I. Coming Up (calendar items in the coming week or so)

II. Message from the Principal

III. Message from the Assistant Principal

• From the Attendance Office

IV. Counseling Corner

• Information on Wellness and Suicide Prevention
  

V. From the PTSA

VI. ASB and Student Announcements

VII. Shout Out Marquee Tiles Now Available!

VIII. Department News

• Learning Commons
• PE
• Science
• Yearbook
  

IX. Clubs (periodic information on extracurricular school activities)

X. Nutrition Services

XI. Multilingual Corner (includes information on ELAC other community resources)

XII. Ethic Studies Engagement Plan - 2024-25

XIII. Special Education Sessions and Events (parenting classes, family events, informational sessions)

XIV. San Dieguito Union High School District Job Opportunities

XV. Community Events (opportunities/events involving the district and its schools)

XVI. Other Important Items (links to the PTMS Family Handbook, Boys & Girls Club, Webstore, etc.)

Monday, September 30 thru Thursday, October 10 at 3:15p - Dance Ticket Sales - student must have this contract signed by a parent to purchase a ticket - $5/ea

Tuesday, October 8 - Picture Day for PE Periods 1, 3 and 5

Thursday, October 10 - Fall Fright Night Dance - Quad - 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Good afternoon Wolfpack families,

There is a lot of excitement on campus this week! Perhaps it's because we have a school dance next week, or because the Padres had two great wins this week and are preparing to play the Dodgers. Either way, it's been a full and fun week!

In classrooms, our 7th grade history classes are studying the Roman Catholic Church, while 8th grade history classes are looking at factors leading up to the American Revolution. Our 8th grade science classes are wrapping up their evolution unit and teachers introduced a project in which students can research a topic of their choosing.

Our ASB students have been busy this week selling tickets to next week's school dance. For the first time ever, we are also offering an opportunity for parents to gather in our MPR to be social and build community. If you are interested, you can RSVP by clicking the link in the "PTSA section" of the newsletter.

Though a lot of great learning happened in the classroom, behaviorally, it was not the best week on campus. Unfortunately, we had to close a few of the boys bathrooms due to vandalism. Some students were throwing water and soap on the floor, damaging the facilities, and in general, mistreating the space. While we continue to supervise our campus, I would ask that you reinforce behavioral expectations with your student, especially shared spaces. It really makes no sense to me why people would mistreat public spaces like restrooms.

As you've heard me say before, safety is our number one priority at PTMS. To that end, our staff successfully distributed numerous bike tags this week and we will begin enforcing this next week. Should you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Hake, Assistant Principal.

Another element of safety includes drop off and pick up. I know that drop off in the morning gets busy, particularly from 7:55 - 8:10 AM. Please remember to only drop off on the curb closest to the school. Do not let your child out of your car in the second or third lane. Additionally, the staff lot is not to be used for student drop off or pick up. I'd really appreciate your support if we can all follow these guidelines.

Finally, after a week of students voting, the green and blue mohawk was the winner! Now comes the fun part! If you are a hair stylist and can dye hair and or cut hair, please email me directly. I would love your help if this is a skill set that you have, and am hoping to get this done soon.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend, go Padres, and we will see your student on Monday.

In gratitude,

Scott Wild Ed.D

Principal

Be sure you contact Attendance (858.509.1000, x4909 or PTAttendance@sduhsd.net) if your student misses or is going to miss any class time.

For more attendance information, please see the PTMS Family Handbook posted on the homepage of our website, or you can refer directly to the Attendance Page. If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Attendance Secretary, Elizabeth Williams, at (858) 500-1000 ext. 4609. Thank you!

Please have your student check the Lost & Found, or you can take a look for yourself out in front of the school. Items not claimed will be donated to charity next Tuesday.

Next Friday, October 11, marks the end of 1st Quarter. This is the halfway mark in the first semester. All students will receive a 1st quarter progress report grade for each of their classes with the exception of Homeroom. Instructions regarding when and how to access these grades will be shared in next week’s update. This is a progress report, not a semester grade. The progress report is the school’s way of giving you a ‘heads up’ about how well your child is doing so far. Now is a great time to check in with your child and look at their Google Classrooms and Aeries accounts together to check if there are any recent missing assignments. A single missed assignment can have a huge impact. However- all is not lost! This really is a ‘heads up’. Teachers may allow the student to catch up late or missed work for either full or reduced points depending on the late work policy outlined in their syllabus. In either case, please make sure your child takes this opportunity. Any points are good points! One other thing to note is that points are cumulative for the first semester term grade. Earning 5/10 pts for a late or missed assignment might not sound much, but that is 5 points that the student is not missing later. All of our wolves have been working so hard and there is a lot to celebrate as we wrap up this first quarter!

