PfISD Employee Express
March 10, 2022
Upcoming Events & Holidays
Below are some important dates and a few others to spark creativity or ideas for fun with your students or family.
STUDENT HOLIDAY — MARCH 11
SPRING BREAK! — MARCH 14-18
Days
- March 11: National Promposal Day
- March 12: National Girl Scout Day
- March 13: Daylight Saving
- March 14: National Pi Day
- March 21: World Poetry Day
- March 21: World Down Syndrome Day
- March 23: National Ag Day
- March 25: Tolkien Reading Day
- School Social Worker Week: March 7-11
- School Breakfast Week: March 7-11
March Month Holidays
- Women's History Month
- National Athletic Training Month
- National Music in Our Schools Month
- National Reading Month
Greetings from Dr. Killian
Dear Friends,
I’d like to say “bravo” and be the first to call for a curtain call for our district theater programs. This week we learned three of them have been honored by the Heller Awards, formerly the Greater Austin High School Musical Theatre Awards, as being among the top programs in Central Texas.
Hendrickson’s “Once On This Island” musical collected 10 nominations, including Best Production, Best Direction and Best Female Lead. Pflugerville High School’s performance of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” garnered three nominations: Best Orchestra, Best Featured Ensemble and Best Male Lead. Also, Weiss High School’s “Freaky Friday” nabbed four nominations, including Best Direction and Best Female Lead.
Our congratulations to our budding thespians and their directors.
March is National Women’s History Month, and earlier this week, we marked International Women’s Day. These events, deservedly so, prioritize time to honor the contributions of women throughout time, and we would be remiss if we fail to honor the current contributions of women in our workforce.
One of our female leaders was recently featured on a podcast about her role in the print industry. Lauren Tarbet is the coordinator of our copy center, and she spoke with Printing Impressions World on their Impressions Xchange podcast about being a woman in the printing industry, her passion for the printing industry and juggling being a working mom. You can listen to her appearance here: https://www.piworld.com/podcast/impressions-xchange/celebrating-women-in-print-lauren-tarbet-of-pflugerville-isd/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Lauren also contributed to an article in Mailing Systems Technology Magazine explaining how her department adjusted its operations during the initial shift to virtual, at-home learning during the pandemic and how they are looking to expand services for our campuses to provide more options for posters and signage. You can read the article here: https://issuu.com/rbpublishing/docs/mst_janfeb_0a3c844cdef3b1/20
Did you know that the Pflugerville ISD workforce is approximately 76 percent female? That’s actually on-par with the state average for school districts. All school districts owe an incredible debt to women for their work and sacrifice, and for that, we thank you.
In that same vein, we’re learning of our campus rookie teachers, humanitarians and teachers of the year, as we move forward with naming district award winners. I’d like to congratulate all our campus award winners, and thank every one of them for their work and dedication. You are our shining lights, and with pandemic challenges, your light only shines brighter. Thank you so much.
I know the past two months have been particularly difficult, with lots of illness in the student body and in our staff ranks. Please be mindful that everyone is on edge, tired, and many kids and staff are behind with their plans and their grades. Please help one another. This is always a stressful time of year and the illnesses that have swept through the ranks have only added to it.
We often try to be all things to all people, and everyone has different needs and wants. Challenges will rise to test us, but we must remain calm, professional and above all, kind. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. Please enjoy your upcoming break, and if you’re like me, you’re hoping it’s more restful than eventful.
Have a great rest of the week and a VERY restful Spring Break.
In the best interest of children,
Douglas Killian, Ph.D.
Proud Superintendent
Passionately ServingCOVID-19 Over the Counter Testing Reimbursement
Employee’s enrolled in the District’s medical plan are eligible to be reimbursed for at-home COVID-19 test kits through Express Scripts (our pharmacy vendor). Bring the test kit to the pharmacy counter (not the regular check-out) and the test will automatically ring up at no cost to you. Please review the attached flyer for more information.
PfISD partners with APH on COVID-19 vaccines for students
COVID vaccines are now available to all persons aged 5 and up. PfISD has partnered with Austin Public Health and Travis County to provide vaccinations to our students at multiple locations across the district. ANY staff member, eligible PfISD student, and members of staff and students' families are welcome to come and get vaccinated.
These clinics are offering first dose, second dose, and now boosters.
- March 29 — The Rock Gym (4-6 p.m.)
* Additional vaccine clinics may be added. Once dates have been set, they will be added to the google form link for registration.
In order to plan for the number of vaccines at each clinic, PLEASE complete the Google Form linked below.
Student Intradistrict Transfer Windows & Updates
Beginning with the 2022-23 school year transfer process, for the first time, PreK and Kindergarten students will be eligible to apply for transfers. PreK transfer applicants must submit the Pre-K Eligibility Screener before applying for a transfer request via the Student Affairs application. Submitting a PK eligibility screener and transfer application is not a guarantee of transfer approval.
