

The Terrapin Times #28
A Leader in Me School - March 7, 2025
Dear Families,
I can’t believe another month has flown by! March marks the start of our final trimester, and I continue to be amazed and overjoyed by the opportunity to work with your incredible children. Their growth in reading and writing has been truly inspiring! Our youngest learners are making wonderful strides with IMSE phonics, decoding, and reading readiness, and I couldn't be prouder.
Meanwhile, our student leadership team continues to impress with their thoughtful activities and assemblies. They are now preparing to present for a panel of Leader in Me principals in just a few weeks—what an exciting opportunity for them!
As a staff, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your partnership in making education a priority. Your efforts in getting your children to school on time, every day, ready to learn, make all the difference. Your support helps create the positive and nurturing environment that makes Turtleback such a special place.
Important Upcoming Dates:
📅 Thursday, March 13 - Chik-Fil-A Restaurant Night
📅 Friday, March 14 – Lunch with a Loved One & Kona Ice after school
📅 Friday, March 21 – Spirit Day: Career Day! Dress as your favorite career or anything ending in -er or -or (think hiker, helper, actor, lawyer!)
📅 March 24-28 – Book Fair 📚
📅 March 25 – Multicultural Family Event 🌍
📅 April 4 – Friday Flag & Awards Ceremony
SDCCU Classroom Heroes Program
Spotlight a stellar teacher through the SDCCU Classroom Heroes program for the chance to win a $500 gift card and be featured on CBS News 8. Winning teachers will be entered to win the grand prize of a five-day, luxury San Diego staycation. Submit a nomination today!
For over ten years, San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) and SDCOE have recognized local “Classroom Heroes." This school year the recognitions went from quarterly to monthly, with one local San Diego County teacher being recognized as a Classroom Hero each month through May 2025. Winning teachers receive a $500 SDCCU Visa® gift card and are featured on CBS News8.
SDCCU has just added a grand prize for the 2024-25 school year. One of this year's classroom heroes will receive a five-day luxury staycation at Kona Kai Resort in San Diego. There is still time to nominate a deserving teacher! Educators, students, and families can do so by visiting the SDCCU nomination page.
SD Helpful Honda Teacher Appreciation Awards Call For Nominations!
Do you know of, work with, or have heard the story of a San Diego teacher whose efforts have greatly impacted their students, community, or school?
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5th - 9th, 2025, the San Diego Helpful Honda people will be honoring and surprising four deserving teachers, each, with $5,000 worth of school supplies and materials they need to better help their students succeed!
How to submit to a deserving teacher: Nomination Form: https://forms.gle/ppWkw1BhAYBinEC77. The deadline is Monday, March 31, 2025… so nominate a teacher today!
Thank you for all you do to make Turtleback the best school in Poway! We appreciate you more than words can say.
Warmly,
Lisa Maguire
📧 lmaguire@powayusd.com
TK IS A FULL-DAY PROGRAM FOR 2025-26
Full Day TK in Poway Unified!
We have some exciting news regarding our district’s TK program! Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, PUSD Transitional Kindergarten will be a full-day program.
The range of age-eligibility will also expand - children who turn four-years-old on or before September 1, 2025, will be age-eligible for TK. (Students who turn five-years-old on or before September 1, 2025 will be age-eligible for Kindergarten). Enrollment for TK for 2025-26 school year opens on April 1, 2025. Please feel free to share this news with your friends and neighbors who have children in this age range.
We Want Your Input!
Lunch with a Loved One - Friday, March 14th
Foundation Updates
Earth Day Family Night - Friday, April 4th (5- 6:15 pm)
A Tiny World of Wonders! Spend the Evening Creating a Terrarium with Artbeat San Diego!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4BACA82FA5FE3-55532295-earth
- April 4, 2025 5:00-6:15 pm @TBK MPR
- This event is FREE but registration is required
- Sign Up is Limited to the first 35 Turtleback Students.
- Grades KG - 5th Only
- Non TKB students and TK students cannot participate even if there are empty spots on the day of the event.
