Eagle Newsletter
December 10, 2021
Upcoming Dates
December Observances -
Christmas 12/25
Kwanzaa from 12/26 - 01/01
New Year's Day 01/01
Mesa Verde Events -
Future City STEAM Competition Showcase - Thursday, December 16
Pajama Day - Friday, December 17
Minimum Day - Friday, December 17, release at 12:07pm
Action Items
- Remind your student to bring a mask from home.
- Follow Mesa Verde and Principal Moore on Instagram @mesaverdems and @principal_moore!
Index of Information
NEW! before a title within the newsletter denotes that it is a new posting this week.
- Message from the Principal
- Meet Our Staff
- Bell Schedule for Next Friday (12/17)
- 6th Grade Camp Information
- Winter Fun Fest Update
- Students show your School Spirit
- Mesa Verde Choir Performances
- Submit Yearbook Photos
- Future City STEAM Student Challenge
- Holiday Helpers Needed
- Holiday Helpers Assistance
- Running Late?
- Newsletter, Website, Social Media Request Form
- Eagle Shout Outs
- Charges for Damaged Chromebooks
- Yearbooks On Sale Now
- Did You Know...
- No Place For Hate Club
- Caring Connections Counseling
- Parent Education
- Calendar
- Volunteers/Job Opportunities
- Additional Information and Links
- Contact Us
NEW! Message from the Principal
There's nothing like a winter band and orchestra concert to put you in the holiday spirit, and that's just what our students did this week! If you weren't able to make it to the Band & Orchestra Concert this week, you missed some truly amazing performances! Thank you so much Mr. P, Mr. Resto, and Ms. Barclay for helping our students showcase their talents!
On top of the wonderful concert, 8th grade students kicked off our annual Constitutional Challenge, 6th graders were learning about math fact families, rocks, seafloor spreading and tectonic plates, and students in all grade levels were practicing writing, including CER (claim, evidence, and reasoning), topic sentences, using quotes, and concrete details.
We have an exciting week ahead of us with WEB hosted 6th grade dodgeball in PE on Monday, the Future City Build Showcase on Thursday, and Pajama Day on Friday!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Your Proud Principal,
Kellie
NEW! Meet Our Staff
Habiba Issa - Computer Resource Assistant, 5 years at MVMS
My name is Habiba Issa and that is my fifth year at Mesa Verde Middle School as computer resource assistant. I previously worked at Shoal Creek ES as CRA, and at Bernardo Heights MS, and RB High School as LMT sub. I love what I am doing here and I enjoy helping students and staff. I am originally from Cameroon, West Africa and I got my master degree in computer science in Germany. I lived twelve years in Germany and I immigrated to the US from Germany. I have two daughters, Aicha and Yasmine. Aicha is senior at UCSD in La Jolla majoring in Physics with specialty in Biophysics. Yasmine is sophomore at Stanford majoring in math and computer science. Both girls are born in Madison, Wisconsin and they attended PUSD schools from elementary to high school. I volunteered full time at their schools.
NEW! PTSA Winter Fun Fest Update
Thank you to:
- PTSA officers for organizing event: Maha ELMeniawy, Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff, Jennifer Capella, Rachel Pack, Lisa Thakkar, Melissa Doctor, Jennifer Antinone, & Jenell Lanski
- Mrs. Moore, Mr. Panganiban, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Floyd, Mrs. Fice, & Ms. Reyes for all the event support
- 20 parent volunteers and 10 staff members
- ASES staff for volunteering and bringing snacks
- Eagle Center for sharing board games
- Parents who donated games
NEW! 6TH Grade Camp Information

Submit Yearbook Photos
Yearbook is collecting pictures of your life AFTER school! What activities are you involved in? Do you game in your spare time? Do you stream shows/movies? Do you get lost in music? Please submit a photo of you and your life AFTER SCHOOL: playing games, listening to music, streaming entertainment, or participating in some fun activity! To submit your photo, go to yearbookforever.com, click on community upload and enter the password “eagles”. You can also use the how to video to help you. We are collecting submissions for the next two weeks. Thanks!
You can upload photos to yearbookforever.com – community upload password is “eagles”!


