Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills - Sunday, May 1st, 2022
Happy Sunday, Ram Families!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the transition from April to May! This year sure seems to be speeding up as we get closer to the end of the year... please check the updated list of school activities and events below to make sure you don't miss anything! Also not to miss in this week's newsletter - ASB Application information, The Titan Take-Off Program for incoming 9th graders, FREE summer transit for youth program information, and CTE Summer Enrichment Courses signups - please see these sections below!!
This Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3rd and 4th, are minimum days with 12:40pm dismissal times. We will continue our school-wide testing or CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) for Math - students will only be attending their Ram class for testing on these days and will not need to bring materials for their regular classes.
In order for students to be successful on the CAASPP, they will need to bring a fully-charged Chromebook and charger and wired earbuds or headphones to use during the test. Our students did an awesome job on our first two days of testing coming prepared for the exam - please keep up the great work!! I would also encourage your student to bring a reading book and a water bottle with them too! Thank you in advance for making sure your students are present and ready for our final two testing days!
Just because we are testing, doesn't mean we still can't have some fun! The ABC's of Spirit is an opportunity for your students to show their Ram Pride each day from now until the end of the school year! Please take a look at the Spirit Day themes POSTED HERE and encourage your Ram to participate each day. Students who do dress up should check in at the ASB table on the stage each day during lunch to track their participation and a chance to win prizes!
Finally this week, May 2nd-6th is our Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week at TPMS. We are truly blessed to have such an incredibly supportive and caring staff here at TPMS - please encourage your student to take a moment and write a thank you note or figure out a unique way to show their appreciation for their teachers and staff this week. Stumped?! If you are looking for ideas for your student to celebrate their teachers, please CLICK HERE! Thank you in advance to our PTSA for hosting our Staff Appreciation Luncheon this Tuesday after our testing periods - we truly appreciate all of your support!
In Partnership,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
1(858)748-5131 x2806
Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks
UPCOMING EVENTS:
TPMS NEWS AND EVENTS - bit.ly/tpmsevents
May 3rd & 4th: Math CAASPP Testing Days (minimum days)
May 5th: Late Start 9:15am
May 11th: ELAC Parent Meeting, 5:30-7pm
May 12th: Late Start 9:15am
May 17th Foundation Meeting, 6pm location TBA
May 19th: Late Start 9:15am
May 19th: 4th Quarter Character Counts Awards, 5pm @Zoom
May 19th: PTSA Meeting, 6:15pm @TPMS Library
May 20th: Character Counts Awards Breakfast, 7:45am @Pride Park
May 26th and 27th: 6th Grade Olympics, top field
May 30th: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day Observed
May 31st: Yearbook Distribution begins!
June 6th: 8th Grade Harbor Cruise
June7th: 8th Grade Breakfast, Quad
June 7th: 7th Grade Olympics, top field
June 8th: 8th Grade Olympics, top field
June 9th: 8th Grade Promotion, 8:30am @TPMS Quad
TPMS Soccer Champions!
ASB Applications
Are you interested in joining ASB for the 2022-2023 school year? We are now accepting applications for next year’s ASB Representatives. Stop by Ms. Keller’s room, Room 911, or click the links below for a copy of the application, and don’t delay! Applications are due THURSDAY, MAY 12th !
TPMS Meeting for Parents of English Learners
Summer 2022 Enrichment Opportunities
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)
Titan Takeoff Program for 8th Graders
Free Transit For Youth
Starting May 1, anyone 18-years-old and younger can ride transit for free in San Diego County through the SANDAG Youth Opportunity Pass pilot program. With a Youth PRONTO account, youth can get unlimited rides on the bus, Trolley, COASTER, and SPRINTER through June 2023. For more info: https://youthopportunitypass.sandag.org/ and in Spanish here: https://youthopportunitypass.sandag.org/spanish
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
We are half-way through our school-wide testing or CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress), with 95% of our students completing the ELA portion of the exam this past week. This week we will be testing for math on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3rd and 4th. 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 school-wide testing days!
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