PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
November 18, 2022
Coming Up
November 1-18 - Food Drive
Week of November 21-25 - Fall Break - No School
November 28 - Late Start Day
November 28-December 2 - Career Speakers during Homeroom in the Wellness Center
- Monday - Hospital Physician
- Tuesday - Graphic Designer
- Wednesday - Engineer
- Thursday - Satellite Engineer
- Friday - Business Person
December 2 - Trailblazer Awards
Principal's Message
PTMS Families,
We are a little more than 1/3 of the way through the school year and what a great time to reflect. Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on gratitude, family, and opportunity, but I first want to offer you the chance to reflect on academics.
As I have mentioned before, while middle school is typically the first time students earn letter grades, the middle school experience is about so much more than that. At its core, middle school is about students developing and furthering positive habits. These habits include organization, being on time to classes, working with a variety of teachers and peers, time management, completing homework, self-advocacy, and learning how to study. I encourage you to make some time to help your student reflect on how they are doing in these various areas. We never seek perfection, because it's just not possible. But we always want to aim for progress and help students become their best version of themselves.
As a child of the 1980s, very much pre-internet, when I needed to know something, I grabbed the encyclopedias off the shelf to look up information. Times have obviously changed. With all information literally at our fingertips, we now just "Google it". I Googled "Words we don't say enough" and the top three selections include:
~ "I love you"
~ "Thank you"
~ "I am sorry"
I searched this because on Monday, Our PE team provided students the opportunity to write a gratitude letter to an adult in their life who makes a positive impact. After the students wrote their letter, they found a quiet space on campus to make the call, compose an email, or make a short video, if they chose to do so. As many of you received phone calls, I'm guessing your initial thought was that something was wrong, or "oh no, what did you do now?", but the true purpose of it was to express gratitude. Sometimes our children, and we as adults, don't say words like "thank you", "I love you" and "I'm sorry" nearly enough. If you received a call, I hope it brought joy to you. Watching this process play out in real time brought such joy to my heart. Our children are remarkable little beings, and I am so grateful that they embraced the opportunity to be vulnerable and share meaningful words to someone in their life who matters greatly.
The other reason this activity is so important is that it helps reinforce with students ways to properly use words. One theme I've noticed at middle school is that students "try things on." They try a new class, a new club, and maybe a new friendship. They certainly "try on" new words from time to time, and these words can be reckless, damaging and hurtful. Showing students how to use words to lift people up rather than tear them down is a powerful lesson that we hope stays with our PTMS students throughout their life.
As we prepare for a week away from school, I want to say thank you to a number of you.
~ Thank you for reading this newsletter. I sometimes wonder, "do people actually read it?", and yet I have a number of parents who share with me that they do. Vetha, my assistant, can actually see where people are reading the newsletter and we had views as far away as Germany and Australia!
~ Thank you parents for the partnership and support you provide to our educators and staff as we work with your student. It truly takes a village to raise a child, and so when we reach out to offer praise, work through a challenge, or raise a concern, our team at PTMS greatly values the opportunity to work with parents in productive and meaningful ways, all in support of helping kids become their best version of themselves.
~ Thank you to the educators on this campus. There is such a commitment from our team to get it right, to support one another, and to provide meaningful learning opportunities for students. PTMS teachers and staff, I thank you for all that you do, and more importantly, for who you are as people!
I hope the week off provides lots of opportunities for rest, relaxation, time with family, and finding balance away from school. I look forward to cooking for my family, cheering on the US men's soccer team as they compete in the World Cup, hanging out with my wife and kids, and enjoying some down time.
Finally, a shout out to our girls volleyball teams who last week did quite well. Our 7th grade team won 1st place and our 8th grade team took 2nd place! Great job!
Have a restful break,
Scott Wild
Principal
Counseling Update
Our counseling team introduced Thrively to our 7th grade wolves on Monday through science classes. Students began their career exploration journey by taking a Strengths Assessment that helped them discover their unique strengths, interests, and aspirations. Students were encouraged to share their Strengths Assessment results with their parents/guardians. In addition, a copy of your student’s Thrively Strengths Assessment Certificate of Completion will be sent home with each student. Students can revisit their Thrively account at any time for further exploration through their student start page (my.sduhsd.net) and logging into Clever with their school Google Account. They can check out recommended careers based on their strengths by clicking on “Pathways”. We will continue our career exploration journey with our 8th grade wolves in January!
Career Week will begin after Fall break and we will be hosting a number of career speakers who will talk about the jobs they do and how they got there. We will be visited by a Hospital Physician, a Graphic Designer, a Satellite Engineer, a tech research Engineer and a speaker from the corporate business world. Students can sign up through the Wolfpack Connections Google Classroom.
We hope all of our families have a relaxing break. Take this time to recharge and spend some quality time with you and your loved ones.
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
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.
From the PE Department
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Please remind your student to wear appropriate footwear to PE. No open heeled shoes (Crocs), flip flops or Ugg boot type footwear is allowed due to safety concerns.
Thank you in advance for your support!
PTMS PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
We are currently collecting donated full-size pool noodles.
2022-23 Pacific Trails Middle School Spelling Bee
We are currently searching for students who are interested in participating in this year's Pacific Trails Spelling Bee, which is scheduled for January 2023. The winner of this event will represent Pacific Trails at the San Diego County Spelling Bee in March 2023. Students interested in this event should complete this Google Form no later than November 30th. This Google Form is also available on Mr. Copeland's website and in this week's "Weekly Wolfpack Howl." Any questions? Please contact Mr. Copeland at: jeffrey.copeland@sduhsd.net
Attendance
Don't leave us for too long! Extended vacations can cause you to fall behind. School starts back on November 28th!
Every wonder what kinds of Clubs or Activities are available to kids at PTMS?
Take a look at the Activities Page of our website.
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.
Order Your Yearbook Now
Student Safety Vehicle Permit
Other
- PTMS Webstore - the PTMS store for PE clothes and Spirit Wear.
- 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.