Panther Parent 411
Schimelpfenig Middle School - March 4, 2026
It is hard to believe that we are already less than two weeks away from Spring Break! Please continue to review grades with your students and encourage them to attend tutorials as needed. Our teachers and staff are here to partner with you in your child's academic journey, so please feel free to reach out to us should you have any questions or concerns about your student's progress.
There is a lot going on in Panther Country the next few weeks! Please continue reading, so you are up-to-date on what is happening around campus. As always, if you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Tomorrow, we will be launching our schoolwide donation fundraiser to raise money for our campus activity fund. Originally, I had planned to launch this campaign in January in order to avoid conflicts with other campus organization fundraisers, but, due to my unexpected absence that month, the time frame had to be adjusted. Our campus fundraiser will now run from Thursday, March 5th through Thursday, April 2nd. Supporters have the option of making a donation directly from their phones without giving their credit card information to anyone or having cash on-the-spot. Friends of Schimelpfenig Middle School can donate using a debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. And students never handle cash! When creating a profile, please use your student’s name. This will credit the student's progress & leaderboard activity. Money raised will be used for both staff and student recognitions as well as to fund campus wide events like Career Day, Step Out, and end-of year grade level activities.
Please use this video link to learn more on how you can help.
Thank you in advance for your continued support of our Panther Community!
As previously mentioned, our annual Career Day will be held next Friday, March 13th. Here is the bell schedule for this special day.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact one of the members of our counseling team. Their contact information is listed below.
Michelle Klena - 6th Grade Counselor - 469-752-6417 - Michelle.Klena@pisd.edu
Shealine Burks – 7th Grade Counselor - 469-752-6418 - Shealine.Burks@pisd.edu
John Schlosser – 8th Grade Counselor - 469-752-6416 - John.Schlosser@pisd.edu
Boys and Girls Soccer Season is right around the corner!
A student information meeting will be held on Friday, March 13th, at 8:00am in the Big Gym. During this time, we will discuss the tryout process, our season at a glance, soccer player expectations, and a few other important topics and details. Here is the presentation link for this informational meeting.
Soccer tryouts are currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 1st, Thursday, April 2nd, and Monday, April 6th. These dates are subject to change due to tryout numbers for both boys and girls soccer. Any changes to this schedule will be announced in advance, so appropriate time can be given to parents to make any alternate arrangements needed.
Finally, all participants must complete a UIL approved sports physical and ALL Rank One paperwork and forms BEFORE the first day of tryouts in order to participate. Here is the link for physical and Rank One information. Students must be "green" in Rank One and passing all classes for the third nine weeks in order to participate in soccer tryouts.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please email either Chris Brochtrup, head boys soccer coach, at Chris.brochtrup@pisd.edu or Kayla Palesky, head girls soccer coach, at Kayla.palesky@pisd.edu.
Spring Break for both staff and students will run from Monday, March 16th, through Friday, March 20th. Monday, March 23rd, will be a staff professional development day and a student holiday. Classes will resume on Tuesday, March 24th.
As we begin spring cleaning, many of us will take some time to clean out closets, and the SMS National Junior Honor Society has the perfect place to donate your clothing items! Our NJHS will be collecting new & gently used pants, sweats, and jeans to stock our Panther Closet. The clothing drive will run from Monday, March 23rd through Friday, March 27th. Please see the flyer below for details.
🎤✨ Calling all students! Get ready to shine at our Schoolwide Student & Staff Talent Show on Friday, May 1st!
If you sing, play an instrument, dance, do gymnastics, tell jokes, lip sync, or have a hidden talent you’ve been waiting to show off, this is your moment! If you are interested in participating in this event, please join the Google Classroom code ub4rf4yo to upload your video talent submission by Monday, April 6th. The top 20 performers will be selected to perform in this fun night full of surprises and amazing talent featuring our very own school community members!
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Wallace in room B122.✨
The Educational Results Partnership has named Schimelpfenig Middle School to the 2025 Texas Honor Roll, recognizing top-performing districts and schools driving student success across Texas. This award is presented to campuses who have demonstrated high performance and shown consistent academic growth among all subpopulations over the past three years. Schim was the only secondary campus in Plano ISD awarded with this recognition. Congratulations to Our Panther Family!! Way to represent!
Congratulations to the following students for making it to Round 3 and/or the Finals in their events at the district speech tournament held at Rice Middle School on Saturday, February 21st.
1st Place in Lip Sync:
- Abby B
- Jenesis J
- Emme L
- Roxanne W
- Ariam A.
3rd Round Finals Teams in Public Forum Debate:
- David C & Aariv P.
