Last week was a great way to kick off the 2024-25 school year! I was able to visit many classrooms and see the community building and start of the new school year activities classes were engaging in. As many of you have likely already realized, Pershing's enrollment has increased again. We are now the third largest middle school in San Diego Unified!

Despite our significant enrollment increase these past two years, our goal as a school community remains the same: to create a first rate academic and extra-curricular experience for our students and build an environment where students are excited to come to school everyday and learn because they know there are adults on campus that care about them and their education. I feel confident given the staff we have in place that we will be able to continue meeting this goal!

I do want to share with families a concern that was brought to the site's attention regarding eBikes and eScooters and students using them in an unsafe manner (riding without helmets, not obeying traffic laws, weaving in and out of traffic, transporting multiple riders, etc). Last Thursday, Mr. Hawthorne, our Associate Principal, started meeting with students who ride eBikes and eScooters to and from school and contacting their families to discuss eBike safety.

We have also reached out to Officer Skinner, our school police resource officer, and asked him to meet with these students and increase patrols in areas that have been reported as hotspots of unsafe eBike and eScooter behavior in the neighborhood. But some of what appears to be happening is students who do not own the eBikes or eScooters are asking friends to ride them and then engaging in unsafe behavior. We ask that all families, whether you own one of these devices or not, have a conversation with your middle schoolers about eBike & eScooter safety and the dangers that can occur when proper safety equipment is not worn or when they use these devices in an unsafe manner. Together I am confident we can resolve this problem and increase the safety for all students in the community.

Sincerely,

Melanie Kray

Our school Foundation ensures our school has the funds it needs to allow our students to have enriching academic experiences beyond the typical program.

The Panther Pledge is a suggest $75 donation that helps fund our Pershing Parent Foundation. If every student was able to raise $75 our Foundation would meet their fundraising goal for the entire year!

Click here to take the Panther Pledge today!

Your entire donation other than any PayPal fees goes directly to the Foundation, and helps pay for:

• 6th Grade Camp Scholarships
• 7th Grade Experience to Rockin' Jump Trampoline Park
• 8th Grade Promotion and End of the Year Activities
• Teacher Stipends for Class Enrichment Activities
• Teacher Appreciation
• Campus Beautification / Improvements
• Guest Speakers…and more!!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

FIRST COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL OF 2024-25

TUESDAY, AUG 20 @8:30 AM

You are cordially invited to attend our online coffee with the principal event. At this meeting we will be discussing the vision for the 2024-25 school year, grades, upcoming events and activities, and much, much more. We hope you will be able to attend. The MS Teams link is available on the school website and below:

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 231 630 202 635

Passcode: kmGs5j

PERSHING FOUNDATION MEETING ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 20 @6:00 PM

We hope you will be able to join us in-person in the Pershing library or via MS Teams for our first hybrid Foundation meeting. This is a great way for families to get involved and support studenst on our campus. We hope you will be able to attend. There are details below in our Foundation section.

WEDNESDAY OFFICE HOURS BEGIN THIS WEEK ON AUGUST 21

Beginning this Wednesday, August 21, Pershing will offer an extended window of time every Wednesday from 12:45-1:20 PM where students can seek individual help with a specific classroom teacher. The expectation is any student who has a C or lower in any class will attend office hours weekly for that class until the grade is a B or higher.

If your child struggled in a class like Math 7 last year, we encourage you to proactively send them to Math 8 office hours with their teacher now, BEFORE the first grading window closes, so they can can stay on track and make sure they are building a solid foundation for this school year. Office hours is a great opportunity for students to get the extra support they need and we encourage families to have their child(ren) take advantage of this opportunity.

PERSHING FOUNDATION MEETING ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 20 @6:00 PM

We hope you will be able to join us in-person in the Pershing library or via MS Teams for our first hybrid Foundation meeting. This is a great way for families to get involved and support studenst on our campus. We hope you will be able to attend. There are details below in our Foundation section.

APPLICATION FOR ROBOTICS PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE

Thanks to the generous support of our parent volunteers, Pershing Middle School will once again be able to offer FLL Robotics after school. The robotics program will be meeting after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students interested in joining the robotics program must complete an online application. Please CLICK HERE to complete the application. The online application must be completed by 3:00 PM on Friday, August 23.

WELCOME PACKETS FOR THE NEW YEAR GO OUT THIS WEEK

Pershing is going digital! This year, we will no longer be sending home paper welcome packets for families to complete. Instead, families will complete all required forms online. Be sure to look out for the email that contains information regarding this electronic welcome packet!

STUDENT SCHEDULE CHANGES

Our counseling team has been working hard to get classes balanced and complete schedule changes for students. We anticipate having all schedule changes completed by this Friday, September 1. Please be aware the majority of changes are being done to reduce classes and ensuring we meet all contractual classroom and student ratio caps. Student initated class schedule changes can only be done if there is space available in the requested class.

