Academy Parent Newsletter

Dear Parents,

I hope you have a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving. Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Josh Howard

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

May 30th 2PM: Graduation 2026!

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.

Titan Robotics will host a FLL Tournament here at Academy HS on Saturday, December 6. We are looking for parent volunteers to help as judges and referees. If you are available, please complete this form here: https://tinyurl.com/AcademyFLL25

Please reach out to Julia Goodwin (Julia.goodwin@pisd.edu) with any questions!

The Academy Science Fair will be held on December 5, 2025, from 11:15 AM – 12:40 PM. We are looking for volunteers to serve as judges, evaluate student projects, and ask thoughtful questions to help students prepare for the Regional Science Fair in Dallas.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Alex Spatter at alexandra.spatter@pisd.edu. We would greatly appreciate your support in making this event a success for our students!

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