The list of open and closed campuses will be available by March 21 and the application window is from March 21 through April 29. Please visit our Student Transfer Information page for more: https://www.pfisd.net/Page/7316
Academic Update
Special Needs Student Grants & Newsletter
Our Special Education Department has a newsletter for parents of students with special needs or are part of our Special Education Programs. This week’s newsletter has important information on how parents can apply for a Supplemental Special Education Services grant of $1,500 to use toward the purchase of educational goods for their children.
For more information on SSES and more from our Special Education Department please click the link below to read the latest edition of their newsletter, the PfISD Special Education Scoop: https://www.smore.com/c1u47
Kelly Lane Students Chosen for Elite Academic Summer Camp
Four Kelly Lane Middle School students have their summer camp plans already lined up for the next four years as they have been selected to the elite GeoFORCE Texas Summer Academies.
The group of Julia Alvarado, Elise Bui, Hoan Nguyen and Nathan Hollingsworth received word last month that they had been accepted to the week-long camps held over a four-year period conducted by The University of Texas Jackson School of Geology.
GeoFORCE Texas meets for one week in the summer and introduces students to geological wonders across the U.S. from coastal Texas to the canyons and mountains of the Southwest, the wonders of the Pacific Northwest and back to the Texas Hill Country.
Jackson School of Geology professors and research assistants alongside alumni from the GeoFORCE Texas program serving as camp counselors lead the camp. Students learn about the formation of the Earth, geological processes that shape it and more through in-class coursework and by getting out into the field to see it themselves.
GeoFORCE recruits 8th graders for the 4-year program to provide them with hands-on learning experiences that are completely paid for through grants and donations. The program accepts 126 students each year, with 42 from the Southwest region of the U.S. and 42 from Houston and Austin metro areas.
For more information on GeoFORCE Texas please visit: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/geoforce/summer-academies/.
PfISD UIL Academic Meets
Our elementary and middle schools recently competed in district UIL Academic meets. The elementary campuses conducted A+ and Dual Language Enrichment district academic meet on individual campuses in January, due to COVID-19 concerns. Top spots went to Riojas Elementary in the A+ academic meet and Spring Hill Elementary in the Dual Language Enrichment meet. Second and third place in the A+ meet went to Windermere and Rowe Lane elementary schools, respectively. Capturing second and third in the DLE meet were Highland Park and Caldwell elementary schools.
The middle school competition was held at Hendrickson High School in February and Cele MS came away with the win in both the 6th Grade and 7th/8th Grade divisions. Dessau MS took silver in 6th with Westview in 3rd position. Westview earned 2nd place in 7th/8th with Bohls behind them in 3rd.
Elementary Academic Meet Winners: https://www.pfisd.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=1130&ViewID=7b97f7ed-8e5e-4120-848f-a8b4987d588f&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=32559&PageID=1
Middle School Academic Meet Winners: https://www.pfisd.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=1130&ViewID=7b97f7ed-8e5e-4120-848f-a8b4987d588f&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=32517&PageID=1
Athletics Update
Basketball season officially came to an end for PfISD last Friday night with the Weiss Boys Basketball team falling to the No. 1 team in the state in the Regional final. With a spot in the state championship tournament on the line our Wolves performed well but could not overcome Beaumont and its top billing. Congratulations to these boys for all they achieved this year and going farther than any Weiss Boys Basketball team has!
Last week we recognized the Connally Girls Soccer team for their Favorite Teacher and Staff Night. This week it is the Pflugerville Girls Soccer team hosting a special evening. Before their contest on Friday night at The Pfield against Weiss, the Pflugerville Falcons will be recognized. The Falcons are PfISD’s Special Olympics student-athletes, and they have been chosen to represent the state of Texas at the Special Olympics USA Games this summer in Orlando!
The Falcons are the Texas representative in flag football and have been putting in the extra work to get ready for the games! In case you missed it, KVUE’s Conner Board came out to do a story about them and their journey. Check it out below and lets have a big cheer for our Falcons on Friday night!
Friday marks the end of the regular season for our soccer teams, and our boys could sweep all four playoff spots in the district. Hendrickson and Weiss currently hold the top two spots for the girls, and sweeping all four here is also a possibility.
Our softball teams are in the thick of district play now and baseball is still playing in non-district tournaments this weekend.
Track and field is in action with the Panther Relays on Thursday night, and our tennis teams are getting into the groove of their individual season after some strong showings during the team season in the fall.
CTE Corner
In this week’s CTE Corner, we want to highlight the Healthcare Therapeutic program that allows students to choose between two tracks in the Medical field – the Medical Assistant (CCMA) path & the EMT path.
In the CCMA path (offered at all HS campuses), students can earn their Certified Clinical Medical Assistant credential at no cost, will participate in hospital clinical rotations, and practice medical assisting skills in the campus health science laboratory.
