May 9,2025

• We absolutely love our teachers and staffulty and hope you do too! National Teacher Appreciation Week has come to an end, but PLEASE KEEP THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK COMING and help us finish the year strong! If you would like to send a kind word to show your appreciation for your student’s teacher or any staffulty, please do so on our “Attitude of Gratitude” form to let us know who deserves a reminder that THEY MATTER during this week, or sooner! 

• Final Call for 2025–2026 Enrollment: All student seats must be confirmed by Wednesday, May 15, 2025. If your student plans to remain at PSA, please email registration@psaschool.org to secure their seat. Students not confirmed by this date will be added to the non-returners list and will need to reapply and join the waitlist for the upcoming school year. If your student will not be returning, please complete the official 2025–2026 Withdrawal Form here!

• VEX
  • We would like to extend a huge congratulations to our Palmetto Scholars Academy VEX Robotics High School Team for their outstanding performance at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas this week. The team demonstrated remarkable effort and skill, achieving a strong qualification record of 7-3 (8-3 including practice) and earning a spot in the elimination rounds. We are also incredibly proud to announce that our High School team achieved recognition in the top 5% worldwide for skills! Furthermore, they were one of a select few teams to receive a second interview from the judges. It was also inspiring to witness two other South Carolina teams advance to the division finals. Our students had the valuable opportunity to compete alongside the reigning World Champions and the top-ranked true skills team globally, which provided an exceptional learning experience. 
  • Looking ahead, the new VEX High School game has been released, and our team has already begun the exciting process of brainstorming and designing their robots for the upcoming season. We anticipate a productive summer of preparation.(As a reminder, the top 5% achievement in skills places them among the elite out of over 9500 teams worldwide.)
  • In other robotics news, we would like to wish our Palmetto Scholars Academy VEX Robotics Middle School teams the very best as their competitions begin this afternoon! We are sending them our full support.
• Theater Club Performance -
• • The Palmetto Scholars Theatre Club is pleased to present the stage production of Sherlock Holmes! They would like to invite you to join them tonight, Friday, May 9 at 6:00 pm or tomorrow, Saturday, May 10 at 5:00pm for an evening of mystery and entertainment. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the performance.  Tickets can be purchased in advance for cash during school lunch for $5, or at the door for $7. Online ticket orders can be placed using this link ($5/ticket). Please come out to support our talented PSA actors and stage crew!  It is sure to be a wonderful evening for all!

• • NHS - 
    • NHS will meet in Ms. Thomas's room Monday 5/12 after school.  We will finish by 4:30.

• If your child took medication at school this year, please pick it up and sign it out with me by Thursday’s 5/29/2025 dismissal.
• If your child will take or need medication at school next year, please find the Doctor’s Orders (PSA Medication Permission Form) on the school website under Nurse’s Notes. Doctor’s orders must be signed after June 30th to be valid for the next school year.
• The school will have limited over-the-counter medications available for students next year. Parents will need to complete and sign the PSA Nurse Health Update and Medicaid Permission Form in order for their child to be able to receive them. Please be aware that the dosing instructions on the packaging will be followed. If your child needs a higher or lower dose than recommended on the packaging, you will need to complete a prescription medication form and have it signed by your physician.
• Form for Permission for Non-Prescription Medication that parents can sign and bring in an over-the-counter medication for their child that the school doesn’t stock. Again, dosing instructions on the packaging will be followed.
• All students who will be entering 7th grade next year will need to provide proof of a Tdap booster vaccination. This is a state requirement.

• Graduation practice attendance is mandatory for walking in the Commencement Ceremony on Friday. If you cannot attend, you must email Mr. Reyes, Mr. Sweeney, AND Ms. Sko to make a request. 
  • Note: Tickets and cords will be handed out at practice, not at Senior Breakfast.
• Senior Field Day 
  • WHERE: At School
  • WHEN: Tuesday, May 20
    • 1:30 Cookout and games 
    • 3:30 Teacher Water Balloon Challenge
• Senior Breakfast/Awards Ceremony
  • WHERE: PSA gym
  • WHEN: Thursday, May 22
    • 8:45-9:15 Breakfast for Seniors. 
    • 9:15-10:45 Awards
• Graduation Practice 
  • WHERE: Northwood Baptist Church
  • WHEN: Thursday, May 22
    • 11:15 am to 1 pm.
  • WHO: Seniors and Jr. Marshalls
• Graduation
  • WHERE: Northwood Baptist Church
  • WHEN: Friday, May 23, 3:30 pm
    • Seniors need to arrive by 2:30 pm
• Thank you for the amazing response to our request for donations!!! PSA families are the best!
• We could still use donations of chips, water/drinks, and condiments(ketchup, mustard) for Senior Field Day. 
• Graduation Day, we could use some help with set up starting at noon. Contact Ms. Miller, betsy.miller@psaschool.org, if you can help. Anything you can do is greatly appreciated!

