Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the long holiday weekend! School will be closed across PUSD on Monday, September 2nd in observance of the Labor Day Holiday. We look forward to seeing our students back on campus on Tuesday at 8:30am for a 8-2-4-6 schedule day. Tuesday is also Make-up Picture Day, so for those students who did not get their picture taken during registration before school started, your teachers will be sending you to the MPR stage to smile for the camera - this picture will be used on your student ID card and also in the Yearbook!

Parents and students - just a friendly reminder that our Wednesday late start time is now 9:30am. We had several dozen families show up for our old 9:50am start time this week - please make the adjustment in your Wednesday routines and plan to drop your students off just after 9am on Wednesdays. Our campus is open starting at 9am on Wednesdays and at 8am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; students have the opportunity to get a free breakfast during this 30 minutes before school or during the morning break after the first block.

Our first full week back at school was a busy one... we began our math iReady diagnostic testing (and had 82% of the students complete it!), classes and schedules started to get settled, some routines on campus and in classrooms are being established, and we started selling tickets to our 6th Grade WEB carnival. This next week is pretty busy for just four days - we have Back to School Night on Wednesday and the WEB 6th Grade Carnival after school on Friday.

Back to School Night will be on Wednesday, September 4th from 5:30-7:30pm - I hope you can join us! We will meet in the main quad to hear from our PTSA and Foundation, followed by classroom visits to odd/even periods. Your students will be completing a schedule for you to follow for the evening that will include class and teacher names, in addition to the room numbers of their classes. Back to School Night is parent-only event; please do not have your student attend this event.

The 6th Grade WEB Carnival is an exclusive event just for our 6th graders! This is an opportunity for our newest Rams to have some fun and interact with their 8th grade WEB Leaders! The Carnival is after school this Friday, September 6th from 3:30-5:00pm. Students will need the permission slip LINKED HERE signed by a parent/guardian in order to purchase a ticket. Tickets are on sale Tuesday-Thursday this week at lunch in the WEB room for $5. Tickets will not be sold on Friday or at the door for this event!

In partnership with the San Diego County of Education, all Poway Unified School District middle schools are in the second year of a two year Aspire Network program. We are interested in knowing how to better serve our students and enhance their middle school experience. In the next few weeks, we will be conducting a student survey to understand how our students feel about school, how they interact with each other, and what motivates them. The results of this survey will provide insight to guide our practice and ensure all students have a valuable middle school experience.

Your student will be asked to voluntarily participate in a brief survey by responding to multiple choice questions. The survey asks questions about our school and their sense of belonging and connection to their peers, their teachers, and our greater school community. This survey is confidential; your student’s answers are private, and participation is voluntary. The surveys are expected to take about 15 minutes to complete in their Homeroom class. If you are okay with your student participating in the Aspire Network survey, you need to do nothing. If you do not want your child to participate in the survey, please complete the form LINKED HERE before Friday, September 6th.

Finally this week, PUSD recently emailed out to all families a notice about riding bikes/e-bikes to school and the new requirement of attending a 1 hour safety course with your student in order for them to be able to park their bikes on casmpus. The September safety course dates are located in the "PUSD Bike/ebike Registration and Safety Classes" below with the times and locations of the trainings; please read through the information carefully as you will need to provide details about your bike at the training session in order to register and recieve your bike permit to park on campus.

Students - please make sure you are RIDING SAFELY to and from school. Riders must wear a helmet, observe all traffic rules and regulations when riding on roads, be aware of pedestrians and their right to the sidewalk, and only ride as a single rider. Don't forget to walk your bikes once you enter the TPMS parking lot! One of our biggest issues right now is that students are not riding appropriate bikes/ebikes to school - motorcycles are not allowed to be driven to school and will not be allowed to park on campus or receive a bike/ebike permit. Poway Sheriffs have been on our campus and around our community this past week issuing citations to riders and motorists alike, so please make sure to stay safe and alert at all times!

