Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying another hot weekend as we see the beginning of October and the end of our first 6 week grading period. Teachers will be finializing progress report notices that will be available later this week on ParentVue and StudentVue. Please note - we do not send home paper copies of grade reports or progress notices; all grades are found online through theParentVue and StudentVue. If you need help logging in to either of these apps, or have other PUSD related technology concerns, please visit the PUSD Family Academy webpage LINKED HERE.

Please don't forget that this week, Monday and Tuesday, October 7th and 8th, are minimum days for students. This means school starts normally at 8:30am, but dismissal is at 12:35pm on both days. Buses will run their normal routes on these days, but will be adjusted for the early dismissal; ASES will be open its regular hours on both minimum days.

This past Friday we hosted our TPMS Cross Country meet, with 500+ runners and their families descending on TPMS for an amazing afternoon on our cross country course. A huge SHOUT OUT to Coach Tracy Dimino for her dedicated work and service in leading over 160 Ram runners! A big THANK YOU to her team of parent volunteers for all of their hard work in the hot sun setting up and tearing down the event, and to our PE Department, Campus Security, and ASES staff for their support of this amazing event! Enjoy a few pictures from the meet below...

PUSD middle schools are currently going through a pilot process for adopting a new English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum for grades 6-8. Please visit our Curriculum Adoptions page for more information and directions on how to provide feedback. Community members can provide feedback until Friday, November 1st, 2024.

Students riding bikes/E-bikes to school - please make sure to limit your riding to trails and designated parts of the street. Do not ride through parking lots - this includes the Twin Peaks Center parking lot where the district school buses frequently drive. Please make good choices while riding - wear your helmets at all times, do not carry passengers, stay on the trail/road, and watch your speed!

Please join the TPMS Foundation on Friday, October 18th for their Fall Parent Social starting at 6:30pm at Kaminski's BBQ. Tickets are on sale now and include your food & drink ticket - CLICK HERE to purchase online. This is a great opportunity to meet other TPMS parents, mingle with some of our amazing staff members, bid on some fantastic prizes, and support our campus and students! Want to help out and be a part of the Foundation!?! Then come to our next Foundation meeting this Tuesday at 6pm, October 15th in the TPMS Library.

Finally this week, the Principal's Advisory Council (PAC) serves to provide students with a direct connection to the school administration to address concerns about Twin Peaks Middle School's culture and climate. This is a leadership opportunity for students who are interested in improving our campus and ensuring the best possible student experience for their fellow Rams. The Advisory Council consists of 5 members per grade level, for a total of 15 members. Terms of office are for one year - 6th and 7th grade representatives from last year will continue on this year if they wish since the PAC was only formed halfway through last school year. Applications for new members will be accepted each spring to allow for a transition period between students.

We are now accepting applications for new 6th grade members for this year's PAC. If you are interested in being a part of the Principal's Advisory Council, please answer the questions on the online application LINKED HERE and submit your application by 3pm on Friday, October 11th, 2024. Students will be notified by Wednesday, October 16th. The PAC's first meeting will be during Homeroom/lunchtime on Thursday, October 17th.

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

October 7th & 8th: Minimum Day Schedule / 12:35pm dismissal

October 8th: Kebab Shop Fundraiser

October 9th: Fall ELAC Meeting, 5:30-7pm @Library

October 10th: PUSD Board Meeting, 6pm @ Community Room

October 14th: AVID Induction Ceremony, 6pm

October 15th: TPMS Foundation Mtg., 6pm @Library

October 17th: TPMS PTSA Mtg., 6:15pm @Library

October 18th: Foundation Fall Social, 6pm @Kaminski's BBQ

October 21st-25th: Red Ribbon Week

Please stop by the Lost & Found outside of the library and admin building to recaim lost jackets, sweaters, water bottles, hats and shoes (mainly from the PE locker rooms). Items not claimed by the end of this week will be donated!

PTSA's Reflections Art Program:

“Accepting Imperfection” is the theme for the 2024-25 Reflections Art Program, which has been bringing the arts to life for more than 10 million students since 1969. This amazing program increases community awareness of the importance of arts in education. Encourage the arts and recognize student artwork through the PTA Reflections Program.

Art Categories:

· Film Production

· Writing

· Music Composition

· Photography

· Visual Arts

· Dance Choreography

Using this year's theme, "Accepting Imperfection" as the inspiration for their art, participants must create an original entry (may not be aided by an adult or any other person, unless they are entering in the Special Artists Division of the contest) and submit it via the Online Entry Form linked below. The entries will be judged locally by the TPMS PTSA's Reflections Art Committee. Those who score high enough to earn an Award of Excellence will advance to Palomar Council PTA and followed by Ninth District. The final artworks submitted to California State PTA by districts are then considered for Outstanding Interpretation, Awards of Excellence or Awards of Merit. Outstanding Interpretation and Award of Excellence entries then go on to represent California in the final National PTA judging round.

Deadline to enter: October 25th.

Student Reflections Entry Form

Questions? Email Melissa Atkinson at MelAtkinsonPTA@gmail.com

TPMS is participating in a Regal Fundraising Campaign to help support our PTSA. Get your Regal Movie Ticket Bundles to support Twin Peaks Middle School PTSA for $30.00 per order! Bundle Includes: 2 Movie Tickets redeemable at any Regal location nationwide. Click here to purchase or for more information.

We hope you can join us at the Foundation's Fall Parent Social! This is a great opportutnity to meet other Twin Peaks families, our TPMS staff, and support our campus and students. Please click on the flyer below, scan the QR code, or visit https://my.cheddarup.com/c/tpmsfall-social-2024/forms?cart to get your tickets today!

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/

Calling all proud 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/

Tanner Mizel, a PhD candidate at the University of San Diego, is conducting a case study on the lived experiences of disabled students in inclusive classrooms. If you’re a parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the extensive support needs program and would like to contribute to the study, or for more information, click here. For further information about the research project, you can contact Tanner Mizel (tmizel@sandiego.edu) or Dr. Suzanne Stolz (sstolz@sandiego.edu).

If you are a member of the Armed Forces, a Reservist, or Veteran, please take a few moments to complete our TPMS Military Families Survey LINKED HERE. Thank you in advance for your time in completing this survey and thank you for your service to our country!

If your student who is a legal dependent between the ages of 13-18 with a parent/guardian in the armed forces, they are eligible to apply for the Military Child of the Year Award. Recipients will represent a branch of the armed forces — the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Space Force — for their scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria while facing the challenges of military family life. All Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year Award recipients will be flown with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., and recognized at the April 2025 gala, during which senior leaders of each branch of service will present the awards. They also will receive $10,000 each, a laptop computer, and other donated gifts. Submissions close on December 2, 2024.

Hello PUSD Staff,

We are pleased to share that Valley will be hosting the Spanish Teen Positive Parenting Workshop Series for FREE In Person at Valley Elementary School! This webinar series is designed for parents and will address raising responsible teenagers while improving family communication. The webinar is offered for Spanish speaking parents and open to any parent and family across our school sites. The English series is scheduled for the new year in January 2025.

• FREE SPANISH Teen Positive Parenting Workshop Series In Person

Valley Elementary School

Thursday, November 7th, Wednesday, November 13th and Thursday, November 21st from 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Click here for the flyer!

*Childcare provided for school-aged children

Mesa Verde Middle School is hosting Cell Phones + Social Media + Your Teen's Brain = ? a FREE parent education event on Wednesday, October 23rd from 6-7:30pm in the their Little Theater. This event is open to all PUSD parents of middle and high school students.

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.

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:

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:

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