Website
Spotlight
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Message from
our Superintendent |
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The
following is a recent letter from Superintendent Terry B. Grier,
Ed.D to district staff. Principal Sullivan wanted to share his
message with you. We thank Dr. Grier for giving his permission to
use it in this publication!
Dear
SDUSD Team,
My
first few weeks here have been rewarding, busy and challenging.
I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of visiting a number of
schools, and hearing from principals, teachers, classified
staff and students. There is a lot of talent and experience
in the San Diego Unified School District. I really feel fortunate
to be here with you. In the coming weeks, I plan to continue
my school visits and will work hard to listen even more
intently.
Right
now is a tough time for us, and for all other school districts in
California. The budget situation is a very challenging one;
one that seems to change from week to week, even day to day. Our
priority is to make sure cuts stay as far away from our schools as
possible. These cuts are not easy. Many of them affect people.
More than 80% of our budget is based on people, in salaries and
benefits. The rest is operational expenses and supplies. We need
to make sure that we continue to perform our essential services.
You
often hear clichés about how in hard times, we find silver
linings. I know that’s happening right now. I've heard from
principals, who, with grace under pressure, have looked at how to
redo staff development or preserve a specific program. They've
ended up with something that they think will make even more
of a difference for our students. That's true leadership.
I know I'll see even more examples of this in the weeks ahead.
I
know many of you are wondering what's going to be different, now
that there's a new superintendent. As I mentioned, I've spent
a lot of time visiting and listening and asking questions, so we
can develop our priorities for the next school year. I'll continue
to make more visits to our schools and facilities in the weeks
ahead; however, there are some things that I would like
to share with you now.
We'll
continue to work hard on student academic achievement with a focus
on making sure all students read at proficient levels by the time
they’re in third grade. We need to work harder at making
sure all middle school students are ready for the challenges of
high school. And we need to do everything we can to make
sure that as students enter high school at ninth grade, they stay
with us all the way through graduation.
I
also want to make sure we stay focused on being good to each
other. Some employees are learning that their jobs may not be
around next year. We're required by law to notice folks before we
know for certain how our budget will end up. We are
anxiously awaiting the Governor's revised budget proposal in May
as we continue to lobby Sacramento. We need to make sure that our
voices are heard about the devastating impact these deep cuts in
education will have on our students and the district.
This
system forces us have to plan for the worst and hope for the best,
which creates a lot of anxiety. Please be mindful of this.
Take good care of your friends, your colleagues and yourselves.
With everyone’s help, compassion and hard work, we'll all get
through this time.....together.
Sincerely,
Terry
B. Grier, Ed.D |
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Welcome
5th
Grade Families!
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You
are invited to our annual Incoming 6th Grade
Mixer on May 2, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Pershing Middle
School. The
May Mixer is a yearly event planned specifically
for our incoming 6th grade class. It
is a terrific way for your student to meet his or her new classmates and
is a great opportunity to help with the transition from elementary to
middle school. Please join
us. It is a casual and fun
time for the whole family! All
family members are welcome. An
adult must accompany children.
RSVP to Mrs. Rebecca Bon at rbon@sandi.net
or (619) 465-3234 x2202. For more
details, including the cost for this event, visit our May
Mixer webpage.
The
last 5th grade family Campus Tour will be
on Thursday, May 15th.
Participating in a tour is a great way to learn
about Pershing's dynamic campus. Principal Sarah Sullivan meets
with parents in front of the office for a general overview then takes
them through the campus to observe the first block of classes as they
are in session.
During the tour
you will have time to ask specific questions about Pershing. Please
sign in at the office counter prior to taking the tour,
which begins at 8:00 a.m.
Community
Corner
A
special announcement from Girl Scout Troop #3285…
Girl
Scouts Provide Pershing Middle School
With A Freshly Renovated Stage
Written
by Troop #3285
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Pershing
Middle School recently received a newly constructed dressing room,
and a freshly painted stage!
Girl Scout troop #3285, a group of ten 6th grade
Junior Scouts, identified this worthy project after several of
them participated in the winter musical.
Troop #3285 invested a collective 300 hours of community
service on this undertaking.
They sanded and freshly painted the stage floor and storage
cabinets. In addition
they constructed a removable dressing room, complete with lights,
mirrors, shelves and clothing hooks.
The scout troop will officially present the newly renovated
stage to the school at the evening performance of Pershing’s
Spring Musical on Thursday May 29th.
As a result of their hard work, all of the girls have
earned their Bronze Award, the highest award a Junior Girl Scout
can earn.