- Students must be accompanied and supervised by an adult
- If the sign up is closed, email Archana Balasubramanian (archana.balasub@gmail.com) to be placed on a waitlist for the event.
A World Of Stories -Tuesday, March 25th (5-7 pm)
Embark on a journey through the MPR and immerse yourself in captivating stories from across the globe!
Please feel free to come dressed in attire that represents your culture, ethnicity, or heritage!
Tuesday, March 25th from 5-7 pm
Location: Turtleback Elementary MPR
5-5:15 pm: Current TBK students, stop by the TBK Passport Agency to pick up your passport!
5:15- 6:30 pm: Travel to different countries, enjoy stories from around the world and collect stamps in your passport!
6:30 - 6:50 pm: Experience the powerful rhythm of Taiko drummers from Japan!
6:50-7:00 pm: Show your stamped passport and receive a souvenir!
No sign up or Registration Needed for this free event!
Students should be Accompanied by an Adult Family Member
Book Fair: March 24th - March 27th:
The annual Book Fair will be from Monday, March 24th through Thursday, March 27th. The book fair helps us raise funds for the school library and supports events like the Finding Gobi Author Visit. We are in need of volunteers to help with the following shifts:
- March 24th - March 27th: Classes that have 2 or less volunteers signed up
- March 24th - March 27th : after school daily
- March 25th Only: 4:30 pm - 7 pm (Family Night Event)
- March 27th: Breakdown Book Fair -- 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4BACA82FA5FE3-48608956-book#/
We need as many volunteers as possible to help us fill the slots and make the event a success. Thank you for your time in advance
Trekkers Running Club Volunteers Needed!
Trekkers Running Club meets during morning recess on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are in need of volunteers to help pass out sticks to students running laps. If you can help or need more info, please email Archana Balasubramanian -- archana.balasub@gmail.com.
Teacher Appreciation Week - Help Needed!
We need help with the following.
- Cutting Butcher Paper for Doors
- Creating Door Decorations for Doors that do not have room moms!
- Hanging Door Decorations for rooms that do not have room moms!
Please email Archana Balasubramanian (archana.balasub@gmail.com) directly!
SAVE THE DATE: Chick-fil-A (CMR) Restaurant Night -- Thur, March 13th
Eat Chick-fil-A at the Carmel Mountain Ranch location and support TBK!
DATE: Thursday, March 13th
LOCATION: 11670 Carmel Mountain Road
Yearbook Photos:
A huge thanks to all the parents who have already emailed or submitted photos for the yearbook! Please continue to email any photos you may have from spirit days, field trips, class parties, or movie days that have occurred in the 2024-2025 school year to the yearbook team --tbkyearbook@gmail.com.
- Please give us your student's full name, teacher's name, and the event the picture is from (i.e. December Friday Flag or Star of India Field trip) so that we may label and categorize the photos.
- Please email photos to tbkyearbook@gmail.com.
TBK Spirit Wear Store
The TBK Spirit Wear Store is Open
- 25% of all sales come back to TBK
https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/iJdzC8Xr8OTBnAvgTnfmSypHa4?domain=rgbcommerce.com
- When ordering please put the student name in “Company Name” field or in the “add order notes” field
- All funds raised support campus beautification at Turtleback Elementary
Nondiscrimination Philosophy and Policy Statement
The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is an equal opportunity employer/program and is committed to an active Nondiscrimination Program. PUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, immigration status, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact: Title IX/Equity Compliance Officer, James Jimenez, Associate Superintendent of Personnel support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, 1-858-521-2800, extension 2121, jjimenez@powayusd.com. For students, you may contact Title IX Coordinator/504 Coordinator Jamie Dayhoff, Director of Attendance and Discipline, Poway Unified School District, 1-858-521-2840, jdayhoff@powayusd.com.
About Us
Turtleback Mission: We empower each other to create, communicate, collaborate, and think critically in a community where character counts.
Email: lmaguire@powayusd.com
Website: https://turtleback.powayusd.com/
Location: 15855 Turtleback Road, San Diego, CA 92127
Phone: 858-673-5514