Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Friday! We are officially in the final 9 weeks of the school year.

 

That means grades, attendance, make-up hours, credit recovery, and so many more things become critical components of success, and for our seniors' graduation!

 

Parents, PLEEEEEASE be checking your child’s skyward. If you notice anything that seems strange (random absences or tardies, low grades, etc.) please call us so we can help determine what is going on… we are finding more and more cases of situations where students are… bending the truth… about what is happening and reflecting in skyward. 

 

Speaking of reaching out, we will be starting a new software program called “SCHOOL STATUS” very soon. The program has many features, but the one we are most excited about is the texting feature. Similar to when we were virtual and could text using Google Voice we will once again be able to call, text, and email!

Stay tuned for more info!

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Action Item - Write a “Shout Out” to a PHS Staff Member (please):

We love our PfISD staff members and we know our parents do too! We want to provide an opportunity for our parents to publicly recognize and thank our staff members who serve our students, staff, and the community. We have created a Google Form to provide information directly to us to share with our staff as a whole and let you see the difference you are making in a student's life every single day. Please click here for the Google Form.

 

These Shout Outs will be included in upcoming issues of the Parent and Staff Newsletters. If a Shout Out directly references a student, we will not include the guardian name to protect the child's anonymity. If you are recognized in an anonymous Shout Out and want to learn the parent's name, please contact Tamra Spence at tamra.spence@pfisd.net.

Congratulations - Angelina Cao - Silent Service Award:

Senior Angelina Cao was recognized this week for her outstanding commitment to leadership and community service. She plays a vital role in countless clubs and organizations on our campus and in our community. 

This award includes a beautiful plaque inscribed with her name and award along with an unrestricted $500 check, all provided by the Jim Marsh Foundation.

Congratulations - Partnership with Dell Professionals:

The following PHS students applied and were hired for the Dell IGNITE high school internship program. 

• Tirtha Gautam

• Jenna Pham

• Nicolas Rodriguez

• Bethany Tran

Students will work alongside Dell professionals during a paid internship from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until May. They must provide their own transportation to the Dell Parmer Lane campus. The students participated in orientation yesterday and begin the internship experience today.

Congratulations - Lone Star Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Electrical: 

Last week, Autumn Hendrickson (At-Risk Facilitator at Pflugerville High School) took six PFISD seniors (PHS & WHS), Angel Apodaca, Rolando Tijerina, Miguel Villanueva, Jabari Moore, Brandon Albert, and Kyler Heath to complete the Lonestar Construction Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Electrical training over spring break. 

Students learned basic electrical theory and participated in hands-on training including wiring switches, GFCI receptacles, 3-way switches, and much more. Students applied the skills they learned by assembling and wiring a lamp with a light switch, outlets, and USB receptacles. Ms. Hendrickson graciously gave up her entire spring break for the 5-day program so that our students could learn more about what it means to be an electrician and help our students take the first step to becoming a Journeyman electrician.

The students will also complete their OSHA 10 certification.

Ms. Hendrickson worked tirelessly before the event to bring this opportunity to our students. Since the beginning of the year, she worked with Haley Honey (WHS College & Career Advisor), Local Union 520, Lone Star Construction Trades Program, Goodwill Central Texas, and others to secure funding for our students. This allowed every student to receive the $2,200 training completely free.

Congratulations - Powerlifting Team:

This past weekend the Women’s Powerlifting Team competed in the State Powerlifting meet held in Frisco, TX.

Congratulations to Ava Roberts for placing 4^th in her weight class and bringing home a medal. Thank you for representing Pflugerville High School! We are proud of you and look forward to next season!

Congratulations - PHS Choir:

Right before spring break, PHS Choir competed in the UIL Concert and Sight Reading evaluation.  Our Tenor Bass Choir was awarded Sweepstakes for superior (best) ratings in both their concert and sight reading performances, and our Varsity mixed choir Panther Chorale was also awarded superior ratings for their sight reading performance. Recordings of all of our choir concert performances can be found here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18BLd8vBAIEbuG6lzZ3qJz0E8nGhEGtVg?usp=sharing

 

 

Mark Your Calendar - Greater Pflugerville Job Fair:

Proposed changes to Texas A-F Accountability Ratings:

 

The Texas Education Agency has announced expected significant changes to the A–F accountability process that will begin to impact students, schools, and districts in 2023. We anticipate these changes to the Accountability system will cause a decrease in ratings for schools and districts across the state. While the changes are still preliminary, districts across the state are preparing staff and the community for the changes, which are expected to be finalized in the summer 2023.

 

Changes to the system center around:

• STAAR testing

• College, Career and Military Readiness Evaluation

• Closing the Gap

• District Ratings

 

Click here to learn more about the Accountability System in Texas and what changes will go into effect.

 

A Word from the Library:

St. Jude’s Read-a-thon  St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital is doing a Facebook Charity drive during April.  You pledge to read 30 minutes a day, and people donate to St. Jude’s (through a post you put on your FB page).  If your family would like to participate, find out more here. St. Jude’s Read-a-thon

A Word from No Place for Hate:

March is Women’s History Month.  No Place 4 Hate is celebrating the empowering ability of language and actions to lift women up.  All organizations are encouraged to also spread Serena Williams’ message: “We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” 

 

April is Diversity Month.  We are bringing back Tie-Dye to Unify.  Until March 31, we will be selling White cotton NP4H PHS tshirts for $10.  In  April (exact date TBD), students and staff can visit the courtyard during all lunches to tie-dye their shirt.  (You can have it done for you for a donation).  Volunteers from other organizations are invited to help.  See Mrs. Owen in the library for more information.  NP4H Webstore and cash/check options.

 

PfISD Parent and Family Engagement Opportunity:

PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

 

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Thursday! With Spring Break right around the corner, I wanted to get the weekly blog out to you a day early so you can check out all the great things happening at PHS before you begin your break.

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 3/10 Pep Rally

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Friday, March 10th - Pep Rally

With basketball season ending and soccer closing out its season, it is time for our last pep rally of the school year!

On Friday, March 10th, 2023 we will have our last pep rally honoring boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and track.

Thus, we will be on our typical Pep Rally bell schedule.

PHS Student Survey:

Please take a brief moment to help us improve PHS by taking this survey: https://forms.gle/6saApgXxnsxzWZC59 

PfISD Student Survey - We Want EVERYONE’s Voice:

Please also take a moment to complete the climate survey to help make PHS even better!

1. You will use your Student ID *without S” to access surveys at surveys.panoramaed.com/pflugerville 

2. You will select your preferred language from the drop-down menu

3. You will click “Start Surveys” to begin

4. You will complete the same survey three times, for 3 different teachers

5. You must complete the surveys in a single sitting, as they do not auto-save

6. At the completion of the surveys, you must hit the button to save and submit your answers

Once the submit button is clicked, you will see a thank you screen confirming your completion. 

IMPORTANT - Fentanyl Lessons & Opt Out Form

You may have heard that a nearby district, Hays ISD, has had multiple student deaths this year caused by Fentanyl. Although Hays is located on the other side of Austin, being connected by interstate 35 means if it is there, it is probably here too.

 

Pflugerville ISD has put together 4 mini lessons on the dangers of Fentanyl that students will hear in their social studies classes (or ELA for 11th graders) after spring break.

These lessons/videos are powerful and could save a life. We have provided a copy of the link to all four lessons for you to preview if you would like. Additionally, below is an opt out form if you would like for your child to go to the library or another classroom during these 15-20 minute mini lessons.

 

• Videos within the 4 lessons:

  • What is a ‘Fentapill’?

  • What is Fentanyl?

  • Cal’s Story

  • What can we do about fentapills?

  • Protect Yourself from the Dangers of Fentanyl

  • Fighting Fentanyl: Signs & Symptoms

  • Fighting Fentanyl: 911 - CPR

  • A Message From Miles
    
    

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VdBjaH1JbRE0DVPjjGAwtQNcJqaRHjXq/copy  (please email a completed copy to Zachary.Kleypas@pfisd.net)  

 

PHS Career Fair was a Huge Success:

Last week PHS hosted the districtwide Career fair and we want to thank everyone who volunteered and all of our students and families who attended.

