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.”