This
ambitious project would not have been possible without the
generous support of several community members.
Mr. Ryan Moulton and the YMCA’s “6 to 6 Program”
generously donated over $500 worth of materials, including the
specialized paint for the stage floor.
La Mesa Lumber, at 8255 University Avenue, donated the
lumber and some hardware necessary to build the dressing room.
Our community’s newest hardware store, San Carlos
Hardware at 7375 Jackson Drive donated painting supplies and
additional hardware. BJ’s
Rentals charitably provided the use of floor sanding machines to
prepare the stage for painting.
Of course, the Girl Scouts could not have worked as hard
without the delicious hamburgers and french fries donated by
McDonalds Restaurant located at 6495 Linda Vista Road.
Please help the Girl Scouts and Pershing express their
gratitude to these generous merchants in our community by
patronizing their businesses when you go shopping.
Tell them the Girl Scouts sent you!
Lastly,
the girls of Troop #3285 want to express their biggest thanks to
their families who pitched in with supplies, food, labor and
loving support. Girl
Scouts Rock!!
We
send big thank you’s to Troop #3285
and
all who supported them!!!! |
__________________________
School
News
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Foundation
Report
The
Pershing Middle School
Foundation's Fundraising Campaign to help strengthen
our 2008-2009 programs is going strong. Look for the
"thermometer" in front of the school to keep track of our
progress. Thank you all for your continued support! |
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Standardized
Testing Time is Here! The schedule is:
April
24 and 25 – 7th and 8th Grade
April 29 and 30 – 6th through 8th Grade
May 1 and 2 – 8th Grade Only
May 7 and 8 – 6th through 8th Grade
Make-up
testing is available for our students. We
are proud of our Pershing students, faculty, staff, and
administration!!!!!!
ASB
Activities from Mr. Myrick:
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Spirit
Week will be held from May 19th - 23rd. This fun filled week
includes daily themes and an activity at lunch time.
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The
last dance of the school year is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21,
2008. Details for both events will be posted in our next
e-newsletter.
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The
winner of the classroom competition in the Pasta
for Pennies fundraiser, Mrs. Rondestvedt's Block 1 class, will
be enjoying their Hospitaliano lunch compliments of the Olive Garden
Restaurant on Friday, May 16, 2008. Congratulations!
Pershing
Band Happenings:
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There
will be a 7th/8th grade Band Parent Meeting for the Knott’s Berry
Farm Trip on May 1, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. The Knott’s Berry Farm Trip is
on May 10th - 7:00 a.m. at Pershing (ALL DAY).
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The
Pershing Middle School Band’s Spring Concert and Dinner will be
held at Pershing on Thursday, May 22, 2008. ALL ARE INVITED! Dinner
will be served from 5:30-6:45 in the cafeteria. The cost is $6.00
per student and $10.00 per adult.
Children 6 and under are free! The concert follows at 7:00
p.m.
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For
more Band information, please contact Mr. Anderson at manderson2@sandi.net
Each
spring, Ms. Millward (Team 8B – Humanities) hosts her annual Poetry
Café, which is a showcase of the incredible literary talents of her
student poets.
This year’s Cafe will be
held on May 5 and 6, 2008. The Poetry Cafés are a favorite and fond
memory of Ms. Millward’s devoted alumni.
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From
Mr. Budzynski:
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Geometry
and East Coast Trip Updates:
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Geometry
students finished the BOOK! We are ready for the CA state
test. Bring it on! Last year, we had one student with a
perfect score. Upcoming class activities: students will be
working on Geometry projects and getting ready for Algebra II.
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On
another note, the East Coast
Trip students take off in five weeks. 74 students and 5
teacher chaperones are getting very excited!
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Don’t
forget that we will have a Mandatory 2008
East Coast Trip parent meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 6:30
p.m. in the school auditorium.
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News
from 7th Grade Science -
Two teams of students from 7th grade science had their Body Systems
videos nominated for an award at the iVIE competition. The videos
that have been nominated in the 6-8 math/science category are Dr. Mc
Awesome and Integumentary Puppets. These videos can
be seen at a Film Festival on May 10th at the Del Mar Highlands
Ultrastar Theatre from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Awards will be given to the
winning videos on May 20th at The Rock at 6 p.m. We
wish all our competing students luck in the competition!!!! For
further information, go to www.ivieawards.org.