Some of our 7th Graders have been enjoying crocheting in the Wellness Center during lunch break. If you have any balls of yarn you no longer need (even half balls) we would love to use them! Please drop any donations off at the front desk or have your student bring them to the Wellness Center.

Thank you.

Lisa Curry, Counselor (A-Ll) lisa.curry@sduhsd.net

Carsen Murt, Counselor (Lo-Z and EL Students) carsen.anderson@sduhsd.net

Samantha Eels-Taylor, Student Support Facilitator samantha.eelstaylor@sduhsd.net

Please click here for complete SDUHSD Grading Information which includes a Parent Tutorial on accessing grades in Aeries.

Mental Health & Wellness Resources for Students, Staff, and School Community.

Click on the QR code to discover your PTMS Support Staff.

Dear PTMS Families,

We are excited about the first dance of the year for our students: Fall Fright Night! on Thursday, October 10th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for an evening filled with fun, music, and festivities. Let’s make it a night to remember! ($5 tickets on sale at the front office, don't forget to fill the mandatory dance contract) If you’re interested in lending a hand, please sign up here: Volunteer Sign Up.

Parents, don’t miss out! We invite you to our first Social Meeting also on Thursday, October 10th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the MPR (Multi-Purpose Room). It will be a great opportunity to connect with other families while enjoying some delicious pizza. This is a free event organized by the PTSA. To help us with planning, please register here: Register Here. Please note there will be no interaction with the students' event, we will respect their privacy and enjoy spending some time with other families!

On another note, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our generous donors. Incentives for our Silver (envelope), Gold, and Platinum (bag) donors were sent home with your student yesterday. Thank you for your support—it truly makes a difference!

Wishing you all a happy Friday and a fantastic weekend ahead!

Warm Regards,

PTSA - Pacific Trails Middle School

~ PTSA Website

Make-Up Picture Day is the morning of Thursday, October 17. Students who were absent for either Picture Day will receive passes from one of their first two classes to report to the MPR to get their picture taken.

You can check them out on the Students tab of our website under "Student Announcements" for a running post of each week's student announcements.

Is your student having a birthday? Or just accomplished a great sporting feat? Maybe your student aced a recent test. Well, here's your chance to send a "Shout Out!"! Your $25 purchase of a Shout Out Marquee Tile will have your Shout Out projected on the marquee that is mounted on the gym wall facing the parking lot for five business days beginning the day after you place your order. Proceeds will help ASB with scholarships for students for getting dance tickets, PE clothes, Disney tickets, and more. You can order your Shout Out marquee tile on our webstore. Type in what you want to say when you order. Careful, your note is limited to 100 characters.

Please click here to see everything that the Learning Commons has been up to so far this year.

Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.

Order your PE clothes here.

Pre-order your Yearbook here. Don't delay! Order your 2024-25 Yearbook TODAY!

The yearbook staff wants to provide an opportunity for parents to submit photos that you've taken of your student or the PTMS team throughout the season. If you are interested in submitting photos, please attach them through this google form. Any photos you are willing to share are much appreciated, and the yearbook students will do their best to potentially include them in the 2024-2025 yearbook!

We are excited to announce the start of our **Garden Club**, a special opportunity for middle school students to connect with nature and learn the joys of gardening. Our Garden Club is also a certified **Monarch Butterfly Waystation**, which means we’re helping to protect the monarch butterfly population by planting pollinator-friendly flowers and vegetables.

The club will meet **every other Monday after school** from **2:45 PM to 3:30 PM**, starting October, 7, 2024. This is a **free** program designed to give students hands-on gardening experience, while also providing a space to socialize and enjoy the outdoors.

Please have your student visit the Garden Club table at the club fair this Friday. We look forward to seeing your child participate and grow with us in the garden!

Mrs. Memar and Ms, Nava

Garden Club Advisors

What is No Place for Hate?

"No Place for Hate® is an organizing framework and Anti-defamation league (ADL) partnership with K-12 schools. Our initiative is a holistic, school-wide approach to improving school climate that amplifies students’ voices in creating the school they want and leverages the wisdom of teachers, administrators and family members to achieve their school climate goals! The framework can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your school and build upon the work you are already doing. Participating schools incorporate ADL’s anti-bias and bullying prevention resources with their existing programming to form one powerful message that all students have a place to belong."

