Prosper High School Newsletter
January 4, 2021
A Note from Dr. Burdett
Happy New Year! We are looking forward to having the kids back in class either in person or joining us virtually through Google. We have missed them!
Congratulations are in order for our percussion teacher, Mr. Heustis. Over the break, we learned that he had a piece of music published by a major music publisher. Mr. Huestis wrote the piece for Rogers Middle School and you can hear it by clicking here.
I want to remind everyone of a few things and I want to bring something to your attention and ask you to partner with us to make sure the kids have a successful start to 2021.
- We are still under a mask/face shield mandate. The mask/shield must cover the nose and the mouth. Please stress this with your child(ren) as we will continue enforcing the Governor's mandate.
- Let us continue to show kindness to others. Specifically, we want to give a special display of love and care to those who contract COVID or other illnesses. I'm sure that the extra show of affection will be a good dose of medicine!
- There are several clothing companies making lines of clothes with "Playboy" on them. The clothing either has the Playboy bunny on it, it has the word "Playboy" on it, or a combination of both. We will not allow this clothing at PHS and in PISD. Trying to determine if the clothes are referencing the pornographic magazine or if the clothing is referencing something else is not what our administrative staff is equipped to do, nor do we have the time to investigate the meaning. If your student has this type of clothing, please do not allow them to wear it to PHS because we will assign a dress code consequence. You can read more about the dress code here.
We have 88 days in this semester and I look forward to the great things that our kids are going to do. Through all of the obstacles that we faced in the 1st semester, our kids showed how to persevere and to thrive in uncertain times. We talk to the staff all the time about focusing on what you can control and not to worry about the things that you cannot control. I am proud of our staff for doing this and I am also proud of our kids for doing the same. I can't wait to see them tomorrow!
For Kids, John
Email: jmburdett@prosper-isd.net
Office: 469.219.2185
Cell: 469.573.1488
I am currently reading The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.
Athletics
- Athletic Training-a special "Thank You" to our Athletic Trainers and kids who are in the athletic training program. They attend every athletic event and they make sure that our kids get preventive care and immediate medical attention when needed.
- Basketball-both the girls and the boys teams played over the break and are gearing up for District play.
- Football-what an incredible run we had in the playoffs! Making it to the 4th round put us in special company knowing that only 8 other teams in Texas made it to the 4th round.
- Soccer-the girls and boys teams played over the break and are gearing up for District play.
PHS donated 600 pairs in the Soles4Souls drive
Have Questions About College? Ask ADVi!
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.
List of All Test Optional Colleges 2021
This list contains the test-optional colleges that changed their admission policies due to COVID-19.
Virtual Counseling Office
Check out the Virtual Counseling Office.
Utilize the UNT GO CENTER
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 visit https://outreach.unt.edu/g-force. Then click on the chat feature.
AP Important Deadlines
Key dates:
- March 2nd - Last day to cancel an exam and receive a full refund.
Monthly Career Spotlight
For more information contact: Alicia M. Schulze (aschulze@prosper-isd.net)- College and Career Counselor - Collin College for Prosper and Rock Hill High Schools
Class of 2021
Reference the Prosper High School's website throughout the year for senior updates.
What is PISD Graduation Celebration?
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
Purchase a Yearbook
PHS Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
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 December 3rd at 10am, 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.
Hope Squad/Be Kind Shirts for Sale
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.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
January 4- Student Holiday / Staff Professional Learning
January 5- First day of the 3rd 9 weeks
January 18- School Holiday
February 12- Student Holiday / Staff Professional Learning
February 15- Bad Weather Makeup Day
March 8-12- Spring Break
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.
COVID-19 Daily Screening
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.
Check in/Check out Procedures
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.
State Requirements for Attendance Reporting
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.
Submit anonymous tip to Prosper ISD
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.
Contact Information
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