PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
January 27, 2023
Coming Up
January 17-March 17 - Residency Verification REQUIRED for all CURRENT 7th thru 11th grade students in the San Dieguito District - Please upload your documents to your Aeries account.
January 30-February 3 - Scholastic Book Faire in the Learning Commons - click here for information.
January 30-February 17 - High School Selection
January 30 - Late Start Day
January 30 - Winter STAR Reading Testing in English Classes
February 3 - PTSA General Meeting/Principal's Coffee w/High School Principals - 8:45-10:00 a.m. in the Learning Commons
February 3 - Trailblazers Awards - 12:05-12:40 p.m.
February 13-March 17 - Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE)
Principal's Message
PTMS Families,
Happy Friday. What an absolutely gorgeous day! I hope you have had some time to be outside and enjoy the weather over the past few days. As you know, Ms. Freeman and I are outside with the students before school, after school, during nutrition break and at lunch. It's a chance for us to observe, check in, and connect with students. This week I have noticed how good our students are. They are happily connecting with each other, playing well together, picking up their trash, and having fun. Cell phones are away allowing space for students to connect. We are definitely in flow. This week and next, Ms. Freeman is having check-ins with groups of homerooms about good behavior and reminding them of school-wide expectations. These positive reminders and boundaries will help set our students up for a good spring term.
On Tuesday we had our PTMS spelling bee in the MPR. Thank you to Mr. Copeland, Mrs. Thomson, and the other staff who helped organize and facilitate. We had about forty students participate. That, in of itself, is a risk - to stand in front of others and spell some really challenging words. I want to congratulate all of the participants - you did a great job!
Thank you to Ms. Main and our ASB students for leading our Lunar New Year activities this week. This was new to our campus this year, and they did a great job.
A reminder that next Friday is our Principal's Coffee in which the Principals from Canyon Crest Academy, Torrey Pines HS, and Sunset will be in attendance to share information about their schools and answer your questions. We will begin at 8:45 a.m. in the Learning Commons with a few brief words from our PTSA President Amy Wilson, and then the principals will have time to speak with you. Please plan on arriving a little early so everyone can get checked-in at Vetha's desk in the Administration Building (don't forget your ID's!) We look forward to seeing you then.
Have a wonderful weekend, and see you Monday.
Assistant Principal's Message
Winter STAR Testing
This year all students will participate in the Renaissance Star Reading and Star Math academic universal screening tests to measure student’s learning and growth over the school year. The Star tests help our schools and teachers evaluate student performance and progress over time in order to provide the necessary student support.
Star Reading and Star Math are both short (30 minute), low stakes, computer adaptive, academic assessments. Star assessments help teachers better understand what students know and can do in the areas of reading and math. As a student takes the test, the software selects items based on the student’s responses. If the student answers correctly, the next item will be more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the next item will be less difficult. By adjusting the difficulty of the items based on a student's responses, the assessment is an accurate way to help teachers identify what skills students are ready to learn. Teachers use this information to guide their instruction.
Scores will be posted by the district in Aeries once they are available.
Winter STAR Testing Dates
STAR Reading: January 30th in English classes
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Kathryn Freeman
Are you a parent/guardian of a student currently on an IEP?
Coastal Community Connections Collaborative (4C)
We are excited to announce the first meeting of the Coastal Community Connections Collaborative ("4C") on February 6, 2023 at 9:30am (see attached flier). This group will be meeting at Fletcher Cove to connect and socialize with one another. Our hope is to help facilitate further opportunities to bring together families and their children within our community; the opportunities are endless and this is just a first step. We need your help making this exactly what you need and want it to be, so please join us.
Please RSVP if you can.
SDUHSD Special Education Parent Resources Website
Click HERE to access the district resource website. Guardians can find newsletters, important documents, calendar of upcoming events, transition/college resources, community resources and more.
Counseling Update
On Monday, counselors met with our 8th grade Wolves for a presentation titled “Getting Ready for High School”. This presentation covered important topics such as high school information nights, the high school selection process, a brief overview of the differences between each school, college and career readiness, and how students can best prepare for high school.
We also revisited Thrively, a personalized learning platform that helps students discover their unique strengths, interests, and aspirations. Within Thrively, our Wolves participated in career exploration to help discover their interests in the different Career Technology Education pathways offered at each SDUHSD high school. We encouraged students to continue to revisit Thrively to explore the various career pathways, which include overviews of 200 different vocations. Thrively can be accessed from Clever on the my.sduhsd.net student start page.
