Tamanend Connections

What a spectacular night celebrating reading at Unami on Thursday, April 13! The Tamanend Reading Olympic teams did an outstanding job! Our 9th Grade team received a Blue Ribbon with 57 points, 8th grade team a Red Ribbon with 48 points and our 7th Grade team received a Blue Ribbon with 50 points! Congratulations all to of our Reading Olympic Students!

CB A Cappella Festival at Tamanend Middle School--Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 PM (details below)

English Language Arts (ELA) PSSA Testing (for 7th and 8th Graders--Monday, April 24 to Wednesday, April 26 (details below)

Deadline to Order Tamanend Yearbook--Sunday, April 30 (details below)

Teacher Appreciation Week--Monday, May 1 to Friday, May 5 (details below)

Math PSSA Testing (for 7th and 8th Graders)--Tuesday, May 2 to Wednesday, May 3 (details below)

8th Grade Class Trip to Gettysburg--Friday, May 5

INFORMATION:

• Students playing Spring sports and bringing bags/equipment for sports are to leave them in their regular hallway locker. Anything that does not fit in those lockers can be stored in 7th period classrooms.

• Open gyms for boys basketball for 8th graders and above started Thursday, April 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 at CB South.
• Boys who are currently in 8th or 9th grades and interested in playing soccer for CB South next year are encouraged to reach out to Coach Pettican at KPETTICAN@CBSD.ORG and provide your name, grade, and email address. Those who contact Coach Pettican will be added to South soccer’s TeamSnap account and will receive updates on summer events and tryout information for the Fall.
• On Friday April 21, the CB Titan wrestling program will be hosting FREE Friday night sessions for all interested student grades K thru 6 for 7 whole weeks. These sessions will combine wrestling-based drills along with gymnastic style games to not only introduce the sport to your child but begin forging the basic skills of our sport into our future wrestlers. Click HERE for details.

· If you and would like to receive immediate updates on game schedules, cancellations, etc., visit Tamanend Athletics web page and become a “fan” to get alerts for your child’s team.

Monday, April 24

• 7th Grade baseball vs. Tohickon (Home; 3:15)
• 7th Grade Girls Soccer @ Tohickon (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
  
• Boys Tennis vs. Tohickon (Home; 3:15)
• Track vs. Log College & Newtown @ Log College (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 1:30
• 8th Grade Girls Soccer vs. New Hope-Solebury (Home; 3:15)
• 8th Grade Baseball @ Tohickon; (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
  
• Varsity Softball @ Tohickon; (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
• Girls Lacrosse @ Tohickon; (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
  

Tuesday, April 25

• JV Softball @ Lenape (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
• 8th Grade Girls soccer @ Holicong (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15

Wednesday, April 26

• Track vs. Lenape @ Unami (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
• 7th Grade Baseball @ Tohickon (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
• 7th Grade Girls Soccer vs. Newtown (Home; 3:15)
• Varsity Softball vs. Newtown (Home; 3:15)

Thursday, April 27

• 8th Grade Girls Soccer vs. Newtown (Home; 3:15)

Friday, April 28

• No Contests

We hope that everyone will continue to support our athletic teams during the fall season. CB South prides itself on good sportsmanship on the part of players and fans alike. Please keep the following in mind as you cheer for our teams this season:

1. Middle school aged students must be accompanied by a parent.
2. The use of profanity and vulgarity is unacceptable at athletic events. Please do not engage in inappropriate or demeaning chants during games. Students who do not comply with this expectation will be ejected from the games and will face disciplinary consequences. Let’s focus on supporting our team, not degrading the opposing school.
3. Entering/Rushing the athletes’ area of play is prohibited and dangerous to security, teachers, spectators, and the athletes.
4. Students are not permitted to bring purses, draw string bags, backpacks, food, or beverages to any athletic event in the Fall season.
5. Students are prohibited from trespassing on the property of any school in the Central Bucks School District or on any property in any other school district. Damaging school property or engaging in any other activity that inconveniences the other school’s staff is strictly prohibited and will be considered vandalism, resulting in disciplinary and legal consequences. Please do not jeopardize your good standing by engaging in this type of unacceptable behavior.
6. All Central Bucks School District and Central Bucks High School South’s polices apply to students at athletic events. Please be advised that coming to an athletic event under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is not only extremely dangerous, but also violates School Board Policy 227. If a student chooses to attend a CB South athletic event while under the influence, law enforcement will be notified and a 5-day suspension will be imposed.

