Southern Kern Unified School District

Tropico Middle School

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year at Tropico Middle School. As you become familiar with the school, you will quickly see a dedicated staff that inspires lifelong learning in students and who set their own high standards of academic excellence. Tropico offers a challenging and engaging learning environment and curriculum for the sixth through eighth grade students, and this year we are able to offer a self-contained seventh and eighth grade class for our students who would benefit from a smaller classroom setting. I am honored to be a part not only of Tropico, but the Southern Kern Unified School District as well.

I have been in education for over 12 years and have been with the district as the Tropico Middle School Principal since 2007. It has been thrilling to work with our dedicated staff, supportive parents, community members, and of course, the hard-working young students. As we all work together we can assure the success of all our students.

At Tropico Middle School we believe that a strong partnership between school and home is critical to student and school success. We encourage and invite you to participate and volunteer in different school activities and become involved with your students while they are at school. Without the support and involvement from parents and families, we will not be able to see all of our students achieve their dreams. Working together as a community enhances a caring school environment that makes school special.

We want Tropico to be an Invitational School. By that, we mean we want you to find us friendly and welcoming. We encourage you to become an active participant in your child's education and our school activities. Our teaching, administrative, and support staff are all here to assist you.

Feel free to call us with your questions and concerns.

Steve Smith
Principal

DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.

Here's how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class.

Then, you can browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, we deliver the materials to the school.

You'll get photos of your project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. If you give over $100, you'll also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students.

At DonorsChoose.org, you can give as little as $1 and get the same level of choice, transparency, and feedback that is traditionally reserved for someone who gives millions.

We call it citizen philanthropy.