PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter

May 22 - Late Start Day

May 23 - Spring Art & Music Show - 5:00-7:00 p.m. - Gym/M102

May 25-26 - 8th Grade Chromebook Collection in English Classes

May 25 - 8th Grade Yearbook Signing Party - 2:45-3:45 p.m. - Quad

May 25 - School Site Council Meeting - 2:45-3:45 p.m. - M102

May 26 - 7th Grade Yearbook Collection during Homeroom

May 29 - Memorial Day Holiday - No School

PTMS families,

As of next Monday, we are officially in single digits in terms of days left of school. So many things to do and not many days left. We hope students, especially our 8th graders, continue to make the most of their last few days prior to the next step in their journey.

So much is happening on campus, so please take a look at the newsletter below. This week featured our spring dance with a "Floral" theme put on by ASB and it was beautiful and so well organized. Kudos to our ASB students for their planning and implementing a wonderful evening! Thank you to our parent volunteers and staff who made the evening safe and positive for our students.

Next Tuesday evening from 5 - 7 pm, we will host our PTMS Art Show. We would love for students, family and community members to come join us and celebrate our amazing student artists.

Next Wednesday evening, I will be hosting a "Principal's Chat" to provide time to learn further about our proposed bell schedule shift. The conversation will be virtual, and more details will come out in a separate email.

Have a wonderful Friday, a safe weekend, and we will see you all Monday.

In gratitude,

Scott

We know the end of the year can be an exciting but stressful time. As end of the semester tests begin to be administered, we wanted to give you some resources to help your student if they are experiencing testing anxiety. Please see the resources below.

• Letting Go of Test Anxiety

• How to Keep Calm During Tests

Some of you may have received a creative gift this Mother’s Day as students have been making and painting clay pots in the Wellness Center! While our calm, quiet space is usually open to all students at lunch times, sometimes we invite students to sign up for relaxing activities and workshops. Here are some photos of our latest creations:

Lisa Curry, Counselor (A-Ne) lisa.curry@sduhsd.net

Carsen Murt, Counselor (Ng-Z and EL Students) carsen.murt@sduhsd.net

Samantha Eels-Taylor, Student Support Facilitator samantha.eelstaylor@sduhsd.net

If you missed out on purchasing a Yearbook for your student this year, you may be in luck.

IF there are any "extra" Yearbooks, they can be purchased for $55/each (not the $50 we originally thought) beginning before school on Tuesday, May 30th, and throughout the day while supplies last. We thought we might be able to sell them on Friday after school, but the register will be closed all day on Friday, May 26th so we apologize for the inconvenience.

Wednesday, May 31st, is 8th Grade Promotion beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the quad. Click here for the bell schedule for that day.

Here are some important details:

- May 31st is a REGULAR SCHOOL DAY. Eighth graders are expected to arrive and attend their morning classes as usual then be escorted to the quad with the rest of their Homeroom class to the quad for Promotion. Students not in their morning classes will be considered truant unless a parent has contacted Attendance (PTAttendance@sduhsdnet) to excuse them.

- What should my student wear? It's a special occasion! Make it special by dressing for it. But please leave the tuxedos and ball gowns at home.

- If parents wish to take their promoting 8th grader home immediately following Promotion, their absence from the afternoon classes must be cleared by completing this form. You can also complete this form by using the QR code above and to the right. You can do it right now if you already know you are taking your 8th grader home after Promotion. You do not have to wait until Promotion Day to complete the form or let Attendance know. This form DOES let Attendance know. Otherwise, 8th graders will be expected to attend their afternoon classes after Promotion. Eighth graders not in their afternoon classes and who have not been cleared by a parent will be marked truant.

- Parking. There is limited space in the staff parking lot here at PTMS, but you are also welcome to park over in the CCA parking lot. DO NOT PARK IN THE CIRCULAR DRIVEWAY. If you require Handicap Parking, we will have a few parking spots coned off in the PTMS parking lot for people who reserve a Handicap Parking Spot. To reserve a Handicap Parking Spot, please click here.

- There will be no seating, so if you wish to sit, please plan on bringing your own (beach chair, blanket, etc.). There will be limited seating for disabled persons and we ask that only the disabled person be seated there, not the whole family.

- Parents will be permitted into the quad for Promotion no earlier than 10:00 a.m. Promotion begins at 10:30 a.m. and will last 45 minutes to an hour.

- Parents requiring ASL Accommodation, please contact Lisa Graciano@sduhsd.net as soon as possible.

- June 1st and 2nd are REGULAR SCHOOL DAYS. June 1st is a Single Period Day and June 2nd is a Minimum Day. Please see this bell schedule for bell times.

