Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the weekend! It was great to see so many of our Ram families on Friday night at the ASB Fall Movie Night! Thanks to all of our parents, students, and staff that attended our first ASB event of the year - for those who weren't able to attend, check out a few pictures from the event below.

Our Foundation and PTSA both met this past week to continue their work supporting students and staff at Twin Peaks. A big THANK YOU to all of our parents for their work on the events, activities and resources they are providing for our Rams! The Reflections Art Contest, the Book Fair and Book Drive, our Character Counts Awards, TIP Celebrations, and our College & Career Fair are all possible because of the efforts of our PTSA and Foundation parents. Please make sure to check out all of these events below - dates for upcoming Foundation and PTSA meetings can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.

We have two MINIMUM DAYS this next week for Parent-Student-Teacher conferences! Monday, October 24th and Tuesday, October 25th are both scheduled for a 12:35pm release. The afternoon time on both days is set aside for Parent-Student-Teacher conferences. 6th grade conferences will be held in the TPMS Library, and 7th and 8th grade conferences will be held in our Science Classrooms (700 Building). We are looking forward to these opportunities for our families to meet with our teachers to better support their students this school year.

In preparation for these conferences, all 7th and 8th grade students completed a "Celebration of Learning" slide presentation through their social studies class. This assignment was an opportunity for students to reflect on their own learning and identify ways that they could potentially improve their performance and connection to school. For those families who are not meeting directly with teachers, I encourage you to ask your 7th or 8th grade student to share their slides with you! This is a great opportunity to have your student share their work with you and for your own student to assess their progress during the 1st Quarter.

Teachers will also be assessing student behavior and conduct at the end of each quarter, and it's important for students and parents to know what the expectations are and how these marks are assessed. At the request of our PTSA, teachers worked to develop a consistent way to assess student conduct and classroom behavior, resulting in an updated TPMS Student Conduct Assessment Rubric. Please CLICK HERE to access the TPMS Student Conduct Assessment Rubric and review its contents with your student. Many of our teachers will be asking students to reflect and self-assess their own conduct and behavior from the 1st Quarter using this rubric.

One of the fun things I get to do this week is honor our ten students who were nominated by their teachers, and were ultimately chosen and will be awarded a Character Counts Award. Each quarter, teachers and staff can nominate students they feel reflect the Six Pillars of Character - Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. This Thursday, we will have an opportunity to gather with the ten students, their parents, and the teachers who nominated them in a special Zoom celebration to hear all about the wonderful things our Rams of Character have been doing to be role models for other students. Please check out the list of our First Quarter Character Counts Award winners in the announcement below!

This Friday, students will have an opportunity to wear a Halloween costume to school since we do not have school on Monday, October 31st. Friday is a spirit dress-up day for Red Ribbon Week, so we certainly want students to participate, but there are costume guidelines for school. As your student prepares to participate in Friday's festivities, please review the Halloween costume guidelines with them below.

Halloween Costume Guidelines: Celebrating Halloween in today's social climate must be done with a sensitivity toward the subjects of violence, death, race, ethnicity, religious preference, physical and mental conditions, and sexual orientation. Please remember that costumes may not suggest racial attitudes that reinforce stereotypes about, mock or mischaracterize a culture, group of persons, an individual person or a religion. More specific guidelines include:

Costumes may not include full face masks or cover the entire face.
Costumes may not be violent or suggestive in nature.
Costumes may not have anything simulating a weapon.
Costumes must not be so distracting as to disrupt the learning environment

If you have any questions or concerns about these guidelines, please don't hesitate to reach out to me!

Finally this week, we had more students late to school this past Wednesday morning that any other day of the week, and we start an hour and twenty minutes later on Wednesday than our regular start of 8:30am! Please try to have your student to school no later than 9:45am on Wednesday mornings so that they have ample time to arrive in their classrooms for the beginning of school at 9:50am. The campus opens for students at 9:20am on Wednesdays, and breakfast is free and available for all students at our Food Service windows. Thank you in advance for your help with this!

In Partnership,

Steve Mills

Proud Principal

Twin Peaks Middle School

stmills@powayusd.com

1(858)748-5131 x2806

Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks

UPCOMING EVENTS:

TPMS NEWS AND EVENTS - bit.ly/tpmsevents

October 24th: Minimum Day, 12:35 dismissal, Conferences

October 25th: Minimum Day, 12:35 dismissal, Conferences

October 26th: Late start @9:50am

October 26th: Band Fundraiser at Ranchito, All Day!

