Panther Parent Update

De Portola is a welcoming diverse learning community. We foster individuality by empowering and developing students’ communication, curiosity, and critical thinking skills through a growth mindset. We are Panthers! Rooooaaaarrrrrrrr!!

3/18 - College, Make It Happen. 6PM-7PM via Zoom

3/20 - avant STAMPe Testing

3/21 - Military Fitness Day

3/24 - 3/26 - Hearing Screenings (8th Graders)

3/27 - VAPA Gala Night

3/28 - Extra Minimum Day

3/31 - 4/3 SPRING BREAK

4/6 - School Resumes

4/8 - 4/15 - High Jump (PE)

4/9 - Advanced Music Disneyland Field Trip

4/14 - 4/18 - Spring Bookfair (Media Center)

4/16 - Spring Open House 5:30PM - 6:30PM

4/18 - Track Meet (All Day)

4/30 - Open Mic @ 5:45 PM, Shelter Island fire pits in Point Loma

5/2 - Panther Parent Bowling Night

5/29 8th grade Promotion 9:15am

We have just over nine weeks remaining in the school year. Beginning on Monday, March 17, all 8th graders will be held to very strict tardy rules. Any 8th grader with more than nine tardies will not be allowed to participate in promotion. All appointments must be verified with paperwork from your health care provider. For example, if your 8th grader has an orthodontist appointment at 7:45 and your student arrives at 8:30, the tardy will not be excused unless it is accompanied by a written notice from the orthodontist office. Sometimes students won't come to first period because they want to avoid the tardy and decide to arrive at school at 8:55. Three unverified absences from any class period will result in probation and a mandatory meeting with site administrators will be scheduled. Thank you for your support and understanding of this rigidity as prioritizing punctuality is a life skill.

P3 grades should be finalized and posted to PowerSchool by Friday, March 21, 2025.

Please review the below Promotion Requirements with your 8th grade students.

• You can only have one “D” or one “F” (no combinations) on final report card in S2 column.
• No “U’s” for citizenship, period!
• Beginning Grading Period 4 (March 17th), no more than 9 tardies.
• Beginning Grading Period 4 (March 17th), no suspensions.
• Deadline for raising grades: May 16th!

If you have any questions/concerns, please contact your student's counselor;

Students with the last name that begins with A-L - Mrs. Hudson Lhudson@sandi.net

Students with the last name that begins with M-Z - Mrs. Ericson - Aericson@sandi.net

Homework Help List 24/25

Promotion will be held on Thursday, May 29 at 9:15am. More details regarding Promotion will be coming during the first week in April.

This Friday, March 21st we have our Military Fitness Day. Students will be participating in 3 different drills with our Military volunteers during their PE class. If you would like to volunteer/watch your student participate, please make sure to arrive during their PE period.

Our first annual De Portola Middle School VAPA Gala night will be held on March 27th for 5:30-7:30 in Weiner Hall. This fundraiser will support our Visual and Performing Arts. Tickets are $30, which include dinner and show. Please use QR code to purchase tickets.

Please take a moment to view our new Panther Parent Bowling Night flier. Tickets are now available to purchase, please use the QR code below. $60 includes OGGIEs Dinner, Bowling, Games and 1 Beer/Wine ticket.

We are reaching out to kindly request donations of gift cards in any amount and from any retailer. These donations will help support the De Portola Middle School Foundation’s fundraising efforts, which directly benefit our school and students. The gift cards will be used as prizes in our upcoming raffle at the DP Bowling Night. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, and we thank you for supporting our school community! Donations can be given to the office.

We are currently working on the next year's schedule. To make this schedule as accurate as possible please fill out this google form if you student is not attending De Portola next school year.

Repeated information from previous weeks.

Our “Open Mic Night” is ON!! That means we have 8 sessions to write and practice! If your child is interested in joining Writers’ Corner, please email Mrs. Soto-Nauta at esoto@sandi.net. The club meets every Tuesday, after school, from 2:50-3:50 PM starting March 4th. Students can wait outside room 714 from 2:30 - 2:50. This is a free course, thanks to De Portola’s Foundation. Thank you, Foundation!

On Wednesday, April 30th, beginning at 5:45 PM, at the Shelter Island fire pits in Point Loma, we will have our Writers’ Corner Finale “Open Mic!” The students will share written excerpts with family and friends in the twilight and glow of the bonfires! Please, do not miss this!

Yearbooks are currently $60. They can be purchased at www.yearbookforever.com

Please email Ms. McIntosh at smcintosh@sandi.net with any questions.

School dismisses at 2:30. We only allow early release at 2:00pm or earlier. If you child has an appointment and needs to leave, please email Ms. Charisma at cjohnson7@sandi.net or leave her a message her at 619-605-4800 and press 3. She will send a pass and have your student waiting in the office at the expected departure time. This is not a perfect system, but we do our best to accommodate everyone. If your child has PE at your time of departure and you have not given us prior notice, it can take up to 20 minutes to locate your child, send them to locker room, and head up to office. Planning ahead makes this a very easy process.

Full day absences need to be reported to Charisma Johnson at cjohnson7@sandi.net. Please include your student's full name, DOB, reason for illness and the day or dates they are absent.

We do not accept food deliveries for students. Additionally, parents cannot drop off fast food for their student (Subway Included). If a student forgets their lunch, we offer free lunch every day. If a parent drops off a student's lunch bag, we will have the student come up to office at 12:00pm. If a parent brings lunch from Cotijas (or anywhere else), we ask that you stay and enjoy it with your student.

All sports practice throughout the year will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:45 - 4:30 with games on Saturdays. Students can only participate in one sport per season. Please review the Middle School Athletics page for more information. Also, email Mr. Steven at sfong@sandi.net for any questions.

Fall Sports: Basketball and Track & Field

Winter: Soccer and Volleyball

Spring: Flag Football, Cheer, and Wrestling

For the 2024-25 school year, De Portola Middle School will provide both BREAKFAST and LUNCH for all students. Breakfast will be served in the lunch arbor from 7:30 - 7:50 AM. Students just need to input their six digit student ID number and make their food selection.