- Aarav C & Om N
- William Z & Ana G
- Ryker H & Daniel R-G
- Madhav A & Merlin M
Way to go, Panthers! Great job! We are Panther Proud of you!
On Friday, February 13th, some of our theater students competed in the district UIL One Act Play competition at the Robinson Fine Arts Center here in Plano. Please join me in congratulating the following students who received individual awards and accolades at this competition.
Honorable Mention:
- Caroline M
- Max H
All Star Cast:
- Lily B
Technician Award:
- Lauren S (Stage Manager)
Congratulations on a spectacular show! Well done, Panthers!!
Simply complete this form to share your thoughts and feedback! This is just another way to keep the line of communication open while we partner with you to make the educational experience for your students the very best that it can be. QR codes are available in the front office for you to use as well.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this process.
The third nine weeks will end on Friday, March 13th, and grades will be posted in Skyward on Friday, March 27th. Please review grades with your student and encourage them to attend tutorials as needed.
All students will take STAAR tests later this spring on the designated dates listed below. Please make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments for your student on these testing days. If you have any questions, please let me know.
April 9th: Reading/Language Arts 6-8 STAAR
April 14th: Science 8 STAAR
April 16th: Social Studies 8 STAAR
April 22nd: Math 6-8 STAAR & Algebra 1 EOC
Please take a moment to log into Skyward and review your student's information. We especially want to ensure that we have a current phone number and e-mail address on file for each parent and/or guardian.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our registrar, Debbie Collins, at debbie.collins@pisd.edu.
The yearbook staff is hard at work on the 2025-2026 SMS yearbook! The current cost for a yearbook is $40 before any customization. Take advantage of this Black Friday price now through November 30th, as prices will increase after this date. Please see the information below for additional details including yearbook add ons and parent advertisements as well as the online order link and school ID code.
🐾 Schimelpfenig Middle School 2025 Yearbook! 🐾
“From Lockers to Legends, the Rise of the Panther starts here!”
From the first day of school to the last bell, your 2025 Panther Yearbook is packed with unforgettable moments, smiles, and memories you’ll treasure forever.
🖤 Inside You’ll Find:
Student highlights & candid photos
Clubs, sports, and special events
Class favorites & 8th Grade send-offs
📅 Black Friday Order Deadline: November 30, 2025
💲 Price: $40
Additional Pricing:
Cover Keeper - $1.50
Autograph Insert - $2.30
Student Name on Front Cover - $5.00
Icon - $3.50
Zoom on Current Events: $3.50
Yearbook Ad Pricing:
· Shout-out............................................................................$5.00
· Business Card Advertisement (1/8 page).............................$25.00
· Quarter Page Advertisement...............................................$50.00
· Half Page Advertisement..................................................$100.00
· Full Page Advertisement...................................................$150.00
🌐 Order Online: Click Here to Buy or Donate a Yearbook
School ID Code: 15526226
If you have any questions, please contact our yearbook advisor, Alisha Williams, at alisha.williams@pisd.edu.
As parents, you have the ability to review instructional plans for your child’s classes. Visit https://www.pisd.edu/students-families-a6/instructionalplans to view the instructional plans and learn more about your child’s learning experience.
I have had a number of parents who have asked if there is a Schim Staff favorites list available. The answer is yes! If you have times throughout the year when you would like to show appreciation or recognize a staff member in a special way, please feel free to reference the staff favorites list for ideas.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Due to upgrades and enhancements currently being made to our district website, there has been a delay in updating the information normally found on our campus website and staff pages for the 25-26 school year. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Notification will be sent to parents once this information is updated on our campus site.
If you have any questions or are unable to locate information normally found on the campus website, please let me know.
Our wonderful PTA does so much for our campus from teacher breakfasts and lunches to donations to enhance learning within our classrooms as well as student social events and so much more. You can join PTA by visiting their website. Please consider being a part of this worthwhile cause.
The front doors open at 7:50am, and our first bell rings at 8:20am. First period begins at 8:25am when the tardy bell rings. Tardy enforcement began Monday, August 25th.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
As we continue working together to ensure your child’s success, I want to take a moment to reinforce our communication protocol for addressing concerns or issues that may arise during the school year.
In Plano ISD, we believe that open and direct communication is the foundation for resolving most concerns efficiently. Concerns should always be addressed at the level closest to the issue. In most cases, this means reaching out to your child’s teacher first. Our teachers are directly involved in your child’s day-to-day experience and are in the best position to respond to questions or resolve any concerns. Communication between parents and teachers is essential in ensuring that we are all on the same page regarding your child’s learning experience. If you find that an issue persists after speaking with the teacher or requires further attention, please feel free to reach out to me or a member of my administrative team.
