PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter
March 8, 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
- Lost & Found
- ISPE Application Window information
IV. Counseling Update
- Residency Verification for Current SDUHSD Students and other enrollment information
- Information on Wellness and Suicide Prevention
V. ASB and Student Announcements
- 8th Grade Disneyland Trip
- Wellness Week Calendar
VI. Department News
- Learning Commons
- Math - Pi Day
- Music Program
- PE
- Yearbook
VII. Clubs (periodic information on extracurricular activities)
- Book Club
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
XI. Other Important Items (links to the PTMS Family Handbook, Boys & Girls Club, Webstore, etc.)
I. Coming Up
January 16-March 15 - Residency Verification for ALL CURRENT STUDENTS
February 12-March 15 - ISPE Application Window
February 27-March 19 - High School Pre-Enrollment for current 8th graders
March 4-11 - 8th Grade Course Selection
March 4-15 - 8th Grade Disneyland Trip Ticket Sales - see section V. below for details
March 10 - Daylight Savings time begins - advance your clocks one hour
March 11 - Pi Day through Math Classes
March 11-15 - Wellness Week
- Mindful Monday - PJ Dress-Up Day; ASB Kindness Gram Sales
- Team Tuesday - Sports Dress-Up Day; ASB Kindness Gram Sales; Quiz and Prizes in the Learning Commons all day
- Welcome Wednesday - Pink Out (wear pink) Dress-Up Day; ASB Kindness Gram Sales; Therapy Dogs in the Wellness Center during lunch; Healthy Kids Survey during Homeroom
- Thoughtful Thursday - Twin Dress-Up Day; ASB Kindness Gram Sales; Clay Pot Creating in the Wellness Center during lunch
- Fearless Friday - Color Wars (Homeroom color) Dress-Up Day; ASB Kindness Grams delivered to Homeroom; TPHS PALS Presentations during Homeroom; DJ Eric during lunch
II. Message from the Principal
Wolfpack families,
Happy Friday! Our first week of March comes with a flurry of activity on our campus. Yesterday and today, our orchestra, band and guitar students performed for parents at our annual Coffee Concerts. Thank you to the many parents who gave up time in their schedules to join us in support of their student and our musical performance program. Earlier in the week, Ms. Curry and Ms. Anderson presented to our 7th grade students about course selection for next year, our 8th grade students began their CAST testing in Science, and Disneyland tickets for our 8th grade Promotion trip went on sale. I recommend you keep an eye on our website for continual information about all things happening on our campus. It's a great way to stay informed and ensure you don't miss any important information.
Congratulations to our 7th grade boys basketball team for winning the Big 8 Championship last week. They defeated Oak Crest in a very exciting game, and we are really proud of their success and how they represent our school.
Next week we have our annual "Wellness Week" with activities each day. They include spirit days, lunchtime activities, a visit from the therapy dogs, and DJ Eric playing music on Friday at lunch. Additionally, our math department is facilitating our annual Pi Day activities. Thank you in advance for all of the parents who are volunteering to support!
On Monday, April 8, the day we return from Spring Break, our science department is facilitating a school-wide activity to safely observe the Solar Eclipse. We have purchased glasses that will protect students' eyes and allow them to observe the eclipse. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the date.
Finally, with Ramadan beginning on Sunday, for those who celebrate I wish you "Ramadan Mubarak". I have shared with our staff that some of our students may be fasting from sun-up to sundown. If that is true for your student, please communicate that with their teachers so that we can be aware, particularly in classes like physical education. If you have any other needs, please reach out to me directly.
Have a relaxing weekend, and we look forward to seeing your student on Monday.
In gratitude,
Scott Wild, Ed.D.
PrincipalIII. From the Assistant Principal
CAASPP Testing
This year students will be participating in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). All students will take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English Language Arts/literacy and Mathematics. Additional information can be found by clicking on the link HERE.
PTMS Testing Schedule:
Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA in English classes (March 11-15)
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
~ Spring into school every day and on time.
Lost & Found
The Lost & Found is full again. Please ask your student to check the bins in the office for their lost items. All unclaimed items get donated to charity on Tuesday.
ISPE Application Window - February 12 thru March 15
If your student has ISPE this year, that doesn't mean your student automatically has it for the 2024-25 school year. ISPE participants MUST re-apply each year. Please click on this district link for complete details and for the links to virtual parent Q&A sessions.
IV. Counseling Update
Course selection for current 7th graders is happening now! On Monday March 4, our counseling team met with all 7th grade students through World History classes for an 8th Grade Course Selection presentation to explain this process. Please be sure you (along with your child) have completed BOTH the online course selection in Aeries AND have returned the 8th Grade Course Selection Contract by Monday, March 11, by either submitting it in the counseling office or via email to ptcourseselection@sduhsd.net. Paper copies were distributed to students; however if you need another copy, you can use the electronic version linked here and on our website. Please refer to the 8th Grade Course Selection Process link on the Registration Page of the PTMS website for more information.