Special thank you to all of the institutions and companies:

 

• A+ FCU

• ACC advanced manufacturing

• ACC Continuing Education

• ACC Surgical Technology

• Air Force ROTC and The United States Air Force Academy

• All Around Barber Shop

• Amazon

• Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts

• Austin Community College

• Austin Community College - Certificate Programs

• Austin Community College - EMSP Department

• Austin Community College - EMSP Department

• Austin Community College Drama Department

• Austin Community College- Business Office Technology Department

• Austin Community College-Eastview

• Austin Community College/Toyota T-TEN Program

• Austin Dental Assisting Academy

• Austin's Park

• Bullock Texas State History Museum

• Capital IDEA

• Carleton College

• Central South Carpenters and Millwrights Training Trust Fund

• Central Texas Beauty College

• City of Pflugerville Parks & Recreation

• Code2College

• College Hub at Foundation Communities

• Colorado State University

• Concordia University Texas

• ELLIOTT ELECTRIC SUPPLY

• Goodwill Career and Technical Academy

• Goodwill Central Texas

• Google Fiber (GFiber)

• Grand Canyon University

• Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody Law Office

• I Am Ready Swim LLC

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Worker Local 520

• Kalahari Resorts & Conventions

• Kelly Services

• Koetter Fire Protection of Austin, LLC

• Landpoint

• Lauterstein-Conway Massage School

• LCRA

• Mississippi State University

• Missouri S&T

• Music Business, Performance + Technology at ACC

• Nolan Ryan Foundation

• Ohio Wesleyan University

• Parker University

• Photographer, Pat McCord

• Raising Cane's

• Round Rock Express Baseball Club

• Samford University

• Samsung Austin Semiconductor

• Skillpoint Alliance

• Southwestern University

• Spare Time

• St. Edward's University

• Temple College

• Texas A&M Corpus Christi

• Texas A&M University

• Texas Department of Criminal Justice

• Texas Lutheran University

• Texas National Guard

• Texas State Technical College

• Texas State University

• The Department of Professional Photography at ACC

• The University of Alabama

• The University of Texas at Austin

• The University of Texas System

• Travis County 4-H CAPITAL

• Travis County ESD No. 2/Pflugerville Fire Department

• Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources

• Travis County Work-Based Learning/ Summer Youth Employment Program

• Tuskegee University

• Typhoon Texas Waterpark

• United States Army

• United States Marine Corps

• United States Naval Academy

• Universal Technical Institute

• University of Arkansas

• University of Texas at Arlington

• University of Texas at San Antonio

• University of Wyoming

• WGU Texas

• YMCA of Central Texas

Congratulations - PHS Musical Wins Heller Awards:

Congratulations to the cast and crew of the SpongeBob Musical for 5 nominations for the Heller Awards for Young Artists, the greater Austin high school musical theatre awards. Wish PHS Theatre luck as they head to UIL One Act Play for their district competition this Thursday at Hendrickson High School.”

Nominations include:

• Best Ensemble

• Best Direction

• Best Lighting Design

• Best Featured Ensemble Category

• Student Achievement Stage Management

Congratulations - Senior Football Signing Ceremony:

Congratulations to Senior JaQuori Sturm  who signed his letter of intent to play collegiate football at Texas Lutheran University

Congratulations - PHS Tennis: 

The tennis teams traveled to compete in the Seguin Invitational last week.  JT Washer and Danny Ho won the championship in doubles.  Vincent Chau also won 1^st place in the singles.  The team came home with the 1^st place overall team championship.  The tennis team travels to Leander this week.

Congratulations - Powerlifting:

This past weekend the Women’s Powerlifting Team competed in the Regional Powerlifting meet held in Elgin, TX.

Congratulations to

• Sophia Macias placed 3^rd in her weight class

• Francis Lavea placed 3^rd in her weight class

• Ava Roberts placed 2^nd  in her weight class, and an Outstanding Deadlift Award which qualifies her to compete at the State Powerlifting meet taking place in Frisco, TX on March

•  18^th

Good luck Ava! Raise The Bar!!

Congratulations - PHS Choir Solo & Ensemble:

Congratulations to our high school band and choir students who participated in the UIL region solo & ensemble contest. We are especially excited to celebrate the success of our students who earned division I (superior) ratings, and many of them will represent Pflugerville ISD at the state competition in May.

 

• Connally HS Band: 10 superior ratings, 3 state solo qualifiers

• Connally HS Choir: 12 superior ratings, 1 state solo qualifier

• Hendrickson HS Band: 71 superior ratings, 16 state qualifiers (11 solos & 5 ensembles)

• Hendrickson HS Choir: 7 superior ratings, 5 state solo qualifiers

• Pflugerville HS Band: 62 superior ratings, 19 state qualifiers (10 solos & 9 ensembles)

• Pflugerville HS Choir: 12 superior ratings, 4 state solo qualifiers

• Weiss HS Band: 11 Superior ratings, 6 State Qualifiers ( 9 solos & 2 Ensembles)

• Weiss HS Choir: 33 superior ratings, 22 state qualifiers (21 solos & 1 ensemble)

Congratulations - BPA Results:

Please congratulate the following students at the Business Professionals of America Leadership conference competition in Dallas, TX, this past weekend.

• Sabastian Hamilton - 4th Place National Qualifier in Database Applications

• Ian Pacheco Diaz - 5th Place National Alternate in Graphic Design Promotion 

• Darby Garvis 8th Place National Alternate in Fundamentals of Desktop Publishing

• Nicco Myrick 8th Place National Alternate in Fundamentals of Website Design

Sabastian Hamilton qualified for Nationals with a 4th place finish.  

Ian Pacheco finishes 5th and is a national alternate.  

Mark Your Calendar - Greater Pflugerville Job Fair:

A Word from No Place for Hate:

March is Women’s History Month.  No Place 4 Hate is celebrating the empowering ability of language and actions to lift women up.  All organizations are encouraged to also spread Serena Williams’ message: “We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” 

 

April is Diversity Month.  We are bringing back Tie-Dye to Unify.  Until March 31, we will be selling White cotton NP4H PHS tshirts for $10.  In  April (exact date TBD), students and staff can visit the courtyard during all lunches to tie-dye their shirt.  (You can have it done for you for a donation).  Volunteers from other organizations are invited to help.  See Mrs. Owen in the library for more information.  NP4H Webstore and cash/check options.

 

 

Class of 2023 Yearbook Tributes:

Attention Seniors and Parents, it's time to reserve your space in the yearbook for Senior Tributes! This is a great way to celebrate your accomplishments and milestones. Please see the attached flyer for more information on how to get your ad in the yearbook. 

PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

 

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

Happy Friday!

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/10 Pep Rally

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Friday, March 10th - Pep Rally

With basketball season ending and soccer closing out their season, it is time for our last pep rally of the school year!

On Friday, March 10th, 2023 we will have our last pep rally honoring boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and track.

Thus, we will be on our typical Pep Rally bell schedule.

PHS Student Survey:

Please take a brief moment to help us improve PHS by taking this survey: https://forms.gle/6saApgXxnsxzWZC59 

PfISD Student Survey - We Want EVERYONE’s Voice:

Please also take a moment to complete the climate survey to help make PHS even better!

1. You will use your Student ID *without S” to access surveys at surveys.panoramaed.com/pflugerville 

2. You will select your preferred language from the drop-down menu

3. You will click “Start Surveys” to begin

4. You will complete the same survey three times, for 3 different teachers

5. You must complete the surveys in a single sitting, as they do not auto-save

6. At the completion of the surveys, you must hit the button to save and submit your answers

Once the submit button is clicked, you will see a thank you screen confirming your completion. 

IMPORTANT - Fentanyl Lessons & Opt Out Form

You may have heard that a nearby district, Hays ISD, has had multiple student deaths this year caused by Fentanyl. Although Hays is located on the other side of Austin, being connected by interstate 35 means if it is there, it is probably here too.

Pflugerville ISD has put together 4 mini lessons on the dangers of Fentanyl that students will hear in their social studies classes (or ELA for 11th graders) after spring break.

These lessons/videos are powerful and could save a life. We have provided a copy of the link to all four lessons for you to preview if you would like. Additionally, below is an opt out form if you would like for your child to go to the library or another classroom during these 15-20 minute mini lessons.

• Videos within the 4 lessons:

  • What is a ‘Fentapill’?
  • What is Fentanyl?
  • Cal’s Story
  • What can we do about fentapills?
  • Protect Yourself from the Dangers of Fentanyl
  • Fighting Fentanyl: Signs & Symptoms
  • Fighting Fentanyl: 911 - CPR
  • A Message From Miles
    
    

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VdBjaH1JbRE0DVPjjGAwtQNcJqaRHjXq/copy  (please email a completed copy to Zachary.Kleypas@pfisd.net)  

February is Black History Month:

February marks the celebration of Black History Month. Our team has created a video presentation highlighting Black History month via songs from our choir and band and a special interview with Paul Webster. Please take a moment to check it out using this link:

PHS 22-23 Black History Month Video.mp4 

Annual Celebration of our Staff Members of the Year:

Please help me congratulate our 2022-23 award winners! It is an honor to receive any of these awards, but to receive one at Pflugerville High School, amongst a veteran and talented staff as we have is remarkable! Congratulations to all of our nominees and each of the winners below:

Congratulations - 22-23 Pflugerville High School Teacher of the Year:

Teacher of the Year:  Michael Putnam

Mr. Putnam cares for not only the students in his class but all students.  He constantly holds tutorials for not only his students but for his former students who have placed their trust in him and his ability to teach all things math.  He has a passion for teaching and a unique way of connecting with his students.   Mr. Putnam is a great teammate in his PLC and is always willing to help and support his fellow teachers. 

