Panther Parent Update

De Portola welcomes individuality by empowering and developing students’ communication, curiosity, and critical thinking skills through a growth mindset. We are Panthers! Rooooaaaarrrrrrrr!!

04/16 DP Foundation

04/19 SGT 8:00am

04/19 School Dance Neon Theme

04/26 Panther Bowling Night

05/01 Spring Open House 5:30 - 6:30

UPDATE: We are currently working with cluster schools and transportation to see if there are solutions for the concerns about morning drop off at the elementary sits. I will report out as soon as I have updated information.

Repeated from last week:

Just before spring break, I sent a message to all 6th & 7th grade families regarding a potential change to the bell schedule for the 2024-25 school year. About half of our 6th & 7th grade families participated in the survey. 60% would like to maintain the current bell schedule and 40% would like to move to an 8:00 start time. The main concerns that were listed in the survey were related to drop off times with elementary and high school and after school care. Students can be dropped off early and stay after school. Currently, we probably have about 100 students who sit around before school starts. With a 2:30pm dismissal, we will keep the library open and staff available for tutoring until 3:15. Additionally, we will build in tutoring schedule with classroom teachers Monday - Thursday from 2:30 - 3:00. De Portola offer free PrimeTime for afternoon care. PrimeTime runs a very robust program that includes homework time, outdoor activities, and enrichment (lego building, dance, & theatre). We strongly recommend that you sign up now so that PrimeTime can begin planning to accommodate more staff and students.

Detailed information on survey results will be shared at the SGT meeting on Friday, April 19th. SGT will vote on the final schedule at this meeting. I will resend the survey to 6th & 7th grade families and update the school community with any new information in next week's Panther Parent Update.

Third quarter grades were finalized last week. Please check PowerSchool to see how your students are doing. If you need access to PowerSchool, please email sfong@sandi.net. Students who earned 14 or more tardies during the 3rd quarter are not eligible to attend the school dance. Students who earned between 10-13 tardies are offerred community service to earn their way to the dance. The community service is completely voluntary. With funding from the DP Foundation, we have been able to offer three dances in one year. The dances are very well organized thanks to the hard work of our ASB.

Promotion will be on June 6 starting promptly at 9:15 and ending around 10:00am. The promotion is on the black top and seating is first come, first serve. There are no ticket limits. However, current De Portola 6th and 7th graders are not allowed to attend even if they are siblings or family members. Siblings can be released from class for family photos after the ceremony has ended. Please see the eligibility requirements below for our 8th graders. If you have any concerns about eligibility, please email your child's counselor and or teachers.

We will participate in state testing from May 7 - 17. Please avoid scheduling appointments (dr. dentist, ortho) before noon during these two weeks. We will send our our Testing Bell Schedule as we get closer. Thank you in advance for your support.

Students are responsible for the daily care of laptops. They must bring their laptops fully charged each day. We have seen an increase in damaged laptops. Improper care of laptops may result in fines to replace screens or the whole computer.

Buy the yearbook for $60 at www.yearbookforever.com. There are limited quantities, so get yours today!

Charisma Johnson, Attendance Clerk cjohnson7@sandi.net. Please be sure to state your students full name, grade level, date of birth, and specific reason for absence. You can also email if you need to pick up your student early. Please provide at least a two hour notice to ensure that we can write and deliver a pass for your student. You can also call the school at 619-605-4800 and press 3 for attendance.