Academy Student & Parent Newsletter

Oct. 30th: 🚩AP Exam Registration Deadline🚩

Nov. 3rd: Afternoon parent/teacher conferences available

Nov. 12th 5:30 - 6:30 PM: 27/28 Course Selection Preview (presentation starts at 5:30)

Feb. 16th 5:00 - 8:00 PM: Spring Parent Conference Evening

Mar. 4th: SAT School Day (All 11th grade students will test)

May 26th 7:00 PM: AHS Class of 2027 Graduation

No first year specific information this week.

2nd Year Course Information

No third year specific information this week.

Mrs. Jain's Math Newsletters:

Calculus AB - https://app.smore.com/n/pauqs

Calculus BC - https://app.smore.com/n/0w7ud

Statistics - Statistics - Week #11 Update

Multiple student teams from AHS presented their solutions at the NASA HUNCH event in Irving on Wednesday, 10/28. Ms. Richie serves as the NASA HUNCH mentor for AHS.

NASA HUNCH (High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware) is a nationally recognized workforce development program with a 24-year legacy of preparing the next generation of innovators and leaders. Through immersive Workforce project-based learning, high school students gain hands-on experience by designing and fabricating real-world products that are valued and utilized by NASA engineers and astronauts.

Way to go! Our AHS Soccer Club team played tough and earned a 3-3 draw with Shepton during the first game of the season on Saturday October 24th!

The Plano ISD CTE Center will open Wednesday November 4th. This means you should see our arrival/dismissal traffic improve in front of our building. AHS students taking robotics or cybersecurity courses at the CTE Center will begin attending those classes at the CTE Center next Wednesday.

Students and Parents - As a reminder, please review the map below for drop off, pick up, and student driver routes. Student safety is our #1 priority and following these routes helps ensure a safe and orderly arrival and dismissal process.

Please review the map below to see our drop off/pick up, student driver, and bus lane routes. We will open our doors at 8:30 AM each morning and students will exit the building for dismissal at 4:35 each afternoon. Please let us know if you have any questions about our arrival or dismissal procedures. Thank you!

Academy High School Class of 2027 Graduation will be Wednesday May 26th at 7 PM at the Plano ISD Robinson Fine Arts Center. More information can be found here.

Dear Students and Families,

Enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) courses is a significant accomplishment, and I commend our students for choosing to push themselves academically. As we settle into the semester, I want to emphasize the importance of taking the next crucial step in this journey: registering for and taking the official AP Exams.

Completing the course is only half the equation. Sitting for the exam allows students to demonstrate mastery of college-level material and fully reap the benefits of their hard work.

Why Taking the AP Exam Matters:

• College Preparation: AP exams mirror the rigor and expectations of college-level cumulative finals. Experiencing this high-stakes testing environment now builds essential study habits, time management, and academic resilience before stepping onto a college campus.

• Stand Out to College Admissions: College admissions committees look for students who do not just take challenging courses, but who complete the journey by taking the exam. It shows strong academic commitment, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to measure yourself against a national standard.

• Earn College Credit and Advanced Placement: Scoring well on an AP exam can earn students college credit or allow them to skip introductory courses in college. This opens up room in your college schedule for double majors, studying abroad, or even graduating early—saving thousands of dollars in tuition.

• Confidence Building: Mastering a college-level exam while still in high school proves to students that they are capable of succeeding at the highest academic levels.

Taking an AP course without taking the exam is like training for a marathon and stopping a mile before the finish line. We strongly encourage every AP student to register and finish strong.

Next Steps & Registration Details:

Follow these steps:

1. Register for each AP exam in the College Board by Oct 30, 2026. PISD requests that students use their PISD email for College Board accounts.

2. Pay for your AP exam(s) via Total Registration at TotalRegistration.net/AP/445582

by Oct 30, 2026.

Notes:

• Standard Exam Cost: $103/exam

• Free/Reduced Lunch Exam Cost: $27/exam

• If paid for after Oct 30, 2026, a $40 late fee will be added to the cost.

• Payments will only be accepted through the Total Registration website.

• There will be no refunds for year-long and first-semester AP class exams after the October 31 registration deadline.

• Second-semester AP class exam registration will be available again in January 2027.

If your family needs assistance with registration fees or has questions about the process, please reach out to our Assistant Principal Dr. Roberts (denise.roberts@pisd.edu). Thank you for your continued partnership in making academic excellence a priority.

Sincerely,

Dr. Howard

PISD Code of Civility Video Contest open to AHS students.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We look forward to partnering with you to support your child’s success this school year. Our fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 3rd, and we invite you to schedule a time to meet with your student’s teachers. Please use this Sign Up Genius to schedule time with your child's teacher(s).

Conferences may be scheduled as in-person or virtual, depending on what works best for your family.

Conferences are a valuable opportunity to:

• Discuss your student’s academic progress

• Learn more about classroom expectations

• Collaborate on strategies to support continued growth

We encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity. If you are unable to attend on November 3rd, please reach out directly to your student’s teachers to explore alternative arrangements.

Thank you for your continued partnership!

Dr. Howard

Club Participation Parent Consent Form

General Attendance Information Including Loss of Credit

• Attendance is critical for learning and success.
• Student absences should not exceed nine per class for each semester. 9 or more absences will result in absence make-up time or loss of class credit.
• Students must submit a parent note within three days in order to excuse the absence.

When is a health professional note required?

