Panther Pride Gaspar de Portola Middle School

It is with great pride I officially announce de Portola’s Teacher of the Year and

Classified Employee of the Year for 2009. Mellany Parinas is an outstanding

English teacher who has given so much to our school during her ten-year

career at DPMS. She also teaches and coordinates our AVID (Advancement

Via Individual Determination) program, helping many struggling students

develop the necessary skills to get accepted into a four-year college. One

student from her AVID class said, “I think that Mrs. Parinas should be Teacher

of the Year because she is like the gift of hope.” We selected Mellany because

she is a teacher leader who loves helping everyone find success during their

time in her classroom. Currently, she is a finalist for the District Teacher of

the Year, and we wish her well in that competition as she really is an

amazing teacher.

Sylvia Garcia is our nominee for the District’s Classified Women of the Year.

Sylvia is much more than just a Site Tech at our school, thus making her an

incredible candidate. She works in our counseling office where she manages

school data with a smile and a firm commitment to getting the information

anyone needs in a timely fashion. More importantly to our school, she goes

far beyond her core duty. Whether it’s working with our Spanish-speaking families who come to her for advice (which she offers with a gentle nudge

during parent conferences or SST meetings) or counseling a student who is

sent to the office while the counselors eat their lunch, Sylvia is a team player

through and through. She makes a difference by listening to their woes,

setting goals for them to do better, and providing them with the necessary tools to be successful next time. We are proud that Sylvia is our candidate

this year and wish her the best of luck in the competition.

I am also very proud to announce that we hosted The Greater San Diego

Science Fair this year, thanks to teacher Adam Popick. And out of 20

students who submitted their projects, we had eight who won and will move

onto the next level of competitions. Congratulations to the following

students:

Student: Project:

Mark Lovecchio Are TV Commercials Louder than the Show Itself?

Ryan Cannan Which Paper Towel is Most Absorbent?

Rachel Alessio Preserving Our C’s

Sean Bennett Which Light Bulb Lights Up the Best When Held Next

to a Tesla Coil?

Julia Drury How Does Age Affect Memory?

Kelsea Jordan Fabric vs. Fire

Continued on next page

Volume 24, Issue 3 Spring 2008-2009

A California

Distinguished School

A School to Watch

Inside This Issue 3 PTA News

3 Open House

4 Foundation News

5 Testing Alert

5 News & Notices

6 Music Program

6 Help for Families

7 Inhalant Abuse

7 Safety Tips

New Electronics

Policy!

Starting April 12,

iPods, MP3 players,

cell phones, cameras,

and hand-held gaming

devices will not be

allowed anywhere on

campus, including the

front of the school

and parking lot.

Published by Gaspar de Portola Middle School 11010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92124 (858)496-8080 Listy Gillingham, Principal Kimberly Meng, Vice Principal Maria Montgomery, Vice Principal Cindy Conser, Editor

Principal’s Message

90 other middle school students. We are very proud

of Nick and all of the contestants who worked so hard to participate in this fun competition.

8th Grade Promotion Policy

As the first six weeks for the new semester ended on

March 13, and progress cards were sent home on

March 20, I am asking all parents to take this

opportunity to discuss their student’s progress. The

district has an expectation for our eighth graders in

order to be promoted to the high school level. Any

eighth grader who has two or more “F’s” on the June

report card will be recommended to stay at de

Portola for an additional eighth grade year and will

NOT be allowed to participate in our promotion

ceremony. Please help your child understand the

consequences of not turning in work or not studying

for tests. We want every student to be eligible and

will help anyone who is interested in getting

assistance should they have trouble meeting this

expectation. Tutoring is available informally by our

teachers and formally, every day, through our 6-to-6

program.

Cell Phone Plea

I’d like to close with a plea to all families to help hold

our students accountable for their learning. We’re

seeing an increase in the amount of cell phones

ringing during the middle of classes. The rule for cell phone usage is they must be turned “off” from

the moment a student enters our campus until the

end of the school day. Phones that go off during

classes are given to an administrator to return to the

student after a brief discussion regarding the rules. We’re asking that you help us by monitoring your

child’s cell phone bills to make sure they are not

using their phones for “texting” messages during the

school day. Students do not need to carry cell

phones to school as we have phones available for

them to use at their request at any time. Although I can appreciate the convenience of reaching your

child after school, if they are misusing their phones,

it’s important they know you will also discipline

them at home.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Sincerely yours,

