Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this week's newsletter finds you all well and enjoying some beautiful San Diego sunshine this weekend! If you haven't done so already, don't forget to SPRING FORWARD today! Unfortunately we lost an hour this weekend due to Daylight Savings Time - please make sure to adjust your clocks accordingly and be on time for school on Monday morning.

We have MINIMUM DAY SCHEDULES this Monday and Tuesday, March 10th and March 11th to provide our staff with professional learning time. Dismissal each day will be at 12:35pm. ASES will continue to run on their regular schedule on both days. Our main office will also be open from 8am-3:30pm on both Monday and Tuesday this week. You can CLICK HERE to see the Minimum Day Bell Schedule on the TPMS website.

This was the final week of Trimester 2; teachers will be finalizing and submitting grades this week, and parents and students should be able to see Trimester 2 grades in StudentVue and ParentVue by March 19th. Trimester 3, new wheel electives, and new Homeroom/Lunch splits will begin this Monday, March 10th - 7th graders will now have first lunch, 8th graders will now have 2nd lunch, and 6th graders will now be split between the two lunches. Please check with your Homeroom teacher if you have any questions about which lunch period you will now have.

We had over 140+ live attendees join our 6th grade team on Wednesday via Zoom for 5th Grade Information Night to learn about all the amazing things we do at TPMS to teach and inspire students. We greatly appreciate parents taking the time out of thier busy schedules to join us on Zoom and welcome our new Ram families to Twin Peaks! A recording of the webinar is LINKED HERE on the TPMS website for anyone unable to attend last Wednesday.

PUSD's Continuing Student Registration window is now open - all parents whose current students will continue in Poway Unified for the 2025-26 school year need to complete online continuing registration. The continuing registration page is LINKED HERE and will stay open through March 31st. If you live within the Poway Unified boundaries and want your child to attend a school different than your assigned school, submit your request online through the Transfers page on the PUSD website. The transfer request window will close on March 31, 2025 at 5 p.m.

Online course request forms will be available to current 6th and 7th grade students starting Monday, March 10th on the TPMS website. Please save the date and plan to spend some time with us on Wednesday, March 19th from 5-6:30pm for our Electives Expo! This will be an opportunity for new and existing students and families to visit campus and learn about the elective opportunities available to students for next year. If you have questions about elective courses, need an application for an elective like Yearbook or AVID, or want to access the online course request forms, please check out our online COURSE CATALOG LINKED HERE. All course requests for continuing students need to be completed online by Monday, March 24th. Questions? Please reach out to Kirti Choudhary at kchoudhary@powayusd.com.

Finally this week, I wanted to ask for some help from our parent community. Here are 3 ways Twin Peaks parents can help support our school and our teachers during the month of March and beyond:

1. PTSA Pi Day Event this Friday 3/14: our amazing PTSA is setting up a Pi Day spread for our staff and they need donations of gift cards and pies to host the event. Please CLICK HERE for the Sign-Up Genius
2. Career Fair on 3/19 - Pop-Ups Needed! We already have many parents participating in this event (Thank You!), but now we need to borrow some pop-up tents! We are hosting the event in our quad at lunch and we are anticipating some direct sunlight in the middle of the day. If you have a pop-up tent we can borrow for this event, please reach out to our counselor organizing logistics for this event, Mrs. Baskin at mbaskin@powayusd.com.
3. TPMS Foundation Teal Envelope Campaign: each New Year, our incredible TPMS Foundation, through their Teal Envelope Campaign, chooses to focus on supporting one major project on campus for improvement... this year they have chosen to support making improvements to our theater sound and lighting. Anyone who has used this space knows that it has been in a state of disrepair for some time. Our new drama teacher, Ms. Franke, has put in a bunch of effort to get the theater cleaned up, but it really needs updated equipment. The Foundation is asking each TPMS familiy to make s $50 doantion during their Teal Envelope Campaign in the month of March. A $100 or more donation before March 31st earns you a limited edition TPMS Beanie! For more information or to make a donation, please CLICK HERE!

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

March 10th: Beginning of Trimester 3 / New Lunch Splits

March 10th & 11th: Minimum Days - 12:35pm Dismissal

March 12th: Late Start, 9:30am

March 12th: AVID Information Night on Zoom, 6pm

March 13th: Volleyball Championship, 4pm, MBMS

March 14th: PTSA Pi Day Staff Event

March 17th-21st: Scholastic Book Fair, Library

March 19th: Late Start, 9:30am

March 19th: Career Fair @ lunch

March 19th: TPMS Electives Expo, 5-6:30pm

March 26th: Late Start, 9:30am

March 26th: SPED Info Night, 5-6pm, Zoom

All of our students utilize the theater, which is in need of some major enhancements. We are inviting Twin Peaks families to contribute $50 to support these improvements through our Teal Envelope Campaign. As a bonus, if you can donate $100, your student will receive a limited edition TPMS beanie!

