MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY!

SPOTLIGHT COMMUNITY & SERVICE EVENTS - November

Due November 12, Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF. If you have a box remember to turn it in to your 4th period teacher. See Norma G. for details. 

Beginning Nov 12, Holiday Food Drive. See Becca Partida for more information. 

November 19, Third Thursday -11:30 in the pit. Bring your lunch. 

Food for Thought Free Film & Event - Tuesday, November 10, 5pm, UCSD Price Center  (5 HOURS OF SERVICE FOR PB MIDDLE STUDENTS WHO ATTEND AND DESIGN POSTER)
An exploration of our food and water challenges
FREE to the public
FOOD | WATER | MUSIC | ART | FILM
UCSD Price Center East Ballroom 5 to 6:30pm Open House, Food; 6:30pm Flow Film Screening; 8pm Panel Discussion For more information click here <http://www.sscucsd.com/> Part of the UCSD Water Awareness MonthPresented by: The Student Sustainability Collective, The Sustainable Food Project at UCSD, Aquaholics Anonymous, the San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project, San Diego Coastkeeper, and the San Diego Food & Water Watch.

Sustainable Planet: Food Lecture Series (5 HOURS OF SERVICE FOR PB MIDDLE STUDENTS WHO ATTEND AND DESIGN  POSTER)
Tuesday, November 10, 6:30pm
San Diego Natural History Museum
Hosted by Loren Nancarrow
You are what you eat. Learn how what you eat affects the world around you. $5 per person. Advance registration recommended.
Click here to go to the website. <http://www.sdnhm.org/education/sustainable.html>
Click here to download the flyer. <http://www.sandiegoroots.org/resources/NHM_Food_Lectures.pdf>
Cultivating Justice through Sustainable Food Systems
Lecture with Heather Fenney, Community Services Unlimited, Inc.;
and Ellee Igoe, San Diego International Rescue Committee. Learn where the conventional/global food system has gone wrong, and how building a local, sustainable and just food system can help get us back on course. With nearly one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions coming from the food and agriculture sector, it’s critical that food-system changes be part of any effort to reduce and reverse effects of global warming. Learn where the conventional/global food system has gone wrong, and how building a local, sustainable and just food system can help get us back on course.

ONGOING COLLECTION DRIVES

Eco-Phone cell phone collection drive - 15 minutes per donated phone 

Box-tops for education - 30 minutes per sandwich bag 

Soda tabs - 30 minutes per sandwich bag 

Board donation - 30 minutes 

REGULAR SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES at PBMS

Did you know? Approximately 600 PB Middle IB students logged 11, 140+ hours of service to the community from June, 2008 to June, 2009. Top service hours were earned by Samantha Simpson. Volunteering for Meals on Wheels, she logged 415.5 hours of service. Everett Reyna logged 299 hours volunteering for the PBMS Builders Club, Zoo Corps, and the Chollas Lake Camps.  

PB Middle Makes a Difference Around the World!

• Heifer International Read to Feed. PBMS students found sponsors to help them raise money by reading books. Altogether, our 8th graders donated $463.75 to the Read to Feed program this year. That is enough to buy a family, or families, a beehive, a trio of rabbits, a pig, a sheep, a flock of ducks, a flock of chicks, AND a goat. This program aims to provide animals that will perpetuate themselves in their new environments and help the families, and communities, to become self-sustaining. See Mr. Stark, Mrs. Johnson, or Mr. Espinosa for more information.

• KIVA Loans That Change Lives. Builders Club students analyzed loan requests and lent $25.00 a piece to 8 entrepreneurs around the world. Four of the small business owners have already paid back our loans and we reinvested our money with four new entrepreneurs. Come to Builders Club for more information.

• UNICEF: Students participated in Treat-or-Treat for UNICEF and donated over $800.00 to help buy emergency water, blankets and schools in a box for children around the world. See a Ariana S, or Mrs. Sims for more information.

• Pennies for Peace: Our students created persuasive posters and helped raise money to build schools in Afghanistan. Some students gave up their lunch to help educate others and raise awareness that equality and education are not available to everyone around the world. See 7th grader Luis or Mrs. Price for more information.

• Invisible Children. Sixth graders took this campaign to heart when they learned more about child labor and child slavery around the world. They wrote letters to officials and invited the founders to speak at our school. See '09-'10 7th graders, Mrs. Lindsay-Dial or Mrs. Olson for more information.

RIDE THE WAVE OF SERVICE WITH EXAMPLES OF PBMS STUDENT-LED PROJECTS! 

Congrats to Norma G. UNICEF Coordinator for 2009. Details to come.

