PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
August 5, 2022
Coming Up
August 8 - New Student Orientation - 10:00-12:00 noon - New students only
August 15 - Mosey Monday - 11:30-1:30 p.m.
August 16 - First Day of School - Single Period Day
August 17 - Single Period Day
August 18 - Block Period Day for Periods 1-3-5
August 19 - Block Period Day for Periods 2-4-6
Week of August 22 - Welcome Week
August 29 - Picture Day - thru PE Classes
September 1 - Back to School Night - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Principal's Message
My name is Scott Wild and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to serve as the new principal at Pacific Trails Middle School. I welcome the opportunity to meet you throughout the school year, and encourage you to reach out to me and our staff. I am originally from the east coast and attended Penn State University. After college, I spent two years teaching high school English prior to moving to San Diego. San Diego has been my home for the past twenty years. Professionally, I've served at the high school and middle school levels in various capacities including teacher, ASB Director, assistant principal and now principal. For me, school should be a place where each and every student feels like they belong, where they can learn, build learning and life skills, and develop valuable relationships along the way. In my first few days of getting to know the staff, it is very apparent that the Pacific Trails staff is exceptional. Your children are in great hands.
As a leader, I often work with children as if they are my own, and wear my "dad" lens. I have two elementary aged children who are beautiful and dynamic, both different in their own ways. I know that as a dad, my wife and I have to approach parenting from a perspective that works for each so that we can help them be their "best self". That is ultimately our goal - to create the culture and conditions for each child to grow into the best version of themselves. We need everyone to help with this; the PTMS staff, the student, and most certainly you, the parent. Inevitably, we may hit bumps along the way, but I truly believe that together we can work to find solutions.
I am excited for the 2022-23 school year, and look forward to getting to know each of you.
In gratitude,
Scott
Counseling Update
We are so excited to welcome our new and returning Wolves! Our counseling team is eagerly awaiting and diligently planning for the start of the 2022-23 school year. Due to the growth of our student body, our caseloads have shifted, so please see the counseling assignments based on last name or EL status below.
Please mark your calendars for Monday, August 15th, at 8:00 a.m. as this will be when student schedules will be posted in Aeries for families to view. Instructions on how to view your student’s schedule will be included in next week’s newsletter.
We have a balanced master schedule that was built upon student course requests made in the spring and we have done our absolute best to honor students’ first, second or third choice elective courses. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate teacher requests, period requests, or changes to schedules for extracurricular/athletic activities. Our goal is to have students ready for instruction with little to no movement. Please contact your student’s assigned counselor if your student needs a Math or English level change within the first four weeks of school.
We look forward to working with you and your student!
A-Ne: Lisa Curry lisa.curry@sduhsd.netNg-Z and EL students: Carsen Murt carsen.murt@sduhsd.net
New Student Orientation - August 8 - 10:00-12:00 noon
Parent Sessions during Orientation
After checking out the informational tables, parents are invited to attend two sessions during orientation. One session will be conducted by the Counselors where they will provide information on the function of the Counseling Office/Counselors and the multiple supports already in place for students. The other session will be conducted by our new Principal, Mr. Scott Wild, who is excited to take this opportunity to meet you and tell you a little about himself as well as fill you in on the upcoming school year.
How to attend the parent sessions:
- If your last name begins with A-L, please report to the gym by 10:15 a.m. for the Counselor presentation.
- If your last name begins with M-Z, please report to the MPR by 10:15 a.m. for the Principal presentation.
The first session will end at 10:45 a.m.
The second session will begin at 11:00 a.m.
- At 11:00 a.m. you will swap sessions - A-L will report to the MPR for the Principal presentation and M-Z will report to the gym for the Counselor presentation.
If you are unable to make it on August 8th, there is an optional "Mosey Monday" scheduled for Monday, August 15th, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. where parents and students can go on self-guided tours of the campus to find classrooms (there will be no access to the classroom itself), the Cafeteria, the Learning Commons, etc. Teachers will not be available due to scheduled meetings they have, however the front office will be open for any questions you may have at that time. The Counseling Office and Principal Wild will also have their parent session slide decks from the August 8th Orientation posted to our website for your review.
Class schedules will be available through Aeries beginning August 15th. You might want to print it out before coming to Mosey Monday. If you are having trouble accessing your Aeries account, please contact our Registrar, Marielle Bravo-Saltzman at Marielle.BravoSaltzman@sduhsd.net.
Otherwise, the campus will be closed to any touring.
If you are unable to make either of the above two opportunities, don't worry. Staff and student ambassadors will be available in the quad on the first day of school to assist students in finding their classes, etc., throughout the day.
A Huge Thank you!
A huge thank you to all the parents who signed up to Volunteer for Orientation! We really appreciate your help. Don't forget to first sign-in with Vetha in the front office to get your Visitor Badge and assignment.
Chromebook Check-Out - August 12 and 15
We are excited to be able to check-out Chromebooks to each and every student new to PTMS (all 7th graders and new 8th graders) again this year!
Students are required to have a District-Issued Chromebook/charger for specific assignments and testing throughout the year. For other educational exercises, they are permitted to utilize their personal devices at school until instructed to bring the Chromebook to class.