October 27th: Band Fundraiser at Ranchito, All Day!

October 28th: Band/Orch/Choir Pop Up Concert, 8am @Quad

October 28th: Cross Country Meet @ MVMS

October 31st: Non-Student Day - NO SCHOOL!

October 31st: Report Cards available online

November 1st-4th: TPMS Book Fair & Book Drive

November 1st: Band Performance, Both lunches @Quad

November 2nd: Late start @9:50am

November 9th: What I Wish My Parents Knew, BHMS 6:30-8:45pm

November 9th: Late start @9:50am

November 10th: Military Appreciation Luncheon @Pride Park

November 11th: Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL!

October 24th-28th: Red Ribbon Week

Hey Rams! Red Ribbon week is a yearly campaign that strives to keep kids drug-free. Since 1985 Red Ribbon week has been campaigning to help end drug use among youth. At TPMS, we will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week with Spirit Dress-Up Days! Here's the lineup for this year:

Monday, October 24th: Wear Red Day

Tuesday, October 25th: Say Peace Out to Drugs Day - Wear Tie-Dye/Flower Power

Wednesday, October 26th: Team Up Against Drugs - Wear sports clothes

Thursday, October 27th: Lei Off Drugs - Wear Hawaiian/Beach clothes

Friday, October 28th: Say Boo to Drugs - Wear Halloween Costumes

Band Fundraiser at El Ranchito

Come on out and support our TPMS Band Program at El Ranchito Taco Shop this Wednesday, October 26th AND Thursday, October 27th! ALL DAY BOTH DAYS! 20% of what you spend will go directly to the TPMS band program! Please CLICK HERE or see below for the event flyer. Thanks in advance for your support of the TPMS Band!!

6th Grade Wheel Information

Reminder: If your 6th grade student is in the wheel elective, they will switch their elective each quarter. Please find the order of the wheel electives for this school year listed below.

The Fall Book Fair & Book Drive is Coming to TPMS!

The countdown is on! Get Ready! The TPMS PTSA is excited to announce that a Fall Book Fair is coming our way! Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become bolder, prouder, and stronger readers! In addition every book they buy earns rewards for our school which in turn will be used to help support the PTSA.

The Fall Book Fair will take place from Tuesday, November 1st through Friday, November 4th, in the Twin Peaks Library. The Fair will be open to students before school starts, during lunch, and after school. Students will also visit the Book Fair with their Language Arts class.

Books can be purchased with cash, check (made payable to "TPMS PTSA"), or credit/debit card. Parents can also set up an eWallet — your child's digital payment account - for the Twin Peaks Book Fair. If you currently have a balance on an existing eWallet account, the balance can be used with your new account. Just be sure to set up the account with the same email address.

Along with the Book Fair, PTSA is holding a book drive so clean out those books and graphic novels to make room for new ones. All books will be donated to Words Alive who gives books to students who don’t have any. Collection boxes will be located at the entrance of the library and main office. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Debra Surber at (858)663-3432.

Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more, create an eWallet account, and preview books for the Fair! In order to make the Fair as successful for our school as possible, volunteers are needed! Shifts are short and easy. Please CLICK HERE to sign up! Questions? Please reach out to Mikki Trusheim, TPMS PTSA President at ptsaprestpms@gmail.com.

Need TPMS Spirit Wear?

Hey Rams! The weather is finally getting colder and we KNOW you all can’t wait to get your hands on an official TPMS Sweatshirt – now including zip-up options! The TPMS Winter Spirit Store is now open, with new designs added! Visit https://bit.ly/ramspirit today to place your order, but don’t delay! The online store will close on November 9th for production to ensure that we can have your spirit wear delivered to you before Winter Break. Go Rams!

Preliminary 2022 CAASPP Results Now Available

This was the first statewide test given to California students since 2019. Following the pandemic, the 2022 test was significantly revised by the California Department of Education (CDE), providing a new baseline for school districts and sites to measure progress moving forward. Due to the significant changes in the test, districts and sites are unable to make direct comparisons with previous years’ results. However, consistent strong results are indicative of system-wide collaboration by parents, teachers, and school staff to facilitate student success. We are proud of our students and know their accomplishments are reflected in a variety of ways. CAASPP results are one measure of progress and should be reviewed alongside other learning information as well.

CAASPP test scores are recorded as Standards Exceeded, Standards Met, Standards Nearly Met, and Standards Not Met.

In English language arts, 68.36% of our Twin Peaks MS students met or exceeded standards on the 2022 CAASPP.
In mathematics, 48.99% of our Twin Peaks MS students met or exceeded standards on the 2022 CAASPP.

