Hello! My name is Shauna Tinich. I am the new 7^th and 8^th grade science teacher at Tropico Middle School. I have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Central College of Iowa and a master’s degree in geoscience from Mississippi State University. I taught 5^th and 6^th grade science in the Wichita, Kansas area for 23 years before moving to California in July with my family. 

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Each month we will recognize GOOD THINGS that are happening in our community. If you would like to submit a "GOOD THING" simply email Mr. Adams at nadams@skusd.k12.ca.us (Subject Line: Good Things)

Mr. Ferrandini: I have a band student that checks in with me every day during office hours to get additional help. Yesterday he just wanted to tell me band Jokes. What is the difference between an Alto Sax & and Lawn Mower? Vibrato!

Mrs. Hansen: One day a student shared some very sad news with the class. His classmates immediately rallied with well wishes, words of encouragement, and kindness. I was in tears from their support of their classmate! 

Mr. Meyer: Rickey Brisco, a student of mine, was having problems with his mic and camera on both his school laptop and his home computer. In an Office Hours Zoom meeting, we were able to figure out the problem. It was a setting in the browser. The best part was that Rickey figured it out for himself. I felt good that he knew how to do something that he didn't know before.

Mrs. Cotrufo: On October 23, 2020 my husband and I will get to watch our sons Brandon Cotrufo and Jared Cotrufo graduate from Marine boot camp. We are so proud of them! "Oorah!"

Mrs. Janzen: I am blessed to be a part of a staff that really cares about all of our students and show that care by providing for them during times of real need. 

Mrs. Johnson: As each day passes, we get closer and closer to getting to have our students back on campus and in our classes. We finally get to meet them, greet them, and be with them! That will be an exciting day.

Mr. Hermiz: As I get to know my students on zoom, it is great to hear most are eager to return to school to learn, socialize, participate in PE and TMS sports.

I am Mrs. Janzen the academic counselor at Tropico Middle School. We all are on a high learning curve when it comes to navigating this new way of learning. While some of our students are excelling by learning from a distance, I can tell you that many are finding it very difficult. Those that are struggling are not alone! Distance learning for some has created additional stress and anxiety for parents and children. For parents, adjusted work schedules, lost income, and becoming the “home school” parent and many other issues has created additional stress. For students, even though they have used some of the same technology before to learn, students now have had to learn how to communicate in a very different way to get help from teachers. We understand that this is not easy. If your child is struggling, emotionally or academically, please remember that, you can contact me at ijanzen@skusd.k12.ca.us or at 661-256-5040. I am happy to visit with you on the phone, via Zoom meetings or in person. Together we can find ways to help your child be more successful academically. If your child is struggling emotionally, I can also give you information and referrals to our school mental health therapists.

I want to provide you with one resource that is loaded with ways to help your child during this time. If you go to this website, https://childmind.org you will see why I am only providing one resource in this newsletter – it has a tremendous amount of articles that you can select from that will give you great ideas on ways to support your child and yourself during these very challenging times. If you do not have time to look through the website here is a great article to start with. You may have to cut and paste this in your URL browser.

School email – ijanzen@skusd.k12.ca.us

October Tips

We will be starting an "in-person" Math Academy in October. Students will come to TMS from 3:15 to 5:15pm to receive instruction and assistance specifically for Math. We currently have 28 slots but more may be made available if the need exists. More details will come. If you're interested please email Mrs. Janzen at ijanzen@skusd.k12.ca.us

TMS will be offering After School Credit Retrieval for students who have failed core classes (Math, English, Science, History). The class will be held on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 3:15pm to 5:15pm. This is part of the After School Program so students must fill out an ASP application. Applications are found on our school website on the "After School Program" tab (https://www.skusd.k12.ca.us/Page/786) If you have questions please contact Mrs. Janzen, the School Counselor at ijanzen@skusd.k12.ca.us