For concerns that require additional attention, we invite you to visit www.pisd.edu/complaintresolution. This resource provides topic-specific steps for effectively resolving student and family concerns, along with sample email messages you may consider when contacting your child’s teacher.
Please understand that, while our staff members are committed to responding promptly, the demands of the school day may occasionally delay immediate responses. We appreciate your patience and understanding in these instances.
We deeply value your support and trust as we work together to create the best possible environment for your child. Thank you for helping to ensure that communication remains clear, courteous, respectful and productive.
We are excited to share an update about Sora, our district’s digital library platform for eBooks and audiobooks. Sora provides students with access to age-appropriate digital books to encourage self-selected reading, curiosity, and a lifelong love of reading.
Student access to Sora became available on Monday, October 20th. On this same date, new parental control features became available, giving parents and guardians more flexibility in guiding their child’s reading choices.
With the new parental control features parents and guardians can:
Lock titles to prevent students from borrowing or reading them.
Unlock titles to make them available again.
See child’s loan history.
How it Works:
Navigate to soraapp.com from any computer or the Sora app on a smartphone or tablet (Apple Store or Google Play).
Log in to your child’s Sora account with their Plano ISD credentials.
Go to Settings > Support > Parental Controls.
Create a secure PIN to set up Parent Mode.
In Parent Mode, you can lock or unlock titles
Exit Parent Mode to return to the student experience.
Step-by-step instructions and screenshots are provided on the Plano ISD Library Parent Options webpage to help you set up and use Parent Mode.
We deeply value your role in supporting your child’s reading journey. Our goal is to provide students with safe, flexible, and engaging reading opportunities while giving families tools to guide and personalize access.
If you have any questions about using Sora or parental controls, please reach out to our librarian, Jessica Johnson at Jessica.johnson@pisd.edu.
Thank you for your partnership in fostering a love of reading for every student. We value your feedback and encourage you to recommend books for our school library collections through https://bit.ly/PISDbookrecommendation.
As we begin the second nine weeks, please review our arrival and dismissal procedures listed below. By taking these small steps, we can ensure that all of our students arrive to and leave from school safely each day.
- Please adhere to the signs posted in the circular drive and on the streets.
- Students should always use the crosswalks when crossing the street.
- When exiting the carpool lane in front of the school in the morning, please turn right only.
- Please refrain from using the parking lot next to the tennis courts as a drop off or pick up location. This parking lot is designated for special education students needing extra time and assistance.
- Please refrain from dropping off your student along Maumelle. When you stop, it hinders the flow of traffic and, more importantly, it could put your student's safety at risk if they need to cross the street.
- While in the carpool lane, please make sure to pull all the way forward along the curb before dropping off your student.
- Dropping off or picking up your student from the outside lane of the carpool is prohibited. This is a major safety issue, as students must cross in front of other cars to get to the sidewalk.
- Please remember that our school zone is a phone-free zone, so please adhere to this.
Thank you for your continued partnership on this!
Parental Consent for Medical and Mental Health Support
Texas law (Senate Bill 12) requires parents to give consent before schools can provide students with certain physical or mental health services. Parents must complete a School Health Services Consent Form for each of their students in Plano ISD.
The consent form is available in Skyward Family Access and should be completed as soon as possible, so your child can continue to receive health services at school. Without this consent, nurses, counselors and staff will not be able to provide certain services. Please visit this link for more information and details.
Cell Phone Use
Texas law now prohibits students from using any type of personal communication device during the school day. Cell phones, smartwatches, personal tablets, smart glasses, laptops, headphones, airpods, and any other personal device capable of telecommunication must be powered off and stored in your student's backpack before entering the school building. All personal electronic devices must remain powered off and out of sight throughout the school day. This expectation applies during class time, passing periods, lunch, while in restrooms, and anywhere on campus during the instructional day. Students may turn on and use electronic devices once they have exited the building following afternoon dismissal. Teacher/coach discretion will be utilized regarding phone usage for extracurricular after school activities. If a student needs to call home during the day, they may use a school phone in the front office. Please call the front office should you need to get a message to your student during class. We will be reviewing these guidelines with students during class tomorrow.
PHONE ENFORCEMENT & CONSEQUENCES:
To ensure consistent expectations, all staff will teach, reteach, and reinforce the district’s guidelines during the first week of school. Violations will be addressed as follows:
1st Offense:
The student receives a warning.
- The staff member reteaches expectations and instructs the student to turn off all devices and store them in their backpack or bag.
