7.25.2025 Friday Letter to Families

     We are just over two and a half weeks away from an amazing year at PSA! Our momentum and excitement continues to grow each day as we get closer and closer to the 25/26 starting line! We do not have many new updates this week to share, but there are some updated links with times to our New Student Orientation Day and Student Pick Up Day that have been included. Please feel free to reach out next week with any questions. 

     We look forward for what is to come for our new and returning PSA students and making this the #PSABestYearYET! Here is what is to coming up next.

New Student Orientation & Student Pick Up:

• We are excited to announce for our new students and parents that we will be having our New Student Orientation for students who have been accepted/enrolled on July 31. Parents will have the opportunity to get a head start on signing up for Powerschool, and more, during this time. 
  • YEARBOOK / ID PICTURES: Yearbook pictures will be taken on this day for all new students attending. Make up Picture Day will be August 8 on “Student Pick Up Day.” 
• Student Pick Up will be on Friday, August 8. The grade level times can be found on our website here. Students will be picking up their schedules, chromebooks, textbooks, Yondr pouches (for electronic devices), and taking yearbook pictures.

School Supplies: 

• SC tax free weekend will be held August 1-3 this year. Many of our families will want to use this opportunity to complete their back-to-school shopping and we have been getting some questions about specific school supply needs. Supplies vary by class and will be outlined in the syllabus, but all students will need the normal resources of middle and high school students- a binder, loose leaf paper, notebooks, pens, ruler, pencils, a backpack, etc. Students enrolled in high school math courses will benefit from the purchase of a TI84 Plus calculator for use at home and school. Students will have access to Chromebooks to use for schoolwork. Any student or family who needs support at any time with school resources should please contact our Director of School Counseling at Kaytie Widener. 

Powerschool Corner: (From 7.18.2025)

• Parent and student access has officially been restored!
• If you're having trouble logging in or need a password reset, feel free to reach out to Ms. Madison. 
• Heads-up: Class schedules aren’t visible at this time.
• Need to take care of fees? Ms. Stanley, our Controller, has continued working hard handling all PSA finances this summer, including student fees. Parents are encouraged to pay all fees on RevTrak that can be found on our website under the “Pay Fees” logo.You can head over to RevTrak either through PowerSchool or directly from the PSA website.
• If you know of a parent/guardian who did not receive this email, please have them email Mr. Sweeney, so he can get them updated in our system. If you have not already done so, please like and follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for further updates on our students’ success and more. 

PSA New Hire Press Release(s):

• We are thrilled to work with and welcome our newest hires for the 25-26 school year! Click the “Press Release” links below to learn more about our newest Staffulty members!
• Tara Girch - Special Education
• Brandon Wilkins - Physical Education

• All families should have received an email on July 17, 2025, confirming that their student is registered for the 2025–2026 school year. If you did not receive this confirmation email, please contact us at registration@psaschool.org so that we can verify that we have the correct email address on file for you. When reaching out, please be sure to include your student’s first and last name so we can quickly identify your family’s record and ensure that all information is accurate.
• Please also note that for the safety and privacy of all students, we cannot confirm any student information—including emergency contacts—over the phone. To gain access to any information regarding a student, you will need to come to the main office in person and present a valid form of identification before we are able to release any details.

Counselors’ Corner: (From 7.18.2025)

• Virtual SC -
  • Virtual SC Summer courses end on Tuesday, July 29.  All initial credit courses require an in-person final exam.  Final exams will take place at PSA on Wednesday, July 30 @ 1 PM.  Students who are not available to come in person may pay an additional fee to have their exams virtually proctored through MonitorEDU (please contact your VSC directly for more information).
  • Registration for Fall Virtual SC courses opens for 11th & 12th grade students on August 13.  Registration is open for all grades beginning on August 20.
• Student Schedules - 
  • Schedule distribution will take place at PSA on Friday, August 8.  Schedules will not be available to students before this date.  Any requests to make schedule changes must be made through the Google Form that will be available August 8 through August 22.

Athletics: 

• Athletic Closed Dates:  NO activities from Sunday, July 27th - Wednesday, July 30th.  Cross Country & Volleyball Schedules are posted on the Phoenix Athletics website.  Schedules are subject to change.
• PSA is excited to announce our new JV & Varsity Volleyball coach Sally-Ann Archie.  Coach Archie is a dedicated volleyball coach with nearly a decade of experience developing athletes across school, club, and recreational levels. She has coached teams ranging from 12U beginners to competitive 16U club players and has served as a JV head coach and varsity assistant at both Military Magnet Academy and North Charleston High School. Most recently, she has led a 16U club team for Charleston Volleyball Club and facilitated seasonal youth clinics through Dominion Youth.
• Volleyball practice/tryouts start on Thursday, July 31st.  Tryouts will run through Tuesday, Aug. 5th.  Times for Thursday, July 31st & Friday, August 1st are from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.  The week of August 4th (M-F) from 4:00 to 6:15 pm.  Once school starts on Tuesday, August 12th practice will run from 3:45 to 6:15.  These times are for JV & Varsity.  Any questions please email Coach Archie at volleyball@psaschool.org. 
• Cross Country starts running on Thursday, July 31st & Friday, August 1st.  Runners will report to the Amenities Center (5561 Netherby Lane, N. Chas) in White Hall Subdivision off Dorchester Road.  Please report by 3:45.  Practices will be from 4:00 to 5:30 on Monday-Thursday's.  Any questions please email Coach Gasser at crosscountry@psaschool.org. 

Parent Community Association (PCA)

• The PSA Parent and Community Association (PCA) is a volunteer organization which exists to support and enrich the academic and community life of the students at Palmetto Scholars Academy and to aid the faculty, staff and administration of the school in carrying out their work.
• Sign up on the PCA website. More details to come.
• July 27 Beautification Project - 3:00 - 7:00 pm VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
• PSA Beautification Project seeks volunteers!
• Join "The PSA Beautification Project" and help transform our school's grounds! We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers to refresh the flower beds, ensuring a vibrant and welcoming environment for our children. This project focuses on essential gardening tasks: mulching to suppress weeds and retain moisture, weeding to clear existing beds, and planting new flowers to add color and life. Your involvement, even for a few hours, makes a significant impact, creating a beautiful space where our students can learn and thrive! 
• Please sign up at this link!  

Looking Ahead at Details to Come… 

• School Volunteer details and sign ups
• Student Drop off and Pick Up Details
• Before and Aftercare details 
• Early Graduation details
• Registering for Lunch (all students are required.)
• Locker details
• Facts and Fees details

Mark your calendars: