The Panther Pulse
Pershing Middle School Newsletter: Vol. 3, Edition 1
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! We are looking forward to welcoming our new and returning Panthers on Monday, August 12. We had a strong turnout for our 6th Grade and New Student Orientation last Thursday and it was so much fun meeting all of you. For those families not able to attend the orientation you can CLICK HERE to access the Orientation slide deck presentation that was shown to families.
A reminder that we are on a minimum day schedule for the first three days of school. Students will be released at 12:44 PM. We have found the minimum day schedule aids student in transitioning back from student break and provides our staff with valuable collaboration and planning time that supports high quality instruction in the classroom.
I also wanted to cordially invite all families to attend two important upcoming community meetings. First, on Tuesday, August 20 at 8:30 AM, I will be hosting my first virtual Coffee with the Principal of the 2024-25 school year. An MS Teams link will be included in next week's newsletter and will be accessible on the school website. I also wanted to remind families our first Pershing Parent Foundation meeting is at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 21 at 6:00 PM. All Foundation meetings are hybrid. You can attend in-person in the Pershing library or join through MS Teams (link will be shared in the newsletter and on the school website).
And speaking of our fabulous Pershing Foundation, I wanted to remind all families that our biggest fundraiser of the school year, the Panther Pledge, has just begun. The money raised during the Panther Pledge supports a wide variety of enrichment activities for our students including 6th Grade Camp scholarships, a 7th Grade Experience, and our 8th graders' end of the year activities. I want to encourage all families to take the Panther Pledge and help support our students (details are below). The grade level that raises the most funds through the Panther Pledge will be released to lunch 5 minutes early for two weeks in September. Don't miss out, make your pledge today!
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.
Last week, our Foundation launched the biggest Fundraiser of the year - the Panther Pledge.
If each family donated $75 we would reach our fundraising goals for the year, but we appreciate ANY donations of ANY amount.
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!
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR WEEK OF AUG. 12
STUDENT CLASS SCHEDULES FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
Students' schedules are now visible in PowerSchool. All students will receive a hard copy of their schedule on the first day of school. For a more detailed explanation of how students will receive their schedules please review the "first day of school arrival procedure" below.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ARRIVAL PROCEDURE
It is recommended that students arrive a little early on the first day of school (no later than 7:45 AM) so they can locate their first period classes.
7th & 8th Graders: will enter the campus through the school’s main entrance off of San Carlos and report to the lunch arbor. Posters will be up in the lunch arbor with 7th & 8th grade students’ last names and their first period teacher’s name and classroom number. When the bell rings at 7:55 AM, 7th & 8th grade students will report to their first period class. During their first period, students will be provided with a paper copy of their class schedule. Class schedules will also be made available the morning of the first day of school online in the PowerSchool Student and Parent Portals.
6th Graders: will enter campus through the school’s west entrance located next to the sixth grade turnaround parking lot by Lake Badin Avenue. Sixth graders will then walk over to the large grass area at the front of the school by the main office. Parents are welcome to walk their child over to the grass area and stay with them until the first bell rings. Tables will be set up in the grass area and students will get a paper copy of their class schedule at the tables. Class schedules will also be made available the morning of the first day of school online in the PowerSchool Student and Parent Portals. Students will locate their first period teacher’s name on the class schedule and then line up by the sign in the grass area with that teacher’s name on it. At 7:55 AM, 6th grade teachers will come out to the grass area and escort sixth grade students to their first period class. If there is inclement weather we follow the aforementioned process inside the auditorium.
PLEASE BRING YOUR FULLY CHARGED CHROMEBOOK TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY
Please make sure your child brings their fully charged Chromebook with them to school on Monday. If they are new to the district, and have not yet had an opportunity to check out a Chromebook, our librarian will be issuing them to new students during the first week of school.
DISMISSAL
With nearly 1000 students departing campus at the same time, dismissal can be a little hectic. We recommend that families that will be picking up their child(ren), particularly our new 6th grade families, plan and discuss ahead of time with their child(ren) specifically where you will meet them for pick up on the first day of school. It is also a good idea to remind your child(ren) if they have any trouble locating a family member for pick up, they can always go to the main office and someone there can assist them in locating and/or contacting the family member. We will be requesting that students leave campus at the gate closest to their 6th period class. There are three gates to choose from: the ramp gate by PE, the main entrance/exit, and the roundabout gate by Lake Badin.