San Diego County Office of Education, Student Wellness & School Culture, in partnership with Rady Children’s Hospital, is offering a four-part Parent/Caregiver Mental Health Webinar Series at no cost. The first webinar on eating disorders will take place on January 31, 2023 from 6:00 to7:00 p.m. with simultaneous Spanish translation. Registration link: http://sdcoe.k12oms.org/918-230066 *ZOOM link will be emailed to participants prior to the training. Please note that to receive the presentation materials, you must be present.
Lisa Curry, Counselor (A-Ne) lisa.curry@sduhsd.net
Carsen Murt, Counselor (Ng-Z and EL Students) carsen.murt@sduhsd.net
Samantha Eels-Taylor, Student Support Facilitator samantha.eelstaylor@sduhsd.net
Scholastic Book Fair - January 30 thru February 3
The 2023 PTMS Scholastic Book Fair is NEXT WEEK! For one week only, books, toys, and school supplies will be on sale in the Learning Commons before school, at lunch, and after school. All proceeds benefit our Learning Commons. Please see our Book Fair homepage for more information. Thank you for your support!
Spelling Bee Results
We had more than 40 students (7th & 8th grade) participate in our annual PTMS Spelling Bee. And after 21 rounds (yes, 21 rounds!), the winner of our Bee was Alethia Li (grade 8)! Janet Yang (grade 8) was our runner up!
Alethia will now move on to represent PTMS in the San Diego County Spelling Bee in March.
Gardening Club
Gardening Club started planting Pollinating plants this week with the help of two master gardener advisors from UCCE Master Gardeners Association. The next project is making an edible garden. Please encourage your student to join this fun, educating, and rewarding club. It meets every Monday after school from 2:40-3:30 in the garden behind the B building under Mrs. Memar's supervision on. Below are pictures of the last meeting. Please contact Mrs. Memar, parnak.memar@sduhsd.net with any questions.
Residency Verification for CURRENT 7th through 11th Grade SDUHSD Students
The submission window is between January 27th and March 17th for parents of CURRENT SDUHSD students in grades 7 through 11 to provide the required documents for Residency Verification for the 2023-24 school year.
The following THREE documents are required:
1. The 2-page 2023-24 Annual Residency Verification Affidavit.
2. A copy of your recent SDGE bill.
3. A copy of another service bill (Cable, Water, etc.) as described on the Affidavit in the "Category 2" box in the middle of the page.
Submission is done through your Aeries Parent Portal. Here is a tutorial on how to do it.
If you are unable to submit your documents via your Aeries Parent Portal, please feel free to submit paper copies or scanned copies to Vetha in the front office.
If you have more than one CURRENT SDUHSD student, you will list each of those students on the Affidavit and submit it to Vetha in the front office who will clear each student at each school.
** Please do not list your INCOMING current 6th grade student on this form. You will need to include an independent Residency Verification at the time you enroll your 6th grader for 7th grade later on. **
Deadline to submit your documents is March 17th. Course Selection at all schools for the 2023-24 school year will be compromised for those students who do not have the Residency Verification documents uploaded/turned in.
Reminder for parents of 8th-grade students
If your student is currently enrolled in our school and will be moving up to one of our District High Schools, you only need to complete the High School Selection through AERIES.
There is no need to complete the online enrollment for TPHS. The High School Selection window will open on January 30th at 8:00 a.m. and close on February 17 at 4:00 p.m.
High School Selection
High School Selection for current 8th graders will take place between January 30th and February 17th. Please click on this link for information.
The following Press Release has been sent out:
Who should submit a high school selection during the window?
1. Students currently attending SDUHSD District schools:
Current Grade 8 - All SDUHSD 8th grade students currently residing in the district must select a high school that they wish to attend in the fall of 2023.
Current Grades 9-11 - SDUHSD students currently attending a district high school who wish to change high schools must also make a selection.
SDUHSD high school students who do not wish to change and will remain at their current high schools for fall 2023 do not need to make any selections during high school selection and will automatically be re-enrolled in their current school.
2. Students who reside within District boundaries but do not currently attend SDUHSD schools:
Current Grades 8-11 students who reside within SDUHSD boundaries but who do not currently attend SDUHSD schools, including private and Rancho Santa Fe schools, must make a selection if they plan to attend a SDUHSD high school in the fall of 2023.
Students must currently reside within SDUHSD district boundaries to participate in high school selection. Students are only eligible to attend an Academy school if their primary residence is within the district boundaries and they are actually residing in that residence prior to the close of the selection at 4:00 pm on February 17, 2023.
It is the intent of the Board of Trustees to provide equitable educational opportunities for all students of the district. In order to maintain an equitable balance in the enrollment at each campus, the Board of Trustees established attendance boundaries for each school in SDUHSD. Boundaries of school attendance areas in the district are as follows:
1. La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) shall include the boundaries of the Encinitas and Cardiff school districts and the area north of Escondido Creek in Rancho Santa Fe district.
