Twin Peaks Middle School
Weekly RAM Newsletter
From the desk of Principal Mills - Sunday, 3/7/21
Happy Sunday Ram Families!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well as we finish up the first week of March. Please make sure to read through the information below to get the latest updates on our school reopening plans, to find out what students will need to bring to campus with them, new check-in protocols, and the latest on events taking place over the next few weeks like our 6th Grade WEB Orientation.
We continue to prepare our campus and staff to welcome back our A/B cohort students to TPMS as early as March 15th. As case rates in San Diego continue to decline and the likelihood of San Diego being placed in lower tiers increases, families and students who have chosen to return to campus should prepare to return in the hybrid model (mix of virtual and in-person learning). What this means for students returning to on-campus learning is that you will still be needing to access your classes and the curriculum virtually while you are on campus. Zoom and Canvas may still need to be accessed daily in each class, so students will need to make sure they bring their school-issued Chromebook or their own personal laptop, and its charger, with them to school each day.
For students who have not yet picked up a school-issued Chromebook, our IT and Library staff have been working diligently over the last few weeks to pre-package and pre-checkout Chromebooks for students who have not yet been issued one. Students returning to on-campus learning will be able to pick up their Chromebooks at the library window when they return to campus. Additionally, students are encouraged to bring their own earbuds or headphones with them to class; we will have extra Chromebooks, earbuds and masks available for students who may need to borrow one for a day.
As we prepare for reopening, we have uncovered new challenges that require new solutions. One of the new additions we are adding to our check-in procedure when we return to campus is having students use either their student ID cards, Student Vue SmartPhone app, or a printout of their student ID/QR code to check-in electronically. Because we will need to know which students are physically on campus versus virtual each period, students entering campus will use their student ID to check-in at a kiosk as they enter campus. We will also be using this system as a contact-free way for parents to check-out your student early if the need arises. Please be patient with us as we implement these new systems into our routine over the next few weeks. A how-to video will be available soon on our TPMS website to show students how the new system will work.
As a reminder, if your student(s) is planning on returning to campus as part of our Cohort A or Cohort B we need your signed waivers turned in PRIOR to their return to campus. Please click here to access a copy. You can send it by email to tpmswaivers@gmail.com or you can drop it off in front of the school office.
Student and staff safety remains our top priority; as we prepare for our reopening, here is the link to the latest PUSD Reopening Guidebook that describes our district protocols and important information on how we are keeping our students and staff safe. The next PUSD School Board meeting on March 11th should provide additional guidance and details about the next steps in our school opening process with the county and state. To access the most recent version of our Twin Peaks-specific Reopening Plan, complete with FAQs, please CLICK HERE.
In review, and to try and make this easy for students and parents, here is a list of items students returning to campus should plan on bringing with them each day:
- A mask that covers the student's nose and mouth
- Chromebook / Laptop with charger
- Personal earbuds or headphones
- Student ID card / Student QR Code Printout
- Refillable Water Bottle
- Lunch (if needed - lunch options will still be provided free of charge for all students)
As excited as we are to welcome back our TPMS Rams who are ready to return to campus, those students who wish to remain virtual will continue to be supported by their teachers in the same virtual schedule we are currently operating under. Your schedule will remain the same, and the majority of your classes, with the exception of your PE teacher, will not change. In order to make sure that virtual PE classes can still provide the structure and opportunity for participation that they do now, we will be transitioning into separate all-virtual PE and all in-person PE classes once our cohorts return to campus.
This Tuesday, 3/9 and Thursday, 3/11 we will have our first large groups of students back on campus as we host our WEB orientation for our 6th graders from 3-4pm each day. Students will be able to get a campus tour, and participate in small group activities facilitated by our amazing 7th and 8th grade WEB leaders, socially distanced and masked of course! The sign-up for the event is linked HERE - please make sure to sign up by Monday, 3/8 at 3pm. Get ready Rams for some fun as we continue to prepare for returning our students to campus!
Finally, I wanted to share with you some of the things our amazing students have been up to. This past Thursday I was beaming with pride as I watched our ASB leaders help facilitate a training and Kahoot session Ms. Keller was leading on Zoom for CADA's state convention (the California Association of Directors of Activities). Our students were so comfortable and fearless as they directed adults through the Kahoot and facilitated the Zoom room, and it made sense why... they had been leading these types of Zoom events all yearlong for our own TPMS students!
