PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
August 4, 2023
Coming Up
August 8 - New Student Orientation - 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon - for incoming 7th graders and 8th graders who are new to PTMS
August 8, 11, and 14 - Chromebook Check-Out - 8:00-3:00 p.m. - Learning Commons
August 14 - Mosey Monday - 12:00-2:45 p.m. - self-guided tours
August 15 - First Day of School - Single Period Day - please see this bell schedule for class period times and refer to this calendar for bell schedule changes through the year.
August 16 - Single Period Day
August 17 - Block Period 1-3-5 Day
August 18 - Block Period 2-4-6 Day
Message from the Superintendent
On behalf of the San Dieguito Union High School District, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the start of the 2023-24 school year. I consider it a true honor to serve as District Superintendent. SDUHSD has a strong reputation of academic excellence and the wide array of opportunities offered beyond the classroom setting are exemplary. I fully support and value student programs and services currently in place and commit to engage in continuous improvement with staff as we enhance the educational experience for all of our nearly 13,000 students.
Thank you for entrusting San Dieguito Union High School District with the education of your student. We appreciate your support and look forward to a continued strong partnership.
It is an exciting time for our district, and I’m looking forward to the year ahead.
For assistance with any site specific questions prior to the first day of school on Tuesday, August 15, please reach out to your site administrator. We look forward to seeing each of you soon!
With warm regards,
Anne L. Staffieri Ed.D.
Superintendent
Message from the Principal
Parents and Families,
Welcome to the 2023-24 school year. Whether you are a new or returning family, on behalf of the entire staff at Pacific Trails, I want to welcome you with open arms to our school. PTMS is an outstanding place and we hope that both you and your student find this to be true.
As we kick off the school year in a few days, please know that the newsletter, along with our PTMS website, are the two primary places that we share information. I know in this day and age you are often inundated with emails. But I encourage you to get in the habit of scrolling through the newsletter each week for anything that is relevant to you and your student. We also post the newsletters to our website under the "Parents" tab in case you want to go back and review.
This year is a year of growth on many levels. Our student enrollment has grown to almost 1,000 students, we have fifteen new teachers and staff, and new construction in our parking lot as solar panels are installed. Despite this growth, our commitment as educators remains the same. We seek to create a campus culture in which middle school students engage in rigorous academic learning opportunities, have multiple places to explore interests and connect with peers, and develop strong learning habits, social habits, and relationships that will help them now and in the future.
Please know that as principal, relationships are key to everything we seek to do for our students. Our teachers and staff work tremendously hard to build positive relationships with students and parents, and we see these relationships pay off through the connections that students build with each other, the staff, and our campus.
Next week, we invite our incoming 7th graders and new 8th graders to attend our New Student Orientation on Tuesday, August 8, from 10:00 - 12:00 pm. There are experiences for students and presentations for parents and families led by counselors and administration. Please know that traffic is historically challenging on our campus, so please be patient, exercise caution, and allow enough time to park. Parking will be at the lower lot of Canyon Crest Academy and the Recreation Center.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild
Principal
Message from the Counselors
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 2023-24 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 14, 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!
Lisa Curry, Counselor (A-Ma) lisa.curry@sduhsd.net
Carsen Anderson (Murt), Counselor (Mc-Z and EL Students) carsen.murt@sduhsd.net
Samantha Eels-Taylor, Student Support Facilitator samantha.eelstaylor@sduhsd.net
From the Attendance Office
Welcome Back!
If your student is unable to attend school or if you need to pull your student from class and obtain an Office Campus Pass for a doctor appointment or other reason, please email the Attendance Office at ptattendance@sduhsd.net just as soon as you know about the absence. If we know in advance, we can have your student in the office waiting for you when you arrive.
In your email, please list your name and relationship to the student, your student's name, and the reason for the absence.
~ Eighty percent of success is just showing up! School attendance matters.
ASB and Student Announcements
You can check them out on the Students tab of our website under "Student Announcements" for a running post of each week's student announcements.
Department News
From the Art Department
Student artwork and the 2022-23 Yearbook were featured in the 2023 San Diego County Fair Student Showcase Exhibit. Overall, 18 pieces of PTMS art received first place ribbons and four pieces received second place ribbons.
From the PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
Science Notebooks
Are you going Back-to-School shopping? Don't forget to pick up a science notebook!
All 7th and 8th grade science students will need a notebook that they will bring to their science class daily. These can be a composition style or a spiral bound notebook. We recommend the 8.5x11” spiral bound, 100 page, college-ruled notebooks, but the 7.5x10" size will work as well. We DO NOT recommend the 3 or 5 subject notebooks, as this science notebook must be used EXCLUSIVELY FOR SCIENCE; no other subjects should be in this notebook. (If a student needs a notebook for another class, please get a separate notebook for that class.)
Students should bring their science notebook to class by Monday, August 21st. If a student is unable to get a notebook, please contact your student’s science teacher.
Check out this Guide for Science Notebooks
Submit Summer Photos for the Yearbook!
