Happy New Year, Panthers! As we welcome 2021, below you can find your monthly PTSA board and general meeting update from your PTSA/EESAC Liaisons. With so many updates from the school and PTSA, we hope you find this list, which includes news about the status of COVID-19, noteworthy dates in the near future, senior updates and much more.

COVID-19 Quarantine Updates

1. As of the present, the school quarantined 43 out of 115 total teachers. The district has not announced a specific threshold that would require a school to close. 
2. Over 500 students have gone under quarantine as well, with only 39% of our enrolled students on campus. 

Awards & Scholarships 

1. Our student services team received the prestigious 2021 Excellence in College Counseling Award Prestigious National Award for their work in helping our Panthers apply to university. 
2. Miami-Dade County Public Schools announced its all time highest graduation rate for the 2019-2020 school year, with over 93.1% of seniors graduating last year.
3. Two of our students who entered the “Bill of Rights” essay contest placed.
4. This year Palmetto had its very first QuestBridge scholarship winner, Priscilla Bermudez, in ten years. Bermudez received a full scholarship to the University of Chicago. 
5. Palmetto’s also had four Posse Scholars receive full ride scholarships this year. Jacob Grindstaff  received a full scholarship to Syracuse University. Kayla Klurman, Alexis Lopez and Breanna Suarez all received full scholarships to Davidson College. 

PSAT & Standardized Testing 

1. A reminder for our Panthers that the PSAT takes place on Jan. 26 at 7:30 a.m.. All sophomores take the exam free of charge, and freshmen and juniors who paid the $17 fee through the Online School Payment system may also take the exam.
2. If a student attends in-person schooling but goes under quarantine on the testing date, they cannot come take the PSAT. The College Board has made no announcements of a make-up testing date. 
3. To receive your testing room location, please ask your English teacher, as they have the list of room assignments. 
4. The administration intends to provide MSO students with an estimated time that the exam should end. Students should schedule their pick-up to correlate with this time. Before and after completing the exam, administration escorts the students into and out of the building.   
5. Unfortunately, we have no new updates on statewide end-of-year testing makeups for My School Online students. Administration plans on updating students as information comes. Students should know their testing room assignments approximately two weeks before their testing date. 
6. The Student Services Department continues to work to make sure that seniors at risk of not graduating take the SAT or ACT to meet test score requirements. 

Senior Family Updates

1. Activities Director Elizabeth Valero continues to work with students and staff to plan senior activities. However, we do not know what those activities may look like, as the district remains in stage 2 with no visible shift towards stage 3 anytime soon. 
2. Although the type of graduation remains uncertain, the district continues to look at possible venues and students should still buy their cap and gowns in the event that the school does have a ceremony. The school plans to announce the graduation date sometime in March.
3. Seniors can get excited about three events coming up for both MSO and PHY students to enjoy! One of the events includes a partnership with Brewing Buddha to have a senior afternoon, where all seniors can receive a free cold brew and 50% off anything on the menu. Seniors plan on hosting a senior jeopardy night with teachers, as well. Coming up soon, seniors can vote on their senior superlatives. 
4. Check the senior Instagram for information about how to submit senior quotes. (@mpsh2021)

Homecoming

1. As far as homecoming goes, the Student Council planned a homecoming week. Per tradition, each day corresponds to a different theme in support of the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. The boys’ have a game against Killian and the girls’ against Homestead on Feb. 2.. A mini pep rally for both MSO and PHY students to enjoy, scheduled to stream from the courtyard, features cheerleaders and the Variation dancers. 

Construction

1. All of the art teachers have relocated out of the arts wing and their new classrooms should prepare to move back in by the end of this month or the beginning February. 
2. The construction of the new cafeteria should end by late February. 

Upcoming Informational Meetings & Dates

1. On Jan. 22, the second grading period ends, marking the half-way point of the 2020-2021 school year. 
2. On Jan 25., the PTSA plans to have Orlando Gonzalez speak to all students via Zoom at 7:00 p.m.. The discussion revolves around civic engagement and learning the intricacies of how and why elections matter, contributing to the process and developing a rich understanding of how public policy impacts our quality of life. Overall, listening in should provide any student with various degrees of ways to stay involved in your community.
3. The school plans to host a Freshman and Sophomore Parent night via Zoom on Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m.. Parents can ask questions and gain information about what to expect for their children throughout their high school experience. 
4. The school scheduled picture day for Jan. 28 and 29, but there remains a chance of cancellation depending on the state of COVID-19.
5. Jan. 31: The National Association for College Admission Counseling has scheduled a series of virtual college fairs throughout the spring of 2021. The first virtual college fair takes place on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 and the last one takes place on May 2, 2021. During these fairs, students have the opportunity to speak with college counselors who can answer any questions that you have about the school. To sign up for these free Zooms, click here. 

Join PTSA!

1. In the next February general meeting, PTSA plans to elect the Nominating Committee Volunteers. The nominating committee vets and puts forth their recommendations for next year’s PTSA elected officers. In order to volunteer for consideration, please contact Elyssa Lewis to apply. The committee has a total of three to seven members in a given year. 
2. As of December, the PTSA has 801 members with a goal of 1,500. The PTSA plans to host a contest to increase student membership and participation in the future. 
3. The PTSA has raised $34,940 in sponsorships and needs $5,060 to meet their goal. The second deadline for the bronze tier banner takes place on Mar. 15. 
4. To stay informed about everything going on, sign up for the PTSA weekly email blast. 
5. To stay updated about the district and school board, sign up for District Nine School Board Representative Luisa Santos’s e-letter  and follow the PTSA Instagram (@mpshptsa) and Santos’s Instagram (@luisasantosD9) for more updates. 
6. The next general meeting takes place on Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m..  
7. Click here to join the PTSA! 

To keep up to date with Palmetto news, all Panthers can join the PTSA, email questions or attend the monthly general meetings. For any further inquiries, visit the Palmetto website. From all of us at the PTSA, we wish you a successful second semester!