Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills
Happy Sunday Ram Families,
I hope this newsletter finds you all safe, healthy and with your power and electricity fully restored! This past week we have endured Santa Ana winds, power outages and even a few small earthquakes... 2020 continues to challenge us and keep us on our toes!
We also heard from Governor Newsom this past week and many counties in California will be going into more restrictive lock-down and quarantine measures starting tomorrow. At this point, Twin Peaks MS is still planning to have on-campus learning begin for all students who have chosen that platform on January 19th, 2021. What that looks like will be the topic of discussion this Wednesday, December 9th from 6:00-7:00pm during our School Reopening Update. Please join me for the most recent updates on school reopening, bell schedules, cohort preferences and a chance to ask questions you may have. The Zoom link for the event will be posted on the Twin Peaks website under announcements.
There was also an email sent out to all TPMS families this past week with signup information for our on-campus cohorts when we return to in-person learning; families that have chosen to remain virtual do NOT need to fill this form out. Families who have already completed this form do not need to complete it again - this is for those families who would still like to provide a preference between our Monday-Tuesday (A) or Wednesday-Thursday (B) cohorts. Families who do not provide us with a cohort preference by Friday, December 11th will be placed in either cohort based on space availability. That cohort preference form can be found HERE!
Several families have also contacted us recently asking about the ability to switch between the virtual learning and in-person learning platforms; we are still able to accommodate most requests, but need this information ASAP. Families looking to switch their learning platform can make their request by completing the form linked HERE. Our counseling department will be reaching out to all TPMS families in early January to confirm your student's learning platform and in-person learning cohort.
If you are the parent of a 6th grader, please make sure to sign them up to attend our 6th Grade Orientation sponsored by our WEB leaders on Monday, 12/14 and Wednesday, 12/16 after school from 3-4pm. Information on the event, what to bring, and how to sign up is in the newsletter section titled "WEB 6th Grade Orientation".
Please take a look at the photos below from our Totally Incredible People (TIP!) Celebration from this past Monday, where 166 Twin Peaks students who received all "Outstanding" remarks for citizenship were recognized. We are looking forward to celebrating our 11 students who were recently nominated for a Character Counts Award during a Zoom Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, December 10th. A HUGE THANK YOU to the PTSA for sponsoring and hosting both of these wonderful student recognition programs and events!
One final reminder - our schedule for Friday, December 18th is a 9:30am start and includes all 6 periods; we will have an odd/even rotation on this day, so the sequence of periods is 1, 3, 5, 2, 4 and 6. Each period will be 35 minutes long and 35 minute lunch period will be scheduled between periods 2 and 4; an updated version of the schedule can be found HERE.
As we continue to try to keep the spread of COVID-19 from happening in our school community, it's important to stay vigilant and keep wearing your masks, washing hands regularly, and keeping at least 6 feet physically distant from folks outside of your immediate family. We are all ready for this virus to go away, but unfortunately it is now more prevalent than ever. Please stay safe over the next few weeks and remember that we are all in this together!
With gratitude,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
TIP, TIP HOORAY! PTSA Hosts TIP Drive-Thru Celebration
UPCOMING EVENTS:
12/7-12/13: Computer Science Education Week
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
12/16: Jersey Mike's School Fundraiser
12/17: PUSD Board Meeting, 6:00-7:00pm
12/21-1/1: Winter Recess - no school
WEB 6th Grade Orientation
Winter Movie Drive-In
Hey Ram Family!
TPMS ASB would like to formally invite you to attend our Winter Movie Drive-In on December 18th. We will be showing the movie “Home Alone” on our PE fields and we’d love it if you and your family would attend! The gates will open at 4:30, with the movie beginning promptly at 6PM. ASB will be hosting virtual games via the big screen during the hour leading up to the movie’s start time. Tickets are $20 per car, and we’ve also included an option to purchase a pre-packaged “snack pack” complete with popcorn, 2 bottled waters, 2 boxes of candy, and assorted sweets. Parking space on the field is limited, so make sure to reserve your spot ASAP. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A TICKET!
Jersey Mike's Fundraiser
Come support TPMS on Wednesday, December 16th at Jersey Mike's: 14969 Pomerado Rd between 3 and 9pm. FREE regular sub with a $4.00 donation to our school. Please click HERE for the flyer!
Hour of Code with Vex Robotics
Next week you have the opportunity to learn more about coding and robotics during Computer Science Education Week! Please click HERE for complete details.
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