Mesa Verde Weekly Newsletter

• September 11-13: Rosh Hashanah

• September 15: Start of National Hispanic Heritage Month

• September 20-21: Yom Kippur

• September 21-25: Conference Week

Another Great, Very Hot Week at Mesa Verde!

Well, Mesa Verde, we made it through another great, very hot week! And while we have loved the sunshine, I think I speak for all of us when I say we are ready for some cooler days ahead. But I am a little anxious about the impending super El Nino.

With Labor Day behind us, i-Ready testing wrapped up across campus, FLIGHT expectations reviewed, outside activities moving forward, and fall sports practices getting underway, there is a lot happening around MVMS. Our Eagles are settling into routines, building community, and getting into the full swing of the school year.

And somehow, we are officially in the middle of September. Already. Seriously... wake me up when September ends.

There is a lot to look forward to in the weeks ahead, and we are excited to keep the momentum going. Thank you for continuing to partner with us and for helping make Mesa Verde such a great place to learn, grow, and belong.

Go Eagles!

As we approach progress notices and student conferences in the weeks ahead, we want to share a little information about what families can expect.

Progress notices provide an important snapshot of your student’s academic progress at this point in the year. They are one way for families and teachers to check in on how students are doing and identify areas where additional support or attention may be helpful.

Progress notices will be sent home with students by Wednesday, September 16. We ask that parents/guardians review the notice, sign it, and have their student return it to school by Friday, September 18.

The notices will be distributed and collected in Social Studies classes for all grades.

Please keep in mind that a progress notice is a snapshot in time. Grades and assignments can change throughout the year, and families can access their student’s most up-to-date academic progress at any time through ParentVUE. Directions for accessing ParentVUE can be viewed below. You can retrieve your username or pick a new password by visiting https://password.powayusd.com.

Thank you for partnering with us to stay informed and support your student’s continued growth and success.

At Mesa Verde Middle School, the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. We have several systems and practices in place to help ensure MVMS remains a safe, welcoming, and supportive place to learn. This past week we had our first safety drill. With that in mind, we wanted to share some of our safety procedures with you.

Building Community
Strong relationships are foundational to school safety. When students, staff, and families feel connected, valued, and supported, we create a culture of belonging, respect, and care.

Closed Campus & Visitor Check-In
MVMS is a closed campus. All visitors must check in at the front office upon arrival and wear a printed visitor badge while on campus. This helps us know who is on campus and maintain a secure environment.

Volunteer Requirements
All PUSD volunteers must complete the required application and clearance process, which may include a code of conduct, confidentiality agreement, TB clearance, and Livescan fingerprinting.

Campus Supervision
Our campus supervisors and staff provide active supervision throughout the school day, including during lunch, passing periods, and other less structured times.

Building Relationships & Student Support
Teachers and staff work intentionally to build strong relationships with students and create an environment where every student feels seen, valued, and supported. Our student care team also works closely with teachers and families to support students' academic, social, and emotional well-being.

Emergency Preparedness
MVMS regularly practices emergency procedures and drills so students and staff know how to respond in a variety of situations. These practices include fire drills, earthquake preparedness, lockdown procedures, and other emergency response protocols. Staff receive training and have established procedures for communicating, accounting for students, and responding during an emergency.

Partnership with Law Enforcement
MVMS maintains strong relationships with local law enforcement and other safety partners. These partnerships help us communicate proactively, address concerns, and respond effectively when needed.

See Something, Say Something
We encourage students to speak with a trusted adult if they see, hear, or sense something concerning. When students, staff, and families communicate concerns early, we are better able to address them and keep our community safe.

Thank you for partnering with us to make Mesa Verde Middle School a safe, welcoming, and nurturing place for every Eagle.

Last week, in honor of Suicide Prevention Week, LEAD MV Eagles hosted a Caring Chain Challenge during lunch.

Students stopped by the LEAD MV Eagles table to write words of affirmation, encouragement, and kindness on paper strips. We then connected those messages to create one giant caring chain. The lunch period with the longest chain earned some friendly bragging rights, with the winning lunch announced the following morning.

It was an awesome reminder that every word matters and every link counts. Thank you to our Eagles for spreading kindness, supporting one another, and helping make Mesa Verde a place where everyone belongs. 💜🦅

The MVMS 2026-2027 Yearbook is on sale now! Books are sold online only – CLICK HERE to place your order. The last day to order your yearbook is Wednesday, January 27, 2027. Yearbooks are $45 plus a small service fee. Books will be distributed to students the last week of school.

New this year - 8th Grade Dedication ads. Check out this flyer for additional information including pricing, step-by-step instructions, and deadlines.

We do not always have extra yearbooks in our final shipment. The only way to guarantee your student receives a yearbook is to order before the January deadline. Yearbooks sold in June are $55 cash or check.

