Falcon Feature

Connect with Dr. Hartloff

Hello Falcon Families!

Parent communication and connection between home and school is one of our top priorities here at UMS. This newsletter is your one-stop-shop for all things UMS. We recommend you take a few moments each week as a family to review the contents for upcoming activities and information to help you navigate each week.

Take care,

Dr. Hartloff, Principal

#UMSConnects

Friday Falcons

Each week, our teachers recognize students who go above and beyond in showing attitude, commitment, and achievement. These students are celebrated for their positive contributions to our campus and for being role models to their peers. We are so proud of our Friday Falcons who continue to soar high and make our school community shine!

Congratulations Mr. Harker!

Kevin Harker, our wonderful Music Director, received a $7000 grant for new instruments from the Philharmonic Society this week! The kids were so excited to unbox the new instruments - they said it was like Christmas came early:) There were 68 schools that applied for this grant and only 13 were selected. Congratulations to Mr. Harker and our UMS music program!

iPad Insurance Opportunity Ends October 31

October is your last chance to purchase iPad insurance for your student's device. Click HERE to purchase.

Celebration of Schools

TUSD's Celebration of Schools was a great community event last week. THS hosted the event, and the feeder elementary schools and UMS were featured as the "Pathway to THS." Our PTA and Jamie Joyce did a fabulous job showcasing our school and connecting with the TUSD community. Alexys and I were happy to have our wonderful PTA President, Andrea Ocampo, join us for the presentation portion of the evening. Go Falcons!

Tustin Tiller Days Wristbands for Sale at UMS

The UMS PTA will be selling Tustin Tiller Days wristbands on the dates and times below. The wristbands will sell for $40.

Wednesday 10/1 after school during Paleta Sale

Thursday 10/2 after school

Friday 10/3 before school 7:45, & after school

Purchase your wristband from PTA and help support UMS!

Donate at UMS

New pajamas may seem like a small thing, but for many families in the Tustin area, they’re a luxury that’s simply out of reach. Last year, thanks to the generosity of our incredible community, we were able to bring comfort and warmth to over 2,500 deserving children and seniors through donations of new pajamas in sizes from newborn to XL teens. Every donation—whether pajamas or a monetary gift that allowed us to buy the sizes we needed—made a world of difference.

This year, we’re aiming to reach that 2,500 milestone once again.

Everyone deserves clean, cozy pajamas, especially as the nights turn colder.

With your help, we can make it happen!

What makes this program truly special is how it unites Tustin residents of all ages—along with our local businesses, schools, nonprofits, service clubs, and places of worship—to brighten the season for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Together, we are genuinely #TustinStrong!

TUSD College and Connections Night

It’s that time of year! TUSD’s annual college and career event (formerly Pathways to Success) has been rebranded as: College and Connections! This year’s event, for 6th-12th grade students and families, will take place on 10/9/25 from 5:15-8:00 at Foothill High School. Counselors and College and Career Specialists will receive a “communications package” this Friday to support your school site’s promotion of the event. In addition, MS and HS Counselors will receive a sign up sheet to choose a time slot for the night of. Thank you for your partnership- we are looking forward to serving our MS and HS communities through this valuable opportunity.

Vital Link Day at UMS October 1

Coastline ROP, in partnership with TUSD, will be at UMS on October 1 to introduce students to careers and pathways of interest. The careers they will be sharing about were of high interest to our students based on survey data.

All booths will be set up in the gym and all students will visit the booths during PE classes that day. They will be given "passports" where they get a stamp from each booth they visit. The following careers/pathways will be highlighted:

Biomedical
EMT/CPR
3D Printing and Robotics
Digital Media Arts (including 3D modeling and animation)
Green Energy

There will also be THS students there who are enrolled in ROP courses to share their experiences with students.

We are looking forward to this special day for our kids!

Building Resilience in our Students

Click HERE to access our Mental Health Services newsletter that gives some more information about mental health services and suicide prevention month.

UMS Report Card Night October 23

TUSD middle schools have changed to a report card night this year in place of fall conferences. Report Card Night is a time for parents and families to come and have quick check-ins with their teachers to see how your students are doing. Your student's report card will be available in Aeries before this event takes place. All teachers will be in the gym at tables, available for quick conversations with parents.

This is not a time to have an in-depth conversation with the teachers about your student. If you would like a longer conversation with your teachers, please contact them directly to set up a time outside of the Report Card Night.

Teachers will be ready to share positive things about your students, and answer any questions you may have about support. We look forward to seeing you there!

UMS Falcon Fall Festival

Falcons,

It's that time of year! We are looking forward to celebrating fall as a community on October 30. October 31 is a non-student day, so after you enjoy the fall festival, the students can sleep in:) We hope to see you all there! This is a free event, and there will be spirit wear, food, and drinks for purchase.

Change of Date for November Coffee Chat and PTA General Meeting

Please note the change of date for the November coffee chat and PTA general meeting from November 18 to November 4.

PBIS Parent Support

ACA is an acronym we use every day at UMS, and it stands for Attitude, Commitment, and Achievement. When students demonstrate these values, they earn ACA tickets. Students will now have the opportunity to use those tickets at a PBIS Student Store. This is where our wonderful families come in. We are asking for donations to help start and stock the store. These are small items that students have expressed a desire to be able to "purchase". Please take a look and consider donating what you are able to so that we can help our Falcons have a better experience.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044DA8AA29ABF49-58056948-pbis