- June 1st is our 8th Grade Knott's Berry Farm Good Citizenship Trip. Eighth graders not going to Knott's are expected to attend classes as usual. Please contact the PTAttendance@sduhsd.net if your student will be absent.

- June 2nd is the Last Day of School. It is a Minimum Day (see bell schedule here). Eighth graders will receive their Promotion Certifications on this day.

- Can I get a Promotion Yard Sign? Yes. Yard signs are now being sold on our Spirit Wear Webstore. Orders placed after May 26th, however, may not reach you by the last day of school, so order soon!

This year we are collecting both 7th and 8th grade Chromebooks, in preparation for all of our students getting brand new Chromebooks in August.

8th-grade collection (through English classes):

Thursday, 5/25 (periods 1,3,5)

Friday, 5/26 (periods 2,4,6)

7th-grade collection (through math classes):

Tuesday, 5/30 (single period day)

Thursday, 6/1 (single period day)

Important information:

• Chromebook check-in takes time - each student must check in with a staff member in the Learning Commons to make sure that everything works.

• Chromebooks must be in working order (any repairs will be diagnosed by the IT department and a bill will be sent home) - See Chromebook repairs and insurance information

• Chromebooks must be turned in with stylus and charger. If your student has lost a stylus or charger, a bill will be sent home over the summer (stylus is $25 and charger is $28)

• Chromebooks should be free of all non-district stickers and sticker residue, and the student's first and last name should be clearly visible on their name label. (There will be fees for Chromebooks turned in with stickers/residue/graffiti.)

PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We need two (2) parents per period to help manage lines in the Learning Commons during Chromebook Collection. If you are interested, please click here to sign-up. Feel free to sign-up for more than one slot if you wish. Thank you in advance for helping out. Don't forget to check-in at the office (have your ID ready) before going to the Learning Commons to help out.

Eighth grade students are invited to join us for a Yearbook Signing Party after school on Thursday, May 25th, from 2:45 - 3:45 pm. in the quad.

The last Academic Power Hour of the school year is scheduled for Thursday, May 25th.

Every Wednesday, during Homeroom, the PTMS ASB/Leadership class presents the Weekly Wolfpack Howl Student Announcements.

You can check it out on the Students tab of our website and click the link entitled "Student Announcements" for a running post of each week's announcements.

Please follow us on Instagram to see what your student is up to during PE class.

The PE team is looking for used tennis balls. Please drop them off in the office and the team will pick them up. Thank you!

Garden Club thanked its supporters for their generous and gracious support by making and personally delivering thank you cards.

During this week's meeting, the Club members pulled out the weeds and harvested some vegetables and herbs such as zucchini, peas, green beans, arugula, basil, cilantro, green onions, and chards and happily divided them among themselves.

Thank you to all parents, administrators, staff members, outside organizers, and individuals who helped this Club to be a place where students gathered, learned, laughed, and flourished.

Our final Trailblazers Party was on Friday, May 12th. Students doing good things that stand out are awarded a "Blazing a Trail" card from the witnessing staff member and at the end of the month are invited to a Trailblazer Awards Party sponsored by the PTMS PTSA.

Attendance every day counts. Did you make today count?

Run and taught by students of Envision Conservatory for the Humanities, the summer program Humanicamp runs from June 12 - 16 (I) and June 19 - 23 (II). It fosters rising 6th to 9th graders' growing creativity and critical thinking in two one-week sessions of activity-based fun!

For information and to register, please click here.

CCA iGEM is holding a STEM Camp this summer for middle schoolers! Learn biology, chemistry, synthetic biology and gene editing, and forensics at a high-school level. Each day has advanced educational content and fun labs to reinforce the students' learning. Please email ccaigem2023@gmail.com or visit ccaigemcamp.com with any questions!

San Dieguito UHSD has an opening for a part-time Bilingual Parent/Community Liaison--Spanish. A Liaison facilitates communication with families on the behalf of the schools and district to create and maintain a partnership between home and school and create a greater understanding of educational procedures, issues, and concerns.

For more information on locations, work hours, and to apply, please visit this link:

https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1702214

- PTMS Webstore - the PTMS store for PE clothes

- PTMS Spirit Wear/Gear

- PTMS Student Safety Vehicle Permit - please turn in to the office.

- PTMS Yearbook.

- Boys & Girls Club

- San Dieguito Boys & Girls Club - click the link to the left for 2022-23 athletic schedules.

- SDUHSD - The SDUHSD is currently recruiting to staff permanent and substitute classified positions (e.g. Instructional Assistant, Nutrition Services, Custodian, Secretarial/Clerical). Part-time and full-time positions are available. Substitutes can set their own availability. 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.

Email: vetha.pierce@sduhsd.net
Website: pt.sduhsd.net
Location: 5975 Village Center Loop Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: 858.509.1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pacifictrailsmiddleschool