I can't believe it but we are already two-thirds of the way through this first semester - time is flying by! Friday was the last day of the P2 progress reporting period. Teachers will be submitting their final P2 grades on Monday and families should be able to see their child's final P2 progress report grades in PowerSchool by Friday, November 8. A reminder that progress report grades are not official grades, rather they are a temperature check to let you know how your child is currently progressing. Official grades for Semester 1 are the grades your child recieves on December 20.

If you or your child are not happy wiith their current P2 grades I encourage you to reach out to your child's teacher or counselor directly. I would also encourage you to take advantage of Wednesday Office Hours (12:45-1:20 PM) and after school tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Also, auditions for this year's school play Frozen Jr will be happening on Wednesday, Nov 13. All students interested in participating must complete the sign up form (details are below in the announcement section). This is a great tradition at Pershing and we look forward to another great performance by our talented students.

And last but not least, Pershing is turning 60 years old! We will be hosting a variety of activities in honor of Pershing's 60th Birthday during the second semester but the official birthday is this upcoming Monday!

Sincerely,

Melanie Kray

PHHS 8th GRADE PARENT NIGHT HAS MOVED TO MONDAY, NOV 4 @6:00 PM

PHHS asked us to share that they will be hosting a parent night for all 8th grade families regarding high school articulation. The meeting is in-person in the Phame Theater at 6:00 PM this Monday. We hope you will be able to attend.

HOLIDAY CARD DONATIONS NEEDED

Our ASB is asking families for a few donations of holiday cards (nondenominational) for our annual “Cards to Our Heroes” campaign that will be starting this Monday. Students may drop them off at the office or in Mrs. Robe’s classroom (Room 305). The ASB will be out at lunch all week collecting message of gratitude for our military.

SAVE THE DATE - NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, NOV 11

A reminder ther eis no school on Monday, November 11 in honor of the Veteran's Day Holiday. Our ASB will be hosting a pop up spirit day on Friday, Nov 8 in honor of Veteran's Day. Students should wear red, white, blue, or camo colors to school on Nov. 8.

THE WEATHER IS GETTING COOLER - BRING A JACKET, NO BLANKETS

As the weather has gotten cooler in the mornings we are encouraging famileis to send their students to school in layers or with a light jacket. Please DO NOT send students with blankets as they are often large and bulky and can create distractions in the learning environment.

SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHOOL PLAY: AUDITIONS NOV 13

We are pleased to announce auditions on Wednesday November 13th starting at 1pm for Frozen Jr. our Spring 2025 production!

Please fill out the attached form no later than Monday November 11th to secure your spot to sign up for this magical show. All potential cast members who would like to be considered for lead roles and featured ensemble members should prepare a one minute song to sing. Please come with the backing track (no lyrics) ready to go on a phone or computer. If you DO NOT want to audition but are interested in being in the ensemble (and not having a lead or featured role) we still need you to complete the sign up form. You can indicate on the form that you do not want a lead or featured role.. You will not be notified of the first rehearsals. You DO NOT have to come to auditions if this is your choice. A cast list will be announced via e-mail on Friday November 15th

RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL EVENT ON NOVEMBER 14

On November 14th Gage Elementary, Pershing Middle and Patrick Henry High School will unite to commemorate our 3rd annual Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. Wearing purple (Ruby's favorite color) on our police escorted walk to school. We will honor Ruby and those like Ruby who desegregated white schools. Step toward change on Thursday November 14th as we remember celebrate and pledge to emulate a courageous 6 year old who dared to love, unify and inspire our community.

Register for the Ruby Bridges Walk at bit.ly/2024RBWTS . The first 150 students to register will receive a swag bag! For additonal details check out the flyer below

Camp payments overdue!

For those with payments still due, not on a payment plan, and have not requested financial assistance, please pay as soon as possible using our credit card / PayPal link here: CAMP PAYMENT LINK . Alternatively, please send / drop off a check (made payable to 'Pershing Middle School Foundation') to the school office for $360, including your student's name, ID# and English teacher on the envelope. The office will also accept cash brought in by parents / guardians, but please do not send cash with your student. If you need financial assistance or would like to set up a payment plan, please contact our camp coordinator team at valeriemarie78@gmail.com

We are excited to have over 270 students confirmed to participate in 6th Grade Camp on March 24-28, 2025!

Let's get our Panthers to Cuyamaca Outdoor School!

Are you unsure if your 6th grader will attend 6th Grade Camp?

We love that more than 10 families who were previously unsure, have now confirmed their Panther will join us!

