Pacific Trails Middle School

Happy Wednesday, and I hope this message finds you well.

I'd like to first welcome our incoming 7th grade families and new 8th grade families to Pacific Trails Middle School for the 2020-21 school year. I'd like to also "welcome back" our continuing PTMS students and families! Though things are far from normal, the staff, teachers, and administrators at PTMS are committed to providing you with an amazing PTMS experience, and we look forward to engaging and supporting you.

The purpose of this message is to communicate our District's plan for instruction and learning as we near the beginning of the school year. Given the situation in San Diego County and pursuant to the Governor's order, the Board of Trustees took action on Thursday evening, July 30, 2020, confirming that all SDUHSD schools will begin the school year in a Distance Learning format through the first quarter of the school year (August 25 through October 28, 2020). We continue to stay positive and hopeful that conditions improve allowing the opportunity to transition to more in-person, on-campus learning as the year progresses beyond the first quarter.

Our District's team of educators have been working tirelessly all summer to ensure that our Distance Learning curriculum and plan is robust and meaningful.  Recent laws were passed that mandate instructional minutes, attendance, engagement, and interactive learning activities.  Please expect more communication in the next week, providing additional details on a finalized bell schedule for the start of our school year, as well as more specific information about how Distance Learning will be implemented.  In order to provide support and consistency, we will not offer Zero Period for the 2020-21 school year.  In the meantime, please consider utilizing the below resources in preparation for supporting your student's virtual learning from home in addition to the information at my.sduhsd.net.

A Planning Framework for the 2020-21 School Year was presented at last week's meeting of the Board of Trustees. Please take a moment to review this information for an awareness of our District's priorities as they relate to Health and Safety, Operations, Social and Emotional Support Systems, Family and Community Engagement, and Learning and Instruction.

Due to these most recent updates, our upcoming PTMS New Student Orientation will be provided to our community in a virtual format the week of August 17th.  Please expect more information next week and thank you again for your continued patience and understanding.  Additionally, in preparation for successful Distance Learning experience, please complete the SDUHSD Middle School Technology Survey.

Sincerely,

Mary Anne Nuskin
Principal, Pacific Trails Middle School
858.509.1000/maryanne.nuskin@sduhsd.net


HELPFUL RESOURCES:

- Tips to Supporting Your Student's Virtual Learning at Home
- Guide for Remote Learning
- Student Self-Care Tips
- Why Should I Keep Doing School Work?