Middle School Updates

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Weekly Updates

Middle School volunteers spent part of their Saturday living out our mission at the Low Country Food Bank, where they packed 400 boxes of food for senior citizens in our community. Click here for more photos.  

World Food Day Collection
The annual celebration of World Food Day is on Thursday, October 16. The purpose of this day is to increase awareness and understanding of the complex issue of food security for all and the importance of sharing with those who are hungry. We ask each grade to bring in a specific food item from October 6-16. Items can be dropped off in homerooms or at home athletic events. 

• Grade 5 – Canned Fruit
• Grade 6 – Canned Beans
• Grade 7 – Individual Snacks
• Grade 8 – Jelly/Jam       

 If you prefer to make a monetary contribution, please Venmo @Porter-Gaud with the memo “WORLD.” 

Dress-Down Day for PG Service
Please save the date for a school-wide dress-down day in recognition of the food drive effort and World Food Day on Thursday, October 16.

Future City Engineering Mentor Needed!
Are you an engineer who would like to share your knowledge with Middle School students? Mrs. Garcia and Mrs. Clair are leading a Future City team and are in need of a community mentor as a required component for the team. If you are interested, please email jclair@portergaud.edu to get more details!

Middle School Play Auditions
Auditions for the Middle School play, The Little Mermaid, will be held on October 16, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Middle School Music Room. Please complete this form to sign up, Little Mermaid Auditions. Students interested in only being in the ensemble do not need to audition, but they do need to fill out this form.

Fifth Grade Pumpkin Carving Contest 
The Fifth Grade Pumpkin Carving Contest will take place on Thursday, October 30! Students may submit one pumpkin for judging. There will be six categories, with first place and runner-up prizes awarded in each. Pumpkins should be dropped off on the S&T steps between 7:30–7:55 a.m. More details can be found on the flyer here.

Middle School Pre-Football Game Social on the Green!
Join us on Friday, October 24, from 6–7:30 p.m. for a Middle School Social on the Green! All 5th–8th graders are welcome to come hang out with friends, enjoy food, music, and games before the big game. There will be a $5 entrance fee. This event is for Porter-Gaud middle school students only. More details to come in the next few weeks!

Winterim Assignments
After the Fall Break, we’ll share Winterim assignments with students and families. We made every effort to honor each student’s first-choice of experience; however, because enrollment was filled on a first-come, first-served basis, not all requests could be met. In rare cases, those who signed up for a Winterim after the deadline may not be placed in any of their top three choices because those experiences had already reached capacity.

Class Trips
We look forward to our class trips scheduled for Tuesday, May 5 – Friday, May 8. Class trips are an integral part of our academic program, and students are expected to attend. Please note that dates may shift slightly depending on logistics. We will communicate any changes as soon as they are confirmed.

The student fee/family share of the payment is listed beside each trip. Porter-Gaud works hard to keep these costs affordable. Below are the class trip activities as well as links to register for the 7th and 8th grade trips through Orange Sky, the agency we work with to facilitate these particular class trips. 

• 8th Grade – Leadership and Teamwork the Disney Way (Student fee $100): Building on the success of last year’s Winterim trip, this experience will now serve as the culminating class trip for 8th grade, ensuring every student can participate in this fun and educational leadership experience. You can register using this link:  orangeskytravel.com/nextsteps and the Trip Code: 200245. Please note, the cost of the trip listed on the website may not match the actual cost of the family share. Families will only pay $100 for this trip and the school will cover the remaining cost. Also, please choose the “quad” room option when registering. The deadline to register is Friday, October 24.
• 7th Grade – Washington, D.C. (Student fee $100): A classic educational experience, this trip includes visits to key D.C. landmarks, museums, and the U.S. Capitol, aligned with the 7th-grade history curriculum. You can register using this link: orangeskytravel.com/nextsteps and the Trip Code: 200240. Please note, the cost of the trip listed on the website may not match the actual cost of the family share. Families will only pay $100 for this trip, and the school will cover the remaining cost. Also, please choose the “quad” room option when registering. The deadline to register is Friday, October 24.
   
• 6th Grade – Local Field Trips throughout the year (Student fee $0): Perhaps the most exciting change is the thoughtful planning of local field trips throughout the school year to build community and connection amongst the sixth graders. This year, sixth-grade students will start the year off with a team-building trip to Charleston Adventure Forest. This will be followed by a science-focused field trip before winter break. The spring semester will involve a field trip focusing on the arts, with an end-of-the-year field trip focused on community building. Each of these trips will focus not only on educational connections to the classroom, but also on connections among students to help them strengthen or build new bonds with their classmates. They occur at times throughout the year when students typically seek connections with their peers.

• 5th Grade – Camp Timberlake (Student fee $50): A hallmark experience of the middle school journey, the fifth-grade trip to Camp Timberlake offers unforgettable outdoor education and bonding that lays the foundation for meaningful relationships throughout Middle School. There is no need to register for this trip. All fifth grade students are currently registered, and billing will occur through the school.

Service Opportunities
The Middle School Service Program encompasses the Service Club, as well as off-campus opportunities open to all Middle School students. To see detailed information, please check the "MS Off Campus Service" tab under Resources when you log into MyPG. Below are opportunities that have been scheduled for the first semester.  Space is limited and registration is required, as we must ensure that all paperwork is completed by all participants.  An adult should complete the sign-up so that we can communicate with the person who is transporting the child to and from the service project.

• November 8: Charleston Miracle League (Buddy On the Field), 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Signup will be posted in late October.
• December 13: GrowFood Carolina box packing for people facing food insecurity. Signup will be posted in late November. 

From the Nurse’s Office
There will be an on-site flu vaccine clinic hosted by Dottie’s Pharmacy on Thursday, October 17, from 12 - 3:30 p.m. Click here to sign up and access the consent form.
 

Lands End Fall Savings
One of our uniform vendors, Lands End, will be offering 25% off all fall uniform styles until October 13 with the code EXPLORE25. Click here to learn more.

Dining Update from Taher
All families are invited to participate in a short survey about school lunch here. Thank you for participating! 

Please click here to see the menu for the upcoming week. Next Friday, we will enjoy a power bowl featuring a menu created by an Upper School history class based on their studies about Gullah Culture, called the LowCountry Layers Bowl. Kudos to Owen, Elliott, and Elle! You can also follow Taher on Instagram (@taherpgdining) or access menus online.

From the PGPA

• Holiday Festival Committee: Parents and caregivers in all divisions are needed for the Holiday Festival Committee, which assists with the Holiday Festival on Saturday, December 6, and decorating the campus on Sunday, November 30. All are welcome to attend the first drop-in meeting in Washington Hall on Wednesday, October 22, between 8:15 - 9:30 a.m. to learn more! Click here for more information. 
• RSVP for Fusion Fest by October 10! Celebrate the rich diversity and flavors of Asia on Wednesday, October 22, from 5-7 p.m. on the Green. Click here to learn more and to RSVP. 
• PG Prayer Circle: On October 17 at 8:45 a.m., join fellow parents at the pavilion near the stadium to meet the chaplains, enjoy coffee, and pray over the school. 
• PGPA Concessions Sign Up: PGPA Fall Concessions are underway! Please click here to sign up for shifts and support our athletics teams. No experience necessary!
• Volunteer Opportunities: Click here to learn more about PGPA volunteer opportunities.