Prosper High School Newsletter
December 8, 2019
A Note from Dr. Burdett
We had a great week at PHS. It was a joy to see the kids back in the building after the Thanksgiving holiday! As we continue our season of gratitude, I want to say a special "Thank You" to all of our kids who donated blood and plasma last week. In total, we collected 256 units and this will save 768 lives!!! What an incredible testimony to our kids that their giving is resulting in the preservation of life. If we play this forward, these 768 lives are people who have spouses, they have children, they have friends, and now they have an opportunity to create more memories with each of them because of our kids. This gives me "the feels" and "the chills" and I am so proud of our kids for giving the gift of life!
I want to extend a special invitation to all students who are interested in competing in UIL Academics. You can click on this link to see the list of competition events. We have an abundance of intellect and creativity at PHS and I hope that our kids will take advantage of this opportunity to compete and challenge themselves. Please open this list and encourage your student to compete in one of these areas. You can click on the email for the coach listed for the event to get more information.
This past Wednesday, I watched some members of the Prosper High School robotics club testing a draft of one portion of their self-made robot in preparation for their upcoming FRC competitions. Our students are developing a machine that will hit a target that is 8 feet in the air from different distances and angles. While observing them, it was a joy to see the students work as a team to problem solve, look at alternative solutions, delegate responsibility, use the strengths of others, and to persevere through this challenge. The piece was designed by Broc Tullis, Kolby Wood, and Madeleine Steele (photo below and photo credit to Jai Dotson). Other students in the Robotics Club included in the picture and who assisted are Ethan Rogers, Lena Busbee, Madison Wells, and Parker Haven. We are creating more learning experiences like these where students are not only engaged in their learning, but they are empowered by their opportunities to learn.
Congratulations to our Girls XC for winning the Nike South Regional Meet and for placing 22nd at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in Portland, OR. Only 0.009% of high school runners earn the right to run at NXN and we are extremely proud of our Girls XC Team for achieving this distinction for the 2nd year in a row! Congratulations to our Swim and Dive Teams for their victory over McKinney Boyd on Senior Night last Thursday! Boys Basketball placed 2nd in the Prosper ISD Classic and Girls Basketball placed 4th at the Nancy Walling Classic in Pflugerville. Wrestling had more impressive results with the Girls placing 1st at the Rockwall Invitational and the Boys placed 5th. Finally, congratulations to Football on an incredible season. We made it to the Final 8 teams and what a showing we had at The Star last night in front of thousands of fans!
Congratulations to our HOSA members who have advanced to the AREA and STATE competitions! You can see the complete list below. Congratulations to our FFA Broadcast Team (Kelsey Cavender, CJ Schumacher, and Madelyn Goodwin) for placing 7th at the State Competition at Sam Houston State University. Finally, congratulations to all of our Theater students who advanced to Nationals and who received Excellent Ratings at the Texas Thespian State Convention (see full list below)!
Please look at the calendar and see what you can attend. Our students would love to see you supporting them and noticing how our inputs are affecting our outcomes.
Senior Night
Robotics Club
FFA Broadcast Team
Girls Cross Country
Sophomore Aubrey O'Connell led the way for the team finishing 4th overall out of 191 elite runners. Sadie Gonzales finished 18th, Tatum Castillo finished 35th, Emily Kern 43rd and Kirstin Towle 45th. Other contributors who helped qualify this team to Nationals are Alexis Svoboda and Kate Parsons.
HOSA
- Brian Nguyen: Dental Terminology
- AnnMarie Graham: Nutrition
Advanced to the Area 3 Competition in January:
- Kynadee Nuttall: Clinical Nursing
- Chloe Connelly: Medical Assisting
- Ethan Hogan: Physical Therapy
- Paige Benzick: Sports Medicine
- Anushka Mehta and David Tran: Emergency Medical Technician
- Ethan Binoy, Keira Kleposki, Amruta Kunkur, Krupa Thakkar: Biomedical Debate
- Tiana Albino, Shreya Algole, Sneha Algole: Biomedical Debate
- Katelynn Haseman and Gauri Surendran: Forensic Science
Prosper Theatre
Blood Drive Results- TOTAL LIVES SAVED: 768
We couldn't be more proud of all the students and teachers who took the time to donate.
