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The Official Source for Plant High School Information
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September 10, 2014
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 Academic Foundation
Great meeting yesterday - if you missed it you missed a lot! We were very excited to announce our 2014 Membership Challenge. Thanks to a generous grant from the Triad Foundation, every membership dollar we receive through December 31st will be matched one to one! Now your donation can have twice the impact in Plant classrooms! Don't worry - if you've already joined your donation will be matched as well. Be a part of our success by becoming a member today! You can join using Paypal or download a membership form on our website.
We're not even a month into the school year, and already the Academic Foundation has funded science, technology and sound resources, software, music stands and much more! Visit our website for a complete list of approved grants.
Finally, Plant 101 was a great success! Thank you to Mr. Nelson, Ms. Hellenberg, Ms. Otero and Ms. Dicus for fielding questions from parents. Mark your calendars now for our next meeting, on October 14th at 9:15 am in the Media Center.
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 PTSA Update
Thanks to everyone who attended our first General Membership Meeting on September 2nd. We had a fantastic turnout. It was a great opportunity to find out what was going on with our new SpringBoard math program and Guidmii, an on-line educational tool that helps you and your student keep track of their GPA and scheduling. Next month, on October 7th at 7:00 pm, we will discuss the budget for the 2014-15 year, so come and see what we have planned.
Please consider joining and donating to the PTSA. We do many things at Plant and need your help to make our membership and financial goals possible. I look forward to seeing everyone in October.
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 Athletic Foundation
The Athletic Foundation is still accepting memberships. Join today to support "The Team Behind the Teams!" All membership dollars raised support our athletic teams, allowing coaches to purchase items necessary to support their programs. Please click here for our current brochure and other information regarding the Athletic Foundation. Families that have already purchased Booster Athletic Passes may pick them up in the main office from Lynn Menendez Rinard between 7:15 am and 3:00 pm. Please bring a photo i.d. for pick up.
The Fall General Membership Meeting was held on Wednesday, August 27th. The Foundation would like to thank Dr. Jeff Sellman from Florida Orthopaedic who spoke on various topics regarding sports injuries.
Save the date! The Plant Athletic Foundation will hold its 4th annual Panther Bowl on Friday, November 7th from 6:30 to 10:30 pm at Splitsville in Channelside. Plan on attending to support our teams.
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 Picture Day Information for All Students
Student picture day will take place on Friday, September 12th. To place an order, ask your student for the order form he or she received in homeroom, or you may obtain a form from the school office. Make ups and retakes will take place on October 21st.
A Senior portrait session at Plant has been added! Please contact Prestige at 800-736-4775 to make your picture appointment for Monday, October 6 after school. The deadline for portraits was October 4th but has now been extended to the 6th to include this new opportunity.
Club pictures will take place on October 22nd. Students, please wear the appropriate club t-shirt on that day.
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 Yearbook Information
Order your 2015 yearbook today! Take advantage of the early bird pricing of $91.25 through September 30th. The yearbook will contain nearly 600 pages, all in color! Remember this year, forever.
Have pictures you think are yearbook worthy? Share them! Click here and use the code plantpanthers (one word) to upload your pictures. If your picture is chosen for the yearbook, you will automatically be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a free 2015 Plant yearbook! |
 College Night
Plant College Night will be held on Tuesday, September 30th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for students and parents to meet the college representatives and ask questions about their college and the application and scholarship process. All high school students are invited to this event. Florida colleges will be in the cafeteria and out-of-state colleges in the gym. FSU and UF will give presentations throughout the night; FSU will be located in the Auditorium and UF will be in the Media Center. Contact Lauren Spinka with questions. |
 Senior Updates
Some colleges offer merit-based scholarships that require a school nomination. Two new colleges have been added to the list. Click here for more information.
If you plan to take another ACT or SAT test, we recommend taking it in September or October in order to get those scores to the colleges in time for application deadlines. Please remember, it is your responsibility to send ACT or SAT scores directly to the colleges by logging on to your account on www.collegeboard.org or www.act.org. It can take 4-6 weeks for scores to reach the college so log on and send them now! For most colleges, you need at least one test score in by their deadline, then you can send updated scores after their deadline if you had a complete application. Plant High School does not send test scores to colleges. Upcoming test dates: SAT: October 11th (Register online by September 12th)ACT: October 25th (Register online by September 19th)
The first round of free SAT prep Saturday sessions begin September 13th and end October 4th. Applications are available online in the ACT/SAT information section on the left hand side of the page. To sign up, print out an application and return it to the Guidance office. |
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 Lunch and Learn in the College Resource Room
Ms. Spinka will host help sessions during your lunch period in the College Resource room (Room 101) on the topics listed below. Sign up on Family Connection to attend!
