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Thomas Community Newsletter
October 23, 2023
Dear TMS Community,
Today marks the first day of Quarter 2. Quarter 1 report cards will be posted this Friday, 10/27. This special edition of the Community Newsletter comes to you because TMS has many fun festivities coming up, including Halloween and Tree Planting. We are seeking volunteers for a variety of events, please see below. Please read the Halloween letter very carefully so that there is a clear understanding of events and costume expectations.
In this newsletter you'll find new information for:
TMS Halloween Letter
TMS Tree Planting Event 10/24/23
PTA Activity Night 10/27/23 - Ticket Sale Volunteers and Volunteer & Donations Sign-Up Form
ABC25 Pack the Piggies Contest - $$ Collection 11/5-11/10
Jasmine Warga Author Visit - 11/6/23 *Modified Daily Schedule
Community Announcements - Hersey High School Snowstoppers & Miss Maker Workshop
Take care,
Lori, Nick, & Greg
TMS Administrative Team
PTA Fall Fest ~ Activity Night
- Please click here to volunteer to sell tickets during lunch to collect money this week for the TMS Fall Fest that is happening this Friday, 10/27!! We need volunteers this Tuesday-Friday from 11:15-1:30 to collect money during the three lunch periods. Thank you so much for helping to make the Fall Fest a successful event!!
- You can also and click here to sign up to volunteer to bring snacks or work the event on 10/27/23.
WHAT: Fun activities
WHEN: Friday, October 27 from 4-5:30 PM
WHERE: TMS Large Gym & Commons
COST: $5 per student - Tickets will be sold this week - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during lunch periods. Tickets will NOT be sold on Friday!
Student Assemblies with Author Jasmine Warga - Monday, 11/6/23 *Modified Daily Schedule
- TMS is delighted to welcome author, Jasmine Warga, for two assemblies for the students on Monday, 11/6/23.
- Here is a link to the Jasmine Warga bio
- Students can order her books and she will sign any books ordered! Book orders can be placed here through Oct 31.
Miss Maker Workshop ~ Targeting 9 to 14 year old girls
Hello Thomas Middle School,
We are students from the District 214 FIRST Robotics Competition Teams 111 & 112, WildStang Robotics Program. Our team is made up of students from all grades and all six schools in District 214.
Throughout the year, our team hosts a number of outreach events with a goal of giving younger students experience with STEM. One of our most popular events is Miss Maker Workshop, targeting 9 to 14 year old girls. The purpose of the workshop is to get young girls interested in and excited about engineering and science.
The events this year are being held on November 4th and November 11th. The girls will complete a Mechanical, Software, and Electrical project during the workshop. In the Mechanical session, the girls will design and build marshmallow catapults and see which design can launch the marshmallow the farthest. Then, they will test and iterate their catapult to see if they can improve on their previous design. In software, they will learn how to code using code academy, an interactive program with puzzles and games to teach them coding in a fun way. In Electrical, the girls will solder a breadboard with speakers that allow it to make music.
We would love to have some of the girls from Thomas Middle School attend. Attached is a flier with details for this years’ workshop. We would appreciate it if you could include the flier in your parent newsletter, share it with your Science Teachers or any STEM Club Sponsors, or any other way to let your girls learn about the event.
For more information about Miss Maker Workshop and to register, please visit our website at https://www.wildstang.org/ws_wp/2023/10/07/2023-miss-maker-workshop/ or view the attached flyer.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
FRC Team 111/112, WildStang Robotics Program
Miss Maker Workshop Planning Committee
TMS PTA INFORMATION
Join the TMS PTA and help support the TMS community! Check out the TMS PTA Website.
TMS PTA meetings are held in the TMS LMC at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend!
- Tuesday, March 5
- Wednesday, January 11
- Tuesday, May 7
2023-2024 Executive Board Members
- President: Megan Puzen
- President-Elect: Kris Dugan
- Vice President: Nora Muenkel
- Treasurer: Diane Beardmore
- Secretary: Joclyn Katz
Are you willing to volunteer? Do you have a question for the PTA? Please contact the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com
Student Academic Support Is Available
TMS After School Support by Team is available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays! Students are invited to stay after school for academic support.
Please encourage your child to attend Office Hours/11th Hour/Homework Club and to reach out to teachers if they need help or just want a place to work on their academics after school. This support is FREE and can be extremely helpful.
Click here for more details on options for your child to get help from staff at TMS. The activity bus departs TMS at about 3:35 PM. Please see the Activity Bus Black Out Schedule below.
IMPORTANT HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION
Student Health: Please continue to use the links and phone numbers on this page: https://www.sd25.org/Page/1451 to report your child’s absence. If your child has tested positive for COVID-19, you can notify the school nurse for guidance regarding how many days it is recommended to stay home (5 days with day 0 as the onset of symptoms or test day if asymptomatic) per Illinois Department of Public Health.
- Physical Forms: Athletes must have a current physical BEFORE they can participate in ANY practices. Physicals are good for 13 months. Physicals can be turned in at the TMS office or uploaded to the TMS Health Office form linked here.
