PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
January 20, 2023
Coming Up
January 17-28 - Pet Supply Charity Drive - deliver donations to the front office
January 17-March 17 - Residency Verification REQUIRED for all CURRENT 7th thru 11th grade students in the San Dieguito District - Please upload your documents to your Aeries account.
January 23 - Single Period Day
January 23-27 - Lunar New Year Spirit Week
January 30-February 17 - High School Selection
February 13-March 17 - Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE)
Principal's Message
PTMS Families,
Happy Friday! As much as I loved the rain, and we sure needed it, it is wonderful to see the sunshine again. As we embark on Term 2, I had a chance to pop into a number of classrooms this week. Within science, social studies and English, they were all having students work on expressing their opinions. Seventh grade science students were formulating arguments by making a claim, providing evidence and then offering their reasoning about which material is best for a container. They could choose from glass, plastic, aluminum and even paper - all while considering the environmental impacts and functionality of each material. Some of our students were learning more about arguments and rebuttals in English class, so apologies in advance if you notice that your student's argumentation skills are improving. But as you have heard me say before, middle school is about developing good learning habits.
Next week, our counselors will begin presentations about course selections for next school year. A great deal of information is available on our PTMS website, so as you think about next year, that's a great place to go as a resource.
Earlier in the week I counted the number of E-bikes and E-scooters that our students are riding to school. When I did a count about three weeks into school, we only had eight E-bikes and E-scooters and that number is now up to 51. This will continue to be an evolving challenge, one that won't go away, and so it is critically important that we all work together to keep our students safe. Our leadership team is exploring educational opportunities for students and parents of E-bike riders, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, a few reminders below that I hope you review with your student if they use an E-bike or E-scooter to get to school:
- Always wear your helmet and fasten the buckle. A helmet is useless if it's not securely strapped to a person's head.
- No more than one rider. Too often I see two and sometimes three students riding on one E-bike. This is very unsafe for everyone.
- Please do not weave through cars, especially when entering and exiting the roads into and out of PTMS, as well as adjacent streets. I have had numerous parents mention their concerns about students riding in a reckless manner.
- Slower is always better. I know these E-bikes and E-scooters can go fairly fast, and the 13-year-old brain often wants to do just that. But safety should and needs to be in their mind and behavior at all times.
Finally, Lunar New Year kicks off on Sunday. Our ASB students will facilitate a number of lunchtime activities throughout next week in celebration.
Have a wonderful weekend and we will see everyone on Monday.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild
Principal
Counseling Update
On Monday, January 23rd, the counseling department will meet with our 8th grade Wolves for a presentation titled “Getting Ready for High School”. This presentation will cover important topics such as high school information nights, the high school selection process, a brief overview of the differences between each school, college and career readiness, and how students can best prepare for high school. We will then be revisiting Thrively, a personalized learning platform that helps students discover their unique strengths, interests, and aspirations. Within Thrively, our Wolves will participate in career exploration to help discover their interests in the different CTE pathways offered at each SDUHSD high school. We will be posting the presentation in students' history Google Classrooms and will also link the presentation in next week's newsletter.
We had another successful Therapy Dog visit this week in the Wellness Center during lunch break. Over 200 of our students got to spend time with our four-legged visitors!
Lisa Curry, Counselor (A-Ne) lisa.curry@sduhsd.net
Carsen Murt, Counselor (Ng-Z and EL Students) carsen.murt@sduhsd.net
Samantha Eels-Taylor, Student Support Facilitator samantha.eelstaylor@sduhsd.net
Residency Verification for CURRENT 7th through 11th Grade SDUHSD Students
The submission window is between January 27th and March 17th for parents of CURRENT SDUHSD students in grades 7 through 11 to provide the required documents for Residency Verification for the 2023-24 school year.
The following THREE documents are required:
1. The 2-page 2023-24 Annual Residency Verification Affidavit.
2. A copy of your recent SDGE bill.
3. A copy of another service bill (Cable, Water, etc.) as described on the Affidavit in the "Category 2" box in the middle of the page.
Submission is done through your Aeries Parent Portal. Here is a tutorial on how to do it.
If you are unable to submit your documents via your Aeries Parent Portal, please feel free to submit paper copies or scanned copies to Vetha in the front office.
If you have more than one CURRENT SDUHSD student, you will list each of those students on the Affidavit and submit it to Vetha in the front office who will clear each student at each school.
** Please do not list your INCOMING current 6th grade student on this form. You will need to include an independent Residency Verification at the time you enroll your 6th grader for 7th grade later on. **
Deadline to submit your documents is March 17th. Course Selection at all schools for the 2023-24 school year will be compromised for those students who do not have the Residency Verification documents uploaded/turned in.
High School Selection
High School Selection for current 8th graders will take place between January 30th and February 17th. Please click on this link for information.
The following Press Release has been sent out:
Who should submit a high school selection during the window?
1. Students currently attending SDUHSD District schools:
Current Grade 8 - All SDUHSD 8th grade students currently residing in the district must select a high school that they wish to attend in the fall of 2023.
