PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter

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
  
• Annual Residency Verification
• High School Selection

V. From the PTSA

VI. ASB and Student Announcements

VII. Department News

• Learning Commons
• PE
• Science
• Yearbook
  

VIII. Clubs (periodic information on extracurricular school activities)

IX. Nutrition Services

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

XI. Ethic Studies Engagement Plan - 2024-25

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

XIII. San Dieguito Union High School District Job Opportunities

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

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

January 13 - March 17 - Annual Residency Verification Window for CURRENT 7th-11th grade SDUHSD Students.

January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - NO SCHOOL

January 21 - Block 1, 3, 5 Day - as usual

January 24-February 14 - High School Selection Window

February 13 - Night in New York Winter Dance - Ticket sales begin February 3rd - Parent Permission Slip Required.

Wolfpack families,

Happy Friday. As Monday began with rain, we are closing out Friday and the last day of January with beautiful sunshine. Around campus, it was a very active week. Our lunch league, led by Coach Olson, began soccer this week. It was great seeing all of our students compete, have good sportsmanship, and most importantly, have fun. On Tuesday, over 90 students took the AMC math test, while on Thursday, our PTMS field hockey teams battled it out. Good news, PTMS won! Today, our ASB decorated the campus in red as part of our Lunar New Year celebration. They led activities during both lunches and handed out mandarins.

Today, PTSA and I hosted our Principal's Coffee. This features three of our high school principals, Mr. Kileen from CCA, Mr. Coppo from TPHS, and Mr. Ayala from Sunset. We had a great turn out as parents heard about the similarities and differences between the schools, and know that no matter which high school you and your student select, they will have wonderful educational opportunities. If you have not completed your high school selection, please do so.

A reminder that Monday is a late start so that teachers and staff can continue engaging in professional development. Until then, have a wonderful weekend.

In gratitude,

Scott Wild, Ed.D.

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!

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

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

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

Annual Residency Verification is for CURRENT 7th thru 11th grade SDUHSD students ONLY - not for new incoming students. Click here for information and instructions on how to submit. It is encouraged that parents upload this information via the Aeries Parent Portal. If you are UNABLE to upload through Aeries, we will accept hard copies in the office.

If you have more than one 7th thru 11th grader in the district, you only need to submit ONE form with each of their names on that form to ONE school.

• Annual Residency Verification

• Aeries Parent Portal Uploading Tutorial - This tutorial is designed to walk parents through the process of uploading residency documentation using their parent portal.

If you have a current student AND an incoming student who will be in 7th grade next year - you must submit a separate Residency Verification for the incoming student with the other online enrollment forms you complete for the incoming student.

The window for 8th graders to select - online - the high school they would like to attend for the 2025-26 school year opens on January 24, 2025 and closes on February 13, 2025. Students who do NOT choose to select a high school will automatically go to Torrey Pines High School - the natural feeder high school from PTMS. To keep an eye on High School Selection, please refer to this district webpage.

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.

~ PTSA Website

The ASB Student Store is open and is currently offering felt tip pens, roller pens, erasers, and mechanical pencils for sale. Students can purchase these items directly with Vetha in the front office, or they can be ordered from our online webstore. Additional items may be added later.

Shout Outs (marquee tiles) can now be purchased for 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, or 5-day runs. At $5 per day, you choose the start and stop dates along with your personalized message.

Valentine's Day is coming! A perfect time to Shout Out your love for your little darlin'!

Click here to order your Shout Out and remember that proceeds for the purchase of Shout Outs help ASB pay scholarships for various student needs.

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.

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!

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.

I want to recognize one of our 8th graders Cole Hamilton for showing respect and kindness to all of his classmates during lunch!

Also, we are excited to start using compostable containers for the salads, paper bags for the pizzas as an effort to reduce waste and improve our sustainability. Not only that, but we also have different trash cans for that purpose. In order for this program to be successful we all have to do our part!

To view our menu, please click here.

To see the agenda, click here.

UC San Diego's FREE annual Comienza con un Sueño 2025 conference brings together 6th-11th grade students, families & educators for a day of culture, community and knowledge. Offering bilingual workshops on college systems, admissions & financial aid, bringing together college & community resources & providing a one of a kind STEM fair!

To register, click here.

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.

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

SDUHSD middle school students enrolled in an Essentials Level math class may participate in an SDUHSD Math Bridge opportunity to determine course enrollment in math for the following school year. There are two ways for students to participate in a math bridge opportunity to move from Essentials to grade-level math: 1) enrollment in an in-person summer school course or 2) participation in the Concurrent School Year Bridge Opportunity. For more information on the Summer School Math Bridge Opportunity, please click here. Students interested in participating in the Concurrent School Year Bridge Opportunity can learn more, and register, by accessing the attached information. If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact your child's school site team.

Campus tours meet at 3:45 p.m. near the flagpole outside the CCA Administration Building. School staff and students will lead the tours and give you an insider's view about being a Raven. Parents and prospective students are welcome.

To view the slide decks from CCA's Information Night Presentations on January 22nd, please click here.

~ 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.

- "Shout Out" Marquee Tile - 5-day stretch for $25 - Say something special about your child!

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