Panther Parent Update

De Portola is a welcoming diverse learning community. We foster individuality by empowering and developing students’ communication, curiosity, and critical thinking skills through a growth mindset. We are Panthers! Rooooaaaarrrrrrrr!!

3/24 - 3/26 - Hearing Screenings (8th Graders)

3/25 - Twin Day (ASB Spirit)

3/26 - Country Vs Country Club Day (ASB Spirit)

3/27 - Color Wars (6th Green, 7th Pink, 8th Blue)

3/27 - VAPA Gala Night

3/28 - Extra Minimum Day

3/28 - Rock, Paper, Scissors (Lunchtime Activity)

3/31 - 4/3 SPRING BREAK

4/6 - School Resumes

4/8 - 4/15 - High Jump (PE)

4/9 - Kona Ice (Lunchtime)

4/9 - Advanced Music Disneyland Field Trip

4/14 - 4/18 - Spring Bookfair (Media Center)

4/16 - Spring Open House 5:30PM - 6:30PM

4/18 - Track Meet (All Day)

4/30 - Open Mic @ 5:45 PM, Shelter Island fire pits in Point Loma

5/2 - Panther Parent Bowling Night

5/29 8th grade Promotion 9:15am

Thank you to the 41 Marines who volunteered their time to create a memorable Military Fitness Day for all of our students during PE classes last Friday. We would also like to thank De Portola Foundation for providing breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages to all of our volunteers! A huge shout out to ASB who organized a Military Chill on the Hill with a very competitive game of musical chairs and a push up contest. Mr. Lowry, Associate Principal, beat out the young Marines with 53 push ups in one minute!!

Greetings Families,

We have streamlined San Diego Unified’s PrimeTime application timeline and process to better support your family. The new enrollment platform TransAct will automatically populate your students’ information from PowerSchool to ensure accurate student information and minimize the number of forms you need to complete.

On Monday, April 14, between 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. you will receive an email and text with a unique application link for each eligible TK-8 student. The link goes live at 8:00 a.m on April 14. Please contact your school site to ensure your primary email and phone number are updated in PowerSchool before April 14.The initial application window will open Monday, April 14, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. through Friday, May 2, 2025, at 9:59 p.m.

We encourage you to visit and explore the 2025-26 PrimeTime website for additional information about the application timeline, process and student eligibility. For questions, please contact Extended Learning Opportunities, PrimeTime Office at (858) 503-1870 or email primetime@sandi.net.

Please talk to your students about the importance of taking care of their Chromebooks. On Tuesday of this week, there were 7 shattered screens.

Please review the below Promotion Requirements with your 8th grade students.

• You can only have one “D” or one “F” (no combinations) on final report card in S2 column.
• No “U’s” for citizenship, period!
• Beginning Grading Period 4 (March 17th), no more than 9 tardies.
• Beginning Grading Period 4 (March 17th), no suspensions.
• Deadline for raising grades: May 16th!

If you have any questions/concerns, please contact your student's counselor;

Students with the last name that begins with A-L - Mrs. Hudson Lhudson@sandi.net

Students with the last name that begins with M-Z - Mrs. Ericson - Aericson@sandi.net

Homework Help List 24/25

Promotion will be held on Thursday, May 29 at 9:15am. More details regarding Promotion will be coming during the first week in April.

VAPA Gala is this Thursday! Cutoff for ordering tickets is Tuesday March 25th at 12pm. Our first annual De Portola Middle School VAPA Gala night will be held this Thursday from 5:30-7:30 in Weiner Hall. This fundraiser will support our Visual and Performing Arts. Tickets are $30, which include dinner and show. Please use QR code to purchase tickets. All ticket sales must be completed online.

Please take a moment to view our new Panther Parent Bowling Night flier. Tickets are now available to purchase, please use the QR code below. $60 includes OGGIEs Dinner, Bowling, Games and 1 Beer/Wine ticket.

We are reaching out to kindly request donations of gift cards in any amount and from any retailer. These donations will help support the De Portola Middle School Foundation’s fundraising efforts, which directly benefit our school and students. The gift cards will be used as prizes in our upcoming raffle at the DP Bowling Night. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, and we thank you for supporting our school community! Donations can be given to the office.

We are currently working on the next year's schedule. To make this schedule as accurate as possible please fill out this google form if you student is not attending De Portola next school year.

Repeated information from previous weeks.

Our “Open Mic Night” is ON!! That means we have 8 sessions to write and practice! If your child is interested in joining Writers’ Corner, please email Mrs. Soto-Nauta at esoto@sandi.net. The club meets every Tuesday, after school, from 2:50-3:50 PM starting March 4th. Students can wait outside room 714 from 2:30 - 2:50. This is a free course, thanks to De Portola’s Foundation. Thank you, Foundation!

On Wednesday, April 30th, beginning at 5:45 PM, at the Shelter Island fire pits in Point Loma, we will have our Writers’ Corner Finale “Open Mic!” The students will share written excerpts with family and friends in the twilight and glow of the bonfires! Please, do not miss this!

Yearbooks are currently $60. They can be purchased at www.yearbookforever.com

Please email Ms. McIntosh at smcintosh@sandi.net with any questions.

School dismisses at 2:30. We only allow early release at 2:00pm or earlier. If you child has an appointment and needs to leave, please email Ms. Charisma at cjohnson7@sandi.net or leave her a message her at 619-605-4800 and press 3. She will send a pass and have your student waiting in the office at the expected departure time. This is not a perfect system, but we do our best to accommodate everyone. If your child has PE at your time of departure and you have not given us prior notice, it can take up to 20 minutes to locate your child, send them to locker room, and head up to office. Planning ahead makes this a very easy process.

Full day absences need to be reported to Charisma Johnson at cjohnson7@sandi.net. Please include your student's full name, DOB, reason for illness and the day or dates they are absent.

We do not accept food deliveries for students. Additionally, parents cannot drop off fast food for their student (Subway Included). If a student forgets their lunch, we offer free lunch every day. If a parent drops off a student's lunch bag, we will have the student come up to office at 12:00pm. If a parent brings lunch from Cotijas (or anywhere else), we ask that you stay and enjoy it with your student.

All sports practice throughout the year will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:45 - 4:30 with games on Saturdays. Students can only participate in one sport per season. Please review the Middle School Athletics page for more information. Also, email Mr. Steven at sfong@sandi.net for any questions.

Fall Sports: Basketball and Track & Field

Winter: Soccer and Volleyball

Spring: Flag Football, Cheer, and Wrestling

For the 2024-25 school year, De Portola Middle School will provide both BREAKFAST and LUNCH for all students. Breakfast will be served in the lunch arbor from 7:30 - 7:50 AM. Students just need to input their six digit student ID number and make their food selection.