PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
March 22, 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)
- Book Club
- eSports Club
- Math League
VIII. Multilingual Corner (includes information on ELAC other community resources)
IX. Special Education Sessions and Events (parenting classes, family events, informational sessions)
X. Community Events
- Opportunities involving district high schools
XI. Other Important Items (links to the PTMS Family Handbook, Boys & Girls Club, Webstore, etc.)
I. Coming Up
ASB's Eid Donation Drive thru March 29
March 29
- Beach Dress-Up Day
- Lawn Games during lunch
April 1-5 - Spring Break - No School/Campus Closed
April 8 - Modified Bell Schedule - Schoolwide Viewing of the Solar Eclipse (using provided solar eclipse glasses) - watch for more information early next week on Parent Square
II. Message from the Principal
Wolfpack families,
Happy Friday to you. As we continue through Women's History Month, I am reminded of a phrase that one of the most important women in my life, my mother, shared with me at a very young age.
"If you go through the process, the product will come."
As principal, I carry this with me daily because so much of what our amazing staff works on with students each day is the learning process. At the heart of this idea is teaching and reinforcing positive learning habits, positive social habits, and positive life habits. With the focus on habits and behaviors, things like letter grades, test scores and other outcome-based metrics become secondary. I am not saying grades do not matter, but what I am saying is that as we guide students through the learning experiences they have at school, it serves them greatly to help them reflect on their process. Asking questions like those listed below can really help 12- to 14-year-olds reflect:
- How do I advocate for myself?
- In what ways do I communicate with my teachers?
- How do I organize my days and the tasks I need to complete?
- Are my learning/social/personal habits helping me reach my goals?
We have students achieving amazing accomplishments across our campus. This includes winning various competitions and awards, scoring high on tests, and earning high grades. This occurs because we have students invested in a process. But there's another, almost hidden, outcome that happens when we focus on process rather than result. It allows students to more readily accept disappointment, embrace struggle, and deal with things they may perceive as failure. So when they don't win the competition, get the grade they hoped to earn, or anything else they perceive as a let down, we can have conversations that speak about their process of preparation to reflect. One of our hopes for students is that they are self-reflective, and more aptly prepared to navigate all they will experience after middle school. I encourage you to speak to them about this concept of process as we work together to raise healthy and well-adjusted children.
A few celebrations to share involve our employees of the year for 2023-2024.
Certificated employee of the year: Ms. Ellen Main, Science & ASB
Classified employee of the year: Ms. Lisa Graciano, Administrative Assistant II
Congratulations to Ms. Main and Ms. Graciano!
With Spring Break coming up soon, I really need to emphasize the importance of school attendance. Please refrain from signing your students out days prior to the break. I understand why parents and families may wish to have a longer vacation, but it also negatively impacts our school, school funding, and student learning.
When we return from Spring Break on April 8th, as a school we will observe the solar eclipse. Stay tuned for information being sent out on Monday, March 25th, that includes a modified bell schedule, safety information, and the option to opt your student out of the experience if you choose.
Finally, in late April and early May, our science teachers will be teaching the health unit. You will receive information from the district on March 29th, and I will be holding a Special Principal's Coffee on Friday, April 12th, from 8:45 - 10:00 a.m. for parents who may have questions.
Have a wonderful weekend, avoid the rain drops, and we look forward to seeing your student on Monday morning.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild, Ed.D
Principal
III. From the Assistant Principal
CAASPP Testing
This year students will be participating in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). After Spring Break, students will take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments in Mathematics. Additional information can be found by clicking on the link HERE.
PTMS Testing Schedule:
Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for Math in Math classes (April 9-12)
Students will NOT be able to use wireless headphones. Students should bring their own WIRED headphones or earbuds if they have them.
If you have questions please email Assistant Principal Dr. Stephanie Hake (stephanie.hake@sduhsd.net) or Lisa Graciano (lisa.graciano@sduhsd.net).
From the Attendance Office
~ We're springing toward the end of the year. Keep making school attendance a priority!
IV. Counseling Corner
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. The next training is on April 24 - How to Help Teens Build Strong Social Connections, Sleep Routines, and Social Media Habits Zoom REGISTER
Behavioral Health Apps for Teens and Kids - The Department of Health Care Services recently launched two free behavioral health services applications -
BrightLife Kids for parents or caregivers and kids 0-12 years old, and
Soluna for teens and young adults ages 13-25.
These web and app-based platforms offer free one-on-one support with live coaches, a library of multimedia resources, wellness exercises, and peer communities. Trained professionals monitor app usage to identify potential risks, licensed behavioral health professionals are on standby to intervene if clinically appropriate, and the apps can connect users to crisis or emergency services when needed. Both apps also have strict privacy and confidentiality requirements.
Despite the busy state testing taking place, our students enjoyed some respite during last week’s Wellness Week. Last Thursday, around forty students spent Homeroom making clay pots in the Wellness Center and last Wednesday over 200 of our wolves chose to visit the Therapy Dogs. We are always grateful for the regular “Love on a Leash” visits and many students share how much they look forward to this. ASB spent the week selling “kindness grams” and it was lovely to see the smiles on students' faces when they received one from a friend. As in previous years, we were visited by the PALs class from TPHS who created a meaningful presentation on looking after our mental health. We are grateful to our local high schoolers for giving up their time to come here to work with our younger students.
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
~ 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
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.