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PBMS Family Bulletin

March 28, 2025

PBMS Family BulletinMarch 28, 2025

PBMS Vision

PBMS strives to be a place where students want to come to school, parents want to send their children and staff want to come to work.

Message from the Principal

Spring Break and Beyond: Wow! We are already at spring break and the end of the grading period for the last progress report before Semester 2 grades! The P4 progress report will be ready in PowerSchool by Friday, April 11. Once we come back from break, we have just 7 1/2 weeks left of school. It will go by fast. Be sure to check out the calendar link in Upcoming Events. The calendar goes through the end of the school year.


We continue to get reports of students using racial slurs and other inappropriate language on campus. Students engaging in this behavior can have very serious consequences at school but it is not enough. We need your help because this issue is complex. When we return from spring break, the administration and counseling teams will visit classes to review school-wide behavior expectations. Teachers will do this for their class expectations as well.


  • Nearly ALL of our children spend unsupervised time on the internet - not just playing games or chatting with friends. They watch people play video games and read commentary. They share music, memes and reels. Algorithms feed them content based on their viewing habits. Name calling and hurling insults have become common adult behavior that is very public. You, as the parent, have very little control over this even if you are sitting side by side, monitoring everything.
  • As parents, we've all taught our kids what is right and wrong. We believe that since we have taught them not to use slurs or inappropriate language, they won't. This belief is very strong, especially when our children are kind, caring, and thoughtful, who always follow directions. But middle school is the time when our children start developing their own sense of self. They test many boundaries we set for them. The use and power of language is part of that process.


So what can you do? Have open conversations with your child about the use of language. Look for teachable moments when you see or hear something together. Talk about it. Talk about the impact and how it makes people feel. Talk about what people might perceive about them it they engage in the behavior. Talk about ways they could handle a similar situation. If you see or hear your child using slurs or inappropriate language, ask them to reflect. Here are some questions we use:


  • What happened?
  • Why did you use hurtful language or a slur?
  • Who has been affected by your actions? In what way?
  • What do you think you could do to make things right?
  • How can you have handled the situation differently?


If your child hears or see something at school, please email me or Mr. Depue. Middle school students make mistakes. We will hold them accountable but we want our children to be great people as they mature. We can all work together on this. Thank you for all that you do.


Pathway to Biliteracy Award: Any 8th grade bilingual Spanish speaking student who wants to try and earn the Pathway to Biliteracy award can come write the Spanish essay after school on Tuesday, April 15 with Ms. Ramos in room 107 OR Wednesday, April 16 with Mrs. Araico in room 108. Students should see their Spanish teacher for any questions about the process. Mandarin Immersion 8th grade students should connect with Mr. Chen.


Student Events:

  • Women's History Month: ASB is hosting a Women's History Month event week from March 24th through March 28th. On Monday, March 24th, join ASB on the blacktop, where there will be coloring pages and they will hang them up to make a poster. On Tuesday, March 25th, Join ASB on the blacktop, for chalk to draw pictures inspired by a famous women in history! On Wednesday, March 26th, join ASB at the Yellow Umbrellas to write down your female role model on a stick note and put it on a poster. On Thursday, March 27th, Join ASB on the blacktop for women’s history trivia. Answer questions about women in history and receive a prize. On Friday, March 28th, There is no lunch event. Take this day to reflect on all the contributions women have made in history, whether they were acknowledged for it or not. For more information look at the google slides in your grade level google classroom. Check out these slides for events and a contest.
  • Military Family Appreciation Month: Hello PBMS community! ASB is compiling pictures of military families to make a video for Military Family Appreciation Month! If you are part of a military family, we would greatly appreciate it if you could send in a picture or short video of your family! Pictures or videos can be submitted in your student’s grade level Google Classroom. Thank you to all of our military parents for their service.


Safety:

  • Parking Lot: Check out this 8th grade community project on safety in the school parking lot: LINK - must be signed in as a student to view

  • Social Media Use: Here is a link of resources you can use with your family on Responsible Social Media Engagement: LINK

  • Parents Can Use Blocksi to Control Chromebook: SDUSD has recently started using Blocksi, a class management tool that allows teachers to control the Chromebooks in their classroom. They are beginning to test the parent dashboard feature which allows parents to control their child’s Chromebook when it’s off campus in the following ways:

    • Block websites or turn off Internet access
    • View your child’s web history
    • View detected safety alerts for self-harm and threats

    This short video explains in further detail how to use the parent dashboard.

    To log in and start using the Parent Dashboard, parents can follow the instructions in the Blocksi Parent Job Aid.


