Academy Parent Newsletter

Dear Parents,

We made it! Spring break is here. I am so proud of our students and staff. We had a great first three quarters of the year and I know we will finish the year strong together. Thank you to all of our parents for your continued support and partnership. We appreciate you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Josh Howard

March 16th - 20th: Spring Break

March 23rd: No School for Students (Staff Professional Learning Day)

March 27th: Food Truck Stay Day - Community Grill & Jeremiah's Italian Ice

April 7th: STAAR EOC English I and English II

April 9th: Blood Drive at Academy (Sign Up Below)

April 11th: Prom

April 14th: STAAR EOC Biology

April 15th: Food Truck Stay Day - DonutNV

April 16th: STAAR EOC US History

April 21st: 10th/11th/12th Grade Field Trip to Dallas Zoo

April 23rd: STAAR EOC Algebra I

April 29th: Food Truck Stay Day - Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream

May 4th - 15th: AP Testing (See schedule below for details)

May 13th: Food Truck Stay Day - Tropical Smoothie Cafe

May 20th: Senior Recognition and Senior Sunset

May 30th 2PM: Graduation 2026!

Academy High School Physics and Computer Aided Design Teacher Mr. Goodwin earned a TI STEM Award nomination. The Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation Innovations in STEM Teaching Awards honor exceptional secondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers in North Texas school districts.

Three amazing Academy students participated in Principal for a Day today. They won this experience during the Student Council auction a few weeks ago. They helped with the newsletter, helped check on classrooms, helped complete exterior door checks, made announcements, ate lunch on the balcony, had VIP seats for the Student Council speeches, got exclusive access to the teacher snack stash, and got to sit at the principal desk. Way to go Aubrey, Luke, and Illia! I'm happy we got to spend the day together!

Hey there, amazing Academy Titans! 🎉 We've got some super exciting new merch just for you, plus all your favorite original goodies in case you missed out before! Don't wait too long—grab your awesome swag now before prices go up this Fall. The sale wraps up on April 6th at 11:59 pm, so make sure to shop before it's too late. All sales are final, but no worries—your fantastic merch will be shipped to you about two weeks after the sale ends. Just click this link to check everything out: https://gogandy.com/academy-hssspisd26. And if you have any questions or need a hand, our friendly Office Manager is only a message away and happy to help! Happy shopping! 😊

Hello Titan Families,

We’ve reached that time of year again—STAAR End-of-Course testing is just around the corner. We kindly ask that learners make every effort to be present on their scheduled testing days. It’s important to note that students tend to feel more relaxed and perform better when testing alongside their peers.

STAAR Testing Dates:

• Tuesday, April 7: 1st years take English 1 EOC

• Tuesday, April 7: 2nd years take English 2 EOC

• Tuesday, April 14: 2nd years take Biology EOC

• Tuesday, April 16: 3rd years take US EOC

• Thursday, April 23: 1st years take Algebra I

Learners can email edna.phythian@pisd.edu if they are unable to test on the assigned date and are in need of doing so on the assigned makeup date.

We ask all learners to arrive before 9:00 AM and report to their designated testing area. We’ll transition to lunch at 1:10 PM, providing all learners with 30 minutes to eat before returning to class. Learners who are still testing at 1 will get their lunch, then return to the testing room for a monitored lunch; testing will resume at 1:30.

How can parents support learners in preparing for a calm and successful day of testing?

• Encourage your learner to go to bed at a reasonable time the night before the test and to eat breakfast on the day of the test.

• Ensure your learner leaves the house with a fully charged Chromebook, arrives at school on time, and brings their Chromebook charger, water, and a quiet snack.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting our learners during this testing period. They’ve worked hard this year, and these assessments are an additional measure of their knowledge in these specific areas. If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to Edna Phythian at edna.phythian@pisd.edu. We appreciate your trust and support.

Thank you!

Sign up here: https://www.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/166373

Hey there, awesome folks! 🎉 Our fantastic 10th, 11th, and 12th graders are all set to have an amazing time at the zoo on April 21st! 🦁🐵 Everyone’s invited to join the adventure. To make sure your students are all set for the fun, please go to StudentQuickPay.com/PISD to cover their $23.00 for admission and bus fees. 🚍💳 If you have any questions or just want to chat, don’t hesitate to reach out — we’re here to help make this a zoo-per day! 🐯😊

Please make sure payment is completed in Rycor by April 20 in order for your student to attend the trip. Any student who does not submit payment by the deadline will remain on campus and complete an alternative assignment during the field trip.

