Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills
Sunday, September 24th, 2023
Happy Sunday Ram Families!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying your weekend after a busy, short week of instruction for students. A big THANK YOU to our PTSA for providing our staff with donuts, fruit, and coffee for our Professional Learning Day this past Monday. It certainly helped to fuel our learning for the day and was very much appreciated! It's not too late to join the PTSA for this school year - please CLICK HERE to join online today!
Our Start with Hello Week got off to an amazing start on Tuesday as students wore name tags around campus to help get to know each others' names. The student participation levels throughout the week were off the charts, with hundreds of students dressing up for spirit days and eager to earn 5 Star Points for participating in lunch time events! Friday's Club Fair was a great way for students to see what clubs and organizations were on campus that they could join - check out the pictures below from the event! A big THANK YOU to all of our students who participated in Start With Hello Week and to our ASB for organizing the week's activities.
What are 5 Star Points you may be asking?! 5 Star Students is a web-based student management system that we are using for the first time this year at Twin Peaks to track student participation. One of the main reasons we wanted to use 5 Star Students was to reward positive student behaviors when we see them on campus; points can be earned by students for doing things that show Responsibility, Accountability, Motivation, and are Scholarly. We can also award students for participating in school activities and attending school events! Points can then be redeemed by students for TPMS gear, student privileges, and special awards and events. To find out more about 5 Star Students, please check out their website at https://www.5starstudents.com/.
Our first 6 week progress report period will close this Friday, September 29th. Over the next few weeks, teachers will be reaching to schedule parent-student-teacher conferences to support students who may be struggling after this first benchmark. Please make sure to respond and schedule a date, time and format that works best for you and your family. We will start reaching out to parents to schedule conferences for the afternoons of October 12th and 13th (minimum days for students). Please remember that if you ever have individual concerns about your student's progress in a class, please reach out to their teacher via email. Building strong partnerships with teachers and parents is key to student success, and we look forward to meeting with parents and students during our upcoming conferences.
Our first annual Identity Day is happening this Friday, September 29th from 4-6pm on the TPMS and TBES campuses. This is an opportunity for our two school communities to come together and celebrate all of our amazing students and their unique talents, interests and cultures. Our Joint Equity Council with TBES is the group sponsoring the event, and the inspiration for the event started with the George Couros article LINKED HERE. While our event will be different than what is described in the article, the goal is similar - for every student in our two schools to feel joy & belonging by sharing something about themselves with their community. Students will have an opportunity to finish their "All About Me" poster in their Homeroom class early this week before we display all of the posters around campus for our student gallery walk on Identity Day.
We also have several cultural performances planned for the Identity Day event, including Taiko and Kenyan drummers, a didgeridoo player, and a Ballet Folklorico group! Food trucks will be available to purchase food and student performances will be happening on both campuses. We are in need of parent volunteers to make this event a reality - please consider signing up to help by CLICKING HERE. Check out the flyer below with detailed information about the event.
I had a chance this past Tuesday to meet with Mr. Fred Castro, one of our amazing TPMS parents, to discuss starting the TPMS Parent Patrol. This group of volunteer parents would help and assist with a variety of tasks to support school events throughout the year - providing supervision at ASB and WEB events, setting up and tearing down events (like the 6th grade Olympics), and helping with 8th grade promotion and end-of-year events. For those who know Fred from Garden Road Elementary, this would be similar to their Dad's Club that supports their school-wide events. If you would like to connect with Fred directly about this idea, please email him at Frederic.Castro2@collins.com. If you would like to signup for the TPMS Parent Patrol, please CLICK HERE for the signup form.
Finally this week, CONGRATULATIONS to our TPMS Cross Country Team for hosting an outstanding first XCountry meet of the season! Our team of over 100 student runners competed against the five other middle schools in PUSD and did an amazing job! Nearly 500 total students competed in the meet, which made Twin Peaks a popular destination for many PUSD families on Friday afternoon! A special shout out to Coach Tracy and our ASES Team for all of their hard work in prepping our runners and running such a wonderful community event! Way to go RAMS!!
In Partnership,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
1(858)748-5131 x2806
Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks
UPCOMING EVENTS:
TPMS NEWS AND EVENTS
September 27th: Late Start - 9:50am
September 29th: End of 1st Progress Notice Period
September 29th: TBES/TPMS Identity Day, 4-6pm
October 2nd & 3rd: Minimum Days - Conference Prep
October 3rd & 4th: Band Taco Shop Fundraiser
October 4th: Late Start - 9:50am
October 4th: ELAC Meeting, 5:30-7pm @Pride Park
October 12th & 13th: Minimum Days - P/S/T Conferences
October 18th: AVID Fundraiser @ Chipotle
October 21st: Foundation Fall Parent Social, 6-9pm
October 27th: 7/8 Band/Orchestra Pop-up Concert, 7:30am, TPMS Quad
October 27th: Jazz Band Concert during both lunches, 11:30am-12:30pm, Quad
Start with Hello Week - Club Fair
Signup today - classes start 9/25!