Justin W. his soda-tab campaign collected over 12,000 tabs to help dialysis patients pay for treatment. Special thanks goes to Mrs. Lindsay-Dial and Mrs. Haake's third period classes for collecting the most tabs. Maria Serna, PB Middle Special Education Paraprofessional, requested help for a dialysis patient, and PB students and families answered the call. "I want to thank each and every one of you that helped with the participation of the soda tabs. Aunt Esto, and the family, wants to thank you from the bottom of their hearts.  It is a BIG help taking those tabs when getting the dialysis treatment. I know from experience the heartache, pain and all emotions that one goes through when taking a love one to dialysis three times a week and how costly it can be. I want to thank you and May God bless you always." -Maria Serna.

Congrats to Cassidy C. who raised awareness about caring for SD pets and spaying and neutering dogs and cats. She organized and fundraised for the PB Middle Animal Lovers Team and led the group in the San Diego Humane Society's Walk for Animals. This was Cassidy's second annual event. Good luck to Cassidy as she moves on to Mission Bay High School.

Congrats to Rusty M., his Board Recycling Event was featured on Rerip.com. Rusty is moving on to Mission Bay High School but he will return to install a bench in the garden, made from the recycled boards.

Did you know? Each year over 18,000 beaches across the U.S. are closed or posted as unhealthy?

MORE SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AT SCHOOL

 - Donate Soda-Tabs to the IB Office
Design a box for your class or collect soda-tabs on your own to help patients pay for kidney dialysis. Ask Mrs. Serna or Mrs. Sims for more information.

 - Redesign book covers. See Mrs. Kaufman to choose a book to read and redesign the cover to make it more appealing to tweens and teens. You can log time for reading and designing.

 - Design a box for Storefront, Soda Tab, or Box top donations. See Mrs. Sims for boxes, paper and glue. Earn up to three hours per box.

 - Gardening projects are underway. See Yomali M., Steve Houk, or Nancy G. (7th graders) to get started donating at least one hour after school each week. If you're at school this summer see Mr. Matt to hook up the hose and water the trees or garden areas. Have Mr. Matt sign your planner for last year and then bring to Mrs. Sims to transfer to your new planner.

 - Design a poster for 2009-2010. We need these posters 1) "Guide to Getting Good Grades at PB Middle School" poster 2) Why IB? 3) IB Learner Profile poster 4) Areas of Interaction poster 5) "Get Involved in Service" poster. E-mail Mrs. Sims for design specifications.

 - Design your own event like Norma G. It's a great way to get recognized in the community and often it can lead to a job or career opportunity. Join Builders Club to learn more.

Did you know? You can keep our water clean by picking up your pet's waste (dog and cat poop)? Pet waste washes down into our storm drains and eventually makes it's way to our coast. Pet waste that reaches the ocean can make both people and marine life sick!

FAMILY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

 - Family Service Opportunity: Parents, sign up to become a water-quality volunteer. This is a great activity for the whole family and your PB Middle child will earn service hours. MORE DETAILS. 

 - PB Town Council's Safe and Beautiful Committee holds monthly Clean PB Days on the first Saturday of each month  http://www.pbtowncouncil.org

 - Become a Canyon Watch Volunteer. Volunteer applications are avaiable at http://sdoceans.org/top_support_volunteer.html or pick up flyer at the IB Office.

 - Budding Marine Biologists...Volunteer to help restore the White Seabass. Go to http://www.sdoceans.org and visit the "Seabass Restoration" section.

For these activities please pick up and return a SDUSD general liability form at the IB office. 

Did you know? There is a spot under the stairs in the library that is begging for you to lead a service project. Be the first to submit your solution to the problem.

 - Solution - If you have an idea to solve problems of hunger, poverty and conflict, take action today to make a difference. See Mrs. Sims to design your own service campaign. One person can make a difference. Remember that a huge organization, like Doctors Without Borders, was started by someone who had an idea. What will you do to change your world for the better?

 - Play Pumps - Builders Club found out about an incredible way to bring safe and clean drinking water to our global neighbors. Check out Play Pumps. If you're a student who wants to test his or her service skills, and you're interested in creating a service campaign for installation of this absolutely genious invention, please bring your ideas to Builders Club, Thursday afternoons, upstairs library.

 - Do you want to take action to clean-up our coastal environment? Do you like to surf, skateboard or snowboard? Sign-up to lead the campaign to recycle and reuse surf-boards. PB Middle, in partnership with ReRip, is looking for a hard-working student to organize a campaign to promote the Surfboard Drop-Off at PB Middle School. FOPBSS has money available to help you with your ideas. See Mrs. Sims in the IB Office if you'd like to get on board. 

