Prosper High School Newsletter

Eagle Nation,

We had an incredible week at PHS! It was great to see the kids back in person and online. We are in the home stretch towards the end of the year and it is going to be an exciting 4th nine weeks. Information on all of our events will be forthcoming so stay tuned to your emails. We will also include as much of this information as possible in the Newsletter.

What an incredible turnout we had for the PISD Hope Walk on Saturday! It was great to see our community rally together to focus on the mental health and well-being of all of our kids. Thank you to Mrs. Brantley (Event Coordinator for PISD) for all of her hard work to organize this event! I also want to give special thanks to Dr. Ferguson for her continued support of all of our kids. As we celebrate Women's History Month, we recognize the women in our past who have made significant and profound contributions. In addition, we are able to witness the incredible leadership of Dr. Ferguson as she leads us to new greatness in PISD. We are living through a unique time in history, and I would not want anyone else other than Dr. Ferguson leading our district. It is an honor and a privilege to get to serve under Dr. Ferguson's leadership and mentorship!

Congratulations are in order to our PHS Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Paige Trujillo (Art), and to our PHS Paraprofessional of the Year, Mrs. Paola Fields (Nurse Assistant)! We are truly blessed with having both of them as part of the Eagle Nation!

Connect & Grow

Last fall, the idea of a Welcoming Committee for new students was taking shape during administrative meetings and we knew that this would be such a wonderful addition to PHS. At the same time of these discussions, I was invited to do a podcast by Lily Oxley, PHS 9th grader. During the podcast, one of the topics that Lily asked me about was the possibility of starting a Welcoming Committee for new students at PHS. What a coincidence! I asked Lily if she would join the PHS Welcoming Committee and she willingly accepted. Lily's podcast is the inspiration that put the development of the PHS Welcoming Committee on the fast track. So we began to plan.

When we returned to school in January, and to the surprise of no one in PISD, we had over 60 new students enroll at PHS. Having 60 new students (now we have over 70 new students who have enrolled since January), really propelled us to get the Welcoming Committee up and running. Ms. Winnubst (PHS Secretary), Mrs. Martin (PHS Assistant Principal), and Mrs. Viars (PHS Assistant Principal/Testing Coordinator) spearheaded the creation of the PHS Welcoming Committee. Ms. Winnubst contacts the parents of our new students for a “check-in” to find out not only how the students are doing, but also how the parents are doing. This connection is invaluable for us because we get critical feedback on how we are doing with making PHS feel like home for our new families. Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Viars recruit students to be Welcome Committee Student Ambassadors (list below), they set up school tours for families, they connect Student Ambassadors with our new students for first day welcoming and “get to know you” walks, and they organize events for our new students.

Our Welcoming Committee had our first new student breakfast this week and it was an incredible experience to see how our Student Ambassadors on the Welcoming Committee connected with our new students. Friendships developed that day and I even heard one group shout “Family photo” when we came around to take a picture of the group activity they were doing! Not only does the Welcoming Committee provide opportunities for connections among our students, but it also provides an opportunity for our students to grow their leadership and relationship-building skills.

We are very excited for what the Welcoming Committee is doing for our new families and for the climate and culture of PHS. We are going to add a parent component to the Welcoming Committee that will expand what Ms. Winnubst does when she contacts the parents of our new students. We want parents from each of our neighborhoods to join the Welcoming Committee so that we can connect with new families who move into our neighborhood. Just like we want PHS to feel like home to our new families, we want our neighborhoods to feel like home to them as well. Having this component in our neighborhoods and community will add another layer in connecting all of our families together. We are excited for the connections and growth of the family atmosphere that this will produce and we will be sending more information in the near future. Please consider being a part of this incredible opportunity.

Finally, I want to go back to the beginning and give a very special Thank You to Lily Oxley for her idea on creating a PHS Welcoming Committee. There is so much good that has already happened, and there will be much more that will happen because of Lily's vision. You can see the list of Student Ambassadors below and I thank them as well for all that they are doing to connect and grow! We are abundantly blessed with students like our Student Ambassadors and our staff who are creating opportunities to connect with our families and to grow the Eagle Nation.

PHS Student Ambassadors

Julina Christian

Zach Cusimano

Martez Harris

Addison Koegle

Victoria Montgomery

Lily Oxley

Emma Reed

Emily Reish

Ronnie Sue Starnes

Aubree Sumerell

Email: jmburdett@prosper-isd.net

Office: 469.219.2185

Cell: 469.573.1488

I am currently reading The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon.

STAAR testing is fast approaching and all students are expected to take STAAR tests on campus to meet graduation requirements and MUST use a district-issued Chromebook for all tests.