- 9/15 & 9/17: Filling out the student self-reported academic record (now required for UF and FSU applications) (seniors only please);
- 9/22 & 9/24: Common Application ins and outs (seniors only please);
- 9/29: Preparing for College Night (all students invited);
- 10/1: A walk through your high school transcript and strategies for filling in the blanks on your college applications.
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 News from your Guidance Counselors & Class Size Balancing
See our latest Counselor's Corner Newsletter for more detailed information from your school counselors.Counselors have been balancing class sizes, primarily in our upper level and AP classes. As the 20th day of school approaches, we anticipate many schedule changes for 9th graders and some for 10th and 11th graders as well. We will add extra classes in several subject areas, and move students to fill these new classes, in order to meet the state mandated class size requirements. Please understand that these moves are a necessity and cannot be reversed. |
 Update for Juniors
Juniors will get one FREE SAT this year! The district plans to offer the test during the school day on February 25th. Further details will follow as soon as they are available. |
 Community Service Update
New this year -- the Bright Futures Proposal and Hours Log can be turned in all at once! If the two forms are accurately filled out, they will be accepted. Students can turn in the forms to the Guidance office in the appropriate bin. Please be sure to keep copies of all forms. View Bright Futures requirements and download forms from our Guidance website. Forms are not available in the Guidance office. |
 Beta Tutoring
Tutoring is available in the Guidance office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 to 4:00 pm and Wednesday mornings from 6:45 to 7:25 am. All students must submit a tutoring referral form to participate in our tutoring program. To access this form, visit the Guidance website. |
 Art Club's Braided Bread Sale
The Art Club's braided bread fundraiser will be held in early October this year. Flavors include cream cheese, apple, cinnamon, blueberry and cherry. See any Art Club member to order your braided bread. |
 Pantherettes Host Car Wash
Stop by Advance Auto Parts at 3823 South Dale Mabry (across from Britton Plaza) on Saturday, September 20th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm where the Pantherettes will host a fundraising car wash. Thanks in advance for your support and we hope to see you there!
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 Plant High's Theatre Program
Mr. Franke will be holding open auditions for two upcoming Plant High School Theatre productions! Contact Mr. Franke to sign up for a time slot and to get details about what to prepare.
Auditions for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged will be September 15th from 2:00 to 6:00 pm in the Auditorium. Call backs will be on September 16th at 3:00 pm.
Auditions for Ruthless! The Musical will be held on September 22nd from 2:00 to 6:00 pm in the Auditorium. Call backs will be held on September 23rd at 3:00 pm.
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 PHS Planners and Magnets
Senior students are currently selling PHS 2014-2015 planners during all three lunches, before school in Room 132, and on Conference Night while supplies last. Planners are $10 and selling quickly, so get yours now. Magnets are also available for $5. (Cash or check made payable to Plant High School PTSA.) |
 Plant High's Homecoming 2014
Homecoming will take place on Saturday, October 11th, from 8:00 to 11:00 pm at the A La Carte Event Pavilion. Tickets will be sold during lunch beginning on September 29th for $45 in advance and $55 at the door (cash only). Any student bringing a date who is not a PHS student must submit a guest form. |
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Administration
Robert M. Nelson, III, Principal
Kimi Hellenberg, AP Curriculum
Lauren Otero, AP Administration
Erin Mellnick, AP Student Affairs A-Gn
David Webb, AP Student Affairs Go-Ne
Napolean Wade, AP Student Affairs Nf-Z
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Submission Guidelines
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School Board
MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent
Carol W. Kurdell, Chair
Susan L. Valdes, Vice Chair
Doretha W.Edgecomb
April Griffin
Candy Olson
Cindy Stuart
Stacy R. White, Pharm.D.
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PHS Twitter Account
Link here:
Click here for a list of
Plant Twitter accounts.
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School Calendar
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- September 12: Picture Day
- September 30: College Night, 6 to 8:00 pm
- October 1: Panther Prowl, 7:00 pm, Dad's Stadium
- October 2: Homecoming football game (Plant vs. Riverview 7:00 pm)
- October 7: PTSA meeting, 7:00 pm, Cafeteria
- October 10: Flu vaccines (more information to follow)
- October 11: Homecoming dance, 8 to 11:00 pm, A La Carte Event Pavilion
- October 14: Academic Foundation meeting, 9:15 am, Media Center
- October 15: PSAT for all 9th, 10th and 11th grade students
- October 20: Non-Student Day
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| Fine Arts | |
Art
New members may join the PHS Art Club on September 15th at 2:10 pm in Room 215. Membership will be closed after that date. There are no dues or application. Club members are expected to attend monthly meetings after school on early release Mondays, and make transportation arrangements at 2:40 pm.