How to Check-Out a Chromebook
Sign-up for a timeslot to pick up your Chromebook on either August 12th or August 15th between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
We also need some Volunteers (two-hour shifts) to help with Chromebook Check-Out. If you are interested in helping out, please sign-up for a timeslot here.
Come to the campus at your selected sign-up time. Please park in the parking lot, walk through the front gate, and continue on to the Learning Commons straight ahead at the back of the campus. Visitor’s Badges will not be required at this time.
Reminders
1. We are checking-out 500+ Chromebooks. Please be patient if there is a line.
2. Students are not required to be present to check-out a Chromebook at this time.
Students who are unable to come to the pre-school check-out can go to the Learning Commons before school/after school or during lunch to check one out after school starts on the 16th.
Students will receive login information for their new Chromebook during the first week of school.
If you have questions, please contact Kathryn.Freeman@sduhsd.net.
Chromebook Insurance Opportunity
First Day of School - Tuesday, August 16th
The first day of school is Tuesday, August 16th. School starts at 8:10 a.m. every morning. Please refer to this bell schedule for full day bells, Late Start Days, and more.
What Supplies will my child need?
- Something to write with, something to write on (paper), something to keep it organized (notebook/binder), and something to keep it all in (backpack).
- PE clothes. Kids will not dress out for PE the first couple days of school but when they do, they'll need a comfortable t-shirt (no pockets, no logos) and a comfortable pair of shorts (no pockets). You can either use what's already in your child's closet, go out and purchase them from a clothing store, or order PTMS PE clothes on our Online Webstore.
Calendars
For a more detailed list of on-campus events, our "live" calendar can be found on our website. This calendar is fluid and as events are scheduled, re-scheduled, or cancelled, this calendar will always reflect what is currently going on. You can even attach this calendar to your personal Google Calendar.
Visitor Badges and Check-in/Check-out Procedures
Safety Reminders
DO NOT DROP-OFF/PICK-UP YOUR STUDENT IN THE STAFF PARKING LOT! It only contributes to the already slow traffic because we have to stop traffic to allow for crossing the crosswalk to the campus.
To ensure student safety, students on foot must walk on the sidewalks and students riding bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. must walk their rides on the sidewalks - not through the parking lots (including CCA's parking lot) to avoid hitting pedestrians or being hit by moving vehicles. Administration will be out front in the mornings during the first week to help students with locks until everyone has the swing of things.
From the Health Office
Medications
If your student requires medication administration during school hours and planning to attend on-campus learning, an Authorization For Medication Administration at School form must be filled out and signed by both the parent/guardian and the physician, dated in August 2022 or later in order for the Health Technician to be permitted to administer any medications to your child. This includes all over-the-counter medicine, as well as prescription medications.
An Allergy & Anaphylaxis form is required for those students with allergies and requiring medications at school. If a student only has a medication for allergy/anaphylaxis and completes that form, they do NOT need to also complete an Authorization For Medication Administration at School form.
Both the medications and the appropriate forms must be brought to the Health Office and logged in by a parent with the Health Tech or Office Staff (NOT SENT IN WITH THE STUDENT) before any medications can be dispensed.
Students may carry and self-administer inhaled asthma medications and/or use an Epi-Pen provided the physician and parent forms have been completed and reside with the school Health Tech.
Parents/guardians are permitted to come to the school and dispense medicine to their children in the Health Office as needed if the required forms are not on file.
You can also find additional information HERE including the Seizure Action Plan.
Hours of operation to drop-off forms and medications:
Monday-Friday – 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
From the PE Department
All students taking PE will need a lined 8 X 10 notebook.
Also, here is some information about our flexible changing policy:
Students must wear athletic clothes (t-shirt, athletic shorts/sweatpants/leggings, athletic shoes that tie, and socks). Students can wear the proper PE attire to school, or they change into clothes in the locker room before and after class. Please note that the length of shorts should be longer than the thumbs (rule of thumb) when the arms are hanging down by their sides. No clothing can have tears/holes in them. Our flexible changing policy will ensure our students' PE experiences are safe, enjoyable, and comfortable. If you have questions, you can refer to the syllabus that is posted on the PTMS PE website.
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
Online Webstore
The Online Webstore is already open and we're already filling orders, so you don't need to wait until school starts to start shopping.
ASB and Student Announcements
A link to the latest version will be posted here.
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.
Order your Yearbook Now!
Nutrition Services
Science Olympiad
Congratulations, PTMS, on the 5th place finish in the State competition, 3rd place at the regional competition and the many trophies and medals we have won in the invitationals for the 2021-2022 season. The objective of the PTMS SCIOLY program is to include and encourage all students and to inculcate the love of science
We will be starting the the 2022 - 2023 season in August. We will also be holding an information session on Friday, August 19th, at 7:00 p.m. Please sign up for the 2022-2023 email group:
PTMS SCIOLY 2022-2023 email group signup
PTMS SCIOLY 2022-2023 Coaching volunteering email group signup
The list of events has been posted for the 2022 - 2023 season. Please look at our website for details: https://sites.google.com/site/ptmsscienceolmypiad/home
Other
- PTMS Webstore - the PTMS store for PE clothes and Spirit Wear.
- COVID Decision Tree (current)
- COVID-19 Testing Sites for CURRENT students/staff (does not include extended family)
- San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club - click the link to the left for 2022-23 tryout 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.