The Panther Pulse

It was another great week at Pershing Middle School. A friendly reminder that final grades for Semester 1 are now visible in PowerSchool's Parent Portal.

We are now in the second semester and grades have reset. It will be important that students keep on top of their assignments and make sure work is gettin submitted on time to teachers. Please make sure you or your child are communicating with their teachers if you have any questions or concerns.

I also wanted to share how excited we were to welcome our future Panthers! The fifth graders from Benchley, Dailard, Gage, and Green Elementaries along with some of their parents visited the campus this week for a presentation and campus tour. I am so proud of our ASB students and our 6th grade ambassadors who served as tour leaders.

I also want to give a shout out to our amazing parent foundation and board for all the work they do behind the scenes. Last week students who were top fundraisers for our Cherrydale fundraiser enjoyed their dance party and limo lunch trip to In and Out. We raised nearly $15,000! Our school is ucky to have such engaged and generous families - thank you!!!

Sincerely,

Melanie Kray

ARTICULATION FOR CURRENT 6th AND 7th GRADERS

Our counseling team will be meeting with current 6th & 7th grade students to review courses and elective offerings for the 2023-24 school year. Your child(ren) will be coming home with their articulation cards for you to review. Please contact your child's counselor if you have any questions.

FAMILY NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY

Parents/Guardians, in preparation for our 2023-24 budget development, we are requesting your input regarding the needs of our site that will help inform future budgeting conversations and decision-making processes. The site will use information from this needs assessment to develop budgets and strategies for the 2023-24 school year. All surveys received will be reviewed by the site. The School Site Council will review priorities and provide input to ensure our LCFF dollars are used in a way that best supports the needs of our students.

Your time and input are appreciated as we consider our budgeting needs for the 2023-24 school year.

Please complete this form by Friday, February 3rd.

PERSHING 2ND ANNUAL COOKBOOK

Share a recipe... family favorite, something you can't live without, or something that represents your heritage.
The google from is open until the end of February. Link to the google form has been given out in history classes.
https://forms.gle/iAfMU9ZpeFMcNUsC8

Tdap VACCINATION NEEDED FOR ALL FUTURE 7th GRADERS

A friendly reminder that before students can enter 7th grade they need a Tdap booster. We know how challenging it can be to get appointments so if your child is currently in 6th grade don't forget to ask your physician about scheduling their Tdap booster.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15 IS A REGULAR BELL SCHEDULE DAY

For planning purposes we wanted to remind all families that Wednesday, February 15th is a regular bell schedule day not a modified day. School will end at 2:50 PM that day.

PERSHING FOUNDATION UPDATE - STAY CONNECTED

There a lots of a ways to stay involved and support Pershing Middle School starting with our fabulous Pershing Parent Foundation. Be sure to check out their website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/ and visit them on facebook @parentsofpershingpanthers. On their facebook page they have information on how to sign up for Amazon Smile so that a portion of your amazon purchases support our school.

PERSHING SCHOOL WEBSITE

https://pershing.sandiegounified.org/

Do you have suggestions for our school website? CLICK HERE to complete our website feedback survey.

The families of 6th graders attending Cuyamaca Outdoor School March 20th - 24th need to be aware of the following items:

COVID Testing Requirement - Before coming to camp, each student, regardless of vaccination status, is required to provide proof of a negative COVID test or provide proof of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis from within the last 90 days. This FAQ from Cuyamaca Outdoor School has more details. The Foundation and school are coordinating a COVID testing event the morning of Sunday, March 19th at Pershing. More details to come on this. Please put this on your calendar.

Volunteers Needed - We will need help with the following items. Please use the SIgnUp Genius links below.

Volunteer to help with COVID Testing

Sunday, March 19th

9:30am - 12pm

Setup testing, help administer COVID tests, put away tables

Volunteer to help with luggage

Monday, March 20th

8am - 9am

Friday, March 24th

11:15am - 12:15pm

On Monday, help load the truck that will carry luggage to camp.

On Friday, help unload the truck.

