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.)

Wednesday, October 16 - Craft Activity in the Wellness Center - 11:40-1:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 17 - Make-Up Picture Day - only for students who were ABSENT for the last two Picture Days - students will be called out of class

Wednesday, October 23 - Therapy Dogs - Wellness Center - 11:40-1:00 p.m.

October 28-November 1 - Red Ribbon Week

Happy Friday Wolfpack families,

It's been a very full and wonderful week on campus with a lot of highlights! As promised, yours truly followed through and I am now sporting a mohawk since we reached our fundraising goal last month. I even dyed it blue and green, though it's mostly washed out. We also had a super fun Padre spirit day led by ASB on Tuesday!

In classrooms, our music students are preparing for the coffee concerts next week. I was treated to a performance of "Ode To Joy" by Mr. Johnson's guitar class, while Ms. Hynes and Ms. Wheeler's art students have been busy in the computer lab using photoshop to design their cereal boxes. Elsewhere, our 8th grade science students wrapped up their unit on evolution, and next week will begin the planets and outer space unit. In social studies classes, 7th graders are looking at the decline of feudalism and rise of democracy, while 8th graders are analyzing principles of the Declaration of Independence.

While many students have joined clubs as they explore their interests, our "No Place for Hate" club led by Ms. Twyman and Ms. Threatt held their first meeting that includes thirty students across both grades. They will facilitate a pledge signing as well as three activities throughout the year that bring students together, foster understanding, and help bridge perceived differences.

Last night's school dance, led by ASB, was a smash as 438 students gathered, went through the haunted house, played games, enjoyed the photo booth, and danced. Thank you to the parent volunteers for their help! For the first time at Pacific Trails, PTSA put on a parent social gathering while the dance was happening. Over dinner that PTSA provided, It allowed parents to come together, get to know each other, talk about topics related to raising middle schoolers, and most importantly, build community. I really appreciate our PTSA for making this happen, and look forward to doing the same at future dances.

As we enter the weekend, I hope that we can collectively cheer on the Padres to a win tonight. For those who observe Yom Kippur, I wish to say "Shana Tova."

Have a wonderful weekend, and we will see your student on Monday.

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!

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. This is a time to promote prevention efforts and the help that is available in our community. Below are resources on how to talk with your child about substance use and where to get help in our community.

• SAMHSA's substance use prevention campaign, “Talk. They Hear You”

(https://www.samhsa.gov/talk-they-hear-you) - helps parents and caregivers start talking to children about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs. Here are tips for having this difficult conversation with your child. Parents can also download an interactive app that supports starting conversations and practice. Here’s a short video to learn more about the app.

• Partnership to end addiction (https://drugfree.org/prevention-and-taking-action-early/) - provides science and research supported information to help in conversations about drug and alcohol use.

Five Tips for Talking with Your Teen about Drugs & Substances

If you or a loved one is struggling, we want to remind you of Care Solace, a complimentary service available to the San Dieguito Union High School District community. To find a substance use or mental health care provider who will help you through your challenges, contact Care Solace at 888-515-0595 or www.caresolace.com/sduhsdfamilies.

Red Ribbon Week will be October 28 - November 1 and will consist of positive messaging and activities to help encourage students to live a drug-free life. More information coming soon!

Our Wellness Center is still looking for wool/yarn for crocheting and crafts. If you have any spare please leave donations at the front office. Thank you!

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

Carsen Anderson, 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,

A sincere thank you to all the parents and guardians who attended our first social meeting in the MPR during the Fall Dance! It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and meet new families as well. The atmosphere was filled with laughter, fun, and a shared sense of community while enjoying some delicious pizza together.

We are thrilled to hear that so many of you had a great time, and we can’t wait to do it again! Stay tuned for our next social gathering – we have more exciting events planned that you won’t want to miss.

Your involvement and support are what make PTMS a fantastic place for our students. If you have any ideas for future events or topics, feel free to reach out. We love hearing from you!

Thank you again, and let’s keep the momentum going as we continue to build a strong community at Pacific Trails Middle School!

Happy Friday!

The PTSA Team

~ PTSA Website

The annual PTMS Halloween Costume Contest will be held during both lunches on Thu, October, 31! Please review the following "Dos" (things you can/should do) and "Boos" (things that are not allowed) with your student.

Dos: follow PTMS dress code, can include props (holding things), be creative!

Boos: anything simulating a weapon, full face masks, full face paint, anything covering the face, anything violent or suggestive in nature, anything that suggests racial attitudes that reinforce stereotypes about, mock or mischaracterize a culture, group of persons, an individual person or a religion, fictionalized stereotypes that marginalize any one culture, or anything else that would not normally be allowed at school

If you are unsure, please speak to the administration. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.

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.

Students who were absent on the past two Picture Days will be called out of one of their first two periods of the day to have their picture taken.

This is NOT an opportunity to RE-TAKE a picture that you are not happy with from one of the first two picture days. If you want to RE-TAKE a picture, you will need to contact Gerardy Studios in Escondido where you will set up an appointment and travel there for the re-take. Contact information below.

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!

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.

Each student is entitled to ONE BREAKFAST and ONE LUNCH 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 .

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

All parents and guardians are invited to attend the next PTMS ELAC Committee Meeting on Thursday, October 17, 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:

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 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.

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.

INTEGIRLS

We are the San Diego chapter of inteGIRLS, an award-winning global nonprofit founded to empower girls in STEM through inclusive and fun math contests. On December 8th, 2024, we’ll be hosting our annual winter math competition (location TBD). We are providing free lunch for all attendees. It is free to sign up (though a $10 donation is recommended), and the deadline is December 3rd for registrations. The link to sign up is bit.ly/integirlsspring2024.

Registration is free and open to all female and non-binary students who are comfortable being grouped with women. Students may compete in teams of up to 4, in either the Middle School or High School division. Those without a full team can sign up individually and will be given the option to be grouped with other competitors.

The contest will consist of collaborative and individual rounds (Team, Relay, Individual). It is designed to be accessible to beginners and engaging for more practiced competitors, so we encourage individuals of all experience levels to compete. We will also be inviting Po Shen Loh, famous mathematician and the coach of the USA International Math Olympiad team, to speak with us. Competitors will all receive free merchandise, raffle tickets, and the chance to win exclusive gift prizes!

Registration and further details on contest format are available on our website: sandiego.integirls.org/events/contests.

EVA Conservatory

CCA's EVA Conservatory would like to invite the students of PTMS/CVMS to participate in an afterschool Art Camp. We are offering FREE camps of Gelli Printmaking (November 12,13,14) and Soft Sculpture Creatures (November 19,20,21) from 3:50-5:30. Each camp is 3 consecutive days long to complete the designated project and will be held in M206/M207 at CCA. EVA Conservatory students will be paired up as Art Mentors with the middle school students and this collaboration is overseen by art teachers Jessi Mortensen, Holly Vermilea, Cecily Wheeler, and Mary Hynes. Students can sign up for one or both camps and participation is limited to 40 students each week. We are looking forward to sharing some of the art and atmosphere the CCA Art Dept has to offer! Please reach out if you have any questions.

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.

CAMPUS TOURS

~ 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