Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Plano ISD Dual Credit Virtual Information Meeting

Collin College and Plano ISD is hosting a dual credit informational session for high school and senior high school students. Please join us to learn about the benefits of the dual credit program and how your student can apply to take dual credit courses this summer or next school year.  (Informational flyer English | Spanish)  

What: Plano ISD Dual Credit Virtual Information Meeting
When: December 7th 
Time: 6:30 - 7:30 PM

Click here to register to attend

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Information for Parents of Special Education Students 

Plano ISD would like to share two valuable resources to our parents of students served through special education. First, our Plano ISD Special Education Spotlight Update (English | Spanish) has been provided to ensure you are informed on current activities and events. In addition, there is information on our Parent Navigator. The Parent Navigator can be found on our department’s website and contains a wealth of information for parents. For questions, please reach out to Bethany Rogers or Sarah Robinson.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for family, reflection and gratitude. We want to wish our students and families a happy and restful Thanksgiving break next week and we look forward to seeing you on Monday, November 27. Please enjoy this month’s edition of “Theresa’s Take,” featuring Dr. Williams and our school board officers sharing their messages of gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Watch Theresa's Take on Gratitude

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Dr. Myrtle Hightower Diversity Leadership Award

The Plano ISD Diversity Advisory Committee is accepting nominations for the 2023-24 Diversity Leadership Award. Please review the Diversity Leadership Letter to learn more. Community members are welcome to nominate someone as a candidate for this award. 

The deadline to submit the application is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 30. Nominees and winners will be recognized at the Plano ISD Martin Luther King Celebration on January 18, 2024.

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Long Range Facility Planning Community Input Meetings—First Meeting Next Monday, November 13

Join Us to Learn More!

• Jasper High School
  November 13, 2023
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  6800 Archgate Drive, Room 1100
  Plano, Texas 75024

As part of Plano ISD’s ongoing strategic roadmapping process and as the district begins work on a long range facility plan, Plano ISD families, staff and community members are invited to attend and participate in a community input meeting near you. As enrollment declines, current facilities and programs must be evaluated and the district wants to hear from you as it makes decisions regarding facility usage.

Meetings are conveniently located at six locations throughout the district (see dates and times below).

Visit www.pisd.edu/facilityroadmap for more information, including Frequently Asked Questions. 

Additional Meeting Locations and Times 

(Spanish translators and sign language interpreters available at select meetings, see below.)

• McMillen High School
  December 11, 2023
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  750 N. Murphy Road, Cafeteria
  Murphy, TX 75094
  

• Vines High School
  January 11, 2024
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  1401 Highedge Drive, Cafeteria
  Plano, Texas 75075
  Sign language interpreters provided

• Williams High School
  February 10, 2024
  9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
  1818 18th Street, Cafeteria
  Plano, TX 75093
  Spanish translation provided

• Clark High School
  March 6, 2024
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  523 Spring Creek, Cafeteria
  Plano, Texas 75023
  Sign language interpreters provided

• Shepton High School
  April 9, 2024
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  5505 Plano Parkway, Presentation Room
  Plano, TX 75093
  Spanish translation provided

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Celebrating Head Start Awareness Month!

Did you know October is Head Start Awareness Month? Head Start is a federally funded child development program designed to provide comprehensive services to preschool children from low-income families. The program promotes children's development through services that support early learning, health and family well-being. To qualify for the program, families must meet income guidelines established yearly by the federal government. Children must be three years old on or before September 1 of the school year to enroll in Plano ISD’s Head Start program. 

Subscribe to Plano ISD Head Start’s social media pages (Twitter (X) and Facebook) to see the impact of our local program! #HeadStartAwarenessMonth

Learn more about Head Start in Plano ISD.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Find Your Future 2023: Middle School Career Exploration and Advising Event

The Plano ISD CTE and Counseling teams are excited to launch the first ever Plano ISD Find Your Future event for all middle school students on Wednesday, November 1! Students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade will participate in activities thoughtfully designed to help them make choices that support their future goals and career readiness.

