The Panther Pulse
Pershing Middle Community Newsletter (Vol. 1, Issue 26)
Principal's Message
I can't believe it! Sixth Grade Camp is just around the corner. If you are the parent of a sixth grader who is going to camp please make sure you scroll down to the sixth grade camp section this week. There is important information about the COVID pre-testing that students must have before going to camp!
This week, I was once again impressed with the rigorous and engaging lessons our teachers are using with students and all the different ways students are able to show off their learning. For example, I was able to see our English 8 students' culminating presentations about the novel Warriors Don't Cry. And I have to tell you, we have some talented kids at this school. One student created a "Choose Your Own Adventure" presentation using C++ coding, another group performed a rap illustrating the main themes of the story, still another created a painting and used the symbols in the painting as the way to explain the themes novel. I have some great pictures of some of the presentations I saw below. I also have some great pictures of a fun "Taste the Rainbow" Activity students participated in during Ms. Reading's Nutritional Health class that students take as part of their elective wheel. Students sample different fruits and vegetables and rated their "tastiness." Some of those pictures are below as well.
And finally, I wanted to mention to families that after two weeks with lots of rain and cold weather we finally saw some sunshine on Thursday and Friday. With the return of the sunshine, we also noticed an uptick in horseplay among all students but particularly among our 6th graders, after school and during passing periods. Families if you could take a moment and remind your child(ren) that even with friends, it is important for students to keep their hands to themselves and things like jumping on one another's backs, "stealing" friends hats or other items and running away, and/or grabbing someone by their backpack is not appropriate behavior and students may face disciplinary action if they are caught engaging in those types of behaviors. We have had minimal issues with student behavior this school year and we want to keep it that way.
Sincerely,
Melanie Kray
Important Announcements for the Week of March 6th
P3 GRADING WINDOW CLOSED
A reminder that the P3 grading window closed on Friday, March 2. The PowerSchool Parent Portal is temporarily closed while grades are processed. Families will be able to view their child(ren)'s P3 grades in PowerSchool on Friday, March 10th.
PARENT PORTION OF THE CALIFORNIA HEALTHY KIDS SURVEY
Please take a moment to click on the link to the 2023 California Healthy Kids Parent Flier & Survey Link. and complete the survey. On average, the survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Your participation assists Pershing staff to guide our decision-making process in determining further student supports from year to year - we need the voices of as many families as possible in this process! We ask that all families complete the survey before the end of March.
PERSHING FOUNDATION MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY, MAR. 8
Don't forget we have a foundation meeting scheduled this Wednesday at 6:30 PM in the Pershing library. We hope you will be able to attend in-person but if not, we do have a hybrid zoom options. Please use the link below. We have a lot of important information we will be sharing about the COVID pre-testing required for 6th grade camp as well as information about our upcoming Challenge Course Event.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/86583088405
Meeting ID: 865 8308 8405
COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 @8:30 AM
Be sure to save the date for our next Coffee with the Principal Event! Get information about the thinking around shifting to a single lunch for the 2023-24 scholl year, our upcoming Spring Fest in April, as well as information about next year's budget and plan for student achievement. We hope to see you there! This meeting will take place via zoom.
MOVING TO A SINGLE LUNCH FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR
As mentioned in last week's newsletter, the general consensus among SGT members was a shift to a single lunch next school year makes sense and would be better for students. I have ordered additional lunch tables to address the seating issue and am working with our cafeteria manager to add two additional lunch serving stations for a total of four for the upcoming school year in order to address the two main concerns students had about shifting to a single lunch. Do you have strong feelings about this change? Please email Ms. Kray at mkray@sandi.net with your thoughts and she will share them with SGT at their next meeting.
A REMINDER: PERSHING HAS A NO LUNCH DROP OFF POLICY
To help ensure disruptions to the classroom are minimized and ensure our office staff is able to stay focused on their daily responsibilities Pershing has a no lunch drop off policy. Please know all students are able to receive a free breakfast and lunch every day at Pershing so if they forget their lunch they will not go hungry. We also ask that families not attempt to circumvent the no lunch drop off policy by setting up a separate meet up time with their child during the school day to give them the lunch through the fence. Our most important responsiblity is to keep your children safe and we thank you in advance for your support and understanding regarding this policy.
PERSHING FOUNDATION UPDATE - STAY CONNECTED
There a lots of a ways to stay involved and support Pershing Middle School starting with our fabulous Pershing Parent Foundation. Be sure to check out their website: https://pershingmiddleschoolfoundation.org/ and visit them on facebook @parentsofpershingpanthers. On their facebook page they have information on how to sign up for Amazon Smile so that a portion of your amazon purchases support our school.
PERSHING SCHOOL WEBSITE
https://pershing.sandiegounified.org/
Do you have suggestions for our school website? CLICK HERE to complete our website feedback survey.
Over the weekend our Boys' Volleyball team defeated Challenger and Mac Schott was named Player of the Game. They face #1 ranked Standley next week! Our Boys' Soccer team won both their games this weekend and competed well and finished with a #2 seed in the Eastern Division as they head into the playoffs. Alessandro Marino and Ronin McFarlane were named players of the game and goalie Noah Hill allowed zero goals to be scored in the two games!
As updates for our girls' teams' come in we will share those results as well.