STUDENT-INITIATED SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUEST
There will be no student-initiated schedule changes during the first few days of school. The only changes that will be made to student's schedules is if there is an error on the schedule. Examples of scheduling errors include: (1) student is missing a period or (2) student has two 3rd periods. If your child notices an error on their schedule, they will report to the counseling center during the period there is an error to get their schedule corrected. Please note a desire to change an elective is not a scheduling error and we are not able to accommodate requests for specific teachers.
If you notice an error on your child's schedule, we recommend emailing your child's counselor directly during the first week of school regarding the error.
- 6th Grade Counselor - Eli Salazar: esalazar1@sandi.net
- 7th Grade Counselor - Aracely Cervantes: acervantes1@sandi.net
- 8th Grade Counselor - Conrado Castro: ccastro2@sandi.net
WEDNESDAY OFFICE HOURS BEGIN ON AUGUST 21
Beginning 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. 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.
ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES
California law requires regular and punctual attendance for students under the age of 18. Poor attendance is the most common cause for low achievement and failing grades. Each day your child is not in school is a missed opportunity to learn something they will need in order to understand more difficult material later in the school year. You cannot make up for too many absences with homework and make-up work. Making sure your child(ren) are in school every day helps ensure they will succeed in middle school and sets them up for success in high school.
Chances are your child(ren) will need to miss a few days of school this year and while some absences may seem more excusable than others, the impact is actually the same regardless whether your child is sick, ditching, or taking a family trip. Any absence makes it harder for your child to keep up with the everyday classroom learning that is needed to grow and succeed, even when they try to complete what was missed.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
Parents/guardians are responsible for their child’s school attendance and must notify the school if their child is not in school and why.
To report an absence, families may send a note, call the attendance office at 619-362-3550, or complete the absence reporting google form. Families may do this in advance of the absence or on the first day the student returns to school to excuse the absence. When a child misses one or more periods of school, SDUSD notifies families via automated phone call.
OFF CAMPUS BLUE SLIP PROCEDURE
Pershing encourages parents to schedule appointments outside the school day. If you need to do so, however, please allow enough time to complete the following:
Pershing is required to verify the identity and authorization of any person requesting to remove a child from school. A parent/legal guardian may request the off campus blue slip in advance of arriving at the main office but must physically come into the main office to pick up the student.
When you arrive to pick up your student, you must provide a picture ID to the front office staff. Please know that students will only be released to an individual with picture identification and who is listed as a parent, legal guardian, or emergency contact in PowerSchool and is over the age of 18. Students will not be released to anyone under the age of 18.
In order to minimize the loss of the child’s instructional time, a student will not be called from class until the parent/legal guardian is present in the office. This process may take 10-15 minutes so please plan accordingly.
Also please be aware if parents arrive during the lunch window to pick up their child, it may take additional time to locate your child and get them to the main office. We therefore recommend picking up your child before the lunch window begins or after it ends.
If a parent or legal guardian is requesting an off campus blue slip during the final twenty minutes of the school day or later, we may not be able to complete the procedure before the school day ends for all students.
Finally, in order for a medical appointment absence to be excused, families must provide a note from the medical provider verifying the appointment. The note may be emailed to dcaputo@sandi.net or physically turned in to the main office.
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
Panther PRIDE Behavior Expectations
GET INVOLVED, WE NEED YOU!!
Our Foundation is run by volunteers and we are looking for a President, Vice-President and Secretary to take over next year, due to the current board reaching the end of their term or promoting up to Patrick Henry.
Becoming an at-large board member is an opportunity to learn from our current board and prepare for any of these roles.
We also encourage any Pershing Parents / Guardians, teachers and staff to join the board at our monthly meetings to hear reports from our Principal, President, Treasurer and share ideas, suggestions and feedback.
Our first meeting will be August 20 at 6PM both in-person and virtually on Teams. Look out for the Teams join link here in next week's Panther Pulse.
If you are interested in any board / volunteer opportunities, please email PershingFoundation@outlook.com and / or join us at our first meeting to learn more about these opportunities.
Email: pershingfoundation@outlook.com
Website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/pershingpanthers
Calendar Heads-Up 🗓
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 21: 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
Stay Connected!
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