The Panther Pulse

Congratulations everyone on a successful completion to the first semester. Families will be able to see their child(ren)'s final semester one grades in PowerSchool on Friday, January 27th.

As we look ahead to the start of the second semester I want to remind families to talk with their students about the "second semester slump" and provide some tips to help students start off the new semester set up for success.

Students have really been working hard since the return from Winter Break to ensure they did well on their final assessments/projects and make sure all work was turned in before final deadlines. I am so proud of them! Semester 2 begins Monday, January 23rd and all grades reset for this new semester. It will be important after working so hard the last three weeks students maintain a strong work ethic. Parents can help with this by checking google classroom and talking with their children to make sure they are keeping up with new assignments and letting them know it is normal to feel a little bit of a let down now that the new semester has started but reminding them it will be important to keep up with current work and not fall behind.

We've got this Panthers! Let's have a great second semester.

Sincerely,

Melanie Kray

6TH GRADE CAMP UPDATE

On Friday, January 20th all 6th graders were sent home with two pink forms that parents need to complete and have students return to their English teacher on Monday, January 23 if they are planning on having their child attend 6th grade camp. One form is the Student Registration Form and the other is the Health Form. We have also added a 6th grade camp section to our newsletter so be sure to scroll down, our 6th Grade Camp Coordinator Mr. Ramon has a lot of important information we want to share with families.

5TH GRADE FEEDER ELEMENTARY TOURS THIS MONDAY & TUESDAY

We are excited to show off Pershing Middle School to our future Panthers on Monday and Tuesday next week. Fifth graders from Benchley, Dailard, and Green will be touring the campus on Monday and fifth graders from Gage will be on campus on Tuesday. Our ASB members will be leading these students and their parents on a tour of the campus.

SITE GOVERNANCE (SGT) PARENT REPRESENTATIVES NEEDED

We are in search of additional parent representatives for our Site Governance Team (SGT). SGT discusses and plans for all aspects regarding teaching and learning. They design and implement effective strategies for the continuous improvement of all students' achievement through high-quality teaching and learning experiences at school. SGT is a site-based, decision-making group created through a local agreement between San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) and the San Diego Education Association (SDEA). SGT is comprised of SDEA members, parent/community members and others, which include California School Employees Association (CSEA) representatives. Pershing's SGT typically meets on the second Monday of every month for one hour.

If you are interested in becoming a parent representative please email our Community Assistant Ms. Johanna Moreno at jmoreno-perez@sandi.net by Friday, January 27th.

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC) MEETING ON TUESDAY @3:00 PM

A friendly reminder that our SSC is meeting this Tuesday at 3:00 PM in the Library. SSC meetings are open to the public.

PERSHING DRAMA CLUB PARENT MEETING ON TUESDAY @5:00 PM

If your child is participating in Seussical there is a mandatory parent meeting this Tuesday, at 5:00 PM. The cast will be performing a sneak peak of our opening number for the parents at 5pm. The meeting should last no more than 45 minutes. A suggested production fee of $50 is requested at this time. Checks can be made payable to Pershing Foundation with "Spring Musical" in the memo line.

8TH GRADE ARTICULATION WITH PATRICK HENRY HIGH

Last week the Henry High counseling team was on campus meeting with 8th graders about selecting their courses for 9th grade. Eighth graders need to return their completed articulation cards to their English teachers. CLICK HERE to view the presentation from the high school counseling team.

Last Thursday, January 12th, representatives from Henry High School were on campus to discuss elective options with our 8th graders. CLICK HERE to view the NJROTC presentation. CLICK HERE to view the engineering program presentation and their video

COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL LINK CONFUSION

My apologies to any families that tried to log in via zoom to our Coffee with the Principal meeting last week and were unable to. We discovered that the original link that was posted in the newsletter was not working properly and although we updated the link we realize this may have prevented some families from attending. A big thank you to the families that were able to attend. Please CLICK HERE to view the slide deck we shared with families at last week's Coffee with the Principal.

TOBACCO USE PREVENTION EDUCATION (TUPE) PARENT MEETING THURSDAY

Our district is participating in a Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) grant this year. The goal of TUPE is to reduce tobacco use among young people and educate students and parents about the dangers of tobacco use. Althought tobacco use and vaping has not been an issue at Pershing this school year, we still wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and offer our parents a chance to get additional information about tobacco products and vaping, given that there has been exponential growth in young people using these types of products across the United States.

Due to limited interest from families there is a possibility that this parent meeting may be rescheduled. If the meeting is reschedule we will be sure to share that information with families.

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.

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

Cuyamaca Outdoor School FAQ

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

carlos_ramon@hotmail.com

Middle School volleyball and soccer games started this weekend. Congrats to our Boys and Girls soccer teams for the their victories over Lewis Middle School. The girls team won 4-1 and a big out to Aleda Urbina for being named Player of the Game. Our boys team pulled off a 1-0 win and congrats to Adam McNeil for being names Player of the Game! We'll have updates from our volleyball team in next week's newsletter. Great job Panthers!

And a big thank you to William Oree for putting together a short highlight reel from the Lewis game. See our fabulous players in action: Pershing vs. Lewis 012123 - Final Four Minutes

Each team will have two regularly scheduled practices per week: Middle School Winter 2023 Practice Schedule.

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

Jan 23 & 24: Feeder Elementary School 5th Grade Tours

Jan 23: SGT (Governance) Meeting @3:00 PM in the Library

Jan 24 - SSC Meeting @3:00 PM in the Library

Jan 26 - Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Parent Presentation @6:00 PM in the Auditorium

Jan 30 & 31 - Class selection for current Pershing 6th & 7th graders thru PE classes

Feb 8 - Pershing Foundation Meeting @ 6:30 PM

Feb 13 - SGT Meeting @ 3:00 PM in the Library

Feb 14 - SSC Meeting @3:00 PM in the Library

Feb 17 - Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Feb 20 - Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

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)