The Panther Pulse

I hope you enjoyed the three day weekend with your loved ones. We have one week until the Thanksgiving Break and I wanted to speak with you for a moment about mid-year fatigue.

It is normal during this time in the school year for students, and families for that matter, to feel worn out. This is the time of year when those Panther Pride characteristics of Positivity and Determination become especially important. Students you need to stay positive and know that if you put in the time and effort you will see progress - don't give up and don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We are here for you. This is also the time of year where you have to stay determined and keep up with your work even when you are feeling tired. You may need to go to a lunch time or after school tutoring session to get the extra assistance you need or skip that show on TV so you can finish your homework. School is a marathon, not a sprint, you need to keep your focus during this time of the year and know that the teachers and staff here at Pershing are here to support you!

RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL EVENT ON MONDAY, NOV 14TH

Our students, staff, and families have been invited to join with students at Gage Elementary School in the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day event on Monday, November 14th. Students participating in the walk to school event will meet at 7:15 AM behind the Albertsons by Bisby Lake Rd. At 7:30 AM they will begin their walk to school (see flyer below for additional details). The event honors Ruby Bridges the first black student to de-segregate her elementary school in New Orleans in the 1960 and meant to support ending racism and all forms of bullying. Students are also encouraged to wear purple to school that day even if they cannot walk in the event.

FALL CARNIVAL DATE MOVED TO NOV 30TH

We apologize for any inconvenince but we wanted to make sure families and students are aware that the Fall Carnival and Dance has been moved from Nov 16th to Nov 30th. Tickets will go on sale this week for the event. A flyer with additional details from our ASB will be coming out this week.

P2 ENDS ON FRIDAY, NOV 18th

A reminder that the second grading period ends this Friday, Nov 18th and teachers must have their grades entered in PowerSchool the week we return from Thanksgiving Break. Grades will be visible in PowerSchool for families by Friday, December 2nd. The second grading period is a progress report and is meant to serve as a temperature check on how students are doing. If you have any concerns about your child's grades we encourage you to reach out to the teacher directly. There is still time for students to improve their grades before final grades are posted in January for the first semester.

PRACTICING PANTHER PRIDE - BEING RESPONSIBLE AND TAKING CARE OF CHROMEBOOKS

We wanted to make sure families are aware that while the vast majority of our students handle their district-issued chromebooks with care we have had instances where some students have not be responsible with their district issued device. The biggest issue seems to be when students forget that their chromebooks are in their backpacks and they throw the backpack onto the ground to go play. We want families to know that while we understand that accidents sometimes do happen, students have an obiligation to take care of their district issued devices and if we are having to issue multiple devices to the same student in a given school year because they are breaking or damaging their device, families can and will be charged for those devices under district procedure AR3260.2. We are asking families to remind their children that these devices are expensive and they need to be handled with care.

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.

THANKSGIVING BREAK, WINTER BREAK, AND ATTENDANCE

We have noticed that in previous years there is often a dip in our students' attendance in the days before Thanksgiving & Winter Breaks as families sometimes pull students out of school early for family trips around these holidays.

This year the end of our second grading period (P2) occurs on Nov 18th, the Friday before Thanksgiving Break - in order to give your students the best opportunity to stay caught up on work we encourage families to keep their children in school the week before Thanksgiving and Winter Break in order to maximize your child's learning opportunities. If this is not possible and your child will be missing 5 or more days of school because of a family trip near the holidays we encourage you to contact our school clerk Ms. Devin Caputo at dcaputo@sandi.net to set up an independent study contract as soon as possible so they do not fall behind.

PERSHING SCHOOL WEBSITE

https://pershing.sandiegounified.org/

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

As of the publishing of this newsletter, final results have still not been posted online for the Track and Field Championships but fortunately several families have reached out to share some of the results. Our Pershing Panthers competed against runners from 30 other middle schools in San Diego Unified and they rose to the challenge, competing well and in many cases placing in the top three in their event!

Congratulations to Dominic Pavone who jumped 12 feet and placed third in the 6th grade Long Jump Final (see picture below)! Congrats to Khloe Jamerson for her third place finish in the 7th grade Long Jump Final! And congratulations to Lila Mercer for finishing in first place in the 8th grade 400 & 800 M races. We want to make sure all students who placed at the finals get recognized so if you notice your athlete's accomplishment is missing from this week's newsletter please email Ms. Kray at mkray@sandi.net with their result so they can be included in next week's newsletter!

SPANISH TUTORING AVAILABLE

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

Henry High School Meeting for 8th Grade SLIM Parents

After our Pershing Middle School SLIM Parent Night we reached out to Henry High School regarding our families' desire to have a parent meeting about the Henry Dual Immersion Program. Members of Henry High's Counseling Department will be hosting a parent meeting for Pershing's 8th Grade SLIM Parents on Nov 16th at 6:00 PM on zoom. The information for the zoom meeting is below. To help Henry plan effectively for this meeting and cover the information most important to 8th grade families please take a moment to complete this RSVP form. We hope you will be able to attend.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/85446203221

Meeting ID: 854 4620 3221

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS EXHIBITING COVID SYMPTOMS

If you child is exhibiting any of the following symptoms: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea please keep them home from school unless they have have negative COVID test or until the symptoms have abated. If your child is sent home from school with one of these symptoms they must have a negative test to return the next school day. An at home COVID test would be an acceptable test.

Nov 15: School Site Council (SSC) Meeting @3:00 PM in the Library

Nov 16: Turkey Trot

Nov 16: Fall Carnival (MOVED TO Nov 30th)

Nov 17: Henry Cluster Meeting @5:00-6:00 PM via zoom

Nov 18: PR2 Grading Period Ends

Nov 21-25: Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)

Nov 30: Fall Carnival and Dance

Dec 1: 6th Grade Camp Parent Meeting @6:00 PM in our auditorium

Dec 19-Jan 2: Winter Break (NO SCHOOL)

March 20-24: 6th Grade Camp