Advisors, Mrs. Threatt (Kristen.Threatt@sduhsd.net) and Mrs. Memar (Parnak.Memar@sduhsd.net) are currently organizing a student committee. If your student is interested in being part of this committee, please have them contact one of the above Advisors.

Science Bowl (https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb) is a buzzer-based national competition where teams of students from different schools compete in head-to-head science competitions with questions in math, biology, the physical sciences, Earth/Space, Energy, and general science. Students will compete in a regional competition in late February, and will compete in the national round if they win.

PTMS Science Bowl Club that is sponsored by Mrs. Griffen and will be coached by CCA students. Weekly meeting will be held on Tuesdays 3:45-4:45pm in the PTMS Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) Starting September 24th, 2024. Please register using this link: https://forms.gle/GSpar7iUqkxcEmXU9

Posted on the Activities Page of our website, you can see all the various Clubs now being offered to all students who would like to join (and it continues to grow!) If your student would like to join one of the listed clubs, all they need to do is talk to the Advisor named with the club.

~ Club activity will be posted here throughout the year. To get a list of all Clubs currently active, please check the Activities page on our website.

We would like to express our gratitude for Dr. Wild, Dr. Hake, Mr. Lamarr, Mr. Louis and Mr. Don for the help they provide during the lunch rush hours. They are truly amazing and without their help we will not be able to provide a quality service to all students. Also, We would like to remind everyone that lunch line expectations are the same outside and inside the kitchen and we challenge all students to practice them.

FRIENDLY REMINDER

Each student is entitled to ONE BREAKFAST and ONE LUCH per day.

You can either receive Breakfast before School OR during Nutritional Break.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, PTMS is hiring for food service workers . Click on the links for more information.

If you need to check our menu in advance, click here.

All parents and guardians are invited to attend the next PTMS ELAC Committee Meeting on Monday, October 7, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Learning Commons. We will share information about current programs and supports for ML students, reclassification, and the needs of ML students at PTMS. Light refreshments will be served. If you have questions, please contact andrea.grillot@SDUHSD.net. To translate this flyer, open the link and right click to see translation options.

SDUHSD invites you to get involved in the Ethnic Studies Engagement Plan 2024-25. The district has developed an Ethnic Studies Engagement plan which will become a graduation requirement for high schoolers in a few years. For more information, including opportunities for involvement in the engagement process, please visit the Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirements webpage.

Community Engagement Meeting Dates:

10/8 - 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm @ Earl Warren Middle School

11/7 - 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm @ Earl Warren Middle School

For a list of Special Education Informational Sessions and Family Events, please click here.

SDUHSD is seeking individuals who want to make a difference in children’s lives as a classified staff member. Current job opportunities include Nutrition Services Assistant, Instructional Assistant, Campus Supervisor, Custodian, and Student Health Care Specialists. We have both full and part time positions at campuses throughout the school district. The District offers great benefits, including paid time off and health and retirement benefits for eligible positions.

Our job opportunities can be viewed here. If you have questions, please contact us at classifiedpersonnel@sduhsd.net.

To apply to be a Bus Driver Trainee, click the link below.

High school students from Canyon Crest Academy and others across the US are hosting free online coding camps for middle school students. They offer Introductory Python, Intermediate Python, Introductory Machine Learning, and Project-Based Machine Learning with more programs planned, and their past programs have achieved 800+ enrollments throughout the country with dozens of positive reviews. These programs usually meet bi/tri-weekly for two to three weeks for one-hour classes. More information on dates can be found on their flyer and their website, and the enrollment form is linked here.

See below for information about TEAMS.

~ Activities at our sister schools or district-sponsored events will be posted here.

- Boys & Girls Club - Seasonal sports information/registration.

- PTMS Family Handbook. - PTMS Cell Phone Policy

- PTMS Live Calendar of Campus Events and 2024-25 Instructional Calendar.

- PTMS Webstore

- PTMS Yearbook. - Order today!

- San Dieguito Alliance for a Drug-Free Youth - complete the Parent Pledge here.

- San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club - click the link to the left for 2023-24 athletic schedules.

This newsletter has also been posted to our website under "Parent Communications."

Deadlines to submit articles for publication are Thursdays.

Email: vetha.pierce@sduhsd.net
Website: pt.sduhsd.net
Location: 5975 Village Center Loop Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: 858.509.1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pacifictrailsmiddleschool