PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
February 3, 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
February 7 - "Glow The Night Away" Dance Ticket Sales Begin - this signed parent permission slip, student ID, and $10 are required for your student to purchase a ticket. Volunteers Are Needed!! If you are interested, please click here to sign up.
February 13-March 17 - Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE)
February 13 - Late Start Day
Principal's Message
Wolfpack families,
Typically I begin weekly messages by focusing on students, but this time I want to focus on a very special staff member. This week we learned that Mr. Austin Olson in our P.E. Department was selected as the California Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (CAHPERD) Middle School State Teacher of the Year for all of California! This is a wonderful honor and a very deserved recognition for Coach Olson who serves with passion, creative thinking, and has helped evolve the PTMS program in such a positive way. Coach Olson and our entire PE department go to great lengths to physically engage students each day in creative and challenging ways, and also focus on social/emotional learning, healthy lifestyles, and citizenship. Coach Olson will be recognized next month at the state conference, and we are so lucky to have him on our team. We couldn't be prouder Coach Olson!
Speaking of recognition, today we honored 30 students in our wolfpack with "Trailblazer Awards". These students were recognized by a staff member for showing kindness, going above and beyond, and demonstrating positive character. As a reward they received a special treat during lunch. Way to go students!
"Oobleck" - is this a word you know? If not, feel free to do a quick Google search. You will find that it is simply corn starch and water. Cool, but what does that have to do with my student? As I visited classrooms this week, our 7th grade science classes were learning about states of matter (liquid, solid & gas) and I walked into a wonderfully messy demonstration of Oobleck where students had to consider whether it's a solid or liquid. I absolutely love the opportunities our teachers provide, even when learning gets a little messy. Our science 8 students are beginning their focus on force and inertia, while our students in Spanish classes are navigating the food unit while also learning commands and verb tenses. If your student is in one of our Spanish classes, challenge them to share what they are learning. At this point, most of the instruction is given in the target language of Spanish, which research shows reinforces and strengthens how quickly students learn and maintain their language.
Our Scholastic Book Fair was a hit this week, and thank you to Ms. Richards in our Learning Commons for facilitating this. Many students went home this week with new books, perhaps a poster or a fun trinket. Finding a book with which students can really connect reinforces a love of reading and can unlock a world of possibilities.
February is Black History Month and our staff take a number of steps both inside and outside of the classroom during this month and throughout the school year to honor and celebrate.
Finally, there's a lot of great energy on campus for our upcoming activities including our 5 vs. 5 soccer lunch league and our "Glow The Night Away" dance on February 16th. They are great opportunities for our wolfpack.
Have a relaxing weekend and see you Monday.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild
Principal
Counseling Update
Please take advantage of the SDUHSD Parent Education page. It is a “one stop shop” to sign up for any parent information sessions the district is offering, as well as recordings of many previous workshops that have been offered.
Our No Place For Hate student committee has been hard at work creating biography slides for Black History Month. These slides will be shown during Homeroom. It’s great to see our student leaders working together in their own time to create something positive on our campus.
Thank you to everyone who recently donated jigsaw puzzles for our Wellness Center. Our students are very grateful as they have plenty to keep them busy during break times!
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!
Gardening Club
This week the Gardening Club welcomed a few new members as well as landscape designer/parent volunteers and started its Edible Garden. The members planted a variety of vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, chives, white onion, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas.
The Gardening Club meets every Monday after school from 2:40-3:30 p.m. in the garden behind the B building under Mrs. Memar's supervision. Below are pictures of the last meeting. Please contact Mrs. Memar, parnak.memar@sduhsd.net with any questions.
8th Grade Vision & Hearing Screening
All 8th grade students will undergo a quick vision and hearing screening by our district nurse on February 14th and 15th. 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.
"Glow The Night Away" Dance - February 16 - 5:00-7:00 p.m.
The dance is being held on February 16th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Volunteers Are Needed !! If you are interested, please click here to sign up.
Tickets sales begin Tuesday, February 7th, and the cost is $10.00/ea. Your student will need this parent-signed contract/permission slip AND student ID, along with the $10, to purchase a ticket. Students can buy a replacement ID with Vetha in the front office.
From Attendance
School staff love students being here every day, on-time. Thank you!
From the PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
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.
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.
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.
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 on February 8th. 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.
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.
Volunteers Are Needed for the "Glow The Night Away" dance on February 16th. If you are interested, please click here to sign up.
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.
