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 24-February 14 - High School Selection Window

February 10 - March 14, 4:00 p.m. - ISPE Application Window - current ISPE students must re-apply

February 17-18 - President's Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL

February 19 - Single Period Day - 8:10-2:40 p.m.

February 20-21 - Block Day schedule as usual

February 20 - Night in New York Winter Dance - Ticket sales are in the office from 7:30-3:15 daily and in the quad (during lunch only) - Parent Permission Slip Required.

February 21 - Spring Club Fair - 11:40-1:00 p.m. (during lunches)

February 24 - March 8 - 8th Grade Disneyland Good Behavior Trip Ticket Sales - $200/ea - Parent Permission and Student ID required to purchase.

Wolfpack families,

Happy Friday! The rain finally cleared today allowing our students to be outside for nutrition break and lunch. The students were glad we could open up the basketball courts at lunch as well so they could get back to playing their daily games. Around campus, a lot of learning continued. In 8th grade English, students are beginning their literature circles. This involves selecting a text, reading, and annotating for vocabulary, key concepts and imagery. Additionally, they are in a small group of classmates reading the same book which allows them to discuss the themes and make greater meaning. Students really enjoy the experience, and I love watching them engage in the process. In science class, our 8th graders did a fun two-part lab making balloon cars as part of their unit of study of Newton's laws.

There was a lot of joy spread throughout the week in honor of Valentine's Day. On Wednesday, our Yearbook students delivered roses and notes to each staff member across PTMS. It was so sweet, and we thank Ms. Hogelucht and her students for their kindness. Today, Ms. Main and the ASB students delivered a Valentine to each and every student in their homeroom class, another gesture of care. I'm really grateful for these two classes and how they positively influence school culture. If your child is in Yearbook or ASB, please mention to them that their actions are making a difference on campus.

The dance scheduled for this week was rained out, so we will postpone it to next Thursday, February 20th, from 5-7 pm. Remember that there is a free parent gathering at the same time in our MPR and we will provide dinner. So come hang out, get to know other parents, and if nothing else, you can have a free dinner and not have to wash the dishes for an evening!

I hope you and your family enjoy the long weekend, and we look forward to seeing the students return on Wednesday at 8:10 am.

In gratitude,

Scott Wild, Ed.D.

Principal

Students who qualify for ISPE can apply from February 10th through March 14th at the below district link.

If your student has ISPE this year and would like to participate again next year for the 2025-2026 school year, you MUST RE-APPLY during the application window. Please click on this district link for complete details.

Virtual Parent/Student Q&A Session is on Wednesday, February 19th, 5:00-6:00 p.m. Meeting link - http://meet.google.com/tjy-yrnj-dde

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!

D/F Notification: Grades are available for parents and students to view online via Aeries. To view grades, access your Aeries account and select the “Grades” tab, then click on “Grades”. Only students earning a D and/or F will have a 3rd Quarter D/F notification posted. To view your student’s current progress and any assignment test scores, click on “Gradebook”.

We hope you and your family have a relaxing long weekend!

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.

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.

Are you ready to take the lead and make a difference at PTMS? We’re on the lookout for a passionate individual to step into the role of PTSA President! This is your chance to bring fresh ideas, rally the community, and help shape our school’s future.

If you’ve got a vision, a love for teamwork, and a sprinkle of enthusiasm, we want to hear from you! Don’t worry if you’re new to this, support and guidance are just around the corner.

Ready to take the plunge? Join us in making PTMS the best it can be!

We are also looking for : a financial secretary, a financial reviewer (auditor), VP Fundraising, Chair Membership, Chair Volunteer, Local Businesses and Community Coordinator, Chair Hospitality, Chair reflection program.

For more information, reach out to us at president@pacifictrailsmsptsa.org

Upcoming Events

We are excited to share some upcoming events that you won't want to miss! Please note that due to the weather, the student dance/parent gathering date has changed!!

1. 2nd PTMS Free Social Meeting for the Parents
We’re thrilled to announce our second PTMS Free Social Meeting for parents and guardians! Join us on February 20th from 5 PM to 7 PM in the PTMS Multi-Purpose Room (MPR), instead of February 13th as originally planned. Please RSVP HERE

At the same time as the parent meeting, students will enjoy the Winter Dance. Tickets for the student dance are still available through ASB, but we are in need of parent volunteers to help ensure everything runs smoothly on this new date. If you can help, please sign up or modify your existing sign-up HERE

2. Pi Day Celebration
On Monday, March 10th, students will celebrate Pi Day throughout the day during their math classes. They will have the opportunity to visit a variety of Pi-related booths, and upon completing the entire tour, they will be treated to delicious pie offered by the PTSA. If you would like to assist and help with this event, please sign up HERE

Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to seeing you at these events.

Warm regards,
The PTMS PTSA Team

~ PTSA Website

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.

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.

Our February Menu is here.

To view our menu, please click here.

PIQE (Parent Institute for Quality Education) is hosting a series of workshops to empower families with supporting their student's educational journey. Workshops cover topics such as college preparation, tools and resources, working with school staff and more. The workshops are Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30 pm at Carmel Valley Middle School (3800 Mykonos Lane).

For more information, contact Jesus Ortiz, Associate Director, at facilitatosd2@piqe.org or 760-994-6017

Thank you to all the parents that attended our ELAC meeting on 2/6/25. If you were not able to attend, here is the 2/6 ELAC slide presentation with information on important upcoming dates and school information and ELPAC information. We also looked at data and discussed the needs of ML students and gathered input from families on ways to support our ML students. If you would like to give your input or have questions, please email andrea.grillot@sduhsd.net

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.

Are you going to be a Falcon at TPHS next year? Do you want to be involved in student leadership and join our TPHS ASB program?

If yes, here are all the details:

- Applications are available on the TPHS ASB website and outside the ASB room on campus starting Monday, March 3 @ 8:30 am

- Applications are due without exception in hard copy format (no electronic applications) on Tuesday, March 11 @ 2:00 pm

- Applications can be turned in at the administration office or to the ASB room before or after school

We can't wait to meet you all! Good luck!

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.

~ 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