7th and 8th Grade: Find Your Future is focused on helping students investigate potential career pathways and begin making decisions about high school course selections that can contribute to successful future careers. Based on results of career interest inventory activities, all PISD 7th and 8th grade students will experience two live, Zoom career panel discussions directly related to their own career interests and aptitudes. Moderated by PISD staff members and hosted by PISD senior high students, industry professionals will share their career experience and advice in a panel format with the goal of helping students consider future career possibilities and educational paths. After each panel, students will engage in reflective activities to explore Plano ISD course offerings that support future career success and help provide information to guide collaborative discussions with counselors and parents/guardians when designing personalized high school plans.

6th Grade: Plano ISD 6th grade students will participate in an intentional, interactive course planning process where they will learn about courses available in 7th and 8th grade, and then begin to create personalized course plans for the remainder of their middle school experience. Counselors will lead the planning process, and students will then return to classrooms to begin making personalized course selections.

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Long Range Facility Planning Community Input Meetings 

As part of Plano ISD’s ongoing strategic roadmapping process and as the district begins work on a long range facility plan, Plano ISD families, staff and community members are invited to attend and participate in a community input meeting near you. Meetings are conveniently located at six locations throughout the district (see dates and times below).

Background 

In May 2023, the Plano ISD Board of Trustees approved the new Strategic Roadmap that is inclusive of a long range plan. As such, the plan includes a strategy to study current facilities, enrollment and programs. This study will:

• Assess all of our schools,
• Analyze student enrollment at each school,
• Evaluate high-quality programming,
• Consider whether buildings are being used effectively and
• Determine whether resources are fairly distributed to support all students.

The result of the study may lead to restructuring, or “rightsizing,” school sites to better serve students. Rightsizing may involve closing school buildings or adjusting attendance boundaries within the feeder pattern to allow for a more equitable disbursement of district resources. Ultimately, the study of school building capacity will be for the purpose of supporting thriving schools, classrooms, students, teachers and school leaders.

So why are we doing this work?

District enrollment has been steadily declining over the last 12 years. Our peak enrollment was in 2012 at 55,700 students and our current enrollment is 47,800.
Some of the reasons for this decline include:

• The rising costs of homes (the average home in Plano ISD is $584,000);
• Growth in districts to our north (whose average home costs are lower than Plano ISD);
• A decrease in birth rates; which has led to
• Larger graduating classes than incoming kindergarten classes.

Visit www.pisd.edu/facilityroadmap for more information, including Frequently Asked Questions. 

Meeting Locations and Times 

(Spanish translators and sign language interpreters available at select meetings, see below.)

• Jasper High School
  November 13, 2023
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  6800 Archgate Drive, Room 1100
  Plano, Texas 75024
  
  
• McMillen High School
  December 11, 2023
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  750 N. Murphy Road, Cafeteria 
  Murphy, TX 75094
  
  
• Vines High School
  January 11, 2024
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  1401 Highedge Drive, Cafeteria
  Plano, Texas 75075
  Sign language interpreters provided
  
  
• Williams High School
  February 10, 2024
  9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
  1818 18th Street, Cafeteria
  Plano, TX 75093
  Spanish translation provided
  
  
• Clark High School
  March 6, 2024
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  523 Spring Creek, Cafeteria
  Plano, Texas 75023
  Sign language interpreters provided
  
  
• Shepton High School
  April 9, 2024
  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
  5505 Plano Parkway, Presentation Room
  Plano, TX 75093
  Spanish translation provided

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Heritage Museum Lights on the Farm Sponsored by City of Plano

As part of a partnership agreement with the Heritage Farmstead Museum, Plano ISD elementary and early childhood school students will receive a free ticket to the Lights on the Farm event sponsored by the City of Plano. The event runs from November 24 through December 30. Tickets will be sent home by campuses in the weekly go-home folder.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Becoming at a Teacher in PISD

Would you like to be a teacher in Plano ISD? Do you already have your college degree? Would you like to learn more about the process of becoming a Texas teacher?  Join us on Monday, October 30, 2023 in the Administration Building Board Room, 2700 W. 15th Street, from 4:30-5:00 pm for an informational meeting on pursuing teacher certification in Texas. 

For questions, please contact HR Coordinator, Sherri Eppler.

