Connecting with Self. Others. Learning. Community.
At Pentwater Public Schools, we believe education is about more than academics. It's also about helping students discover who they are, build meaningful relationships, develop a love of learning, and recognize the positive impact they can have on the world around them.
Faculty and staff will weave these ideas into everyday classroom experiences through conversations, lessons, assignments, and discussions. You'll also hear CONNECT FOUR themes in our daily announcements and schoolwide activities. Rather than adding something new, we're being more intentional about reinforcing skills that help students grow both in and out of the classroom.
That's the idea behind CONNECT FOUR, our schoolwide theme for the 2026–2027 school year!
Throughout the year, our Falcons will focus on four important connections:
🟣 Connect with Self — Know Yourself. Grow Yourself. Recognizing our strengths, understanding our emotions, and developing self-awareness and confidence.
🟡 Connect with Others — See Others. Lift Others. Building positive relationships through kindness, empathy, and respect.
🟣 Connect with Learning — Stretch Your Mind. Expand Your World. Developing curiosity, perseverance, and a willingness to take on challenges.
🟡 Connect with Community — Lead with Heart. Make Your Mark. Finding ways to contribute, serve others, and make a positive difference.
How does CONNECT FOUR fit with SOAR?
Our SOAR expectations—Safe, On-Task, Attitude, and Respect—continue to guide our daily actions. CONNECT FOUR builds on that foundation by helping students develop skills that extend beyond the classroom.
Families are an important part of the connection! Throughout the year, we'll share conversation starters and simple ways to reinforce these ideas at home.
Together, we're helping our Falcons grow as individuals, learners, friends, and community members.
CONNECT FOUR. Together We SOAR!
School picture re-take day is scheduled for Thursday, 10/22!
If you would like to volunteer to pop popcorn on Fridays, please let the school know.
It’s Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch time at Pentwater Public Schools and we are joining
early care centers, colleges, hospitals, and other organizations across the Great Lakes
Region states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio in the
eighth annual Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch. Participants celebrate National Farm to School Month
and local farmers by crunching into RENNHACK ORCHARD APPLES at 2:00pm local time on
Thursday, October 15th !
This collective crunch encourages healthy eating and supports farm to school and local
food initiatives throughout the Great Lakes Region. Thank you for doing your part to get
us to 1.2 MILLION Crunches!
💍💜 Wedding Bells Are Ringing! 💜💍
Our PPS family is sending a BIG congratulations to K–12 Assistant Principal Diana Patterson and her fiancé, Andy Patterson, as they celebrate their special day! 🥂✨
Wishing you both a beautiful wedding filled with love, laughter, and unforgettable memories. May this next chapter be unforgettable! 💕🎉
Congratulations, Diana & Andy! We’re so happy for you both! 💐💍
Please join us HOME at our soccer field on Wednesday, 9/30, at 5:00 PM as Pentwater Varsity Soccer takes on Benzie Central!
Our Falcons will be PLAYING FOR LUCUS as we come together to support his family and friends and honor a former Falcon who will forever be a part of the PPS family.
A group of 7th- and 8th-graders attended the Michigan Middle School Leadership Initiative camp at Camp Miniwanca in Shelby. They had the opportunity to build their leadership and communication skills while also experiencing camp life. Pentwater was not the only school present; this year, 5 schools of varying sizes attended. While they learn leadership skills in mixed-school groups, they return as a school group to craft a civic action plan to identify and address an issue within their school or larger community. They then create a skit to share their area of focus, why it matters to them, and how they plan to address it. They then act out the skit for all the other campers and staff. After returning to Pentwater, the work does not stop; they continue working to address the issue they identified and care about.
This year's cohort was made up of
Six 8th graders:
Sophia Skinner
Lauren Macher
Karoline Slotegraaf
Owen Keyser
Skyler Compton
Jordy Miller
Two 7th graders:
KaRynn Boutell
Sophia Vazquez.
I am proud of how they did at camp and am looking forward to sharing their project as it progresses.
Kelly SIsung
This year at Pentwater Public Schools, we’re focusing on the connections that help our students grow—not just as learners, but as people.
Through CONNECT FOUR, students will build skills in four important areas:
🟣 Connect with Self — Know Yourself
💛 Connect with Others — Care for Others
🟣 Connect with Learning — Learn & Grow
💛 Connect with Community — Lead & Serve
Throughout the year, our staff will intentionally weave these ideas into conversations, classroom activities, lessons, recognition, and everyday moments throughout our school.
Right now, our focus is CONNECT WITH SELF: Know Yourself.
We’re encouraging students to notice their strengths, recognize their emotions, understand what helps them learn, set goals, advocate for themselves, and recognize when their body is telling them it’s time to slow down, refocus, or reset.
Because before we can build strong relationships, grow as learners, and make a difference in our community, it helps to understand who we are.
And this connection doesn’t stop at the school doors. Families and community members can help by asking our Falcons:
💬 What did you learn about yourself today?
💬 What is something you’re getting better at?
💬 What helps you when something feels difficult?
💬 What is something you’re proud of?
Four connections. One Falcon community. 💜💛
Know Yourself. Care for Others. Learn & Grow. Lead & Serve.
Together we SOAR.
✨A huge congratulations to our amazing Falcon Spotlight Winners! 🌟
These outstanding students were nominated by their teachers for consistently demonstrating our Falcon S.O.A.R. values — Safety, On-Task, Attitude, and Respect 💜💛
You truly embody what it means to be a Falcon — soaring high and setting the standard for others to follow! 🙌👏
#FalconPride #SOAR #GoFalcons #FalconFamily 🦅💜💛 See less