Did you know? Every 15 seconds a child dies from a preventable, water-related disease. 

READ MORE ABOUT COMMUNITY AND SERVICE AT PB MIDDLE: AN IB WORLD SCHOOL

International Waters is our 2009-2010 theme

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - Why so important?
-Fishermen are now catching less than half of what they did in 1990 and the fish they do catch are 45 percent smaller.
-Some fish populations in California are depleted to 10 percent of historic levels.
-Seventy percent of California’s kelp forests, key breeding habitat for certain types of fish, have vanished in the last 50 years.
-Many fish off California’s coast are in such decline that some species will take 50-80 years to recover to healthy levels. If current conditions persist, some never will.

MPAs provide safe refuge for fish to grow and thrive because human impacts are limited resulting in more diverse, abundant and larger marine animals and ecosystems that provide a more reliable source of food for larger animals such as marine mammals, sharks, and even humans where allowed.

KOWABUNGA & KUDOS FOR JOBS WELL DONE! 

 - SD Service Council - Awarded PB Middle Best-Practice School

 - Soroptomists Intl. of Mission Bay - Awarded PB Middle with the Service Fund Award  

 - Soroptomists International of Mission Bay - Sponsored 14 girls who won and attended the Jenna Druck Middle School Spirit of Leadership Awards 

 - COASTAL CLEAN UP - Thank you to all who came out for our first beach clean-up. Our very own adopted beach, PB Point to Tourmaline is spotless.

In honor of this momentous occasion, here are a few ways the Coastal Clean-up event has made an impact over the years, and how it will continue to do so for years to come. 
1. Engaged nearly 1 million volunteers across the state of California since its inception 25 years ago. 
2. Protected species across the globe, including local shrikes, California least tern and the Green sea turtle. 
3. Slowed the growth of the Pacific Gyre garbage patch, a plastic soup of marine debris that covers an area of open ocean estimated to be at least twice the size of Texas. 
4. Promoted sustainability in San Diego, through reusable bottle and bag giveaways thus discouraging the use of disposable plastic products. 
5. Changed the way people think about releasing balloons into the air, or dropping cigarette butts on the ground. 
6. Brings communities together and connects them to nature. 
7. Cleared out sites plagued by illegal dumping, providing a clean slate for the restoration of open space. 
8. Engaged thousands of local scout troops in environmental service projects, earning them a commemorative merit badge for their stewardship. 
9. Educates residents about watershed systems that connect inland areas to the coast, allowing everyone to realize their impact on ocean health. 
10. Combined with International Coastal Cleanup, is one of largest volunteer events on the planet

 - Beachfest student volunteers: Hannah, Mercedes, April, Javier, Anna, Eden, Adam, Amanda, Destiny, Rachel, Emily, Clemetine, Becca, Carina, Connor and Arianna

PBMS Cares! Get Ideas from our Past Events in 2008-2009

Ariana S. represented PB Middle in the first annual Servapalooza Parade in Balboa Park

Hunter Ketchum's Beach Clean-up Sponsored by Surfrider San Diego

Keep Our Oceans Clean, Recycle Your Ride: Check out Rerip.com to buy a used board and make money for the garden bench project.
PB Middle Board Recycling Event. Rusty Mendoza's Recycle Event is featured on the Rerip.com Community page. If you have any boards or skis that you'd like to donate to PB Middle's board recycling efforts please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Movie Night FOPBSS, EPA and Builders Club

Habitat Restoration for the California Least Tern

Kiwanis One Day of Service

Helen Woodward Assistance Campaign

Soda Tab Collection for Dialysis coordinated by Justin W.

Eco Phones Fundraiser

Pasta for Pennies

Eco Friendly Home Building Awareness

PB Point Beach Clean-Up

Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance

PBMS School Clean-Up

Valentine Candy-grams benefiting the Storefront Teen Shelter sponsored by Builders Club

Sibs Sibs Autism speaker: Aryana S.

Wall-E Movie Night with Builders, EPA and FOPBSS

Fruit Tree Orchard planting. Gino and Come check out the greening of PB Middle School. Our student arborists are trained on fruit tree maintenance and will be the bearers of the beautiful fruit produced here at PB Middle. Growing organic fruits and vegetables is just one way we teach our students to learn healthy habits. To learn more about the importance of food security, check out this exciting model-project garden and video produced by students at Morse High School.

Toys for Tots in partnership with Mission Bay High School

Pennies for Peace sponsored by Mrs. Price and the PB Middle 8th graders

Cards for our Heroes sponsored by the Library Monitors and Mrs. Kaufman

Did you know that our county is running out of water? We learned this and many other water saving tips from our Third Thursday speaker, SD County Water Authority.