Listy Gillingham

Continued from page 1

In addition, Mr. Pulverenti had several outstanding

musicians selected to play in the San Diego Unified

School District’s Middle School Honor Bands and

Orchestra. Congratulations to our six Panther

musicians:

Middle School Honor Band Garrison Huff, Tenor Saxophone

Richard Ramage, Trombone

Christopher Sheppard, Tuba

Taylor Ta, Percussion

Middle School Honor Orchestra

Chaerin Chung, Violin

Elementary Honor Band

Dennis Feinland, Tenor Saxophone

Our Advanced Band and Orchestra continued to

demonstrate their amazing talents in the SCSBOA

Festival held at Vista Murrieta. Students were

coached by Mr. Pulverenti and received praise from

the judges as they performed several pieces.

Field Hockey Champions

We’ve also had great results with our student

athletes. Thanks to PE teacher Michelle Flaska, we

continue to have the City Champs for Field Hockey.

Spelling Bee Results

And finally, I’d like to congratulate our amazing

Spelling Bee Champs. Students at each grade level

competed to see who would get to represent de

Portola at the County Spelling Bee. Kudos to these

winners:

1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 6th Steven Borja Theo Anastos Michelle Corcoran

7th Nick Gallagher Tyler Paton Kyle Ngo 8th Danny Knorr Jack Parham Maggie Ryan

Overall Winners

Champion: Nick Gallagher (7th)

1st Runner Up: Danny Knoor (8th)

2nd Runner Up: Tyler Paton (7th)

Nick Gallagher went on to the county-wide spelling

bee on March 10, 2009, and placed as the second

runner up for the entire county in a competition with

Principal’s Message (continued)

Page 2 Panther Pride

First on the Agenda:

6 pm PTA Election

for Next Year’s Officers

By Beckie Ryan,

PTA President

Our Nominating Committee had a big task this spring: Find

volunteers to fill 17 of 19 board

and coordinator positions for the

next school year. I am pleased to

report that volunteers have been

found for 15 positions. Following is the PTA slate of officers and

coordinators for 2009-2010.

Officers

President: Gabe Adona VP Membership: Kelley Schmidt

VP Programs: Brenda Hayward

VP Communications: Leigh Anne

Peeleman

VP Ways and Means: OPEN

Secretary: Donna Haj Treasurer: Debbie Bigornia

Auditor: OPEN

Historian: Cindy Willey

Parliamentarian: Carolyn Forte

Coordinators

Hospitality: Teresa Stivers and

Debbie Skvarna

Volunteers: Cathy Burdick

P.E. Uniforms: Brenda Hayward

Parents At Lunch (PALs): Kelly Jordan

Track Meet: Leisa Loos & Lisa

Mosler

Career Day: Kathy Pennington

Web Master: Judy McIlroy “Caught Being Good”: Susan Marx

Service Awards: Melissa Rij

This slate will be presented for

election on April 23 at 6:00 pm in

Crespi Hall during Open House. If you or someone you know would

like to run for any of these

positions, please leave a message

for the PTA at the DPMS office.

It’s often not easy to persuade

people to find time in their busy lives to volunteer for yet another

“thing.” It says a lot about the

Tierrasanta community and our

hard-working committee that so

many volunteers were found! Much thanks to Gabe Adona,

Kelley Schmidt, and Cindy Willey

for their efforts, and all those who

stepped up to help out next year.

Followed By:

Student Work on Display

in Crespi Hall & in Some

Sixth-Grade Classrooms

Want to know what your child has been doing from about 9 am to

3:50 pm on weekdays since

September? Or, are you interested

in seeing the types of work that

will take them to new heights next year? The best place for inquiring

minds is the DPMS Spring Open

House.

All departments, including

English, Math, Science, History, P.E., and electives, will be

exhibiting student work in Crespi

Hall. Teachers, counselors,

administrators, and other staff

will also be on hand to answer your general questions. (For in-

depth conversations about your

child’s progress, please contact

teachers and/or the counseling

department to schedule a

conference.) In addition, some sixth grade teachers will open up

their rooms to display student

work.

As an added treat, parents are invited to participate in our

annual game show on the Crespi

Hall stage: “Are You Smarter Than

a Sixth Grader?”

When: 6 pm - 8:30 pm

Thursday April 23, 2009

Come One, Come All to This Year’s Spring Open House!