Terrific
Community Event -
The Patrick Henry Band and Color Guard are having a Pancake
Breakfast at the SpringFest on Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 8-10 a.m.
at Allied Gardens Park. This is a fun community event for the whole
family. As usual, the breakfast will be "All You Can
Eat" pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee for $5.00. Please invite
all your friends, neighbors and family to come eat a great breakfast, support
the band and color guard and have fun in your community! There will be vendors,
carnival rides, attractions and a parade after the breakfast. Hope
to see you there! Thank you to Mrs. Zito for this update!
Pershing
Teachers ROCK!
We will be celebrating
Teacher Appreciation Day on May 14th.
Time
is running out!
Please buy your yearbooks as soon as
possible. No checks will be accepted after May 1st.
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literary magazine, Expressions,
is holding a contest for the magazine’s cover page artwork. Prizes
will be awarded to those students picked. 1st prize is $30.00,
2nd prize is $20.00, and 3rd prize is $10.00. Don't miss out on this
fine opportunity to have your artwork appear in this prestigious
magazine. All artwork should be turned in to Mrs. Linda Lotze in
the office or Mrs. Cheryl Rondestvedt in B-32 by May 1, 2008.
Let's make this magazine beautiful!
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Art
Contest!
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Congratulations
to all our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Prompt of the Month winners for
February and March! Their winning essays are displayed in the school office.
Thank
you to the 8th Grade East Coast Trip Committee for making the 2008
Semi-Formal Dance such a magical experience!
The theme, "Under the Sea", was perfect and everyone had a
grand time dancing and socializing with old and new friends.
Congratulations to this year's 8th grade King and Queen and 7th grade
Prince and Princess!
Mrs.
Miller and the Drama Club will be presenting their much anticipated 2008
Spring Musical Extravaganza on the
following dates: May
28, 2008 (9:15 a.m. & 12:55 p.m.), May
29, 2008 (9:15 a.m., 12:55 p.m., & 7:00 p.m.), and May
30, 2008 (9:15 a.m.,11:15 a.m. & 12:55 p.m.). Mrs.
Miller needs parent volunteers for the Spring
Musical production! If you can help, please contact her at (619)
465-3234.
On
Saturday, April 26, 2008, six Pershing Drama students will be
participating in the 3rd Annual Shakespeare Festival in Balboa Park. They
will be performing excerpts from Romeo and Juliet and a monologue from
Julius Caesar.
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Mark
Your
Calendars!
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Here
are a few of our upcoming events…
April
26, 2008 (Saturday)
San
Diego Student Shakespeare Festival at Balboa Park
April
29,
2008
Standardized Testing
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Extended Day Reading/Math
Program for 6th & 7th Grades, 2:15-3:45 p.m.
April
30,
2008
Standardized
Testing
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Extended Day Reading/Math
Program for 6th & 7th Grades, 2:15-3:45 p.m.
May
1,
2008
Standardized
Testing
Deadline for the Expressions’ Art Contest
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Thursday
After School Run
7th/8th Grade Band
Parent Meeting for the Knott’s Berry Farm Trip - 2:30 p.m.
May
2,
2008
Standardized
Testing
Incoming 6th Grade May Mixer – 6:30 p.m.
May
3,
2008
(Saturday)
Patrick Henry
High Band and Color Guard Pancake Breakfast at the Allied Gardens SpringFest,
Saturday - 8 to 10 a.m. - Allied Gardens Park
May
5,
2008
Poetry
Café during Ms. Millward’s Classes (Team 8B – Humanities)
May
6,
2008
Poetry
Café during Ms. Millward’s Classes (Team 8B – Humanities)
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Extended Day Reading/Math
Program for 6th & 7th Grades, 2:15-3:45 p.m.
May
7,
2008
Standardized Testing
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Extended Day Reading/Math
Program for 6th & 7th Grades, 2:15-3:45 p.m.
May
8,
2008
Standardized Testing
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Thursday
After School Run
East Coast Trip Student Meeting
May
10,
2008
(Saturday)
7th and 8th Grade
Advanced Band Knott's Berry Farm
Performance
May
12,
2008
Governance
Meeting
May
13,
2008
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Extended Day Reading/Math
Program for 6th & 7th Grades, 2:15-3:45 p.m.
May
14,
2008
Teacher
Appreciation Day
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Extended Day Reading/Math
Program for 6th & 7th Grades, 2:15-3:45 p.m.
May
15,
2008
Last 5th
Grade Campus Tour of the School Year
Drama Club’s Spring Musical Rehearsal
Thursday
After School Run
Pershing's e-Newsletter is a
twice-per-month publication. For an archived listing of our
e-Newsletters and/or to sign-up for the email version, please
click here.
