Panther Parent 411

The last few weeks have been filled with LOTS of amazing accomplishments and accolades for our students here in Panther Country!! I am beyond excited to share these recognitions with you and the rest of our SMS community.

In addition, I have included some helpful information regarding STAAR testing and dates and times for our end-of-year celebrations and recognitions. The schedule for the last week of the semester along with additional details on our end of year activities will be shared in my next newsletter. Please read on for all of the details, and, as always, if you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Have an awesome week!

STAAR Testing continues this week! On Tuesday, April 22nd, all eighth graders will take the Social Studies STAAR. The Math STAAR test and the Algebra 1 EOC will be administered to all students on Tuesday, April 29th. Please make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments for your student on these days.

For both of these testing sessions, please make sure that your student brings their fully charged chromebook and charger with them, as the test is administered on these devices. In addition, students are encouraged to bring a sack lunch, a water bottle, and a book to read after testing. The cafeteria will still be open for purchases during breakfast and lunch. In order to maintain an optimal testing environment, we will be unable to deliver lunches and other items to testing rooms, so please make every effort to ensure that your student has these items with them when they arrive to campus. Finally, we want all of our students to do their very best and prepare as they normally would for an important test by getting to bed early and eating a healthy breakfast. Testing rooms will open at 8:15am, and testing will begin shortly after school begins at 8:25am, so please plan to arrive a little earlier than usual on these mornings.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Please review the following Electronic Device Guidelines again with your student prior to their next testing date.

During state testing, students are not allowed to have or access prohibited electronic devices. Electronic devices include, but are not limited to: cell phones/smartphones and any device, including digital watches, that can be used to record, transmit, receive, or play back audio, photographic, text, or video content.

• Each Test Administrator will ask students to power off and place any cell phone/electronic device in a backpack or turn them into a designated location in the room.
• Students may access electronic devices after the Test Administrator announces that ALL testing is complete on the campus.
• When possible, we encourage that personal electronic devices and smart watches be kept at home on testing days or be powered off and placed inside of the student’s backpack upon arrival.
• Please be advised that Academic Dishonesty (cheating) is defined as "any attempt to give or obtain assistance". This involves unauthorized use of information, materials, devices, sources, or practices when completing an assessment.
• If the incident is a violation of Academic Dishonesty, students may be assigned a campus consequence according to the Plano ISD Student Code of Conduct and their test may be invalidated (the student will not receive test results).

As always, if you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.

On Monday, April 28th, at the end of the school day, we will have our Practice Run for Tuesday's Math STAAR & Algebra 1 EOC. Please see the Practice Run Adjusted Bell Schedule for any changes to lunch times and daily class schedules.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Please see the list of important dates below and mark your calendar, so you can plan accordingly. If you have any questions about any of these upcoming events, please do not hesitate to let me know.

• 05/16: Sixth & Seventh Grade Awards Assembly
• 05/20: Eighth Grade "Breakfast & Books" (before school - Serving will begin @ 7:15am. )
• 05/20: NJHS Induction @ 6pm
• 05/21: Eighth Grade Awards Ceremony @ 6:30pm
• 05/22: Eighth Grade Spring Social (Dance) 6pm-8pm
• 05/23: Chromebook Return
• 05/23: Eighth Grade Activity Day
• 05/23: Sixth and Seventh Grade Yearbook Signing
• 05/23: Last Day of School!! (Half Day - Dismissal @ 12:40pm)

Please join PTA in supporting our school at the Scotty P's Spirit Night ALL DAY event, beginning at 11am on Sunday, April 27th. It's a wonderful and easy way to give back to our campus. Please see the flyer below for more details.

The SMS PTA is currently taking donations for gift cards that will be used on campus for end of year student recognitions and staff appreciation. If you would like to make a contribution, please sign up here and drop off your donation by Monday, May 5th, in the SMS front office .

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

We've all been there! Back-to-school sneaks up on us, and suddenly we're running from store to store trying to find supplies. But what if you could check it off your list today?

1st Day School Supplies make it easy. In just a few clicks, you can order the exact supplies your teacher requested, packaged in a beautiful new box and delivered on time, stress-free! The BEST part is a portion of the proceeds go to our Schim PTA to help support our students and staff!

Order Here: https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/gs/105068.

All rising seventh grade students (current sixth graders) will require the following immunizations by the first day of the 2025-2026 school year.

• Meningococcal Vaccine – One dose required on or after 11th birthday

• Tdap Vaccine (Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis) – Booster dose required if at least 5 years have passed since the last dose of a tetanus-containing vaccine.

Proof of these immunizations will be required to begin school for the 2025-2026 school year. A hold will be placed on your student's schedule for the 25-26 school year if proof of immunizations is not received before schedule release in early August. Please check your child’s immunization records now and provide proof of immunization to our school nurse as soon as the vaccine is received, as this will provide faster service for your student’s schedule release.

If you have questions or need further assistance with vaccination records, please contact our School Nurse Melanie Humenesky at melanie.humenesky@pisd.edu or visit http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/default.shtm for more information.

Plano Senior High will be offering Summer Basketball Camp for middle school students June 2nd through June 5th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm each day. The camp is open to both boys and girls who are interested in working on their basketball skills and technique. Registration is live, and space is limited. Please see the flyer below for additional details on how to register.

Congratulations to the cast & crew of SMS's one-act play performance of Danny, King of the Basement. They placed SECOND overall at the Theatre UIL competition last Tuesday, bringing home the silver for the second year in a row! In addition, several students also took home individual awards including:

• Rachel D (on sound crew) - Outstanding Crew Technician
• Jett F (as Angelo) - All Star Cast Member
• Jordan B (as Danny) - All Star Cast Member
• Grace G (as Louise) - Best Performer (1st place overall!)

