Dear PCCS Families,
Registration is now open for our first Friday Enrichment opportunity: Stitch & Create Day Camp!
The camp will be held on Friday, September 4 and Friday, September 11, from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
During the two-day camp, students will learn basic sewing skills, practice using a sewing machine safely, and work on fun, beginner-friendly projects. Activities will be differentiated for students in grades K–8, and no previous sewing experience is necessary. Our instructors will provide plenty of hands-on instruction and support throughout the process.
Registration
The camp is designed as a two-day experience, as our instructors anticipate students will need both days to learn the necessary skills and complete their final projects. Registration therefore includes both September 4 and September 11.
Cost: $60 per student for both days, including food and project materials.
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCi8BQmJAXQxFBn3Xr56ZP0SsFG-KPUSwSo-5VWxDiHUEErA/viewform
Pay online here: https://pocatellocommunitycharter.givebacks.com/shop/items/bedf80d26042
Please note that the online payment system charges a processing fee. Families who prefer to avoid the online fee are welcome to pay in the PCCS office instead. Payment is expected no later than the beginning of the first camp day on September 4.
Space is limited, so please complete the registration form as soon as possible if your child would like to participate.
Interested in Just One Day?
Our preference is for students to attend both days so they have sufficient time to learn the skills and complete their projects. However, if space remains available, we will do our best to accommodate students who are only able to participate on September 4 or September 11.
If you are interested in a single day only, please contact the office rather than completing the two-day registration and payment.
We are excited to kick off our Friday Enrichment opportunities with this camp. Our teachers have put a lot of thought into creating a fun, hands-on experience, and we are looking forward to seeing what our students create!
BGCSEI will provide after-school programming Monday through Thursday for students in all grade levels. Students who are registered for the program will go directly to Boys & Girls Club programming at the end of the school day.
The cost of the program is:
$20 annual BGCSEI membership fee
$50 per month
The program will include a variety of activities such as arts and crafts, STEM, sports, seasonal activities, indoor games, and outdoor games. Parent pickup will be at 5:45 p.m., and the Club closes at 6:00 p.m.
Registration is now available through the BGCSEI parent portal:
Registration Link in comments (facebook) or bio (instagram)
Please remember that BGCSEI's program at PCCS will be Monday through Thursday only. BGCSEI is not yet providing Friday programming. In the meantime, we will continue developing separate optional Friday Enrichment opportunities, such as the Stitch & Create Day Camp and volleyball camps we've begun sharing with families.
We are very excited to have BGCSEI joining the PCCS community and to see this partnership officially get underway. We believe having affordable, high-quality after-school programming right here at PCCS will be a tremendous resource for our students and families.
📅 School Schedule & Hours
First Day of School: August 24, 2026
Morning Drop-off: 7:45 AM
School Starts: 8:00 AM
Dismissal/End Time: 3:15 PM
Please note you'll need your ID when checking out your student early from school.
🔍 Volunteer Background Checks
If you plan to join us on field trips or chaperone student adventures this year, federal background checks are required for all parents and guardians.
Background check packets are available for pickup in the school office.
Because processing can take up to 8 weeks, we strongly encourage you to pick up and submit your packet as soon as possible.
🚗 Carpool & Pick-Up Reminders
To ensure the safety and efficiency of our arrival and dismissal routines, please keep the following in mind:
Keep the Line Moving: The pick-up and drop-off line must keep moving at all times. If your child needs extra assistance getting in or out of the car, please park in a designated parking space to help them rather than holding up the line.
Teacher Communication: If you need to speak with your child's teacher, please reach out via email or phone ahead of time to schedule a meeting. Dismissal is a very busy time, and teachers must focus entirely on ensuring every student is accounted for and safely dismissed.
Thank you for your cooperation, support, and partnership in making this a fantastic school year for our students!
We are in need of more volunteers for our passage presentations next week. If you are available to volunteer, please sign up using the link below. We also encourage you to share this sign-up link with family members, friends, community members, and anyone else who may be interested in supporting our students.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FABAF22A1FF2-63854463-passage#/
Thank you for helping us celebrate and support our students’ hard work and growth. We truly appreciate your time and involvement at PCCS.
What is Passages?
This is a celebration of learning, an opportunity for each student to show his/her best work to a panel of adults who have not yet seen it. Students are accustomed to showing their work to their own teacher, parents, and classmates. The panel adds an important element of professionalism and authenticity to the process.
What is the purpose of Passages?
Rather than passing students on from grade to grade without acknowledgment, we
have chosen to mark that experience with a meaningful event. Students go through
Passages at the end of 2nd (Primary), 4th (Intermediate), 6th (Upper Elementary), and 8th (Middle School). This is a celebration of learning, an opportunity for each student to show their best work to a panel of adults who have not yet seen it.
Each panel will include a PCCS staff member, a PCCS parent (not the student’s parent), and another member of the Pocatello Community. Students are accustomed to showing their work to their own parents, teacher, and classmates. The panel adds a different element of importance, professionalism, and authenticity to the process.
We call this process “Passages” for two reasons. It represents a student passing from one multi-grade level to the next AND the presentation serves as a rite of passage.
We hold our students to a high level of quality and accountability. In order to move on, a child must provide evidence that he/she has mastered the standards for that grade level. Panelists do not make decisions about advancing or retaining students, but you will be giving important feedback to students regarding the presentation and content of their work. Our portfolio assessment system serves as a way to collect that evidence as well as showcase the type of learning we value as an educational community. Every portfolio represents an incredible amount of hard work over time.
Please note that Thursday, the 21st is Field Day and a full day of school. Hot lunch will not be served, please remember to send your students with a packed lunch on this day!
He has kindness and greatness to share!
From his website ( https://takeheartrocks.com/ ) :
"While living on the Washington Coast, I began experiencing deep bouts of depression. One day, the darkest of my life, I found a small, white, naturally-shaped heart, tumbling in the surf. Instantly, I saw it as my reminder that I matter, am loved, and am not alone.
At the time, I was a Spanish teacher. When I noticed that students were going through difficult life experiences, I would go to the beach and find a heart rock to be their reminder that things will get better. I'd invite them to keep it for as long as they need it, and then to pass it on.
After a while, I couldn't find more naturally-shaped hearts on the beach, so I got a little tile saw and began roughly carving my own.
I began hiding them in public places, and watching people become ecstatic upon finding one. I realized that if I made enough heart rocks, I could make the world a better place with them, AND that it would be fun for me too! So, I made hundreds of them.
Then in 2019, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and losing a loved one to suicide, I swore in my grief that I would make 100,000 hearts and convince good people to give them to their loved ones.
My hope was that if I made enough hearts, surely someone would use one someday to save the life of a loved one.
Years, and hundreds of thousands of hearts later, I'm aware of 125 instances where a life has been saved.
AND THE BEST PART ABOUT MY STORY???
Is that this is only the beginning!
I will use my life to make millions of hearts and inspire people to share them with their loved ones.
If there's even the smallest chance it could help one person, isn't is worth all the effort?"
We love to have parents, community members, and past students serve on these panels. This is one of our events that we rely on many volunteers to make it happen. Each student in 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th grade will present a portfolio of their work to show what they learned and how they met standards to pass on to the next multi-grade level.
Don't forget if you have a child participating in passages this year to include their name and teacher in the comment section of the signup sheet. This helps us to make sure your time doesn't overlap with your child's passage presentation.
You can sign up to be a panelist here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4FABAF22A1FF2-63854463-passage#/
Thanks so much!
