PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
December 15, 2023
Coming Up
December 18 - Late Start Day
December 19 - Block 1-3-5 Day
December 20 - Block 2-4-6 Day
December 21 - Minimum Day - school out at 12:25 p.m.
December 21-January 5 - Winter Break
January 8 & 9 - Staff Inservice - No School
Message from the Principal
Wolfpack families,
Happy Friday. This week had some celebrations starting with our Holiday Howl on Tuesday. We had an amazing turnout from the community, and it was so great to see the many families in attendance. Thank you very much to PTSA for organizing the event, to our arts department, specifically Mr. Johnson, Ms. Wheeler, and Ms. Hynes for showcasing their students' artwork and musical abilities. I heard many comments about how impressive our students are! This week was also special because in PE classes, many students engaged in letters and phone calls of gratitude. It's a wonderful opportunity for our students to reach out to people who make a difference in their lives and share words of thanks. I absolutely love that our students get this opportunity, and thank you to our PE teachers for facilitating this experience.
This week was also marked by some negative incidents that I detailed in my email home yesterday afternoon. I spoke to the students over the PA system this morning, and I encourage you to ask them what they heard, what they are thinking about, and more importantly, what role that can play in making everyone feel as though they belong. Our staff is deeply committed to teaching students, and this goes beyond academic learning. Character matters, and words that cause hurt are lines that should not be crossed. I am really asking for you to have continual conversations with your students about how they can partner with us in our effort to interrupt bias and use words more responsibly.
Finally, while the holiday season can be a celebration for many, for others it can be a challenging time. If you or someone you know needs support, please scroll down and find a variety of community resources that may help.
Have a restful weekend and we look forward to seeing your student on Monday.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild
Principal
Pacific Trails Needs a Campus Supervisor!
We currently have a job opening for a fulltime Campus Supervisor. If you, or someone you know, is looking for a fun job that has you working closely with staff/students and is part of our safety team, please click here to apply and get general job duty/compensation information.
Is Your Student Going to a Private School Next School Year?
If you and your student are thinking of applying to a Private School for next year. Please fill out the link below for each school.
1st Semester grade Transcripts will not be ready until January 2024.
Mental Health & Wellness
Mental Health & Wellness Resources for Students, Staff, and School Community.
Click on the QR code to discover your PTMS Support Staff.
Holiday Food Distribution for Families in Need
With the holidays coming up, we'd like to share these food distribution resources with you for any families you may know that need support during this time of year.
Of note: North County Food Bank will be giving out a turkey and St. John's will be giving out ham for the Thanksgiving Holidays.
From the Attendance Office
~ The best gift you can give yourself is your education. 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 PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
From Yearbook
The yearbook makes a perfect holiday gift!
From the PTSA
The Holiday Howl was a success thanks to all of you!
The performances were amazing, the Art Exhibition was incredible, and we had the perfect weather to enjoy a hot cocoa using the beautiful ASB cups the kids had so much fun decorating!
We also had eight raffle winners who brought back home some fantastic prizes!
We recognize the immense dedication and effort you put into supporting your children throughout the year juggling work, family, and countless other responsibilities. Your commitment to their education and wellbeing is truly inspiring, and we are grateful for all that you do as well as your support to PTSA!
The PTSA Team wishes you a holiday break filled with peace, relaxation, and cherished moments with your loved ones!
Clubs
~ Club activity will be posted here throughout the year. To get a list of all Clubs currently active, please check the Activities page on our website.
Multilingual Learner Corner
The next PTMS ELAC meeting for multilingual learner families will provide information about the High School Selection Process. The meeting is Tuesday, January 23, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Carmel Valley Middle School Learning Commons (3800 Mykonos Ln, San Diego, CA 92130).
Special Education Sessions and Events
For a list of Special Education Informational Sessions and Family Events, please click here.
For meetings, trainings, workshops, and more from the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education, please click here.
Special Education Informational Series
The SDUHSD special education department, in collaboration with SDUHSD counselors, are hosting an upcoming informational session on Tuesday, November 7th at 5:00 pm covering A-G eligibility for students with an IEP interested in attending 4 year universities.
This session will also cover financial aid and world language requirements.
Please see the attachment to RSVP and learn more. We look forward to seeing you there!
The District will be CLOSED for Winter Break, 12/22/23-1/5/24.
With the upcoming winter recess and end of the term, we encourage you to relax, unwind, and settle into an enjoyable break.
Some of us may be balancing substantial to-do lists from shopping to entertaining and managing family expectations. While the holiday season brings celebrations, we all know it may also bring unwelcome guests, like stress and grief. It’s important to stay mindful, acknowledge our feelings, and model that we don’t have to do it all! Take time for self-care. Be mindful of your schedule. Plan ahead and say “no” to activities if you’re feeling overbooked.
While schools are closed, we want to remind you of the resources available in our community and below some are listed so you can easily reference them should you or a family member need help during the break.
We wish all of our families a restful and enjoyable winter break and look forward to welcoming you back at the start of spring term!
Food Resources Food Locator Map - San Diego Food Bank Feeding San Diego
Community Resources: call 2 1 1
Below are a few suggestions from the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) for staying healthy during the winter break while connecting with friends and loved ones and managing potential holiday stress.
Tips for Staying Healthy During the Holidays / Tips for Dealing with Holiday Stress
CCA miRcore
KnightHacks is an event called a "hackathon" by computer programmers. It is an event where students can learn and use computer science to make a project and be judged for prizes all in the span of one day. In the morning, there will be short CS workshops for those who have no experience and student-run lessons on useful programming skills/languages. Participants will work on a project and be judged in the evening to possibly win prizes & awards, and we are very grateful to be supported enough to provide full lunch and dinner. Our event targets girls and younger students who may be interested in computer science but haven't had the chance to practice their skills. Thus, there is no entry fee or experience in coding required for middle to high school students to enter. KnightHacks Website
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."
Deadline to submit articles for publication is Thursdays.