Panther Parent Update

De Portola welcomes individuality by empowering and developing students’ communication, curiosity, and critical thinking skills through a growth mindset. We are Panthers! Rooooaaaarrrrrrrr!!

10/20 SGT Mtg 8:00am

10/20 Last Day of Quarter 1 Grading Period

10/20 Fall Carnival hosted by PrimeTime

10/25 Picture Make-up Day

10/27 Haunted House 5:00-8:00pm

10/31 Halloween (costumes allowed)

11/02 Minimum Day Dismissal at 2:00pm

11/03 Fall Dance during school hours

11/07 DP Foundation Mtg 6:00pm

11/10 NO SCHOOL

11/20 THANKSGIVING BREAK

As soon as we reported to SDUSD that we collected 100% of our LCFF forms (insert BIG CELEBRATION here) we were tasked with collecting Federal Impact Aid forms. LCFF provides funding for intervention services. Federal Impact Aid provides funding to assist school districts that enroll federally-connected students. While your family may not be federally-connected, we need information for ALL STUDENTS to ensure accurate percentages.

At your next opportunity, we ask you to please sign-in to the Parent Portal in PowerSchool and complete the short 30 second survey, following the steps below:

• Select Forms from the left-hand navigation menu, then select 2023-24 Impact Aid Program Survey Form.
• Follow the prompts and submit the form. Please be sure a confirmation appears before logging off.
• For parents using the PowerSchool mobile app, you can submit the survey using the app.
  
• If you need assistance, or do not yet have a Parent Portal account, please contact Mr. Steven at SFong@sandi.net.

I will continue to report our collection status until we reach 100%. Thank you for your support.

On Thursday, October 19, 2023, San Diego Unified School District, along with other school districts throughout California, will participate in the annual Great California ShakeOut. Through coordination from the Earthquake Country Alliance and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), we will be joining efforts to better prepare our students and staff in responding to an earthquake. All San Diego Unified schools and administrative sites will participate in the exercise. The district-wide drill will begin at 10:19 a.m. on October 19th. The purpose of this drill is to test the effectiveness of your Site Emergency Response Plan (SERP) and the district’s ability to notify and maintain communications with all of its sites during a simulated regional event.

Expectations of the following actions during the drill: Perform the Drop, Cover, and Hold Earthquake Procedure. This involves directing all students, staff, and visitors to take cover under a desk or table for 60 seconds by dropping to their knees with backs toward windows and protecting their heads using one arm, while using the other arm to hold onto the desk or table. After 60 seconds evacuate the buildings to the pre-designated on-site evacuation area. Once everyone is at their On-Site Evacuation Area, an accountability check will be performed. Once all students, staff, and visitors are accounted for, initiate the “All Clear” signal to return to the buildings.

Interested in being a part of the De Portola theater program? We will be having some audition workshops after school on Wednesday Oct 18, 25, and Nov 1 from 4-4:30 in Weiner Hall. The musical we will be doing this year is Matilda Jr.

All-Star Football is starting Wednesday with the 8th graders battling it out this week! Class period vs class period. Games will be played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week during lunch. Only the players will be allowed on the field, with spectators watching from behind the fence at the back bungalows. Spectators are encouraged to cheer for their classmates. Let's keep it positive and fun for all! Students may eat lunch behind the bungalows while watching the action provided that trash goes into one of the many trash cans that will be placed back there!

Parents are welcome to attend. Just sign in at the office at 1:00 and we will direct you to the back.

8th: Wed 10/18, Thurs 10/1, Fri 10/20
7th: Tues 10/24, Wed 10/25, Thurs 10/26
6th: Mon 10/30, Wed 11/1, Thurs 11/2

We have entered the time of year when SDUSD makes staffing adjustments across the district based on each site's enrollment and district funding. As of October 1, De Portola is anticipating a staffing reduction based on district funding despite our enrollment growing by 25 students this year. We are reviewing our master schedule to determine the least impact on our students. We will not get final staffing allocation information from SDUSD until October 16. I will be sure to send communication as we finalize details in the next few weeks.

PrimeTime is hosting a free Fall Carnival for all students. Please see the information below.

We are experiencing an increase in COVID cases and kindly ask you to keep your students home if they are experiencing symptoms. We know how important it is that your students attend school, but above all else, we prioritize the emotional and physical well-being of our entire student population. If you have any questions or concerns you can email our Nurse Lundy at jlundy1@sandi.net and she will get back to you as soon as possible. We have tests in the nurses office that your students can access at any time during the school day. The current list of COVID symptoms are as follows:

• fever or chills
• cough
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• fatigue muscle or body ache
• headache
• new loss of taste or smell
• sore throat

We currently have a vacancy for our Attendance Clerk. Miss Dora, Finance Clerk, and Mr. Steve, Site Tech, are filling in for now. Please email Miss Dora dbriggs@sandi.net or Mr. Steven sfong@sandi.net to report absences. Please be sure to state your students full name, grade level, date of birth, and specific reason for absence. You can also email them if you need to pick up your student early. Please provide at least a two hour notice to ensure that we can write and deliver a pass for your student. You can also call the school at 619-605-4800 and press 3 for attendance.

For the 2023-24 school year, De Portola Middle School will provide both BREAKFAST and LUNCH for all students. Breakfast will be served from 8:30-8:45 AM. Students just need their four digit PIN number, which can be found on their schedules.

All families must complete a meal application on paper or online even if your student does not eat cafeteria food. Meal Application and LCFF forms are used to determine funding for our schools. Please complete the forms in the packet.

If you want your student to be able to purchase additional items such as cookies and water bottles, please register at PayPams and you can add money to an account that will align with your child's lunch pin number.