Panther Parent 411

It is hard to believe that we are already in February and only five weeks away from Spring Break! Please continue to review grades with your students and encourage them to attend tutorials as needed. Our teachers and staff are here to partner with you in your child's academic journey, so please feel free to reach out to us should you have any questions or concerns about your student's progress.

There is a lot going on in Panther Country the next few weeks, so please continue reading, so you are up-to-date on what is happening around campus. As always, if you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Time is running out! Reserve your copy of the 2024-25 SMS yearbook today!! Please go to www.jostensyearbooks.com and place your order by Monday, February 24th, in order to guarantee your student's copy on distribution day in May! The current price is $45. Payment plans are available at checkout when you order your yearbook at jostensyearbooks.com.

In addition, yearbook ads are a great way to show your recognition and pride for your student. To create and purchase your ad, just go to www.jostensyearbooks.com and place your order by midnight on Monday, February 10th. The starting price for these ads is $50. Time and space is limited, so hurry and place your order today!

This is the final call before we submit our book for printing, so be sure to place your order for yearbooks and ads by the February deadlines listed above!

If you have any questions, please contact our yearbook advisor, Shawnee Bautista, at Shawneedawn.bautist@pisd.edu.

Schimelpfenig Middle School is proud to announce our 19th Annual Career Day on Friday, March 7th. We are looking for parents and community members who would like to come to school and talk about their careers. The purpose of this program is to give our students a better idea of the world of work as well as an understanding of some of the different choices that will be available to them as they plan for their future.

Volunteers are needed for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. We welcome your participation for an hour, half day, or all day. Each class period is approximately 45 minutes; however, you can present for 30-35 minutes and allow the remainder of the period for questions. Please try to arrive at Schimelpfenig thirty minutes before your presentation for a leisurely check in.

If you are able to join us to present at this special event, please complete the Career Day Speaker Form by Friday, February 21, 2025. We will contact you to schedule the times for your presentation.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact one of the members of our counseling team. Their contact information is listed below.

Shealine Burks – 6th Grade Counselor - 469-752-6418 - Shealine.Burks@pisd.edu

John Schlosser – 7th Grade Counselor - 469-752-6416 - John.Schlosser@pisd.edu

Michelle Klena - 8th Counselor - 469-752-6417 - Michelle.Klena@pisd.edu

Schimelpfenig PTA is excited to announce an upcoming Spirit Night at one of our local eateries. This event will take place on Thursday, February 13th, from 4 to 9pm, at Chick-fil-a. This is a wonderful and easy way to give back to our campus. Please see the flyer below for more details.

In observance of President's Day, Monday, February 17th, is a holiday for students. In addition, there will be no school for students on Tuesday, February 18th, as this will be a professional development day for staff. Classes will resume on Wednesday, February 19th.

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Spring Open House, which will be held on Monday, February 24th, from 5:30 to 7:00pm. We will be using a come and go format to showcase what we have been doing in all of our classes on campus. We look forward to seeing you there!

National School Counseling Week is this week, February 3rd through February 7th, and we want to recognize the invaluable work of our wonderful counseling team!

Hats off to Shealine Burks, John Schlosser, Michelle Klena and our wonderful registrar, Debbie Collins! We are thankful for all they do each and every day to support both our staff and students here at Schim. We truly appreciate them and all of their contributions to our campus!

Plano ISD has teamed up with First United Bank to spread hope, joy and services throughout our community through United Acts of Kindness. Throughout the month of February, all students, educators, parents and other stakeholders are encouraged to celebrate Friendship February through random acts of kindness. Please view this calendar in English and Spanish filled with ideas for all grade levels and families.

National Wear Red Day is an initiative through the American Heart Association to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke.

• Learn how to recognize symptoms. Getting immediate treatment may minimize the long-term effects - every minute counts!

• We are encouraging both staff and students to wear red tomorrow, February 7th, to raise awareness, start conversations, and take advantage of the many resources available on the American Heart Association’s website to keep your heart healthy.

On Saturday, January 25th, a number of our Schimelpfenig seventh & eighth graders competed at the Plano ISD Science and Engineering Fair. Please join me in congratulating the following students who earned awards at this competition.

Earning an Honorable Mention:

• Emma A in Engineering Technology

• Trisha B & Dhanya D in Environmental Engineering

• Milin V in Earth & Environmental Science

3rd place in Energy: Ashlyn E

3rd place in Systems Software: Elim W

2nd place in Energy: Om N

1st place in Animal Sciences: A

1st place in Plant Sciences: Humaira R

And the District Grand Prize winner: Humaira R!!

Congratulations to all of our 2025 District Science and Engineering Fair Winners!