Volume 24, Issue 3 Page 3

Book Lovers! Support the

Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair begins

April 16 and will end its run at

Open House. It’s a great place to

stock up on high quality books

at a reasonable price for the long summer days ahead.

Proceeds go to purchase new

books for our Media Center.

This year, we’ll also be offering books we have decided to

“retire” in order to make room

for new additions. The books are

free, but we’re willing to accept

whatever you are able to donate

for them.

Come Hungry!

Clubs Will be Selling Food

& Drinks to Raise Funds

San Diego Fire Fighters Donate $6,000 to DPMS Foundation

Page 4 Panther Pride

Dear Friends of De Portola,

We’re so grateful for the

generosity, volunteer service and

enthusiasm of our parents, staff,

students, and corporate donors!

Here are a few updates for you.

San Diego Fire Fighters

Give Generous Gift

De Portola Middle School is once

again partnering with San Diego City Fire Fighters. Along with city

council member Marti Emerald,

the San Diego City Fire Fighters

presented Principal Listy

Gillingham and the De Portola

Foundation with a $6,000 donation to help bridge the gap

with budget cuts and under

funding to provide vital needs for

our school community. Even more

amazing is that the San Diego City Fire Fights Community

Responsibility Fund is funded

through payroll deductions from

active San Diego City Fire

Fighters. These men and women

put both their lives and their generosity on the line for our

communities.

De Portola has been a big

supporter of San Diego Fire. During the 2007 fires, De Portola

students and staff raised over

$3,000 to help the fire fighters

who lost their homes while out

battling the fires. During

December’s “Mobile Santa” project, De Portola and San Diego

Fire Fighters joined efforts to

provide a Christmas to those less

fortunate in the Barrio Logan area

of San Diego. The students and staff successfully filled a huge box

truck full of toys for Santa to

deliver.

This partnership represents a

collaborative community effort

and just goes to show that good

will is alive in San Diego. Special

thanks goes to parent Denise

Pendleton for bringing this

partnership opportunity to De Portola!

Spring Dinner Dance

& Auction Slated

for Saturday, May 30

Be sure to join us for our annual

Spring Dinner Dance Fundraiser

on Saturday, May 30, right around the corner at the Chinese

Community Church. This year’s

theme is “Surfin’ Safari,” so “Hang

Loose” until tickets go on sale!

We’re always looking for donation

items and corporate sponsors, so check out the donation forms on

our website to learn more.

Proceeds will be used to benefit

classroom needs including our

children’s science, art and technology enrichment. For more

information, see the flyer on the

last page of this issue.

eWaste Recycle Day

Proceeds Total Nearly $1,000

On January 24, the community

brought in about 37,000 pounds

of old or unwanted computers,

monitors, TVs, printers, and

more. Thanks to all who volunteered to help De Portola

Middle School and the Earth!

Gift Card Mania

Thanks to you, we continue to sell thousands of dollars of gift cards

from the De Portola office with up

to 18 percent commissions going

directly to the school! Please keep

buying your gift cards at the

school instead of at the supermarket. Gift cards are great

for grocery shopping, birthdays,

and business expenses or gifts.

Thanks for choosing De Portola as

have a seventh-grade student that did not attend last year, you are

welcome to come as well. We will

provide refreshments and prizes.

Don’t miss out! Flyers will be sent

home with students in early May. If you would like further

information, please contact

Jennifer Deaton at

jbarnes3@sandi.net.

Yearbook News

If you haven’t ordered your 2009

yearbook yet, they are still on sale

for $45 at the front office, the ASB store, and online at the de Portola

webstore. Please don’t wait too

long to purchase your yearbook.

Last year, the books were

completely sold out. Buy yours

today! If you purchased a Friends and Family Page ad for the

yearbook, your original

photographs are available for you

to pick up in the front office.

Basketball Results

Adam Popick reported that the

school’s basketball teams completed

their tournaments in style. The

girls played their tournament on

Students & Staff Empty

Pockets in This Year’s

Pasta for Pennies Drive

ASB Advisor Sheila Weiner reported that the school brought

in $3,305.05 to help fight

Leukemia last month. This is an

impressive amount, particularly

considering today’s economic situation. Mrs. King’s first-period

class brought in the most money,

$760.37, and won lunch from the

Olive Garden for its efforts. Mrs.

