Panther Blog

Greetings Panther Team & Pfamily:

We had an amazing week, and our Panthers are truly shining in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities! Please see several highlights from this week as we celebrate the incredible achievements of our students and staff. Our entire first nine weeks has been Panther STRONG!

Huge Shout-Out to ALL STAFF that participated in the Pfusion Dance during the Pink-Out Pep Rally!!!!! They put in some serious practice and hard work to get the dance right, everyone looked GREAT!!!!! Shout to Ms. Cortez and Ms. Honeycutt for all that you do at PHS!

It's always great when the STAFF & STUDENTS hit the dance floor! Great moves, BIG energy, and an even GREATER cause! #PinkOut #BreastCancerAwareness #Pfamily

Pfusion Student & Staff Dance 2026

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fvtEW4tYz2h0kD_uCnM1jsbXhsS2H53V/view?usp=sharing

Thank you, parents and guardians, for your continued support! #Teamwork

There will be no school October 12th-16th. We hope our students and staff enjoy a relaxing, fun filled break! We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, October 19th.

Have a wonderful Fall Break!

The PfISD High School Schedule Task Force is reviewing our current high school scheduling models to find a structure that protects instructional time, supports teachers, and reduces costs as PfISD works through the statewide school funding shortfall.

The Task Force will study options, gather input from principals, teachers, students, and families, and bring a recommendation to the district for the 2027–28 school year. Membership includes a parent and a student from each of PfISD's four high schools, alongside staff and district representatives.

Public Hearing-High School Schedule Task Force

October 27, 2026 | 5:30 p.m. | PfISD LTC, 1601 W Pecan St, Pflugerville, TX 78660

A HUGE shout out to our amazing students, staff, and everyone who donated! Your generosity helped save lives and make a real difference in our community.

A special shout out to our incredible Health Science teachers, Ms. Smith, Ms. Feldsberg, and Mr. Rowan, for helping make this possible! Panther Pride is saving lives!

This Saturday, 8 of our talented PHS Choir members competed in the second round of TMEA All-State Choir auditions at Round Rock High School!

We are so proud to celebrate:

• 3 students earning chairs in the Region 26 Treble Choir
• 3 students earning chairs in the Region 26 Mixed Choir
• All 6 students are advancing to the 3rd round of auditions this November!

What an incredible accomplishment! We are so proud of our students for representing Pflugerville High School with talent, dedication, and Panther Pride!

Way to go, PHS Choir!

Our Panthers dominated Elgin with an incredible 67-7 victory! Now THAT’S Panther Pride!

We are incredibly proud to announce that five PHS students have been recognized as National Merit Commended Scholars!

This prestigious recognition celebrates the hard work, dedication, and academic achievement of our students, based on their outstanding PSAT performance.

Please join us in congratulating:

• Aavan Adhikari
• Bryce Howard
• Lawrence Lanford
• Yvaine Liew
• Ethan Wolf

We are so proud of each of you and all that you will continue to accomplish!

The Panther Pride Award recognizes students each nine weeks who exemplify one or more of the core values represented on the PHS Crest (Innovative, Accepting, Involved, Passionate, Kind, Hardworking, Resilient).

Congratulations to all of our Panther Pride Award nominees! We are proud to celebrate the students who make Panther Nation shine!

It’s a GREAT day to be a PANTHER! Our Pink Out Pep Rally was full of Panther PRIDE and support for a great cause!

PHS proudly donated $1,000 to Susan G. Komen in honor of former PHS staff member Susan Murphy!

We also enjoyed our annual Kiss the Pig tradition hosted by our amazing PALS!

HUGE thanks to everyone who donated and participated!

A huge thank you to Plaque Panthers Dentistry for hosting us today for one of our transition lessons; focused on making an appointment and showing up for the appointment. The students did a great job.

Dr.Harris is a PHS Alumni and was amazing with our students. @plaquepanthersdentistry

Future Teachers in Action! Our PHS Ready, Set, Teach (RST) Panthers are gaining valuable hands on classroom experience at Barron, Brookhollow, Timmerman, and Dearing Elementary Schools! Inspiring the next generation of educators!

Special shout out to their awesome Teacher, Ms. Distefano!

Panther Baseball joined in celebrating Timmerman’s National Walk to School Day! We love seeing our Panthers supporting our school community and promoting healthy habits!

Panther Golf is off to a great start this season!

Sophomore Spotlight: Joseph earned his very first career birdie at his first tournament of the year at Colovista Golf Club! What a way to kick off the season!

Varsity Girls: Our girls competed in their first tournament of the year at the historic Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin, the first desegregated golf course in Texas in the 1950s. A special place with an incredible history! #SaveMuny

Varsity Boys: Our boys kicked off their season with their first tournament and followed it up with an outstanding second tournament, recording the best team score in 8-10 years!