- Dental Forms are due by May 15th, 2024 must be dated after November 15th, 2022.
Please contact the TMS Health Office if you have any questions:
Laura Toussaint - ltoussaint@sd25.org
Stephanie Musolf - smusolf@sd25.org
Daily Attendance Information
Daily attendance is expected and essential to school success. Please work with us to ensure that your child is attending school each day. If support is needed in this area, please reach out to us.
- ABSENCE REPORTING: The TMS attendance reporting options are open 24 hours a day 7 days per week. If your child is sick or unable to attend school, the parent/guardian MUST report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260 by 8 AM, the latest, on the day of the absences. Please be sure to report your child's absence so that we can account for all students each day. Advanced notification of absences is greatly appreciated.
- ARRIVAL TIME: Students should arrive at school between 7:30-7:40 AM so that they can stop at their locker and be seated in their homeroom class by 7:50 AM.
- LATE ARRIVAL/TARDIES: Students arriving late to school are unexcused unless a parent or guardian calls to report the reason for the late arrival. Oversleeping and traffic are not considered excused absences. Students must sign in at the office upon arrival at school.
- EARLY DISMISSAL: If your child has a doctor's appointment and needs to leave school before dismissal at 2:45 PM, please be sure to report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260. Students must sign out in the office before leaving school early.
Students who are absent from class are encouraged to check Schoology for assignment information. In addition, it may be helpful for students who are absent to attend Homework Club / Office Hours for a few days upon returning to school.
School Resource Officers - Danny Malik & John O'Leary
School District 25 has a wonderful partnership with the Arlington Heights Police Department and we are very fortunate to have two outstanding School Resource Officers that support our schools. The SROs attend various TMS events throughout the school year and they are an essential part of our Wolf Pack.
Please know that you can report concerns or social media incidents to the school administration and or school social workers. In addition, our School Resource Officers from the Arlington Heights Police Department are available to address your concerns and the police station is open 24-7 to report incidents that occur outside of TMS after school hours and on the weekends.
Officer Danny Malik & Officer John O'Leary
School Resource Officer
Arlington Heights Police Department
dmalik@vah.com & joleary@vah.com
M: 847-878-2949
W: 847-368-5393
Bus Information
- All students need to show their bus pass in order to ride the bus!
- Please direct bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist: Laura Comastro. Laura can answer your questions and resolve issues. lcomastro@sd25.org. Phone: 847-758-4888
- LATE BUSES: If the bus is more than ten minutes late, parents may call Cook County School Bus Co. at 847-439-0923 to find out if the bus is late, or missed a stop. Parents who cannot stay at the bus stop should have a contingency plan with neighbors and with their children concerning what to do if the bus is more than 10 minutes late in the morning or if the parent is not home after school.
- ITEMS LEFT ON THE BUS: If a student leaves an item on the bus, the parent should contact Cook Co. School Bus Company at 847-439-0923 to locate the item and to make arrangements for it to be returned. This can be done either on the bus route the next day or by the parent going to the bus company to pick it up (1910 S. Busse Rd., A.H.).
- CONCERNS AND COMPLIMENTS: Bus emergency concerns: Contact Cook County School Bus at 847-439-0923 or for the AHSD25 Transportation Manager during the school work day, 847- 758-4888. About bus drivers/bus service: Contact the Transportation Specialist at 847-758-4888. About other passengers: Contact the school office to report any issue with regard to behavior on the bus.
- Additional bus information can be found at the transportation link on the District 25 website.
- Students will practice bus evacuation procedures twice per year during PE and Health Classes.
Safe2Help Illinois
Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program where students can use a free app, text/phone, and website (safe2helpil.com) to share information on school safety issues in a confidential environment. Once vetted, the information provided will be shared with local district and school officials and/or local 911 call center, depending on the nature of the information shared. Safe2Help Illinois is a long-term initiative to change the school culture in Illinois by helping students reach out when they have concerns. To learn further about Safe2Help Illinois, please see the videos below. More information can also be found on their website at safe2helpil.com.
ABC/25 Foundation
- Please consider joining the ABC/25 Foundation on behalf of TMS by clicking on this link: www.abc25.org
- The ABC/25 Foundation is excited to launch the 2023-24 school year! We have an array of thrilling developments in store, and it all begins with the unveiling of our fresh, redesigned logo and a new slogan, "GRANTING INSPIRATION TO FORWARD EDUCATION"
- Join us in our journey to support and enhance education in our community! Make sure to explore our revamped website www.abc25.org and follow ABC/25 or Facebook and Instagram for all of our latest updates!
- TMS CONTACTS: Ursula Guran & Angie Thanopoulos https://abc25.org/
- Monday, October 30th from 7-8 PM Information Session and Community Member Meeting @ Arlington Height Memorial Library.
- Come learn how your membership benefits the schools and students and become involved in our rebrand!
- Wondering if you signed up to be an ABC/25 Foundation member back in May when you registered your child/children for the 2023-2024 school year? If, so please feel free to reach out directly to Thomas' ABC/25 Foundation representative - Bliss Hansen-Finnegan at eblisshansen@gmail.com and she will let you know.