Thanks to these students and their wonderful director, Ms. Wallace, for all of their hard work and dedication in preparing for this performance! We appreciate all of the time and effort that they put in to make this an amazing show.

Way to represent, Panthers! Thanks for being a class act!

On Saturday, April 12th, twenty of our talented art students represented Schimelpfenig at the Jr. VASE art contest, and we are excited to announce that all 20 students received the top score of 4 on a 1-4 point scale and earned medals for their outstanding artwork.

This is an incredible accomplishment that highlights their creativity, dedication, and hard work.

Please take a moment to congratulate the amazing artists listed below when you see them. We are so proud of their success!

• Kensey B
• Gabrielle D
• Shaylin D
• Jacob D
• Caitlyn F
• Maya H
• Taubesh H
• Olivia H
• Emma H
• Sophie K
• Drisen K
• Anuki K
• Addisyn L
• Valerie O
• Fia S
• Grace T
• Safiya T
• Sage W
• Elim W
• Ethan X

Way to represent, Panthers! We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished.

What are GREAT DAY to be a PANTHER!! Our student athletes rocked it at the city track meet on at the beginning of this month. There were LOTS of PERSONAL RECORDS as well as LOTS of NEW SCHOOL AND CITY RECORDS!!! Please congratulate the following athletes who competed in the meet and brought home awards and special accolades!!!

7th Grade Girls – 3rd Place overall TEAM

High Jump – Tessa O -5’0” – TIED BOTH SCHOOL RECORD AND CITY MEET RECORDS – 1st

Long Jump – Tessa O - 15” 1 ½ ” - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 1st

Discus – Addie S - 56' – 6th

200M Hurdles – Tessa O - 30.49 seconds - NEW SCHOOL AND CITY MEET RECORDS – 1st

100M Dash – Addie S. - 14.34 seconds – 6th

400M – Tessa O - 1:00.88 - NEW SCHOOL AND CITY MEET RECORDS - 1st

800M Run – Tessa O - 2:45.19 - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 2nd

4x200 Relay – 2:01.04 – Otoha A., Addie S., Summer T., & Nicole L. – 3rd

8th Grade Girls – 4th Place overall TEAM

Discus – Eyla H - 84’9“ - 3rd place

High Jump – Evelyn P – 5’2” - NEW PERSONAL RECORD AND NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 1st

Triple Jump – Lola L - 29’6” – 4th

Long Jump – Hannah D - 14’7 ½ ” – NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 4th

Lola L - 13’2” – 6th

100 Hurdles – Hannah D - 15:50 seconds - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 1st

Aarna G - 18.14 seconds – 5th

4x100 400 Relay – 55.89 seconds - Evelyn P., Anvi T, Megan B, & Lola L. – 6th

4X200 800 Relay – 1:55.53 - Evelyn P., Anvi T., Megan B., Hannah D. – 2nd

4x400 1600 Relay – 4:45.97 - Evelyn P, Lola L., Blaire B., Hannah D. – 3rd

7th Grade Boys

Discus- Oliver P. - 84’2” - NEW PERSONAL RECORD – 6th

High Jump – Dylan D. - 4’10” – NEW PERSONAL RECORD & TIED SCHOOL RECORD – 3rd

Triple Jump – Kaleb N. - 33’8” – NEW PERSONAL RECORD AND NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 2nd

100M Dash – Dylan D. - 12.23 seconds - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 4th

200M Dash – Dylan D. - 25.26 seconds - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 3rd

4X100 400 Relay – 51.89 seconds - Milin V., Carter W., Merlin M., Dylan D. – 6th

8th Grade Boys - 6th Place Overall TEAM

Discus – Devin G. - 114’5” - NEW PERSONAL RECORD – 5th

Shot Put – John M. - 39’0” - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 3rd

Devin G. - 37’8” – 6th

200M Dash – Jackson L. - 25.14 seconds – 6th

400M Dash – Jackson L. - 57.74 seconds – 3rd

4x100 400 Relay – 49.50 seconds - Zeke P., Jadrian Y., Bryson T., Riley M. – 6th

4X200 800 Relay – 1:44.58 – Zeke P., Christian R., Andrew J., Riley M. – 6th

4x400 1600 Relay – 4:12.86 – John Y, Andrew J., Joshua C., Jackson L. – 3rd

Long Jump – Andrew J - 17’9” - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 1st

Long Jump – Riley M - 17’1” – 4th

Shotput – John M - 40’1” - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 1st

400M – Jackson L - 54:52 seconds - NEW SCHOOL RECORD – 3rd

Way to go, Panthers! We are proud of you!!

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.

We only have two STAAR test dates remaining for the 24-25 school year. 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 22nd: Social Studies 8 STAAR

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

Plano Senior High will be hosting their annual sports physical day on Wednesday, May 7th, from 3:30pm to 6:00pm. Middle school athletes are encouraged to attend between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. The cost is $20. Please click on the athletic physical link for additional details including registration information, event location, and required online forms.

The Plano ISD Athletic Department will be hosting Plano Performance Course this summer to elevate your student's athletic abilities!

This program will run from Monday,June 2nd, through Thursday, July 24th. Whether you're looking to improve your performance in your current sport or push yourself to the next level, this program is designed to help you get bigger, faster, and stronger. Expert trainers will guide you through personalized training to help you reach your full potential. Please see the flyer below for additional details.

If you have any questions, please contact our athletic director, Chris Brochtrup, at chris.brochtrup@pisd.edu or our girls coordinator, Amber Hohman, at amber.hohman@pisd.edu.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to become the best version of yourself!

The front doors open at 7:50am, and our first bell rings at 8:20am. First period begins at 8:25am when the tardy bell rings. Students must be in class at this time or they will be marked tardy.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

As we begin our spring cleaning, 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