Weekly Parent Newsletter
August 14, 2020
Principal's Message
We are a little more than a week away from the first day of school and we are so excited to see you! I know this Fall is going to look a lot different than any other school year, but I can assure you that we are ready for the challenge.
As you probably know, our mascot is a wolf and often you will hear us refer to our staff and students as the Wolfpack. Being part of the Wolfpack is awesome! We support each other, look out for each other, help each other, and celebrate each other. More than ever, these traits are important as we enter Distance Learning, so this year our theme is "One Pack. We've Got This!"
If you are a returning student, you will notice that the SDUHSD Middle School bell schedules look a lot different this year. Single Period Days are on Wednesdays with an Advisory Period at the start of the day, and Block Period Days are on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Students will be expected to engage with their teachers every period for live instruction daily. Attendance will be taken and letter grades will be earned.
On Single Period Days, all students will begin their day with Advisory. The purpose of Advisory is to support our students. There is no homework or grades for this class, but attendance is taken. During Advisory, students can expect social-emotional lessons (SEL), technology safety lessons, student announcements, opportunities for school connectedness, and presentations from our school counselors and administration. Your Advisory teacher is here to support you! This is a class where there is no such thing as a silly question. If you need help, please ask your advisory teacher for guidance and he/she will direct you to the right resource. Please note that the first two days of the school year (August 25th and 26th) will be Single Period Days. All students will report to their Advisory teacher before heading to first period.
After the last period of the day (Period 5 or 6), Student Support Time is available for all students. This is designated time for teachers to meet with students who need additional academic support and for students to complete classwork and homework. Teachers will communicate their office hours once school starts. Additional targeted interventions will be communicated to parents of identified students.
Students will have access to their class schedule on Friday, August 21st. Next week, you will receive detailed instructions on what steps to take to get ready for the first day of school. Since this is a new start for all of us, we have decided not to hold a virtual new student orientation. Instead, we will be sending home a Welcome Back to School presentation for all PTMS students and parents. I encourage you to watch it together. All students have been assigned a school email and all teachers will be using Google Classroom and Google Meets. Students and parents are encouraged to take some time to familiarize themselves with the resource called The SDUHSD Tech Hub. It's a great tool for anyone looking for tech support with some of our online tools.
While we are in Distance Learning, we will occasionally have a drive-thru pick-up event for classroom supplies and course materials. Please save the date!! Our first drive-thru event will be on Monday, August 24th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We have a student agenda and math course materials for ALL students. We ask that you write your student's name and their math class on a piece of paper so we can move cars through quickly. The pick-up times are designated by math class:
8:00-10:00 a.m. Math A Honors
10:00-11:00 a.m. Math A & Math A Essentials
11:00-12:30 p.m. Math B Honors
1:00-2:30 p.m. Math B, Math B Essentials, and Math 1 Honors
In closing, I know I have provided a lot of information in this communication; however, there is so much information to share with parents and students in preparation for the first day of school on August 25th. Please take a few minutes to review this communication with your PTMS student. If you have additional questions or topics you would like me to cover in next week's Welcome Back to School presentation, please fill out this form.
Sincerely,
Mary Anne Nuskin
Principal
"For the strength of the wolf is the pack and the strength of the pack is the wolf" ~ Rudyard Kipling
From the Assistant Principal
We are so excited to have all of you as proud members of our Wolfpack. We are ONE PACK! I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Kathryn Freeman and I am the new Assistant Principal here at Pacific Trails Middle School. I have been a teacher here since the school opened in 2015 and I am excited about my new role. I am here to support students, parents, and staff. Please do not hesitate to contact me.
It is time to get your student logged in and connected!
First, if you need a Chromebook or internet, please complete this form. You will then receive an additional email with times for Chromebook Distribution.
Second, please help your student get logged into Aeries and G Suite (which includes Google Classroom, Google Meets, Gmail, and more). To complete this task, students will need their student ID number. This can easily be found in the parent Aeries login. Please use the Aeries/G Suite Cheat Sheet to help you get logged in. These resources were taken from the SDUHSD Tech Hub which contains additional resources and assistance for the technology used in our district. Much of this information will be reviewed with your student during the first week of school.
Tips for Success
- Find a safe place to write down your new Aeries and G Suite login and passwords.
- Help your student bookmark the website my.sduhsd.net. All students will begin their day here by logging into Google Classroom and checking their Gmail.
- Check SDUHSD Tech Hub if you are experiencing technical difficulties. If you cannot solve the problem on your own, contact our Learning Commons Technician, Jessica Richards at jessica.richards@sduhsd.net.
Time to Practice
- Let's practice adding your first Google Classroom - "PTMS Student Support Services".
- Click on this link and follow the directions on "How to Join a Class".
- Your first Google Classroom Code is: c336lhc
- Practice logging in every day next week! Visit our PTMS Student Support Services Google Classroom from August 17th through the 21st and fill out a Google form to participate in our daily spirit wear give away!
We've Got This, Wolfpack!!
Kathryn Freeman
Assistant Principal
Counseling Update
Please mark your calendars for Friday, August 21st, as this will be when student schedules will be posted in Aeries for families to view. Instructions to view your student's schedule will be provided at that time.
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. 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 virtual instruction with little to no movement. Level changes in English and mathematics can be addressed via email through September 29th.
We are looking forward to supporting your student this school year!
A-R: Lisa Curry - lisa.curry@sduhsd.net
S-Z: Carsen Murt - carsen.murt@sduhsd.net
Immunization Requirements
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Para asegurarse de que su hijo(a) esté listo(a) para comenzar el año escolar el 25 de agosto, tenga en cuenta que no hay cambios en los requisitos de vacunación: requisitos de inmunización para el año escolar 2020 / 2021. La ley estatal requiere que todos los estudiantes tengan sus vacunas vigentes para asistir a la escuela, aunque estemos abriendo un modelo de aprendizaje a distancia. Entendemos que puede haber preocupación sobre el acceso a la atención médica durante la pandemia; sin embargo, la mayoría de los consultorios que proporcionan atención están realizando controles de bienestar y citas de vacunación, al tiempo que toman precauciones adicionales de seguridad e higiene. Si tiene preguntas sobre cómo obtener las vacunas requeridas, por favor comuníquese con su proveedor de atención médica primaria. Para obtener más información sobre los requisitos de vacunación, por favor visite la página web: https://www.shotsforschool.org/espanol/
From the PTSA
Please help us keep school programs and activities available by becoming a PTSA Member, or by RENEWING your PTSA Membership today. Click here to become a PTSA Member.