Academy Parent Newsletter
November 14th, 2025
Dear Parents,
We are rapidly approaching Thanksgiving Break with one week to go. We are grateful and thankful for your partnership and support! Please review the newsletter below and have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Dr. Josh Howard
Important Dates
November 20th: 4th Year Field Trip To Capital One Headquarters
December 9th: 4th Year Project Presentations at Toyota HQ
December 15th: 3rd Year Going Viral Presentations (Evening Event)
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
Important Information for All Grade Levels
Thankful for You - Staff Appreciation Form
November is the time of year we are reminded to express our gratitude and thankfulness. We would like to offer you a chance to thank a staff member here at Academy. Please complete the form linked below with the staff member and a note you would like to share with them. The front office team will print these notes and present them to the staff member. We will print the certificates on Tuesday November 18th.
We are thankful for each of you and your partnership.
Thank you!
Academy Students Shine at NASA HUNCH Event
On November 7th, Academy High School students participated in the NASA HUNCH Preliminary Design Review, presenting their innovative projects to NASA representatives and engineers for feedback. Students showcased months of research on their various topics, showcasing creativity, and teamwork across multiple categories. Topics included Biomedical, Design & Prototyping, Culinary, and more. Each group presented their ideas, explained their design process, and received valuable feedback to help them prepare for the next stage of the NASA HUNCH program!
Senior, Antonio Klein, Served as Panelist for Leadership Plano Education Session
Antonio represented Academy well during this event on 11/13. Recap of the event:
Thank you for taking time out of your day yesterday to serve on the Leadership Plano Education Session.
Representing AVID, PALS and the Superintendent Student Advisory Council across multiple grade levels, you demonstrated what it means to be well-spoken, confident and thoughtful leaders. Your honest insights and personal experiences provided a meaningful and inspiring look into student life in Plano ISD.
Your voices made this panel truly exceptional, and we are grateful for the time, courage and perspective you shared.
Mrs. Carroll Awarded with a Grant from the Plano ISD Education Foundation
Any Donations are Appreciated
New Attendance Competition
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!”
Student Council Monthly Recap Letter (Download .pdf)
December Theme Days
Door Open Time
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
Free Saturday Math Tutoring for PISD Students (K–12)
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
Need to add money to your student's lunch account??
Use this link to add many to your student's lunch account: https://www.schoolcafe.com/make-payment
How to Access Empower (download .pdf document below)
First Year Information
Second Year Information
Third Year Information
3rd Year Team Website
Please review the third year website here (updated weekly): https://sites.google.com/pisd.edu/3rd-year-team/home
Fourth Year Information
4th Year Math Website
4th year math information here (updated weekly): https://tinyurl.com/4thyearMathNews