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Plano ISD Academy Programs Virtual Information Webinar

Plano ISD is proud to share general information about our Academy programs that students may choose to attend for the 2024-2025 school year. If you are interested in attending one of our Academy programs and want to learn more about each program and how to apply, attend our virtual information webinar. 

What: Plano ISD Academy Programs Virtual Information Webinar

• Learn about each Academy program and how to apply
• Learn about each Academy open house and/or virtual information night

When: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Time: 6:30-7:30 PM

Where: Virtual webinar registration

You can learn more about Plano ISD Academy programs by visiting our Academies webpage.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Plano ISD Job Fair 

Are you interested in working in Plano ISD? Join a district with competitive salaries, benefits and the opportunity to work in the district where your children go to school. Join us for a job fair on Monday, October 23, 2023 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Sockwell Center, 6301 Chapel Hill Blvd. Plano, TX. Come and speak to various schools and departments about positions as teachers and campus support, special education, PASAR (after school care) and employee childcare, transportation, food and nutritional services, facilities, school marshals, PISD substitutes and more! Those interested can pre-register using this link. Note: pre-registration is not required to attend. 

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Plano ISD Seeks Input for Academic Calendar Planning

Plano ISD is seeking community feedback in preparation for the 2024-2025 academic calendar year. The feedback from this survey will be shared with members of the calendar planning committee as they draft next year’s calendar and look ahead to future years. 

Parameters of calendar development include:

• Required instructional minutes (75,600)
• Other requirements set by the Texas Education Agency
• Balanced semesters
• Exam/testing schedules 
• Federal holidays
• Bad weather/emergency make-up days
• Professional learning days

During the calendar planning process, the planning committee must ensure the district meets all state requirements and will also prioritize and consider the following:

• Teaching and learning for students and staff
• Parent, staff, student and community survey input
• Alignment with neighboring school districts
• Placement and duration of breaks
• Allocating dedicated planning time for teachers outside of the student instructional day to eliminate the need and expense of substitute teachers during that time (this can be achieved by adding minutes to the instructional day, which would also reduce the number of instructional days for students)

The survey will close on October 27. Provide your feedback on the Calendar Planning Survey (English | Spanish).

Dear Plano ISD Families,

Governor Abbott announced a special session of the 88th Texas Legislature which began this afternoon, October 9, at 1:00 p.m. for the purpose of providing private school subsidies, also known as vouchers or education savings accounts. The Governor did not include education funding in the call. I don’t think I can overstate the importance of this 30-day special session. It is critical that you pay close attention to the actions our lawmakers take and how those actions will impact your public schools.

Schools have been hugely impacted by record inflation over the past few years and need more than $14 billion just to return to the buying power we had in June 2019. Just as you have all felt the impact of inflation, we are seeing massive increases in the cost of utilities, fuel, insurance, food and other expenses necessary for operating our school district. Perhaps most importantly, our staff are in the same boat as you and need cost of living adjustments just to keep up with the rising costs of groceries, health care, and gas. Unfortunately, the school finance system does not increase funding when inflation rises, and contrary to common belief, when your property values rise, schools do not receive more money for raises or operating expenses. Instead, the state gets to fund less of the system. 

Because of this, the legislature needs to prioritize all available funding for public school students, classrooms, and staff. The legislature only provided about $2.6 billion in the regular session earlier this year. They set aside $4.5 billion more for public education that can only be spent if a bill is passed to spend it. Half a billion dollars is set aside specifically for private school subsidies, and the Lieutenant Governor has made it clear that the Senate will not provide the remaining $4 billion to schools unless the House passes private school subsidies. Our students and staff deserve better. 

With significant increases in revenue expected over the next two years, the legislature has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fully fund public education and stabilize our schools by tying funding to inflation. This will allow schools to keep up with rising costs while continuing to raise the bar for student achievement, attract and retain high-quality educators, provide safe and supportive learning environments and further bolster the economic engine of this state. 

We will be watching closely as the legislature considers these important topics, and we want you to follow along as well. We will be posting on district social media about these topics over the next few weeks, and I’ll keep you updated as the session progresses. I encourage you to educate yourselves on these issues and stay engaged. Be prepared to contact your lawmakers to talk about what your public schools mean to you and how important it is to support our teachers and staff. You can find out who represents you in the state capitol by going to Who Represents Me? (texas.gov) and typing in your address. 

