Plano ISD

FOUR-TIME NATIONAL SPELLING BEE FINALIST! ???? Rice Middle School?student Faizan Zaki continues to make history! ?? Last weekend, he won the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee, held at the WFAA studio in Dallas, and has earned his FOURTH consecutive trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.! After six rounds, he won the championship by correctly spelling the word "Nephthytis". Faizan finished as the national runner-up in last year's national competition. From May 26 to June 1, he'll take the national stage again, competing against the country’s best spellers. Plano ISD is buzzing with pride and we wish Faizan the best at the National Bee! ?? #TeamPlanoISD

"I have a calling. I discovered when I was really young that I wanted to be a teacher.” ?? Learn more about what inspired Carpenter Middle School Teacher of the Year Yamilys Domenech in this week's edition of #WhyITeachWednesday. #TeamPlanoISD

Plano ISD was proud to team up with Google over the last few days to host three Online Safety Roadshows for 6th Graders at Rice Middle School, Haggard Middle School and Murphy Middle School. The engaging presentation included tips on how to be: ?? Smart – Think before they share. ?? Alert – Spot fake content and scams. ?? Strong – Protect their personal information. ?? Kind – Spread positivity online. ?? Brave – Speak up against bullying and harmful content. Special thanks to the City of Plano Mayor John Muns for also stopping by! #TeamPlanoISD #TeamUpTuesday

Plano ISD honors the legacy of former Plano Mayor James Muns, a dedicated leader and cherished member of our community who passed away this week. Serving as mayor from 1992 to 1996, Mr. Muns left a lasting impact on Plano, a city he and his late wife, Dr. Betty Muns, called home for over five decades. The Muns family has a strong connection to Plano ISD. His son, John Muns, currently serves as the mayor of Plano and previously contributed to our district as a trustee and board president. As longtime patrons of the arts, James and Betty Muns are celebrated through the naming of the Betty and James Muns Orchestra Pit at the Plano ISD Robinson Fine Arts Center—a fitting tribute to their enduring support of education and the arts. Additionally, the Betty and James Muns Foundation has been a valued community partner of the Plano ISD Education Foundation, supporting initiatives that enhance educational opportunities for our students. We acknowledge James Muns’ contributions to our city and his lasting legacy in Plano ISD. His dedication to our community will continue to inspire future generations.

It's?#FanFriday, and we're celebrating the hard work and commitment from several teachers and campuses! ?? Plano ISD recognized excellence across the district this week with the Powered by Learning Caravan, a special initiative recognizing outstanding student growth and achievement. The caravan traveled to various schools, surprising teachers, grade-level teams and entire schools that demonstrated exceptional growth on the middle-of-the-year Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments. Check out the full list of award recipients: https://lnkd.in/gduKGNvx #TeamPlanoISD

?? TOUCHDOWN FOR A PLANO ISD TEACHER! ?? Earlier this week, The Dallas Cowboys and Reliant Energy stopped by Plano East Senior High School for a special surprise, and they weren’t empty-handed! ???? Anthony Ruttenburg, a standout Special Education Teacher, was honored as the Cowboys Class Acts Award recipient for February! ?? Known for his dedication, leadership and passion for empowering students, Mr. Ruttenburg truly embodies what it means to make a difference in the classroom. To celebrate, former Cowboys Offensive Lineman Joe Looney presented him with a game ball ?? and a custom Cowboys jersey, talk about VIP treatment! Plano East also scored big with a $4,000 grant to support its students. Thank you, Mr. Ruttenburg, for always going above and beyond to support our students!??? ?? Check out the sights and sounds from this unforgettable day! #TeamPlanoISD #ThoughtfulThursday

What an inspiring way to conclude our series of Leadership & Ambassador Program (LAP) sessions! We dove deep into Plano ISD Strategic Plan Pillar 4: Culture of Community. The day included: ?? On-Site Exploration: This month's session took place at the Bird Welcome & Enrollment Center, where LAP members explored the facility firsthand. From enrollment processes and services to community engagement, every corner held a story of connection and collaboration. ?? Facility Initiatives: A behind-the-scenes look at the center's initiatives showcased the heart of services provided. ?? Crafting Leadership Definitions: The LAP team put on their thinking caps to craft leadership definitions. These will serve as guiding lights for future LAP participants, ensuring a strong foundation for leadership rooted in community values. ??? Communications Update: Members got an overview of the district's communication and community outreach efforts to build and retain a cohesive, positive culture of trust. ??? Safety & Security Update: Our commitment to a secure environment was underlined with a comprehensive safety and security update from our Chief of Safety and Security Operations. ?? Insights from the Plano ISD Council of PTAs: Plano ISD Council of PTAs President Jeri Duncan provided insights on the mission and vision, as well as future initiatives. We can't wait to celebrate their completion at next month's graduation, which will be held at the City of Plano’s Courtyard Theater! Are you interested in being a member of Leadership & Ambassador Class 5? Stay tuned, the application window is right around the corner! #TeamPlanoISD

“When I see my students growing into masterful musicians and well-rounded individuals, it brings me so much pride and inspires me to continue working on myself as an individual and being a role model, an educator that shows up with joy every single day on the job.” Learn more about the power of music and teaching from this week's #WhyITeachWednesday nominee, Hughston Elementary Teacher of the Year Dawn Burney. ???? #TeamPlanoISD

?? March is National Music in Our Schools Month. Thank you to all of our music educators for your endless dedication to inspire our students’ music development! Plano ISD music ensembles are consistently recognized and the district has been named a Best Community for Music Education for a number of years. ?? #TeamPlanoISD

Several Plano ISD Computer Science students visited Google's Addison office today for expert insight into the engineering and IT industries. ???? Thank you to Google for the invitation! #TeamPlanoISD