Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this newsletter finds you all well and staying cool during our current heat wave! We had the busiest of short hot weeks with our Cross Country team starting practice after school, our Science Olympiad Club holding their kickoff meeting, and our AVID students introducing themselves to staff. A big THANK YOU to all of our Ram families who attended Back to School Night this past Wednesday night! Depsite the soaring temperatures, we had a really solid turn-out and feedback from parents about the schedule, class rotations, and what they heard from teachers was encouraging and positive.

Due to the increased temperatures, we will continue to operate under a heat advisory on Monday and Tuesday until temperatures drop back down to average levels. This means our PE classes will rotate through indoor facilities rather than be outdoors, our blacktop will be closed at lunch time, but we will contiue to have our library, ASES classrooms, and little theater available for students to escape the heat during this time. Please make sure to have your student bring a water bottle with them to stay hydrated throughout the school day.

This Friday, September 13th is our 6th Grade WEB Carnival from 3:30-5:00pm! This is an exclusive event just for our 6th graders and an opportunity for our newest Rams to have some fun and interact with their 8th grade WEB Leaders. Students will need the permission slip LINKED HERE signed by a parent/guardian in order to purchase a ticket. Tickets are on sale Monday-Thursday this week at lunch in the WEB room for $5. Tickets will not be sold on Friday or at the door for this event!

Breaking Down the Walls is a series of workshops for TPMS 7th Graders funded by the TPMS Foundation that work to build connections and foster a school culture based on belonging and empathy. This year's workshops are scheduled for Thursday, 9/26 and Friday, 9/27 - 7th graders will be assigned to one of four workshops on Thursday or Friday so that they can participate with their peers. 7th grade teachers have already adjusted their lessons for these days so that students, and staff, can participate without taking on any additional work. If you would prefer that your 7th grader not participate in Breaking Down the Walls, please complete the opt-out list LINKED HERE. For an informational video about Breaking Down the Walls, please CLICK HERE!

PUSD recently emailed out to all families a notice about riding e-bikes to school and the new requirement of attending a 1 hour safety course with your student in order for them to be able to park their bikes on casmpus. The September safety course dates are located in the "PUSD ebike Registration and Safety Classes" below with the times and locations of the trainings; please read through the information carefully as you will need to provide details about your ebike at the training session in order to register and recieve your bike permit to park on campus.

Please note - this class is only required if your student is riding an ebike! If your student is riding a regular bike to school, then our previous bike, scooter, skateboard (micromobility) registration policy applies. If you registered last year and you have the same micormobility with the TPMS permit still visible, then you are good to go! If you are a new student to TPMS or have a new micormobility, please follow the permitting process LINKED HERE on our school webpage.

Parents - are you looking for a way to get involved with Twin Peaks Middle School? Then consider one or all of these options:

1. Join the Twin Peaks PTSA (see signup information below!)
2. Come be a part of the TPMS Foundation! Meetings are on Tuesdays @6pm in our Library.
3. Consider being a parent representative on our TPMS School Site Council. The School Site Council is comprised of students, staff and parents and are responsible for crafting the School's Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) each year. If you are interested in submitting your name as a candidate for our School Site Council for the open 2-year term, please complete the form LINKED HERE before this Friday, September 13th at 3pm.

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

September 10th: TPMS Choir, 7:15-8:15am, Little Theater

September 10th: PE Chipotle Fundraiser, 5-9pm, 13495 Poway Rd

September 11th: Late start - 9:30am

September 11th: PUSD e-bike Safety Course, 6pm, PHS

September 13th: 6th Grade Carnival, TPMS Quad, 3:30-5pm

September 17th: PUSD e-bike Safety Course, 6pm, DNHS

September 18th: Late start - 9:30am

September 18th: Parent Zoom - With Hope: The Amber Craig Foundation, 5-6pm

September 19th & 20th: Suicide Prevention Workshops

September 25th: Late start - 9:30am

September 30th: Teacher Professional Learning, Non-Student Day

October 7th & 8th: Minimum Day Schedule - Professional Learning Days

Calling all 6th graders!! Make sure to block out Friday, September 13th from 3:30-5pm to come and hang with your WEB leaders and fellow classmates at the 6th Grade WEB Welcome Carnival! Tickets will be on sale through Thursday, September 12th for $5 each during 1st lunch - this includes your admission and food for the carnival! Signed permission slip is necessary to purchase a ticket. It's going to be a great time Rams - make sure you buy your ticket early and don't forget to bring a friend!

In response to community requests and a desire to address a student safety need, PUSD has partnered with local enforcement to provide mandatory safety classes for all ebike riders. If your child rides their ebike to and from school, attending one of these one-hour classes with a parent or guardian will be a requirement to park their ebike on campus. To provide students ample time to comply, this new requirement will be enforced starting January 6, 2025.