If you are still unsure, please email our camp coordinator team to let us know your decision as soon as possible: camp coordinator team. We require final decisions on Panthers attending by 12/1 please.

We have received great questions around meals, allergies, and other accommodations, and as with Pershing Middle, Cuyamaca Outdoor School is very well equipped to provide any required assistance and accommodations. If you or your student are anxious/curious about the experience, there is a very helpful video which documents the experience from a Sixth-grader’s perspective.

There is also great information for parents and students, specific to Cuyamaca Outdoor School here. If you do have any questions or concerns, we invite you to please reach out to our camp coordinator team so we can help you navigate them. Even if our camp coordinator team / Foundation has been unable to answer a question / address a concern ourselves, we have been sharing contacts at school / Camp Cuyamaca who can best assist, so please reach out!

Parent and Student Informational Meeting – 12/10

Dustin Burns, Project Specialist for Outdoor Education from Cuyamaca Outdoor School will be presenting information about the 6th Grade Camp Experience to our students in the daytime, and parents in the evening on December 10, so please save the date tentatively for that. This will be a comprehensive presentation around the facilities, schedule, activities, and all aspects of your 6th Grader’s experience at Cuyamaca Outdoor School. We will share exact timing, confirmation and the join details etc. here in an upcoming Panther Pulse, on Facebook and on our 6th Grade Camp Landing page. We are currently targeting 6PM on 12/10 but are still confirming exact details.

Contacts for Cuyamaca Outdoor School

If you’d like to talk directly to Cuyamaca Outdoor School, you can find a list of their staff members here (this list is filtered on Cuyamaca Outdoor School staff). If you’re unsure who to contact, you can start with their general questions line at 858-292-3500 or send them an Email Inquiry. For those with Special Education / IEP accommodations, we encourage you to discuss any camp questions or concerns with your child’s case manager at school. Many have first-hand experience of camp, and as usual, some of them will be joining our students at 6th Grade Camp this school year.

Questions / Concerns / Payment Plan Setup

If you have any questions about camp or need any assistance in registering / paying, or would like to set up a payment plan, please reach out to Valerie on our 6th Grade Camp Coordinator Team, at this email: Valerie Kennedy valeriemarie78@gmail.com.

WE NEED YOU! CALL FOR 2025-2026 BOARD MEMBERS!

We are looking for a President, Vice-President and Secretary that can take over these fulfilling and essential roles next year.

Any and all of our board member roles play a significant part in getting our hundreds of sixth-graders to camp, and all the other enrichment the Foundation provides such as stipends, 7th Grade Field Trips and 8th Grade Promotion Celebration and gifts.

To carry on the Foundation’s great work next school year, we need board members to replace those of us promoting out / with our terms ending.

We’d love to find volunteers for these roles sooner than later, so we can smoothly transition our responsibilities.

If you would like to learn more about any of these fulfilling roles (non-committal informational sharing!) , please reach out to PershingFoundation@Outlook.com.

YEAR-ROUND GENERAL DONATIONS

The Foundation very gratefully accepts Donations year-round, and can provide our nonprofit Tax ID, Donation Receipts, and/or anything needed for corporate matches!

Please contact us on PershingFoundation@outlook.com if you need anything from us for a match!

Year-round donations can be made here at this link: DONATE TODAY!

If you would like to donate using alternative means to PayPal, please also reach out to us on PershingFoundation@outlook.com.

6th Grade Camp

For EVERYTHING you need to know about 6th Grade Camp, please refer to the section here in the Pulse, and visit our landing page on the foundation website here: 6th Grade Camp (2025)

If you would like to generously make an additional donation towards scholarships to help get all of our 6th Graders to camp, please donate using this link: CAMP PAYMENTS / DONATIONS.

When asked for '+Important please add student here', please type 'Camp Donation'. Your support is hugely appreciated.

Foundation Dates:

November 13th: Next Foundation Monthly meeting.

December 10th : Camp Cuyamaca Informational Meeting

Email: pershingfoundation@outlook.com

Website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/pershingpanthers

November 1: P2 Grading Window Ends

November 11: Pershing Middle School Turns 60!

November 11: Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL

November 15: Turkey Trot in PE Classes

November 20: Fall Dance

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL

December 10: 6th Grade Camp Information Meeting for Parents @6:00 PM online only

Follow Pershing Middle on Instagram & Threads

@Pershing_sdusd

Interested in volunteering on campus?

Contact our Ms. Sylvia Patton a spatton1@sandi.net

Website: https://pershing.sandiegounified.org/
Location: 8204 San Carlos Drive, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (619) 352-3550
Twitter: @melanie_kray