Current Grades 9-11 - SDUHSD students currently attending a district high school who wish to change high schools must also make a selection.
SDUHSD high school students who do not wish to change and will remain at their current high schools for fall 2023 do not need to make any selections during high school selection and will automatically be re-enrolled in their current school.
2. Students who reside within District boundaries but do not currently attend SDUHSD schools:
Current Grades 8-11 students who reside within SDUHSD boundaries but who do not currently attend SDUHSD schools, including private and Rancho Santa Fe schools, must make a selection if they plan to attend a SDUHSD high school in the fall of 2023.
Students must currently reside within SDUHSD district boundaries to participate in high school selection. Students are only eligible to attend an Academy school if their primary residence is within the district boundaries and they are actually residing in that residence prior to the close of the selection at 4:00 pm on February 17, 2023.
It is the intent of the Board of Trustees to provide equitable educational opportunities for all students of the district. In order to maintain an equitable balance in the enrollment at each campus, the Board of Trustees established attendance boundaries for each school in SDUHSD. Boundaries of school attendance areas in the district are as follows:
1. La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) shall include the boundaries of the Encinitas and Cardiff school districts and the area north of Escondido Creek in Rancho Santa Fe district.
2. Torrey Pines High School (TP) shall include the boundaries of the Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe School Districts, with the exception of the area north of Escondido Creek in the Rancho Santa Fe School District.
3. San Dieguito High School Academy (SDHSA) and Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) shall be open to all district residents in grades 9-12 on an equal basis through the high school selection administrative regulation approved by the Board of Trustees. To be eligible to attend SDHSA or CCA, a student must have selected the school during the established high school selection window process.
Parents and students seeking additional information about each high school are invited to attend the high school information nights as listed below:
La Costa Canyon - Tuesday, January 24, 2023 6:00 pm
Torrey Pines - Wednesday, February 2, 2023 6:00 pm (Virtual)
Parents and students are encouraged to follow SDUHSD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sduhsd and to check the SDUHSD website at: High School Selection for regular updates.
CCA Digital Information Night
Canyon Crest Academy invites our community to learn more about our school through our Digital Information Night which has been posted on our CCA website and/or by attending one of our many upcoming tours."
From the CCA Parent Foundation
The Canyon Crest Academy Foundation would like to extend an invitation to our district's middle school parents to attend our Spring Parent Happy Hour and our CCA Foundation Gala. We hope these events can assist parents in learning about the Canyon Crest Academy community as they consider their high school selection.
The Spring Parent Happy Hour is at 5:00 p.m. on February 8th at Pacific Social in Pacific Highlands Ranch, across from CCA. This LINK has more information and an RSVP form for the Happy Hour.
Our gala will be held on March 4th at CCA. Here is the Promo Video for the Gala.
Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE)
The window to apply for ISPE for the 2023-24 school year is February 13 through March 17, 2023.
Learn how to apply at this link.
There will be two VIRTUAL Parent Q&A Sessions: one on February 7th at 5:00 p.m. and the other one on February 22 at 5:00 p.m. You can find the meeting link in the application link above.
Notification of ISPE approval status from the District will be between March 27th and April 14th.
If you have questions, please contact ispe@sduhsd.net.
ASB and Student Announcements
Click here to see the latest version.
You can also check out the Students tab on our website and click the link entitled "Student Announcements" for a running post of each week's announcements.
From Attendance
Make good school attendance a habit in the new year!
From the PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
PTSA Membership
The PTMS Parent, Teacher & Student Association (PTSA) welcomes you to the 2022-2023 school year! As PTMS enters its seventh year, the PTSA continues to grow, supporting the families and staff by sponsoring a multitude of enriching activities and programs. We kindly ask for your support to continue this work.
The PTSA Membership fee is just $60 for two adults and one student. Please sign up here.
Order Your Yearbook Now
Student Safety Vehicle Permit
Job Opportunities - Bilingual Parent/Community Liaisons
San Dieguito UHSD has three openings for part-time Bilingual Parent/Community Liaisons, two positions are bilingual Spanish, and one is bilingual Mandarin. A Liaison facilitates communication with families on the behalf of the schools and district to create and maintain a partnership between home and school and create a greater understanding of educational procedures, issues, and concerns. For more information on locations, work hours, and to apply, please go to: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1702214.
Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
Residential U.S. households can order a set of four free at-home COVID-19 tests from USPS.com . Tests are limited to one order (four tests included) per residential address. Tests are also available at community testing sites, food banks, schools, and through Medicare.
Additionally, if you have private health insurance coverage, you are eligible for reimbursed on eight tests per month. Please contact your carrier for details.
Other
- PTMS Webstore - the PTMS store for PE clothes
- San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club - click the link to the left for 2022-23 athletic schedules.
- SDUHSD - The SDUHSD is currently recruiting to staff permanent and substitute classified positions (e.g. Instructional Assistant, Nutrition Services, Custodian, Secretarial/Clerical). Part-time and full-time positions are available. Substitutes can set their own availability. To view a list of openings and to apply, please click https://www.edjoin.org/sandieguito or you can call Susan Dixon at 760 753-6491 x5543.
