Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
Greetings from the desk of Principal Mills Sunday, August 13th, 2023
Happy Sunday Ram Families!
Welcome back to the 2023-2024 school year! I am looking forward to another amazing year of learning at Twin Peaks MS, and can't wait for the new school year to begin so we can implement our new schedule and expanded elective offerings! It was so exciting to have students back on campus this week, as our 6th graders and new 7th and 8th graders attended WEB Orientation on Tuesday, and then Wednesday thru Friday we saw all grades return to campus for student registration, school pictures, and everyone's favorite - picking up textbooks!
The first day of school is this Wednesday, August 16th - we will have a LATE START schedule, with the first period block beginning at 9:50am (please see the schedule below). School gates will open by 9:15am, and the optional breakfast is available for all students from 9:20-9:50am. Student schedules, with assigned class periods and teachers, should be available to students and parents through StudentVue and ParentVue starting on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 15th. Any schedule that you may see before 4pm on Tuesday, 8/15 may not be your final student schedule! Counselors are busy balancing student seats in classes and updating schedules as quickly as they can - thank you for your patience during this very busy time.
Please see the section below if you need help in logging in to view your schedule. Other than at the School Year's Eve event on August 15th, we will not be distributing paper schedules to students prior to the start of school - please make sure your student knows how to access their schedule on their Chrome book through My Plan/StudentVue or Canvas, or by downloading the StudentVue app on your smart phone.
If you have a concern or question about your student's schedule, you can reach out and email your student's counselor below; please understand that they are inundated with requests at the beginning of the school year and may need more than 24 hours to get back to you:
- Mrs. Melissa Baskin - students with last names that begin with A-G CLICK HERE for email.
- Mrs. Nicole Roman - students with last names that begin with H-O CLICK HERE for email.
- Mrs. Jami Jennings - students with last names that begin with P-Z CLICK HERE for email.
*please note that Mrs. Baskin will be out through October while she spends time with her new daughter. Please continue to use her email as it will be forwarded to her substitute, Mrs. Mary Kay Knock, a retired counselor from PUSD who is temporarily filling in.
Our campus has been busy with activity this summer, most notably getting solar panels installed in our parking lot! We hope for the fencing to come down in time for school to start on Wednesday, but please continue to use caution as you drive near around TPMS. When arriving to campus, please use the front entrances to the campus located on Tierra Bonita Road. The back gate leading from Twin Peaks Road will remain closed per the recommendation of our PUSD safety and risk management groups. Students can still be dropped off on Twin Peaks Road, but will need to walk around to the front of school to enter campus.
When dropping off or picking your students up from school, please do NOT use the lane closest to the school - this lane is reserved for our buses both before and after school. We also ask that you not use the Tierra Bonita Elementary parking lot for parking or picking up and dropping off your student. Please reduce your speed and use caution during drop off and pick up times as we have many students who walk, ride bikes and skateboard to school and will be sharing the community roads and sidewalks with you.
Over the past two years, we have seen an increased number of students riding ebikes or motorized vehicles to and around school. We have also seen an increased number of accidents and injuries related to riding ebikes, and have some serious concerns about their use in our school community. In order to be proactive and to establish some common-sense guidelines for our school around ebike use and riding, we are requiring all students who wish to ride a bicycle, ebike, or other motorized scooter or vehicle to apply for a TPMS Bike Permit. The new TPMS Bike Permit form can be found by CLICKING HERE; please complete it with your student and have them return it to Mrs. Moreno in the main office before the end of August.
Finally this week, I wanted to thank all of our amazing parents, students and staff that made our Orientation and Registration events this past week a HUGE success! Thank you for your time, your dedicated service, and working through our construction projects and carpet cleaning! A special shoutout to our PTSA and Foundation for all of their help in recruiting volunteers and staffing our tables. WAY TO GO RAMS!!
