PUMA PRESS
Every Student. Every Day.
Making Connections, Finding Your Place
As we wrap up the first quarter, I can’t help but smile at all the ways our students are connecting to Preston, discovering passions, and finding their people. Middle school is such an important time to explore new interests, build friendships, and find a place to belong!
This fall, 168 Pumas participated in sports, and that’s just the beginning! Students are involved in clubs, science, music, art, and preparations for our upcoming musical. Outdoor Education students have been hiking and biking, while one class even tried fly fishing! These experiences help students discover new interests, challenge themselves, and learn beyond the classroom.
Our connections extend beyond our students, too. Former Pumas are returning to support the magic happening here, and parents are volunteering for Spirit Cart, the Color Run, Activity Night, and so much more. We are fortunate to have a community that continues to show up for our kids.
At the heart of a great school are the connections that help students feel seen, supported, and valued. Thank you to our staff, families, volunteers, and students for making Preston such a special place.
As we head into the second quarter, I hope every Puma continues to find their place to connect, grow, and thrive. It really is a great place to be, and I feel so fortunate to be part of it!
Honored to be your Principal,
Gwynne Johnson
October 30th: 1st Activity Night of the Year! 4:30 to 6:00pm
November 11th: Veteran's Breakfast (see message below for details)
November 17th: Preston Open House (Choice Enrollment)
Tomorrow the Fossil Ridge Marching Band heads to Colorado Springs to perform on the field at the Air Force Falcon Stadium to defend their 5A State Title. This year, they have some PUMA talent performing with them. Congratulations to:
Leah N.
Evelyn N.
Fiona M.
Maxwell F.
Grant B.
Please know we will be cheering you on form afar!
Dear valued veterans - we formally invite you to attend a light breakfast in your honor hosted at Preston Middle School (in the media center) at 6:50 - 7:20 am on Wednesday, November 11th. This will be followed by a performance from our choir and the Pledge of Allegiance outside by our flag pole.
If you can attend - please fill out the Google form below by November 6. We hope to see you there.
What does the SAC do?
In general, the SAC is a representative advisory team (parents & guardians & community members) who review school budgets, drive school improvements and support parent engagement.
We tried for our 1st SAC of the year, but clearly our timing was off. Putting out a survey for input on a better time/format to meet. Let us know what works for you!
Football
Preston football was the last of the fall sports to be completed. Our Pumas wrapped their season with a hard-fought loss to Boltz on Tuesday. We are super proud of our Pumas!
Boys Basketball Tryouts
Tryouts will be held Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week.
Players must be fully registered for basketball in order to participate in tryouts. Information about sports registration is available on the Preston and PSD websites.
We encourage players to attend all three tryout sessions. Our coaching staff will work with students who are only able to attend two sessions.
Tryout Information:
Tryouts will begin at 2:45 p.m. each day and end at 4:30 p.m.
Please bring shorts, sneakers, and a water bottle.
We ask that parents not attend tryouts to help minimize stress and allow players to focus on the evaluation process.
Practice and Game Schedule:
Once tryouts are complete and teams have been determined, athletes will receive a season schedule.
Both the JV/Varsity teams and C/D teams will practice every day. Practices will generally be either 2:45–4:30 p.m. or 4:30–6:00 p.m.
On Fridays, one level will practice from 6:00–7:15 a.m., while the other level will practice right after school. The levels will rotate as determined by the coaching staff.
Games will typically be played on Mondays and Wednesdays.
We appreciate your support and look forward to a great basketball season!
Winter Sports
Boys' basketball is the only middle school sports season through December. Girls basketball and wrestling will begin in January,
Those wanting to try-out will need to register on A Better Way platform at https://app.abw.io/site/psd-athletics-registration, have a current sports physical on file with the office, and pay the athletic winter sports fee on https://psdschools.schoolpay.com/. If you have any questions, please call Ms. Hernandez Llamas at 970-488-7303.
Bill Saint
Assistant Principal, Athletic Director
Fact: Did you know that last school year 31% of Preston's students were chronically absent? In Colorado, the threshold for chronic absenteeism is missing 10% or more of the days a student is enrolled during the school year. This year we are working towards bringing this down. That is simply too much learning and fun to miss!
To help support the effort and promote a friendly competition, Ms. Burd and Ms. Ward started a weekly challenge for treats! Way to go!
SRO Corner – Firearms Safety
Youth gun safety begins at home with open, age-appropriate conversations. Parents and caregivers should talk with children about what to do if they ever encounter a firearm, whether at home, at a friend’s house, or elsewhere. A simple message is often the most effective: Stop. Don’t touch. Leave the area. Tell a trusted adult.
It is also important for adults to model safe firearm practices. Firearms should always be treated as if they are loaded, kept pointed in a safe direction, and handled with fingers off the trigger until ready to fire. Anyone handling a firearm should also be aware of their target and what is beyond it.
Safe storage is another critical part of preventing accidental injuries. Firearms that are not in use should be secured in a locked safe or other appropriate storage device and kept inaccessible to children and unauthorized individuals. Ammunition should also be stored securely.
Parents are encouraged to revisit these conversations regularly. Clear expectations, responsible storage, and consistent adult modeling can help children understand that firearms are not toys and give them the tools to respond safely if they ever encounter one.
Visit the Larimer County Juvenile Gun Safety Coalition website for additional resources including age-appropriate educational material such as the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program for elementary-aged children and the Choices video for older students.
SRO Meg Savage
Medicaid Application Help
Ayuda para completar la solicitud de Medicaid
Sign Up to Help
Sign-Up to Help with Spirit Cart
Wednesdays During Both Lunches Beginning September 16th
One of the fun and easy ways parents can help at Preston is through our Spirit Cart. The Preston Parent Association (PPA) sponsors the cart. We sell little toys, gum, squishies, etc. The kids love it. This year the PPA is going to try something new and have the cart open every wednesday. We hope that consistency will make it easier for kids to remember that it's open. That means we need more volunteers! Please reach out to PPA President Krista if you have any questions at ppopreston@gmail.com.
Click on the link to sign up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4CA8AE28A7FB6-65784387-preston
Teacher Coffee Drive
We love to show our appreciation for teachers by providing them with warmth and coffee! Please bring in K-Cups to get the Kuerig machines in the Staff Lounge going! Just leave them with the front office. Thank you!