CAASPP was administered to students in grades 3-8 and grade 11 during the Spring of 2022. If your child took the CAASPP, you can access their individual results through ParentVUE. Directions for using ParentVUE are linked HERE. Please keep in mind that these scores are only one measure of an individual student’s learning. Data from these assessments is used as part of a broader picture of student achievement. Teachers use these results in conjunction with site and classroom assessments and observations to help tailor instruction throughout the school year.

Painted Rock's BOO BASH!

Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Painted Rock Elementary's Boo Bash is just around the corner!! They are looking for middle school, high school, and adult volunteers to help put on this ELECTRIFYING event!!! Please consider volunteering to help with setup, cleanup, or running a carnival booth. Booths that can only have adult volunteers are noted in the title. Please CLICK HERE to access their volunteer sign-up page, and be sure to check-in and check-out at the volunteer table before your shift!

National PTA Reflections Art Contest

The TPMS PTSA is now accepting entries through November 1st for the Reflections Art Contest. This year's theme is "Show Your Voice" and we would like to encourage you to use this creative outlet as a way to express yourself through the arts! This year's theme is a great one and your clear interpretation of the theme is very important, so keep that in mind when creating your project. Students may enter one original piece of art per category, and the categories are:

Visual Arts
Photography
Dance Choreography
Film Production
Music Composition
Literature

For descriptions and specific rules relating to each category, please CLICK HERE. Entries will be submitted online again this year. To submit your entry, please CLICK HERE and fill out the entry form. Entries will not be accepted after November 1st, so have fun creating and we look forward to seeing how creatively you can "Show Your Voice!" through the arts.

For questions regarding the Reflections Art Contest, please contact the PTSA Program Chair via email or text: Krista Mertz, PTSA Reflections Art Program Chair, kristalynnmertz@gmail.com or at (858) 602-9262.

TPMS College & Career Fair

The TPMS Counseling Department will be hosting the TPMS College and Career Fair on Wednesday, November 16th during lunch. We would love to have our very own TPMS parents involved - if you work for a local company or business who would like to participate, or have a career pathway that would be interesting to share with middle schoolers, please complete the TPMS College and Career Fair Interest Form LINKED HERE. We plan on having the event during both lunches, so participants would need to be available from 12:30-2pm. Please email one of our counselors if you have any questions about this event.

What I Wish My Parents Knew

All parents are invited to attend - no RSVP is required! Please come and hear from PUSD School Principals, District Administrators and Community Leaders on a wide range of topics in this workshop-style event meant to help you better understand your student and what they might be going through. Breakout sessions will be offered in the following areas:

Social Media Use
Managing Stress and Anxiety
Establishing Guardrails
Managing Healthy Relationships
Communication

There are two events to choose from depending on what grade your student is in:

Middle School Families: Bernardo Heights Middle School - Wednesday, November 9th, 5:30-8:30pm
High School Families: Del Norte High School - Tuesday, November 15th, 5:30-8:30pm

Parent Night on Substance Use

Abraxas High School is hosting a parent night on substance use with guest speaker Howard Barker of New Life House Sober Living on Thursday, November 17th starting at 5:30 pm in their library/media room. Any parent or guardian with a student in the Poway Unified School District interested in learning more about this topic is welcome to attend! Click here or see below for the flyer with information about the event.

Poetry Contest & Video Challenge

Coastal Art & Poetry Contest for K-12 students

California students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme. Application deadline is January 31, 2023. For rules, contest flyer, entry form, and helpful links for teachers and students, visit https://www.coastal.ca.gov/art-poetry/. The instructions, flyer, and entry form are also available in Spanish at https://www.coastal.ca.gov/art-poetry/espanol.html.

Up to ten winners will be selected to win $100 to an art store (art winners) or $100 to a bookstore (poetry winners). Each winner will also receive four tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Each winner's sponsoring teacher will receive a $50 gift certificate for educational supplies, courtesy of Acorn Naturalists.

Climate Video Challenge for middle and high school students

Enter any time this school year, through May 31, 2023. Students are invited to submit a 3-minute video responding to the question, “What is your vision for a thriving future?” Contest instructions and rules, brainstorming prompts, and lots of information on climate change and climate solutions can be found at https://www.coastal.ca.gov/climatechallenge. Students can enter as individuals or in teams of up to five. Prizes are offered for first ($300), second ($200), and third ($100) place videos.