We are proud of our Panthers for their hard work, dedication, and continued growth on and off the course!

Our Panther Tennis team is representing Panther PRIDE on and off the court! We’re proud of our Panthers and all they do to represent PHS!

Junior Katelyn Mireles has officially reached 1,000 career assists in volleyball! We are so proud of her incredible accomplishment and can’t wait to see all the amazing things she continues to achieve throughout her volleyball career.

• 10/12-10/16 Fall Break (Student & Staff)
• 10/19 HOCO Theme - (Anything but a backpack)
• 10/20 HOCO Theme - (Dynamic Duo)
• 10/21 HOCO Theme - (Soccer Mom vs BBQ Dad)
• 10/21 Readiness check for PSAT
• 10/22 HOCO Theme - (Dress from any decade)
• 10/22 Senior Picture Day (PAC)
• 10/23 HOCO Theme - (Panther PRIDE - Blue and Gold)
• 10/24 Homecoming Dance @ 7PM (Cafeteria) + HOCO Spirit Week Dress Up
• 10/28 PSAT Day
• 10/29 Trunk or Treat @ 6PM (Kuempel Stadium)
• Athletic Schedules: Rank One

Ready to take your AP exam? Now is the time to get registered! The registration deadline is November 6th. Don’t miss your opportunity to show what you know and earn college credit!

For more information, please contact Cortney Johnson or Lindsay Saylor-Carroll.

Ready to take your PSAT/NMSQT? Now is the time to get registered! The exam is October 28th. Don’t miss your opportunity to show what you know and take an important step toward college readiness!

Questions??? Email: Lindsay.Diehl@pfisd.net

Per the Texas Education Code 25.092, also known as the “90 percent rule”, a student may not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered.

Note: Both unexcused and excused absences count towards the 90 percent rule.

Attendance records can be viewed in the Skyward parent portal.

Teachers take attendance for students. If you or your student have questions regarding your student's absences, please email the teacher(s) directly.

Per the 2026-2027 School Calendar, the Fall semester has 82 required school days. To calculate the 90/10 split, you must take into account whether the days missed are A or B days; and, if there are continuous class period absences within the semester to affect the make-up hours calculations (see below footnote*).

If a student is denied credit, he/she will receive notification from the Front Office with instructions to see the Front Office staff to make arrangements to make up class hours.

There are opportunities for a student to make up their hours. Listed below are some examples of how to make-up hours:

• After school in our D-hall room A113 4:30pm-5:30pm Monday—Thursday
• Tutoring before school and after school
• Saturday D-hall room A113 from 8:30am-11:30am in room A113
• Other arrangements with Principal Approval

Make-up hours will be required on the student’s 5th absence/per class (including excused absences with a parent/medical note) for the Fall semester and on the student's 6th absence/per class (including excused absence with a parent/medical note) for the Spring semester.

Students will have a hold placed on their credit at the end of each semester unless they have completed the make-up hours that are owed. If you have any questions about make-up hours, please email:

Students with last name A - L: Email lisa.acedo@pfisd.net or call 512-594-0523

Students with last name M-Z: Email melissa.harris@pfisd.net or call 512-594-051

If your student owes make-up hours they are ineligible to request VOE’s (VOE Order Form For Texas Dept of Public Safety), attend Prom and Homecoming.

* “Days” in this case indicates individual class periods.

If you have any questions please email Ms. Torres at claudia.torres@pfisd.net if you have any questions.

To submit documentation for an absence us the link below:

Families, we are excited to share an exciting opportunity for middle and high school students to participate in Optimum’s 19th Annual Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest!

Students are invited to reflect on how they have been influenced by Hispanic culture and share their experiences through an essay. Prizes include a $3,000 scholarship and iPads!

Submissions are being accepted through October 15th.

We encourage families to share this opportunity with their students and encourage them to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by reflecting on the culture, traditions, and experiences that have influenced them.

Please see the attached flyers above for additional information and contest details.

PHS Website

https://phs.pfisd.net/

PHS Staff Directory

https://phs.pfisd.net/about-us/staff-directory

PHS School Profile

PHS Parent Compact 26-27

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U6qWszUwQ15qtLccbvljAcpJw3dWwzES/view?usp=sharing

PHS Parent Compact 26-27 Spanish

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oMiU8TbN1NaIao2WbgrI_GTJTe4Efa5N/view?usp=sharing

PHS Parent Compact 26-27 Vietnamese

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FWzRFEDnt-uvPqxMqmSMlBNuFG2IiFf8/view?usp=sharing

We need your help! Parents and guardians, please check your email and complete the Socioeconomic Information Form for each of your enrolled students.

