• Upcoming Events & Holidays
• Election 2022 Information
• Open Enrollment Now Available
• HR reps to Visit Campuses with Front Porch Initiative
• Campus Safety Protocols
• Pfuture Ready: Learn.Play.Plan.
• PfISD Professional Learning Needs Assessment SY 22-23
  
• Staff Shout Outs
• CTE Corner
• Fine Arts Update
• Athletics Update

October

* National Principals Month

* National Bullying Prevention Month

Oct. 6 - Board of Trustees Workshop Meeting

Oct. 10-14 - National School Lunch Week

Oct. 11 - Deadline to Register to Vote

Oct. 14 - Student Holiday/Conferences

Oct. 19 - Pfuture Ready CTE Family Event

Oct. 20 - Board of Trustees Regular Meeting

Wondering what your child's campus will receive from the proposed Bond Package? Visit the Bond webpage for a breakdown of Bond projects by campus.

Don't Forget! Register to Vote!

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 11. All PfISD campuses have self-addressed, stamped voter registration cards in the front offices for anyone who needs to be registered. Additionally, you can visit https://www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/ to learn more about Voter Registration.

For more information about the 3 Elections held by PfISD in November (ACE, VATRE, and Bond), please visit www.pfisd.net/election2022.

State law prevents school districts from using public funds or resources to advocate for or against school district elections. District resources include an employee’s paid time, a Board member’s time in their official capacity, as well as district facilities, equipment, and supplies.

Please view the document below for a few helpful tips on what you can and can’t say, and can and can’t do, during a PfISD election.

The Open Enrollment site is now open through October 31, 2022. After October 31 the site will close and you will NO LONGER be able to enroll for 2023 benefits.

Open enrollment is your opportunity to add, drop or make changes to your benefits. Changes will be effective January 1, 2023. Visit www.pfisdbenefits.com for more information on the benefit offerings. You can enroll online or by calling 877-282-0808 and a representative will enroll for you. The PfISD Benefits Department is available to answer questions during enrollment by the following methods:

• Phone 512-594-0026
• Email benefits@pfisd.net
• At your campus during the HR Front Porch initiative in October

HOW TO ENROLL

Employees will self-enroll online or by phone (877-282-0808).

If you are waiving medical coverage, you are still required to log on and decline coverage

To enroll, simply follow these steps:

• Follow this link: ENROLL IN BENEFITS 2023 To review PfISD’s benefits, click on www.pfisdbenefits.com.
• Under Employee ID or SSN, enter your employee ID with three zeros before the number – example 000801001 or Social Security Number with no dashes. Do not use an e in front of your ID number.
• Under Personal ID Number (PIN), enter the last 4 digits of you Social Security Number and the last 2 digits of your birth year.
• Follow the steps displayed on the site and click “Next” to move on to the next section.
• Once you have completed all your elections on your benefits, you will be taken to a “Review/Sign Forms” screen. Click “Sign Form” after you have reviewed all of the forms to confirm all of your elections.
  
  

Please review your options and costs carefully. You can go back in to the enrollment system as many times as you like to view or make changes until the end of the enrollment period. Once the enrollment period has ended, your choices will be final until the next enrollment period (with the exception of a qualifying life event). Contact the Benefits Department if you have questions.

* Please note that some sessions have changed since last week.

Our Human Resources Team is very excited to have the opportunity to visit with staff members in October through our Front Porch Initiative. Please mark your calendar with the date HR will visit your campus! HR representatives will be available to answer your general HR and Benefits questions.

Please see the attached list of dates and times and sign up for a time to get your Flu shot.

Reminders from H-E-B:

• Please double check the reminder email you receive the day prior to our event for your exact arrival time for your appointment.
  • (Some appointments may vary by a few minutes to aid in social distancing).
• Please bring your insurance card and photo ID ( they will accept cash or check at time of service if you do not have insurance , the cost will be $48
• Remember to wear a short sleeve shirt

• Please come at your allotted time to help with social distancing
• Please wear a mask or face covering for your entire visit.
• We will conduct a touchless-thermometer temperature check prior to vaccine administration
  • You must have a temp of 100.4 or less at the time of service

Pflugerville ISD utilizes the Standard Response Protocols created by the I Love You Guys Foundation. The SRP is action-based, flexible, and easy to learn. It rationally organizes tactics for response to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders and other threats to personal safety.