• Attendance / Seat Time - 
  • We will be contacting students and parents with attendance updates and seat time requirements. The next seat time make up opportunity will be on May 17, 2025.
  • Please be sure to get your absence excuses in as soon as possible. 

• End of the year fees
  • As the end of the year is approaching, please be sure when making a payment, be sure to write your student's name on the payment so we can credit your student's account appropriately. 
  • If you need to make a payment or have any questions regarding your student's fees, please be sure to contact me. I will be more than happy to assist you!

• Attention Rising 8th Grade Parents:
  • Please check your email for important information regarding your child's courses for the 2025-2026 school year. As part of PSA's gifted and talented curriculum, rising 8th graders will take high school credit courses, including English 1 Honors, Geometry Honors, and two high school elective credits. Please review the email carefully for details.
• Virtual SC - 
  • Spring courses and final exams are complete.  Grades will be updated in PowerSchool in the coming weeks.  Virtual SC Summer registration opens for 11th/12th grade students on May 19.  Registration opens for 9th/10th grade students on May 27.  Details and instructions will be sent out closer to registration.

• We're celebrating our amazing 8th graders as they prepare to 'Level Up' into high school for an action-packed time full of fun, food, and friends with their fellow 8th Graders..
• Activities include:
  • Carolina Gamers Game Truck
  • Laser Tag
  • Battleball (giant inflatable bumper suits!)
• Lunch: Hamburgers and hotdogs will be served.
• Cost: $5 per student to participate.
• Time: 12:30 - 2:30
• We're asking for parent donations to help provide food and drinks for our students. Be on the lookout for a sign-up form coming soon!
• Let’s send our 8th graders off in style with a day they won’t forget! 

• As a celebration for the end of the year, the Student Council would like to bring back an old PSA tradition, Phoenix Fest! For those that have never attended a Phoenix Fest before, it is a fair type event with games, activities, and food for all grade levels and their families to enjoy! More specific details will be given in the next Friday notes but this event will take place on Thursday, May 29, from 2:30pm - 5:30pm, so that our PSA families can participate in the fun. In order to make this happen we would love (and need) some community support.
• We are looking for donations of a variety of needs. Please click this link for more details on how you can support this event. 
• Here is our Map for the event!

• Please take time to check your email for a personalized ballot from invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com and use the link in that email to cast your ballot for the open seats on the PSA Board of Directors. Families get one vote per student and each staff member also gets a vote. Voting closes on Sunday, May 11th at 8pm. If you have questions about the election process, please email brandon.guingrich@psaschool.org.

• Please see the dates below for school, district, and state testing over the next few weeks. Please refrain from scheduling out-of-school appointments and functions on the days your child is testing. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Skonieczny at ivette.skonieczny@psaschool.org

• End Of Course Examination Program (EOCEP) 
  • May 13 (Algebra 1); 8:30am
  • May 14 (English 2); 8:30am
  • May 15 (Biology & US History); 8:30am
  • May 19-21 Make-Ups; 8:30am
• Advance Placement 
• • (All AP tests dates and times are established by CollegeBoard)
  • May 12 AP Calculus- 7:30am
  • May 14 AP Language - 7:30am
  • My 15 AP Art History - 7:30am
• SC Ready (6th-8th)
• • (Science, 6th only)
  • May 12 - Reading A - 8:30am
  • May 13 - Reading B - 8:30am
  • May 19 - Writing - 8:30am
  • May 20 - Math 8:30am
  • May 21 - Make-ups - 8:30am
• Principals Of Engineering & Intro of Engineering Design Finals
  • May 16 
• Finals
  • Week of May 19