25: College & Job Interviews 101 Community Event, 4:30PM, Suniland Park (rescheduled)

November 8: Election Day (No School)

November 11: Veterans Day (No School)

November 15: Prices for Yearbook Senior Ads Increases

November 15: School Tour, 8:00AM

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

November 21-25: Thanksgiving Recess (No School)

November 26: Deadline for Senior Yearbook Photos

November 29: School Tour, 8:00AM

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

December 13: School Tour, 8:00AM

December 23- January 6: Winter Recess (No School)

PTSA Email Address

Add this to your contacts! If you ever need to reach PTSA, email Ptsa.mpsh@gmail.com

2022-2023 PTSA MEMBERSHIP

THANK YOU SPONSORS! Please see updated sponsor lists below.

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 https://palmettopanthers.memberhub.com/store

PTSA General Meeting- Pre-Register Now!

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 

When: Oct 13, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckcO6srzgjH9Y9VZXXUkHjUuoaF3jBdb0u 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

11/8 General Election Information

Important Dates:

Deadline to register to vote: Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Early Voting: October 24, 2022 - November 6, 2022

Deadline to request Vote-by-Mail ballot: Saturday, October 29, 2022

Deadline to return Vote-by-Mail ballot: Tuesday, November 8, 2022*

ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022

Register to vote, find your closest early voting site, and view your sample ballot here.

MDCPS Referendum 

Are you ready for the 11/8 General Election? Find out about voter registration, vote by mail, early voting, and more at https://www.miamidade.gov/global/elections/home.page. If you have a recent 18+ high school graduate, please make sure they know how to vote- don’t wait until the last minute!

Please educate yourself on the referendum that will be on the ballot on behalf of MDCPS:

Wanted – Help Us Improve Our Field

Our new school buildings are beautiful however our athletic field could use a facelift. Help us achieve this goal, as all panther students- not just athletes- use the field at one point or another! Everyone is invited to help- parents, alumni, community members, businesses, etc.

MPSH School Tour Dates

Please share with friends and family who may be interested in MPSH

CAP Updates

MPSH College Visits- 2022

Sign up via Scoir

Location tbd 

** This list is subject to change**

Visits open to all students

Mon Oct 10 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Northwestern University

Mon Oct 10  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM College Fair

Tue Oct 11 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM University of Connecticut

Tue Oct 11 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Tulane University of Louisiana

Wed Oct 12 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM University of Chicago

Fri Oct 14 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM Rochester Institute of Technology

Tue Oct 18 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM Hamilton College

Wed Oct 19 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM Babson College

Fri Oct 21 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM Pomona College

Wed Oct 26 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM Texas Tech University

Thu Oct 27 10:35 AM - 11:10 AM University of Toronto

Fri Oct 28 10:35 AM - 11:15 AM Kenyon College

Linda Dwyer, CAP Advisor 

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 9/29/22. Students are usually informed by their English and/or math teachers. I also send testing information to all faculty.  
• PSAT/NMSQT will take place on 10/12/22 during the school day.  No more available seats for 9^th and 11^th graders.

• 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) 
• 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.

    ALL PSAT/NMSQT SEATS for 9^th and 11^th grade HAVE BEEN TAKEN- NO MORE SPACE/EXAMS AVAILABLE

• 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. There are no more available spaces.

• 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.
• Student testing passes will be distributed by their English teacher.

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.   

• 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

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: 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!

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 9/15/22

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