Congratulations - 22-23 Pflugerville High School Humanitarian of the Year:

Humanitarian of the Year: Autumn Hendrickson

Autumn Hendrickson has worked tirelessly to help every student find a career path, pass classes, as well as build a solid after-school tutoring center.   She goes to great lengths to motivate our students through enrichment programs and other social and emotional support systems.  The students and staff of Pflugerville High School love and respect her for all of the great work she does.

Congratulations - 22-23 Pflugerville High School Para-Professional of the Year:

Para-Professional of the Year:  Karen Kit

Karen is an absolute joy to work with! She is not only professional in all that she does, but she is kind and takes a moment of each day to check in on you and make sure all is well. She takes the stress out of going into the front office for needs.  Her abilities are unmatched. She is organized, detail-oriented, and professional and we are very lucky to have her on our team. 

Congratulations - 22-23 Pflugerville High School Rookie Teacher of the Year:

Rookie of the Year:  Ann Marie West

Ms. West is amazing. You'd never guess that she is a first year teacher-- she is positive, solution oriented, and cares about her kids' success. In her time at PHS, Ann Marie has made SUCH a positive impact on students, teachers, and parents by going above and beyond to help her students and her community.  She encompasses compassion, mindfulness and patience that is reflected in how her students receive her.   She is a joy to be around and is excellent at motivating students to do more than they think possible. She is an advocate for kids and a real asset to our campus. Ms West is a natural leader that is developing her niche and are lucky to have Ann Marie at PHS.

Congratulations - Years of Service Awards:

Pflugerville High School was well represented at the service awards Wednesday night. PHS is blessed to have the most recipients of any campus, which shows the amazing amount of talent and experience we have here.

 

Please help me congratulate and thank these folks for their tremendous service.

 

 

Congratulations - Coach April Hundle, District 23 Coach of the Year:

Congratulations - PHS Technology Student Association (TSA):

Six CTE Engineering students competed in the Hill Country Region 13 Regional Contest Feb. 25^th and will advance to the State TSA Contest.

• Alec Villarreal 1^st Place CNC/CAM [ENGINEERING] 3D Printer/Rapid Prototype-2-5 parts

• Cesar Torres 1^st Place  Residential wiring        

• Adrian Castillo-Hernandez and Abdiel Colima 2^nd Place Structural Design & Engineering               

• Nicolas Contreras and Sabastian Hamilton 3^rd Place Technology Problem Solving            

Congratulations - PHS Long Distance Results:

Congratulations to Javier Mora-Ortiz for breaking the school record in the 3200m with a time of 9 mins and 35 secs (9:35.7). It was formerly held by Josh Lombley / 1996 with a time of 9 mins and 47 secs (9:47.0). Honorable mention: Marcus Flores also broke the record with a time of 9 mins and 40 secs (9:40.3).

The Varsity Boys placed 7th out 23 schools, last weekend at the Bastrop Bear Relays.

Mark Your Calendar - Create Your Future Career Fair:

We would like to cordially invite you to the Pflugerville ISD Create Your Future Event. This Career Fair will feature over 80 employers, colleges, military branches, and community leaders to help students find the right path after high school. These opportunities include finding a job while in high school and a Career after high school that may or may not require a college degree or certificate. We encourage all 9-12^th grade students (and families), PFISD graduates, and members of the Pflugerville community to attend the event.

• March 6^th, 2023

• 6:00 – 8:00 PM

• Pflugerville High School (Enter through Front Doors)
  
  

• Register Here

• List of Exhibitors

Class of 2023 Cap & Gown Distribution:
Attention Seniors:  Cap/Gown distribution is scheduled for Thursday, April 13^th during all 3 lunches.  If you have not ordered your gown, please do so by March 24^th to avoid a late fee.  You can click on the link below to place your order.  Please note:  You must have the official Panther graduation gown to participate in the ceremonies. 

Herff Jones Graduation Packages

Class of 2023 Yearbook Tributes:

Attention Seniors and Parents, it's time to reserve your space in the yearbook for Senior Tributes! This is a great way to celebrate your accomplishments and milestones. Please see the attached flyer for more information on how to get your ad in the yearbook. 

Class of 2023 Fundraiser - MOD Pizza:

The PHS Senior Class will be having a Spirit Night at MODS pizza all day on March 9th! A portion of the proceeds will go to the Class of 2023! Make sure to invite your friends and family as well as mention you are with the PHS Class of 2023 at the register. Hope to see you there!

Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Healthy Relationship Month:

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month TDVAM . The time is dedicated to creating awareness about Healthy Relationships and Teen Dating Abuse. This year’s theme was “Be About It”.  In order to raise awareness at the PHS campus, I chose to lead a Student Creative Arts Contest. Students had the opportunity to submit a creative art piece around this year’s theme.

Below are the winners of the competition and their submissions  

• Amanda Delgado- 12^th grade

• Owen “Yuki” Agbonwaneten- 12^th grade

• Krysta Johnson- 11^th grade

• Azariah Williams- 11^th grade

Healthy Relationship Submissions

 

Business Pitch Competition for Black and Latina Girls

Are you a Black or Latina girl interested in developing a business idea with friends and pitching it to investors?

Code2College (https://code2college.org) is hosting its first Vision 2024 Summit on Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 9a – 2p in downtown Austin. During the Vision 2024 Summit, you’ll work with other girls on the following:

• Developing viable business ideas,

• Collaborating with friends on creating pitches,

• Learning how to raise funds from investors to build your business, and

• Meeting investors, CEOs and Technical leaders from across the state

Breakfast and lunch will be provided!

RSVP at this link by Tuesday, March 21: Vision 2024 Summit registration

 

Let's Tobacco' About It! - Virtual Parenting Workshop

Mar. 1, 2023 from Noon - 1:00 PM

The PfISD Parent and Family Engagement Team invite you to join us for a virtual session about the health risks of tobacco, nicotine, vaping & fentanyl. You will learn:

• How to discuss the dangers of drugs with children and young adults

• How to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose

• Social and legal consequences resulting from obtaining or providing illegal substances

• Additional resources for students and families

Register in advance by visiting bit.ly/pfeworkshops to receive the meeting link.

Support Panther Soccer and Enjoy Dinner

Come to the Pfield today to cheer for your favorite Panther soccer team and enjoy a burger at the same time!  First game start at 4:15 pm. 

PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

 

Most sincerely,

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Friday!

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 3/01 School Day SAT or ASVAB

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Wednesday is SAT Day for ALL Juniors:

The following presentation was shared with Juniors in their ACE classes earlier this week. In case you missed it, or want to review it before Wednesday, here is a copy of everything you need to know: ACE SAT Presentation 

As a reminder, the SAT is an important assessment in all high school students' careers and it is awesome that PfISD pays for each junior to take it. Please make sure you are on time for school and prepared to do your best!

Special Campus Visit by Congressman Pete:

PHS was chosen to be visited by Congressman Pete Sessions last week. He was interested in hearing about the great programs in Pflugerville ISD including our Automotive and Health Science courses. 

It isn’t every day that a U.S. Congressman is on campus! We are proud of our students and programs and always happy to show them off.

PfISD Student Survey - We Want EVERYONE’s Voice:

1. You will use your Student ID *without S” to access surveys at surveys.panoramaed.com/pflugerville 

2. You will select your preferred language from the drop-down menu

3. You will click “Start Surveys” to begin

4. You will complete the same survey three times, for 3 different teachers

5. You must complete the surveys in a single sitting, as they do not auto-save

6. At the completion of the surveys, you must hit the button to save and submit your answers

Once the submit button is clicked, you will see a thank you screen confirming your completion. 

February is Black History Month:

February marks the celebration of Black History Month. Our team is working on a video presentation highlighting Black History month that will be ready before the end of the month. Stay tuned for that!

On Tuesday, February 14th, at 7pm at the Justice Center, Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzales recognized Black History Month with a proclamation. 

