Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd.  Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org, including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.  This year, the theme is Invest in Our Planet.  Visit the Earth Day website at Earth Day 2022 | Invest in Our Planet™ for information on how you can celebrate and help #InvestInOurPlanet.

• Thursday, April 14th: Multicultural Day for students at Schimelpfenig  Students will spend the day learning about other cultures from their fellow students and participating in multi-cultural activities.  Each grade-level will have an extended one-hour lunch.  Food trucks will be available for students to purchase food if they wish (school lunch and bringing lunch are still options).  Food truck offerings will include gyros, sushi, Korean BBQ, seafood, chicken fingers and Kona Ice. 
• Friday, April 15th: Student/Teacher Holiday  Enjoy the three-day weekend!  Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
• Monday, April 18th: Inclement Weather Make-up Day Students and staff have school!
• Wednesday, April 20th: SMS PTA General Membership Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Schimelpfenig MS library Please join us for a Membership Meeting and Election of officers for the 2022-23 school year!  If you are planning to attend, please sign up through your account at smspta.org.  It will help us to know the number of people attending, as the school will be providing dessert and beverages to celebrate Volunteer Appreciation.
• Monday, April 25th: Student Holiday/Staff Work Day No school for students!

The SMS PTA Nominating Committee has slated the following individuals to be considered for election for the 2022-2023 school year: 

• President - Nupoor Dave
• VP Programs - Snehal Gudadhe  
• VP Membership -  Ioana Radulescu
• VP Volunteers - Abbie Furrow
• VP Communications - Teri Ellis
• Treasurer - Kelly Jo Wilson-Day
• Secretary - Nickol Gallovich

Please plan to join us on April 20th at 6:00 p.m. in the Schimelpfenig Middle School library for the election, meeting, and volunteer appreciation treat from the administration!  

Schimelpfenig PTA is offering a $500 scholarship in support of the higher education goals of graduating Plano ISD seniors who are alumni of Schimelpfenig Middle School.

In order to be eligible for a scholarship, an applicant must meet all of the following qualifications:

● Is a senior who will graduate in 2022 from a Plano ISD school.

● Attended Schimelpfenig Middle School from grades 6-8

● Must be a current student member of their high school PTSA

● Will be enrolled and attend full-time in an accredited college or a technical institute in the summer or fall immediately following high school graduation.

● Submit a completed application by April 15.

Details and application form are HERE. Questions?  Email Karen at membership@smspta.org.

Sign up for the Great American Cleanup on Saturday, April 23rd!  Help keep Plano beautiful by picking up litter for a couple of hours, then head to Chase Oaks Church for the after party. Register from March 21-April 17, sign up early to choose your favorite location, and reserve litter sticks. 

Our Spring Social on Friday was a lot of fun!  We had 400+ students in attendance, a great turnout!  The DJ from Party Time Texas, the photo booth from Marky Booth, and the Mister Softee ice cream truck were all huge hits with the students!  Thank you to all the wonderful parent volunteers, administrators and staff -- Ms. Kinnard, Ms. Goodwin, Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Wahl, Mr. Schlosser, Ms. Zhang, Ms. Cano, Officer Chris -- and custodial staff who helped with planning, selling tickets, manning the bathroom hallway and concession stand, helping with the ice cream truck line (Ms. Kinnard & Ms. Cano -- it was quite the crush!), general crowd control, and cleanup.  We were thrilled to be able to finally have this social event for our Schimelpfenig students and hope that everyone had a wonderful time.

With the recent increase in illness, all grade levels are in need of boxes of facial tissue/kleenex and disinfecting wipes. Please consider making a donation. Students can bring the items to the front office to be distributed to classrooms.  Parents and students also can bring items to drop off during Open House.  The teachers and students thank you!

Forty state PTAs signed on with almost 2,000 organizations to a national letter urging the USDA to extend its nationwide waiver authority through the 2022-23 school year.  Check out the full letter here: CN_Waiver_SignOnFeb2022.pdf (frac.org)

What do your kids know about money? Jen Hemphill, host of Her Dinero Matters podcast, joins this episode of Notes from the Backpack to share tips on how to talk about money with children of all ages, and how you can help them to become financially responsible. Listen now.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association have officially declared a national emergency in children and adolescent mental health.  National PTA is calling on Congress and the Administration to take immediate action!  Urge your elected officials to prioritize youth suicide prevention and vote "Yes" on the STANDUP Act.

Safer Internet Day is an international education and awareness-raising effort, celebrated in over 100 countries. Led by ConnectSafely in the United States, it is a day to bring communities together to discuss challenges families face navigating the digital world, and empowers them to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. This year's U.S. theme is Improving Well-Being Online. Join PTA Connected throughout the week of February 7-11 for virtual events designed to teach us all how to talk about technology and use it to spread kindness and build community: Safer Internet Day - Events | National PTA.  Additional virtual events throughout the week are available on the ConnectSafely website at: Safer Internet Day Programs for Home & School - ConnectSafely

Why Aren't There More Black Teachers? Most people can count on one hand the number of Black teachers they had during their school years. Our recent podcast guest Sharif El-Mekki is working to change that.  Listen here:  Why Aren't There More Black Teachers | National PTA