Informational Items

Cuyamaca Outdoor School FAQ

Student Packing List | Qué Llevar a la Escuela al Aire Libre

For students needing medications administered at camp: Medical Authorization Form

Para estudiantes que necesitan medicamentos administrados en el campamento: Formulario de Autorización Médica

Souvenir T-shirts & Hats Order Form - Help support Cuyamaca Outdoor School and get a fun memory for your student

Address to send postcards/letters while students are at camp:

Cuyamaca Outdoor School

Attn: student name

12561 Hwy. 79

Descanso, CA 91916

Please address any questions to the Foundation’s 6th Grade Camp Coordinator

Carlos Ramon

619-846-0110

carlos_ramon@hotmail.com

Congrat to Boys and Girls Volleyball teams that started the season 1 and 1 last week with victories over Marston and Muirlands respectively. This weekend our boy's team defeated Grant but came up a little short against #1 ranked Bethune. And our girl's team team finished the weekend with two victories over Wangenheim and Dana! Congrats to all our volleyball players.

Our boys and girls soccer teams played hard but came up short this weekend with both teams losing both their games. We look forward to seeing their comeback next weekend.

Each team will have two regularly scheduled practices per week: Middle School Winter 2023 Practice Schedule.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS GAME/SCHEDULE/STANDINGS UPDATES

• Soccer Schedules/Scores

• Soccer Standings

• Volleyball Schedules/Scores

• Volleyball Standings

SPANISH TUTORING AVAILABLE

Does your child need help with Spanish? Mr. Barry is offering tutoring support on Tuesdays in Rm. 104 afterschool.

8TH GRADE HENRY HIGH SLIM PARENT NIGHT

If you were not able to attend the meeting CLICK HERE to see the slide deck the Henry team presented.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in our area, with San Diego County recently entering the Medium COVID-19 Community Level. Other illnesses such as the influenza virus (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the common cold also remain highly prevalent and easily transmissible. Practicing good health hygiene habits – washing hands, staying home when sick, and considering wearing a mask indoors and in crowded areas – can help prevent the spread of illness and is especially important during this time when many will be traveling or gathering with family and friends.

The district is providing all students and staff with at-home COVID-19 test kits to help our school communities have greater peace of mind about returning to school safely on Tuesday, Jan. 3 after the winter break.

The California Department of Public Health now recommends self testing for COVID-19 the day before coming back to school and two or three days after returning. We encourage students and staff to test on Monday, Jan. 2 and again on either Wednesday, Jan 4 or Thursday, Jan 5.

Testing before returning to school is recommended but not required. Additional test kits for students and staff are available at the Ed Center COVID-19 testing facility. If you test positive for COVID-19, please do not attend school and report your illness here.

Please do not send your child to school if they are feeling sick or experiencing symptoms of any cold-like virus, until those symptoms start to improve and there is no fever for 24 hours (without use of fever-reducing medication). Keeping your sick child home will be a great benefit for the health and wellness of our students and staff.

What Symptoms to Look For

• The flu and COVID-19 are both spread from person-to-person, especially indoors and in crowded places. Symptoms for both viruses can include nasal congestion, fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain, as well as a sore throat and coughing.
• RSV is a respiratory virus that has been detected in previous cold and flu seasons. Symptoms of RSV include cough, runny nose, and fever. Treatment consists of managing symptoms.

Tips to Avoid Getting Sick [English | Español)
Public health officials offer these tips to prevent getting sick:

• Consider wearing a well-fitting, good-quality mask, especially indoors or in crowded spaces
• Wash hands thoroughly and often
• Use hand sanitizers, if unable to wash hands
• Stay away from sick people
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Clean commonly touched surfaces and/or wash/sanitize your hands after using them.
• Stay up to date on COVID-19 and flu vaccines

Jan 30 & 31 - Class selection for current Pershing 6th & 7th graders thru PE classes

Feb 8 - Pershing Foundation Meeting @ 6:30 PM

Feb 13 - SGT Meeting @ 3:00 PM in the Library

Feb 14 - SSC Meeting @3:00 PM in the Library

Feb 17 - Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Feb 20 - Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Mar 3 - P3 Grading Window Ends

Mar 15 - Coffee with the Principal @8:30 AM via zoom

Mar 20 - 6th Grade Camp

Mar 27-31 - Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)