Please contact Shawn Tran with any questions (stran@powayusd.com).

Poway Unified School District is excited to continue to provide our Digital Attendance system to provide families with a more convenient, secure, and efficient way to communicate student attendance information.

By logging into ParentVUE, parents and guardians can quickly report a student’s absence without needing to send a handwritten note or leave a voicemail. Because families authenticate through the Parent Portal, the system automatically verifies the adult’s relationship to the student and creates a secure record of the submission.

Why Use Digital Attendance Reporting Methods?

• Improve student safety by ensuring attendance information is communicated quickly and accurately.

• Reduce wait times and paperwork for families and school offices.

• Increase the accuracy of attendance records.

• Provide a more convenient way to report absences from any device.

• Please note that all digital submissions are reviewed and approved by school office staff before they are processed. Student safety remains our highest priority, and existing verification procedures will continue to be followed.

• We encourage all families to log into ParentVUE to ensure your account is active and ready to use.

Please note:

• Digital reporting is an additional option for families.

• Traditional phone calls and existing attendance reporting methods will remain available.

• Absences must still meet district and state criteria for excused absences under California Education Code. Please be sure to write an explanation for the reason for absence. https://www.powayusd.com/apps/pages/excused-vs-unexcused-absences

Instructions for submitting a digital absence are available by clicking HERE. Thank you for your continued partnership in ensuring your child’s regular attendance and success.

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! 🦅

At MVMS, we believe learning is more than simply completing an assignment or earning a grade. It is about being curious, taking ownership, and believing that you are capable of growing. Invest in Learning means choosing to be an active participant in your own learning, even when the work is challenging.

As part of our PBIS FLIGHT expectations, Invest in Learning means showing up ready to learn, asking questions, taking academic risks, and giving your best effort. It means understanding that mistakes are not failures—they are part of the process of becoming a better learner.

Investing in learning can look different for everyone. It might mean raising your hand when you don't understand, revising work after receiving feedback, staying focused when something feels difficult, helping a classmate understand a new concept, or asking yourself, “What can I do differently next time?”

At school, a community of learners is one where students feel safe to be curious, make mistakes, try again, and challenge themselves. When we invest in learning, we aren't just preparing for the next test or assignment. We are developing the skills, confidence, and perseverance that will serve us long after we leave MVMS.

And Invest in Learning 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 opportunities to remain curious, learn from one another, and model what it means to be a lifelong learner.

This week, take a few minutes to talk with your student about what it means to Invest in Learning.

• What does being a good learner look like when something feels difficult?
• What helps you stay motivated when you don't understand something right away?
• When have you learned something from making a mistake?
• What is one way you could be more intentional about your learning this week?

We don't have to wait for learning to happen to us.

We can choose to invest in it.

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: Invest in Learning by Prioritizing Education

At MVMS, Invest in Learning means making your education a priority. Middle school students have a lot competing for their attention—friends, sports, clubs, activities, jobs, and everything happening outside of school. Finding balance is an important part of becoming a successful, independent learner.

Extracurricular activities are an important part of the middle school experience. They help students discover interests, build relationships, develop leadership skills, and find a sense of belonging. But they should complement your education, not compete with it.

Investing in learning means attending school regularly, staying organized, completing assignments, asking for help when you need it, and making time to study—even when there are other things you'd rather be doing.

This week, ask yourself:

• Am I making my education a priority?
• Am I balancing schoolwork with my extracurricular commitments?
• Do I have a plan for getting my work done before practices, games, or activities?
• When things get busy, what can I do to stay on track?

Being involved matters. Working hard matters. But your education comes first. Find the balance, make a plan, and invest in your learning.

Thank you for your patience and support throughout the different rule changes we have been enforcing in the library this year. We are doing our best to adjust our lunch-time rules and procedures to the high quantity of students we are seeing each day to ensure that the library prioritizes academic success, creativity, and collaboration.

Thank you so much for all of your generous donations to the library this year! Our students have been heavily using our bracelet stations, Origami, and games, and we are so grateful for the willingness of our community to continue donating materials.

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.

Join Team Mesa Verde PTSA for our Family Social at Knotty Barrel on Thursday, September 17 from 5–7 PM! It’s a great chance to meet other MVMS families, make new connections, and enjoy a relaxed evening together.

We’ll provide light appetizers. If you’d like drinks and/or dinner, don’t forget to bring your PQ Discount Card and receive 10% off at Knotty Barrel. (If you do not have last year’s card and purchased one for this year we will have cards at the event to hand out, but be careful as those will expire at the end of September as soon as you get your new digital cards for this year!)

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

📅 Thursday, September 17 | 5–7 PM

📍 Knotty Barrel

👉 RSVP by September 14

Don’t have a PQ Discount Card yet?

👉 Purchase your card HERE

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 classified substitute 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.