Regardless of your income level, completing this form helps our campus receive important funding that supports students, teachers, programs and campus resources. It also helps support the continued availability of free meals for all students at our CEP campus.

Here's what you need to know:

- Check your email for a message from PfISD containing your student's form link.

- Complete a separate form for EACH student enrolled in PfISD.

- All families should complete the form, regardless of income.

Your participation makes a difference! Please take a few minutes to complete your form today.

For more information, visit: https://www.pfisd.net/.../free-and-reduced-meals..

The free meals program provided by the USDA and Texas Department of Agriculture for all PfISD students during the pandemic has ended. Students must complete the necessary form to receive free or reduced meals during the 2026-2027 school year.

*** Benefits Included - more than just meals!

• Breakfast entrées with up to two fruit sides and milk
• Lunch entrées, with up to two fruit sides, two vegetable sides and milk
• Two waivers for SAT fees
• Four additional SAT score reports
• SAT online course, discount $40.00
• Two waivers for ACT fees
• Four college application waivers

Please note that the link is not currently active to submit your application Click here for instructions on applying for free and reduced meals (English).

PfISD encourages families who feel they may qualify for the free/reduced meal program to complete the forms this year as it will give their students coverage for the first 30 days of next school year. Then, they must complete an application at the beginning of next school year to receive benefits all year long.

Please take note: the free meals that have been available to all students, regardless of their application status, are ending. Students who have previously been part of the free/reduced meal plan or newer students who enrolled in PfISD may be eligible for the traditional program and need to apply to continue receiving free or reduced meals at school next school year.

As we approach cooler temperatures, the Coats for Kids team is gearing up to partner with

Central Texas schools to ensure all kids in need of a warm winter coat receive one. This annual

community project collects and distributes more than 30,000 coats to eligible children and

teenagers in Central Texas each year. Request a coat by scanning the QR code below or visiting Coat Request Form.

In the Coat Request Form, provide the student’s name, school, grade, coat size, and special

preferences. Use the form to tell us what kind of coat your child would like!

Please use Ms. Cardenas’ email when completing the form as this will make it easier for us to

track submissions (juliana.cardenas@pfisd.net).

The Pflugerville High School Book Club is fundraising t-shirts to be able to buy more books! We have three designs with short and long sleeve options. Help support our readers!

Fundraiser Link:https://sfnd.io/phsbookclub

The Pflugerville Girls' Basketball team will hold tryouts at 7:00AM on Wednesday, October 21st. Students must be passing at the end of the first nine weeks, have a current physical for the 2026-27 school year, and have all required online forms completed in order to participate in tryouts.

The Pflugerville Girls' Basketball team is also looking for boys interested in joining a practice squad. The practice squad will practice after school three days a week beginning Monday, October 26th. Students interested in participating must have a current physical and completed online forms, have no current referrals, and cannot be participating in another school sport at the same time.

If you are interested in being part of the program, please make sure you meet all requirements before participating.

Underclassmen photos for students in 9th-11th grade were taken on October 6th and 7th during Social Studies classes.

October 22nd and December 10th are the Senior photos during lunch inside the PAC foyer

Note: Seniors can also schedule directly with Cady at their studio (see below)

Join our ECHS School Ambassadors for a spooktacular evening of fun on October 29th at 6PM at Kuempel Stadium! Enjoy Kona Ice, face painting, fun games, best costume and trunk competitions, Trunk or Treat, and more!

Come in costume and get ready for a night of Panther fun!

Order your shirts and yard signs here using the link below:

https://www.phspanthercelebration.com/

Graduation order time will be here before you know it & is right around the corner. Please plan accordingly as online orders will start the first week of November for your custom Pflugerville cap & gown, Class Ring & graduation announcements etc.

Graduation Items can be ordered individually or as Graduation Packages. Stay tuned for more information and online ordering instructions!

Congratulations to the Class of 2027 & Go Panthers!!

Herff Jones Website

Your prom tickets are now live on the website linked below! The prom will be held on April 24th, 2027 from 7pm to 11pm at The UT Etter-Harbin Alumni Center located at 2110 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78712. Tickets are currently $50 and available for PHS seniors to purchase. Guest tickets will become available at a later date. Get your them now as prices increase as the year goes on.

Prom Tickets

Seniors have a special discount to our Homecoming Dance! Admission to the dance will be $5 when your homecoming ticket is purchased with your prom ticket using the link above.

Click here: https://www.jostens.com/.../students-and.../yearbook-ads

Pricing through Christmas:

$350 for whole page

$215 for ½ page

$140 for a ¼

$85 for an 1/8