Students in our Builder's Club have been busy too, recently producing a series of games and activities entitled "Boredness Be Gone Games" for all students to enjoy and to take a break from their online worlds. There's a few classic games I remember playing as a kid, a few twists and tweaks on some family favorites, and a few new games too. Whichever you choose, there's something in here for everyone! The PDF with the games that can be printed out can be found on the TPMS website linked HERE. Thanks to the Builder's Club for sharing their work with our school community!
With Gratitude,
Steve Mills
Proud Principal
Twin Peaks Middle School
1(858)748-5131 x2806
UPCOMING EVENTS:
3/9: Flippin' Pizza Fundraiser, 11975 Carmel Mountain Rd, 11am-8pm
3/9: 6th Grade Orientation for Cohort A, 3-4pm
3/10: 5th Grade Parent Night @TPMS, Zoom - 6-7pm
3/11: 6th Grade Orientation for Cohort B, 3-4pm
3/12: Late Start - Asynchronous Friday Schedule, 9:30am
3/16: 8th Grade Parent Night @PHS, Zoom - 5-7pm
3/18: PTSA Meeting, Zoom 6pm
3/19: Late Start - Asynchronous Friday Schedule, 9:30am
3/24: iReady Parent Information Night, Zoom 6-7pm
3/25: Lip Synch Battle Broadcast during RAM
3/26: Late Start - Asynchronous Friday Schedule, 9:30am
Flippin' Pizza Fundraiser - March 9th
5th Grade Parent Night - March 10th
AVID Information Night - March 11th
Follow this link to view the flyer and obtain information about how to receive the Zoom invite to attend this event on March 11th. In addition, check out the AVID newsletter to get more information about this awesome elective opportunity!
CLICK HERE for the latest version of the AVID Newsletter!!
School Reopening Update - Cohort / Change of Program Requests
We have reached a point in the balancing of our on-campus cohorts that we are unable to accommodate any additional requests at this time based on the lack of available space in classrooms. Families who are still in need of a cohort or platform change will be placed on a waitlist and requests will be considered based on available space. The only exception to this would be families who signed up for on-campus learning, but now wish to remain in virtual learning for the remainder of the school year because this change would create space in our on-campus cohorts.
If you would like to request a a cohort adjustment and be added to our waitlist, please complete the Google Form linked HERE. If your student is interested in switching form on-campus to virtual learning for the rest of the 2020-2021school year, please contact our Counseling Assistant Ms. Myers at dmyers@powayusd.com.
If you have questions about the school calendar, please click HERE to access the most updated version. If you have questions about the bell schedule, please click HERE to see our Monday-Thursday schedule, Virtual Friday schedule and the times for teacher's office hours.
8th Grade Course Request Information
LA SELECCIÓN DE CURSOS (CRF)
Le invitamos a reunirse con las consejeras de Poway High School para una sesión informativa sobre la selección de clases para el otoño. Vea más información aquí.
Teacher of the Year Selected - Congratulations to Coach Spy!
Coach Spy is a force to be reckoned with on our campus. She works tirelessly to support students, not only in PE, but in all aspects of middle school life. She has taken on the role of club advisor, coach, and mentor for countless students. She is always thinking about how to make the middle school experience better, whether that be through teaching students a new athletic skill or by making our school a more beautiful and welcoming place. She took on the task of painting the PE walls to show RAM pride on her own. Within her department she has been instrumental in acquiring new equipment for the exercise science lab. She has also implemented new and innovative curriculum to keep kids interested in using their bodies in new ways. Her positive energy can be felt through all layers of our school community.
Please join us in congratulating and celebrating our TPMS Teacher of the Year, Julie Spychalski! Thanks Coach for all you do for our Twin Peaks students and Ramily!
TPMS Lip Sync Battle
It’s time for… the one, the only 3rd Annual TPMS Lip Sync Battle! It’s singing, and dancing, and lip syncing all rolled into one giant ball of awesome! Don’t know what it is? No worries! Lip Sync Battle is a fun event where you can dance and lip sing to your favorite song or a mashup of your favorite songs! The full Lip Sync Battle will be broadcast during RAM on Thursday, March 25th for all to see and YOU will get the chance to vote on your favorite performance. Submit your Lip Sync Video for your chance to win the title of Lip Sync Battle Ultimate Champion AND a very special grand prize! Look on your grade level google classroom, or on your teacher's RAM Canvas pages for more information! CLICK HERE for more information!
