Poston Families,

This is the final week of the semester. Teachers and students will be wrapping up this semester's learning with activities and finals. Read through this newsletter for important info regarding our Sports Banquet and PAWS Party. From all of the staff at Poston, we wish you the merriest of holidays!

12/17 5:30pm Q2 Sports Banquet in the Cafeteria

12/17 7pm Band Concert

12/19 12:30 - 2:00pm PAWS Party

12/19 2pm Early Release

12/20 - 1/6 Winter Break

1/7 First Day of Second Semester

PPN is looking for volunteers to help with Q2 Sports Banquet on 12/17 at 5:30pm. If you would like to help, email the PPN to let them know.

Next PPN Meeting is Tuesday 1/21 @ 6:00pm in the Poston Media Center.

Our PPN is currently looking for parents who want to get involved with supporting Poston's students and teachers. To contact the PPN, email them at postonparentnetwork@gmail.com.

PPN is looking for volunteers to organize the monthly birthday grams. 1 hour a month time commitment. You would meet to assemble gift bags and deliver them to students during 1st hour. Email the board at postonparentnetwork@gmail.com to put your hat in the ring.

Poston adheres to the clear bag policy for all afterschool events. Clear bags are required if they are larger than 4.5in by 6in. Diaper bags, fanny packs, and other bags are prohibited.

Family and Friends are invited to celebrate our 2nd Quarter athletes this Tuesday, December 17th from 5:30 - 6:30pm in the Poston Cafeteria. The Poston Parent Network will be serving food for all our athletes and coaches. If family and friends would also like to eat, please RSVP at the following link to indicate how many will be eating and how you will be paying for the meal. $5 for individuals, $20 for Families. Participants can pay via Venmo @postonparentnetwork23 or cash at the door (exact change is preferred).

2nd Quarter Sports Banquet RSVP

• 7th Grade Girls Volleyball Tryouts will be held on: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday December 10th, 12th, and 13th from 4:00 PM to 5:45 PM. For more information, contact Ms. Zuege in Room 701.
• 8th grade girls tryouts are Tuesday the 10th, Wednesday the 11th, and Thursday the 12th at 7:00am. For more information, contact Mr. Scholz.
• Girls flag football try out will be Monday December 16-December 18th after school from 4:15-5:30pm , Team list will be posted on Thursday December 19th on gym doors in morning.
• Boys Flag Football tryouts will happen after the winter break. More info to come.

Make sure that all interested athletes have completed an online Panther Pass before they tryout.

Howie Olson - Athletic Director - haolson@mpsaz.org

Marlene Lopez Duarte - Assistant Principal - mlopezduarte@mpsaz.org

As a reminder, Poston follows MPS safety protocols.

• Clear Bag Policy - Please scroll down to view the infographic regarding the MPS Clear Bag policy. Make note that fanny packs (regardless of if they are worn around the waist or across the torso) are not allowable per this policy.
• Because of the large number of attendants, all spectators will be asked to pass through weapons detection systems upon entering campus.
• Gates will open at 6:30pm and the Auditorium will open at 6:45pm

To ensure that all audience members have a positive experience and every family can enjoy their student's performance, please adhere to the following guidelines.

• Please move your group to the center of the area that you have chosen to sit. Our concerts are packed and so vacant seats between audience members limits the number of people who can sit comfortably.
• Please find a seat. there isn't a bad seat in the house so if you come in late, please move to the wings to enjoy the concerts. The aisleways need to be clear for safety purposes. This includes along the back wall.
• If you have young children who might find a concert difficult to sit through, please sit near a door and exit if they become disruptive to the performance.
• If you need to leave during a performance, please wait for a number to finish and then exit the auditorium.
• When students are entering, performing, or exiting the stage, please do not call out their name or cheer them from the audience. Remember that this is a fine arts performance and not a sporting event. Cheering, shouting out, whistling, or calling out a student's name is not appropriate etiquette for performing arts.
• Remember that all musical numbers performed are protected under copywrite laws. If you take video of your student's performance, please do not post to social media. This protects the use of the music that we use as well as keeping you out of violation of community guidelines found on most social media accounts.

12/17 7pm Band Concert

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Students who are passing their classes and don't have any behavioral referrals to the office as of 12/17 will be able to attend the party. We will pull grades and behavior data on the evening of 12/17. Please work with your student to review their current grade and work to pull that grade up before that time. We will announce an appeal process as next week and all appeals will be due to the front office by Monday 12/16. Students are able to get an appeal form from their Math teacher or the front office.

