HINTS FOR PORTAGE ACADEMY NEW STUDENT INTERVIEWS

Some frequently asked questions by PAA applicants.

1. WHO YOU WILL MEET: For your interview, you will meet with two different groups, each with two or three people.  Each will ask you about six or seven questions.  These folks all want to help so don’t be nervous.

2. HOW LONG: You’ll spend about 15 minutes with each group. The time will go fast.

3. PREPARING: You don’t need to prepare or study for anything.  Just be honest and be yourself. Try not to be nervous. We all want you to be comfortable and eventually successful!

4. THE SETUP: We usually have more applicants than open spots.  Typically we only have enough openings to accept about half of the people who apply.

5. TIMELINES:

• We hold interviews at the end of each of the four quarters of the school year.
• Students who are selected typically start on the first day of each new quarter.
• The Principal will usually call you within three or four days after your interview to let you know if you have been selected or not and to tell you if you are AM or PM section.  

6. IF NOT SELECTED: If you are not chosen for PAA, don’t give up. Many students apply several times before finally being accepted.  To increase your chances of success next time, you should improve your attendance and behavior at PHS.  Also, most importantly, you can double your chances next time by having a job when you next apply! 

7. PAA NON-NEGOTIABLES: There are certain things that all PAA students do 100% of the time.  These are described on the back of this page.  

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PAA NON-NEGOTIABLES: PAA is different from PHS. We have some things called “non-negotiables” and these are things that all of our students MUST DO.  Please don’t apply if you can’t do these.

1. EMPLOYMENT: You are expected to maintain employment at all times. You will have about four weeks to find a job that provides a paycheck. The PAA teachers will help you to find a job.  
2. ATTENDANCE: PAA students are allowed a max of only two absences per quarter. We do work with you on medical and emergency absences by sometimes allowing you to make up missed time.  Before you apply, you should consider if you can handle these tight attendance expectations.  Attendance is one of the top factors affecting student success in our school.  Seriously, can you handle missing only two days each quarter?  If you can’t, this school may not be the right fit for you.
3. COMMUNICATION: You will need to communicate with the teacher when you have problems, especially if they affect your attendance. Just like in a job, any time you need to be absent, you need to call the teacher’s cell phone to let them know IN ADVANCE of your absence.
4. POSITIVE ATTITUDE: The Portage Academy is a small, family-type environment. We share our problems, challenges and successes openly.  We have issues but we deal with them respectfully and directly. There are virtually no suspensions or discipline problems at our school.  A positive attitude is a must for every teacher and student. Our students like it here.
5. PORTFOLIO: One of the first things you will do is work with the teachers to put together a polished job application packet that contains a cover letter, personal resume, and three people to use as job references.  Just before graduation you will add your final transcript, writing samples, a career and life plan, and an exit survey.  You cannot leave PAA without a life’s plan!
6. PARTICIPATION:  Sleeping in class or declining to participate in activities is not acceptable at PAA.  Participation is an non-negotiable expectation at PAA.  Students attend only three hours of classroom instruction every day.  This limited contact time requires you to stay awake, alert, active, and on task to get the most out of this time.  Sometimes you will not feel like working but at PAA you will have to build stamina and push through those days.  We expect our students to be as committed to learning as we are to teaching.  
7. CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE: For this class, we read an entire book together out loud, taking turns going around the classroom.  Next we do a writing assessment. Then we pop popcorn and watch the movie version of the book together. This is one of the most fun things we do.  
8. EXPECTATIONS: PAA students do not listen to music during E2020 work and we put our cell phones away except for break time. We don’t have a lot of rules but are serious about following the ones we have.
9. COMPLIANCE: The PAA teachers will always try to involve you in decisions that affect you, but when you are directly asked to do something, you need to comply!