Thank you for entrusting us with your students and giving us the opportunity to partner with you in educating the future of our great state. Let’s make sure our representatives in Austin know how important our schools are to our community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Theresa Williams
Superintendent

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Substance Use Prevention and Awareness Presentation

Join the PISD School Social Work Team for virtual informational sessions titled Substance Use & Fentanyl: What Should Parents Know? 

The ZOOM sessions are:

• English Zoom: Thursday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m.
• Spanish Zoom: Thursday, October 19 at 6:00 p.m.

For additional information, link to the PISD Monthly Mental Health Support Sessions.

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Special Education Expo

Just a reminder that the Special Education Department is hosting the 2023 Special Education Hero Expo for Plano ISD parents/guardians on October 4, 2023, at Clark High School beginning at 6:00 p.m. 

Visit the website to learn more. Also, see flyers with additional info: English | Spanish

The event provides an opportunity to hear speakers on relevant special education topics and learn more about community resources. If you have questions about this event, please contact SPED Parent Conference. 

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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Special Education Hero Expo 2023 October 4

The Special Education Department is excited to announce that the 2023 Special Education Hero Expo for Plano ISD parents/guardians will take place on October 4 at Clark High School. The event provides an opportunity to hear from speakers on relevant special education topics and learn more about community resources. 

Date: October 4, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Location:
Clark High School
523 Spring Creek Pkwy
Plano, TX 75023

For more information, please visit Special Education Hero Expo webpage or please contact SPED Parent Conference.

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Reminder: PSAT Testing on October 4 for all 9, 10 and Registered 11 Graders

All 9 and 10 grade students will take the PSAT on October 4 at their high school campus. Juniors who registered for the exam will also take the PSAT/NMSQT at their senior high campuses.

For more information, view PSAT flyers: English | Spanish

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

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PSAT Testing on October 4, 2023 for 9, 10, and 11 grade students

The PSAT is coming this October 4th! 

All 9th and 10th grade students will take the PSAT on October 4th at their high school campus. Juniors who registered for the exam will also take the PSAT/NMSQT at their senior high campuses. This is an important test for our students because it is a pre-test for the SAT that all students will take in their junior year. By taking the PSAT in 9th and 10th grade, students can: 

• see their progress towards meeting college readiness; 
• set targets for the scores they want to earn on the SAT; and 
• get personalized recommendations for AP courses that are a good fit for them.

*Remember to bring your fully-charged Plano ISD Chromebook, charging cord, and a pencil on October 4. 

Since practice makes progress, we encourage students to practice before October 4 by establishing an Official SAT Practice account in Khan Academy.

Official SAT Practice by Khan Academy provides students with:

• personalized practice plans;
• 8 full-length practice tests and content created in partnership with College Board (who provides the PSAT and SAT);
• thousands of practice questions, videos, lessons, hints, and test-taking tips; and
• instant feedback on progress.

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Beaty and Isaacs Early Childhood Schools Partner with PEEP and Children’s Health – SafeKids of Greater Dallas to Offer Weekly Sessions

The Plano ISD Parent Education & Engagement Program (PEEP) cordially invites parents and grandparents to attend a series of in-person classes being offered in partnership with Children's Health and SafeKids of Greater Dallas. This informative series will be offered every Tuesday, starting September 26, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., at Beaty ECS, as well as every Thursday, starting September 28, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., at Isaacs ECS. 

For more information about upcoming sessions and other PEEP opportunities, please visit the PEEP website, or call the PEEP office at 469-752-2232. 

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

September 20, 2023

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Mental Health Community Education Series 

The Counseling Services Department, in partnership with The Chicago School of Psychology, is presenting a six week series on supporting students dealing with various mental health issues. Join us beginning this Wednesday, September 20 in the PISD Board Room from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. 

For more information, view the flyer for Mental Health Six Week Series (English) or Serie de seis semanas de Educación sobre Salud Mental (español).  

This series is open to parents, staff, and the community. 

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Suicide Awareness Virtual Presentation

Join the School Social Work Team for this evening parent session entitled Talk Saves Lives on Thursday, September 21, at 6:00 p.m. This session can be accessed virtually through these links: English or Spanish. 

