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

Parking Lot Reminders

In order to keep all of our community members safe, please remember the following:

Do not leave your car unattended in the pick-up/drop-off lanes
Do not block the pick-up/drop-off lanes in the morning when the buses arrive - the buses need to park in those lanes before school starts
Do not park against the red curb along Browning - cars are unable to make left hand turns out of our parking lot because cars are parked blocking the turn lane

We will continue to have staff at the crosswalk. We are putting together a schedule for directing traffic in our parking lot until everyone gets used to the routines. We appreciate your patience and your concern for our community safety.

AVID Fundraiser September 4 - Panda Express

Our first AVID dine out of the year is Thursday, September 4th, at ANY Panda Express location. Order online or through the app and enter fundraiser code 9004105. UMS AVID will receive 28% of your purchase as a donation to our program. See the attached flyer for details and thanks for your support!

Informational Links

Click below to access our 25-26 UMS and TUSD documents:

Home School Compact Eng / Home School Compact Spa

Engagement Policy Eng / Engagement Policy Spa

School-Wide Title 1 Plan Eng / School-Wide Title 1 Plan Spa

Dear Parents and Families,

As the new school year begins, we want to make sure your family doesn’t miss out on SUN Bucks – a special program that gives $120 per school-aged child to eligible families to help with grocery costs.

Eligible families can still apply through September 2nd. Don’t wait—applications submitted after the deadline will not receive SUN Bucks for this year. If missed, you’ll need to reapply next school year by submitting a new Universal Benefits Application (UBA).

Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Click on the link to apply
Universal Benefits Application (UBA)
Step 2: Submit your application before Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Complete the application for your child(ren)’s in your household.
Step 3: Watch your email
Once approved, you’ll get a letter and a SUN Bucks EBT Card in the mail by December 2025 with your benefits. To avoid any delays, please ensure your mailing address is current with your child(ren)’s school.

Need help or have questions? Visit: cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks. Let’s start the school year strong—with extra grocery support for your kids!

Community Schools Needs and Assets Survey

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey if you have not already! Thank you!

Community Survey

Parking Lot and Safety Reminders

Please remember to look both ways before driving through the drop off areas to ensure safety. We have had some close calls this past week despite staff being out in the parking lot. It is also important that students, staff, and parents are using the designated crosswalks in front of the school so that a staff member with the stop sign can make sure you are crossing safely. Thank you for your support in keeping our campus safe for all!

Wednesday PTA Snacks and Spirit Wear

Every Wednesday our Falcon PTA will be in front of school at dismissal selling snacks and spirit wear - come and get yours this week! We just got in our brand new spirit wear so we are all stocked up with sizes. Cash, check, or Venmo only.

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

UMS Focus Areas

At the parent meetings in August, I shared our UMS focus areas for this school year. As a site, we are focused on Student Academic Achievement and an Inclusive, Caring, and Collaborative Culture.

Our teachers are very focused on our Tier 1 Units of Study this school year. At UMS, we utilize instructional strategies and small-group instruction to both intervene and enrich student academic growth. When we work with students in small groups, we are also building relationships with students that creates a positive classroom culture. Our ELA classes are designed to challenge all students while allowing for differentiated levels of rigor. In our blended model, Honors and College Prep students learn together, fostering collaboration and diverse perspectives. Honors students are supported through additional depth, complexity, and extension opportunities that push their critical thinking, writing, and analysis skills, while all students benefit from engaging, high-quality instruction. We utilize our Strategic Reading classes to support students that are reading two years or more below grade level. These students are also supported through small groups in their core classes.

We continue to use Restorative Practices at our site to teach our students how to repair harm and make better decisions in the future. So far this year, we have done community circles in 42 different periods across all content areas and we will continue that work into September. This is a great way for students to get to know one another and to share about themselves. We have also facilitated restorative dialogues with various pairs or small groups of students who needed support navigating conflict. All dialogues have resulted in positive outcomes, including agreements on moving forward in a safe way.

We are proud of the work we are doing here at UMS!