In the EMT path (based at HHS), students also participate in ER rotations as well as ambulance ride-alongs. Students take their National Registry EMT certification, at no cost. This program is available to all students without a transfer.
To learn more about all our CTE programs please visit: https://www.pfisd.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=7406
And don’t forget that applications to both of our P-TECH academies are open until April 15! Apply to P-TECH here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdl79qbg92GOVfEQx8xe75NUNRDO57G48T_TObqjkDSN1hjfQ/viewform
PEF Innovation Grant Applications Open
The Pflugerville Education Foundation is now accepting applications for its latest run of Innovative Teaching Grants. The goal for these grants is to select projects and/or programs for funding that are innovative and stimulate students’ learning and creativity by enhancing the existing curriculum.
PEF awards Innovative Teaching Grants up to $2,000 for programs or projects initiated by an individual educator or up to $5,000 for projects initiated by teams or departments.
Applications are open now. Get to innovating your students’ learning and apply today! The final day to apply is March 31.
If you have questions, please visit www.thepfoundation.org or call 512-594-0375.
COVID-19 Reminders
COVID positive employees will isolate for 5 days followed by 5 days of wearing double masks while in a district facility if symptoms have improved. If symptoms have NOT improved, employees will need to reach out to their physician for guidance and obtain a physician’s note if it is determined your isolation needs to be extended past 5 days. Employees on the District's health plan (Health Care Highways or BCBS) can utilize the virtual option with MD Live. Download the App or sign up online:
- Healthcare Highways – Sign up online by going to www.mdlive.com/hch or download the app
- BlueCross BlueShield – Sign up online by going to www.MDLIVE.com/bcbstx or text BCBSTX to 635-483
The copay for the high and low plans is $0. Employees on the high deductible plans have a $49 co-pay. Please request a physician’s note from MD Live for documentation purposes.
In order to qualify for COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, you must submit a positive lab-confirmed test. Home tests are not acceptable as proof of a test result for staff. If you are not able to return after the five days of isolation, then a doctor’s note is required for any remaining COVID Paid Sick Leave days.
If eligible, 8 days of Covid-19 Paid Sick Leave (CPSL) will be provided. CPSL will be entered/updated in Skyward by HR before the pay period has ended.
Close Contact: If an employee is listed on the employee contact trace form, they will be required to test for COVID with the campus nurse on Day 5 (or Monday if Day 5 falls on a weekend). If an employee refuses to test at Day 5, they will be electing to use their own personal days for the remainder of the 14-day quarantine.
Other items to remember:
- Stay home if you are sick. If you have a fever, do not report to work.
- Adhere to district mask mandate while inside district facilities.
- Complete the Screen and Go each day.
- If you are recovering from COVID and have been cleared by HR to return after your five days of isolation, please mark the Screen and Go accordingly and inform your Supervisor/Principal if you fail for symptoms but those symptoms are resolving per district and CDC guidelines.
Please be patient after submitting your COVID-19 Intake form; our HR and Benefits staff members are processing them as quickly as possible. For any questions, reach out to COVID19HRSupport@pfisd.net.
Substitute Teachers Needed
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, PfISD needs more substitute teachers than ever. Beginning substitutes earn $120 per day, and this can go up based on certification and the number of days worked. To qualify to serve as a substitute in the Pflugerville Independent School District, you must be at least 21 years of age and have a high school diploma. All applicants must complete the online substitute application and attend a Guest Educator orientation.
Kudos
Each week I like to recognize some of our staff members who have made a positive impact. If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for the passionate service they provide to their coworkers, students or any other member of our community, you may nominate them.
Please use the link below and bookmark it for future use if you happen to know lots of worthy Pfamily members and plan to submit Kudos every week.
Now on to this week's Kudos!
George Binger and Ryan Luna of Pflugerville High School (via Valorie Salcido): “George and Ryan are simply amazing! They have taken on the most intense and most rewarding position in our Transitional Communications classroom aside from the actual classroom teacher. They come each day with smiles are their faces and are incredibly enthusiastic, thoughtful and creative. I don't know that there is a better ‘tag-team’ out there. Our students are truly blessed to have George and Ryan on their team.”
Elizabeth Swanson, Diane Sikkenga, Madeline Johnson, Johna Edwards, Robert Miller and Barron Elementary EAs (via Kathryn Archer): “Everyone works together to shine a light on our student’s talents and skills. I know I can always count on them. The students love you too!”
Cecliu Dathe of Spring Hill Elementary (via anonymous): “Each and every day you go above and beyond. You arrive at campus ready and willing to work. You are a rock for the kids. You manage and teach your own small group as well as help with students’ social needs all at the same time. You are an amazing teacher and the kids are lucky to have you.”
