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.

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

March 10-14 - Wellness Week

• March 10 - Mindful Monday
• PJ Dress-Up Day
• Pi Day through math classes
• ASB Lunch snack - cuties
• March 11 - Tropical Tuesday
• Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses and hats Dress-Up Day
• Counselors' Coping Skills Workshop during both homerooms in the Wellness Center
• ASB Lunch snack - fruit snacks
• March 12 - Wacky Wednesday
• Crazy hair/mismatch Dress-Up Day
• Therapy Dogs during both lunches in the Wellness Center
• ASB Lunch snack - granola bars
• March 13 - Throwback Thursday
• Anything Retro Dress-Up Day
• Craft Activity during both lunches in the Wellness Center
• ASB Lunch snack - yogurt
• March 14 - Feel Good Friday
• Bright and Bold Dress-Up Day
• DJ Eric during both lunches in the quad
• ASB Lunch snack - apples and ice cream

Happy Friday Wolfpack families,

I hope you all are well and had a great week. Classrooms continue to engage in great learning! Robots are being built and drones are flying in STEAM class, our music classes are getting ready for a big festival in Orange County in a few weeks, and 8th grade science conducted labs on electromagnetic fields. All the while, students are clearly seeing the finish line of the school year, and thinking about next year. I'm seeing 8th graders with new CCA and TPHS sweatshirts, and I know that many are excited about the next chapter. It'll be here before you know it.

Yesterday, we held a lockdown drill, and as I mentioned in my message home, it was done when students were on a break, specifically nutrition break. This opportunity gave our site some great feedback about what we are doing well in preparing students, and how we can improve. I've gotten helpful feedback from staff, students and a few parents already, and I will continue to work with our staff to refine practices and systems.

Next week there are so many great activities for students to learn and engage in school.

Pi Day on Monday:

Our math team kicks off the fun on Monday with Pi Day. Pi Day is typically celebrated on March 14, but we will have it Monday due to our bell schedule. We have a number of parents volunteering, and if you want, you too can volunteer to help.

Wellness Week:

Our counseling team will facilitate a number of activities at lunch to promote total health and wellness including a coping skills workshop on Tuesday, therapy dogs on Wednesday, craft activity on Thursday, and a Q&A panel with Torrey Pines HS students on Friday.

Coffee Concerts:

Our guitar, orchestra, and band classes will hold coffee concerts next Wednesday and Thursday during the school day. If your child is in one of these classes, please plan on attending. It is always a wonderful event.

Spring Sports tryouts:

Boys & Girls club will hold tryouts next week for a variety of sports. Click here for more information.

I want to provide you with a few district resources that focus on supporting all students. The first is a resource for immigrant families, while the second provides numerous social/emotional resources.

Finally, remember that this weekend is Daylight Savings Time in which we "spring ahead" and lose an hour.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend, and that your student returns Monday well rested and ready for a great week of learning.

In gratitude,

Scott Wild, Ed.D.

Principal

This year, students will be participating in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). All students will take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English Language Arts/literacy and Mathematics. In addition, eighth grade students will take the California Science Test (CAST). Additional information can be found by clicking on the link HERE.

PTMS Testing Schedule:

• California Science Test (CAST) in 8th Grade Science classes (March 17-21)

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA in English classes (April 7-11)

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for Math in Math classes (April 14-18)

Students will NOT be able to use wireless headphones. Students should bring their own WIRED headphones or earbuds if they have them. As always, students should bring their charged Chromebook and charger.

If you have questions please email Lisa Graciano (lisa.graciano@sduhsd.net).

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!

PTMS Wellness Week begins this Monday, March 10th. We have lots of activities lined up designed to help our students de-stress. The Therapy Dogs will be visiting us plus students are encouraged to sign up for a clay pot making activity in the Wellness Center. There will be quizzes, games and spirit dress up days and our week will end with the PALs class from Torrey Pines High School delivering a meaningful presentation on looking after our Mental Health. We hope all our Wolves have an enjoyable week.

Mrs. Curry and Mrs. Anderson will be leading a coping skills workshop on Tuesday during 7th and 8th grade homeroom. Counselors will be focusing on different coping strategies and all participants will receive a guide to improve your mood, mindset, and mental health. If your student would like to attend, please have them sign up using their school Google account here.

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.

On March 10th, PTMS will celebrate the international Math Pi Day. We need many parent volunteers to make this event a success. For more information and to sign up, click here:

~ 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.

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

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.

Python Programming

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.

Cheer Conditioning and Skills Clinic

~ 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