Once you register your ebike at the meeting, you will receive a sticker to place on your ebike and TPMS will receive a notification that you attended the safety class. We appreciate your partnership in taking this important step toward keeping our students safe.

Please note - this class is only required if your student is riding an ebike! If your student is riding a regular bike to school, then our previous registration policy applies. If you registered last year and you have the same bicycle with the TPMS permit still visible, then you are good to go! If you are a new bicyclist to TPMS or have a new bike, please follow the permitting process LINKED HERE on our school webpage.

Football season is right around the corner with our skill evals fast approaching. Listed below are all the dates for the beginning of the season. We do have a lot of kids interested in making the team so we will be having an A team, B team and a practice squad. Our A and B team will be competing against other schools in the district while our practice squad will only be practicing and developing their skills. Please remember that teams are not set in stone and that players can be moved up and down through the season! Please reach out with any questions! Thanks

Skill Evals: 3:30-4:30 (players will check in at the lunch tables)

Tuesday Sept 10th

Thursday Sept 12th

Tuesday Sept 17th

Thursday Sept 19th

Teams will be posted Friday September 20th!

September 2024 Parent Education Courses:

• Gender Identity and Expression Part 1 - All Grades In Person
• Taming Your Child's Tantrums and Meltdowns - TK-5th Grade via Zoom
• Navigating Autism and Supporting Your Child - TK-5th Grade via Zoom

Please note, scholarships are available to parents who may be in need. Parents can contact the Caring Connections Center for more information.

Our 7th and 8th grade students will take part in an important and engaging presentation by With Hope, The Amber Craig Foundation focusing on suicide prevention during their PE class on Thursday, September 19th or Friday, September 20th. The purpose of the presentation is to educate, equip, and empower students regarding suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Research shows that suicide is preventable through education and awareness. Patti Ferraro from With Hope will provide students with facts about suicide, alert them to warning signs related to suicide, and provide them with information about how to seek help for themselves or others. This presentation is approximately 45 minutes in length and will take place during your student’s PE class. Our counselors, mental health therapist, student services specialist, and school psychologists will be available to assist students who need additional support during and after the presentation.

To help families make an educated decision on whether this student presentation is appropriate for your student, we encourage you to review the information on the With Hope, The Amber Craig Memorial Foundation website and to attend the parent/guardian workshop hosted by With Hope on Wednesday, September 18th from 5-6pm via Zoom. The Twin Peaks staff will take part in a presentation during professional time the morning of Wednesday, September 18th.

If you wish to opt your student out of the presentation, please email Christie Hamilton, Principal Mills' assistant, at chamilton@powayusd.com by Monday, September 16th and please make sure to include your student’s name.

The presentations are possible due to the generous support of Twin Peaks PTSA and Foundation.

Please contact your student's counselor if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

TPMS Counseling

Zoom Link: CLICK HERE

Meeting ID: 970 224 9941

Passcode: GoRams!

In partnership with the San Diego County of Education, all Poway Unified School District middle schools are in the second year of a two year Aspire Network program. We are interested in knowing how to better serve our students and enhance their middle school experience. In the next few weeks, we will be conducting a student survey to understand how our students feel about school, how they interact with each other, and what motivates them. The results of this survey will provide insight to guide our practice and ensure all students have a valuable middle school experience.

Your student will be asked to voluntarily participate in a brief survey by responding to multiple choice questions. The survey asks questions about our school and their sense of belonging and connection to their peers, their teachers, and our greater school community. This survey is confidential; your student’s answers are private, and participation is voluntary. The surveys are expected to take about 15 minutes to complete in their Homeroom class. If you are okay with your student participating in the Aspire Network survey, you need to do nothing. If you do not want your child to participate in the survey, please complete the form LINKED HERE before Friday, September 6th.

All children in PUSD are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch meals regardless of income for the 2024-2025 school year. Please see the PUSD Food and Nutrition Website for more information. Breakfast is served 30 minutes before school starts daily, if your student can not make it before school, they can receive a free breakfast at morning break! Click here to view the school menus.

Parents/Guardians are still encouraged to complete a meal application online to receive other benefits such free or reduced-price after-school care, discounts on SAT and AP testing fees, reduced internet and utility bills, and food-buying assistance during summer breaks. Meal applications also help ensure that our school receives its fair share of state funding. The website to apply is www.myschoolapps.com. Paper meal applications (for parents that can’t complete one online) are available in the TPMS front office.

*PUSD Food and Nutrition Department is cashless. Parents/Guardians can add money to their students account at MySchoolBucks.com or bring a check to any window to enter in their account for any a la carte items their students would like to purchase.

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:

September 19th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)

October 17th

November 21st

December 19th

January 16th

February 13th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)

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:

September 17th
October 15th
December 10th

February 11th
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