GRADE-LEVEL BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS ASSEMBLIES THRU PE CLASSES THIS WEEK

This week, our Associate Principal, Mr. Hawthorne and our counseling team, will meet with students through their PE classes to review Panther PRIDE and our school-wide behavior expectations. CLICK HERE to view the presentation that will be shown to students.

SCHOOL PHOTO DAY ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 27TH

Fall pictures will be happening on Tuesday, August 27th. Order forms have been sent out through PeachJar Flyers and hard copies are also available in our main office.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT IS THURSDAY, AUGUST 29TH @6:00 PM

We hope to see all families at our Back to School Night event. This is a great opportunity to meet your child's teachers and hear about their expectations and goals for the school year.

WEDNESDAYS ARE PANTHER SPIRIT DAYS!

Every Wednesday is a Panther Spirit Day. Students are encouraged to wear Panther gear or Pershing colors (maroon, grey, black or white). Our online store is now open, check out all the latest deals and ensure your child is ready for our spirit days!

NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND

A reminder that Pershing Middle School will be closed on Monday, September 2nd in honor of Labor Day. School will resume on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Tryouts for Basketball and Track and Field start this week!

CLICK HERE to view the Middle School Athletics Tryout and Practice Schedule. All tryouts for Pershing students are currently slated for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Students trying out may change in the Boys and Girls Locker Rooms and then wait in the lunch arbor for their coaches to arrive.

WE NEED YOU!

We have many opportunities for our parents and staff to contribute, run and improve our Foundation!

If you have any interest and / or would like to learn more about Foundation volunteer opportunities, please fill out this form

This year we are looking for new At Large Board Members, especially those that may have interest in the Board positions of President, Vice-President and secretary next year, so you can shadow current Board Members in these roles.

We would especially love some more 6th grade parents onboard! We will be voting in our at large board members at our first meeting this week, so if you have not already, please fill out the form prior to the meeting, if you’re interested or would like to learn more:

Foundation Volunteer / Board Interest Form

PLEASE JOIN OUR FIRST MEETING ON TUESDAY NIGHT!

Please join us for our first meeting of the School Year. This is a great opportunity to meet the board and learn about our Foundation, including our budget, expenses and fundraising efforts.

We welcome all Parents, Teachers and Staff to join us and we appreciate everyone’s input, ideas and suggestions. Our first meeting is Tuesday 20th at 6PM in the School Library or join us via Microsoft Teams.

Join Foundation Meeting via Microsoft Teams: CLICK TO JOIN

BOARD & BREW, PAPA JOHNS AND SHUTTERFLY

Our first Dine-out is scheduled for September 18 from 4pm to 8pm: Board & Brew Dine-out

Papa Johns has 30% off Regular menu price when you order at papajohns.com with promo code PERSHING (20% of purchase benefits Pershing): PapaJohns

Shutterfly – Use the link from our website to order, and 8% of your purchase benefits Pershing – Shutterfly Info

Email: pershingfoundation@outlook.com

Website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/pershingpanthers

There is no denying the many benefits and conveniences that cell phones have brought to our society and we hear frequently from parents that they enjoy the convenience of communicating with their child by cell phone, especially if there is an emergency.

The research, however, is increasingly clear that for adolescents in particular, there are many negative side effects that come with cell phone and social media use . These negative side effects include: distractibility in the classroom, anxiety, negative self-image, feelings of isolation, loss of sleep and cyberbullying just to name a few. In fact, concerns about the impact of smartphones and social media on adolescents has become so great the U.S. Surgeon General has even issued an advisory about the effects of social media on youth mental health.

That is why we want Pershing to be a place where students "unplug" from their cell phones and social media and focus on reconnecting with their peers and avoid the distractions that make learning more challenging. Cell phones must be silenced and in students' backpacks during school hours. Phone may only be used before and after school.

We hope families will speak with their middle schoolers not just about the cell phone policy but also the reasoning behind it. Below are some articles about the impact of cell phones and social media on adolescents and their learning:

How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers

Negative Health Review of Cell Phones and Social Media

Are Smart Phones and Social Media Hurting our Kids?

5 Reasons to Ban Smart Phones in School

August 12: First Day of School

August 12-14: Minimum Day Schedule, students are released at 12:44 PM

August 20: Virtual Coffee with the Princpal @8:30 AM on MS Teams

August 20: First Pershing Foundation Meeting @6:00 PM in the library and on MS Teams

August 21: Wednesday Office Hours Schedule Begins

August 26-30: First Spirit Week

August 27: Fall School Pictures

August 29: Back to School Night @6:00 PM

September 2: Labor Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL

September 20: P1 Grading Window Closes

Follow Pershing Middle on Instagram & Threads

@Pershing_sdusd

Interested in volunteering on campus?

Contact our Ms. Sylvia Patton a spatton1@sandi.net

Website: https://pershing.sandiegounified.org/
Location: 8204 San Carlos Drive, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (619) 352-3550
Twitter: @melanie_kray