Academy Parent Newsletter

Dear Parents,

We have an exciting week ahead with grade level presentations taking place next week. Please continue to encourage your student to finish the semester strong and ensure their assignments are turned in and their grades are in order. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. Josh Howard

December 15th: 3rd Year Going Viral Presentations (Evening Event 5:00 - 7:30 PM)

December 16th: Early Release for Students at 1:05 PM

December 17th: Early Release for Students at 1:05 PM

December 18th: Early Release for Students at 1:05 PM

December 19th: Early Release for Students at 1:05 PM

May 30th 2PM: Graduation 2026!

Scholarship awards are still coming in but Academy Seniors have already received over $1,040,000 in Scholarship offers so far!!!!!!!!!!!

Our 4th Year Students represented Academy well during their project presentations on Tuesday 12/9 at Toyota HQ. This is the culmination of a full semester project that includes mentoring by Toyota employees. Each AHS student team presented their solutions to teams of Toyota employees and received valuable feedback during the process. What a great experience for our students!

Our Academy Soccer Club team had their first soccer game ever against another local soccer club on Saturday December 6th. Our team played hard and showed off their skills and grit. Our soccer club meets during Titan Time and also plays at lunch every day. Shout out to Mr. Q for serving as the sponsor for our AHS Soccer Club.

Titan eSports won the Vanta High School Valorant Club League Championship on Tuesday. Students competed all semester to earn a spot in the playoffs.

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

As noted above in our important dates section, Tuesday December 16th through Friday December 19th are early release dates with dismissal at 1:05 PM each day. Our normal start time of 9:05 still applies. Lunch will be from 12:05 - 1:05. Buses will run at 1:15 with school being out at 1:05. Morning buses will run on the same schedule as normal.

These days will include project time and grade level project presentations. Each grade level will present on a designated day and other grade levels will be able to attend the presentations.

Presentations By Date and Grade Level

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.

OUR ATTENDANCE CONTESTS CONTINUE!

As a reminder, we wrapped up our October contest with the 9th grade winning the overall prize—celebrating with a pizza party and lots of fun prizes!

For November, students have been engaged in a friendly Velcro dart competition in the lobby. From various distances and score requirements, students have been taking their best shots under the watchful eye of our scoring judge. There’s plenty of cheering and jeering as classmates encourage one another.

Students were challenged to reach a minimum score to be entered into prize drawings—accuracy is everything!

So far, we’ve awarded several McDonald’s gift certificates, a 12” decorative gnome, and today, the lucky winner took home a $25 Tom Thumb gift card.

Our attendance activities will continue through the remainder of November, with more Tom Thumb gift cards and additional gift certificates still to come.

As Dr. Howard would say:
“You can’t win if you don’t enter… and you need to be here to enter!”

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

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

4th year math information here (updated weekly): https://tinyurl.com/4thyearMathNews