In Partnership,

Steve Mills

Proud Principal

Twin Peaks Middle School

stmills@powayusd.com

1(858)748-5131 x2806

Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks

TPMS NEWS AND EVENTS

September 2nd: Labor Day Holiday, No School

September 3rd: Make-Up Picture Day

September 4th: Back to School Night, 5:30-7:30pm

September 5th: Science O Kick Off Meeting, 3:30pm, Little Theater

September 6th: 6th Grade Carnival, 3:30pm, TPMS Quad

September 7th: PUSD ebike Safety Course, 10&11am, BHMS

September 10th: TPMS Choir, 7:15-8:15am, Little Theater

September 10th: PE Chipotle Fundraiser, 5pm to 9pm, 13495 Poway Rd

September 11th: PUSD ebike Safety Course, 6pm, PHS

September 17th: PUSD ebike Safety Course, 6pm, DNHS

September 30th: Teacher Professional Learning, Non-Student Day

Back to School Night will be held on Wednesday, September 4th from 5:30-7:30pm on the TPMS Campus. This will be an opportunity for parents to visit campus, meet their students' teachers, and visit classrooms. Please plan on joining us starting at 5:30pm in the main quad for a Welcome from Principal Mills and information on how to get involved with TPMS through our PTSA and Foundation. This will be a fun and informative evening for the whole Twin Peaks community - we hope you can join us!

Calling all 6th graders!! Make sure to block out Friday, September 6th from 3:30-5pm to come and hang with your WEB leaders and fellow classmates at the 6th Grade WEB Welcome Carnival! Tickets will be going on sale from Thursday, 8/29, through Thursday, September 5th for $5 each during 1st lunch - this includes your admission and food for the carnival! Tickets will also be available at Back To School Night. Signed permission slip is necessary to purchase a ticket. It's going to be a great time Rams - make sure you buy your ticket early and don't forget to bring a friend!

In response to community requests and a desire to address a student safety need, PUSD has partnered with local enforcement to provide mandatory safety classes for all ebike riders. If your child rides their ebike to and from school, attending one of these one-hour classes with a parent or guardian will be a requirement to park their ebike on campus. To provide students ample time to comply, this new requirement will be enforced starting January 6, 2025.

The first group of classes is in September. If you cannot attend one of these classes, additional classes will be scheduled in October (dates TBD). You can attend any one that works with your and your child’s schedule, regardless of where you are located. Advance Registration is not required. One parent or guardian must attend with their child. At the class, you will be asked to register the make and model of the ebike, VIN#, and student ID, so please come prepared with that information. Topics covered will include following the rules of the road, proper helmet usage, the safe operation of ebikes, and more.

• Saturday, Sept. 7 - 10 am at Bernardo Heights Middle School Multi Purpose Room Address: 12990 Paseo Lucido, San Diego, 92128
• Saturday, Sept. 7 - 11am at Bernardo Heights Middle School Multi Purpose Room Address: 12990 Paseo Lucido, San Diego, 92128
• Wednesday, Sept. 11 - 6pm at Poway High School Room K-1 Address: 15500 Espola Road, Poway, 92064
• Tuesday, Sept. 17 - 6pm at Del Norte High School Performing Arts Center Address: 16601 Nighthawk Lane, San Diego, 92127

Once you register your ebike at the meeting, you will receive a sticker to place on your ebike and TPMS will receive a notification that you attended the safety class. We appreciate your partnership in taking this important step toward keeping our students safe.

Twin Peaks choir is a before school program. We rehearse every Tuesday and Thursday before school in the Little Theater from 7:15-8:15. Fall choir will start Tues Sept 10th and will conclude December 10th. We will have 3 performances - one community performance at a retirement home, one concert at TPMS and one concert combined with Poway High School. The Poway High school concert will be Tues Dec 10th with rehearsal on Mon Dec 9th. The other dates are not set yet. We will solidify dates after school starts.

Here is the link to register: https://forms.gle/4GDB6WJJ4yHFYM7k8

Any questions please reach out to Denise Gonda: ddgonda@yahoo.com

Attention Flag Football players ! Football season at Twin Peaks is right around the corner! All sports packets for flag football players are due by next Friday September 6th! You must have a completed packet turned in before skill evals. Dates for skill evals and practices will be sent out next week. Packets are available in the front office and online! Please reach out with any questions!

Sports info is available on the TPMS website!

September 2024 Parent Education Courses:

• Gender Identity and Expression Part 1 - All Grades In Person
• Taming Your Child's Tantrums and Meltdowns - TK-5th Grade via Zoom
• Navigating Autism and Supporting Your Child - TK-5th Grade via Zoom

Please note, scholarships are available to parents who may be in need. Parents can contact the Caring Connections Center for more information.