Hoff’s first-period class donated

$531.10 and were rewarded with a pizza party from ASB. Four

other first-period classes (Ms.

Flaska, Mrs. Perkins, Ms. Weiner,

and Mrs. Pearson) raised more

than $200 each and received doughnuts from ASB.

Family Math Night in May

Prepare to spend an enchanting

evening participating in

educational math games with

your child! De Portola’s annual

Family Math Night will take place

from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm May 19 in Crespi Hall. All families of

sixth-grade students at De Portola

are encouraged to attend. If you

March 7. The eighth-grade girls won

six of their nine games and the sixth/seventh-grade girls won seven

of their nine games and tied one.

The boys’ tournament was on

March 14. The eighth graders won

four of the nine games and the

sixth/seventh grade team won five

out of nine games. Mr. Popick said

all the teams played hard and

showed good sportsmanship all day.

AVID Student to Receive

Padres Scholar Award

Congratulations to eighth-grader

Alisa Barnhill, one of 15 Padres

Scholars for 2009! She will be

recognized at an upcoming Padres

Game. Established in 1995, the

Padres Scholars program provides

bright yet financially challenged

students with a $7,500 scholarship

to attend a four-year college or

university. Padres Scholars

applicants are AVID students who

have been nominated as the 8th

Grade Standout at their particular

middle school. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a

college-preparatory program which

provides students with academic

support and counseling to succeed.

your gift card outlet! To check out

our selection, please stop by the office and place your order.

eScrip = FREE $$$

for De Portola

Sign up at www.escrip.com

Group ID # 4861757

Group Name: De Portola Middle

School Foundation It only takes two minutes to sign up online. Please sign up today!

We Want You!

The De Portola Foundation meets

every first Tuesday of the month

from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the

staff lounge. Come share your

ideas!

Go De Portola!

John Sperrazzo

De Portola Foundation President

Testing Alert!

The annual California STAR

Tests are scheduled for the last

week of April and first week of

May. Please make certain your child comes to school

particularly well rested on those

days. It’s also a good idea for

him/her to eat a protein-packed

breakfast. Test-taking requires a lot of stamina!

Foundation Update (continued)

Miscellaneous Panther Pride News & Announcements

Volume 24, Issue 3 Page 5

The Halls Are Alive with the Sound of Instrumental Music By Brad Pulverenti

Director of Instrumental Music It has been a very busy couple of months for the

Instrumental Music Program at Gaspar de Portola

Middle School. After the completion of our Winter

Concert performance in December and return from

Winter Break in January, several of our young musicians auditioned for the San Diego Unified

School District Middle School and Elementary School

Honor Ensembles. Chaerin Chung (violin), Garrison

Huff (tenor saxophone), Richard Ramage (trombone),

Christopher Sheppard (tuba), and Taylor Ta

(percussion) performed March 1 with the Middle School Honor Orchestra and Band. On March 10,

Dennis Feinland (tenor saxophone) played in the

Elementary School Honor Band. We are all very

proud of these fine young musicians for their

outstanding skill and dedication toward their instruments.

On March 20, the Symphonic Band, String

Orchestra, and Concert Band traveled to Vista

Murrieta High School to perform in the Southern

California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Music Festival that was being held at the

institution. This was a new experience for everyone

involved. The students greatly enjoyed the trip and

played very well at this high-level festival.

Following their success, the three performance ensembles celebrated the month of March, “Music in

Our Schools Month,” by performing a concert on

March 25. The young instrumentalists completed

another fantastic performance.

Over the next couple of months, the students in the

Instrumental Music Program will be continuing to raise funds for their June performance trip to

Disneyland by selling such things as candy bars and

Tupperware. We greatly appreciate any assistance

you can provide the program as they prepare for this

exciting, yet educational, event.

Upcoming Instrumental Music Program Schedule

May 7: Boosters Meeting, 6:30-7:30 pm, Room 803

Jun 1: Spring Concert Preview, TBA, Crespi Hall

Jun 2: Spring Concert Performance, 7:00 pm (6:00

pm Call) Jun 4: Boosters Meeting, 6:30-7:30 pm, Room 803

Jun 5: Music in the Parks Festival, TBA, Disneyland

(All ensembles invited)

process to obtain their meals as all the other

students do.

