Greetings Panthers,

As we approach the first day of school I am sure there are SO many questions circling around. I am committed to doing my very best to keep you informed on everything you need to know as we approach the highly anticipated first day of school.

Specific 1^st day logistics will be shared between now and then.

For now, please check out the information below for important updates:

How Can My Child Check Their 2021-22 School Schedule?

There was a time when we used to ask families to come by the campus to get a copy of their schedule or list of classes. One perk of last year was that we learned how to streamline our processes and use technology to support our work.

This is a great example of that. For this school year, students and families will be able to view their 21-22 school schedule through Skyward starting on August 2^nd, 2021.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to district-wide password updates, the entire student log in capability may be unavailable until August 4^th (see information later in the blog)… if that occurs, please simply try again on the 4^th or 5^th once your child’s password has been reset.

Once you view your schedule, there will be the ability to report issues (duplicate classes, incorrect classes, or no class at all during a certain period, for example). These issues are typically few and far between, but we would love to correct those prior to the first day of school.

Please use either the QR code on the flyer below or this link https://bit.ly/3x7eFwZ to reach out to your child’s counselor for support. We ask that all requests are made by the end of the day on August 9^th to ensure our counselors have adequate time to consider changes prior to the first day of school. Also, it is important to note that some slight tweaks may occur between now and the first day of school. No fear, all students will get an official schedule in their ACE class on the first day of school.

How Does a High School Schedule Work?

Unlike middle school, high school is on a “block schedule”. A block schedule means we have “A Day” and “B Day”, which divides their 8 classes into two days (A day = 1^st thru 4^th, B day = 5^th thru 8^th). An official calendar will be released later, but for your reference, the first day of school is an A day, then a B day, then the next week starts A, B,… you get the pattern. Any time we have a holiday or a weekend the pattern is just paused and continued again when we return. Meaning if a week ends with an A day, Monday is a B day. If a week ends with an B day, Monday is a A day. NOTE: The only exception is at the end of the semester (December). We start the 2^nd semester in January on an A Day.

2021-22 Bell Schedule:

Here is the updated 2021-22 bell schedule. Please notice it is a bit different than years past.

What is the ACE Class on My Schedule?

ACE is a specific class assigned to each student. Every 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade student will have an ACE. This class meets EVERY DAY Monday thru Friday. It is exempt from the A/B day rotation.

At the start of school, this class will serve as a homeroom/advisory where we share important school expectations, traditions, celebrations, and more. It is also a great place for students to ask questions and get help with campus logistics and expectations.

Eventually, it will transition (in task, not location/logistics) into a daily class period that supports students with intervention, enrichment, social emotional, study hall, and important announcements. Please check out this link for a visual of what all ACE entails:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rpH1gzPDek_KjOFKucGY7pJmWaclDpoRaRWL_Xv1rwM/edit?usp=sharing

NOTE: later in the year there will be opportunities for seniors, and later juniors to be exempt from ACE by meeting certain school determined criteria. Please be on the lookout for more information regarding what these requirements are, how a student can become eligible, when it will begin, and what it means to be exempt from ACE. Until that time, all students are required to arrive by 9:00am and start their day in ACE.

New Student Passwords:

Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, all students in PfISD will receive a uniquely generated password for their computer accounts. The Covid-19 pandemic introduced this need for student Chromebooks as well as a number of challenges in the area of cybersecurity. In years past, the district set student passwords with a sequence of numbers that were unique to students. Students in grades 5-12 would be forced to change their password upon first login. PfISD will continue that forced password change, however, students will now have to take a few additional steps to ensure the security of their accounts and access to district systems.

NOTE: Student accounts will be not be available for access from July 30, 2021 - August 3, 2021 while the district prepares student passwords for the 2021-22 school year.

Beginning August 4, 2021 parents and guardians will receive an email message with each child’s username and new unique password. This message will also contain a set of instructions students can follow to change their password.  5th- 12th grade students will have their accounts set to force a password change.  Students and parents can follow the instructions provided to change their password for the rest of the year.

All campus staff members will have access to tools to help students find and reset their default password if necessary. The district help desk will also be available to help students log in and change their password.

We know this will be a new learning process for us all. We take cybersecurity seriously and are working to improve the safety of our student and staff data.

PfISD Updates on Health & Safety (COVID) Protocol:

Please know that with the evolving landscape of the vaccine, COVID, variants, and much more, this information is incredibly fluid. We have become good at being ready to adjust based on guidelines from health and safety. For now, I wanted to share the districts Return to Learn safety protocol website in case you would like to review it: https://www.pfisd.net/domain/2003

Additional Student Vaccine Clinics Available:

We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Austin Public Health Authority in a joint effort to provide opportunities for our students age 12 and up to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. We have now added clinic dates for Dessau Middle School and Westview Middle School. Due to construction, we were unable to provide vaccine clinics at these sites during the summer. These clinics are open to all eligible PfISD students, not just those who attend the campus hosting the clinic.

