Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills - Sunday, April 24th, 2022
Happy Sunday, Ram Families!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well after a busy first week back from spring break! Rams were back in classrooms this week working on labs, completing assignments and projects, and winning games and matches in our after school sports programs! Congratulations to our TPMS soccer team for the 1-0 win over BHMS, and also congratulations to our TPMS wrestlers for their match win over BMMS. Keep up the great work Rams!
As we continue to get back to more normal routines, we had two groups of students take field trips off campus to extend their learning this past week; on Wednesday, 25 TPMS students and their chaperones went to Poway High School to visit their Agricultural Sciences program. Students loved seeing the animals the PHS students care for, in addition to learning how to planet seedlings and do floral design. This past Friday, we had 100 AVID students and their chaperones do a college campus visit to San Diego State University. A big THANK YOU to our parent volunteers/chaperones and teachers who made these field trips possible!
HAPPENING THIS WEEK!
This Tuesday and Wednesday - April 26th and 27th, we will begin our school-wide testing or CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) for English Language Arts. These tests are incredibly important for our school and our community - student performance on these exams is a factor in determining school rankings, which influence local home values. Thank you in advance for making sure your students are present and ready for our 4 school-wide testing days - April 26th & 27th and May 3rd & 4th.
The two items students will need to be bring in order to be successful on testing days are:
- a charged Chrome book with its charger
- a pair of wired earbuds or headphones.
PLEASE REMEBER - Only a school-issued Chrome book will support the CAASPP testing platform, so please make sure your student has checked one out from the library before next Tuesday. Please work with your student(s) to identify a set of earbuds or headphones that they can use and operate comfortably prior to our first test day on Tuesday. We will have individual sets of wired earbuds available for students who do not have their own.
The final PUSD Community Conversation on Racial Equity and Inclusion is scheduled for this Tuesday, April 26th from 6:00-7:30pm. If you are interested in attending, please click on the flyer below to register and be sent the Zoom link to attend. These virtual community conversations are open to all PUSD families in the Poway HS feeder pattern; please consider attending to be a part of the conversation and to support the inclusive work PUSD is leading in our community.
Finally this week, a big THANK YOU to all of our TPMS parents and students who came out this past Saturday for our TPMS Campus Cleanup Day. We were able to get a handful of projects completed out in front of the school and in the science courtyard because of our AMAZING volunteers and their efforts. Many students who participated earned service hours for their organizations or classes, and enjoyed treats provided by the TPMS Foundation. Thank you to our ASB students for their help in organizing and staffing this event!
In Partnership,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
1(858)748-5131 x2806
Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks
TPMS CAMPUS CLEANUP DAY 5/23
UPCOMING EVENTS:
TPMS NEWS AND EVENTS - bit.ly/tpmsevents
April 25th: Special Assembly Schedule, regular start/finish
April 26th & 27th: ELA CAASPP Testing Days
April 26th: Community Conversation on Racial Equity, 6:30pm @Zoom
April 28th: Late Start 9:15am
April 28th: PUSD Foundation Golf Tournament, @RB Inn
April 30th: TPMS Music Fundraiser @Poway Community Park Auditorium, 5:30-8pm
May 3rd & 4th: Math CAASPP Testing Days (minimum days)
May 5th: Late Start 9:15am
May 12th: Late Start 9:15am
May 19th: Late Start 9:15am
May 26th and 27th: 6th Grade Olympics
May 31st: Yearbook Distribution
6th Grade Olympics
If you are interested in volunteering for the snack concessions or other aspect of the 6th Grade Olympics, please go to the PUSD website and look under parents and volunteer or you can click here for the website. If you have additional questions, you may contact Christie Hamilton ext. 2802 or email chamilton@powayusd.com. You must be cleared through the district if you would like to officially volunteer for any school event!
Additional Olympics Training Opportunities
If you are interested in competing in the 7th or 8th Grade Olympics, Coach Spy will be holding additional training days on the upper field track from 3:30-4:30pm on the following days:
Thursday, May 5 (3:30-4:30)
Thursday, May12 (3:30-4:30)
Thursday, May 19 (3:30-4:30)
TPMS Annual Concert & Pizza Dinner Fundraiser
You are cordially invited to the TPMS Annual Concert and Pizza Dinner Fundraiser!
WHEN: Saturday April 30th - 5:30pm to 8pm
WHERE: Poway Community Park Auditorium
This year, performances will include:
1) TPMS Jazz Band
2) TPMS Band and
3) TPMS Orchestra
Purchase your tickets in advance:
1) Send in your payment (cash/check) to Mr. Moreau (band room/or main office), in a sealed envelope: include your name, students name, and students grade. $15 per ticket
2) Or venmo to: please mention this is a "ticket purchase", include your name, students name, and students grade. TPMS_Music_Program; 619-672-3787
If you would like to volunteer, please click on links below: All volunteers receive a free meal and free admission!
Volunteer (Student/Parent) Sign-up: https://signup.com/go/hUNMJqW
Please contact Evelyn Meermans at tpmsbbpres@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Thank you for your support of our TPMS Music Programs!