Suzanne Murphy of Brookhollow Elementary (via anonymous): “Suzanne, your students learn so much from you each day. Your classroom has challenging need but you make it look easy all with a smile on your face. The kids are so fortunate to have a wonderful teacher like yourself.”
Melanie Silva, Taylor Maguire, Rosellin Baldwin, Allison Dickey, Desiree Casazza, Lisa Nguyen, Cristy Schmidt, Carrie Quinney, Paula Simmons and Stacey Bates of Murchison Elementary (via Emily F. Swain): “Many thanks to this wonderful team who made it through 42 PSSTs in a single afternoon! You are amazing.”
Kirsten Sculley of River Oaks Elementary (via Stephanie Castillo): “Mrs. Sculley is one of the best educators and teammates I have ever worked with. From Day 1, we clicked. She is my right-hand person and I can go to her for anything. There have been occasions where we will say the same thing at the same time. People think we have rehearsed it, but it’s honestly just a coincidence. This is my first time being departmentalized and I could not imagine doing this with anyone else.”
Autumn Hendrickson of Pflugerville High School (via Nick Howell): “Autumn has gone above and beyond in her new role! She not only works to help at-risk students make solid decisions towards their future, but has stayed late/came in early to assist with college/career events and her previous AVID students supported! Her dedication to everyone at PHS is appreciated!”
Mary Pennington, Elijah Ramos, Michaela Lyons, Jacqui Jacobs, Lashonda Moore, Marissa Stewart, Michael Putnam and Brook Hampton of Pflugerville High School (via Autumn Hendrickson): “Thank you to the fabulous teachers who tutor at the Panther Learning Center. I know our students appreciate you and your willingness to help them, no matter what the subject. I cannot thank you enough. Our PLC is successful because you go the extra mile for students. Mucho love!”
All District LSSPs and diagnosticians (via Sheena Lauck of Special Education): “This year has been one of the hardest years for our profession. Due to consequences of the pandemic and shut downs, students are struggling more than ever with mental health and learning. We have had had more crises and referrals for testing this year than ever before. More recognition needs to be made across the district for our profession and what we do. I am very grateful for my team of assessment staff and our supervisor, Ashley Peay. I cannot imagine how I would make it through this year without them.”
Jessica Perry of Pflugerville High School (via anonymous): “Recently I overheard PHS students talking about their teacher who never gives up on them, aspires them to greatness and encourages them to never stop learning. They talked about how she always has a smile to greet them every day and they look forward to going to her class. Jessica Perry – you are an amazing teacher and the PHS students are so blessed to have you as a teacher!”
Mikaela Andres and Paige Jochen of Westview Middle (via Claire McAnally): “Mikaela and Paige are doing an amazing job as our IC's on campus! From giving amazing PLCs to helping out in every corner of our campus. They are always there for us and ready to help. I have never felt so supported by an IC team and I want them to know that we appreciate them and they are doing wonderful things!”
Rachel Owens of Pflugerville Middle (via Amina Jackson): “Rachel is an exceptional teacher that does what needs to be done to ensure students are successful. With all of the gaps and chaos that has come with COVID, she did not let that deter her from instructing students rigorously. She definitely is a star that needs to be recognized.”
Priscillia Jimenez of Connally High School (via anonymous): “Priscilla does a phenomenal job with our LPAC duties, which is not a light task with over 620 EB students. She works to ensure that our students have access to the supports needed to be successful and advocates for their best interest.”
Rosalia Johnson of Delco Elementary (via Patti Peeples): “For going over and above her duties by providing a special breakfast for our Delco Safety Patrol students.”
Kristy Montes of Pflugerville High School (via Ana Bowie): “Kristy Montes joined the PHS family in early January 2022 and hit the ground running. This newly created position was designed to change culture around student discipline on campus for the betterment of students, staff and community. This position is possibly the first of its kind ‘restorative practice facilitator’ on a high school campus. This position has a multitude of dimensions/layers and for faculty and staff. The possibilities are transformative.”
Chelsie Vick of PfISD Benefits (via Camila Muniz of Spring Hill Elementary): “Thank you so much for your kindness and efficiency! The PFISD Human Resource staff is ‘Pfantastic’!”
Mary Pennington, David Waldrop, Dixie Ross, Meaghan Reiger and Scott Bachtel of Connally, Pflugerville and Weiss high schools (via Allie Stevenson of PHS Math): “These teachers provided high quality AP Math prep sessions for all PfISD students on Saturday, March 5 in the middle of a very challenging school year.”
Please continue to socially distance as much as possible, wash your hands and wear a mask if possible. This school year, we will continue to find learning opportunities and activities to prepare our students for success in and out of the classroom.
Together this Pfamily can do anything, and through the challenges, we are #MovingPforward.
In the best interest of children,
Dr. Douglas Killian
PfISD Superintendent of Schools