Future City STEAM Student Challenge
Click here for our flyer. Click here to register. Click here for FAQs and here for an introductory video! We can't wait to see what you come up with!
Dates to remember:
Thursday, December 16 - Builds are due at MVMS for Exhibition of Learning
Friday, December 17 - Award winners announced

REMINDER: Holiday Helpers Donations Needed

Holiday Helpers Assistance Available

Charges for Damaged Chromebooks
According to Board Policy 6161.2, when materials are lost or so damaged that they are no longer usable, the student shall be immediately issued a replacement material. However, students or parents/guardians shall be responsible for reparation equal to the current replacement cost of the materials. PUSD Information Technology Department has provided a list of charges for various damage scenarios.
Chromebook/ Chromebook Accessories
Damaged/Lost Chromebook ($238.00)
Power Adapter/Charger ($30.00)
LCD Screen Replacement ($69.00)
LCD Top Cover ($69.00)
Palmrest/Keyboard/Touchpad replacement ($109.00)
Base Plate/Assembly ($69.00)
Keyboard/2 or more keys missing ($59.00)
Chromebook case ($33.00)
When a chromebook is damaged, students are responsible for the cost of the repair. Any students who have had damage to their chromebook this year have already had a charge added to their Destiny account. Next week, we will begin sending emails to families with a repair charge to provide information on how to pay for those repair costs.
Many of the damages we have seen so far this year could have been avoided. Please take a few minutes to speak with your child(ren) about the cost to repair these damages and remind them that their chromebook is theirs until it has to be "retired." We appreciate your support!
Running Late???
Newsletter, Website, Social Media Request Form
If you have information you would like included in our weekly newsletter, on our website, or on our school's social media platforms, please use use this link to submit your request. Your request does NOT guarantee that your information will be included. Please note that we may edit your submission (content, length, etc.) but will contact you if our edits would change or remove pertinent information.
We hope this will help streamline the way we collect and are able to share information with our staff, students, and community.
NEW! Eagle Shout Outs
Let’s hear it for this week’s Eagles who help us Rise Together!
Yearbooks On Sale Now
Happy Holidays! Yearbooks are on sale NOW, until January. Go to yearbookforever.com to order your copy! Click here.

Did You Know…
Thank you to everyone who has donated to this year's Pledge Drive. Did you know your generous donation to the Foundation may easily be DOUBLED?! Many companies in our community have programs that match employee donations to qualified charitable organizations, such as the Mesa Verde Foundation. Please check with your HR department, or use this link to see if your company offers matching. Doubling your gift can be as easy as making a phone call or sending an email to your company! If you have any questions or need assistance regarding corporate matching, please contact our treasurer, Carolyn Russell at mvmsfoundationtreasurer@gmail.com.
We rely on our parent community to make this school everything it can be for our students, and we truly appreciate your support. Donations can be made online at https://mvmsfoundation.org/pledgedrive.html.
Thank you for all you do for our Eagles!
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
6 Social Emotional Learning Lessons (SEL)
Mesa Verde School Counselors, Mrs. Marcotte, Mrs. Huppert and Mrs. Snow have wrapped up facilitating 6 Social Emotional Learning lessons (SEL) across 6th grade classrooms. MVMS School Counselors have truly enjoyed the time spent getting to know 6th grade students in the classrooms that they each facilitated lessons in. We have an amazing group of 6th graders! Topics that were covered:
· growing neural pathways
· growth mindset and components that make up powerful learning
· cyberbullying and how to respond
· drug/alcohol as it relates to the teen brain and addiction along with refusal skills
· emotions and the brain; calm down strategies
· conflict resolution
· social inclusion vs. exclusion
In closing, we asked our 6th grade students to think about 3 commitments/goals from our lessons. The 3rd goal being something that they specifically felt comfortable with taking action on to increase inclusion on Mesa Verde’s Campus. It could be reaching out to a peer at lunch who might be alone or walking past someone and saying a quick hello. If you would like to further engage in conversations with your 6th grader around these topics, you can utilize the following questions as conversation starters:
1. What are some ways that you have grown neural pathways in 6th grade?
2. What does it mean to you to have a growth mindset?
3. Tell me about strong emotions and what happens in the brain? Can you problem solve right away?
4. What are some calm down strategies that you have discovered that you like? Can you use any of these strategies during a transition (ex. getting ready to do homework)?
5. Tell me about the interaction in the brain with the use of drugs and alcohol and dopamine. How would you refuse a vape if it was offered to you by a peer?
6. What ideas do you have to increase peers feeling included?
If you happen to be in the market for a new resource, check out “Your Amazing Teen Brain” by Elisa Nebolsine, LCSW. The book is written for teens as the audience however it’s a great resource for Parents/Guardians to check out first.
Caring Connections Counseling
Did you know that the Caring Connections Center provides a FREE 90 minute "family conference" for all PUSD students TK-12 and their families? The purpose of the "family conference" is to put together an action plan to help support our students socially/emotionally, academically, and behaviorally. Check out the brochure for more information and contact details.
New! No Place for Hate Club
This week at Mesa Verde we took some time on Wednesday to hear about the No Place for Hate School Wide Program. No Place for Hate Club Members created a video to help explain the importance of celebrating our differences and promoting respect. In addition, to understanding how looking at bias and stereotypes are important in order to not allow hate to grow. The No Place for Hate Pledge, Resolution of Respect, was shared with all students. Students were invited to join in and virtually sign the pledge along with giving their thoughts and ideas on topics for future school wide activities.