The benefits of SRP become quickly apparent. By standardizing the vocabulary, all stakeholders can understand the response and status of the event.

For students, this provides continuity of expectations and actions throughout their educational career. For teachers, this becomes a simpler process to train and drill. For communities, it leverages the growing adoption of the protocols from residents of all ages. For first responders, the common vocabulary and protocols establish a greater predictability that persists through the duration of an incident.

Over the next few weeks we will share the 5 Standard Response Protocols utilized by PfISD.

HOLD

A HOLD is followed by the Directive: "In Your Room or Area" and is the protocol used when hallways need to kept clear of occupants.

Join us at Hendrickson High School on Wednesday, Oct.19 from 6-8pm to learn more about all CTE Programs of Study offered in PfISD! This is a FREE event for all ages; we encourage families to come engage in hands-on activities for kids, explore our offerings, hear from experts in postsecondary education, workforce, and career and training programs, and even talk to local training providers and employers! There will be FREE takeaways and lots of fun! The majority of the activities will be led by our amazing high school CTE students across the district. Want to attend? Help us get a headcount and fill out this RSVP form so we can make sure we have enough supplies to go around! See you there!

Click here to access the Survey Monkey Professional Learning Needs Assessment

The purpose of this survey is to increase the responsiveness of the PfISD Professional Learning by assessing current professional learning needs of Pflugerville ISD.

This needs assessment will take approximately 7 - 10 minutes to complete. This survey is anonymous and completely voluntary; your name will not be recorded or linked with your responses.

This survey will contain several sections; one section will target feedback on Summer professional learning; one section will target feedback on professional learning that takes place during the School Year.

The findings from this assessment will be used to inform and enhance district professional learning to meet your interests and needs.

Should you have any questions, please contact Bridgit.Shorter@pfisd.net, Professional Learning Coordinator, Curriculum & Innovation

We love our PfISD staff members and we know our parents do too! We want to provide an opportunity for our parents to publicly recognize and thank our staff members who serve our students, staff and the community. We have created a Google Form to provide information directly to us to share with our staff as a whole and let you see the difference you are making in a student's life every single day. Please click here for the Google Form.

These Shout Outs will be included in upcoming issues of the Parent and Staff Newsletters. If Shout Out directly reference a student, we will not include the parent name so to protect the child's anonymity. If you are recognized in an anonymous Shout Out and want to learn the parent's name, please contact Tamra Spence at tamra.spence@pfisd.net.

THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING PFISD STAFF MEMBERS FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO FO OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY!

Claire Harvey and Kinzie Vaughn of Murchison ES (via Anonymous): These two coaches put on the first ever Moves with your Mustang for our school and it was a huge success. It was the first morning my kids were excited to get up and get to school and we had so much fun! The bonus was seeing what "Bring Sally Up" was all about! Thank you Coach Harvey and Coach Vaughn for all the fun and positivity you are bringing to MES!

Stephanie Holtz of Westview MS (via Ulanda J.): Thanks for always being so willing to help my daughter. Always willing to hear all my concerns. Always taking action to help me solve the concerns I have in a timely manner. You are greatly appreciated. Again, I say thank you.

Nickie Herring of Riojas ES (via Katy D.): Mrs. Herring has already taught my son so much this school year. It is her first year in PFISD (but she has taught for 10+ years in another district), and we are so lucky to have snagged her up in our district! We love our whole Patriot Pfamily!

Laurie Hart of Windermere ES (via Mona H.): Words cannot even describe what an amazing PK3 she is! My grandson is in her class this year, and my granddaughter was in her class last year. The improvement we saw in our granddaughter is amazing!! Thank you Ms Hart for all the hard work you put into our kids!

