PTMS Weekly Parent Newsletter

May 8 - Late Start Day

May 8-12 - Staff Appreciation Week - Thank you in advance to the PTSA and Parent Donations that will make this happen!

May 8-18 - Floral Formal Spring Dance Tickets on sale before/after school and during break/lunch - this Parent Permission Slip and Student ID are required to purchase the $10 ticket

May 10 - CoVitality Survey - Part 2 - during Homeroom

May 12 - Trailblazer Awards - 12:05 p.m.

Wolfpack families,

Happy Friday! We are officially in May which brings a number of activities on our campus and things to celebrate. May is Asian Pacific Heritage month as well as Mental Health Awareness month. We had a wonderful celebration last night as we hosted our 1st annual Heritage Night. The evening was so well attended, and celebrated cultures from across the globe. We were treated to performances including Persian dance, a K-pop performance, a mother/child samba, a traditional Bosnian folk song and more. Students and families set up booths showcasing countries from across the world including Norway, Iran, South Korea, China and Scotland. See photos at the end of my message for a glimpse of the evenings' events. It was a fantastic night, and for those who were able to attend, I hope you enjoyed it. A special thank you to PTSA and our ASB Director Ms. Main who coordinated the event.

While our campus and amazing counseling team focus on mental health all year long, this week we had additional activities to support mental health including our quarterly visits from the therapy dogs, presentations about mental health, and special activities in our wellness center. I am grateful that our campus continues to focus on the importance of social and emotional wellbeing, and if your child (or you) need support, please access these various resources that are available to you.

In math, our students are finishing the CAASP testing, while in our English classrooms, many 7th grade students are reading A Midsummer Night's Dream while many 8th grade students are reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

As we look forward to next school year, our campus is exploring the possibility of having "Late-Start Monday" each and every Monday. No decision has been made, and one step that needs to occur is that our campus hears from you, our parent community. I will be sending out a separate email that seeks to get input and feedback from you about this possible change. Stay tuned.

Finally, with promotion less than one month away, please look at the information below. If you have any special accommodations, please communicate that with Ms.Vetha Pierce. We want to ensure that the day is special for students and families alike.

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday.

In gratitude,

Scott

CoVitality Survey on Wednesday, May 10th

All students will be invited to participate in a short survey during Homeroom on Wednesday, May 10th. Please review the notification linked below for more information about the upcoming SDUHSD CoVitality Screening, and instructions if you would like to opt your student out of participating.

PTMS Spring 2023 SDUHSD CoVitality Screening Passive Consent Letter - English

PTMS Spring 2023 SDUHSD CoVitality Screening Passive Consent Letter - Spanish

If you have received a summer school application and plan for your Wolf to attend the SDUHSD Summer School, please remember to return it to PTMS or email it back to ptcourseselection@sduhsd.net.

This week saw the start of Mental Health Matters month and we had a number of events on campus to help celebrate positive mental health for our students. Some of the highlights included the counselors’ Coping Skills workshop in the Wellness Center on Monday. We were once again joined by the therapy dogs from Love On A Leash on Wednesday and students got to spend part of their lunch break visiting them. Students were also invited to take part in clay pot making and decorating in our Wellness Center during Thursday’s Homeroom. Hopefully, our wolves found this both relaxing and fun!

If you have visited school in the last couple of weeks you may have spotted a few changes to our counseling area. A huge thank you to the PTMS PTSA for helping to fund our counseling office upgrade! With the money, we have been able to create an attractive, comfortable and private area for our students and visitors.

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

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 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!

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.

Our last dance of the school year, the Spring Floral Formal, is being held on Thursday, May 18, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the quad. Ticket sales begin on Monday, May 8, and will end on Thursday, May 18, at 3:15 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Tickets cost $10 each and students must have this signed parent permission/contract and physical student ID card to buy a ticket. Tickets can be purchased from Vetha in the front office before/after school, during break/lunch, or at the ASB tables during lunch only. If your student has lost their ID card, a new one can be purchased with Vetha in the front office for $5.00. Student ID card is required to get into the dance.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - we have various shifts and station assistant needs for the dance. If you are interested in helping out, please click here.

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

This week in the Garden Club, students assembled a beautiful water fountain, prepared the last bed for pollinator/sensory plants, and planted six strawberry plants that were donated to the garden by Mrs. Curry, one of the school's counselors. Thank you Mrs. Curry:)

They also nourished the vegetable beds and planted a chamomile plant. Special thanks to the Conachen family and a few other parent volunteers for building cages for the vegetable beds a few weeks ago and designing and adding an access to the beds last Friday. Garden Club truly appreciates all your time and effort.

Also, thank you to Moon Valley Nursery for their donation of Moon Juice and fertilizer as well as the discount for additional plants.

Don't let your education slip away - come to school every day!

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!

- 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