Titan Takeoff Program for 8th Graders
PUSD Conversation on Racial Equity & Inclusion
Please join us on Tuesday, April 26th from 6-7:30pm as PUSD hosts our next Community Conversation on Racial Equity and Inclusion via Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please click on the flyer below to register and be sent the Zoom link to attend. These virtual community conversations are open to all PUSD families in the Poway HS feeder pattern; please consider attending to be a part of the conversation and to support the inclusive work PUSD is leading in our community.
Yearbooks are Still Available
Yearbooks are still on sale until May 13th. The books are $50 and can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE or with an order form on campus if paying with cash or check.
CAASPP Testing Updates
When we return from spring break at the end of April, we will begin our school-wide testing or CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress). These tests are incredibly important for our school and our community - student performance on these exams is a factor in determining school rankings, which influence local home values.
In order to allow our students the best opportunity to be successful on the CAASPP, we are focusing our efforts around 4 testing days in their Ram classroom. This will allow students an opportunity to focus their efforts on the tests they will be taking without having to attend their regular classes. It is critically important that your students are present and ready for our 4 school-wide testing days - April 26th & 27th and May 3rd & 4th.
All students will need to have a set of wired earbuds or headphones for their Chromebook to use during testing. Please work with your student(s) to identify a set of earbuds or headphones that they can use and operate comfortably prior to our first test day on 4/26. We will have individual sets of wired earbuds available for students who do not have their own.
8th Grade Harbor Cruise is back!
8th graders will have the opportunity to attend our annual end-of-the-year Harbor Cruise field trip on the evening of Monday, June 6th. We are excited to bring back this activity for our promoting students, but want to remind our Rams that participation in this event is a privilege that can be lost.
In accordance with our Student Handbook and Student Participation Guidelines, if a student has been suspended, earned multiple referrals, or a U in citizenship in any class during 3rd or 4th quarter, they will not be able to attend this event (page 12):
COVID-19 Updates
Starting on Monday, March 14, students and staff in TK-12 schools will no longer be required to wear masks while indoors on school campuses, although they are still strongly recommended. At Twin Peaks MS, we value and respect individual choices on our campus. Some of our staff and students will continue to wear their masks, and some will choose not to. As a community, we need to respect the choices that each individual makes. Please speak with your child(ren) on your family’s expectations regarding masking, as well as, how to respect the decisions made by others. Our teachers will have similar conversations in their classrooms. Our counseling team is also available to support any students experiencing anxiety or difficulty with this transition in masking requirements.
Please Note: Staff and Students who have tested positive for COVID 19 will continue to isolate per the CDPH and SDCOE Decision Tree. If an individual tests negative on Day 5, they may return to school on Day 6 as long asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and a mask must be worn that fits snugly over the mouth and nose while indoors and when around others outside. If one chooses not to wear a mask, they are required to return on Day 11.
Please continue to self-screen and take your temperature each morning before you come to work. If you feel sick or show any symptoms of being sick, please stay home. If you need to schedule a test, you can do so for you and your family members at Pharmatech LINKED HERE. Please continue to wear your masks indoors with students and require them to keep their masks up over their mouth and nose. If you are an unvaccinated adult on campus, you are asked to wear your mask at all times when indoors. If you have concerns about a student not wearing their mask properly or consistently indoors, please reach out to a member of our admin team so we can review the mask expectations with that student and their family.
For staff who have tested positive for Covid-19, per the California Department of Public Health updated guidance on isolation and quarantine as of December 30, 2021, PUSD staff may return to work when:
- 5 days from symptom onset (or if no symptoms then 5 days from positive PCR COVID-19 test date) AND
- Symptoms are not present or are resolving AND a negative COVID test (antigen test is preferred) taken on day 5 or later. (If unable to test or choosing not to test, and symptoms are not present or are resolving, isolation can end after day 10)
- Fever free for 24 hours (without fever reducing medication) AND
- Wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings
STUDENT CLOSE CONTACT
The updated CDPH K-12 guidance gives school districts the option of using the three quarantine model or the Group-Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 Setting. PUSD will be using the Group Tracing approach. Per the K-12 Guidance 2021-2022 Questions and Answers, tracking results from all exposed students is not required.
Parents should notify schools of positive results.
- Schools will notify group of students who spent more than a cumulative total of 15 minutes (within a 24-hour time period) in a shared indoor airspace (e.g., classroom) with someone with COVID-19 during their period of infectiousness.
- Notification will occur to "groups" of exposed students (e.g., classmates, teammates, cohorts, etc.) rather than contact tracing to identify individual "close contacts" (e.g., those within 6 feet).
- Notifications should be provided to all individuals, including those who are vaccinated and/or recently infected.
Please click HERE to access the updated Covid Guidelines and Protocols on the PUSD website.
Shop Amazon through TPMS Foundation
Twin Peaks Middle School
Email: chamilton@powayusd.com
Website: http://tpms.powayusd.com/index.html
Phone: 858.748.5131
Twitter: @TwinPeaksRams