PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter

Through April 21 - Eid Donation Drive through Homeroom classes

April 17 - Single Period Day

April 18-21 - CAASPP ELA Testing through English Classes

April 18 - PTSA General Meeting/Principal's Coffee

April 24 - Late Start Day

Wolfpack families,

Happy Friday! I hope that you all had a great Spring Break, and that your students returned to campus recharged and ready for the final stretch of the school year. As of today, we only have 35 more school days. That's 35 opportunities to refine their learning habits, 35 opportunities to spend time with good friends, and 35 opportunities to gather all that they can before they embark on the next phase of their education; high school.

First let me offer a huge congratulations to our PTMS Science Olympiad students. They competed in the California State Competition over the break and earned 5th place overall. This accomplishment is a result of the hours (and really months) of hard work and preparation. Well done students, and to our parents and parent volunteers, thank you so much! Your support is definitely noticed.

It has been a wonderful week and so much learning continues to occur on campus. I like to share what I see as I visit classrooms so that you as parents have a better idea about the various units of study. As I made my rounds this week, I kept saying to myself "I wish I could be a middle school student at PTMS!" Beyond our amazing staff, the learning opportunities are so cool. Here are some highlights:

~ In some of our Spanish classes, students are creating an arbol genealógico or family tree, and learning the names of all the relationships in Spanish, while also learning about their own family.

~ PE is continuing their "Backyard games" unit with students playing spike ball, cornhole, football, tug-o-war, and a game that originated in Europe called "Kuub".

~ Our world history courses continue their study of the Renaissance, learning about the contributions and advances in everything from science, engineering and architecture to arts and literature.

~ As I walked into our STEM room, students are doing a deep dive on drones including flying drones on a computer (similar to a video game), flying mini-drones in the room (don't worry it's safe!), and even trying out a virtual reality experience.

Additionally, many of our students are participating in the CAASPP tests that serve as a diagnostic measuring student learning and progress. The CAASPP also supports how we are viewed as a school from outside entities (you know those rankings we talk about when looking at where to rent or buy a place to live), so we appreciate our students putting forth their best effort.

We celebrated 33 students today who were recognized for being wonderful people through our Trailblazer Awards. Students can earn a trailblazer award for any number of good deeds or noticeable acts, and it's our staff's way of honoring students for their daily decisions that are positive and helpful.

Finally, on Tuesday, April 18, we have our final Principal's Coffee in the Learning Commons starting at 8:45 a.m. In addition to our regular business and opportunities for discussion, we will make space for any parents who wish to ask about our health & sexual education curriculum. A reminder that all resources are available online and you can find it here.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.

In gratitude,

Scott

CAASPP Testing

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. Additional information can be found by clicking on the link HERE.

PTMS Testing Schedule:

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA in English classes (April 18-21)

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for Math in Math classes (May 2-5)

Students will be able to use wireless headphones but they have to be linked to their chromebook before they start testing, otherwise students should bring their own wired headphones or earbuds if they have them.

If you have questions please email Assistant Principal Freeman (kathryn.freeman@sduhsd.net) or Lisa Graciano (lisa.graciano@sduhsd.net).

Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Curriculum

This spring, our science teachers will be teaching the 2023 Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Curriculum to all 7th and 8th-grade students. Due to the nature of the content, parents are encouraged to review the curriculum. Please watch the Parent Health Education Presentation and review the provided resources. If after watching the presentation you have additional questions, please attend the Health Education Q&A Principal’s Coffee on Tuesday, April 18th, from 8:45-9:45 am. Instructions to opt your student out of all or part of the curriculum are embedded in the presentation and provided on the SDUHSD Health Website (see resources below).

Please email all opt-out requests to Assistant Principal Freeman (kathryn.freeman@sduhsd.net).

Knott’s Berry Farm Trip - Parent Volunteers Needed

Knott’s new policy requires one adult (18 or older) chaperone for every ten students. If we do not get enough chaperones, we cannot have a trip this year. Parent volunteers will be given one complimentary chaperone ticket to enter the park. Unfortunately, we have limited availability for parents to ride the buses. Chaperones driving themselves to the park will incur the cost of gas, mileage, and parking ($25 per vehicle). If you are interested and available to volunteer for this event, please complete this google form. Thank you in advance for making this 8th-grade trip possible for our students!

Date: Thursday, June 1st

Time: 7:00 am to 7:30 pm (depending on traffic)

SDUHSD Summer School will be held at La Costa Canyon High School and available to students needing English or math remediation, a math bridge course, or ELD (English Language Development). Course offerings are listed here. A transportation option will be available from the south end of the district. More information, including the summer school application, is coming soon!

Save the date! Our school district is very excited to soon welcome Dr Matt Bellace, neuropsychologist and comedian on Tuesday April 25th. Dr Bellace, an expert on substance abuse prevention and mental health awareness, is over from the East Coast and will be presenting to our students here at PTMS during the day. He will then do an evening presentation at San Dieguito Academy at 6pm and all parents and families are welcome. See this flier for more information. If you would prefer a Livestream Link, please register here.