Hey TPMS students & parents! Check out the new Student Activities Canvas Page to stay up to date on all that is happening at Twin Peaks MS! All students and parents should already be enrolled - if you are not, please email or ASB Advisor, Mrs. Crow at kokeller@powayusd.com.

Parents, teachers, students, alumni, and anyone interested in outdoor education are invited to spend a special day at our beautiful outdoor school located in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park on Saturday, September 7th, 2024 from 10am to 2pm.

• Learn more about the original 5th/6th Grade Camp
• Meet the outdoor school staff
• Tour the campus
• Participate in hands-on science lessons in our labs
• Meet the outdoor school nurse
• Purchase hot dogs, beverages, and snacks or bring a lunch and eat with your family in our shady picnic area
• Meet one of our live raptors
• Create crafts
• Sing campfire songs
• Take a short hike

Directions to Cuyamaca Outdoor School

Take Interstate 8 East (past Alpine) to the Japatul exit, Highway 79

Turn left at stop sign at the bottom of exit

Drive 3 miles and turn left at the sign marked Julian, Cuyamaca State Park and Highway 79

Drive 6 miles and turn right at School Camp sign

Parking is tight - carpool if possible!

Check us out on the web: www.sdcoe.net/cos and sixthgradecamp.org

All children in PUSD are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch meals regardless of income for the 2024-2025 school year. Please see the PUSD Food and Nutrition Website for more information. Breakfast is served 30 minutes before school starts daily, if your student can not make it before school, they can receive a free breakfast at morning break! Click here to view the school menus.

Parents/Guardians are still encouraged to complete a meal application online to receive other benefits such free or reduced-price after-school care, discounts on SAT and AP testing fees, reduced internet and utility bills, and food-buying assistance during summer breaks. Meal applications also help ensure that our school receives its fair share of state funding. The website to apply is www.myschoolapps.com. Paper meal applications (for parents that can’t complete one online) are available in the TPMS front office.

*PUSD Food and Nutrition Department is cashless. Parents/Guardians can add money to their students account at MySchoolBucks.com or bring a check to any window to enter in their account for any a la carte items their students would like to purchase.

The Twin Peaks Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is a membership-based, volunteer organization dedicated to making each school year a rewarding and enriching experience for all students. As a volunteer organization, PTSA is integral to the success of many campus events. We fund, organize and provide volunteers for a variety of PTSA programs and important school activities which serve to enhance your student’s middle school experience. We realize that volunteering may not be in the cards for everyone, but your membership and donation will ensure our programs continue to stay funded.

If you would like to contact PTSA please email: ptsaprestpms@gmail.com. Thanks so much!

All Executive Board meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:15pm in the TPMS Library unless listed otherwise. Association Meetings will be held in September, February, and April. Board meetings are open to PTSA Board Members and Committee Chairs while Association Meetings are open for all members of the Twin Peaks Middle School PTSA:

September 19th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)

October 17th

November 21st

December 19th

January 16th

February 13th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)

March 20th

April 24th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)

May 15th

June TBD

To join the PTSA for the 2024-25 school year, please CLICK HERE!

Our 2024-2025 Executive Board:

President - Melissa Atkinson

Executive VP - Sonnie Humphreys

1st VP of Ways and Means - Rachel Czarzasty

2nd VP of Membership - Shelly Mead

3rd VP of Volunteers - Alicia Tamayo

Secretary - Mikki Trusheim

Treasurer - Steph Cole

Historian - Alicia Gormican

Financial Reviewer - Phil Trom

Twin Peaks Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing educational excellence for ALL students at Twin Peaks Middle School. Their purpose is to bridge the widening gap between the amount of money actually provided by the State of California and the Poway Unified School District and the amount necessary to fund technology upgrades, educational programs and resources necessary to support the school.

The Foundation typically meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6pm in the TPMS Library. Here are their monthly meetings dates for the 2024-25 school year:

September 17th
October 15th
December 10th

February 11th
March 18th
May 13th

Please visit the TPMS Foundation Web Page by CLICKING HERE!

You can always shop Amazon and earn money for Twin Peaks! Just click on the Amazon link below, then start spending!

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.

Website: http://tpms.powayusd.com/index.html
Phone: 858.748.5131
Twitter: @TwinPeaksRams