NO PERSONAL DEVICES are allowed for use on STAAR tests.

Please note the following if your child needs a district-issued Chromebook:

Chromebooks must be requested via the calendar link below and must be picked up at Prosper ISD's Central Administration Office (605 E. 7th St, Prosper, TX 75078)

Please select a time here: https://calendly.com/technologyhomehelp/15min

STAAR End-of-Course, high school exams are required for graduation.

STAAR Dates:

• April 6th - English I - All 9th graders
• April 8th - English II - All 10th graders
• April 9th - Makeup Day for English I and II
• May 4th - Algebra 1 - 9th grade students currently enrolled in the course
• May 5th - Biology - 9th graders & US History (including dual credit students) - 11th graders
• May 6th - Makeup day for Algebra I, Biology, and US History

*Students who do not test in Spring will have an opportunity to test on June 22nd at Rock Hill High School and then again in December 2021.

Counselors met with juniors virtually this week through their English classes. We covered the topics of graduation requirements, the college admissions process and SAT/ACT testing. HERE is the link to the presentation if you would like to review it. College applications will open for current juniors on July 1. The BEST thing your junior can do right now is to visit colleges, in person if possible, or virtually if that is the only option available. We encouraged the juniors to register and take the SAT/ACT this spring if they have not already done so. More information can be found in the presentation.

If your junior would like more information about the college application process, scholarships or career searches, please encourage them to make an appointment with our college counselor, Mrs. Alicia Schulze. Her office is located in the Upper House.

Students who will be Juniors and Seniors for Fall 2021 interested in signing up for dual credit courses for Fall 2021 please visit our new dual credit blog to review detailed information about enrollment with Collin College.

Here are your key dates for Dual Credit this year:

• (Deadline has passed) March 4th: Dual Credit Permission forms due to Counselor’s office-This is a hard deadline. If you miss it, you are not going to take dual credit next year.
• March 23rd: TSI testing at your high school campus, during the school day
• April 20th: Online registration opens for Collin College through CougarWeb
• May 14th: Last day to register for dual credit classes for PISD students
• May 21st: Last day of school for PISD
• July 21st: Last day to pay for classes at Collin College. Failure to complete payment or set up a payment plan will result in you being dropped from registered classes and not reinstated.

Questions? Please contact your counselor.

ADVi is a chatbot who can answer your questions about attending public colleges and universities in Texas. ADVi, short for “adviser”, is free for Prosper HS students and can answer your questions 24/7/365. To start a chat with ADVi, just text "college" to 512-829-3687.

You can ask ADVi anything – no question is too silly or too hard! You can ask questions like: What is ApplyTexas? How long does the FAFSA take? What is the TASFA? Where can I look for scholarships?

ADVi was created by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and is made possible through a partnership with AdmitHub. Learn more at www.askADVi.org.

This list contains the test-optional colleges that changed their admission policies due to COVID-19.

Need to make an appointment with your counselor- virtual or in-person? Order a Transcript? Attendance check-in/out information, and Community Resources

Check out the Virtual Counseling Office.

They will assist you with all of your college questions, applications, ACT/SAT registration, and FAFSA. The GO Centers will be open Monday - Friday: 8am – 8pm

How to access the Chat: Please click here. Then click on the chat feature.

Check out the March Career Spotlight- Health Science

For more information contact: Alicia M. Schulze (aschulze@prosper-isd.net)- College and Career Counselor - Collin College for Prosper and Rock Hill High Schools

Reference the Prosper High School's website throughout the year for senior updates.

Over 14 years ago, a group of Prosper High School parent volunteers created a non-profit, PHS – Project Graduation. The goal was to follow the national charter, which promotes drug and alcohol alternatives for students on the night of their high school graduation. The event was typically at a venue in Frisco, started at 11 pm on the night of graduation, and concluded at 5 am the following morning. Tickets were sold for the event to cover both the cost of the venue and to purchase prizes for the seniors. Ticket prices have varied over the years from $50 to $150, depending on the class size and the price of the venue. More Information

Prosper High School PTO is a volunteer organization made up of parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff who are all dedicated to the successful education of our children. Click here to go to our website and become a member. We hope if you have some time that you will volunteer with us. Please let us know your interests and availability and we will find a spot for you.

The next PTO meetings will be held virtually on February 4th at 10am, and April 1st at 10am.

More PTO information can be found here

Spiritwear- Check out the new Spiritwear available for purchase on the PHS PTO website.

Check out EagleNationOnline.com every day for news about students by students.

