Mesa Verde Weekly Newsletter

• September 7: Labor Day (No School)
• September 9: Vision and Hearing Screening
• September 11: Patriot Day

• September 15: Start of National Hispanic Heritage Month

• September 21-25: Conference Week

It was another fantastic week for our Eagle family! Our learners are settling into their routines, classroom communities are continuing to grow, and the weather is finally cooperating and reminding us why we choose to call San Diego home.

This weekend, we celebrate Labor Day, honoring the contributions of American workers and the strength, prosperity, and well-being they have helped build. On June 28, 1894, Congress officially established the first Monday in September as a legal holiday, creating the Labor Day we celebrate today.

Labor Day has long been marked by parades, gatherings, and festivities with family and friends. So, in keeping with tradition, please—BBQ away! And if you are a carnivore, may I recommend the burgundy-glazed tri-tip from Seaside Market in Cardiff?

Enjoy the three-day weekend, and we’ll see everyone Tuesday!

As we approach September 11, we pause to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost and the countless others whose lives were forever changed in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

We remember not only the tragedy, but also the courage, compassion, and sense of community that emerged in its aftermath. May we continue to honor those we lost by choosing kindness, empathy, and care for one another.

We will never forget.

Mesa Verde Middle School is excited to continue supporting students who choose to walk, bike, or ride an e-bike to school. As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, we are now accepting bike and e-bike permit applications for students who would like to park their bike on campus.

Student safety is our top priority. With that in mind, we want to make sure that all students and families are familiar with the current City of San Diego, California, and Poway Unified School District (PUSD) e-bike safety requirements before riding to school.

Important E-Bike Safety & Age Requirements

Families should be aware of the following requirements:

• Children under 12 years old may not ride an e-bike within the City of San Diego. This restriction took effect August 13, 2026.
• For middle school students, only Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are permitted through the MVMS/PUSD permit process.
• Permitted e-bikes must have a maximum assisted/motorized speed of 20 mph or less and a motor of 750 watts or less.
• Class 3 e-bikes, which can provide assistance up to 28 mph, are restricted to riders 16 years of age or older and therefore are not permitted for MVMS students.
• E-bikes may not be modified, unlocked, or otherwise adjusted to exceed the permitted speed.
• All riders under 18 are required to wear a properly fitted and secured helmet.
• Students are expected to follow all traffic laws and ride responsibly and safely at all times.

Please make sure your student's e-bike meets these requirements before submitting an application. Choosing an e-bike that is appropriate for your student's age and legal riding category is an important part of keeping our students safe.

How to Apply for an E-Bike Parking Permit

Families interested in having their student park an e-bike on the Mesa Verde campus should:

1. Print and complete the 2026–2027 e-bike permit application.
2. Review the e-bike safety expectations with your student and ensure that the bike meets all applicable PUSD and local requirements.
3. Place the completed application in the designated permit bin located on the round table outside the Attendance Office.

Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by designated MVMS administrators and our campus security team. The e-bike must meet the applicable PUSD and local safety requirements in order to be approved.

If the application is approved, Security will place the required parking permit sticker directly on the e-bike. This sticker indicates that the bike has been reviewed and is authorized to be parked on the MVMS campus.

If an application is not approved, the family will receive an email explaining the reason for the denial and, when appropriate, what needs to be addressed before the student may receive a permit.

A Shared Commitment to Safety

We appreciate our families partnering with us to make sure students are riding safely, responsibly, and within the law. E-bikes can be a wonderful way for students to get to and from school, but they also come with additional responsibilities. Taking a few minutes to review the requirements with your student can help ensure a safe trip to and from campus each day.

Thank you for helping us keep our Eagles, and our community, safe! 🦅

As a district, we are moving to Teams for virtual meetings. The infographic below is a brief tutorial for new users.

At MVMS, we believe kindness is more than simply being nice. It is a choice. It is an action. And it is something we can all choose to lead with every day.

Part of our PBIS FLIGHT expectations, Lead With Kindness means looking for opportunities to make someone else's day a little better. It means treating others with respect, assuming positive intent, and recognizing that we never truly know what someone else may be carrying.

Kindness can be big, but more often, it is found in the small things: inviting someone to join you, holding the door, offering encouragement, listening when someone needs to be heard, including someone who may feel left out, or simply saying, "Are you okay?"

At school, kindness helps create the kind of community where people feel safe to be themselves, take risks, make mistakes, and grow. It reminds us that how we treat one another matters just as much as what we accomplish.

And kindness isn't just something we expect from our students. It is something we expect from all of us. Students, families, teachers, and staff all have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to set the tone for our community.

This week, take a few minutes to talk with your student about what it means to Lead With Kindness.

• What does kindness look like when someone is having a difficult day?

• How can you show kindness to someone you don't know well?

• When have you experienced an unexpected act of kindness, and how did it make you feel?

• What is one small act of kindness you could do this week without being asked?

We don't have to wait for someone else to make our community kinder.

We can lead the way.

We are eternally grateful to our MVMS PTSA for keeping our staff lounges stocked with all the drinks and snacks that help keep us fueled throughout the school day! Your generosity and thoughtfulness mean so much to our staff. We are incredibly appreciative of you!

Come be part of TEAM MVMS! Join the MVMS Foundation and PTSA to hear what’s happening around campus, learn how we’re supporting our students and staff, and share your voice. The Foundation meets first, followed by the PTSA Association Meeting.