PTMS Wellness Week begins this Monday, March 11th. We have lots of activities lined up designed to help our students to destress during this busy testing period. The Therapy Dogs will be visiting us plus students are encouraged to sign up for a clay pot making activity in the Wellness Center. There will be quizzes, games and spirit dress up days and our week will end with the PALs class from Torrey Pines High School delivering a meaningful presentation on looking after our Mental Health. We hope all our Wolves have an enjoyable week. PTMS Wellness Week - March 2024
Supporting Our Youth: Mental Health Webinar Series - From Darkness to Light: A Parent’s Guide to Recognizing and Responding to Youth Depression.
- March 15th from 5:30-6:30 (virtual) Register SDCOE & Rady Children’s Hospital Flyer English /Spanish
- Join Joshua Feriante, DO, MBA By participating, you will learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression, acquire tools and skills to foster youth well-being at home, and discover the appropriate next steps to take if additional mental health assistance is needed.
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
Residency Verification REQUIRED for ALL CURRENT STUDENTS!
The window to submit your Annual Residency Verification is January 16 through March 15. You might feel like you've just done this (and maybe you have), but this is for the 2024-25 school year. Not this school year.
Here are the quick specifics:
- If your student is CURRENTLY enrolled in a SDUHSD school and plans to go to a SDUHSD school for the 2024-25 school year, completing this process is REQUIRED! ** If your student will NOT be attending a SDUHSD school for the 2024-25 school year, please contact the Registrar - Marielle.BravoSaltzman@sduhsd.net. If you don't, we will bug you relentlessly for Residency Verification paperwork. **
- Complete this Residency Verification Affidavit.
- Attach a copy of your current SDGE bill (Category 1 on the form)
- Attach a copy of a cable or water bill (Category 2 on the form)
- Upload those three (3) documents in Aeries as per these instructions - OR -
- Scan/email those three (3) documents to Vetha.Pierce@sduhsd.net - OR -
- Print out and Turn-in those three (3) documents at your student's school.
If you have more than one student CURRENTLY ENROLLED in one or more of our SDUHSD schools, one packet with all current students' names can be turned in at one of the currently attending school sites (i.e. your middle school twins currently attend PTMS and older brother currently attends CCA - one packet with all 3 names can be turned in/uploaded to either PTMS or CCA) **Please do not include your incoming 6th grader on this form! A separate Enrollment packet will include a Residency Verification packet.**
For questions, please contact Vetha Pierce.
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
Suicide Prevention QPR Training
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.
8th Grade Good Citizenship 8th Grade Disneyland Trip - May 30th
Parents and families of 8th grade students: Tickets for the Good Citizenship 8th Grade Disneyland Trip will go on sale from March 4th to March 15th.
Here are the main points:
- Trip is Thursday, May 30, 2024
- Cost: $180 - purchase with Vetha in the front office only from 7:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. daily.
- Sales from March 4th through March 15th - Sales end at PRECISELY 3:15 p.m. on March 15th when the register closes.
- Need this signed parent permission slip (BOTH PAGES) and student ID to purchase and board the bus. Students can keep the top portion of page one since it has important information for them. They need to return the bottom portion of page 1 and ALL of page 2. Permission slips were passed out to 8th Graders during Homeroom on Friday, March 1st, and are also found in hard copy in the front office and on our website at the link above.
- You cannot use annual passes/personal tickets. The $180 covers admission and transportation/parking.
- Buses will be assigned. No negotiating.
- No individual teacher signatures needed, but the rest of page 2 has to be done.
** If your student requires financial assistance to attend the trip, please contact your student's counselor. If you are able to sponsor another student, there will be an opportunity to do so later as well.
Wellness Week - March 11 through 15
VI. Department News
Learning Commons News
Please click here to see everything that the Learning Commons has been up to so far this year.
Music Program
Congratulations to all students in the music program and their esteemed director, Mr. Johnson, for their participation and rankings in last week's Forum Music Festival in Fullerton, CA. PTMS walked away proudly with four group rankings:
Symphonic Band - Gold Ranking
Advanced Orchestra - Gold Ranking
Beginning Orchestra - Silver Ranking
Concert Band - Bronze Ranking
Additionally, individual students were recognized for their superior performance in the group. Please help us in congratulating them.
From the PE Department
Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.
VII. Clubs
Book Club
The PTMS Book Club is holding a book drive to benefit disadvantaged kids in San Diego County. Students may bring any like-new books they would like to donate to the Learning Commons through the end of February. Books will be distributed by the Encinitas County Library in partnership with Kids Need to Read, a non-profit organization that provides books to kids in need.
~ 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
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.