Cierra Shannon of Windermere ES (via Mona H.): She is the best PK teacher any parents could ask for, especially for early learners. The effort she puts into her classroom is unbelievable, to make learning fun for our granddaughter Layla who had separation anxiety and refused to go to school at first, and now she gets upset on weekends when there is no school! Her hard work is very much noticed! Thank you Ms. Shannon!

Nurse Cat of Mott ES (via Mindi A.): Nurse Cat is amazing and I feel so lucky that she is at Mott. She is so caring and compassionate and goes out of her way to help in anyway that she can. She is the best!

Mr. Parsley of Windermere ES (via Angela): Mr. Parsley is incredibly patient and kind and has been a welcome addition to our school. We appreciate all his hard work in helping our students grow and learn.

Ms. Waugh of Windermere ES (via Angela): Ms Waugh is one of the kindest people I've met. Her joy is contagious and she always goes above and beyond to make sure learning is fun for her students.

Barron ES Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers (via Josefina I.): Thank you to all who make up the well-oiled-machine known to us as the car-rider pick-up line!! You are unbelievably quick and incredibly efficient all while keeping our kiddos safe and always sharing a warm wave or smile. You are very much appreciated... thank you!

Coach Charles Taylor of Pflugerville HS (via Anonymous): Coach Taylor and his staff are not only coaching the football players to be great athletes but to be respectful and productive humans. He encourages the boys to work hard, overcome adversity, and to persevere. All of these are life lessons that will allow the boys to succeed when they move on to their next chapter. We see the big picture and appreciate everything you do for the boys! Go Panthers! 💛💙

Anna Miller of Mott ES (via Anonymous): Anna Miller is a great addition to the Mott staff . She is very responsive to our emails and she even sends updates on how our child is doing in his sessions with her. As a parent , I really appreciate all of her efforts.

Joanna Torres of Mott ES (via Ferdrica L.): Mrs. Torres is very nice, caring , and patient. Our son loves coming to school. He is excited to know what he is going to learn about next. We appreciate all she does and we look forward to a great year with her.

Zack Kleypas of Pflugerville HS (via N.D.): I have been bugging Mr. Kleypas for a year about the traffic issues at PHS and he has been actively working with Admin on a plan to correct it. He always responds quickly to emails and giving honest answers. I appreciate all that he is doing for PHS and recognizing all sports at the school and not just the more "popular" ones. He is truly an asset to that school and I am grateful my daughter was able to have him as a Principal at Park Crest and now at PHS.

Pam Shellenberger of Mott ES (via Darla B.): Ms. Shellenberger is such a fantastic librarian. My daughter is in kinder and got to experience her first trips to the library over the last couple of weeks. She comes home every day excited to show me the new book she checked out, and she loves reading her new book every night at bed. Going to the library is one of the highlights of her week, and I know a huge part of that is thanks to Ms. Shellenberger's dedication to creating a beautiful, welcoming space for readers of all ages and abilities. She's creating readers for life in her library, and I couldn't be more grateful for all the hard work she puts in every day!

Julie Eastman of Brookhollow ES (Jamye J.): We are SO happy we have Ms. Eastman for our son's kinder year! She is amazing at communication and sharing everything we need to know. She is incredibly kind and encouraging. My son was scared to go to school and he loves school so much that weekends are a bit disappointing! We are forever grateful to Ms.Eastman for making my son's kinder year a joyful and memorable one!

Mrs. Cuchapin of Windermere ES (via Sarah L.): Wow! What a teacher! She is great at communicating with parents and students, makes her classroom fun, and is great with her students. We are so lucky our child is her class this year.

Ms. Waugh of Windermere ES (via Sarah L.): She is an amazing teacher. She makes each child feel so special. She was made for teaching. She truly has a gift for connecting with her students. Windermere really hit the jackpot with Ms. Waugh.

Joelle Wimmer of Rowe Lane ES (via Amber A.): Our child has been having a hard time on Mondays adjusting back to the school week and has made not great choices those days. Mrs. Wimmer has been so patient in helping him make the necessary adjustments and has been fantastic at communicating with us as his parents. I truly feel that we are a team to support our son be the best person he can be. And when he has great days, she uses positive reinforcement and lets us know so we can celebrate it too! We are grateful for her and hope she knows what a blessing she is as a partner in our son’s education!