For more information, view the flyer for Talk Saves Lives-Foundation for Suicide Prevention (English) or  Hablar salva vidas-Fundación de Prevención al Suicidio (español).

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Plano ISD Board Approves Resolution to Join Accountability System Lawsuit Against the Texas Education Agency

On September 19, the Plano ISD Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to join dozens of other North Texas school districts and many others across the state in a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency.

The litigation is in response to the lack of communication regarding the projected significant changes to the state’s A-F accountability rating system. School districts continue to wait on the finalized rules for the new standards that will impact every district and campus in the state.

Texas schools are rated with an A through F letter grade each year by the TEA. The system uses performance measures, methods and procedures based on student performance on the STAAR test, graduation rates, and College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) metrics. Those measures and methods are yet to be finalized, which is problematic and may significantly change this year’s rating despite seeing growth in student results. 

Plano ISD supports increased student performance standards and accountability; however, Texas school districts are legally required to receive adequate notice of how the standards will be applied. On March 6, 2023, Plano ISD urged TEA to re-evaluate the accountability system refresh in a joint letter co-signed by 250 Texas school districts and education organizations. The district continued to raise concerns to TEA, but with no formal grievance process to follow with the state agency, the only other option was to enter into litigation. (read more)

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Plano ISD Parent Education & Engagement Program Offers Weekly Lunch & Learn or Rise & Shine Virtual Workshops

The Plano ISD Parent Education & Engagement Program (PEEP) invites parents and grandparents to attend one of two weekly, virtual parent education workshops. Each week, members of the PEEP Team will hold workshops designed to present and share ideas on a variety of parenting and schooling topics.

• The Lunch & Learn series happens every Monday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.   
• The Rise & Shine series occurs every Wednesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

For the month of September, workshop topics will focus on establishing routines as well as on the importance of regular school attendance. 

For additional information on the Lunch & Learn or Rise & Shine virtual workshops, as well as other services provided by the Parent Education and Engagement Team, please visit the PEEP website, or call the PEEP office at 469-752-2232.  

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Reminder: 2023 Plano ISD College and Career Night  

Make plans to join us for the College and Career Night, featuring nearly 200 representatives in attendance! Learn more about scholarships, financial aid applications and more!

•  Monday, September 18, 2023
•  6-8 PM

Plano Event Center
2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, TX

Overflow parking will be available at the Collin College Plano campus lot across from the Plano Event Center.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

September 13, 2023

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Meal Benefits Eligibility Deadline September 20 

Students who qualified for free or reduced-price meals at the end of last school year are eligible to participate at their current eligibility status for the first 30 operating days of the 2023-2024 school year or until a new eligibility determination is made, whichever comes first. 

In order for meal benefits to continue, a federal meal application for the 2023-2024 school year must be completed. Students with no application on file after 30 calendar days will return to full-paid eligibility status effective September 21, 2023.

Households that have submitted a federal meal application for free or reduced-priced meals for the 2023-2024 school year do not need to reapply.

Households who wish to apply for free or reduced-priced meals will need to complete an online federal meal application for the current school year. 

Applications will be processed within 10 business days. Eligibility notification letters will be sent via email. If you have not received the letter in your inbox, please check your junk and spam folders.

Please contact meal programs with any questions.

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Plano Balloon Festival 2023

As part of a partnership agreement with the Plano Balloon Festival and the City of Plano, Plano ISD elementary and early childhood school students and staff will receive a free ticket to the Go-and-Glow Plano ISD Night at the H-E-B|Central Market Plano Balloon Festival. Tickets will be distributed by campuses this week in advance of next weekend’s event. Plano ISD Night is Friday, September 22, 2023, from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m.

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City of Plano Thriving Communities Resource Fair

The Plano Police Department invites the community to the 2023 Thriving Communities Resource Fair. This free family event will be held on September 26 from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at the Plano Event Center (2000 E Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX 75074). Community resources such as housing information, counseling services, boxes of food, COVID vaccines, professional headshots, employment opportunities, etc. will be available while supplies last. Dinner will be provided by the Credit Union of Texas food truck. 