When a student has excessive (excused or unexcused) absences, a note from a health professional can be required. Please use the following guidelines for not accepting parent notes:

• 5 or more continuous days require a doctor’s note
• 10 or more absences during a semester

Parent Access of Attendance Letters in Skyward - Directions

Students are required to wear ID's at all times. Students who attended Titan Takeoff and had their picture taken should have their new ID's. New ID cards won't be available until after picture retake day on October 21st for those that missed Titan Takeoff. Temporary badges are available but should only be used for a short time. Students can use their ID's from last year until the new ID's are available. A replacement should be ordered as soon as possible if your student lost their ID. Please follow the process outlined below. Thank you!

You may have noticed that our bell schedule has "Titan Time" and "Project Time" listed but you don't see these on your child's schedule. Titan Time shows up as "Advisory" on student schedules. Project Time is linked to the following courses by grade level:

9th: Professional Communications

10th: Entrepreneurship I

11th: Entrepreneurship I/II

12th: Statistics and Business Decision Making

I always appreciate parent input. You can email me directly at josh.howard@pisd.edu or complete this Google Form. Thank you!

The fees below are only applicable for students who participate in specific activities (clubs, testing, graduation ceremony etc.) or need to replace items that are lost or damaged.

The purpose of the Academy High School grading guidelines is to provide a consistent framework that provides students and parents with clear expectations that span across grade levels and content areas. These guidelines are intended to support academic growth for students and prepare them for college success.

1. Grading Weights & Categories

• Minor Grades: Minimum of 8 minor grades per nine weeks weighted at 40% of nine week average.

• Major Grades: Minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 major grades per nine weeks weighted at 60% of nine week average.

• No Extra Credit: No extra credit will be given.

2. Late Work & Submissions

A. Core Principle

From the Plano ISD Grading Beliefs: A grade should reflect mastery of content; therefore, student compliance issues (such as late work) should be addressed outside of the context of academic grades. Missing or late work is treated as an incomplete assessment of learning. Late work will be addressed through consequences that help change the behavior of turning in assignments late.

B. Remediation & Completion Requirement

• Mandatory Remediation Session: When an assignment is not turned in, the student is assigned a mandatory remediation session during Titan Time to complete the task. A missing work form is also completed and submitted by the student.

• Exit Standard: The student remains assigned to Titan Time remediation until all missing work for that learning unit is fully submitted and signed off by the classroom teacher.

C. Missing Work Turned In BEFORE Reassessment

• Prerequisite for Reassessment: Students are not eligible to reassess a major grade until all required missing coursework for that unit has been submitted and verified.

• Missing Work Documentation in Skyward: A teacher will enter a “0” for any missing work which communicates an assignment is missing and will average as a zero. Parents will receive a notification email through Skyward for the missing assignment. Teachers will update the “0” with the grade once the assignment has been completed. The “0” will stick if the work is not completed by the end of the reassessment window (see timeline in next section) for the unit the assignment was for.

3. Reassessment for Major Grades

• Eligibility Criteria: Reassessment is only available for assignments in the major grade category. There is only one reassessment opportunity per major grade. Reassessment is only available for original assessment grades below 85. All work for the unit must be submitted and a re-teach activity completed before reassessing.

• Points for Reassessment: The student can earn up to half the points missed up to an 85. The maximum grade following a reassessment is 85. Example: original score is a 60, the student can earn up to 20 points back (half of the 40 points missed).

• Timeline: The reassessment process, including turning in missing work, completing the re-teach activity, and the reassessment itself must be completed within 5 school days after the original assessment is graded and returned to the student.

4. Dropping of Lowest Minor Grade Score

• Lowest Minor Grade Dropped: The lowest minor grade for each nine week grading period will be dropped and not count towards the average for the grading period.

5. Absences & Make-Up Work

• Make-Up Window: Due dates for missed assignments are due date plus days absent. This is counted by school days missed. Weekends and holidays do not count. Students are responsible for checking for assignments missed on Canvas/Google Classroom.

6. Gradebook Timelines & Communication

• Posting Cadence: Minor grades should be posted within 5 school days of the due date. Major grades should be posted within 7 school days of the due date.

• Failing Grades: Parents should be notified by phone if a student will be failing the nine weeks. This conversation will be noted in Review 360.

7. Grade Checks and Remediation

• Grade Check and Remediation Process: Students who have an average below 70 in any class at any grade check will be assigned mandatory remediation sessions during Titan Time. Grade checks take place at least once during the nine week grading period and at the end of each nine week grading period. A student will be released from the remediation sessions once grade averages for all classes are at least 75. Students will get a signed grade sheet from all teachers to verify their average is at least 75. This grade verification must be turned in before a student is released from academic remediation.

8. Academic Dishonesty

Incidents of academic dishonesty include unauthorized use of AI. All incidents of academic dishonesty will follow this process:

Teachers enter all academic dishonesty incidents in 360 as admin-managed. Administration will council with students and assign the consequences below. Please note that this is total incident occurrences and not per subject area:

• 1st time- redo max 70

• 2nd time- redo, max 50 and 1 day ISS

• 3rd time and beyond- zero and 1 day ISS

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AI Usage: Teachers will communicate AI use guidelines for each type of assignment using the Plano ISD Student AI Usage levels for High School

• AI Level 0: No AI use, human only

• AI Level 1: AI used to spark inspiration

• AI Level 2: AI used as a partner

• AI Level 3: AI used as a tool

• AI Tools: Only PISD approved AI resources may be used when teacher approved use of AI is allowed. See AI use levels above.

• No Implied Approval: No mention of approval defaults to AI Level 0 above.

Please complete the request form linked below of you need a VOE for your license.

https://myforms.pisd.edu/Forms/VOE

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.

Use this link to add many to your student's lunch account: https://www.schoolcafe.com/make-payment