Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this week's newsletter finds you all well and enjoying this incredible weekend weather! We had an eventful first week back to school following the Thanksgiving Recess, highlighted by an epic TPMS Choir Holiday Concert on Thursday night and time to meet and check-in with our students of active duty military families on Friday at lunch in Pride Park. We have another action-packed week ahead with choir and jazz band performances at lunch on Monday and Thursday, a 6th grade camp meeting in the MPR on Wednesday during Homeroom, a School Site Council Meeting Wednesday after school, and an AVID field trip to PLNU on Thursday for our 8th graders. We're looking forward to another fun and exciting week at TPMS!

We have 10 more days of instruction with students before the Winter Recess. PUSD schools will be closed for the Winter Recess from December 23rd thru January 3rd. Students will return to school on Monday, January 6th, 2025. The Friday before Winter Break has traditionally been a minimum day - Friday, December 20th is NOT a minimum day this year! The calendar on the back of the student planner is incorrect and Friday, December 20th has a regular Friday release time of 3:05pm. Also, our ASES after school program will NOT be open on Friday, December 20th.

I'm excited to announce an upcoming E-Bike Safety Class for students and their parents, aimed at promoting safe and responsible e-bike usage. The class will take place in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Mt. Carmel High School on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:00pm. Attendees are highly encouraged to arrive at 5:30 so they have enough time to find parking and the PAC. We hope to offer additional classes in the new year as dates and locations are scheduled.

Poway Unified School District welcomes you to participate in the Secondary Economics Textbook Adoption. PUSD secondary schools have recommended a new History Social Studies (HSS) curriculum for the high school Economics course. Please visit our Secondary Curriculum Adoptions page for more information and directions on how to provide feedback. Community members can provide feedback until 12/20/24.

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! Check out the information below with a Google form link to sign-up and contact information if you have any questions.

Looking for a great gift idea for the movie lover in your family? Then consider purchaisng a Regal Movie Ticket Bundle and support your Twin Peaks PTSA! Bundles of 2 tickets can be purchased for just $30 and are redeemable at all Regal Theaters. Check out the link in the story below and get your tickets TODAY!

Finally this week, each trimester we recognize our 5 Star All-Star Students! Students earn 5 Star points when they support their fellow students, show kindness, and by exhibiting one or more of the Six Pillars of Character - Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship inside and outside of the classroom. This is a special recognition - only 5 students in each grade are selected for this honor each trimester, making these All-Star students the top 1% of all students at TPMS! For earning a 5 Star All-Star award, students will receive a special certificate from the California State Assembly, a 5 Star All-Star tshirt, and a bag of goodies including gift cards to In-n-Out Burger and Broken Yolk! Congratulations to this trimester's students - please see the list of the Trimester 1 5 Star All-Stars below!

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

December 10th: Choir Concert w/ PHS, 7pm, PCPA

December 12th: Jazz Band Holiday Concert, both lunches, Quad

December 13th: Choir Concert, Christmas in the Park, 7pm, Old Poway Park

December 16th: Jazz Band Concert, 5pm, PCPA

December 17th: Orchestra Concert, 6pm, PHS

December 18th: 6th Grade Winter Concert, 9am, MPR

December 19th: 7th/8th Grade Band Concert, 6pm, PHS

December 20th: Band/Orchestra Concert before school, Quad

December 20th: After school ASES Program is closed.

December 23rd - January 3rd: Winter Break

6th Grade Camp is just around the corner! Our dates for camp are Monday, February 10 to Friday, February 14, 2025. Here are some other important dates to have on your radar:

• Wednesday, December 11th: we will have a presentation by Camp Cuyamaca staff to students to kick off camp signups in our MPR. Parents are also welcome to attend this meeting as well - it starts at 11:45am sharp and goes until about 12:15pm.
• Thursday, December 12th: permission slip packets and detailed information will be handed out.
• Forms and money will be due by Friday, January 10, 2025.

***The cost of camp is $455. If you have questions about the cost of camp as set by the Poway Unified School Board, please reach out to Ms. Ana Moreno at (858)748-5131 ext 2808***

TPMS will be starting an e-sports (electronic sports, aka video games) team that will complete against other schools in online matches including Rocket League, League of Legends, and Super Smash Brothers. We are looking for interested TPMS students and plan to launch in the New Year with help from Poway High School and their e-sports program. To sign-up, please CLICK HERE!

Attention volleyball players! Registration for the 24-25 season is officially closed! We have a high number of students interested in representing TPMS volleyball and are very excited for another great season! After discussing it with the coaches we are going to be splitting skill evals by grade level. Please see the skill eval schedule listed below to know what day your student is going! We encourage players to attend as much of their designated skill evals as they can, so they have the most amount of time to show off their skills. Have your student check in down at the gym right after school. Please reach out with any questions! Thanks!

Skill Evals: TPMS GYM 3:15-4:30 ( all skill evals and practices are closed to anyone but players and coaches)

Monday 12/9- 6th grade only

Wednesday 12/11- 7th and 8th grade only

Monday 12/16- 6th grade only

Wednesday 12/18- 7th and 8th grade only

Friday 12/20- Teams posted outside of room 201, 925, and PE locker room.

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 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/

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/

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.

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.

We are excited to announce an upcoming E-Bike Class for students and their parents, aimed at promoting safe and responsible e-bike usage. The class will take place in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Mt. Carmel High School on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:00pm. Attendees are highly encouraged to arrive at 5:30 so they have enough time to find parking and the PAC.

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.

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:

December 12th

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:

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