With gratitude,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
1(858)748-5131 x2806
Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks
1st Day of School is a LATE START @9:50am!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
TPMS NEWS AND EVENTS - bit.ly/tpmsevents
August 14th: Make-up Registration (1-3pm) Room 102 no pictures
August 15th: School Years Eve (6th Graders and New to TPMS), 5-6pm
August 16th: First Day of School (Homeroom)
September 17th: PTSA Meeting, 6:15pm (TPMS Library)
August 24th: TPMS Foundation Meeting, 6:00pm (TPMS Library)
August 30th: Make-Up Picture Day
September 4th: Labor Day Holiday, No School
September 5th - 8th: Fall Book Fair, TPMS Library
September 6th: Back to School Night, 5:30-7:30pm
September 8th: 6th Grade Carnival, 3:30pm, TPMS Quad
September 18th: Teacher Professional Learning, Non-Student Day
8/15 - School Year's Eve!
We are excited for our School Year’s Eve event on Tuesday, August 15th from 5-6PM. This is a great opportunity for all of our 6th graders and new to PUSD students and families to pick up their class schedule, tour the campus, and get acquainted with our school community before the first day of school. This is an outdoor only event - classrooms will not be accessible on this evening. We look forward to seeing all of our new RAMS!
How to Find Student Class Schedules
For families new to PUSD, an informational letter with a new user account name and password was sent to all parents of secondary students (grades 6-12). If you did not receive this letter, have misplaced it, or if you are a parent of a new student enrolled after the start of school, please visit the password.powayusd.com website to retrieve their username or select a new password.
Join the TPMS Choir!
TPMS Choir will start singing on September 5th! Practices will be Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:20-8:20am. All students are welcome! Students need to be on time and can not miss more than 4 practices total for the choir session. We will perform a December 7th concert at Twin Peaks, and another with the Poway High School Choir at their concert on December 12th.
Any questions, please email TPMSchoirdirector@gmail.com
For registration information: TPMS Choir Fall 2023
PTSA Meeting Dates for 2023-24
The Twin Peaks Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is a membership-based, volunteer organization dedicated to making each school year a rewarding and enriching experience for all students. As a volunteer organization, PTSA is integral to the success of many campus events. We fund, organize and provide volunteers for a variety of PTSA programs and important school activities which serve to enhance your student’s middle school experience
All Executive Board meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:15pm in the TPMS Library unless listed otherwise. Association Meetings will be held in September, February, and April. Board meetings are open to PTSA Board Members and Committee Chairs while Association Meetings are open for all members of the Twin Peaks Middle School PTSA:
August 17th
September 15th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)
October 20th
November 17th
December 8th
January 19th
February 16th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)
March 16th
April 20th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)
May 18th
June 1st
To join the PTSA for the 2022-23 school year, please CLICK HERE!
TPMS Foundation Meeting Dates
Twin Peaks Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing educational excellence for ALL students at Twin Peaks Middle School. Their purpose is to bridge the widening gap between the amount of money actually provided by the State of California and the Poway Unified School District and the amount necessary to fund technology upgrades, educational programs and resources necessary to support the school.
The Foundation typically meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6pm in the TPMS Library. Here are their monthly meetings dates for the 2023-24 school year:
August 24th
September 20th
October 18th
November 15th
January 10th
February 13th
March 21st
April 18th
May 23rd
Please visit the TPMS Foundation Web Page by CLICKING HERE!
Get Your TPMS Spirit Wear at Our Online Store!
In need of new TPMS Spirit for the new school year? Visit our online store at https://bit.ly/ramspirit today and place an order for the new school year. We’ve got everything from hats to hoodies and even some new TPMS pajama pants, but hurry! The online store will close for production on August 30th, so don’t wait – place your order today!
ASB Student Activities Canvas Page
WEB 6th Grade Carnival
Back to School Night
Shop Amazon through TPMS Foundation
Twin Peaks Middle School
Nondiscrimination Philosophy and Policy Statement
The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is an equal opportunity employer/program and is committed to an active Nondiscrimination Program. PUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, immigration status, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact: Title IX/Equity Compliance Officer, James Jimenez, Associate Superintendent of Personnel support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, 1-858-521-2800, extension 2121, jjimenez@powayusd.com. For students, you may contact Title IX Coordinator/504 Coordinator Jamie Dayhoff, Director of Attendance and Discipline, Poway Unified School District, 1-858-521-2840, jdayhoff@powayusd.com.
Email: chamilton@powayusd.com
Website: http://tpms.powayusd.com/index.html
Phone: 858.748.5131
Twitter: @TwinPeaksRams