Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills
Happy Sunday Ram Families,
I hope you are all able to enjoy some time off from school this next week and a take a much needed break from your computer screens. It is not just the festivities that make Thanksgiving special; it's also a time of reflection, and to consider the valuable lessons we have learned since last Thanksgiving. It's a time to look back at the great memories and good people who have come in our lives, and to celebrate the silver linings from this most peculiar year. Happy Thanksgiving Ram families - I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what the next year holds!
The first quarter finished on November 6th and grades from the first nine weeks are now available on Synergy. If you need help accessing student grades, please click HERE for instructions in English and HERE for instructions in Spanish. We are moving quickly through the school year - after Thanksgiving Break we will return for three weeks of instruction, take a 2 week winter break, and then return for the month of January to finish the 2nd quarter of the 1st semester. Quarter 2 began on November 9th and will run through Thursday, January 28th.
As has always been the tradition when we complete a grading period at Twin Peaks, we will be celebrating some outstanding student efforts in the coming weeks; on Tuesday, December 1st we will hold our drive-thru celebration for our T.I.P. students - aka "Totally Important People"! We had 166 students receive all "O"utstanding marks for citizenship in Quarter 1 - they'll be receiving a "party in a bag" and be able to spin for additional prizes during our drive-thru event from 2:30-4:30pm on 12/1. We will also be recognizing 11 students who were nominated for displaying outstanding character as part of our Character Counts celebration! These students will receive a special TPMS Character Counts t-shirt a certificate, and a goody bag as we celebrate them at a special online event with their teachers and parents on December 10th from 3:30-4:30pm. A HUGE THANK YOU to our wonderful PTSA for sponsoring both of these incredible events!
During Quarter 1, students completed the iReady diagnostic exams in ELA and math; this is a new testing and curriculum platform being piloted by PUSD that is replacing the previous MAPS testing that students took in grades K-8. The data from their diagnostic exam will be used to personalize a series of targeted activities and lessons designed to support students in areas where they need to develop their skills For more information about iReady, in English and Spanish, please click HERE to see the announcement on our TPMS website.
As we continue with our plans for reopening in January, please join me on Wednesday, December 9th form 6:00-7:00pm for a reopening update. We hope to share more information on when we start our new schedule, plans for MLK Day, President's Week and Memorial Day, and how the splitting of cohorts is progressing. We also hope to give final details on potential 6th grade Orientation Days on Monday 12/14 and Wednesday 12/16 from 3:00-4:00pm.
In closing, as you celebrate this Thanksgiving week, please remember that California is currently in a travel advisory. Please consider staying home and celebrating with immediate family and staying safe this Thanksgiving holiday. A reminder from the PUSD Guidebook for Reopening: If your family is considering travel at this time or planning a trip, please review this important information from the CDC. We appreciate your support in reducing exposure to students and staff as we continue with plans to reopen our schools in January.
Warm regards,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
UPCOMING EVENTS:
11/30: School resumes with virtual learning schedule
12/1: TPMS Foundation Meeting, 6:00-7:00pm via Zoom
12/1: TIP Awards Drive-Thru Ceremony, 2:30-4:30pm
12/9: Reopening Update via Zoom, 6:00-7:00pm
12/10: Character Counts Zoom Celebration, 3:30-4:30pm
12/14 & 12/16: 6th Grade Orientation with WEB, 3-4pm *tentative*
12/17: PUSD Board Meeting, 6:00-7:00pm
12/21-1/1: Winter Recess - no school
Biggest Laugh Competition
ASB will be extending the deadline for voting on the Biggest Laugh Competition to Friday, November 27th. If your student would like to vote, have them go to their Grade Level Google Classroom to access the voting form. (Don’t know how? CLICK HERE for a video to show your student how to access their ASB Google Classroom page!) If 75% of the students vote, then Principal Mills will do a POLAR PLUNGE and jump into an ice cold pool at 6AM to be recorded and played on TPMS TV. Good luck to all those who entered a submission!
SCHOOL REOPENING UPDATE
The PUSD School Board met on Thursday, 11/12 to review the Reopening Plans for secondary schools. It was a lengthy discussion, and after almost two hours what we found out was the following:
- secondary schools will continue to bring small groups of students back to campus as supervision allows
- all secondary teachers have been directed to return to campus to begin teaching virtually form their classrooms and staff have been directed to return to their school site to work starting Monday, November 30th (unless they have a qualifying medical excuse)
- we will remain in our virtual learning schedule at least through the winter recess
- unless otherwise directed, secondary schools will begin their reopening process and welcome students back to campus by January 19th, 2021
Several weeks ago I posted a link to a form that you could submit to be considered for a change of learning platform. This should have been completed by Monday, 11/9; if you have not done this yet and are still considering a change of learning platform, we need to know ASAP! Please complete the form that is linked HERE as soon as possible if you would like your student to be considered for a different learning platform than what you originally chose in July.
The next phase of our Twin Peaks Reopening Plan includes surveying families who have selected on-campus learning to provide us with their cohort preference. What this means is that based on the schedule we have discussed moving forward with (Option 1: Hybrid A/B), we will need to divide the in-person learners into two groups, or cohorts. One cohort will be on-campus Monday & Tuesday while the other is virtual, and then on Wednesday & Thursday they will switch and the students that were virtual will now be on-campus. Please complete the Cohort Preference Request Form at your earliest convenience at the the link posted HERE. If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Counseling Assistant, Donna Myers at dmyers@powayusd.com. If you do not indicate a preference by Monday, November 30th you may be assigned to a Monday-Tuesday or Wednesday-Thursday cohort based on school master schedule needs.
Our Reopening Task Force met this last Tuesday and continued their discussions around a multitude of issues related to our reopening. We will be making edits to this document as the weeks progress, but the most updated version of our Reopening Plan can be found HERE for your review. We will hold a reopening forum for parents and students on December 9th to review next steps and return to campus protocols, in addition to grade level meetings in January for students and parents as we get closer to having more students back on campus.
ADOPT A FAMILY NEEDS YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER!
It's that time of the year again when Twin Peaks Middle School has the opportunity to give back to our community with the Adopt-a-Family program. Adopt-a-Family is a program sponsored by the Poway Unified School District and is designed to assist local families in need during the holiday season. You can choose to purchase an item or buy a gift card.
Please click here to see how you can help support PUSD families this holiday season. Items and gift cards can be dropped off at the Twin Peaks office between 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. Please call the office at (858) 748-5131 upon arrival to ensure the items are not left unattended. The deadline to return items is Friday, December 4th.
If you would like to sponsor an entire family this holiday season, please email Dorinda Soucek at pusdadoptafamily@gmail.com. If you have any other questions, please email Valerie Hughes at valerie.hughes@gmail.com All donations are tax-deductible.
Caring Connections Counseling (CCC)
The CCC Parent Counseling Resource page is now updated. Please click here to view all the resources available on Crisis Counseling, Food and Diaper Assistance, Parenting Support, Mental Health Support, and Self-Care.
5 Minute Calming Strategies
Here is a list of the videos in order:
Video/Week 2-Identifying Emotions
Video/Week 3-Grounding Exercise
Video/Week 7-Muscle Relaxation
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!
Coffee Talk with the TPMS Admin & Counseling Teams
January 27th: 6:00-7:00pm
We will be a hosting parent forum entitled “Reducing Anxiety & Building Resilience in our Children”. The link for this Zoom event will be made available in January.
Our last Coffee Talk was on November 18th - please click HERE for the slides and recorded Zoom session.
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 Library is Now Open for Curbside Pickup & Dropoff
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