Dear Families,

We were excited to welcome our first group of sixth graders back from 6th Grade Camp on Friday. I have some great pictures when I went up to visit students on Tuesday. Looking forward to hearing all their fun stories when they are on campus on Monday.

I also wanted tor remind families that the P4 grading window closes this Friday. This is our last progress report before final semester 2 grades come out in June. If you have any concerns regarding your child's progress in a specific class please reach out to that teacher directly or to your child's counselor.

And finally I wanted to invite all families to save the date so they will be able to join us on Tuesday, April 30 for Spring Fest. Spring Fest is our Semester 2 Open House and it is an opportunity for students and staff to show off the learning that has been happening at Pershing.

Sincerely,

Melanie Kray

Ms. Maggio's fifth period Gateway to Tech Engineering classes designed solar ovens and then tested which oven did the best job of cooking smores and cookie dough. We have some very creative students.

WATER BOTTLE FILLING STATIONS

As was mentioned in last week's newsletter, all the old drinking fountans at Pershing were removed during Spring Break. The contractors are currently working on installing new drinking fountains that include water bottle refilling stations. The construction will likely last the remainder of the semester, water bottles are available in the main office and PE areas but we encourage students to bring water with them from home as well.

SCHOOL PLAY TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW FOR SHREK JR.

Our students have been hard at work since November preparing to put on this year's performance of Shrek Jr. Our Drama Program will be hosting 3 evening shows families may by tickets for using the link below. All ticket sales go to support the Susan Levy Endowment for the Dramatic Arts which funds our school drama program. Performances are at 6:00 PM nightly on Wednesday, April 24, Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26. We hope you will come out and support this event!

CLICK ON THE LINK TO PURCHASE TICKETS: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/pershing-middle-school/shrek-jr

STATE TESTING IS FAST APPROACHING

We want to remind all families that we begin state testing this week at Pershing for our 8th Graders who will be taking the CAST to measure their science knowledge. May 6-17 students will take the CAASPP Math in their Math classes and the CAASPP ELA in their English classes. To help set your children up for success we ask parents to focus on the following:

• This is our time to shine - although there are multiple measures schools can use to show they are great learning environments for students, state testing is one of the most public. We ask that you encourage your child(ren) to try their best on these exams.
• Your attendance matters - we need our students here every single day! Please do not schedule doctor's appontments or other appointments during state testing. We are required to test a certain percentage of our students and it is important that all students arrive on time everyday.
• Please set your child up for success - ensure they get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school
• Please bring your laptop to school everyday and make sure it is fully charged
• If your child uses their laptop at home please make sure they clear their cookies every evening before they come to school the next day.
• This is the testing schedule:
• April 15-19: CAST Testing through science classes (8TH GRADE ONLY)
• May 6-10: Math CAASPP Testing through Math classes (ALL STUDENTS)
• May 13-17: ELA CAASPP Testing through English classes (ALL STUDENTS)

PARENT/COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY

This week, Pershing begins work on writing their Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for the 2024-25 school year. Your voice is important. Please take a moment to complete the PARENT/COMMUNITY Needs Assessment Survey: https://forms.gle/5bZP7TEKjosbytKa6

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.

SPORTS PHOTOS FOR THE YEARBOOK

Yearbook needs your help. We are including the Pershing sports teams in the yearbook but we need pictures. If you happen to have any pictures that we can use, please sent them our way. We have plenty of track pictures. We are still in need of both girls and boys basketball as well as the new sports that are starting, soccer and volleyball. You can email your photos to sruckle@sandi.net. Any photos you have will be helpful. Thanks in advance for your help and support.

Congrats to our Boys and Girls Wrestling Teams for their victory over Point Loma this weekend.

Our Boys and Girls Flag Football teams remain undefeated. Our girls ended the weekend with two decisive victories against Bell and Lewis. Our boys team played hard and defeated Mann Middle School and ended the weekend with an exciting victory against Lewis coming from behind to win the game on the final play!

Great job Panthers!

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.

Email: pershingfoundation@outlook.com

Website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/pershingpanthers

• April 19: P4 Grading Window Closes
• April 22-25: Shrek Jr. Performances
• April 30: Spring Fest: Exhibition of Learning
• May 6-17: School-wide Testings CAASPP English & Math
• May 31: 8th Grade Semi-Formal Dance
• June 6: 8th Grade Promotion @8:30 AM

Follow Pershing Middle on Instagram & Threads

@Pershing_sdusd

Interested in volunteering on campus?

Contact our Community Assistant Ms. Johana Moreno at jmorenoperez@sandi.net

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