For more information, please visit the Thriving Communities Resource Fair event registration website or call 972-941-2680.

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Getting R.E.A.L about School Attendance

September is School Attendance Awareness Month. This R.E.A.L. framework helps school communities understand the importance of showing up to school everyday on time.

Showing up matters for R.E.A.L because it is an opportunity to:     

• Build Routines 
• Increase Engagement 
• Provide Access to resources 
• Support Learning

Routines: Establishing a routine of daily attendance helps reduce stress at home and supports a habit of attendance that will help your teenager get and keep a job.   

Engagement: Being in school helps students to get to know each other and school staff and builds relationships that can motivate participation in learning. 

Access to Resources: Schools provide access to valuable resources such as meals, physical/mental health supports and fun enrichment activities such as sports, clubs, music, and other afterschool and summer programs.

Learning: Students who attend school regularly do better academically in middle school and are more likely to graduate from high school.

For more information about attendance-promoting tips and strategies for families, please email Sharon Bradley, Director of Family and Social Services.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

September 8, 2023

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Plano ISD Tip Line

Plano ISD maintains an anonymous tip line to allow parents, students and community members to report concerns affecting our campuses. This includes:

• Threats;
• Bullying;
• Drug use;
• Suspected abuse or neglect;
• And other concerns that may affect the physical safety or health of our students.

 Read more.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

September 6, 2023

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Bottled Water Exception Extended for Athletic Events

In the interest of safety for students, staff and spectators at Plano ISD athletic events until temperatures return to more manageable ranges, one bottle of water per person will be allowed into stadiums for all games through September 9. 

Acceptable Containers 

• Clear, plastic disposable/recyclable water bottles.
  

• Water is also available for purchase at stadium concession stands.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

September 01, 2023

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Community Flyers Are Available Online

Community flyers are available on the Plano ISD website as a resource for Plano ISD families and staff. Visit the Materials Distribution Portal to learn about activities, events or other programs available within the Plano ISD community. These offerings do not fall under the jurisdiction of Plano ISD. Links are provided for your convenience and are not an endorsement by the district.

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Plano ISD Family Attendance Awareness Month Resources

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Plano ISD welcomes your partnership as we encourage all students to attend school every day on time. Good attendance habits have been strongly correlated with positive academic outcomes. Please utilize this resource for family attendance-promoting tips and strategies. For more information about Attendance Awareness Month, please contact Sharon Bradley, Director of Family and Social Services.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

August 24, 2023

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Athletic Event Heat Advisory Update: Water Bottle Clarification

In the interest of safety for students, staff and spectators at Plano ISD athletic events until temperatures return to more manageable ranges, one bottle of water per person will be allowed into stadiums for all games through September 1. Acceptable containers are clear, plastic disposable/recyclable water bottles. Other types of bottles will not be permitted. Water is also available for purchase at stadium concession stands.

Today’s Update for Plano ISD Families

August 22, 2023

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Starting the Vaping Conversation Early

Having healthy conversations with your children about substance abuse is a great preventative measure and another opportunity to talk to your student and practice healthy, open communication. Many think of substance abuse as solely involving drugs and alcohol; however, vaping has become more prevalent, especially among pre-teens and adolescents. 

Families are encouraged to start discussions regarding vaping at an early age. 

1. Look for opportunities to discuss vaping with your child in a calm and reasonable way. There are many ways to start this conversation: news stories, letters from the school about vaping policies, ads, seeing someone vaping on TV or by simply driving past a vape shop. 
2. Be ready to listen rather than give a lecture and be sure to focus on health and safety.
3. Try using open-ended questions to get the conversation going such as, “What do you think about vaping?” In these conversations, get kids’ perspectives and help them weigh the risks against the perceived benefits. 
4. When answering questions, offer honest, accurate, science-based information rather than trying to scare them. Try to have these conversations frequently, calmly and, if you can, before they experiment with vaping.

Linked below are prevention tips from Partnership to End Addiction and scenarios and scripts for children ages 2-18:

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Early Elementary (5-8)
• Preteens (9-12)
• Teenagers (13-18)

If you have further questions regarding your student, please do not hesitate to reach out to your campus counselor.