Each team will have two regularly scheduled practices per week: Middle School Winter 2023 Practice Schedule.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS GAME/SCHEDULE/STANDINGS UPDATES
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS UPDATE:
· Spring Flag Football Sign Up Form
· Flyer
IMPORTANT UPDATE SENT TO PARENTS 3/6/2023
Parents of students attending camp:
6th Grade Camp is two weeks away!! Long range weather forecast says it will be chilly up there. Layers of clothes for the evening adventures will be helpful!
Also, please be advised of a change to Cuyamaca's COVID testing policy. It had been Cuyamaca's policy to allow students who may have tested positive for COVID within the last 90 days to skip testing the weekend before camp. That is no longer the case. ALL students need to test the weekend before if they will attend camp.
On Sunday morning, March 19th, in the front parking lot of the school, the Foundation, school staff and volunteers will conduct tests for all students.
Last Names A-L will be tested 10:00-10:45 AM and Last Names M-Z will be tested 10:45-11:30 AM.
Please do reach out to the Foundation's 6th Grade Camp Coordinator with any questions: Carlos Ramon 619-846-0110 carlos_ramon@hotmail.com
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CAMP
The families of 6th graders attending Cuyamaca Outdoor School March 20th - 24th need to be aware of the following items:
COVID Testing Requirement - Before coming to camp, each student, regardless of vaccination status, is required to provide proof of a negative COVID test or provide proof of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis from within the last 90 days. This FAQ from Cuyamaca Outdoor School has more details. The Foundation and school are coordinating a COVID testing event the morning of Sunday, March 19th at Pershing. More details to come on this. Please put this on your calendar.
Volunteers Needed - We will need help with the following items. Please use the SIgnUp Genius links below.
Volunteer to help with COVID Testing
Sunday, March 19th
9:30am - 12pm
Setup testing, help administer COVID tests, put away tables
Volunteer to help with luggage
Monday, March 20th
8am - 9am
Friday, March 24th
11:15am - 12:15pm
On Monday, help load the truck that will carry luggage to camp.
On Friday, help unload the truck.
Informational Items
Student Packing List | Qué Llevar a la Escuela al Aire Libre
For students needing medications administered at camp: Medical Authorization Form
Para estudiantes que necesitan medicamentos administrados en el campamento: Formulario de Autorización Médica
Souvenir T-shirts & Hats Order Form - Help support Cuyamaca Outdoor School and get a fun memory for your student
Address to send postcards/letters while students are at camp:
Cuyamaca Outdoor School
Attn: student name
12561 Hwy. 79
Descanso, CA 91916
Please address any questions to the Foundation’s 6th Grade Camp Coordinator
Carlos Ramon
619-846-0110
SPANISH TUTORING AVAILABLE
Does your child need help with Spanish? Mr. Barry is offering tutoring support on Tuesdays in Rm. 104 afterschool.
8TH GRADE HENRY HIGH SLIM PARENT NIGHT
If you were not able to attend the meeting CLICK HERE to see the slide deck the Henry team presented.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in our area, with San Diego County recently entering the Medium COVID-19 Community Level. Other illnesses such as the influenza virus (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the common cold also remain highly prevalent and easily transmissible. Practicing good health hygiene habits – washing hands, staying home when sick, and considering wearing a mask indoors and in crowded areas – can help prevent the spread of illness and is especially important during this time when many will be traveling or gathering with family and friends.
The district is providing all students and staff with at-home COVID-19 test kits to help our school communities have greater peace of mind about returning to school safely on Tuesday, Jan. 3 after the winter break.
The California Department of Public Health now recommends self testing for COVID-19 the day before coming back to school and two or three days after returning. We encourage students and staff to test on Monday, Jan. 2 and again on either Wednesday, Jan 4 or Thursday, Jan 5.
Testing before returning to school is recommended but not required. Additional test kits for students and staff are available at the Ed Center COVID-19 testing facility. If you test positive for COVID-19, please do not attend school and report your illness here.
Please do not send your child to school if they are feeling sick or experiencing symptoms of any cold-like virus, until those symptoms start to improve and there is no fever for 24 hours (without use of fever-reducing medication). Keeping your sick child home will be a great benefit for the health and wellness of our students and staff.
What Symptoms to Look For
- The flu and COVID-19 are both spread from person-to-person, especially indoors and in crowded places. Symptoms for both viruses can include nasal congestion, fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain, as well as a sore throat and coughing.
- RSV is a respiratory virus that has been detected in previous cold and flu seasons. Symptoms of RSV include cough, runny nose, and fever. Treatment consists of managing symptoms.
Tips to Avoid Getting Sick [English | Español)
Public health officials offer these tips to prevent getting sick:
- Consider wearing a well-fitting, good-quality mask, especially indoors or in crowded spaces
- Wash hands thoroughly and often
- Use hand sanitizers, if unable to wash hands
- Stay away from sick people
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Clean commonly touched surfaces and/or wash/sanitize your hands after using them.
- Stay up to date on COVID-19 and flu vaccines
SAVE THE DATES!
Mar 3 - P3 Grading Window Ends
Mar 15 - Coffee with the Principal @8:30 AM via zoom
Mar 20 - 6th Grade Camp
Mar 27-31 - Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)
Jun 8 - 8th Grade Evening Awards Assembly
Jun 12 - 8th Grade Promotion Practice
June 13 - 8th Grade Promotion Practice & Dave & Buster's Trip
Jun 14 - 8th Grade Promotion