Yearbook is looking for photos of your student's summer adventures or activities! Please click here to submit summer photos that may potentially be used in the 2023-2024 yearbook.
Clubs
Club activity will be posted here throughout the year. To get a list of all Clubs currently active, please check our Activities page on our website.
NEW! Family Handbook
Everything from Academic, Cell Phone, and Discipline Policies to information about our Associated Student Body, Attendance Procedures, Dress Code, Health Office, Wellness Center, and more can be found in this new Family Handbook. For your convenience, this handbook will always be found in this newsletter because after a couple of weeks a link in the "Other" section of the newsletter (below) will house it. You can also find this handbook on the homepage of our website under "Quick Link" at the bottom right of the page.
From the PTSA
For Membership information, Upcoming Events, Fundraiser activity, PTSA Executive Board Members and their contact information, PTSA General Meeting dates, and more, please go the the PTSA Page of the PTMS Website.
New Student Orientation - August 8 - 10:00-12:00 p.m.
Parents and students new to Pacific Trails Middle School are invited to our New Student Orientation being held next Tuesday, August 8th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Students will check-in at the front gate tables beginning at 9:45 a.m. to be given their Orientation room assignment where a teacher will Welcome them to PTMS, give a campus tour, and lead various activities.
Parents are encouraged to peruse the informational tables inside the gate to find out how to become a member of PTSA, purchase your yearbook, register for the Boys & Girls Club for after school sports, find out about Science Olympiad, Math League and so much more. Then, at 10:15 a.m., parents can report to either the MPR (Multipurpose Room) or the Gym for presentations from school counselors or the Principal. At 11:00, you can then swap rooms to attend the presentation you didn't see yet.
Thank you to the parents who have signed-up so far to Volunteer for us during Orientation. We are still looking for more Volunteers to be at the stop sign to help guide parents to the CCA parking lot. The shift is 9:00-10:30 a.m. The PTMS parking lot is currently under construction (new solar panels are being installed). The CCA parking lot is where all parents will need to park for Orientation and until construction is complete. Parents/students new to this school will be unfamiliar with where to go and may not realize that PTMS is still actually open and receiving. It will be the job of those stop sign volunteers to help parents figure this out.
If you are interested in helping out, please click here to sign-up. We really need volunteers for parking lot duty!!
Orientation is not mandatory. If you happen to miss it, but would still like to come and see the school before school starts, parents/students are invited to their own self-guided tour on Mosey Monday, August 14th, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Chromebook Check-Out - August 8, 11, and 14 - 8:00-3:00 p.m.
We are excited to be able to check-out a brand new Chromebook to each and every student (7th and 8th grade) who will be attending PTMS for the 2023-24 school year.
Students are required to have a District-Issued Chromebook, stylus, and charger for specific assignments and testing throughout the year.
How to Check-Out a Chromebook - August 8, 11, and 14 - 8:00-3:00 p.m.
1. Sign-up for a timeslot to pick up your Chromebook. This is essential for a smooth distribution.
2. We need parent Volunteers to help with Chromebook Check-Out. If you are interested in helping out, please sign-up for a timeslot here.
3. Come to the campus at your selected sign-up time. Please park in the CCA parking lot as the PTMS parking lot is closed for construction, walk through the PTMS front gate, and follow the arrow signs to the Learning Commons at the back of the campus. No need to obtain a Visitor’s Badge in the office.
Reminders
1. We are checking-out nearly 1,000 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/parents who are not able come to these pre-school check-out dates/times will need to go to the Learning Commons before school/after school or during lunch to check one out after school starts.
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.
Parking Lot Construction
The PTMS parking lot is currently under construction as we look forward to the installation of solar panels. The circular drive will remain open during construction so student drop-off/pick-up will not be disturbed, however, if you need to park it will have to be in CCA's lower lot.
School Supply List
Things you'll need:
1. Something to write with.
2. Something to write on.
3. Something to carry it all in.
4. Science Notebook (see Department News above)
5. Individual classes may have additional suggested items which they will inform students of during the first week of school.
Picture Days
Picture Days this year will be held on August 28 for 7th graders through PE classes and September 11 for 8th graders also through PE classes. Click on the QR code on the below flyer to receive a link to your gallery when it's ready (sometime after picture days).
Nutrition Services
Other Important Items
- Boys & Girls Club - Seasonal sports information/registration.
- PTMS Live Calendar of Campus Events and 2023-24 Instructional Calendar.
- PTMS Spirit Wear/Gear - PTMS Spirit Wear and accessories for the whole family!
- PTMS Student Vehicle Permit - Register your bike/e-bike/scooter/skateboard with PTMS. Complete this form and turn in to the office.
- PTMS Webstore - PE clothes/Limited Series Clothing
- PTMS Webstore - Spirit Wear
- PTMS Yearbook. - Order today!
- San Dieguito Alliance for a Drug-Free Youth - complete the Parent Pledge here.
- San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club - click the link to the left for 2023-24 athletic schedules.
- SDUHSD - Employment Opportunities. 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.
This newsletter has also been posted to our website under "Parent Communications."