Pronto Cards: Attention youth transit riders: Do you want to keep riding transit for free with YOP? You must prove your age to keep your free pass active! The deadline to prove your age is March 31. If you don’t you will have to pay to ride. Apply online: https://www.ridepronto.com/pronto-online-application-faq/


Budget: SDUSD has a new resource that enhances transparency and engagement with the PBMS community: the SPSA & Budget Request Tool. This tool allows stakeholders to request a copy of your school’s current year School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and LCFF and Title I budget report. https://tinyurl.com/sdusdbudget


Kudos:

  • PBMS Staff Shout Outs - Did your child share a great thing that happened at school? Are you noticing your child loving a subject they used to hate? Was someone on the phone very helpful? If you answered yes, send a shout out to the staff. Recognized staff may win a reserved parking spot each month. LINK


Take Care,

~Ms. Meng


🌊 Go Waves!🌊

Upcoming Events

Please visit this link to see the calendar through the end of the school year: PBMS EOY Calendar


SAVE THE DATE!

  • 8th grade Promotion - Thursday, May 29 - 10:00am to 11:00am - MBHS Stadium - NO PARKING on site


SUMMER

Counseling Corner

Progress Report 4 (P4) - February 18 - March 28

We want to assure students and parents that PBMS offers many resources to help our students be successful! We offer tutoring before school and after school daily, lunch tutoring (with certain teachers) and weekly workshops to help motivate and support students (See Thriving Thursday post below!) Tutoring, Wellness & Clubs Schedule

If you are concerned about your child’s academic progress, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Priest (last names A-K) or Ms. Rice (last names L-Z) We will work with you and your child to create a support plan to help them be successful S2.

If you are a military family and would like our MFLC (Military Family Life Counselor) to check in with your child (support with academics, social issues, deployments, etc.) Please email Ms. Jennifer Fightlin, she is here to support all military students!


Thriving Thursdays:

  • 🚀 Thriving Thursdays; Season 3

    🌟 Continue our journey through Time Management skills with this power-packed session!

    📅 When: This Thursday
    ⏰ Time: 2:50 PM - 3:50 PM
    📍 Location: Club Room #351 (2nd floor of library)
    🎯 What We'll Explore:

    • Why prioritization is your secret superpower
    • The Eisenhower Matrix for task organization
    • Creating your personal Priority Action Plan
    • Converting chaos into calm with smart prioritization
    🎒 Bring:
    • Your current list of assignments/tasks
    • Something to write with
    • Your biggest time management challenge
    • Your enthusiasm!
    All worksheets and materials provided! 📋✏️
    💡 Why This Matters: Master prioritization and watch your stress decrease while your free time increases! This skill will serve you not just in school, but throughout your entire life!

Things to Know

PBMS News LINKS - WEEK 30


Student Information: Not signed up for your grade level Google Classroom? Do it today to find out about school events and activities.

  • 6th grade: ozs6cel
  • 7th grade: uwco5tp
  • 8th grade: jxubxcu


Community Service


Living Our Values Everyday - SAN DIEGO UNIFIED LOVE NOTES - SDUSD is encouraging everyone (colleagues, students, families, community members, etc.) to nominate an exemplary employee. Click here: Link for more information and the nomination form.

SDUSD & PBMS Important Information

Main Office

Hello PBMS Families! Welcome to the new school year. Below is a list of Front Office contacts with assigned duties. Please feel free to contact any one of us or stop by the Main Office if you have any questions, concerns, or just to say hello.



Alma Nelson - Administrative Assistant - anelson@sandi.net

Administrative Contact 🌊Transportation 🌊 Volunteers 🌊 Substitutes

Rentals/Events 🌊 School Calendar


Pilar Agejas - Financial Clerk - magejaschicharro@sandi.net

Uniforms and School Merchandise 🌊 6th Grade Camp


Sally Kaufman - Library Tech - skaufman@sandi.net

Chrome Books 🌊 Library 🌊 Garden club


Lauren Myers - School Clerk II - lmyers1@sandi.net

Attendance 🌊 Enrollments 🌊 Choice 🌊 Student Independent Study Contracts


Sven Bailey - sbailey@sandi.net

PowerSchool Parent Portal 🌊 Student Records


Anna Arellano - Health Tech - aarellano3@sandi.net

First Aid 🌊 Student Medications 🌊 Immunizations 🌊 Nursing Documentation

FOPBSS

Connect with other PBMS parents via FOPBSS!

Be part of the PBMS/MBHS parent community! Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools (FOPBSS) is the parent-teacher organization for PBMS and MBHS. Come to our next meeting on Wednesday, April 9, at 6:00 PM in the MBHS Library. Learn more about us and sign up for our weekly e-blast here: https://fopbss.org/2024-25/


Sign up for the FOPBSS newsletter today!

Contact Us

Please note the parking lot and entrance to the school are located on Felspar Street.

Email: kmeng@sandi.net
Website: https://pbmiddle.sandiegounified.org/
Location: 4676 Ingraham Street, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: 858-221-5600

Kimberly Meng
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