Hello Tropico Middle School Families

My name is Dr. Cynthia Bolton and I am the new Assistant Principal here at Tropico Middle School. I am joining this amazing team by way of Sacramento having been a principal there for the last several years and San Diego where I lived and worked for over 3 years as an administrator at San Diego Unified School District. One of the things that drew me to TMS was that it had an AVID (Advanced Via Individual Determination) program. One of my passions is being able to provide as many academic strategies for our students as possible and one of the best ways I know to do that is through AVID. AVID is very near and dear to my heart, having been an AVID Coordinator at my previous district for 3 years and being able to see the tremendous growth our students were able to obtain. Just a little history on how AVID got started. AVID was founded by Mary Catherine Swanson in 1980 at Clairemont High School in San Diego Unified School District. AVID identifies students in the middle who have been the lease served by the school in grades 6-12 and prepares them for four-year college entry. AVID serves over 800,000 students in 46 states, and 16 countries and over 90% of AVID graduates enroll in a four-year college. AVID was developed to hold students accountable to highest standard while providing academic and social support. Her Goal: to make sure students were prepared for college. In today’s very challenging world, I can’t think of a better way to help our students succeed then by making sure they’re prepared for college.

One of the best academic strategies I know of is AVID’s Cornel Notes which is a strategy AVID uses in order to increase students’ knowledge and comprehension. Using Cornel Notes can assist all students as it identifies a more concise way of taking notes. For example, there is an Essential Question section that is a key part of identifying exactly what the students will focus on for each lesson. This allows students to identify and be able to, by-the-end of a lesson, answer and ascertain if they have all necessary components they need to understand that day’s lesson. Other sections are Questions on the left and Answers on the right. This is another great strategy that helps students focus on writing down only the necessary information needed and not worrying about writing down everything. A question is presented by the teacher, students write it down on the left and then it’s answered on the right. Lastly, is the Summary at the bottom. This is one of the proven AVID strategies that helps our students sum up what they learned that day and a wonderful quick way for teachers to monitor and check if students are understanding the content being taught. These strategies can be used no matter the subject and is a proven way to increase student’s achievement and knowledge. I would encourage you to ask your student(s) if they take Cornel Notes in class and if not ask them to try. You don’t have to be an AVID student to utilize this great strategy for learning.

I look forward to this year and meeting all of you in person and getting to know all our students. I know things are challenging right now but please know I am here to support and please do not hesitate to contact me should you need anything.

You can reach me in the following ways:

School Phone 661-256-5040 Monday – Friday

School email: cbolton@skusd.k12.ca.us

Dr. Cynthia Bolton

 “If our students have the individual determination to rise to the challenge, then so must we.” Mary Catherine Swanson, AVID Founder.

Each month we will discuss our "Geared Up" theme and what each word means for students and staff at TMS. This month I'd like to talk about GRIT.

Grit - or firmness of character; indomitable spirit.

You may also know Grit by other words such as courage, determination, fortitude, nerve, resolve, heart, tenacity, spunk, willpower, toughness, or steadfastness.

We all have our strengths and talents. When the conditions are right many of us are incredibly successful. But what happens when the conditions aren't ideal? What happens when you face a myriad of stressors in school, family life, or in personal relationships? You see, this is where grit comes into play. If you have grit, you can overcome anything.

You are all facing adversity as we speak: Distance learning, COVID 19, not being able to socialize, the list goes on. We've had students lose a loved one, lose their home to fire, have parents separate, be diagnosed with cancer, suffer from depression or anxiety. When you take these challenges head on and overcome them, you have GRIT.

Colby promoted from TMS in 2016. During that summer Colby began to have seizures and was soon diagnosed with Epilepsy. He had two more seizures during the summer before the medication began to work. He was forced to sit out the first four weeks of his freshman football season. During his first game back he had a spectacular first half scoring two touchdowns. On the first play of the 3rd quarter Colby was tackled awkwardly at his knee. He heard a series of pops and it was very painful. An MRI revealed two torn ligaments. Colby's football season was over and he would also miss basketball and most of the track season. During that year his seizures continued. Colby was determined to overcome these serious setbacks. He worked hard in his physical therapy and made sure he remembered to take his medication every day to control his seizures. He would eventually have to overcome 2 more seizures and a serious car accident. His grittiness paid off. Over the next 3 years Colby was able to play all three of his favorite sports. In football he was selected as all-league quarterback and linebacker, Team MVP and Academic All-League. In basketball he was selected as All-League, All Academic, Defensive MVP, and Team MVP. In track and field Colby won 4 individual league championships in the Shot Put and Discus, was a 2-time Team MVP, and broke the school record in the Discus. Then COVID came and he missed his final track season. He maintained his academic focus and was named one of RHS's Valedictorians. He now attends Southern Utah University on an academic scholarship and is currently a discus thrower on the SUU track team.