Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this week's newsletter finds you all well after our first 5 days back to school in the New Year! We had an eventful first week back as students returned to the classroom to begin their iReady reading diagnostic tests, 6th graders turned in their 6th Grade Camp paperwork, our 8th Grade WEB leaders had a chance to visit Disneyland for leadership training, and classes got back into their routines as students picked up where they left off with trimester 2 learning.

This week we will continue our Winter iReady diagnostic testing as students take the math diagnostic exam in their math class. We will still have the week of January 20th-24th to complete any unfinished diagnostic exams before the testing window closes on January 26th. These online assessments will require students to come prepared with a charged Chromebook for the next few weeks, so students - please make sure to charge your Chromebook each night before school!

It’s hard to believe it but it’s already time to begin to think about the 2025-2026 school year! Here are some important dates to mark on your calendars for next school year:

• Transfer Requests - beginning on February 1st at 8:00 am, we will accept transfer requests for students who live in the Poway Unified boundaries and would like to attend a different Poway school. This includes incoming siblings of current students, as well as students who have not yet enrolled. Transfer requests can be made on the Poway Unified website by clicking THIS link. The transfer window closes on March 31st at 5:00 pm.

• Continuing Student Registration - from February 28 - March 31st, all parents whose current students will continue in Poway Unified for the 2025-26 school year need to complete online continuing registration. Look for more information coming soon.

• New Student Enrollment - beginning on April 1st at 8:00 am, new student enrollment opens on the Poway Unified website. We are excited to welcome our new students!

More details can be found on the Poway Unified website at www.powayusd.com.

The first PUSD Safety Summit of 2025 will be held on Tuesday, January 28th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm in the Community Room at the PUSD District Office and will focus on the topic of Student Wellness & Mental Health. This event will also be live streamed on the PUSD Board of Education YouTube channel. Panelists will include mental wellness experts Heather Nemour, SDCOE Coordinator, Student Wellness & School Culture and a representative from Lifeline Community Services with a parent presentation on suicide prevention and intervention.

Get excited spellers!! The TPMS Spelling Bee will be held on Wednesday, January 22nd starting at 4pm in the TPMS theater. This optional after-school event is open to all 6th-8th grade students - all you have to do is CLICK HERE to sign up! The practice word list can be found by CLICKING HERE! Best of luck spellers!

The AMC8 Math Competition will be held on Thursday, January 23rd starting at 3:30pm in the TPMS library. This is a 25 question, fast-paced multiple-choice test where problems increase in difficulty as the test progresses. Each question is awarded one point, with a total score of 25; the time limit allocates approximately 90 seconds per problem. The problems are designed to challenge students and offer problem-solving experiences beyond those provided in most middle school mathematics classes. Any 6th-8th grade students who are interested in participating in this optional competition should SIGN-UP HERE no later than Friday, January 17th.

We are currently planning our TPMS College & Career Fair for Wednesday, March 19th and we need parents/guardians to share their careers with our students! If you are interested in showcasing your career for our students and are available during our lunch time on March 19th (11:45am -12:52pm), please consider volunteering! Check out the information below with a Google form link to sign-up and contact information if you have any questions.

Please come join the TPMS Foundation at their Foundation Winter Social being held at The Cork & Craft on Friday, January 31 from 6-8pm. Lite bites and one beverage are included with your ticket. There will be opportunities to win cash, bid on silent auction items and socialize with TPMS staff and fellow parents! Please CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets TODAY!!

Calling all 8th Grade Families! 8th Grade Yearbook Recognition Ads are open and ready for purchase. Go to www.jostens.com and click on Recognition Ads to start the process of celebrating your 8th grader in this year’s yearbook! The deadline for submission is February 1st so don’t delay!

Finally this week, our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors to the north as they battle the current wild fires that have devastated the greater LA area. We know many of you have family and friends that live in the area and are impacted, and will continue to be impacted, as these resilient communities find ways to recover from this unprecedented destruction. We are also looking into ways to get our school community involved in supporting the recovery effort directly - if you have ideas or connections to organizations in the LA area that are involved in the support and recovery efforts, please reach out! In the meantime, you can CLICK HERE to access the San Diego Food Bank's webpage with resources and links on how you can help support the victims of the wildfires. Stay safe Rams!

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

January 13-17th: iReady Math testing in math classes

January 15th: Late Start, 9:30am

January 20th: MLK Day - NO SCHOOL

January 22nd: Late Start, 9:30am

January 22nd: TPMS Spelling Bee, 4pm Theater

January 23rd: AMC8 Math Competition, 3:30pm Library

January 27th: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Staff Workday

January 29th: Late Start, 9:30am

Janaury 31st: TPMS Foundation Winter Social, 6pm

February 7th: Welcome to Candyland Dance, 5:30-8pm

February 10th-14th: 6th Grade Camp

Calling all spellers! The TPMS Spelling Bee will be taking place pn Wednesday, Janaury 22nd in the TPMS Theater. The event is open to all 6th-8th grade students - all you have to do is CLICK HERE to signup! The practice word list can be found by CLICKING HERE!

Once you signup, you will receive a confirmation email confirming your spot in the competition. Our school site winner will go on to represent TPMS at the San Diego Regional competiton for a chance to represent San Diego County at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC!

Questions? Please reach out to Mrs. Atkinson at ptsaprestpms@gmail.com.

The AMC8 Math Competition is coming to TPMS! The AMC 8 is a 25-problem exam that students need to solve in 40 mins. It is a fast-paced multiple-choice test where problems increase in difficulty as the test progresses. Each question is awarded one point, with a total score of 25. The time limit allocates approximately 90 seconds per problem. The problems are designed to challenge students and offer problem-solving experiences beyond those provided in most junior high school mathematics classes.