March Newsletter- Spanish Verison

Parents Spanish Newsletter

Our Hope Squads will sell "Be Kind" yellow T-Shirts as a symbol to simply be kind to one another, which is why you often see "yellow" shirts scattered throughout our district on Wednesdays each week. This stems from supporting our cause of suicide awareness and prevention.

To purchase a shirt, log in to My School Bucks, Go To School Store, Look for Hope Squad T-shirt, Select T-Shirt option (See options below) Student Name. Homeroom = 1st Period Classroom

Orders will be placed at the end of each month with delivery to campuses the following month. 1st Period teachers will hand them to students when they arrive.

PISD will continue to light up the new Children's Health Stadium every Wednesday evening as a simple reminder for our community to show kindness and compassion to one another. If you find yourself driving around Prosper on Wednesday evenings, drive by the stadium to enjoy PISD's symbol for kindness.

April 2- School Holiday

April 5- School Holiday

May 3- Student Holiday / Staff Professional Learning

Saturday, May 22, 2021- Class of 2021 Graduation - 7:30 pm at Children's Health Stadium

Tuesday, May 25, 2021- (Graduation Rain Makeup date) - 7:30 pm at Children's Health Stadium.

A huge THANK YOU to our families who have taken the precaution of keeping students home who are displaying symptoms of sickness. This is helping to prevent the spread of illness whether it is COVID-19, a cold, or other yuckiness! Parents should review the COVID-19 Screening Questions on the District website each day before sending their child to any in-person Prosper ISD activity. If your child tests positive, has been exposed to a COVID positive individual, or has one or more of the symptoms on the screening questionnaire, use the link at the bottom of the questionnaire to notify the school nurse and do NOT send your child to school until receiving clearance to return from the school nurse. Please do your part and keep your student home if he/she is displaying symptoms of sickness.

*If your child has a chronic condition that presents as one of the symptoms on the screening questionnaire, it is recommended that you contact the school nurse and your child's teacher about the chronic symptom so that both of these key school personnel are aware.

Please give us a two hour notice for checking out your student. This will give us enough time for us to get your student ready for you when you arrive. Please email at least two hours in advance to phsattendance@prosper-isd.net. This email is accessed by our House Secretaries to identify who needs to check out from school. Please call when you arrive at the front of the school, but do not try to enter the building. We are closed to visitors unless you have an appointment. Once a member of the Administrative team or a member of our Prosper ISD Police Department verifies the identity of the parent/guardian, your student will come out to your vehicle. When your student returns, he/she will go to their House office to submit their absence note.

We have received further clarification from the Texas Education Agency on attendance procedures. Beginning Tuesday, October 13th (the start of the 2nd nine weeks), a student will be counted present or absent based on their chosen Method of Instruction (MoI): in-person or virtual.

• Students who are in-person learners will be counted present only if they are physically in the class when the teacher takes attendance. Otherwise, they will be counted as being absent. Students who are not physically in class can still log in to the Google Classrooms and online class meetings for learning purposes, but they will be counted absent.

• Students who are forced to quarantine by the school nurse due to COVID-19 protocols will automatically be switched to being a virtual learner during the mandatory quarantine period. For students who are forced to quarantine, but have an in-person only class(es), the student will have an excused absence with the code “E-PN”. Students under quarantine are responsible for all missed work and encouraged to communicate with their teachers. We will switch the student back to in-person learning at the end of quarantine.

• Students who are virtual learners will be counted present when they log in to the Google Classroom/Meet by the time the teacher takes attendance and they are to remain active for the class. Teachers will determine if the virtual student can turn off their microphone and/or their camera based on the needs of the lesson. Students who do not comply with the teacher’s directive for microphone/camera operation may be counted absent due to inactivity during the class. Virtual students who are enrolled in an in-person only class will continue to attend these classes in-person, as they have been.

Tip411 is a new tool to enhance student safety. It is an internet-based communication system that gives students or any concerned citizen a means to quickly and anonymously report threats, potential self-harm, concerns, suspicious or criminal behavior at school or beyond school hours regarding PISD schools, students and/or staff.

When you submit a tip, it is sent to a 3rd party tip service acting as a privacy buffer between you and the Prosper ISD Police Department to preserve your identity and contact information. If you have a tip for the Prosper ISD Police Department please use any of the options on this page to provide important information on crimes or criminals that will help us to keep Prosper ISD safe for everyone.

Tip submissions may not be received until the following day. In case of emergency dial 911.

Email: phsinfo@prosper-isd.net
Website: https://www.prosper-isd.net/phs
Location: 301 Eagle Drive, Prosper, TX, USA
Phone: (469) 219-2180
Twitter: @ProsperHS