PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
April 12, 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
- Heritage Night
VI. Department News
- Learning Commons
- PE
- Yearbook
VII. Clubs (periodic information on extracurricular activities)
- Science Olympiad takes 4th in the State!
VIII. Multilingual Corner (includes information on ELAC other community resources)
- New list of parent classes for May
IX. Special Education Sessions and Events (parenting classes, family events, informational sessions)
X. Community Events
- Opportunities/Events involving district high schools
XI. Other Important Items (links to the PTMS Family Handbook, Boys & Girls Club, Webstore, etc.)
I. Coming Up
April 18 - Heritage Night - 5:30-7:00 p.m. - MPR
April 24 - ELAC Meeting - 6:00-7:30 p.m. - EWMS Cove
May 2 - 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.
II. Message from the Principal
Wolfpack families,
Happy Friday! As we returned from Spring Break, students returned excited, refreshed, and happy to reunite with their friends and classmates. We began on Monday by taking a bit of a risk as we had a school-wide observation of the solar eclipse. I will share in full disclosure that I was a bit nervous about having 1,000 middle school students collectively staring at the sun. But thanks to our ASB who purchased the appropriate solar eclipse glasses, and to our science team for facilitating a really good mini-lesson to teach the students about the solar eclipse, the day went smoothly. It resulted in a really positive experience, students were on their best behavior, and many of us noticed that during the eclipse the temperature dropped and the shadows changed. It was also a pleasure to have SDUHSD Superintendent Dr. Staffieri and members of the school board to join us for the event.
Tuesday night, Mr. Johnson and our middle school bands went to Petco Park to perform in Middle School Band Night. They represented well, and even though the Padres didn't win the game, everyone had a great time. Similarly, our Science Olympiad team recently represented the school very well in the California State Science Olympiad Competition. Their hard work, determination and perseverance resulted in a 4th place finish across all teams in the state. We are very proud of the students and grateful to the adult coaches and volunteers who dedicate many hours to support our students. Way to go, Science Olympiads!
Today, I had an opportunity to meet with some parents who wished to know more about our upcoming health curriculum that will be taught in science classes. You can review the content of the slide deck or access the district website for more information.
As we look forward to next week, I invite you, your families, your neighbors and the entire community to our 2nd annual PTMS Heritage Night. Sponsored by our PTSA, the event runs from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in our gymnasium and will feature tables showcasing countries from around the globe and cultural performances by various students.
That's all from me, have a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing the students on Monday morning.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild, Ed.D
Principal
III. From the Assistant Principal
STAR Testing
This year all students will participate in the Renaissance Star Reading and Star Math academic universal screening tests to measure student’s learning and growth over the school year. The Star tests help our schools and teachers evaluate student performance and progress over time in order to provide the necessary student support.
Star Reading and Star Math are both short (30 minute), low stakes, computer adaptive, academic assessments. Star assessments help teachers better understand what students know and can do in the areas of reading and math. As a student takes the test, the software selects items based on the student’s responses. If the student answers correctly, the next item will be more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the next item will be less difficult. By adjusting the difficulty of the items based on a student's responses, the assessment is an accurate way to help teachers identify what skills students are ready to learn. Teachers use this information to guide their instruction.
Scores will be posted by the district in Aeries once they are available.
Spring STAR Testing Dates
STAR Reading: Monday, 4/15 in English classes
STAR Math: Thursday, 4/18 through Friday, 4/19 in Math classes (check with math teacher for which day)
If you have any questions please email Administrative Assistant, Lisa Graciano, at lisa.graciano@sduhsd.net, or Assistant Principal Dr. Stephanie Hake, at stephanie.hake@sduhsd.net.
From the Attendance Office
~ Attendance every day counts. Did you make today count?
Lost & Found
Please be sure you or your student check the Lost & Found in the Attendance (and sometimes displayed out front in the drop-off area) for missing items. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity on Tuesday.
** Note: Several house keys have been turned in to the Lost & Found. Please check with the Attendance desk.
IV. Counseling Corner
SDUHSD Summer School will be held at La Costa Canyon High School and available to students needing English or math remediation, a math bridge course, or ELD (English Language Development). To view the summer school presentation click here. Course offerings and the application are located here. A transportation option will be available from Pacific Trails to LCC. If you will need transportation, please complete this online request form (English, Spanish).
Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project offers free online mental health training for families (virtual): trainings are designed to share practical tips that adults can put into practice to understand teen mental health better and support the mental health of teens in their lives. Training 2: April 24 - How to Help Teens Build Strong Social Connections, Sleep Routines, and Social Media Habits Click here to REGISTER
The final ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) meeting of the 2023-2024 school year will be held on April 24, 2024 at Earl Warren Middle School from 6:00-7:30 pm. If you are the parent of a ML student, we highly encourage you to attend as this is an opportunity to meet other parents in the district and learn more about the reclassification process. We will also be celebrating our reclassified students from this school year. Refreshments, childcare, and translation services will be provided. For more information, please see this flyer: English, Spanish, and Chinese
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
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.
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.
Heritage Night - April 18 - 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Pacific Trails Middle School and the PTSA are hosting our second annual Heritage Night!
Please join us to celebrate our diverse community! We are looking for volunteers to host booths representing cultures from across the globe with performances, traditional attire, cultural games, music, and more!
This event can only happen with your participation, so please sign up to help however you can! Once you sign up, keep an eye out for emails from PTMS and the PTSA to coordinate.
More information about hosting a booth or performing.
Thank you and see you there!
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
PTMS Science Olympiad takes Fourth in the State Competition
Congratulations on a 4th place finish at the SCIOLY State competition at Caltech. Now, PTMS has a history and legacy of being among the top 5 schools at the State level for several years. We have a legacy of competing and placing well among teams in the SoCal pool who go on to win the National title. The preliminary results are posted: https://www.duosmium.org/results/2024-04-06_sCA_states_b/
Congratulations to the individual medal winners and the whole team, everyone's performance contributed to this win.
~ 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
San Dieguito Academy
Come see Matilda!
Torrey Pines High School
Dance Team Auditions
Torrey Pines High School
Generations.
Canyon Crest Academy
Robotics Summer Camp
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.