It was a huge honor that two PHS students, Kenneth and Clarke were asked to attend the event and receive a copy of the proclamation. (picture below):

Reminder, carrying through the end of the month, PHS will be participating in the Black History Month Spirit Days (see below). If you are interested, we highly encourage you to participate in any or all of the days!

Congratulations - PHS Girls Basketball:

The 2022-2023 Pflugerville Panthers Girls’ Basketball Team will be playing in the UIL Regional Tournament this weekend.  This is equivalent to the Sweet 16!

Today, Friday, February 24, they will be playing the Fulshear Chargers at 5:30 pm at the Merrell Center in Katy (located at 6301 S. Stadium Ln). 

A win on Friday would lead to the Regional Finals Game on Saturday, February 25, with the Panthers playing either Barbers Hill or the Lady Hawks of Hendrickson at 1pm.  

A win on Saturday and the Panthers are GOING TO THE STATE FINALS!

If you cannot attend, please follow us on Twitter @PHSbball_girls – https://twitter.com/PHSbball_girls?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Updates to the bracket will also be made on the UIL Website - https://www.uiltexas.org/basketball/playoff-brackets/girls/5A/3-4

Program Shout Out:

Did you know Pflugerville High School has an Educator Prep Program for our students? Yep! Ready Set Teach is an amazing program that prepares our students for a position as a future Teacher! These students often visit nearby feeder schools and support teachers, students, and lessons. Checkout the awesome kudos Zabree, PHS Ready Set Teach student received from the teacher she supports at Wieland Elementary:

 

"I just wanted to “pop” in and let you know how grateful I am for Zabree!  She is always very helpful and willing to help wherever she can.  I don’t ever have to ask her to work with the kids…she’s a natural…she takes it upon herself to walk around and check on the kiddos and guide them along so that I can stay focused on my small groups.  And she never says “no” when I ask her to help me with making posters or cutting out a box full of laminated materials.  Thank you for running such a wonderful RST program!" - Elizabeth

 

Congratulations - PHS Auto Tech - UTI Tech Challenge:

Kevin Castaneda-Cisneros and Julius Garcia-Lopez competed in the UTI tech challenge this past Saturday. There were 96 competitors, Kevin and Julius finished in the top 25! These two deserve kudos for their fine representation of PHS Auto Program.  They are looking forward to next year to better themselves with what they gained from this year.   

Congratulations - PHS Art Students:

This past weekend we had two students participate in VASE (Visual Arts Student Exhibition): Bonnie Rawdon and D’andra Kiddy. 

Both girls scored a 4 in their division, which is the HIGHEST score students can make on their works, and were chosen to be displayed in the gallery, making it to the second round where entry into State is determined. 

While we didn’t advance to state, this is a huge accomplishment, especially considering that this was their first time entering! 

We will be displaying both works downstairs in the A-Hall cabinet, so students, be sure to check them out. 

Attention Seniors:

This is a friendly reminder that prom is right around the corner! You won’t want to miss this important high school milestone. Details below:

PHS Class of 2023 | Pflugerville ISD

 

 

Let's Tobacco' About It! - Virtual Parenting Workshop

Mar. 1, 2023, from Noon - 1:00 PM

The PfISD Parent and Family Engagement Team invite you to join us for a virtual session about the health risks of tobacco, nicotine, vaping & fentanyl. You will learn:

• How to discuss the dangers of drugs with children and young adults

• How to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose

• Social and legal consequences resulting from obtaining or providing illegal substances

• Additional resources for students and families

Register in advance by visiting bit.ly/pfeworkshops to receive the meeting link.

PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

 

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Friday.

 

Please don’t forget that Monday, President’s Day, is a student holiday and staff workday. 

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 2/20 Planning & Prep Day/Student Holiday

• 2/21 College/Military Enrollment Presentation

• 3/01 School Day SAT or ASVAB

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

February is Black History Month:

February marks the celebration of Black History Month. Our team is working on a video presentation highlighting Black History month that will be ready before the end of the month. Stay tuned for that!

On Tuesday, February 14th, at 7 pm at the Justice Center, Pflugerville Mayor Victor Gonzales recognized Black History Month with a proclamation. 

It was a huge honor that two PHS students, Kenneth and Clarke were asked to attend the event and receive a copy of the proclamation. (picture below):

 

Starting next week and carrying through the end of the month, PHS will be participating in the Black History Month Spirit Days (see below). If you are interested, we highly encourage you to participate in any or all of the days!

School Resource Officer Appreciation Day:

We would like to publicly thank our amazing School Resource Officers here at PHS. We are blessed to have officers who are actively involved, visible, and constantly building positive relationships with students to proactively keep our campus safe.

• Officer Ivy

• Officer Franklin

• Officer Greagrey

Congratulations - PHS Girls Basketball:

The girl's basketball team finished district in a tie with Hendrickson but won the coin flip to enter the playoffs in first place. They won round 1 against Travis High School and last night defeated round 2 against Kileen High School.

Round 3 will be against the winner of East View and Lake Creek and will be played either Monday or Tuesday at a neutral site. Here is a full list of the playoff brackets so you can track the excitement! https://www.uiltexas.org/basketball/playoff-brackets/girls/5A/3-4 

Congratulations - PHS UIL Academics::

• Science:  Reiley Valdez - 6th place Novice

• Comp Apps:  Sabastian Hamilton - 5th place

• Current Events: Nicolas Mills - 7th place (tie-breaker for 6th place)

• Copy Editing:  Paul Gonzales - 5th place

• Social Studies: Team 3rd place -(Clarke Simmons, Nicolas Mills, Honour Onafeso)

  • Individually: Clarke Simmons - 4th place

Congratulations - PHS Powerlifting:

The Pflugerville Powerlifting season started in November and currently have been progressing their weight totals on the three lifts that are judged in powerlifting: Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. 

In the first official meet in Kyle Lehman, the Boy's team placed 2^nd. The powerlifting team then traveled to Austin Navarro where the girls placed 3^rd and the boys placed 1^st. 

The following week in Georgetown, the girls and boys participated and the boy's team walked away with the runner-up.  

Only the boy's team participated in the Buda Johnson meet and placed 2^nd out of 12 teams. 

Last night the girl's powerlifting team participated in the “last chance qualifying meet” for regionals in Del Valle. Although places were not given, every girl that participated raised their total number on all three lifts to try and qualify for the regional meet. 

The boys will participate at the Hendrickson “last chance qualifying meet” next week. 

The girl's and boys’ teams are listed below as well as if the lifter made the regional meet.

 

Thank you,

Roberto Vega

Head Powerlifting Coach 

Congratulations - PHS Wrestling::

Boys and Girls Wrestling 5A District 10 Championship Results

Regional Qualifiers: 6 boys, 1 girl

• So. Brissa Valle, Girls District Champion @ 138 lbs

• Fr. Max Liao, 3^rd place @ 120lbs

• Jr. Centarius Sias 3^rd place @ 132lbs

• Jr. Juan Inciarte Fernandez, 3^rd place @ 144lbs

• So. Amahd Sias, 3^rd place @ 150lbs

• So. Faavi Avulava, 5^th place @ 165 lbs

• So. Lance Moore, 5^th place @ 285 lbs!

Additionally, Brissa Valle placed 3^rd in the Region 3-5A Championships in the girl's 138 lb weight class. She has qualified for the state tournament this weekend in Houston and is the program’s first girls wrestling state qualifier in recent years.

Congratulations - National Merit FINALIST:

Congratulations to PHS Senior, Kenneth Kalu for being named a National Merit Finalist. One of the top academic accomplishments is the coveted National Merit award. The official National Merit website describes the program as follows:

“High School students who meet published program entry and participation requirements enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) at the specified time in the high school program, usually as juniors. Each year's PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test designated for entry to a particular year's competition. For example, the 2021 PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry to the competition for scholarships to be awarded in 2023. The 2022 PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry to the competition for scholarships to be awarded in 2024.”

 

Attention - Class of 2023:

Herff Jones will be in the cafeteria on Friday, February 24^th during all three lunches to distribute pre-ordered graduation invitations/class rings/and other graduation supplies.  This does not include the cap and gown, as they are scheduled for a later delivery.   Please be sure to stop by during your lunchtime!

Senior Tribute Yearbook Messages:

From the Library:

Looking for something fun and free to do this Saturday?    Check out the Central Texas Teen & Kid  Comic-Con at Round Rock High School, 10 am-3:30 pm Feb. 18.  Meet authors and illustrators, learn how to break into the business,  plus enjoy cosplay—and it’s all free.  Talk to Mrs. Owen in the library for more info—she’s one of the presenters!  teen & kids comic con

PHS Interact Club Book Donation:

Are you ready for Spring Cleaning? Interact Club is holding a book drive to help Libraries of Love build school libraries in Uganda. We are collecting gently used, hardback elementary or middle-school-level books. Please help by donating books in the plastic bins located at the library, cafeteria, or A111.