Flu Season is Here

Cold and flu season is upon us. Health officials are warning there may be high levels of influenza compared to the past two years, when COVID-19 precautions helped keep flu infections low. As a reminder, please do not send your child to school if they are feeling sick or experiencing symptoms of a virus. Keeping your sick child home will be a great benefit for the health and wellness of our students and staff.

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk of serious flu complications. Symptoms of influenza can vary, but generally include a high fever, headache, chills, body aches, sore throat, and cough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers these tips to prevent influenza:

● Get vaccinated every year

● Avoid close contact with sick people

● Frequently wash hands with soap

● Stay at home if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms

● Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

● Individuals with chronic health issues and/or individuals experiencing severe symptoms should be evaluated by a medical professional.

● See more prevention tips from the CDC by clicking here.

Free & Reduced Lunch Applications!

Although school meals are now free to all students under California’s new Universal Meals Program, the application for free and reduced-price meals is still very important. School funding depends in part on the number of students that qualify for free or reduced-price meals. With all students now eating for free, fewer families are completing the application and schools are at risk of losing funds. Household income information is confidential and applying online is quick and easy. Plus, students that qualify for free or reduced-price meals may also qualify for discounts on transportation, SAT and AP tests, home internet, and college application fees. You can apply online at MySchoolApps.com, or pick up a paper application in the school office.

ASES is Hiring!!

If you are interested or know of someone who is interested in working in our before and after school ASES program, please scan or click the QR code below to apply and become an ASES Program Aide! Shifts are flexible and there's a wide variety of activities and programs to run for students in our before and after school programs. Questions? Please reach out to our ASES Supervisor Jennifer Willette at jewillette@powayusd.com.

TPMS Yearbook Info

Yearbooks are available for $50. We sold out last year so get yours now!

Pay by card: Go to www.jostens.com or use the QR code

Pay by cash/check: Download the order form from our webpage

http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/ or pick up a form in the office. Return the form and cash or check to the school office.

Calling all proud families of 8th graders here at Twin Peaks! 8th Grade Recognition Ads are open and ready for purchase. Go to www.jostens.com and click on Recognition Ads to start the process of celebrating your 8th grader in this year’s yearbook! Deadline is January 27th so don’t delay!

Want more information about Yearbooks? Go to http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/

TPMS Yearbook Needs Your Photos

The yearbook staff invites students, staff, and parents to submit photos for the yearbook. If you have great photos of school, sport or class events, we’d like to see them.

Our photographers can’t be everywhere. Help us get as many photos as possible to create a terrific yearbook everyone will want to have.

The last day to submit your photos is: March 1, 2023

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS ONLINE

https://bit.ly/TPMSupload

● Click on “Select My Images.”

● Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload.

● Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information.

● Click “Upload Chosen Images.”

PTSA Meeting Dates for 2022-23

To join the PTSA for the 2022-23 school year, please CLICK HERE! All Executive Board meetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:15pm in the TPMS Library unless listed otherwise.

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

TPMS Foundation Meeting Dates

The TPMS Foundation typically meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6pm in the TPMS Library. Please visit the TPMS Foundation Web Page by CLICKING HERE! Here are the upcoming monthly meetings for the 2022-23 school year.

November 15th (Zoom)
January 10th
February 13th
March 21st
April 18th
May 23rd

Shop Amazon through TPMS Foundation

You can always shop Amazon and earn money for Twin Peaks! Just click on the Amazon link below, then start spending!

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Twin Peaks Admin

Twin Peaks Middle School

Weekly RAM Newsletter

Twin Peaks Middle School

Weekly RAM Newsletter

From the desk of Principal Mills - Sunday, October 23rd, 2022

UPCOMING EVENTS:

ASB FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

October 24th-28th: Red Ribbon Week

Band Fundraiser at El Ranchito

6th Grade Wheel Information

The Fall Book Fair & Book Drive is Coming to TPMS!

Need TPMS Spirit Wear?

Preliminary 2022 CAASPP Results Now Available

Painted Rock's BOO BASH!

National PTA Reflections Art Contest

TPMS College & Career Fair

What I Wish My Parents Knew

Parent Night on Substance Use

Poetry Contest & Video Challenge

Flu Season is Here

Free & Reduced Lunch Applications!

ASES is Hiring!!

TPMS Yearbook Info

TPMS Yearbook Needs Your Photos

PTSA Meeting Dates for 2022-23

TPMS Foundation Meeting Dates

Shop Amazon through TPMS Foundation

Twin Peaks Middle School

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