Chorus
PHS Chorus is in full swing for the school year! They will be performing the national anthem at the Plant vs. Gaither football game on September 12th, and at the Tampa Bay Rays game vs. Chicago White Sox on September 19th. Please come out and support our wonderful group of singers and cheer on your favorite teams. For more details, like us on  .
Drama
Mr. Franke will be holding open auditions for two upcoming Plant High School Theatre productions! See above article block for details.
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Clubs and Activities Calendar
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Pantherettes - 5:30-8:30 Regular practice Tuesday & Thursday
Plant Outdoorsman Alliance Club Plant has a new club, the Plant Outdoorsmen Alliance (POA). Activities will include archery, fishing, hunting, camping and service hour opportunities. First event: kick off bar-b-q on 9/28 at Hillsborough River State Park. Reservations and money due by 9/12 to Mr. Ferlita in Room 230. For more information please visit our page or email club president, Mark Gauthier.
National English Honor Society National English Honor Society applications are currently available on the NEHS board (outside Room 223) and are due on September 11th at 3:00 pm. |
Athletic Calendar
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Below you will find a complete listing of current Plant High School athletic events. Click on any highlighted sport to visit the team's website. Go Panthers!
Football
- 9/12 Plant vs. Gaither, 7:30 pm
- 9/19 Plant @ Bloomingdale, 7:30 pm
- 9/26 Plant vs. Tampa Bay Tech, 7:30 pm
JV Football
- 9/11 Plant vs. Robinson, 7:00 pm
- 9/18 Plant @ Blake, 7:00 pm
- 9/23 Plant vs. Alonso, 7:00 pm
Boys Golf
The Boys Golf team is off to a great 6-0 start! They defeated Alonso and Sickles in two tri-matches. They also posted lower scores than Steinbrenner and Robinson in dual matches. Continued good luck to the team!
- 9/9 Plant @ Durant
- 9/19 Plant vs. Gaither
- 9/15 Plant @ Newsome
- 9/18 Plant vs. Steinbrenner
Girls Golf Congratulations Lady Panthers on your wins against Sickles, Alonso, and Robinson. - 9/11 Plant vs. Gaither @ MacDill
- 9/15 Plant @ Newsome @ River Hills CC
- 9/18 Plant vs. Steinbrenner @ MacDill
- 9/23 Plant @ Gaither @ Northdale Golf Club
Swimming and Diving The team kicked off their season with a full sweep of wins over Bloomingdale.
- 9/11 Plant vs. Wharton, 6:30 pm
- 9/18 Plant @ Academy(w/Jesuit), 6:30 pm
- 9/23 Plant vs. Leto, 6:30 pm
- 9/20 North Port Invitational @ North Port High, Varsity
- 9/27 Seffner Christian Invitational @ Dover Trails/Brandon, JV
- 10/7 Freshman/Sophomore Invitational @ Al Lopez, 5 pm, JV
Lacrosse Thanks to all who attended the August 26th meeting for interested players! If you missed it, please contact Coach Chapman for a summary of details. All players: please turn in your athletic packets by September 22nd in order to start conditioning on September 23rd. Be sure to follow us on  to receive registration details.
Girls Basketball Over the next six weeks, the Lady Panthers will work on core strengthening, weightlifting, aerobic conditioning and team building during their pre-season conditioning program. It's still not too late to be a part of the Lady Panther workouts. Tryouts will be held on October 20th. Have your daughter see Coach Mahon in the girls locker room for information. |
| Current Volunteer Needs | |
Plant values its volunteers and we need your help. Click below to send an email to the appropriate chairperson to learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities at PHS.
- Contact Ginny Wilkinson to volunteer for College Night on 9/30. Volunteers are needed for all three shifts to set up and clean up, greet visiting families who need help navigating the campus, and to bake treats for the college representatives.
- Calling all volunteers wanting to bake goodies, drop off candy bags, or help monitor the PTSA table during Panther Prowl (to be held on 10/1 @ 7 pm). Please contact Connie Mayts to donate or for more information.
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Plant High School - Strength Through Unity
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