 

Pflugerville ISD March Lunch & Learn:

If you’re not familiar, the Parent and Family Engagement team hosts a lunch and learn every month about various topics. It’s usually on a Wednesday and from noon to 1 pm. We record the webinars for those who cannot attend and share them on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@PfISDparentfamilyengagment

 

The PfISD Parent and Family Engagement Team invite you to join us for a virtual session about the health risks of tobacco, nicotine, vaping & fentanyl. You will learn:

• How to discuss the dangers of drugs with children and young adults

• How to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose

• Social and legal consequences resulting from obtaining or providing illegal substances

• Additional resources for students and families

 

Register in advance by visiting bit.ly/pfeworkshops to receive the meeting link.

University of Texas - Black Youth Day:

Black Youth Day is a day long event for students in grades 8-11 to learn about engineering through hands-on activities led and taught by students within their own community. Hosted by the National Society of Black Engineers UT Chapter and the Cockrell School of Engineering's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office and held on the UT Austin campus, Black Youth Day aims to promote engineering where it hasn't been promoted before in a way that allows participants to see others with the same identity, hoping to show students that they have a community within a Predominantly White Institution (PWI).

The event is geared toward high school students in the greater Austin area in grades 8-11 who are interested in the field of engineering. We want students to start thinking about their futures now and show those who come from underrepresented populations have a supportive community within the Cockrell School. Activities include a panel of Black engineers and UT students, geocaching and scavenger hunt, and hands-on experiments and activities.

• Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023

• Location: Engineering Education and Research Center, 2501 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712

• Drop off: 9:30 - 10 AM

• Event: 10 AM - 2:30 PM

• Pick up: 2:30 - 3:00 PM

The event is free to attend and lunch will be provided.

For more information please visit this link: Black Youth Day and register in advance.

Texas A&M - 1st Annual Computer Science Day:

PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

A Word from Our Parent Liasion:

The Man Behind Black History Month

Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) dedicated his life to educating African Americans about the achievements and contributions of their ancestors.

In 1915, Carter G. Woodson traveled to Chicago from his home in Washington, D.C. to take part in a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation. He had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of Chicago and still had many friends there. As he joined the thousands of Black Americans overflowing from the Coliseum, which housed exhibits highlighting African American achievements since the abolition of slavery, Woodson was inspired to do more in the spirit of celebrating Black history and heritage. Before he left Chicago, he helped found the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). A year later, Woodson singlehandedly launched the Journal of Negro History, in which he and other researchers brought attention to the achievements of Black Americans.

Born in 1875 in New Canton, Virginia, Woodson had worked as a sharecropper, miner, and various other jobs during his childhood to help support his large family. Though he entered high school late, he made up for lost time, graduating in less than two years. After attending Berea College in Kentucky, Woodson worked in the Philippines as an education superintendent for the U.S. government. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Chicago before entering Harvard. In 1912, three years before founding the ASNLH, he became only the second African American (after W.E.B. DuBois) to earn a doctorate from that institution.

SARAH PRUITT UPDATED: JAN 31, 2022 ORIGINAL: FEB 2, 2017

 

 

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Friday.

Valentine’s Day:

As a reminder, Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. We hope that the continued love, joy, and community feeling we are building at PHS continues on this day.

However, in order to continue focusing on the learning environment, we cannot accept deliveries for students.  Please have all chocolates, flowers, and Valentine's sentiments sent to your homes.  

Students, please make sure that any gifts that you exchange amongst yourselves on Tuesday can be either stored in your backpack or lockers. 

Large items like oversized teddy bears and balloons may not be allowed in the hallways/classrooms, so we ask that you please leave that at home.

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 2/20 Planning & Prep Day/Student Holiday

• 2/21 College/Military Enrollment Presentation

• 3/01 School Day SAT or ASVAB

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

February is Black History Month:

February marks the celebration of Black History Month. Our team is working on a video presentation highlighting Black History month that will be ready before the end of the month. Stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, I would like to share some of the many significant events throughout history related to Black History representing each day in February. This list was put together in a CBS article found here: Black History Month: Historical Events Calendar - CBS New York 

Black History Month

• February 1, 1960 - The Greensboro 4 sit in re-ignited the civil rights movement.

• February 2, 2009 – Eric Holder was sworn in as the first African American Attorney General.

• February 3, 1870 – On this day the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified giving African-American men the right to vote.

•  February 4, 1913 - Civil Rights Activist Rosa L. Parks was born.

• February 5, 1934 – Henry "Hank" Aaron was born in Mobile, AL.

• February 6, 1993 - Tennis Great Arthur Ashe died.

• February 7, 1791 - Inventor and Surveyor Benjamin Banneker began to help lay out Washington D.C.

• February 8, 1944 - Harry S. McAlpin became the first African American journalist to be admitted to a White House press conference.

• February 9, 1995 - Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. became the first African American Astronaut to walk in space.

• February 10, 2007 - Pres. Barak Obama formally announced the start of his Presidential campaign in Springfield IL.

• February 11, 1989 - Reverend Barbara C. Harris was ordained as the first female bishop of the Episcopal Church

• February 12, 1909 - The NAACP was founded.

• February 13, 1920 - Andrew Rube Foster organized the National Association of Professional Baseball Club (Negro League).

• February 14, 1920 – Mammie Smith became the first African American woman to make a record.

• February 15, 1965 - Singer and Entertainer Nat King Cole died in Santa Monica, CA.

• February 16, 1970 – Joe Frazier became the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

• February 17, 1963 – Basketball great Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. February 18, 1688 – The first formal protest against slavery was passed in Germantown, PA.

• February 19, 1992 - John Singleton became the first African American Director to receive an Academy Award Nomination for Boz N The Hood.

• February 20, 1895 - Frederick Augusta Douglass died in Washington D.C.

• February 21, 1965 - Malcolm X was assassinated.

• February 22, 1989 - Colonel Fredrick Drew Gregory became the first African American Astronaut to command the Space Shuttle Discovery.

• February 23, 1868 – William Edward Burghardt DuBois was born in Barrington, Mass.

• February 24, 1842 - Entrepreneur, Abolitionist and Inventor James Forten, Sr. died in Philadelphia, PA.

• February 25, 1870 – Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi was sworn in as the first African American U.S. Senator.

• February 26, 1926 - Theodore "Tiger" Flowers became the first African American Middleweight boxing champion.

• February 27, 1988 – Figures skater Debbie Thomas became the first African American to win a medal at the winter Olympics.

• February 28, 1977 - Comedian Eddie "Rochester" Anderson died in Los Angeles, Calif.

 

National School Counselors Week:

National School Counseling Week 2023, “School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big,” sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), is celebrated from Feb. 6–10, 2023, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of over 100,000 School Counselors within U.S. school systems.

Please help me thank our amazing school counselors at PHS! You can get to know our team of counselors (and other support staff) by checking out their website: Staff | PHS Student Services 

School Counselors are actively engaged in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests and talents. School Counselors work in a partnership with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today’s world. School Counselors help students focus on positive ways to enhance every student’s academic, career and social/emotional development. They work with teachers and other educators to provide an educational system where students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic and optimistic aspirations for themselves and are certified, experienced educators with a master’s degree in School Counseling. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program.

Pflugerville High School Performance Indicators:

Each year campuses receive state and federal performance reports of various kinds. In addition, campuses and districts build continuous improvement plans to celebrate success and identify areas to grow. All of these reports can be found online at the Pflugerville ISD website.

In addition, I have linked each of them below:

Congratulations - PHS 3rd 9-weeks Panther Pride Awards:

As I mentioned when we celebrated the 1st and 2nd Panther Pride Award Breakfast earlier this year, PHS  began some work on reestablishing our core values as a campus, post-pandemic. Ultimately, we created the image below that defines the characteristics we value in students, staff, parents, and admin here at PHS.

 

 

To make this more than just an image, we use it as a means to recognize students who exhibit these traits.  

 

On Wednesday morning, we held the third of four Panther Pride Breakfast Ceremonies and honored the following students for the following traits. Please help me congratulate them!

 

Congratulations PowerLifting:

Good morning Pflugerville Pfamily! The powerlifting teams competed in the Georgetown Invitational powerlifting meet on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Out of 6 teams that participated the girls’ team placed 3^rd and the boys’ team placed 2nd.  Please help us in congratulating our athletes. 