Whole Blood – 165 Units
Double Red Cells – 47 Units
Platelets – 2 Units
Plasma – 14 Units
Double Platelet – 2 Units
Red Cell + Platelet – 2 Units
Red Cell + Platelet + Plasma – 9 Units
Platelet + Plasma – 15 Units
Total Units Collected: 256 Units
UIL Academic Teams
Would you like to participate and compete in something that is not a sport? Come join one of our MANY UIL Academic Teams.
We look forward to you joining our team!
Leveling Down from Pre AP/AP Classes
Prosper High School Parents/Guardians,
If your student is considering leveling down from a Pre AP or AP class at the end of the 1st semester, please note the following required procedures.
If a student is currently struggling in their class, they must communicate with the teacher as soon as possible to discuss setting up a Plan for Success. This plan may include tutoring before or after school, Eagle time tutoring, additional resources, working with them on their study habits, etc. This form needs to be picked up from your student’s AP/Pre-AP teacher of the class that they want to level down in.
These steps must be followed in order to change the schedule:
- Student AND Parent communicates with the teacher as soon as possible
- Success plan is created – Student Success Form is picked up from teacher
- Student, parent and teacher follow the steps outlined in the Student Success Form
- Student Success Form is turned into teacher by December 13.
- Counselors will change schedule and new schedule will begin the first day of 2nd semester.
Our Pre AP/AP teachers want the opportunity to assist our students in overcoming hurdles and achieving their Pre AP and AP goals by working with them to meet their potential.
Please let your student's counselor or Administrator know if you have any questions about this process.
Counseling in the News
For most seniors, something extraordinary happens with their wish lists for the holidays. The concept of “time” suddenly becomes important as they know the end of their childhood is coming. The author investigated what high school seniors really want for the holidays…These top five were repeated over and over again.
High-tech instructional materials are gaining popularity with instructors, but they can be problematic for students with disabilities. Colleges and publishers say there’s no easy fix. Inside Higher Ed takes a closer look at the issue.
Throughout their high school careers, all students at Estes Park High School engage with a college and career exploration software called Xello. For the annual Sophomore Worksite Tours, counselors use these Xello profiles to set up visits for students to companies that aligned with their interests and career matches. And, by the way, all Prosper HS students have access to Xello.
There are a ton of practical life skills to know that aren’t often taught anymore. There are students, graduates, and young professionals–and even some adults–who have missed out on learning some basic life skills. Whether by taking a home economics class, watching YouTube tutorials, or reading blogs there are quite a few life skills to know before you or your student go off to college.
***Lovepacs Prosper Recipients***
Please use this link register to receive a box of food for the 2 weeks upcoming Winter Break. This form MUST be filled out as the last is no longer in use. Our previous automated form had some challenges and we sincerely apologize for any confusion or disruption it caused in our attempts to serve you. The password for the link is: Lunch
We look forward to serving you during this holiday season.
If you have any concerns or issues please contact Jeni Sexton at jeni.sexton@lovepacs.org
Order your 2020 yearbook
Find your campus and order your yearbook
Please contact Lyndsey Hamlin at lghamlin@prosper-isd.net, if you have any questions.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
December 10: Group Picture Day- See individual sponsors for schedule
December 20: Early Release & End of the 2nd 9 weeks
PISD Highlights Magazine
WATCH D.O.G.S. Volunteers
Thank you to our Watch D.O.G.S Volunteer this past week.
Interested in joining?
Creative Writing Club
The Creative Writing Club (CWC) is sponsoring two community events on Tuesday, December 10 from 4:30-5:30pm, and Tuesday, December 17 from 6:30-7:30 at the Prosper High School Library.
On December 10, students from CWC and the Creative Writing Class will be reading their original holiday stories to children ages 12 and under. Cookies, milk and juice will be provided. The stories being presented will be bound in a book, with artwork from the PHS art department and the National Arts Honor Society (NAHS), and given to the children as a gift. The children will also be given an opportunity to write their own stories.
On December 17, our Creative Writing Students from CWC and the class will be reading their work to friends and family. Students will read their original work, but in a more formal setting. Refreshments and dessert will be provided. These stories will also be bound in a book, and sold at the event.
PHS Arts & Crafts Fair
Volunteers for the AP Research Program at PHS
In AP Research, students cultivate the skills and discipline necessary to conduct independent research and inquiry in order to produce and defend their scholarly work. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a publication-ready writing of original research they personally conducted and analyzed. More information on how to volunteer
PHS Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
More information on how the PTO benefits the students and staff.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns via email - ProsperHighPTO@gmail.com
Like us on Facebook - @PHSPTO
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