The APH Pedi Mobile Vaccine Program will provide COVID-19 Vaccinations using Pfizer vaccine for our students and their families. A legal guardian MUST be present for all minors receiving the vaccination. Persons receiving the vaccination will be required to wait at least 15 minutes post-vaccination.

Parents are requested to complete this survey to sign up so that we have adequate supply of  vaccinations available at each location. Clinics will be held on the following campuses (all locations are open to all PfISD students age 12 and up and their families.):

• Park Crest MSon Aug. 2 from 8-11 a.m. with second doses on Aug. 23 from 4 – 5:30 p.m.
• Pflugerville MSon Aug. 2 from 12:30-4 p.m. with second dose on Aug. 24 from 4 – 5:30 p.m.
• Dessau MSon Aug. 30 from 4-5:30 p.m. with second dose on Sept. 20 from 4-5:30 p.m.
• Westview MSon Aug. 31 from 4-5:30 p.m. with second dose on Sept. 21 from 4-5:30 p.m.

Parents are encouraged to bring the completed consent forms. Child COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form are attached above.

Free School Supplies:

PfISD Virtual Learning Option:

Pflugerville ISD explored the possibility of providing a virtual learning option for families for the 2021-22 school year pending new legislation from the Texas Legislature or authorization from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). While a virtual learning bill did gain support in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, it did not pass before the session ended. The district has also not received authorization from the TEA to provide a virtual learning option. 

When considering vaccine availability, the low COVID-19 transmission rates in schools, and the guidance and rules set by TEA, PfISD is confident that the best opportunity for most students is to learn in person with their teacher on campus. 

However, PfISD also appreciates that some families have health and safety concerns due to COVID-19. After careful consideration, PfISD decided to move forward with a limited K-12 virtual learning option for its students. Because the Texas Legislature and TEA did not authorize a virtual option, the District will use its ESSER funds and local funding to provide a limited virtual learning academy. PfISD expects to fund its limited K-12 Virtual Learning Academy, up to one year, for approximately $2.6 million. ESSER funds will cover $1 million of the $2.6 million; the remaining $1.6 million will come from local revenue. 

For more information including a helpful FAQ, please check the PfISD website: https://www.pfisd.net/domain/2069

 

Greetings Panthers,

Welcome to the 21-22 school year. We have been busy preparing for the beginning of school and want to make sure that we start communicating with you early and often. We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus and will, in the near future, begin sending out information related to our return to learning plan. So please stay tuned.

Calling all Freshman and Sophomores! 

We hope your student will join us on Tuesday, August 10th, 2021 for an orientation tour of our beautifully renovated building. We typically hold a freshman orientation, but due to COVID we realize many of our sophomores have never stepped foot on campus.

In order to ensure safety and social distancing to the best of our ability, we are asking students to attend during a time slot based on their last name. It is important to note that due to current district guidelines, only students will be allowed on our tour. Masks are recommended for unvaccinated students, but not required at this time. Please see the table below for student time slots:

Important Logistics:

To ensure a smooth drop off and pick up transition we are asking students to arrive at the left side of the building (near the Fine Arts Center) at entrance 5 or 6 (please see image below). Then, students will exit for pick up out of the gym doors (see image below). 

Students do not need to bring anything with them. We will have student and staff leaders to help receive them at drop off, organize them into groups, guide them around the building, and conclude with exiting them out the gym doors.

Please stay tuned for additional back to school information to come!

Most sincerely, 

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

 

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”

Greetings Panthers,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as your new principal at Pflugerville High School. I have served in Pflugerville ISD for the last 11 years as a high school math teacher, high school assistant principal, and most recently as principal next door at Park Crest Middle School. I cannot wait to embark on this journey as we return from arguably the most challenging school year in recent history.

As I familiarize myself with the building and facilities, I must admit it looks pretty rough right now. HOWEVER, that is because we are enduring tremendous renovations and upgrades (again) and soon the building will be incredible. As the original high school of Pflugerville ISD, it is so important to our students and staff that we have state-of-the-art resources just like other campuses and I am excited about the upgrades we will experience together in the future. These enhancements, paired with the tradition of successful academics and programs, are going to make for a bright future for our Panthers. We have much to be excited about.

I look forward to reconnecting with the many great families and students that attended PCMS and getting to know the many others who attended PMS and middle schools from around the district and beyond. As an important first step, I want to begin to build strong lines of communication with families, parents, students, and staff, and thus please be on the lookout in the very near future for important updates regarding freshman (and sophomore) orientation tours, back to school logistics, safety and security updates, and much more!

There is no doubt that this next year will come with challenges and hurdles that we must identify, assess, and overcome. After a year like 20-21 however, I have no doubt our students, staff, and families are more prepared than ever. Together, we are positioned to make the 2021-22 school year at PHS one to remember!

I look forward to having the opportunity in the future to safely meet each of you face to face, with a warm smile, and friendly handshake. Until then, please stay tuned for updates and enjoy the remaining days of summer break.

Most sincerely,

 

Zack Kleypas
Principal
Pflugerville High School

“Keep improving, always, in all ways.”