The Panther Pulse

Pershing Middle School Community Newsletter: Vol. 2, Issue 7

Principal's Message

JMUN

Psychologist resources

Hello Pershing Families,

Last week was a busy one! First, a big thank you to all the families that attended our Back to School Night. We had over 600 families in attendance! If you missed BTSN not to worry, CLICK HERE to view the presentation that was shared with families at the general session and you are always welcome to reach out to your child's individual teachers if you have any additional questions.

I also want to give a shout out to our ASB and to all the students that participated in our first spirit week of the 2023-24 school year. There are some great pictures below of students showing off their school spirit! And a big thank you to Ms. Robe, our ASB advisor for organzing and advertising this event.

As we move into our second month of school we want to remind families that PowerSchool Parent Portal is a key resource you can utilize to check your child's attendance and grades. Our goal is to have 100% of families using ParentPortal. If you run into any trouble activating your ParentPortal account please contact our Site Tech Ms. Stephanie Kamp at skamp@sandi.net.

And finally to our families who observed Rosh Hashanah this weekend we wish you Shana Tova!

Sincerely,

Melanie Kray

PANTHERS HAVE SPIRIT!

zoom_out_map

MAKE YOUR PANTHER PLEDGE TODAY!

zoom_out_map

Pershing Families You Are Amazing!

The Foundation's Panther Pledge Fundraiser has just passed the $20,000 mark thanks to your generous donations but there is still more work to do to ensure the Foundation has enough funding available to pay for all the exciting activities we have planned. Therefore we will be extending the Panther Pledge Drive one more week so please share that donation link with friends and families and make sure you make your pledge today - remember every little bit helps!

DONATION LINKS:

PAYPAL: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=CXCJYPUVVQ4D2

Please include your panther’s name when prompted!

VENMO: https://www.venmo.com/u/PershingMiddleSchoolFdn

Please put “Panther Pledge for “ and your panther’s name in the notes!

A reminder that the Panther Pledge is a suggest $75 donation. Money raised through the Panther Pledge goes directly to students and pays for the following activities this school year:

6th Grade Camp Scholarships so we can continue to be one of the few middle schools in SDUSD who send our 6th graders to camp
7th Grade Enrichment Experience
8th Grade Promotion and End of Year Activities
Field trips, guest speakers, teacher stipends to support enrichment activities in the classroom (ex. science teachers used their stipend last year to create a garden to give students hands on experience with botany).

Important Announcements for the Week of September 18

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC) MEETING ON TUESDAY @3:00 PM in the Library

Our first SSC meeting of the new school year is happening

MODEL UNITED NATIONS (JMUN) INTEREST MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY

Is your child interested in participating in Model UN? There will be an informational meeting in Room 702 during lunch on Wednesday to gauge student interest level and with the goal of forming a student delegation to attend the JMUN Conference.

REMIND STUDENTS TO BRING FULLY CHARGED CHROMEBOOKS TO SCHOOL

As a 1-to-1 device school is is imperative that students bring their chromebooks with them to school every day fully charged. In the past week we have noticed an increase, particularly among our sixth graders, in the number of students leaving chromebooks at home or not bringing them to school charged. We are asking that you double-check with your child to make sure they are charging their chromebook nightly and ensuring the chromebook is packed with their school supplies in the morning. This is a great opportunity to discuss the Panther PRIDE characteristic of Responsibility with them.

SAVE THE DATE: 6TH GRADE CAMP PARENT MEETING OCT 5

Sixth grade families we will be hosting a 6th Grade Camp Parent Meeting on Thursday, Oct 5 at 6:00 PM both in person and via zoom. In order to better help the school and Pershing Foundation plan for this event please CLICK HERE and complete the sixth grade camp interest form.

UPDATE ON THE SCHOOL PLAY

A big thank you to community volunteer Tracy Carson for taking once again taking on the producer for your Pershing's School Play. This year's play will be Shrek Jr. and Ms. jessica Caputo will be back as our productions director. Auditions for the school play will take place in November. As the audition date gets closer more details will follow.

DID YOU MISS FALL PICTURE DAY?

If your child was absent or unable to get their picture taken on Fall Picture Day, the make day has been scheduled for October 10.

DID YOU KNOW WEDNESDAYS ARE PANTHER SPIRIT DAYS?!

Every Wednesday is a Panther Spirit Day. Students are encouraged to wear Panther gear or Pershing colors (maroon, grey, black or white). Our online store is now open, check out all the latest deals and ensure your child is ready for our spirit days! A big shout out to our staff we had nearly 100% of our teachers and support staff wear their Pershing gear last Wednesday! Students, looking forward to seeing you in your Panther gear this Wednesday.

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Pro-Tip: Click on the maroon "Middle School Athletics" bar above to visit the district's MSA webpage.

Middle School Athletes Basketball kicked off this past weekend. Congratulations to our Boys teams for the 29-14 victory over Clark and their 23-14 win over Taft. Our Girls team fought hard but came up short against Bethune and Bell. A big thank you to Jeri Harden for sending in the team photo and update on the games.

Families please feel free to send Ms. Kray updates on the games so we can recognize all our Pershing athletes!

Next week, Track and Field kicks off their first track meet at Patrick Henry HS and the Boys and Girls Basketball Teams enter their second week of League Play.

FAMILY RESOURCE CORNER

pdf

insert_drive_file

Tips for connecting with your MS student.pdf

Download

113.1 KB

Not All Conflict is Bullying: Teaching Students the Difference

Everyday conflict can get in the way of academics in the middle grades. Kids need to learn the essential social competencies that will allow them to get back to productive learning.

edutopia.org

School Attendance, Truancy & Chronic Absenteeism: What Parents Need to Know

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents to reduce unnecessary absences, learn about attendance policies where they live, and prioritize getting their kids to school on time, every day. Get tips here.

healthychildren.org

IMPORTANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Pro-Tip: Click the maroon bar above to access Pershing's Student and Family Handbook

PrimeTime Before & After School Care Program

Space is still available if you would like to sign your child up to participate in our PrimeTime programs. Click on the maroon bar above to access the application. Info is also available on our school website.

Panther Gear Online Spirit Store

Panther Spirit Gear is on sale now! All students and staff are encouraged to wear Panther Gear at school every Wednesday. Order yours today. Delivery takes 2-3 weeks. Click on the red bar above to visit the online store.

Get Involved, Join the Pershing Foundation!

zoom_out_map

We are fortunate to have a very active parent community and an engaged foundation that works tirelessly to ensure our school has the funds it needs to allow our students to have enriching academic experiences beyond the typical program.

Please consider joining and supporting the Pershing Foundation. Their first meeting is Wednesday, September 13 @6:30 PM in the library. For your convenience the meeting will also be accessible on zoom so families who cannot attend in person will be able to participate (zoom link will be shared in later newsletters).

Email: pershingfoundation@outlook.com

Website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/pershingpanthers