Congratulations PHS Swimming:

The Pflugerville High School Swim Team competed in our regional swim meet this past weekend at Texas A&M University. All of the swimmers who competed qualified for the second day of swimming in either their relay or individual events. The following swimmers achieved their personal records:

Zach Garza 200 Individual Medley at 2:09.15

Isabella Kelly 100 Back stroke at 1:05.32

Armando Estrella 100 Breast stroke at 1:05.45

We are extremely proud of our Panther Swim Team, congratulations!

Congratulations - PHS Sends TWO students to All-State: 

Please help me congratulate Steve-Ryan Benhamou and Jackson Cutter on their journey to TMEA All-State Band!

Congratulations - Coach Dale Waggoner - PfISD Coach of the Month:

Please help me congratulate our very own head baseball coach Dale Waggoner who was just named DISTRICT Coach of the Month. Coach Waggoner cares deeply about his students in his class and his athletes. He is a great example of an all around great human being. He also has a passion and talent for ensuring our baseball field has the best grass :).

(Congratulations!) PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

A Word from Nick Howell in the College Career Center:

Good Evening PFISD Families,

The College & Career Team would like to invite all families in 9-12^th grade to attend one or more of the opportunities below. If you have any questions, please contact your College & Career Counselor. You will also see electronic PDF advertisements for the events.

College Application Night – On February 21^st, 2023  we will host our annual College Application Presentation at Weiss High School from 6:30 – 8:00p (Time Change). During the presentation, we will detail many aspects of the college application process (General Tips, Auto Admission, Deadlines, Essays, Resumes, Interviews, etc.). We encourage all families in grades 9-11 to attend if their student has an interest in attending a college or university after high school. Please register Here.

PFISD Create Your Future Event (Career Fair) – On March 6^th, 2023 we will host our community-wide Career Fair. During this event, we encourage all families in 9-12^th grade, previous students, and members of the community to come out and speak to recruiters from colleges, military branches, trade schools, and workforce, employers, etc. to learn about opportunities available to them. This is a great opportunity to find a job now, learn about different careers with various levels of post-high school training, or speak with individuals from various colleges or military branches. If you are interested in attending (do not need to be certain), please register Here. We will send registered attendees a list of organizations.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at our events this Spring.    

Nick Howell

College Application Help!

 

Do You Need More Time in Credit Recovery?

Seniors, graduation is just around the corner! If you are working on credit recovery and want to spend more time on completing your courses, please note the open times below. This is open to juniors and underclassmen who have enrolled in credit recovery as well.

Credit Recovery 

Mon- Thurs 4:30pm - 5:30pm 

Sat 8:30am-11:30am

A Word from Our Parent Liasion:

Parents, Students, Faculty and Staff,

I appreciate you joining forces with me, PHS faculty contributions and student support to create an African American History Month celebration at Pflugerville High School in 2022-2023. With the support of administration, we will focus on the theme: Honor, African American Military Heroes and History.

The origin of Black History Month is associated with the noted African-American historian Carter G. Woodson. In 1926, he initiated the celebration of Negro History Week during the second week in February. February was chosen because that is the birth month of Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and social reformer, and President Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery. The celebration was expanded to the entire month of February in 1976 by President Gerald Ford; since that time, every president has designated February as Black History Month.

On Feb. 11, 1986, Congress passed Public Law 99-244, which designated each February as "National Black (Afro-American) History Month."

On November 11,  1918 at 1100, the armistice between the Allies and Central Powers went into effect. Like all other American soldiers, the African American troops reveled in celebration and took justifiable pride in the great victory they helped achieve. It was not without great cost: the 92d Division suffered 1,647 battle casualties and the 93d Division suffered 3,534. Expecting to come home heroes, black soldiers received a rude awakening upon their return. Back home, many whites feared that African Americans would return demanding equality and would try to attain it by employing their military training. As the troops returned, there was an increase of racial tension.  Despite this treatment, African American men continued to enlist in the military, including veterans of World War I that came home to such violence and ingratitude. It was not until 1948 that President Harry S Truman issued an executive order to desegregate the military, although it took the Korean War to fully integrate the Army. African Americans finally began to receive the equal treatment their predecessors had earned in combat in France during World War I, and as far back as the American Revolution.

Black people have fought in every United States war, from the Revolutionary War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ninety African Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Yet, throughout most of American history, black service members were placed in segregated units. Desegregation didn't occur until Jan. 26, 1948, when President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 directing the armed services to integrate.

Active-duty service members number 1,319,283; of those, 227,974, or 17.3%, are African American, as of December 2021. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, the Black or African American population was 41.1 million, representing 12.4% of the U.S. population.

Double Victory: The African American Military Experience conveys a sense of appreciation and respect for the military service of African Americans from the American Revolution to the War on Terror.

Dr. Luther Baker

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

Happy Friday. I hope everyone is well, staying safe, and keeping warm. 

Similar to a few years ago, when we had a bad winter storm, we know it affects families differently. Some families lost power, others had damages, and many lost trees.

I would love it if you wouldn't mind taking a second to send me a quick email at Zachary.Kleypas@pfisd.net to let me know how you and your family are doing. Especially if you are in need of anything. We at PHS would love to support however we can.

 

Otherwise, we look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday. As a reminder, Monday will be an A Day.

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 2/20 Planning & Prep Day/Student Holiday

• 2/21 College/Military Enrollment Presentation

• 3/01 School Day SAT or ASVAB

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Rescheduled Athletic Events:

Games Originally Scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st:

• Girls Basketball vs. Hendrickson → Saturday, February 4th (Varsity only) at 2pm

• Boys Basketball @ Hendrickson → Saturday, February 4th (Varsity only) at 12pm

• Boys Soccer vs. Hendrickson → Monday, February 6th at 5:30pm at the Pfield

• Girls Soccer vs. Hendrickson → Monday, February 6th at 7:30pm at The Pfield

• Softball → Cancelled

Games Originally Scheduled for Wednesday, February 1st:

• District Wrestling @ Eastview → Saturday, February 4th @ Delco

Games Originally Scheduled for Friday, February 3rd 

All games will remain as originally scheduled

Games Originally Scheduled for Saturday, February 4th:

• Baseball Scrimmage → Monday, February 6th at 5pm & 7pm

Congratulations - PHS UIL Academics:

PHS competed at the UIL Invitational Meet in Round Rock this last Saturday.  Please congratulate the following students and teams.

Individuals

• Sabastian Hamilton placed: 1st in Computer Applications.

• Kenneth Kalu placed: 2nd in Current Events, 4th in Social Studies, and 6th in Spelling

Teams

• Spelling Team placed 3rd (Kenneth Kalu, Ariane Icaro, Maia Savich)

• Social Studies Team placed 3rd (Kenneth Kalu, Clarke Simmons, Nicholas Mills, Honour Onafeso)

Congratulations - PHS Power Lifting:

The powerlifting teams competed in the Navarro Viking Invitational powerlifting meet on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Out of 12 teams that participated the girl's team placed 3rd and the boy's team placed 1st.

 

Individual Results:

 

Congratulations - PHS Tennis:

• The Panther Tennis Teams hosted their varsity invitational last Friday.  

• Vincent Chau placed 2nd overall in singles

• Andy Le and Madison McArthur placed 3rd in Mixed Doubles

• Danny Ho was 4th in singles, while Ngan Nguyen and Katie Nguyen also placed 4th in doubles. 

• JT Washer and Mira Elmurr also brought home 4th place in Mixed Doubles.  

Congratulations - PHS FCCLA:

 

Congratulations to seniors Jason Le (President of FCCLA Chapter), Shelby Smith (VP of FCCLA Chapter) and Eva Gallegos (Secretary of FCCLA Chapter) who competed in the Regional FCCLA competition in Corpus Christi and took 2nd place in Chapter Service Project.  

 

They now qualify and move into State. Special thanks to the leadership and guidance of their teacher, Mrs. Kokes! Way to go Panthers!

Congratulations - PHS Spongebob Musical:

PHS performed its musical, Spongebob last week and it was amazing! Congratulations to all of the cast and behind-the-scenes tech crew who made this musical possible. Also, special thanks to the countless hours of work put in by our Theatre teachers Ms. Bohn and Ms. Wilson!

February - Healthy Relationship Month:

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Friday! 

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 2/20 Planning & Prep Day/Student Holiday

• 2/21 College/Military Enrollment Presentation

• 3/01 School Day SAT or ASVAB

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Girls Basketball “Battle of the ‘Ville” Round 2:

On Tuesday, January 31st, 2023 the PHS girls basketball team will take on Hendrickson High School here at Pflugerville. The varsity girls are highly ranked on both sides. Last time, PHS came out victorious, but this will be no easy task to do again. Join us and support our girls in what is expected to be another exciting game!