- The parent/guardian is notified by phone or email.
2nd Offense:
- The device is confiscated and secured in the front office and must be retrieved by a parent or guardian.
- The parent/guardian is notified by phone or email.
- One day of In-School Suspension (ISS) will be assigned to the student.
3rd Offense:
- The device is confiscated and secured in the front office and must be retrieved by a parent or guardian.
- Three days of ISS will be assigned to the student.
- The student will be required to check in their devices each morning at the designated location and retrieve them after school for the remainder of the school year.
4th or Subsequent Offenses:
- The student may be placed at the District Alternative Education Program (DAEP).
If you have any questions, please let me know.
All students are required to wear their student ID badge at all times. This is a district policy for all secondary schools to ensure the safety and security of our campus. Following several serious incidents in the state of Texas over the last few years, Plano ISD and Schimelpfenig Middle School increased and improved badge and safety measures to ensure all students are easily identified. Students wearing their badges allow staff members to quickly and easily identify people that should not be on campus.
The district policy states that badges must be visible on a lanyard around the student's neck. Initially, a lanyard was issued to each student, but students may wear an alternate lanyard of their choosing if they prefer. Badges should not be cut, bent, or covered with stickers. Damage to the badge will result in a needed replacement.
The initial badge AND temporary badge are both issued for free. Replacement badges are $5. Replacement badges are issued from Ms. Butler in the front office. If a student forgets his or her badge, then the student should report to the front office, and Ms. Butler will issue a temporary sticker badge good for that day only. Each time a student forgets their ID and receives a temporary one constitutes a badge violation.
During the first couple of weeks, we gave our students grace and consistently reminded them that we would be assigning discipline for students who violate the badge expectation. If a student receives two or more badge violations in a five-day period, they receive Friday After Hours for that week. Friday After Hours takes place the last day of the week, usually on a Friday, from 3:50pm-5:50pm. Friday After Hours will begin after Labor Day.
If you have questions regarding badges or the badge procedures, please let us know.
Shorts, including athletic shorts, must extend beyond the buttocks.
No pajamas, houseshoes, or slippers may be worn to school.
Excessively loose or tight garments are not acceptable.
Underwear-type sleeveless shirts, spaghetti straps, tank tops and tube tops are not permitted.
Hard-soled shoes must be worn at all times.
Sunglasses, caps, hats, raised hoods, etc are not permitted.
Students in violation of the student dress and grooming code will be expected to change to appropriate attire or will be subject to other disciplinary action.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Crop Tops - If your student raises their hand and you can see their stomach, the shirt is too short and will be asked to change.
Shorts and Skirts - Bottoms must cover the entire buttocks area.
Hoodies - Students can wear a jacket with a hood, but the hood must remain off their head during the school day or the student will have to take off the jacket.
Hats - Any item that covers the head is not allowed. This includes baseball caps, beanies, etc. Religious coverings are allowed.
Like last year, students were issued chromebooks and chargers during the first week of school. If damage is incurred on the device assigned to them or if your student's electronic device is lost or stolen at any point throughout the year, students will be held financially responsible. While it is our hope that we will not see any of these concerns this year, we want to still make you aware of the charges, so there are no surprises if a situation requiring payment arises. Please reach out to our campus technology specialist, William Brannon, should you have any questions.
Chromebook: $550
Chromebook Charger: $27.50
It is an expectation that your student's chromebook comes to school every day fully charged. In addition, chargers should be brought to campus daily, as there are no extra chargers in the classroom. This is a school-issued device and should be treated as such. Stickers and writing should not be placed on the device. Thank you for your partnership in ensuring that your student adheres to these expectations.
Many students are beginning to ask about clubs and organizations on campus. If your student would like to start a club, please let them know that they must first find a staff member to sponsor their club. The sponsor will then work with the student to complete a "Request to Meet" Laserfishe form on the PISD webdesk. This form must be initiated by the student. Once the form is approved, the student can make flyers to promote the club and set a date for an interest meeting.
This information will be shared with students during lunches and on morning announcements after Labor Day. If you or your student needs additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Bethany Jacobson is the Campus Title IX Coordinator for the 2025-2026 school year. Ms. Jacobson will address employee and student concerns or inquiries regarding discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment. Reports can be made at any time and by any person, including during non-business hours, by mail, email or phone. During district business hours, reports may also be made in person.
Mrs. Kristen Kinnard
Schimelpfenig Middle School
Email: kristen.kinnard@pisd.edu
Website: pisd.edu/schimelpfenig
Location: 2400 Maumelle Drive, Plano, TX, USA
Phone: 469-752-6410