PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
April 27, 2024
Table of Contents
I. Coming Up (calendar items in the coming week or so)
II. Message from the Principal
III. Message from the Assistant Principal
- From the Attendance Office
IV. Counseling Corner
- Information on Wellness and Suicide Prevention
V. ASB and Student Announcements
- Spring Dance - One for the Records
VI. Department News
- Learning Commons
- PE
- Yearbook
VII. Clubs (periodic information on extracurricular activities)
VIII. Multilingual Corner (includes information on ELAC other community resources)
- Parent classes
IX. Special Education Sessions and Events (parenting classes, family events, informational sessions)
X. Community Events
- Opportunities/Events involving district high schools
- CCA's final performance of "Deviate" is tonight, April 26th. See flyer below.
XI. Other Important Items (links to the PTMS Family Handbook, Boys & Girls Club, Webstore, etc.)
I. Coming Up
April 22-May 2 - Spring Dance Ticket Sales - Parent Permission, Student ID, and $5.00 required to buy a ticket
May 2 - "One for the Records" Spring Dance - 5:00-7:00 p.m. - Quad
May 3 - PTSA General Meeting/Coffee with the Principal - Learning Commons - 8:45-10:00 a.m.
May 6-10 - Staff Appreciation Week
II. Message from the Principal
Happy Friday Wolfpack Families,
As I write this, I am struck by how quickly the end of the year is sneaking up on us. April is virtually finished, and as we welcome the month of May, we will blink and it will be the last day of school. I love this time of year because there is so much energy in the air. May brings opportunities to recognize Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day. Amidst all of this, we have a few things I wish to highlight.
Next Thursday, May 2, our ASB will put on the final dance of the school year. The theme is "One For the Records" and is a final opportunity for our wolfpack to gather, dance, and have an evening of fun. If you would like to volunteer, please sign-up here. We love parent involvement and this is a great way to support Pacific Trails. Later in the month, on May 23, we will have our Spring Arts Show featuring performances from the music program and numerous student art pieces from the year. Please save the date as we would love you to attend.
Finally, I want to end with a message of safety. As parents, we do so much to keep our kids safe. It sometimes feels like a very challenging task, and most of the time, we get it right. But the 12-14 year old brain is growing and developing in a way that sometimes works against these efforts. In short, impulsivity happens a lot at this age. In some cases, the stakes are low, and in other situations, the stakes can be much greater. The two most common, and perhaps high-stakes activities that our children engage in center around e-bikes and cellphones (not together, but I've seen it happen and it scares me!) To that end, I want to encourage you to engage in consistent conversation with your student about safety around these items. Helmets, single riders, and obeying traffic laws are paramount for student bike safety. As for cell phones, students do not need a cell phone to access their education at PTMS. And despite our policy, students still find themselves using them, and not always appropriately. Please sit with your child, look at their phone, talk to them about how they (and their friends) use cell phones, and discuss boundaries that will keep them safe. Here is a link to various articles from Common Sense Media that you may find helpful.
Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to seeing your student on Monday.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild, Ed.D.
PrincipalIII. From the Assistant Principal
From the Attendance Office
~ Missing school = missing out! Attendance matters!
IV. Counseling Corner
Is your 8th grader looking for a summer volunteer opportunity? Helen Woodward Animal Center (a non-profit animal shelter located in Rancho Santa Fe) hosts many Critter Camps, which provide teens with early leadership opportunities. They are looking for junior volunteers (ages 14-17 years) to assist with setting up for lessons, assisting with animal education, and supervising lunch time, as well as assisting with games and crafts. Not only is this a great opportunity for skill building, but also for verification of community service hours. Volunteers sign up for a minimum of one week sessions with a maximum of 3 weeks total (depending on availability). Click here for more information.
The Society of Women Engineers is launching their 3rd Annual Girls in STEM Inspiration Day on May 11, 2024 at Wilson Middle School in City Heights. This year’s theme is "Breaking Barriers, Building Dreams” with the goal of igniting an interest in pursuing STEM careers for girls and marginalized students. The event will showcase presentations and "speed-mentoring" sessions led by accomplished women in engineering as well as hands-on engineering projects. Lunch will be provided!
Where: Wilson Middle School; 3838 Orange Ave, San Diego 92105
When: Sat, May 11th; 9 am – 2 pm
Who: Students in grades 6 – 12. All genders welcome!
Cost: FREE
To Register: complete this form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y3QMxYb7L2pZYvTANOdx0to-PdXtK8rADBbXP0xIdwk/viewform?ts=65fed541&edit_requested=true
Lisa Curry, Counselor (A-Ma) lisa.curry@sduhsd.net
Carsen Anderson, Counselor (Mc-Z and ML Students) carsen.anderson@sduhsd.net
Samantha Eels-Taylor, Student Support Facilitator samantha.eelstaylor@sduhsd.net
Mental Health & Wellness
Mental Health & Wellness Resources for Students, Staff, and School Community.
Click on the QR code to discover your PTMS Support Staff.
Free Mental Health Webinar Series
See below
Suicide Prevention QPR Training
See below
V. 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.
"One for the Records" Spring Dance - May 2
Tickets for the "One for the Records" Spring Dance on May 2nd go on sale Monday, April 22. Tickets are $5.00/each and students will need this signed parent permission slip, their student ID card (replacement ID's are $5.00/each), and $5.00 to buy a ticket. Tickets are sold at the ASB tables during lunch as well as before/after school and during break/lunch with Vetha in the front office. The register closes at 3:15 p.m. daily. The last day to buy a dance ticket will be May 2nd no later than 3:15 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
Parent Volunteers Needed!
Here's your chance to be part of the action at a middle school dance. Parent Volunteers are needed for either (or both!) of the 1 1/2 hour shifts. If you are interested, please sign-up here.
VI. Department News
Learning Commons News
Please click here to see everything that the Learning Commons has been up to so far this year.
From the PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
VII. 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.
VIII. Multilingual Learner Corner
We want to extend a huge congratulations to qualifying multilingual learner students on their achievement of reclassifying and reaching a level of English proficiency! Qualifying families will be sent an invite to attend the event. All multilingual learner students and their families are invited to attend, even if they aren't reclassifying just yet, for the purpose of building community and meeting others who may have similar school experiences. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Stephanie Hake at stephanie.hake@sduhsd.net for more information. Thank you!
All MLL families are invited to our spring Multilingual learner night! We will celebrate reclassification and welcome our elementary families into our district. New families will also have the opportunity to attend their first ELAC Meeting with their child's future school site. Event details are below with the flyer links.
Event Name: SDUHSD Spring Multilingual Learner Night
Event Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: Earl Warren Middle School (155 Stevens Ave)
Flyer: In English, Spanish, and Chinese - it can also be translated into any other language by right clicking the document, selecting the three vertical dots at the top, and choosing a new language.
IX. 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.
X. Community Events
SDUHSD Summer School Information
Canyon Crest Academy
Summer Camps
Torrey Pines High School
Dance Team Auditions
XI. Other Important Items
- Boys & Girls Club - Seasonal sports information/registration.
- PTMS Live Calendar of Campus Events and 2023-24 Instructional Calendar.
- 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 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.