State 5A Ranking:

1. Lubbock Monterey (25-3)

2. Mansfield Timberview (28-3)

3. Wagner (19-4)

4. Argyle (25-3)

5. Pflugerville (24-5)

6. Lubbock Cooper (21-6)

7. Amarillo High (26-4)

8. Hendrickson (24-5)

9. Fulshear (23-5)

10. Buda Hays (29-3)

Congratulations - PHS Swim:

This past Friday (Jan 20), the Panther Swim Team competed in our district swim meet at Georgetown. Of the 13 swimmers who competed, all 13 qualified for our regional meet in College Station on February 3, and the team placed 3rd overall.  Senior Tommy Gawlik broke his personal record in the 100 freestyle, swimming at 51.25 seconds, and Junior Armando Estrella broke his personal record for the 100 breaststrokes at 1 minute and 6.26 seconds.

Congratulations - PHS Girls Soccer:

Congratulations to our Varsity Lady Panther Soccer Team for winning their first district match Tuesday night! Way to go Panthers! Please come out and cheer on the women's soccer teams at our home field this Friday night at 5:30 and 7:15 as we take on Georgetown High School.

Congratulations - PHS Cheerleaders:

A Big Congratulations to the PHS Cheerleaders for winning 1st place in their division and for having the Highest Score of all the schools attending the competition this past weekend. Go PHS CHEER!!!

Congratulations - PHS HOSA

HOSA had a successful trip this past weekend to Seguin for Regional Competition!  

The following students made up the Biomedical Debate Team and are eligible to move on to State in April by placing 1st place at Regionals:  Kenneth Kalu, Praises Iheanacho, Honour Onafeso, and Jazhenia Pineda.  Congratulations to the following students who also represented the Pflugerville Panthers in the following categories:  Research Poster – Caitlyn Lammons and Health Career Photography – Angelina Gauna.  Pflugerville High School was well represented by these students. Please join us in congratulating them on a job well done!!!

Congratulations - PHS Wrestling:

This past weekend, the PHS Wrestling Team participated in the Girls Wilson-Cougarette Invitational and Boys Mabry Scramble at Comal Canyon High School in New Braunfels. 

The boys' team finished 13th out of 24 teams.  Sophomore Brissa Valle placed 1st in her weight class and improved to an 18-6 record on the season. Junior Juan Inciarte Fernandez placed 3rd in his weight class and improved to 13-4 on the season. Freshman Max Liao and Sophomores A’mahd Sias and Faavi Avulava placed 7th in their respective weight classes.  Congratulations to all our wrestlers for representing Panther Nation.

Congratulations - PHS Business Professionals of America (BPA):

On Saturday, January 14, 2023, Business Professionals of America had its regional conference competition and the following students have qualified to compete at BPA state in March:

February - Healthy Relationship Month:

A Word from Mr. Howell:

Good Evening Class of 2023 –

I hope that you are having a wonderful week. Quite a few scholarships have dropped this week and I wanted to make sure you all had the opportunity to apply. I would encourage each senior to log into their SchooLinks account and apply for as many opportunities as they may qualify for. Below are a few of the new ones. Please remember to list Mr. Howell as your counselor for any scholarship application and that scholarship committees want you to complete their application before the deadline. They do often advantage students that applied earlier vs. later.

Texas Leadership Scholars Program – Must be completed by February 1^st. You must be attending one of the institutions listed here: https://texasleadershipscholars.org/texas-leadership-scholars-program

A+ Federal Credit Union Scholarship -Due February 3^rd. Open to members of A+ Federal Credit Union

Texas Smoak Scholarship – Due February 16^th.

Panthers Who Care Scholarship – Due March 1^st. Preference is given to a senior who has not already gotten their tuition and fees covered by their chosen institution.  

El Amistad Scholarship – Due in March.

Scott Mentzer Memorial Scholarship – Due in March. Must be pursuing a degree in education

Capital City A&M Club Scholarship – Due in March. Must be attending Texas A&M University (College Station)

Christopher Ratliff Memorial Scholarship – Due in March. Must have participated in a Varsity Sport sometime during HS.      

Thomas Andrew Caswell & Rebecca Diaz Caswell Memorial Scholarship - Due in March. Must be a member of the PHS Band planning to attend the University of Texas at Austin.

 We have posted many more scholarship opportunities SchooLinks, and many more will be posted in the coming months. Please continue to check SchooLinks at least once a week for new opportunities. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Howell

Pflugerville High School is proud to announce The Spongebob Musical:

Click HERE for Tickets                                                 Click HERE for information

Congratulations - PHS Staff Plaque Recent Recipients:

Check out and help me congratulate our recent recipients:

A Word from PHS Dance Pfusion:

I have two events to share with teachers and our PHS Community. 

Austin Spurs Performance

The Varsity Pfusion Dance Team will be performing at the Austin Spurs Game Wednesday, Feb.8th. If anyone is interested in joining, use the link below to purchase discounted tickets.

https://offer.fevo.com/g-league-ignite-c7tamvx-731ed94?fevoUri=g-league-ignite-c7tamvx-731ed94%2F

Contest Showoffs

Feb.15th 6PM at Connally High School

A Word From the Library:

2^nd Nine Weeks Update

The 2^nd Nine Weeks was busy in the PHS library as the floor layout was redesigned.  There’s so much more space for students now!  Student volunteers are earning community service hours. See Mrs. Owen about volunteering. Many students opted to take a free book home for the holidays.  It’s still Winter, so Operation: Winter Reading is still happening in B Hall, behind the library.  The PHS library also joined with Weiss HS library to take students to the Texas Book Festival.  More opportunities are coming in the future—Stay tuned!

 

A Word from our Parent Liaison:

How PHS Families Can Support Student Health and Emotional Well-being

Strengthening PHS students’ connection with their families, schools, peers, and other adults is an important protective factor that can reduce the effects of stressful life events and teach skills to overcome them.

Strengthening PHS students’ connection with their families, schools, peers, and other adults is an important protective factor that can reduce the effects of stressful life events and teach skills to overcome them.

School connectedness and a healthy and supportive school environment go hand in hand. These protective factors can help PHS students engage in positive health behaviors and avoid multiple risk behaviors, get better grades, and improve mental health and emotional well-being.

Parents and families play a critical role, often being the first to help their children develop skills to recognize and manage emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. When families and PHS work together, they can help create a healthy and supportive environment for our students to learn these skills at home and at school.

5 Things to KNOW and DO to Support Your Child’s Health and Emotional Well-being

KNOW: Parent engagement is an important part of PHS for school health. PHS supports collaboration between schools, families, and the community to improve children and adolescents’ health through cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.

KNOW: PHS uses a variety of strategies to promote the health and emotional well-being of children and adolescents including:

·         Setting goals with parents for building strong relationships with peers and adults.

·         Providing education and opportunities to help families become actively involved in their children’s academic and school life.

·         Using effective classroom management and teaching methods to foster a positive learning environment.

·         Providing access to counseling, psychological, and social services.

DO: Get involved in the health decisions at school. Ask to be involved in parent organizations – such as the Campus Academic Advisory Committee, school health councils, or school health action teams – to help improve the health and emotional well-being of children and adolescents.

DO: Make communication with PHS a two-way street. Read the Principal’s Blog and attend parent-teacher-student conferences to learn what is going on at PHS. Ask PHS to provide educational opportunities for parents. Communicate regularly through emails, phone calls, or meetings to discuss your child’s grades, behavior, and accomplishments. Ask how PHS is supporting health and emotional well-being and what you can do at home to support OUR efforts.

DO: Implement simple strategies at home such as:

·         Take time to talk to your child and be an active listener.

·         Acknowledge and ask about your child’s feelings to model empathy.

·         Focus on your child’s strengths before talking about things they can do to improve their confidence.

·         Children learn what they see. Model positive coping skills to identify and manage stressful situations. For example, going for a walk or practicing deep breathing exercises can help.

                                                    

 

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

 

Happy Friday! This week flew by after having Monday off. Although there were a ton of things going on in the quick 4-day week, this week's blog post is pretty brief.