The 2nd Quarter PAWS Party is just around the corner. As part of the party, Student Council is looking for parent volunteers to supervise the different events that take place during the event. Stuco is also looking for donations. Please use the following Signup Genius link to volunteer and donate.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040E4EAFA72BAAFE3-53660220-winter

The last week of the semester will be Spirit Week. Students are encouraged to show their school spirit during that week. Check out the graphic for each day's theme.

As a reminder, parents who wish to drop off or pick up their student on campus must use the south parking lot. The north parking lot (off of Adobe St.) does not have the capacity to handle parent pick up and drop off. If your child is running late, please still drop them off in the south lot. Gates do not lock till 9:15. After 9:15, students may be dropped off in the front office. To excuse your student you will need to come sign them in.

Poston Student Council hosts Kona Ice during lunches. Students can purchase Kona Ice and consume it during lunch. We shut the line down 5 min before the end of lunch so that students have time to enjoy their Kona Ice before lunch ends. A portion of the proceeds goes to fund student events such as the PAWS Parties. The following upcoming dates when Kona Ice will be on campus.

Feb. 19, 11:00-12:30

Mar. 7, 10:30-1:00

Mar. 19, 11:00-12:30

Apr. 2, 11:00-12:30

April 16, 11:00-12:30

April 30, 11:00-12:30

May 16, 1:30-4:00

Yearbooks may be preordered for $30 through the bookstore or online. Make sure to put your order in early. The price will go up after January. Yearbooks will be distributed during the last PAWS party of the year in May.

Did you know that you check your student's grades, attendance, and other info through the ParentVUE portal? There is a link to an online version as well as an app that can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You will need user log in info. If you don't have that, you can contact our Attendance Secretary at 480-472-2101 or you can email her a crjoplin@mpsaz.org. She can help you get connected.

Poston is considered a closed campus. Campus is not opened for student entry until 8:45am. Students may only enter through two access points:

1. South Parking Lot for parent drop off.

2. The north west gate to access the bike rack.

Gates are locked at 9:15am at the start of school. All late arrivals must enter through the front office.

Classroom doors are locked during class time.

Starting this school year, all students are required to wear their school issued ID when they enter campus or a school bus. For ease to check compliance, we ask that all students wear their IDs around their necks so that we can quickly scan to ensure student compliance. If students forget their ID, they can receive a temporary ID from the office. Students may also purchase a replacement ID for 3 dollars at the Poston Bookstore. Students who forget their IDs will be assigned Think Tank detention starting Monday, August 12th.

Poston adheres to the clear bag policy for all afterschool events. Clear bags are required if they are larger than 4.5in by 6in. Diaper bags, fanny packs, and other bags are prohibited. Please see the attached graphic that will be posted at all events.

As part of their on-going security enhancements, MPS has installed vape sensors in all HS and JH bathrooms and locker rooms. This includes Poston JH. These sensors are triggered by nicotine and marijuana smoke/vape. When the sensors are activated, an alarm is sounded at the video monitoring station and the camera focused on the bathroom entry door is highlighted. As part of our follow up to this new device, we will review the camera, bring the student(s) that exit, when the notification is alerted, to the office, and initiate a student search. This part of our on going efforts to keep our campus safe.

Weapon detectors are in use every morning during student arrivals and full time in the front office. Students will enter through the North bike gate or the South student drop off gate. Bus riders will walk down the sidewalk to the South entrance.

Students are asked to remove their laptop, binder, spiral notebooks, and eyeglasses case before going through the detectors.

These units will also be utilized during afterschool events.

Student drop off and pick up is located in the South parking lot on 25th St. Drop off and pick up is accessible on the surrounding neighborhood streets. Please have students meet you at the car and not at the gate. Parents must stay outside of the secured perimeter gates.

Drop off/Pick up not allowed in the front office parking lot.

Beginning this year, all MPS students will need to wear an ID badge visibly on a lanyard around their neck while they are campus at all times. All students should have received their ID, if they did not receive their ID please advise them to report to the bookstore immediately for help.

If you would like to purchase specific lanyard for your student, you may do so. Students will need to use IDs for bus riding, library use, cafeteria, and other class time activities.

Keep in mind that if a student loses their ID, they will have to purchase a new one through the bookstore for $3.

If your student is going to be absent, please call the attendance office at 480-472-2101 and leave a message with your student's name, date of absence, and reason. Absences will be updated within 24-48 hours.

If your student will be tardy after the school day has begun, please check them in through the front office to excuse.

Doctor's notes or other documents please email to crjoplin@mpsaz.org

Poston Junior High School

Asst. Principal: Marlene Lopez Duarte

Main Office: 480-472-2100

Website: www.poston.mpsaz.org

Location: 2433 E. Adobe St., Mesa, AZ 85213