On Thursday, January 23rd, Plano ISD celebrated its annual Martin Luther King celebration at the Robinson Fine Arts Center. In honor of Martin Luther King’s dream, there were many schools throughout the district that worked together to create one outstanding piece of artwork.

The Schimelpfenig Art 3 students got this opportunity, as they were selected as the overall collaborative winners. Their art hung alongside Carlisle Elementary, Wells Elementary, and Plano Senior High. This group, nicknamed "The Central Cluster Collaborative", included the Schim artists listed below.

Gabby D

Jacob D

Kourtney D

Joseph F

Taubesh H

Emma H

Reem M

Sophia S

Elim W

Please be sure to tell these students congratulations for a job well done when you see them this week. Their artwork along with a number of other pieces will be on display at the Robinson Fine Arts Center for the next couple of weeks. Stop by to see it if you have the chance!

The Schimelpfenig Robotics team, 12900 Quantum Claw, worked against all odds this weekend from dawn to dusk, finishing in an impressive 4th place out of 28 teams at the North Texas F&T League Tournament. The team made it to match 8 of 10 in the playoff rounds, and, thus, they will be advancing to the Lago Lewisville Semi-Area Championship on February 8th. There, they will face off against other area winning teams for a spot in the North Texas Area Championship.

We'd like to include a special thanks to our alliance partner team, Itkan Square One, as well as Clark Robotics and Ravenclaw Robotics for graciously lending us parts when our robot broke down.

Team Members at this tournament were:

Madhav A

Jordan B

Kensey B

Luke B

Prathamesh D

Greyson E

Ian G

Niv H

Joshua K

Tyler Y

Please continue to cheer on our engineers as they march onwards!

Do you have suggestions that would positively impact our school environment? Would you like to send a shout out to a staff member who has gone above and beyond for your student? Do you simply have a question that you would like to ask? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the Schim Community Suggestion Box is just for you!

Simply complete this form to share your thoughts and feedback! This is just another way to keep the line of communication open while we partner with you to make the educational experience for your students the very best that it can be. QR codes are available in the front office for you to use as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this process.

All students will take STAAR tests later this spring on the designated dates listed below. Please make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments for your student on these testing days. If you have any questions, please let me know.

April 10th: Reading/Language Arts 6-8 STAAR

April 15th: Science 8 STAAR

April 22nd: Social Studies 8 STAAR

April 29th: Math 6-8 STAAR & Algebra 1 EOC

The SMS PTA is currently taking donations for gift cards that will be used on campus for student recognition and staff incentives. If you would like to make a contribution, please sign up here.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

As we enter the holiday gifting season, many of you will take some time to clean out closets to make room for new items, and SMS PTA has the perfect place to donate your old and gently used clothing and toys! Please drop your discarded items into the blue World Wear bin located on campus in the front parking lot. Proceeds from our blue bin project will go directly back to the campus through programs and events for our students and staff. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

With the cooler weather, more of our families will be using the carpool lanes for arrival and dismissal each day. Knowing this, here are a few reminders on our arrival and dismissal procedures.

• Please adhere to the signs posted in the circular drive and on the streets.
• Students should always use the crosswalks when crossing the street.
• When exiting the carpool lane in front of the school in the morning, please turn right only.
• Please refrain from dropping off your student along Maumelle. When you stop, it hinders the flow of traffic and, more importantly, it could put your student's safety at risk if they need to cross the street.
• While in the carpool lane, please make sure to pull all the way forward along the curb before dropping off your student.
• Dropping off or picking up your student from the outside lane of the carpool is prohibited. This is a major safety issue, as students must cross in front of other cars to get to the sidewalk.
• Please refrain from using the parking lot next to the tennis courts as a drop off or pick up location. This parking lot is designated for special education students needing extra time and assistance.
• Please remember that our school zone is a phone-free zone, so please adhere to this.

By taking these small steps, we can ensure that all of our students arrive to and leave from school safely each day.

Thanks you for your continued partnership on this!

Many students are beginning to ask about clubs and organizations on campus. If your student would like to start a club, please let them know that they must first find a staff member to sponsor their club. The sponsor will then work with the student to complete a "Request to Meet" Laserfishe form on the PISD webdesk. This form must be initiated by the student. Once the form is approved, the student can make fliers to promote the club and set dates to meet.

We have shared this information with students through morning announcements and will review the process with students during presentations this week.

If you or your student needs additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.

I have had a number of parents who have asked if there is a Schim Staff favorites list available. The answer is yes! If you have times throughout the year when you would like to show appreciation or recognize a staff member in a special way, please feel free to reference the staff favorites list for ideas.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Like last year, students were issued chromebooks and chargers during the first three days of school. If damage is incurred on the device assigned to them or if your student's electronic device is lost or stolen at any point throughout the year, students will be held financially responsible. While it is our hope that we will not see any of these concerns this year, we want to still make you aware of the charges, so there are no surprises if a situation requiring payment arises. Please reach out to our campus technology specialist, William Brannon, should you have any questions.