📅 Wednesday, September 9 at 6 PM

📍 Room 403 or join virtually on Google Meet, Agenda

Team Mesa Verde PTSA has several fun family socials coming up! Join us for an evening at Knotty Barrel, Morning Coffee with the Principal, or a relaxed Backyard Coffee Social. These events are a great opportunity to meet other MVMS parents, make new connections, and enjoy time together.

Everyone is welcome—you do not need to be a PTSA member to attend!

• Evening Social at Knotty Barrel: Thursday, September 17, 5–7 PM
RSVP by September 14⁠

• Coffee with the Principal: Friday, October 9, 8:30–10 AM
RSVP and suggest discussion topics⁠

• Backyard Coffee Social: Friday, November 6, 9–11 AM
Sign up here

⁠

We hope you’ll join us!

Our Outstanding Team

Mike Briney: All families A-G: mbriney@powayusd.com

Beth Huppert: All families H-O bhuppert@powayusd.com

Brooke Burton: All families P-Z bburton@powayusd.com

Students should stay home when...

Temp is 100.4°F or higher or persistent vomiting/diarrhea. Students should be symptom-free for at least 24 hours without medication before returning to school.

Medication at School

Prescribed and/or over-the-counter medications require a physician & parent/guardian authorization before they can be kept/administered at school. Please do not send medication to school with your student unless the required paperwork has been completed.

Medical Conditions

If your student has a medical condition, allergy, asthma, diabetes, seizure disorder, or other health needs that require medication, monitoring, accommodation, or support during the school day, please make sure the appropriate paperwork is completed.

PE Medical Exemptions

A parent/guardian note may excuse a student from PE for up to 3 days. Longer than 3 days require physician documentation. Have your doctor complete Form H-64 – Physician Authorization for PE.

Immunizations Please make sure your copy of your student's most current immunizations are on file.

AVID Tip of the Week: Find Your Study Spot

Where you study matters! A good study space can help you focus, stay organized, and get more done in less time.

This week, find your study spot. Look for a place that is:

• 🤫 Quiet enough to concentrate
• 💡 Well-lit and comfortable
• 📵 Free from distractions like your phone or TV
• 📚 Ready with the supplies you need

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Your study spot could be a desk at home, the library, or a quiet corner of your house.

AVID Challenge: Try studying in your new spot for 20–30 minutes this week. Notice how your focus changes!

Find your spot. Focus your mind. Get it done.

The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) began at Mesa Verde Middle School to strengthen the partnerships between families, teachers and staff, and students. The focus is on supporting students in their academic, social-emotional, and wellbeing needs. PTSA meets on a regular basis with the administration, ASB director, and Foundation to ensure we are all working together to serve MVMS.

Attendance and OCIS Contracts: If you have a student who will not be in class for 5-14 days, please notify the office so we can have the parents fill out an OCIS contract for their child. The forms will have to be completed and signed by parents 5-10 days in advance of the absence.If you and your child would like to contract the OCIS, please contact the attendance office.

Parents are required to give 5 days notice for absences up to 5 days, 10 days notice for absences more than 5 days.

Prepping work for students who are absent is an incredible amount of work for our teaching staff and we ask that you give your child’s teacher as much advance notice as possible beyond the above guidelines.

We do not write contracts beyond 14 days. If you plan to be away for 15 or more days please contact the Office for the necessary procedures.

Attendance: To report your child's absence or early checkout, please notify l the attendance office at before 10:00 am on the day of the absence. Please include your child's name, dates of absence, and reason for absence. We kindly ask that you avoid checking out your student during the lunch period from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Please refer to the attendance section of our Mesa Verde website for protocols regarding reporting student absences and requesting early release for your student.'

California Education Code 48205 states that a student may be excused legally from school when the absence is due to:

• Personal illness or injury
• Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health office
• Medical, dental, or chiropractic services
• Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family
• Justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, attendance at an employment conference, when the pupil's absence has been requested in writing by the parent and approved by the principal or designated representative
  
• For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election
• Exclusion for failure to present evidence of immunization
• Exclusion from school because student is either the carrier of a contagious disease or not immunized for a contagious disease

Communication with your Student If there is a need to communicate with your child during the school day, please send a message to the Office. Please refrain from communicating with them directly through text messages or phone calls as it disrupts their learning.

PUSD Substitutes Needed: With flu, cold, and COVID season upon us, we are once again in need of qualified substitutes to support PUSD and our campus in the event of an Teacher absence.

If you or someone you know are interested in applying to become a substitute teacher with Poway Unified School District, please click here.

Food and Nutrition Updates and Reminders: School breakfast and school lunch are FREE for all enrolled students, every school day. Meals must still be entered into the cafeteria computer by individual student account.

• Even though meals are free, families are still highly encouraged to complete the application for free and reduced-price meal eligibility. School site funding depends in part on the number of students eligible for free/reduced-price meals. Families that qualify for free/reduced-price meals may qualify for other benefits, as well. The meal application is available online at MySchoolApps.com.

• Printer-friendly PDF menus are available on the PUSD Food and Nutrition webpage. At the top of the page, click or hover over School Menus + and then Printable PDF Menus.

• Interactive, web-based menus containing nutrient and allergen details are available at MySchoolMenus.com, as well as via links from the F&N webpage.

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.