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• 1/25 ClubYearbook Pictures

• 2/20 Planning & Prep Day/Student Holiday

• 2/21 College/Military Enrollment Presentation

• 3/01 School Day SAT or ASVAB

• 3/06 Career Fair

• 3/13-17 Spring Break

• 3/20 Career Night

• 4/07 Student/Staff Holiday/Bad Weather Day

• 4/19 STAAR EOC - Eng I

• 4/20 STAAR EOC - Eng II

• 4/26 STAAR EOC - Bio

• 4/27 STAAR EOC - US Hist

• 4/27 College Night

• 5/1 AP Testing - US Gov (am), Chemistry (pm), Span Lit (pm)

• 5/2 AP Testing - Environmental Sci (am), Psychology (pm)

• 5/3 AP Testing - Eng Lit (am) Comp Science A (pm)

• 5/4 AP Testing - Human Geo (am), Macro Eco (am), Statistics (pm) AP Seminar (pm)

• 5/5 AP Testing - Euro Hist (am), US Hist (am), Art History (pm) Micro Eco (pm)

• 5/8 AP Testing - Cal AB (am), Cal BC (am), Comp Sic Prin (pm)

• 5/9 AP Testing - Eng Lan (am), Physics C: Mech (pm), Physis C:Elec ( 2pm)

• 5/10 AP Testing - Span Lang (am), Bio (pm)

• 5/11 AP Testing - French Lang (am), World Hist Mod (am), Physics 1: Alg (pm)

• 5/11 STAAR EOC - Alg I

• 5/12 AP Testing - Music Theory (am), Physics 2: Alg (pm)

• 5/20 Senior Prom - Miami Night

• 5/24 (seniors) 1st Graduation Practice

• 5/25 (seniors) 2nd Graduation Practice

• 5/25 Last Day of School (Early Release)

• 5/31 Graduation at the Pfield

Congratulations - PHS FFA:

Congratulations to the following PHS students who competed in Travis County Youth Livestock (TCYL) Competition last weekend:

Goat Results:

• Tristan Schwausch 2^nd place class 1

• Holly Herber 3^rd place class 2

• Elisabeth Ziegler 5^th place class 6

• Anna Lanford 6^th place class 4

• Liam Caldwell 6^th place class 5

• Andrew Farmer 7^th place class 8

• D’Marion Speller 7^th place class 10

Pig Results:

• Angel Castillo 2^nd place class 2 duroc

• Mel Mckinney 4^th place class 2 duroc

• Joanna Cantu 4^th place class 1 cross

Lamb Results:

• Brooklyn Farris 4^th place class 4 medium wool

Steer Results

• Ej Caldwell 4^th place class 1 exotics 

Youth Fair results:

• Ej Caldwell Grand Champion Mystery Ingredient Baked Foods Division

High School Principal of the Year Award:

I wasn’t going to personally share much about the recent award that I received on the blog, because it feels a bit strange to write about myself, but I have had a number of people ask me about it and it represents the success of this entire community, so here is a bit about it:

Every summer, the largest principal organization in Texas, the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP), holds a conference in Austin. One of the agenda items at the conference is for principals and assistant principals from each region to select a high school principal, middle school principal, and an assistant principal of the year from their regions (20 total regions). Much to my surprise, I was selected as the Region 13 High School Principal of the Year.

From there, the individuals selected from each region complete some information that is reviewed by a “principals image committee” made up of principals and assistant principals from across the state. They select 3-4 finalists from each category. Once again, much to my surprise, I was selected as a finalist.

Next, the 3-4 finalists are invited to Austin for an in-person interview round. Shortly after, I was notified that the committee had unanimously selected me for the State of Texas High School Principal of the Year. What an honor!

One additional piece is that the committee is responsible for selecting one individual from the recipients of HS principal, MS principal, and assistant principal of the year to be named the Secondary Principal of the Year and to serve as the state of Texas representative for the final round, which is the selection of the National Principal of the year. Again, much to my surprise, the committee unanimously selected me for that honor. Thus, after all of the states have selected their nomination, I will get to travel to Washington DC, and later to the National Convention where the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) selects the National Principal of the Year.

Although it is still hard for me to believe that out of the 3,240 high schools in the state of Texas, a committee of principals would select me.  I know that it has a lot to do with the many great facets of our school, our teachers, our students, our parents, and our community.

We are fortunate to have so many award-winning student organizations, fine arts programs, athletics, and UIL at our school. We have been recognized academically as a National AVID Demonstration school and will soon re-validate that recognition this spring. We are one of the most diverse schools in the district and serve a Title 1 student population, yet compete at the top of the district for overall accountability ratings and earn by far the most distinctions of any of the high schools in our district and in the area. We have National Merit scholars and tons of AP Scholars at various distinction levels. We offer competitive AP and ACC dual credit courses to propel students into successful post-high school endeavors. We have dedicated teachers and students on campus in tutorials, practices, volunteering, and more, hours before school starts and hours after because we have created a place where kids can thrive. 

We have numerous student leadership groups, such as the National Honor Society, Student Council, PALS, and much more. We have been recognized as a No Place for Hate school for countless years and lead annual events organized by our NoPlace4Hate student group. We have increased our test scores and attendance post-covid while also reducing discipline infractions thanks to focusing on what is best for students by creating an at-risk facilitator and restorative practice facilitator position. We started a community mentor program called Jamii which partners students with volunteer mentors to check in on them and help them be successful. We have established a common vision post-covid of what we value through the creation of the PHS Crest and PHS Academic Playbook. We recognize students and staff for more than just academics and attendance and also for the character traits we value in the PHS Crest. We have created a working environment where our staff climate surveys improve year after year in every category and are always well above the district average…. 

I could go on.

The reason I share all of these things that make PHS great, amongst so many other reasons, is because this award is as much mine, as it is for everyone involved with PHS. 

I thank you parents for sending us such great kids every day and for continuing to support our high expectations for them in all that they do. I also thank the 200+ staff at Pflugerville High School who show up, every day, to support students.

Awesome 8th-Grade Invasion:

This past Thursday morning, we welcomed hundreds of 8th graders from Pflugerville Middle School and Park Crest Middle School for our annual 8th-grade invasion. 

Unfortunately, if you can remember back to last year at this time, the event had to be held virtually due to rising covid cases. 

Having the 8th graders on campus, in person, was very refreshing! 

I want to thank our teachers for showcasing their programs as they managed their class with the addition of a revolving door of 20 student guests per group.

Below are a few of the pictures captured of the event.

 

PHS Showcase (Course Fair) Night:

PHS hosted a showcase event yesterday (Thursday, 1/19) where families came and learned about our various programs, organizations, AP offerings, and much more! Thank you to everyone who was able to join us!

 

Check us out on Facebook for even more pictures and videos of the event: https://www.facebook.com/PflugervilleHS/

Pflugerville High School is proud to announce The Spongebob Musical:

Click HERE for Tickets                                                 Click HERE for information

A Word from our Parent Liaison:

JAMII Mentoring Program at PHS

Mentoring is a sustained relationship between a young person and a caring individual who is screened and trained to provide the young person with support, guidance, and assistance.

Mentoring programs include school, community, and site-based programs, as well as, programs where mentors are community volunteers, peers, or paid staff. Regardless of the program model, mentoring programs are responsible for ensuring mentors, of any age, are safe and healthy to interact directly with youth.

Why Mentoring?

Mentoring provides children with the caring, consistent presence of an adult friend, which research has shown to be a major protective factor in building resilience among at-risk youth. Mentoring also has benefits for the mentor, including opportunities for personal growth, a deeper connection to your community, and a deep, caring relationship with a young person.

Young people who had mentors report setting higher educational goals and are more likely to attend college than those without mentors. High expectations and higher educational attainment are key factors in life success.

The Mentoring Effect: Young People's Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring

One in three young people overall report they never had an adult mentor of any kind (naturally occurring or structured) while they were growing up. Nationwide, that means today approximately 16 million youth, including nine million at-risk youth, will reach age 19 without ever having a mentor.

Mentoring promotes positive social attitudes and relationships. Mentored youth tend to trust their parents more and communicate better with them. A study showed that the strongest benefit from mentoring, and most consistent across risk groups, was a reduction in depressive symptoms—particularly noteworthy given that almost one in four youth reported worrisome levels of these symptoms (The Role of Risk, 2013).

Research and practice suggest key attributes that have been associated with successful mentors and should be considered during the matching of mentors and mentees (MENTOR, 2009). These are the ability to listen and to offer friendship, guidance, and encouragement to a young person (National Mentoring Month Campaign, n.d.); a genuine desire to be involved and help youth; respect for youth and their cultures and backgrounds (Hirsch, 2005); empathy and authenticity (Spencer, 2006); compatible personalities, interests, and expectations (Bernier & Larose, 2005; Madia & Lutz, 2004); prior experience in helping roles or occupations (DuBois, Holloway, Valentine, & Cooper, 2002); flexibility and openness; and the ability to see solutions and opportunities and help youth to see them as well (MENTOR, n.d.).

If you are interested in volunteering as a mentor, please email Luther.Baker@pfisd.net 

Did You Know? - Calendar of Firsts

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”