Donations can be made here https://2025-teal-envelope.cheddarup.com or by bringing a check in your teal envelope to the school office, including your student's name and homeroom teacher. Don't forget to check if your employer offers a matching donation program! Every contribution counts, and we truly appreciate your support!

Join us this Wednesday, March 12th at 6pm on Zoom to learn more about the AVID Program at Twin Peaks! Here are some important links:

• Zoom login information: CLICK HERE
• AVID Flyer (also click below on flyer): CLICK HERE
• 6th Grade AVID Application: CLICK HERE
• 7th/8th Grade AVID Application: CLICK HERE

Our amazing PTSA is asking for parent donations for their Pi Day celebration this Friday, March 14th. Please consider making a donation by CLICKING HERE or on the graphic below! Thanks in advance for your help in celebrating our fantastic TPMS staff!

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-May 9th, 2025, the San Diego Helpful Honda people will be honoring and surprising deserving teachers with $5,000 worth of school supplies and materials they need to better help their students succeed! We want to identify teachers in schools across San Diego County who have gone above and beyond to give their students a memorable and unmatched educational experience – and we need your help!

We want to make this recognition a surprise, so we rely on colleagues, parents, or friends, to help make this happen – and not to tell the nominee in advance – this way, it’s a true surprise.

HOW TO SUBMIT A DESERVING TEACHER:

Nomination Form: https://forms.gle/ppWkw1BhAYBinEC77

DEADLINE:

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2025.

Support the Twin Peaks PTSA and treat yourself to a dozen Original Glazed Krispy Kreme donuts for just $15!

Here's How It Works:

1. Order: Fill out the form to place your order.
2. Support: 50% of each purchase goes directly to TPMS PTSA.
3. Enjoy: Pick up your donuts at your local Krispy Kreme. It's a win-win! Get fresh donuts while supporting a great cause! CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to place your order today!

The Spring Book Fair is coming soon! The Book Fair will start on Monday, March 17th and end Friday, March 21st. As a reminder, the Fair will be open to students before school starts, during lunch, and after school (with exception of Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon). It will also be open during the Electives Night on Wednesday, March 19th. In addition, students should visit the Book Fair with their Language Arts class as well.

Books can be purchased with cash, check (made payable to "TPMS PTSA"), or credit/debit card/apple pay/google pay. Parents can also set up an eWallet — your child's digital payment account. (If you currently have a balance on an existing eWallet account, the balance can be used with your new account. Just be sure to set up the account with the same email address.) Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more, create an eWallet account, and preview books for the Fair: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/twinpeaksmiddleschool

Volunteers needed! To make the Fair successful, volunteers are needed to help at the Fair – cashiers and monitors! Shifts are short and easy. Please click on the following link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B4CAAAA2AAAF58-55364904-tpms

8th Grade Family Night for Poway High School is on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025 from 5-7pm in the Poway High School Gym. Please click here for the 8th Grade Family Night Website. We wish the best to our future Titans!

For our current 8th graders heading to high school next year please click on the link below to access your Course Request Forms (CRFs). PHS Counselors visited 8th Grade ELA classes this past week to help students select their classes and to review their 4-year plan. For additional questions, please contact your TPMS counselor:

Mrs. Baskin Last names A-F

Mr. Ortiz Last names H-O

Mrs. Jennings Last namesP-Z

Please click here for more information: https://sites.google.com/powayusd.com/pusd8thgradecrf/home

March Parent Education 2025

Taming Your Child's Tantrums and Meltdown TK - 5th Grade

Navigating Autism and Supporting Your Child Grades 6th - 8th

Gender Identity and Expression Part II All Grades

6th-8th Grade Parent Education

Date: Wednesday, 3/12/25

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Abraxas High School, Room 4

Class Code: 14172

Instructor: Jason Omoto
Tuition: $29.00/individual or $35.00/couple

Managing screen time is an essential part of supporting children’s well-being and academic success in today’s digital world. Technology offers incredible opportunities for learning and creativity, but maintaining a healthy balance is key. Setting clear boundaries and encouraging mindful tech habits at home helps children develop the skills they need to navigate their digital lives responsibly. By working together to create a balanced approach to technology use, we can empower students to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

• Elementary Resource: How Much Screentime is OK for My Kids?

• Secondary Resource: 4 Conversations to Have with Older Kids and Teens About Their Screen Time Habits

Yearbooks are available for $55. Reserve yours now!

Pay by card: Go to www.jostens.com or use the QR code

Pay by cash/check: Download the order form from our webpage

http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/ or pick up a form in the office. Return the form and cash or check to the school office.

Want more information about Yearbooks? Go to http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/

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:

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:

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