Twin Peaks Middle School

Happy Sunday Ram Families!

Welcome back to the 2026-2027 school year! I hope you all had a fun and relaxing summer and are ready to begin another amazing year of learning at Twin Peaks Middle School! This is our first weekly newsletter of the school year - plan on receiving one each Sunday afternoon throughout the school year with information for students and parents about everything that is happening at Twin Peaks Middle School. We have a busy week of preperation ahead as we welcome our new teachers and new students to campus before opening school on Thursday, August 13th.

Our main office will reopen this week as our office staff, administrators, and counselors return to the campus. Main office hours will be 9am-2pm this week, and then will shift to 8am-4pm starting on Monday, August 10th. Most information you will need to answer your questions can be found HERE on our TPMS website.

For those students who are new to our Ram Family, our 8th grade WEB leaders would like to invite you to our 2026 WEB Orientation on Friday, August 7th. WEB stands for "Where Everybody Belongs", and our 8th grade WEB leaders will be serving as your guides and mentors starting this Friday and throughout the school year! This Friday's orientation is for incoming 6th graders and new to TPMS 7th/8th graders only. Even though the WEB orientation is completely optional, I encourage all new students to attend as it helps to acclimate students to our campus, provide an opportutnity to meet other new students, and most importantly - learn what it means to be a TPMS Ram! During orientation, students will participate in team building activities to build connections, get a guided tour of campus, have fun with new friends, and receive their new Chromebook for the year as they leave for the day.

Students - please attend this Friday's WEB Oreintation based on your last name; students with last names that start with A-L: 8:00 - 11am, and students with last names that start with M-Z: 12 to 3pm. We highly recommend students attend orientation at the time listed based on your last name, but if not just come when you can…no calls or emails needed. Orientation is a student centered event; sorry, parents are not invited to attend. Parents will be asked to say goodbye at the door of the MPR when they drop off their student. Parents are welcome to come on campus and visit our PE department during the orientation to purchase PE uniforms, and stop by the Yearbook Room to purchase their 26-27 Yearbook. We ask all parents to return promptly for pickup at the end of the event at 11am and 3pm.

If you are unable to attend orientation on Friday, August 7th, PE uniforms can be purchased through your PE coach, Yearbooks can be purchased online and at Back to School Night, and students can pick up their chromebooks on the first day of school on Thursday, August 13th.

All textbooks will be checked out to students through their classes after the first day of school. All students in grades 6-8 will be taking their yearbook/student ID photos during their PE class on Friday or Monday, August 14th or 17th; don't worry, students will not be dressing out and doing PE this week before taking their school photos.

The first day of school is Thursday, August 13th - first period will start at 8:30am. School gates will open by 8am, and the optional breakfast is available for all students from 8-8:30am. Student schedules, with assigned class periods and teachers, should be available to students and parents through StudentVue and ParentVue starting on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 11th. Any schedule that you may see before 4pm on Tuesday, 8/11 may not be your final student schedule! Counselors are busy balancing student seats in classes and updating schedules as quickly as they can - thank you for your patience during this very busy time.

Please see the section below if you need help logging in to view your schedule. Please make sure your student knows how to access their schedule on their Chromebook through My Plan/StudentVue or Canvas, or by downloading the StudentVue app on your smart phone. 6th grade students will receive a printed out schedule at our School Year's Eve event on August 12th at 5pm. No other grades will have their schedules printed.

Elective change request forms will be available at Mrs. Kirti's desk in the counseling office before school, during break or lunch, or after school starting on Tuesday, August 18th. The forms must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to Mrs. Kirti by Monday, August 24th at 3:30pm. No late forms will be accepted. We want students to have the opportunity to experience all of their classes before requesting an elective change.

PLEASE NOTE: All of our electives are severely impacted and there are limited options available for students requesting a different elective. Elective courses are for the entire school year, and students do not change electives at the trimester unless they are enrolled in a wheel where students take a different class each trimester.

If you have a concern or question about your student's schedule, please email your student's counselor using the link below. Our counselors are inundated with requests at the beginning of the school year, and it may take additional time for them to respond to your email. If you are requesting an elective change for your student, please have them turn in a completed elective change request form to Mrs. Kirti in the counseling office.

• Mrs. Melissa Baskin - students with last names that begin with A-G CLICK HERE for email.
• Mrs. Nicole Roman - students with last names that begin with H-O CLICK HERE for email.
• Mrs. Jami Jennings - students with last names that begin with P-Z CLICK HERE for email.

Finally this week, I'd like to ask each of our TPMS families to look for a way to get involved and connected with Twin Peaks Middle School this year. This can be done through your participation with our PTSA or Foundation, volunteering in our Library, chaperoning a dance or field trip, helping to sponsor a club or coach a sport, or by making a donation. As we face budget and fiscal challenges over these next few years, we need your help to provide the supplies and resources our teachers require in order to give your students the highest quality learning experience possible. Here are some ways to help support our teachers and your students:

• Donate to our PUSD School and Classroom Donations page LINKED HERE!
• Join the PTSA! LINKED HERE!
• Donate to our TPMS Foundation! LINKED HERE!
• Help a specific teacher with an item from their Classroom Amazon Wish List
• Drop off any of the general classroom supplies from the list below at our main office

Thank you in advance for your partnership this school year!

