Panther Blog

Greetings Panther Team & Pfamily:

We had a very productive week full of Panther PRIDE in so many areas, both in the classroom and beyond! We are preparing to administer the TSI assessment to multiple grade levels starting next week. Please see the updates below.

SKYWARD: Student Grades-Academics

As we continue to maintain a high focus on academics, parents/guardians, please continue to monitor your child's grades in Skyward and connect with their teachers, counselors, and/or administrators as we work together to ensure all of our students excel academically.

Here is the link to the Parent Skyward Portal and the PHS Staff Directory. #StudentAchievement

***Below is the Assistant Principal and Counselor Alpha splits to use as you follow-up accordingly regarding your child.

Thank you, parents and guardians, for your continued support! We are excited about the achievements our students will continue to accomplish throughout the year! #Pfamily

A huge thank you to the talented Highland Park Elementary Ballet Folklórico dancers for sharing their beautiful performance with us! Your energy, talent, and love for your culture brought so much joy to our Panther community. We loved celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with you!

Thank you for helping us celebrate culture, tradition, and the beauty of dance!

The Class of 2027 has hit their first major milestone with 500+ college applications submitted and more than $1 MILLION in scholarships already earned!

Our College & Career Center has been busy helping our Panthers prepare for what’s next. From Financial Aid Presentations and College Admission Workshops to College, Military, and Career Representative visits, our students are getting the opportunities and resources they need to explore their future!

We are Panther PROUD of the Class of 2027 and all they are accomplishing. This is just the beginning!

An amazing turn out for our September Chapter Meeting! Members planted seeds to start our own chapter flower garden. We also want to highlight our first member of the month, Millie Mathis, congratulations once again!

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the 2026-2027 PHS National Honor Society
Inductees-61 new members and 37 returning members!

We are Panther PROUD of these amazing students as they continue to demonstrate the four NHS Pillars: Leadership, Scholarship, Service, & Character.

*Special Shout Out to our Amazing Sponsors Ms. Carrasco and Ms. Matthews!

All three teams came out strong and secured a WIN against Manor this week! Shout out to our amazing student athletes and coaches for their hard work, teamwork, and Panther Pride!

• 9/29 Concordia University Texas (College Visit)
• 9/29-30 TSIA2 Reading and Writing
• 10/6-7 Underclassmen Picture Day (Social Studies Class)
• 10/9 Student Holiday
• 10/12-16 Fall Break (Student & Staff)
• 10/22 Senior Picture Day
• 10/24 Homecoming Dance @ 7PM (Cafeteria)
• 10/29 Trunk or Treat @ 6PM (Kuempel Stadium)

• Athletic Schedules: Rank One

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:

Our counselors will be meeting one on one with students and families to review graduation plans, academic progress, and post-secondary goals.

Counseling Conference Schedule

• Senior 1:1 Advising Meetings with Counselors (09/08/26-10/20/26)

• Junior 1:1 Advising Meetings with Counselors (10/21/26-11/30/26)

• Sophomore 1:1 Advising Meetings with Counselors (12/1/26-1/8/27)

• Freshman 1:1 Advising Meetings with Counselors (1/11/27-1/29/27)

Thank you for your continued support of our students!

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

On Wednesday, August 26th, your student brought home an important form from their 2nd period class, the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Form. This form helps our campus qualify for free or reduced price meals for every student and plays a key role in securing important funding that benefits our entire school community.

The campus will be reaching out DAILY to families who haven’t yet returned their forms, so please be sure to complete and sign the form on the back to avoid any follow up calls.

To add a little extra fun, the first TEN classes to return 100% of their forms will earn a pizza party.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Main Office for additional assistance.

Go Panthers!

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.

October 6th and October 7th are the updated underclassmen photo dates through Social Studies classes (9th-11th)

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)

• 9th Grade ECHS Cohort 2: Students who have not passed or taken the TSI will test Reading, Writing, and Math in Pathways class.
• 10th–12th Grade Math: Students who have not passed TSI Math and are in Geometry or higher will test in their math class. Some students may have multiple testing opportunities.
• 10th–12th Grade ELA: Students who have not passed TSI Reading and/or Writing and are in English II or higher will test in their ELA class.

Please contact Ms. Catterton at kellyeileen.catterton@pfisd.net with any questions.

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: kellyeileen.catterton@pfisd.net

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!

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 Courtney Johnson or Lindsay Saylor-Carroll.

View the Schoolfunder fundraiser Pfusion is doing to support their activities for this school year. They are getting very close to meeting their goal, and all support helps. Here is the link: Pflugerville Pfusion Dance 2026-2027 Back to School Donation Drive | Schoolfundr

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

https://www.phspanthercelebration.com/

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