Tuffree Times

Dear Tuffree community,

We made it to our first break! As we head into Thanksgiving week, I want to share my sincere gratitude for the tireless work our staff does with students day in and day out. I want to show thanks to our students for bringing so much sunshine and belly laughs on the daily. Finally, I want to thank all of the parents and guardians who work hand in hand with us to provide the best middle school experience possible.

Speaking of giving thanks, this week, many of our 8th grade students had the opportunity to tour the Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles and hear from two extraordinary Holocaust survivors. This is certainly a perspective-giving opportunity. When thinking of the horrors they had to endure, I can't help but feel thankful for all of the opportunities and circumstances I have had in life.

I hope everyone has the opportunity to spend time and recharge with loved ones over the next week. We'll see y'all in December.

Enthusiastically,

Sarah Barton, Principal

• ASB, in partnership with the City of Placentia Neighborhood Services, is hosting a toy drive that will benefit our local community! Here is the flyer. Students may bring in new, unwrapped toys to their 2nd period teacher between Monday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Dec. 12; the class with the most donated toys will win a class donut party!

• November is Native American and Alaskan Native Heritage Month. Click here to learn more.

TMS showed out at the Madrigal XC Invitational! Both 7th and 8th grade boys brought home a first place trophy. This is particularly special because those are the first "first place" finishes for both 7th and 8th grade boys in cross-country. Both teams have been knocking on the door for years and this year they busted right through! Congrats boys!!!

Our ladies fought valiantly as well. Our 8th grade girls ran hard taking home 2nd place. Our 7th grade girls were in a very close competition. They finished 4th but were only 10 points out of 2nd! We can't wait to get back to work to prep for championships on 12/6!

Tuffree AVID will be hosting a fundraiser on Thursday, December 5th from 11am-9pm at Craftsman restaurant. Present the flyer below digitally or printed and 15% of the proceeds will go straight to TMS AVID. Save the Date!

We sincerely appreciate your participation in the PTA Reflections program! The committee is thrilled to report that we received a total of 18 submissions for the 2024/2025 Reflections program, with 10 entries in the film production category! All submissions underwent a blind judging process using the official rubric provided by the National PTA.

We are excited to share the names of the 8 entries that will progress to the council level for further evaluation. A heartfelt thank you to all the students who shared their artistic talents with us; we are incredibly proud of your efforts!

The results for the Placentia Yorba Linda Unified Council PTA Reflections will be announced this winter. Additionally, first-place winners from PYLUC will be advancing to the 4th District PTA for further review.

Look out for more info in the coming weeks for our PTA fundraiser!

• Health Office: Please remind students to go to the health office if they do not feel well. Our health clerk will assess and contact home if needed. Students are not to be using their phones during school hours, and if they text you to pick them up, then we are unaware that there is a sick student on campus and it becomes a safety concern.

• School Calendar: The school calendar can be found here.

• Daily Attendance: Every day counts when it comes to student attendance. Students must maintain good attendance to achieve academic success. When a student is absent, please contact the attendance office.

Non-Discrimination Statement: The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying in all district activities, programs, and employment based upon actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, color, religion, ancestry, nationality, national origin, ethnic group identification, immigration status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, pregnancy, age, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups or any other basis protected by law or regulation, in its educational program(s) or employment. In accordance with AB-1078, this applies to all acts of the governing board and the superintendent of the school district in enacting policies and procedures that govern the local educational agency. The following employees have been designated to handle questions or complaints of alleged discrimination: Employee complaint- Dr. Issaic Gates, Deputy Superintendent, Human Resources (714) 985-8408. Title IX and any other discrimination complaints - Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director, Student Services (714) 985-8670, bpedraza@pylusd.org. Title II Coordinator / 504 Coordinator / Americans with Disabilities Act complaints - Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director, Student Services (714) 985-8670. Bullying, intimidation complaints - Tonya Gordillo, Administrator, Student Services (714) 985-8671. The mailing address for all compliance officers is 1301 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870.