We will be holding the AMC8 on Thursday, January 23rd in the TPMS Library starting at 3:30pm. We currently have room for 30 students, but can increase the number if we have student signups. Any 6th-8th grade student who is interested in participating in this optional competition should SIGN-UP HERE no later than Friday, January 17th.

Come join us for an evening at The Cork & Craft to enjoy drinks, food, opportunity drawings, a silent auction and best of all, to hang out with other Ram families! This social event for parents/guardians will be Friday, January 31 from 6-8pm. Lite bites and one beverage are included with your ticket. There will be opportunities to win cash, bid on teacher experiences and socialize with TPMS staff and fellow parents! We hope you will invite a friend and come celebrate the New Year! Please CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets!

Calling all families of 8th graders here at Twin Peaks! 8th Grade Recognition Ads are open and ready for purchase. Go to www.jostens.com and click on Recognition Ads to start the process of celebrating your 8th grader in this year’s yearbook! Deadline is February 1st so don’t delay!

Want more information about Yearbooks? Go to http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/

Twin Peaks Choir is a before school program. We rehearse every Tuesday and Thursday before school in the TPMS little theatre from 7:15-8:15am.

We will have 3 performances during the second half of the year - one community performance at a retirement home, one concert at Twin Peaks and one concert combined with Poway High School. The Poway High school concert will be on Wednesday and Thursday, May 21-22 with rehearsal on Monday and Tuesday, May 19-20th.

Please click here to sign-up: Twin Peaks Choir Spring 2025

Medication Drop-Off Deadline for Camp is Tuesday, January 21st, 2025. All medications must be dropped off at the Front Office. Please do not send medication(s) with your student.

All medications must meet the following requirements before being accepted:

1. Original Containers

2. Prescription Medications must be properly labeled by a California pharmacy, including:

• Student's Name: The prescription must be for the student only; no other name will be accepted.
• Medication Name
• Precise dosage instructions, quantity, and frequency
• Prescribing authority's name
• School initials: Example: "Twin Peaks" is labeled as "TP".

3. Non-Prescription Medications must be properly labeled with:

• Manufacturer's Label including the medication name, dosage, and instructions.
• Child's Name and School Initials. Example: Amanda C. Garcia (TP).

4. Spanish language medication labels must be translated to English on the Medication Authorization Form.

5. Medications may not be expired

ASB is thrilled to announce that our TPMS Students have been committed to keeping our campus clean these last few weeks and have earned the right to after school events back! We would like to formally invite your student to attend our Valentines Semi-Formal - A Night in Candyland, which will be held in the TPMS Quad from 5:30-8:00 PM on Friday, February 7th. Students will receive more information in their homeroom classes next week, but we wanted to make sure that you had time to mark your calendars and plan accordingly! If you are interested in donating items or volunteering to help out with the dance, please CLICK HERE to view our sign-up page. Questions about the dance can be directed to our ASB Advisor, Mrs. Crow at kcrow@powayusd.com.

The counseling/student services team will present our second No Place for Hate school-wide lesson to all Homeroom classes this month. This focus of this lesson is Online Hate and Harassment, to ensure that our students understand the impact of what we post online. We invite you to view the presentation HERE and discuss it with your student.

We are starting to plan for our TPMS College & Career Fair on Wednesday, March 19th and we need parents/guardians to share their careers with our students! If you are interested in showcasing your career for our students and are available during our lunch time on March 19th (11:45am -12:52pm), please consider volunteering!

College & Career Fair Details

Date: Wednesday, March 19th

Time: 11:45am-12:52pm

Location: TPMS Quad

If you would like to participate by sharing fun facts and other information about your work and career with our students, please complete our Google Form: bit.ly/tpccf2425. We look forward to partnering with you for this exciting event. Please contact Melissa Baskin, mbaskin@powayusd.com, if you have any questions.

• FREE Teen Positive Parenting Program (English) via ZOOM

Wednesdays, January 8th, January 15th, and January 22nd, 2025 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Click here for the flyer and more information!

With fire season upon us we want to assure parents and guardians that we have appropriate response systems in place when emergencies arise. Our first priority will always be the safety of our students and staff on campus.

When Twin Peaks becomes aware of any incidents in the geographic area of the school site, we will focus first on the safety of our campus while working with law enforcement, emergency responders, and the District for guidance and support for communication. Communication with parents is part of the response plan, but will be secondary to immediate safety. As soon as we can, we will message families with details of school-wide incidents such as lockdowns or evacuations. Please ensure your contact information is up to date in ParentVue in the “My Account” section.

Finally, we have been asked by first responders to remind our families NOT to come to campus in times of emergency – there have been several instances when officers, firefighters, and their ability to respond to the emergency have been hindered by parents rushing to the scene. Should an emergency occur, we will send out messages about dismissal or reunification procedures for families when first responders indicate it is safe to do so.

Yearbooks are available for $55. Reserve yours now!

Pay by card: Go to www.jostens.com or use the QR code

Pay by cash/check: Download the order form from our webpage

http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/ or pick up a form in the office. Return the form and cash or check to the school office.

Want more information about Yearbooks? Go to http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/

Please complete the free/reduced-price meal application! Although school meals are free for all students, the application for free and reduced-price meal eligibility is still very important. School funding depends in part on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. If income-eligible families do not apply, we risk losing important educational funds for our school.

Students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals may also qualify for discounts on testing fees, before and after school care, and home internet! Income qualifications change annually, so a new application is needed every school year. For school year 2024-2025, children from a family of four are eligible if the total gross (pre-tax) household income is less than $4,810 per month, or less than $57,720 per year. Household income information is confidential and applying online is quick and easy. Apply online at MySchoolApps.com, or pick up a paper application in the school office.

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:

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:

January 14th

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