Tyler McClendon of Pflugerville MS (via Will S. - Student): Mr. McClendon travels between 3 campuses, but it’s always a calm and positive environment when I’m in his class. Percussion has grown from an interest to a passion for me and I’m excited to keep learning from him.

Stephanie Althoff of Carpenter ES (via Jasmine R.): Mrs. Althoff is truly an amazing teacher. I can remember on the first day of school all Kinder parents departed with a poem that summarized she will and would take care of our littles. Mrs. Althoff has demonstrated just that. She goes out of her way on various situations, above and beyond with communication and truly making a difference in our littles lives. It is kind of hard to put in all in words, but as a parent, I am truly grateful and thankful that my daughter has a wonderful Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. Althoff!

Catherine Duong of Highland Park ES (via Anonymous): Mrs. Duong has been an amazing! Specially, I would like to highlight how well she communicates with parents & students. I do not have to be concerned if I've missed something. She does well at getting information out in a timely manner and she is thorough. Her communication also reads in a manner that shows she is considerate of all; she is inclusive. Thank you Mrs. Duong for a great start to this school year!

Monica Guerra of Cele MS (via Anne F.): Mrs. Guerra went out of her way to help my grandson recently, even though he is in high school this year. She spoke on his behalf to the administration at Weiss. She was always available to our family and my grandson as he progressed from 6th to 8th grades. We are and always will be grateful to her.

Clarissa Distefano’s “Interpersonal Studies” class at Weiss High School had a different, but HELPFUL, lab last week called “Adulting 101”. Students rotated to different stations around the room to complete multiple activities, all tied to TEKS in that course. The purpose of the lab was to help students learn skills (life skills) for an adolescent to transition to independent adulthood. Some of the labs included: how to fold a fitted sheet, how to wrap a gift, how to sew on a button, how to set a table setting, how to check tire pressure, how to sort & do laundry, how to write a thank-you letter, how to address an envelope, how to read a nutrition label, and MORE! Talk about a useful course!! Mrs. Distefano reports that the students LOVED the lab… and learned some skills I’m sure their parents are appreciative of as well! Awesome job, Mrs. Distefano!

Mark your calendars now for our first district-wide dance showcase: Uni-pfied! The show will be held Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at the PHS PAC.

Congratulations to the Connally HS band for placing 3rd in their class at the USBands Hill Country Regional in San Antonio!

Well done at the Vista Ridge Marching Festival to the Weiss High School band! They made it to the finals and earned 8th place!

Thank you to all of our student performers and everyone who came out to support our band programs at the 19th annual Pfestival of Bands!!!

Volleyball: District Play in ACTION!!!

5A Hendrickson HS: 6-1 (2nd Place after 1st Round)

6A Weiss HS: 5-1 (2nd Place after 1st Round)

5A Pflugerville HS: 3-4 (4th Place after 1st Round)

5A Connally HS: 2-5 (5th Place after 1st Round)

Football: PHS will travel to Waco this week. WHS will host Copperas Cove on Friday. HHS will travel this week to College Station to play A&M Consolidated. CHS will battle Belton.

THANK YOU: To the HHS Cheer Squad for sponsoring the Press Box @ The Pfield last week!!! Congratulations to HHS parent Tina Gonzales as she is recognized as Dave Campbells Texas Football “Parent Appreciation Award Winner”!!!

Fun Fact: CHS Team Tennis has qualified for the playoffs for the 10th straight year!!!

Cross Country: Congratulations to the HHS Varsity Girls and Boys for winning 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the Del Valle Cross Country Invitational. 6A District is hosted in Pflugerville on Oct. 13th (WHS). 5A District is hosted in Pflugerville on Oct. 14th (PHS/HHS/CHS).

Team Tennis: WHS will finish the season as District Runner Up and head to the playoffs as a #2 seed. CHS is headed to the post season as well.

Middle School Athletics: Volleyball/Football/CC is in FULL SWING!!! Middle School standings should be available by next week!!!