With gratitude,

Steve Mills

Proud Principal

Twin Peaks Middle School

stmills@powayusd.com

1(858)748-5131 x2806

Instagram: @principalmills_twinpeaks

August 7th: WEB Orientation (6th & new to TPMS 7th/8th only)

August 12th: School Years Eve (6th/New to TPMS only), 5-6pm

August 13th: First Day of School, 8:30am-3:05pm (Homeroom)

August 14 & 17th: School Pictures (will be taken during PE class)

August 18th: TPMS Foundation Meeting, 6:00pm (TPMS Library)

August 20th: PTSA Board Meeting, 6:15pm (TPMS Library)

September 2nd: Back to School Night, 5:30-7:30pm

September 7th: Labor Day Holiday, No School

September 10th: 6th Grade Carnival, 3:30pm, TPMS Quad

September 17th: PTSA Meeting, 6:15pm (TPMS Library)

For families new to PUSD, an informational letter with a new user account name and password was sent to all parents of secondary students (grades 6-12). If you did not receive this letter, have misplaced it, or if you are a parent of a new student enrolled after the start of school, please visit the password.powayusd.com website to retrieve their username or select a new password.

We are excited for our School Year’s Eve event on Wednesday, August 12th from 5-6PM. This is a great opportunity for all of our 6th graders and new to PUSD students and families to view their class schedule, tour the campus, and get acquainted with our school community before the first day of school. This is an outdoor only event - classrooms will not be accessible on this evening. We look forward to seeing all of our new RAMS!

This is a friendly reminder that TPMS is a phone free school between the hours of 8:30am - 3:05pm. Students must keep their devices in their backpacks during school hours to support our learning centered classrooms.

Phones and electronic devices can be confiscated by school staff for repeated violations of our electronic devices policy. Please review page 14 in the student planner (LINKED HERE) for more information on our school's electronic devices policy. Parents - please review the appropriate use of cell phones and our school's policy with your student to avoid having to come in and pick up their phone after school.

This is a friendly reminder for all Band & Orchestra students that instruments are not needed the first week of school. If you have any additional questions please email Mr. Moreau at amoreau@powayusd.com. Thanks so much!

All children in PUSD are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch meals regardless of income for the 2025-2026 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! Click here to view the school menus.

Parents/Guardians are still encouraged to complete a meal application online to receive other benefits such free or reduced-price after-school care, discounts on SAT and AP testing fees, reduced internet and utility bills, and food-buying assistance during summer breaks. Meal applications also help ensure that our school receives its fair share of state funding. 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. Parents/Guardians can add money to their students account at MySchoolBucks.com or bring a check to any window to enter in their account for any a la carte items their students would like to purchase.

The Twin Peaks Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is a membership-based 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to making each school year a rewarding and enriching experience for every student. TPMS PTSA brings you the 6th Grade Olympics, 8th Grade Promotion, Academic Awards, Book Fairs, Choir, the Giving Tree program, the Reflections art program, the Spelling Bee, Staff/Teacher Hospitality, Student Character Recognition Awards, and lots more!

Whether you join as a member, donate directly to our programs, or give your time and talents (or all of the above!), we are very grateful for your contribution to TPMS. All donations are tax deductible. If you would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities or other ways to get involved, email Steph Cole at ptsaprestpms@gmail.com We will also be available to chat and answer questions at Back to School Night on 9/2. Come find our table!

** To join PTSA and/or donate via TOTEM, click here

** To join PTSA and/or donate via Cheddar Up, click here

PTSA Meetings 2026-2027

As a member of PTSA, you are invited and encouraged to attend our three Association Meetings, held in September, February, and April. Mark your calendars now! This is where you can learn about what's happening at the school and hear directly from Principal Mills, student leadership, staff, and the PTSA Board. Members will receive meeting packets to the email addresses used to register. Our first Association meeting is coming up on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 6:15pm in the TPMS Library. Hope to see you there!

August 20, Board Meeting

September 17, Association Meeting at 6:15pm, Board Meeting to follow

October 22, Board Meeting

November 5, Board Meeting

December 3, Board Meeting

January 14, Board Meeting

February 11, Association Meeting at 6:15pm, Board Meeting to follow

March 18, Board Meeting

April 22, Association Meeting at 6:15pm, Board Meeting to follow

May 13, Board Meeting & Awards Night

June TBD

Our 2026-2027 Executive Board:

President - Steph Cole

Executive VP - Misa Rudge

1st VP of Fundraising - Shelly Mead

2nd VP of Membership - Beckie Barber

3rd VP of Volunteers - Shannon Lilly

Secretary - Cassie Stroben

Treasurer - Kate Dokmo

Historian - Brenda Wiese

Financial Reviewer - Chrissy Rhew

Parliamentarian - Alicia Gormican

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 2026-27 school year:

Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 6:00pm

Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:00pm

Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 6:00pm

Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 6:00pm

Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:00pm

Tuesday, January 12, 2027, 6:00pm

Tuesday, February 9, 2027, 6:00pm

Tuesday, March 16, 2027, 6:00pm

Tuesday, April 20, 2027, 6:00pm

Tuesday, May 11, 2027, 6:00pm

Please visit the TPMS Foundation Web Page by CLICKING HERE!

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, Melissa Griffith, Associate Superintendent of Personnel support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, 1-858-521-2800, extension 2121, mgriffith@powayusd.com. For students, you may contact Title IX Coordinator/504 Coordinator Jessica Pineda, Director of Attendance and Discipline, Poway Unified School District, 1-858-521-2843, jpineda@powayusd.com.

Website: https://twinpeaks.powayusd.com/l
Phone: 858.748.5131
Twitter: @TwinPeaksRams