Congratulations to 8th grader Amber Knight who won the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) essay competition for San Diego County! Amber volunteered to submit an essay for the annual "Patriot's Pen" Essay Contest sponsored by the VFW. This year's topic was, "Why we should honor our veterans." Her essay will now go on to be judged at the state level. Way to go, Amber! Way to support our veterans and practice your communication and writing at the same time.

Doctors Without Border Refugee Camp. November 8 & 9th. ASB and Builders Club students visited the camp on November 6th. Ask them about their experience living as a refugee. Visit their website for more information. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/education/refugeecamp/home/ . If you have evidence of your attendance bring it so Mrs. Sims can sign your service log. Check out the video at: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/education/refugeecamp/movie.cfm

You Trick-Or-Treated for UNICEF and made a difference for children around the world. We learned about the difference you make when we went to the Doctor's Without Border camp. Your donations helped provide emergency deydration packets, food, blankets, and so much more. Way to go.

You helped decorate the school and share your Red Ribbon "Live Drug Free" spirit. Thank you to our dedicated parent volunteers, Gear-Up, and Builders Club student volunteers for a very successful Red Ribbon Week

Thank you to PBMS Volunteers who did a phenomenal job working the PB Beachfest. It was a great success.

Paddle for Clean Water 2008, San Diego Surfrider OB Pier. PBMS surfers hit the waves with Mr. Kasten supporting the cause.

International Coastal Clean-Up Day: PBMS students, family members and teachers celebrated Mr. Ketchum's birthday and participated in the world-wide Coastal Clean-up Day on September 20th at Tourmaline Beach. We care! In just three hours, 40 PBMS volunteers collected over 100 pounds of trash including bottle caps, cups, plastic bottles, styrofoam, plastic bags and more than 2000 cigarette butts. To learn more about why we've adopted PB Point as our clean-up site read about marine debris from Clean-up Day website. Thanks to PBMS teachers Mrs. Oliver, Mr. Wood, Mr. Kasten, and Mr. Eaton.

Third Thursday Speaker Series in the Pit Sponsored by Gear-Up, Builders Club and PBMS IB
I Love a Clean San Diego spoke to 36 students about keeping our waters clean. They shared that marine debris is caused by trash that is washed down to the ocean through our storm drains. The debris and effects our beaches and waterways and kills local animals. Many animals eat the trash that floats in our waters. The trash is toxic and many animals quit eating because the trash fills up their digestive tract and they think they are full. They are full, but they aren't getting nutrients from the trash.

Surfboard Recycling Event: Solana Beach, sponsored by Rerip.com. Thanks to PBMS students for dropping off used, rideable boards. Did you know PBMS is now an official PBMS Family Drop-Off location for used but rideable boards that will be gifted to student surfers in need. Damaged and broken boards can be dropped off for recycling. See or e-mail Mrs. Sims in the IB office, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Student Bakers and Mrs. Zanchetta, thank you for your donations of treats for our Partnerships Luncheon. The goodies were super yummy.

PBMS Artists: Thank you for donating your Clean Water Art to decorate the Auditorium, lunch-court, media center, and PBMS front office. Thanks to Mrs. Haake and Mrs. Donohoe for instruction the PBMS Art classes.

Did you know? Whatever trash goes into the storm drains around San Diego makes its way into the Pacific Ocean. Storm drain run-off is not filtered.

PBMS IB WORLD SCHOOL THEMES

1) International Waters (Area of Interaction: Environments)

Take Action In honor of World Water Day, March 22, 2010. Limit the amount of water your household uses, donate your coffee or soda money, or host a water walk. You can take simple steps to raise awareness of and stand in solidarity with the 1.1 billion people worldwide who do not have access to clean drinking water. Read more at World Water Day website.

2) Sharing Our Humanity (Area of Interaction: Health and Social Education) IB students, families, and teachers around the world came together to learn about peace and conflict: focus for 2009-2010 IB schools
Click here to see how other IB students, teachers, and schools took action.
How will you make a difference? Share your ideas with students from around the world.

Did you know? FOPBSS has money for student-initiated service projects. See Mrs. Sims if you need money for your project.

Did you know? "Community and Service" is one of the five areas of interaction in the IB Middle Years Programme. -ibo.org

Through meaningful service PBMS students develop:

YOU CAN MAKE OUR WORLD A BETTER PLACE. JUST REMEMBER...

Snowflakes melt alone - but together they can be traffic stoppers!
Teamwork allows common people to attain uncommon results.
Some people want it to happen, some wish it to happen, others make it happen.
Volunteers aren't paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. -Anonymous