Chromebook: $410

Chromebook Charger: $27.50

It is an expectation that your student's chromebook comes to school every day fully charged. In addition, chargers should be brought to campus daily, as there are no extra chargers in the classroom. This is a school-issued device and should be treated as such. Stickers and writing should not be placed on the device.

At the beginning of the year, parents are asked to complete some online information regarding your student through Parent Portal. Part of this information includes a Notice Regarding Directory Information and Parent's Response Regarding Release of Student Information Form. By district policy, the district may be required by law to release certain information about district students to anyone who follows the procedures for requesting the information unless the parent or guardian objects to the release of the information about this student. Therefore, it is very important that you complete these forms in Parent Portal if you have not already done so, so we have accurate information as to your wishes on the release of information regarding your student. If you have any questions regarding these forms or if you would like to confirm if you have completed this process, please reach out to Debbie Collins in the counseling office.

All students are required to wear their student ID badge at all times. This is a district policy for all secondary schools to ensure the safety and security of our campus. Following several serious incidents in the state of Texas over the last two years, Plano ISD and Schimelpfenig Middle School increased and improved badge and safety measures to ensure all students are easily identified. Students wearing their badges allow staff members to quickly and easily identify people that should not be on campus.

The district policy states that badges must be visible on a lanyard around the student's neck. Initially, a lanyard was issued to each student, but students may wear an alternate lanyard of their choosing if they prefer. Badges should not be cut, bent, or covered with stickers. Damage to the badge will result in a needed replacement.

The initial badge AND temporary badge are both issued for free. Replacement badges are $5. Replacement badges are issued from Mrs. Carthledge in the front office. If a student forgets his or her badge, then the student should report to the front office, and Mrs. Carthledge will issue a temporary sticker badge good for that day only. Each time a student forgets their ID and receives a temporary one constitutes a badge violation.

During the first couple of weeks, we gave our students grace and consistently reminded them that we would be assigning discipline for students who violate the badge expectation. If a student receives two or more badge violations in a five-day period, they receive Friday After Hours for that week. Friday After Hours takes place the last day of the week, usually on a Friday, from 3:50pm-5:50pm.

If you have questions regarding badges or the badge procedures, please let us know.

Cell phones and personal devices are not allowed anywhere on campus during the school day. This includes but is not limited to the classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, locker rooms, and bathrooms. If a student is caught using their cell phone during the school day, it will be taken up. Cell phones and personal devices are only allowed before school until 8:20 am and should then be powered off and put away until 3:40pm.

If you need to contact your student, you can call the front office at 469-752-6402 and we will get a message to them.

PHONE CONSEQUENCES:

• 1st offense: Teacher collects and returns at the end of the class period.

• 2nd offense: Teacher collects and returns at the end of the school day.

• 3rd offense: Teacher collects and turns into the front office. Your parent must come to the school to collect your phone.

• 4+ offenses: Teacher collects and turns into the front office. Administration handles from there.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the campus cell phone procedures.

• Shorts, including athletic shorts, must extend beyond the buttocks.

• No pajamas, houseshoes, or slippers may be worn to school.

• Excessively loose or tight garments are not acceptable.

• Underwear-type sleeveless shirts, spaghetti straps, tank/tube tops are not permitted.

• Hard-soled shoes must be worn at all times.

• Sunglasses, caps, hats, raised hoods, etc are not permitted.

• Students in violation of the student dress and grooming code will be expected to change to appropriate attire or will be subject to other disciplinary action.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

• Crop Tops - If your student raises their hand and you can see their stomach, the shirt is too short and will be asked to change.

• Shorts and Skirts - Bottoms must cover the entire buttocks area.

• Hoodies - Students can wear a jacket with a hood, but the hood must remain off their head during the school day or the student will have to take off the jacket.

• Hats - Any item that covers the head is not allowed. This includes baseball caps, beanies, etc. Religious coverings are allowed.

Matt Mitchell is the Campus Title IX Coordinator for the 2023-2024 school year. Mr. Mitchell will address employee and student concerns or inquiries regarding discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment. Reports can be made at any time and by any person, including during non-business hours, by mail, email or phone. During district business hours, reports may also be made in person.

Contact Information:

Matt Mitchell

matt.mitchell@pisd.edu

469-752-6411

Principal

Schimelpfenig Middle School

Email: kristen.kinnard@pisd.edu
Website: pisd.edu/schimelpfenig
Location: 2400 Maumelle Drive, Plano, TX, USA
Phone: 469-752-6410