Principal's Message

Welcome back Students/Parents/Guardians/PMS Community, to the 2024-25 school year!

I am positive that families, students, and staff had a summer filled with community, activities, and tons of self-care. I also anticipate that the entire PMS community is energized and ready to kick off another great school school year. At this moment, I want to recognize our newest members returning to the Panther family, and they are living proof that "once a Panther, always a Panther" is not just a slogan. Please join me in welcoming back the following educators:

Beth Louderback is excited to join the Pleasanton Middle School team as one of our two vice principals. Beth will be a familiar face for our Hearst families, as she spent the last three years as vice principal next door. Prior to being a vice principal, Beth taught 6th grade ELA here at PMS.

Melissa Kondrick is also exited to return as Math teacher here at PMS. Ms. Kondrick was out for only one year last school year, as she attended to her role as a mother, welcoming another addition to her home family. She is excited to pick up where she left off, contributing to making our PMS campus the second happiest place on earth!

Adrea Olarig returns to our community as the newest addition to the Science department. Ms. Olarig was once a student walking the halls of Pleasanton Middle School! Now she is excited to give back to the community that ultimately inspired her to become the educator she is today.

Welcome home Ms. Louderback, Ms. Kondrick, and Ms. Olarig!

As we transition into this exiting 2024-25 school year, the staff at PMS has already started the process of preparing to pick up where we left off last Spring. Our site goals will continue to address the following three essential components: Relationship/Community building, Addressing Hate Speech, Maintaining an Equitable learning environment for ALL students.

We encourage you to continue to be an active participant on campus and at home alongside your child. Throughout the course of the school year you will receive notification of community events, meetings, athletics, and adjunct learning opportunities.

Our first day of instruction is this Thursday, Aug. 8. A Period starts daily (except all Wednesdays) at 7:56 a.m. First period starts daily (except Wednesdays) at 8:50 a.m. First period on all Wednesdays starts promptly at 9:41 a.m. We do not offer A period on Wednesdays.

Parents, these school start times are not recommended daily arrival times. Students are expected to be on campus prior to the initial warning bell (four minutes before 8:50 a.m. and 9:41 a.m). Instruction starts promptly at 8:50 a.m. M,T,TH,F and 9:41 a.m. on Wednesdays. All students that arrive on campus after these start times are considered TARDY, and you will receive notification if this is the case. Please speak to your child about the importance of arriving to school on time, especially if they are already on campus with plenty of time prior to the first bell but still elect to arrive to class tardy (we have too many students engaged in this practice). This is an area of growth that we have analyzed as a staff and will take immediate action in an effort to maximize instructional time while promoting PRIDE consistency. Additionally, we kindly request that you embrace a safety first mentality upon driving into and exiting the PMS campus. We have tons of foot traffic at the start of school and at dismissal, and our students and staff depend on your careful driving so that injuries are avoided.

PMS community, we look forward to kicking off the 2024-25 school year and I want to personally thank you for entrusting your child with us. This year will be amazing, and I am so fortunate to work alongside a team of faculty and staff that are passionate in ALL that they do. We look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night on Aug. 22 (details forthcoming), and at future community meetings. Once again, welcome back!

Yours in Solidarity,

Marco A. Lopez
Principal
Pleasanton Middle School