The final district ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) meeting of the 2022-2023 school year will be held on April 19, 2023 at Earl Warren Middle School at 6pm. If you are the parent of an EL student, we highly encourage you to attend as this is an opportunity to meet other parents in the district and learn more about the reclassification process. Refreshments, childcare, and translation services will be provided. For more information, please see this flyer (Spanish, Korean, Mandarin).

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

Comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) instruction will be provided by your student’s 7th or 8th-grade science teacher and is to begin in late April/early May.

Parents, please read the SDUHSD CHYA Parent Notification Letter, provided in English, Spanish or Chinese. Also, review the district website for the Health Curriculum. Seventh grade is starting the Health Unit on Monday, April 24th, and 8th grade is starting the Health Unit on Monday, May 8th. Please let Ms. Freeman know in writing by Friday, April 21st, if you wish to opt your student out of the Health Unit. Thanks!

On Thursday, May 4th, PTMS is proud to present Heritage Night!

Heritage Night will feature community-run booths representing different cultures/countries, performances from the Community of Cultural Music, dance, poems, athletic demonstrations, etc. There will be opportunities to win prizes and food trucks will be here if you want to purchase dinner.

If you would like to host a booth or be one of our performers, please click on this link for more information.

If you would like to sign-up to host a booth, perform, or volunteer to help out with set-up/clean-up, please click here to sign-up.

If you have questions, please direct them to PTSA President Amy Wilson at President@PacificTrailsMSPTSA.org, or ASB Advisor Ellen Main at Ellen.Main@sduhsd.net.

Attention PTSA Members: Tuesday, April 18th, prior to the Principal's Coffee, we will be having our General Assembly Meeting. We need at least 15 current PTSA Members to nominate and vote on candidates for next year's board. We will be nominating people for unfilled positions and if we have a quorum (15 members) can elect them during the meeting. If you have any questions about open positions, please email VPPrograms@pacifictrailsmsptsa.org.

We will also be answering your questions about our First Annual Heritage Night!

Every Wednesday, during Homeroom, the PTMS ASB/Leadership class presents the Weekly 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.

We've changed to a local company to provide PTMS Spirit Wear/Gear! Now you can order PTMS Spirit Wear/Gear by clicking on this link. You'll need to create an account to place your order (you'll only need to do that once). Your order will be shipped to your home three weeks later - OR - if you'd like to save on shipping costs, have them deliver your order to Vetha at PTMS who will contact you when they are ready to pick-up.

**Note: the homepage of the ordering site references a "closing" date and "order by" date. Please ignore that (we are having that taken down). The ordering site will be up all year round. Orders/deliveries will also happen during the summer and the PTMS office is open all summer except when otherwise posted with a complete closure the first two weeks of July so you can still save money on shipping by having them deliver to the site.**

School is your first and most important job.

"Congratulations to PTMS Art students for being accepted to the 2022-23 CAEA San Diego County K-8 Student Art Exhibit! The exhibit features 75 student works from across seven different school districts. All artwork will be on display in the Carmel Valley Public Library Community Room from April 1st - 29th. The PTMS students whose art will be featured in the exhibit include: Oliver Le, Danielle Herndl, Sophia Hughes, Trinity Cowne, Jacqueline Zelnick, Jessica Sun, Paloma Heil, and Alexis Walters. Great job, Wolves!

Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.

We only have 26 copies of the yearbook that are still available to order! Please make sure to order your student's PTMS 2023 Yearbook before we sell out. CLICK HERE to order today!

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.

Volunteers Are Needed for the "Glow The Night Away" dance on February 16th. If you are interested, please click here to sign up.

The Pacific Trails PTSA needs to fill the position of Treasurer for the 2023-2024 school year. This position requires more time than other positions but is required to keep our PTSA at Pacific Trails.

We are looking for someone excited to join our PTSA and help manage the funds used to facilitate many of the fun and important programs for students, their families and teachers. Our current Treasurer will provide all of the training and support you need to ensure your success.

If that is you or someone you know, please contact Uzma Kahn Qazi at: parliamentarian@pacifictrailsmsptsa.org

Auditions for the TPHS Contemporary and Hip Hop Dance Teams are May 22nd through May 25th. Please click on this link for more information and the audition packet.

Please click here for information on how to submit art to the #EnviroArt Contest for the Enviro-Art: 2023 AAP Youth Climate Art Exhibition. Admissions are being accepted through April 22, 2023.

Click here to complete and turn-in a Student Vehicle Permit. Please bring it to the office.

- PTMS Webstore - the PTMS store for PE clothes

- PTMS Spirit Wear/Gear

- PTMS Yearbook.

- Boys & Girls Club

- 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 Gray at 760 753-6491 x5543.

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