Financial assistance available. Please reach out to Assistant Principal Phythian with questions about financial assistance.

Parents - Please complete the parent consent form for all activities your child will participate in during Titan Time. You only need to do this once per year so no action is needed if you already submitted your consent form during fall. You only need to submit a new one if your child will be participating in a new activity this spring.

Students - Please complete the Titan Time Selection form for January 6 - March 13th.

Please use this link for instructions on setting up Skyward Family Access

The Family Access portal will allow parents/guardians to monitor and participate in your child’s education, including the ability to:

• Review grades
• Check schedules
• View upcoming assignments
• Keep track of attendance
• Manage fees and payments
• Access other important information

Dear Parents,

We are moving away from a standards based grading system and the use of Empower as our platform. We will be fully transitioning to a traditional grading system with all grades entered in Skyward with the start of the 26/27 school year. Our math team has been using Skyward and a traditional grading system this fall semester. Some teachers in other content areas will begin using Skyward and a traditional grading system for the upcoming Spring 2026 semester. All Academy teachers will use Skyward and a traditional grading system starting with the 26/27 school year. This transition plan is designed to help us continue to move toward clear and consistent college preparatory grading practices at AHS. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Dr. Howard

Please review our practice for incidents involving academic dishonesty:

Teachers enter all academic dishonesty incidents in 360 as admin-managed. Administration council with students and assign the consequences below.

• 1st time- redo max 70

• 2nd time- redo, max 50

• 3rd time and beyond- zero and 1 day ISS

PSAT/SAT Resources: https://www.pisd.edu/departments-66/advanced-academics/psat-and-sat

Resources include general information about each test, test preparation resources, and how to interpret score reports.

Plano ISD senior high school graduations will be celebrated across three evenings. The graduation dates, times and locations for the senior high schools and Academy High School are as follows:

• Plano Senior High School | WED | MAY 27 | 7 PM | Ford Center at the Star in Frisco

• Plano East Senior High School | THU | MAY 28 | 7 PM | Ford Center at the Star in Frisco

• Plano West Senior High School | FRI | MAY 29 | 7 PM | Ford Center at the Star in Frisco

• Academy High School | SAT | MAY 30 | 2 PM | Plano ISD Robinson Fine Arts Center

Graduation details are available for students and families at www.pisd.edu/graduation

About the scholarship:

The Plano Retired Teachers Association (PRTA) is the local unit of the Texas Retired Teachers Association. The Plano unit, comprising nearly 500 retired educators and school employees, helps its members stay informed about local, state, and national issues of interest. The organization encourages networking and advocates for laws and legislation that benefit educators and students. This organization’s goal is to advance causes related to education and community volunteerism. The Plano Retired Teachers Association offers three scholarships, one at each of the three senior high schools, each valued at $ 1,000, to graduating seniors planning to pursue a career in education.

Eligibility: Graduating Senior at Plano Senior High School, Plano East Senior High School, Plano West Senior High School, and Plano ISD Academy High School. (Academy HS seniors will apply through the senior high attendance zone where they reside.)

Criteria: Applicant plans to pursue a career in education

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyWLNZTm7zdZpw5el1C2ZL804B7Ro2DF8D7prY65Pb-Xe1Bw/viewform

The application with documents is due April 8th, 2026.

The committee will meet soon after the application deadline to review if necessary.

Recipients will be notified by April 15, 2026.

Dear Parents,

Our doors open at 8:30 AM each day. Please be mindful of this when planning your morning drop off time as we head toward colder weather.

Thank you,

Academy Administration

Guinn Special Programs Center, in partnership with Top Achievers and IntelliChoice, offers free math tutoring every Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. at Guinn Special Programs Center, 2221 Legacy Dr, Plano, TX.

• Open to all PISD students

• Approximately 3:1 student-to-tutor ratio

• Individualized support, including help with homework

• Light breakfast provided

• All materials included

Register at: https://topachieversfoundation.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/106/responses/new

Use this link to add many to your student's lunch account: https://www.schoolcafe.com/make-payment

First year presentations were a huge success!

Please review the third year website here (updated weekly): https://sites.google.com/pisd.edu/3rd-year-team/home

Please review Ms. Jain's 4th Year Math Newsletter (updated weekly): https://tinyurl.com/4thyearMathNews