You or someone you know may also be eligible for

public benefits such as Food Stamps, CalWORKS

(California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to

Kids), Medi-Cal, Kin-GAP (Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payments), WIC Program (Special

Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,

and Children), or the Healthy Families Program. To

find out more about California’s programs for those

in financially difficult situations, call the county’s

toll-free ACCESS line at (866)262-9881.

SDUSD Food Services Department participates in

the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. This program is federally subsidized and your

child(ren) may be eligible to receive free or reduced-

price meals. You can apply for the program at any

time of the year. If you would like to apply, please

complete a Free & Reduced-Price Meal Application Packet available at the DPMS office, cafeteria, or the

central Food Services office located at Revere Center,

6735 Gifford Way, San Diego, CA 92111. You can

view further details regarding eligibility online at

www.sandi.net/food/. There is no stigma for

participating students because they use the same

Help for Families Whose Income Has Been Reduced

Page 6 Panther Pride

Mrs. Douglas takes a pie for

the good of the music

program. This fundraiser

brought in more than $250

for the trip to Disneyland

1. Secret Weapon: Confidence.

Be aware of your surroundings and look

confident. Establish your

boundaries with eye contact

and distance!

2. Biggest Weapon: Your Voice. If a stranger approaches you,

run and shout, “Back off, I

don’t know you, 911!”

Remember, noise attracts

attention.

3. Strongest Weapon: Your Legs. Your #1 goal is to run! If you

can’t run away, drop to the

ground and have a self-

defense temper tantrum. Kick

and shout, “I don’t know you! Call 911!”

4. Don’t walk with traffic. Always

The keys to self-protection are:

Awareness,

Projecting confidence,

Trusting your intuition (even if

it’s someone you know), and

Setting verbal boundaries.

Like any lesson, this information

must be reinforced at home

through parent-child

communication. Awareness is

90 percent of self-defense. Remind your child to never walk alone,

always walk against traffic so that

they can see the car coming

toward them, and to always look

over their shoulder when they

walk by a stranger. Following are a list of tips to go over with your

ever-more-independent child.

see the car coming. Be careful

of parked vans and cars. 5. Never walk alone. Teamwork

rocks! There is safety in

numbers.

6. Don’t talk to strangers.

7. Never stop to listen to strangers.

8. Stay four arm lengths away

from a stranger or a car. Two

arm lengths from a bully.

9. Go to a place with people if

someone is following you. Call 911!

10. If you are approached by

someone in authority, such as

a security guard, a policeman,

a fire fighter, or a store manager, ask another adult to

check his credentials.

National surveys indicate that one in five teenagers report abusing

inhalants in their lifetime. In fact,

16 percent do so in eighth grade.

Inhalant abuse is the deliberate

concentration or sniffing of fumes, vapors, or gases from common

products found in homes,

communities, and schools for the

purpose of getting high.

Because the practice is not mainstream, it typically flies

under the radar. However, it’s

imperative to understand that it

can be deadly and often serves as

a gateway drug. Young adults are often unaware of the dangers of

such a practice. Abusers can die

the first time (or any time) that

they try an inhalant. Anytime a

young adult attempts to abuse an

inhalant, they’re essentially

playing a deadly game of Russian Roulette.

Experts indicate there are more

than 1,400 everyday products

that are dangerous and potentially deadly if their fumes, vapors, or

gases are inhaled deeply. These

include aerosols, glue, markers,

correction fluid, computer

dusters, and body sprays.

Education, especially when it is

delivered by parents, is widely

regarded as the most effective way

to battle not only inhalant abuse,

but all forms of substance abuse. For example:

According to the 2001

National Survey of American

Attitudes on Substance Abuse,

children who learn about the

risks of alcohol and drug abuse from their parents or

caregivers are less likely to

use drugs than kids who do

not. In fact, 50 percent are

less likely to use inhalants.

The 2002 National Survey on

Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

states that teens who learn a

lot about the risks of drugs

from their parents are up to

54 percent less likely to try drugs.

The Alliance for Consumer

Education offers a free,

comprehensive Inhalant Abuse

Prevention Kit which can be downloaded as a PDF. The

components are available in both

English and Spanish. Go to

http://inhalant.org/media/kit.php.

Parents: Be on the Lookout for Inhalant Abuse SOURCE: Phil Lapin, President & CEO of Falcon Safety Products, Inc.

Play it Safe: Safety Tips to Review with Your Kids SOURCE: Patricia K. Ladd, Principal, Correia Middle School

Volume 24, Issue 3 Page 7