PARENT EDUCATION
Cultivating Emotional Resilience & Mental Fitness While Parenting
- April 27, 2022 from 6:00-7:00pm. Click here to register for virtual training.

Supporting Your Children During an Uncertain School Year: Tips for Managing Anxiety

Free Teen Alcohol Awareness Program

CALENDAR

VOLUNTEERS/JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Get Involved
New guidance from the Poway Unified Board of Education is allowing us to expand our volunteer opportunities, effective 10/18/21. Volunteers must be fully-vaccinated and show proof of vaccination or show proof of a negative PCR COVID test within the 72 hours prior to volunteering. If you would like more information, please contact Natalie Reyes at (858) 538-5478 or nreyes@powayusd.com.
Sign up here if you would like to hear more.
Library Volunteers
The Mesa Verde library is looking for volunteers to help in the library during the lunch periods (Mon/Tues/Thur/Fri 11:00 to 12:40 and Wednesdays 11:40 to 1:00) once we are permitted to have volunteers again. We need help assisting and supervising students during our busy lunch periods. Volunteers may choose which day of the week and how often you would like to come in (once a week, every other week, once a month, etc.) If you are interested please contact Heather Ryan: hryan@powayusd.com. We will collect this information now to have it in preparation for when volunteers are allowed.
If you are not sure if you are an approved volunteer, contact Natalie Reyes at (858) 538-5478 or nreyes@powayusd.com.
Job Opportunities
ADDITIONAL INFO AND LINKS
Lost & Found
Feeling Sick? Not Sure What To Do...
Checking Out Your Student Early
If your student needs to leave early from school, please send a note with your student. Notes should be given to the Attendance secretary in the Administration Office before school. Calling the school in advance, or sending a note, will prevent delays for you (such as trying to get your student while they are running on the lower field) and will help us to minimize interruptions to the classrooms. If you schedule a last minute appointment you may call the Attendance Hotline @ (858) 538-5692 to have an off campus pass sent to your student.
When writing a note please indicate the following:
- Your student's first and last name
- Reason for early departure
- The time your student needs to leave school
- Whether or not your student will return that day
Please meet your child at the Attendance desk to be signed out at the time of departure. Be prepared to show your identification when checking out your child. If your student returns to school after being picked up early, please have him/her check back in at the Attendance desk before heading to class.
CONTACT US
Attendance Hotline
General Questions
If you are unsure of who to contact about a matter, please email us at MVMS@powayusd.com and your message will be answered or forwarded to the correct person.