Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills
Happy Sunday Ram Families,
Welcome to November! I hope you all enjoyed the full moon Halloween last night... it was the first full moon on Halloween since 1944 and one of 13 full moons we will have this year - one more than usual! Sounds appropriate for 2020! Don't forget that you should have set your clocks back 1 hour last night for Daylight Savings Time.
This past Wednesday we held our School Reopening forum - my apologies for the technical issues and having to switch from the YouTube channel to the Zoom meeting at the last minute. In case you didn't get to join us, you can find the link to the slides we reviewed and the recorded Zoom call HERE. There is also a link where you can continue to submit questions or concerns you may have about our reopening plan.
We received a wide variety of feedback from our community about our reopening plan; there is a strong desire to get students back on campus as soon as possible, but many concerns still about safety and timing. Reopening safely will continue to be our focus in the weeks ahead, as we bring more and more students back on campus in small groups to test our protocols and safety measures, and allow teachers the opportunity to transition to simultaneous teaching.
As we prepare Twin Peaks for reopening, we are planning on moving forward with schedule option #1: the A/B Schedule with all-virtual Friday. Unless directed otherwise, we will prepare to transition our students back to campus where they will attend in either a Monday-Tuesday cohort or a Wednesday-Thursday cohort. On the days they are not on campus and on Friday, students will attend class virtually. When it goes into affect, the on-campus schedule and virtual schedule will remain from 8:30am-2:15pm on Monday-Thursday. Friday will be an all-virtual day for students with 40 minutes of independent work to complete for each class.
A few weeks ago I posted a link to a form that you could submit to be considered for a change of learning platform. Because we now have a schedule option that we are able to move forward with, I'm going to extend the deadline on completing this form from last Friday, October 30th to Monday, November 9th.
Please complete the form that is linked HERE by Monday, November 9th if you would like your student to be considered for a different learning platform than what you chose in July. For example, if you originally chose "in-person learning" but would now like to stay 100% virtual, please complete the form. If you originally chose virtual but would now like to be considered for in-person learning, please complete the form. If your status has not changed, you DO NOT need to complete the form! Please remember that movement between learning platforms can only be granted on a space-available basis. Not sure what you chose in July? Email Mrs. Parker at kparker@powayusd.com to double-check!
I will be following up with an email later this week that will allow families the opportunity to indicate their preference for either a Monday-Tuesday cohort, a Wednesday-Thursday cohort, or that they are flexible and can accommodate either cohort. Please look for continued updates on school reopening over the next few weeks via email, in this weekly newsletter and on our TPMS website. The next PUSD School Board meeting to discuss school reopening is on Thursday, November 12th.
In partnership,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
Career and Volunteer Opportunities at Twin Peaks MS #TeamPUSD
Do you or someone you know enjoy working in an educational environment and possess a passion for helping our students learn and grow? Twin Peaks Middle School is looking for great candidates who can join our Special Education Team as an Instructional Assistant! We have several openings that we need to fill immediately, so if you or someone you know might be interested, please apply using the link below! Starting Pay is $15.51 an hour and positions that are 20 hours or more per week have FULL BENEFITS. We have opportunities for sub positions as well. Click here to apply!
Morning Volunteers Needed!
Do you or someone you know have an hour to volunteer in the mornings to help us with safety screening students as they arrive at school? As we prepare to have more students back on campus each week, our need for morning screeners will certainly increase, and if you have the time - we need you! If you're interested in volunteering from 8-9am to help support our morning check-ins, please complete the form linked HERE! Thanks in advance for your consideration!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
11/3: TPMS Foundation Meeting
11/6: End of Quarter 1
11/9: Start of Quarter 2
11/11: Veteran's Day Holiday - No School
11/12: PUSD Board Meeting
11/18: Coffee Talk w/ Admin & Counseling
11/23-11/27: Thanksgiving Break
The Biggest Laugh Competition Has Arrived!
Calling all class clowns & Rams with cabin-fever-induced silliness! It is time to think of your most laughable jokes and hilarious antics because The Biggest Laugh Challenge has arrived! ASB is accepting videos from November 2nd- November 8th. Check out the google form at this link for more details: The Biggest Laugh Competition Student Form
TPMS Book Fair
The fall book fair has started. This year there are two ways to shop online! Every purchase benefits Twin Peaks and helps encourage a love of reading. Free shipping on book orders over $25! Click here for more details! Click here for a list of books available this fall!
8th Grade Yearbook Recognition Ads Now Available!
Families of 8th Graders who want to order a space for an 8th Grade recognition ad in the yearbook—the time is here!
8th grade Yearbook recognition ads are a great way for parents, families and friends to commemorate student achievements and important milestones. In addition, revenues from recognition ads help our school to create a better yearbook.
- Ads are only $30!
- The deadline to purchase an ad is December 18, 2020
Ordering and creating your ad will be online this year. Click this link or view/download the form here. Please email questions to cellington@powayusd.com .
TPMS Club Information
Hi Ram Families! Is your student looking for a sense of community and opportunity to socialize during this time of virtual learning? Our Fall clubs have been approved and are open for students to join! CLICK HERE to view a list of the clubs that are being offered this Fall at TPMS. At the bottom of the document, there is a form that students can fill out to sign up for the clubs they are interested in. Students will be added into a Canvas Course for their club where they’ll be able to access all club information and communicate with their club advisors and peers. Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity for your student to get involved and meet students with similar interests!
TPMS Robotics Team
CALLING ALL STUDENTS!! The TPMS Robotics Needs You!
As part of their work this year, TPMS Robotics team needs to collect data from our own TPMS students on how active they are in and out of school. To do this, we ALL our students to take this google form survey linked HERE! Thanks in advance for your help and support!
Good Mens Project Returning in Semester 2
Adult volunteers interested in helping to start our inaugural Good Women's Project, please email Principal Mills at stmills@powayusd.com.
Science Olympiad is Recruiting
Science Olympiad is looking for new members that want to learn more about science and have fun. We learn about topics and then take part in a science competition in February. Subjects to study include astronomy, fossils, and electrical circuits. For more information about our club, check out www.tpmsso.com. Find us on the ASB club rush document, or email tpmsscienceolympiad@gmail.com for more details.
Builders Club Wants You
TPMS Library is Now Open for Curbside Pickup & Dropoff
Coffee Talk with the TPMS Admin & Counseling Teams
November 18th: 11:30am (English), 5:00pm (Spanish)
January 27th: 11:30am (English), 5:00pm (Spanish)
Information on how to attend and submit questions will be posted on the TPMS website HERE.
Tuesday Lunch with the Principal
Wellness Wednesday with the Counselors
Come hang out with the counselors to learn more about self-care, ways to de-stress, connect with other students, or just say hi! If you’re interested, please ask your RAM teacher for the Zoom Link. We look forward to seeing you there! Remember, this takes place every Wednesday!
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