The Panther Pulse

I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed getting to know your children this week and how impressed I have been with them. They have definitely started this school year ready to learn! I am also proud to report we have had zero issues with cell phones this week - the time you took to speak with your children about the new policy really made an impact - thank you!

Another thing that was also noteable this week was the kindness I saw on display over and over again from students. I saw eighth graders helping sixth graders locate their classes when they looked lost. During sixth grade lunch, I saw a sixth grader notice another student sitting alone and walk over and invite that student to their table so they wouldn't be alone anymore, and finally I heard a lot of laughter and excitement. We are off to a great start - be sure to check out some of the pictures below from our first week!

The biggest issue we have been battling this past week has been the weather. As you know, temperatures are expected to continue to be high again this coming week. Please remind your child(ren) to hydrate and bring additional water with them to school. During lunch we will also have several air conditioned "cool zones" available, like the library, students can go to just like we did last week.

As some of you may already be aware, we have had some issues with air conditioning working intermittently in certain classrooms. The District is aware and has already been out to the site to work on resolving the problem. We have purchased additional fans for classrooms and have been trying to move classes to other air conditioned spaces whenever possible if the A/C goes out. Hopefully after this week temperatures will begin to cool down. Looking forward to a fabulous Week 2 - we've got this Panthers!

NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th - LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

A friendly reminder that there is no school on Monday, September 5th due to the Labor Day Holiday. We look forward to seeing your child(ren) on Tuesday, September 6th when school resumes.

REPORTING AN ABSENCE

Please remember if your child is absent from school to contact the office to clear the absence. The easiest way to report the absence is to email our School Clerk that oversees attendance Ms. Devin Caputo at dcaputo@sandi.net. You may also leave a voicemail for Ms. Caputo by calling 619-362-3624 and dailing 1, or you may write a note and have your child turn it into the office upon your return..

Also, if you child is going to be missing more than five days of school please contact Ms. Caputo so we can set up a short-term independent study contract and ensure yoru child stays on track with assignments.

STUDENT DROP OFF IN THE MORNINGS

Please DO NOT drop off your child(ren) in the middle of the street on San Carlos Drive - it is extremely dangerous and we do not want any children to be hit by cars and injured. We had several near misses this week. We also know that the street was recently repaved and the city has not yet had a chance to paint in the crosswalk which also makes the situation more challenging. We appreciate your patience and support on this.

UPDATED SCHOOL DEPARTURE PLAN

Students may leave campus at the end of each school day through any of the three designated exits on campus closest to their last period of the day. Students may also exit campus at one of the three designated exits on campus where a parent/guardian has arranged to pick up your student

The three designated exits are:

• Roundabout gate(west side of campus)
• Main entrance(please do not come in the parking lot)
• The service ramp gate to the east

We hope this will alleviate any confusion and simplify the departure at the end of the day

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH IS A REGULAR DAY BELL SCHEDULE

In order the help facilitate students' transition back to school we will be on a regular day bell everyday for the first two weeks of school. School will begin every day at 8:00 AM and end every day at 2:50 PM including Wednesdays. Beginning Wednesday, September 14th, Wednesday will shift to our modified day bell schedule (see below) and students will start at 8:00 AM and be released at 1:45 PM every Wednesday.

OUR FIRST SPIRIT WEEK IS APPROACHING - PANTHERS MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT (Sept 12-16)

• Monday, Sept 12: Military Monday in honor of 9/11: wear red, white, & blue
• Tuesday, Sept 13: Twin Tuesday: match with one or more of your classmates
• Wednesday, Sept 14: Wacky Wednesday: bring your materials to school in "anything but a backpack"
• Thursday, Sept 15: Theatrical Thursday: dress as your favorite movie, book, video character
• Friday, Sept 16: Fan Friday: wear your favorite sports team gear

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT IS MOVING TO SEPT 22ND

We are moving our Back to School Night to Thursday, September 22 because our original date was the same night as Gage Elementary and we wanted to ensure that our families would not have to chose between the two and could attend both events.

SCHEDULE CHANGES

This week counselors will be working to ensure that classrooms are balanced and that we are meeting all contractual classroom and student contact caps for teachers. This may mean that some students' schedules will be changing. To the best of our ability we will try to make the adjustments as minimally impactful as possible.

PANTHERS DO YOU STILL HAVE TEXTBOOKS OR BOOKS FROM LAST SCHOOL YEAR?

If your Pershing student has one or more textbooks checked out to them from previous years, you may return these textbooks to the Pershing Library Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. If there are any additional questions, please call Jakalah Jones at 619-362-3550 or email her at jjones7@sandi.net. Thank you in advance for your support.

PERSHING WEBSITE: MAKING PROGRESS BUT STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

Over the next month I am going to be working with IT staff to update and streamline our school website to make it more user friendly. The website still remains a good place to find important information about the school but other good sources of information about the upcoming school year can be found in these weekly newsletters and please follow us on Instagram @pershing_sdusd or follow me on Twitter @melanie_kray for the latest information.

Sept 5: Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)

Sept 7: Middle School Sports tryouts for Basketball and Track (you should have received an email from the district with details about the tryout if your child signed up)

Sept 13: Fall Picture Day (make picture day will be Oct. 18)

Sept 14: Pershing Parent Foundation Meeting @6:30 PM (they will occur the 2nd Wednesday of every month)

Sept 19: School Site Council (SSC) @3:00 PM

Sept 21: Coffee with the Principal @8:30 AM (first one will be via zoom and then alternate zoom and in-person meetings)

Sept 22: Back to School Night @6:00 PM

Oct 7: PR1 Grading Period Ends

Oct 12: Pershing Parent Foundation Meeting @6:30 PM

Oct 13: SLIM Parent Night @6:00 PM

Nov 18: PR2 Grading Period Ends

March 20-24: 6th Grade Camp