2. Torrey Pines High School (TP) shall include the boundaries of the Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe School Districts, with the exception of the area north of Escondido Creek in the Rancho Santa Fe School District.
3. San Dieguito High School Academy (SDHSA) and Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) shall be open to all district residents in grades 9-12 on an equal basis through the high school selection administrative regulation approved by the Board of Trustees. To be eligible to attend SDHSA or CCA, a student must have selected the school during the established high school selection window process.
Parents and students seeking additional information about each high school are invited to attend the high school information nights as listed below:
La Costa Canyon - Tuesday, January 24, 2023 6:00 pm
Torrey Pines - Wednesday, February 2, 2023 6:00 pm (Virtual)
Parents and students are encouraged to follow SDUHSD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sduhsd and to check the SDUHSD website at: High School Selection for regular updates.
Common General FAQ - Transition from 8th to 9th Grade/High School
From the CCA Parent Foundation
The Canyon Crest Academy Foundation would like to extend an invitation to our district's middle school parents to attend our Spring Parent Happy Hour and our CCA Foundation Gala. We hope these events can assist parents in learning about the Canyon Crest Academy community as they consider their high school selection.
The Spring Parent Happy Hour is at 5:00 p.m. on February 8th at Pacific Social in Pacific Highlands Ranch, across from CCA. This LINK has more information and an RSVP form for the Happy Hour.
Our gala will be held on March 4th at CCA. Here is the Promo Video for the Gala.
Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE)
The window to apply for ISPE for the 2023-24 school year is February 13 through March 17, 2023.
Learn how to apply at this link.
There will be two VIRTUAL Parent Q&A Sessions: one on February 7th at 5:00 p.m. and the other one on February 22 at 5:00 p.m. You can find the meeting link in the application link above.
Notification of ISPE approval status from the District will be between March 27th and April 14th.
If you have questions, please contact ispe@sduhsd.net.
8th Grade Vision & Hearing Screening
All 8th grade students will undergo a quick vision and hearing screening by our district nurse in the month of February. This is a mandated screening by the state of California and is pre-arranged with teachers to limit time away from the classroom. If you wish to not have your student participate, please click here or contact district nurse, Amy Hurst, RN @ amy.hurst@sduhsd.net.
ASB and Student Announcements
Click here to see the latest version.
You can also check out the Students tab on our website and click the link entitled "Student Announcements" for a running post of each week's announcements.
AMC Math Competition
PTMS students took the AMC 10 this year, and the following students scored in the top 5% (AMAZING!)
Congratulations to:
Art Huang
Kai Yi
Evelyn Kim
Rohan Mallick
Advait Choksi
Kaden Wu
Tiger Han
David Liu
Justin Wu
Tristan Shi
These students will represent PTMS at the AIME math contest on February 7th. Go Wolves!
From Attendance
We love your efforts with good school attendance. Keep it up!
From the PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
Coastal Community Connections Collaborative - February 6
The first meeting of the Coastal Community Connections Collaborative ("4C") will be held on February 6, 2023 at 9:30am. This group will be meeting at Fletcher Cove to connect and socialize with one another. Our hope is to help facilitate further opportunities to bring together families and their children within our community; the opportunities are endless and this is just a first step. We need your help making this exactly what you need and want it to be, so please join us.
Please RSVP if you can.
PTSA Membership
The PTMS Parent, Teacher & Student Association (PTSA) welcomes you to the 2022-2023 school year! As PTMS enters its seventh year, the PTSA continues to grow, supporting the families and staff by sponsoring a multitude of enriching activities and programs. We kindly ask for your support to continue this work.
The PTSA Membership fee is just $60 for two adults and one student. Please sign up here.
Order Your Yearbook Now
Student Safety Vehicle Permit
Job Opportunities - Bilingual Parent/Community Liaisons
San Dieguito UHSD has three openings for part-time Bilingual Parent/Community Liaisons, two positions are bilingual Spanish, and one is bilingual Mandarin. A Liaison facilitates communication with families on the behalf of the schools and district to create and maintain a partnership between home and school and create a greater understanding of educational procedures, issues, and concerns. For more information on locations, work hours, and to apply, please go to: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1702214.
Other
- PTMS Webstore - the PTMS store for PE clothes
- San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club - click the link to the left for 2022-23 athletic schedules.
- SDUHSD - The SDUHSD is currently recruiting to staff permanent and substitute classified positions (e.g. Instructional Assistant, Nutrition Services, Custodian, Secretarial/Clerical). Part-time and full-time positions are available. Substitutes can set their own availability. To view a list of openings and to apply, please click https://www.edjoin.org/sandieguito or you can call Susan Dixon at 760 753-6491 x5543.