TBES & TPMS Identity Day
To make this event a reality, we need your help! Please CLICK HERE to signup to help at the check-in/Scavenger Hunt tables, supervise an event, or help with set-up or clean-up. We look forward to seeing everyone on the 29th!
TPMS X-COUNTRY HOST 1st HOME MEET
ELAC Meeting for Parents of Multilingual Learners
TPMS Bike Permits
ASES Sports Donations
Purchase a Computer at an Affordable Price
The San Diego County Office of Education and Computers2Kids are hosting an event for families to purchase affordable computers on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at San Marcos Elementary School 1 Tiger Way, San Marcos CA 92069 (Drive Thru Event).
Since July 2023 the partnership between SDCOE and Computers2Kids has provided over 1,288 refurbished computers to 797 San Diego families. We hope your families are able to benefit from this event.
More Than A Meal
MORE THAN A MEAL (formerly called FREE & REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATION) can help you out in many ways. Please click on this link More Than a Meal to complete the online application. Listed below are a few ways this program can help:
- Discounts for passes on public transportation
- Discounts on home internet costs
- Discounts on fees for SAT, ACT, AP tests
- Discounts on application fees associated with colleges and universities
- Our district can receive increased funding to support students.
Main Office Drop-Offs
As a general rule, we do not accept drop-off items for students once they arrive at school. While we do make exceptions for medical and emergency situations, our TPMS Student Planner states: "In an effort to limit classroom interruptions as well as encourage students to become more independent and self-sufficient, Twin Peaks does not allow delivery of forgotten lunches, PE clothes, homework, non-emergency messages, or other items during the school day."
Delivery food and Door Dash-like companies may not deliver to students at school; additionally, cell phones will not be held for students at the front desk for them to pick up. Breakfast and lunch items are provided to all students, free of charge, so there should not be any reason to drop off a lunch for your student - they will be able to get food at school. If your student has food allergies that require special lunches, the Student Planner states you "must provide a Medical Statement (SNP-925) that explains the need. The medical statement must be signed by a physician and include recommended alternate foods."
Food & Nutrition Update
All children in PUSD are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch meals regardless of income for the 2023-2024 school year. Please see the PUSD Food and Nutrition Website for more information. Breakfast is served 30 minutes before school starts daily, if your student can not make it before school, they can receive a free breakfast at morning break!
Parents/Guardians are still encouraged to complete a meal application online to receive other benefits such as a Pandemic EBT card for each child. The website to apply is www.myschoolapps.com
Paper meal applications (for parents that can’t complete one online) are available in the TPMS front office.
*PUSD Food and Nutrition Department is cashless. Please click on the following link to learn more about the cashless system Cashless System
ASB Student Activities Canvas Page
Attendance Corner
ATTENDANCE HOTLINE:
To report an Absence, Tardy, or student Leaving Early…Call the Attendance Hotline (858)668-2730. It’s available 24/7. Leave the information needed, and attendance will be updated.
PERIOD ABSENCES
If you receive a call about your student being marked absent for a period the chart below will help to explain.
Example: The phone message states your student was marked absent for Period 5.
Period 1 = 1st class of the day
Period 2 = 2nd class of the day
Period 3 & 4 = Homeroom (previously RAM)
Period 5 = 3rd class of the day
Period 6 = 4th class of the day
Period 5 is the 3rd class of the day and is in the afternoon after Lunch or Homeroom.
TPMS Yearbook Info
Yearbooks are available for $55. Reserve yours now!
Pay by card: Go to www.jostens.com or use the QR code above.
Pay by cash/check: Download the typable 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.
8th Grade Yearbook Ads
Calling all 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 February 1st so don’t delay! Don't forget to order your yearbook, too!
Want more information about Yearbooks? Go to http://tpmsyearbook.weebly.com/
PUSD Parent Education Courses
- FREE Teen Positive Parenting Program (English) via ZOOM.
- Gender Identity & Expression Part I - All Grades in Person.
- Talking & Listening to Your Kids - TK-5th Grade via Zoom.
- Talking and Listening to Your Kids – 6th -12th Grade NEW.
- Early Childhood Development: Shaping the Mindset TK-3rd Grade NEW.
- Help Your Children Manage Stress and Anxiety – TK-5th Grade.
- Using your Strengths to Navigate Life Storms – All Grades NEW.
- Help Your Teen Manage Stress and Anxiety – 6th-12th Grade NEW.
- Developing an Effective Individualized Education Program – All Grades.
- Empowering Parents with Consequences that Work – TK-5th Grade NEW.
Scholarships are available to parents who may be in need. Parents can contact the Caring Connections Center for more information. You can visit their website by clicking here and searching for the course you are interested in and enroll directly from their site.
TPMS Foundation 23-24
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:
October 17th
November 14th
January 16th
February 13th
March 12th
April 16th
May 21st
Please visit the TPMS Foundation Web Page by CLICKING HERE!
PTSA Meeting Dates 23-24
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:
October 19th
November 16th
December 14th
January 18th
February 15th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)
March 14th
April 18th (Association Meeting @6:15pm; Board Meeting to follow)
May 23rd
To join the PTSA for the 2023-24 school year, please CLICK HERE!
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