Volunteer and Career Opportunities at Twin Peaks MS #TeamPUSD
Morning Volunteers Still 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 very soon, our need for morning screeners has increased, 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!
Instructional Assistants needed!
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!
GATE for 2021
District Leadership from PUSD held an informational meeting on February 16, 2021 discussing updates to the GATE program within PUSD. At this meeting it was announced that PUSD was ending the GATE program at all PUSD schools and discontinuing GATE testing.
A recording of the meeting has been uploaded to the PUSD YouTube Channel. You can find out more information at the PUSD GATE website HERE.
What does this mean for Twin Peaks? The only change this makes to Twin Peaks is that we will no longer offer our one class of homogenous GATE humanities. Everything else remains the same at our school. We will continue to serve all our student needs in all classes and we will continue to offer the accelerated math track.
Poway Unified and all schools in PUSD, including Twin Peaks, have moved to a more integrated and inclusive approach toward meeting the needs of students. For years, we have been working with our teaching staffs across the district to develop differentiation strategies to meet the needs of each and every student in our classrooms, including those who are identified as GATE. Poway Unified School District’s mission is to empower world class learners. In order to do this, all learning environments must be safe, inclusive, innovative, and equitable. For these reasons, Poway Unified has decided to end the GATE program. Poway is not testing new students for GATE. All middle schools will no longer offer homogeneous GATE classes. Twin Peaks Middle School will continue to focus on ensuring all classrooms challenge students appropriately.
PHS Engineering Academy Information Night
For information on the Computer Animation class please click here!
For a course description of engineering classes please click here!
Important Counselor Information
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Mrs. Melissa Baskin (School Counselor for students with last names A-Le), will be taking Child Bonding Leave starting next Monday, February 22nd until April 30th . Please join us in welcoming her counseling sub, Jennifer Bishop, back to Twin Peaks! She is a former Twin Peaks Instructional Assistant and has recently completed her Master’s in Counseling & Guidance degree and PPS credential at Point Loma Nazarene University. We are still getting all of the details sorted with her email address and log-ins. If you need to communicate with Ms. Bishop regarding your student or if you have any questions or concerns please call Mrs. Baskin’s office number at 858.748.5131 ext 2813 and leave a voicemail until her PUSD email is activated , she will return your call promptly.
STUDENT VOICE - We Need to Hear From You!
Student Engagement Feedback Form: In previous newsletters we have spoke of the need to encourage students to turn their web cameras on during class time. We received several emails with some great suggestions, so we wanted to open it up and encourage students to provide us with your feedback! Students - please take a moment and complete the feedback form LINKED HERE. Thanks in advance for your time and feedback!
ASB Announcements
TPMS Online Store
Back by popular demand, the TPMS Online Spirit Wear store is officially open for business. All orders must be placed by Friday, March 12th, so don’t wait – get your TPMS spirit wear today! Visit bit.ly/ramspirit to place your order!
Hey Parents! Want to know what’s going on at Twin Peaks? Bookmark bit.ly/tpmsevents on your home computer and have daily access to the resources and links to fun activities that are being shared with your student every week on their teacher’s Canvas pages and on the Grade Level Google Classroom pages!
Global Uplift Project
Hello TPMS Families! This year, our school is partnering with The Global Uplift Project to help raise money to build a school for children in need in Malacatoya, Nicaragua. CLICK HERE for a video that will tell you more about the project. If every TPMS family could donate just $1 – that’s less than the cost of a soda these days – we could raise over $1000 to help reach our goal. Please consider joining us in making the world a better place. Visit bit.ly/tpmsTGUP to make a donation today!
Tutoring Available
The National Honor Society (NHS) at Poway High School provides tutoring for any student in need of it. Please complete this Google Form if you are interested: https://forms.gle/bSXPRCkeEUM4FmVC7
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.
Climate Change Video Challenge
Climate change is happening now, all around us, and we have an opportunity to reimagine and rebuild our present and future in a fair and just way for all Californians. With this goal in mind, the California Coastal Commission invites California middle and high school students to present a video response to the question: What does climate justice look like to me?
Entry deadline is March 31, 2021.
Visit the website to find all the details on how to enter; helpful background on climate change, climate justice, and climate solutions; and additional resources for educators. https://coastal.ca.gov/climatechallenge/
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