CB South’s Administration respectfully requests that parents monitor their child’s whereabouts and actions before athletic events at CB South. Please be aware of your child’s plans before the event, how they will safely get to the event, and how they will safely arrive home from the event.

We hope that you continue to show your enthusiasm and school spirit as we enter the fall athletic season. The Faculty and Administration at CB South has always considered your ability to support our teams in a positive and respectful manner as one of our key points of pride. Please join your classmates in continuing this proud tradition.

The 12th Annual Central Bucks A Cappella Festival will be held at Tamanend on Saturday April 22nd. Throughout the day, Chieftain Chorus students and members of other select choral ensembles throughout CB will have the opportunity to work with a cappella clinicians. The day will conclude with a concert featuring the middle school groups, CB South’s Southside Acapella, and our guest artist, The Trills. If you are interested in attending the 7:00pm concert please visit the CB A Cappella Festival Website for more information and the ticket link.

This information provides an update to families regarding PSSA testing and scheduling in our school this year. The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires all school districts to administer PSSA testing for the 2022-23 school year. The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is aligned with the PA Standards. The English Language Arts and Mathematics PSSAs are administered in grades 3 through 8 and the Science PSSA is administered in grade 4 and grade 8. The specific dates for the English Language Arts (online), Mathematics (paper/pencil), and Science (online) Assessments are listed below.

Tamanend Testing Schedule

English Language Arts--7th & 8th grades--Monday, April 24th--Section 1 @ 8:00AM

English Language Arts--7th & 8th grades--Tuesday, April 25th--Section 2 @ 8:00AM

English Language Arts--7th & 8th grades--Wednesday, April 26th--Section 3 @ 8:00AM

Mathematics--7th & 8th grades--Tuesday, May 2nd--Section 1 @ 8:00AM

Mathematics--7th & 8th grades--Wednesday, May 3rd--Section 2 @ 8:00AM

Science--8th Grade--Tuesday, May 9th--Sections 1 & 2 @ 8:00AM

Students learn all skills, concepts, and content necessary to take the assessment within their daily reading, writing, mathematics and science instruction. These assessments are critically important; please encourage your child to do their best. The results will be one of the measures we use as we make curricular updates and revisions. Individual performance will be one of the factors we consider when determining which students need additional support or enrichment. The data will help the district plan support for students who are not meeting the expectation of proficient on the exam. Additional information from PDE, including general information and the electronics policy, is enclosed. Each year there is a question regarding whether students must take the PSSA. A parent/guardian may choose to exempt their child from participating in the exam(s) if the tested content is found to be in conflict with their religious beliefs as per PA Code 22, Chapter 4.4. To exclude your child from taking one or more PSSA Exam(s), a parent/guardian must complete the following actions required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

1. Email the School Assessment Coordinator. For our school, please email Mr. Dudley, at kdudley@cbsd.org, to request an appointment to view the exam(s) to determine if they conflict with your religious beliefs.

2. Report to Tamanend at the appointed time and sign the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Confidentiality Agreement prior to viewing the exams.

3. Write a letter to the Superintendent of Schools for Central Bucks School District, Dr. Abram M. Lucabaugh, stating the specific exam(s) you want your child exempt from for religious reasons. Submit the letter to Tamanend’s Assessment Coordinator, at kdudley@cbsd.org.

A reminder that students need to bring a calculator on the Math PSSA testing days.

Teacher Appreciation Week will be celebrated May 1st - 5th. We plan to honor all Tamanend teachers and staff members on Tuesday, May 2nd with the annual catered Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. If you would like to contribute a monetary donation for luncheon, please make your donation through MyPaymentsPlus at this link or simply drop it off to the Main Office no later than Thursday, April 27. In addition, Parent Council will be surprising staff during Teacher Appreciation Week with daily drawings for treats/gift baskets. We are collecting items for the daily drawings. Please use the Microsoft Form (link is below) and drop off to the Main Office any item you would like to donate for this fun event: small gift cards, bagged candies, treats, coffees, teas, flowers, etc. or any gift item that can be put into a gift bag/basket (be creative!). If you would like to donate baked goods, please note that they should be individually wrapped. We ask that all donations be dropped off to the Main Office by Thursday, April 27. Click here to access the Microsoft Form to help us keep track of the donations. Click here to access MyPaymentsPlus. Thank you for helping to make Teacher Appreciation Week fun for the Tamanend staff!

Click here to join the meeting.

Sign up here to participate in mandala coloring during I&E. Mrs. Walter will add you to the I&E spreadsheet. Please see Mrs. Walter in the library for the coloring markers.

Curious about origami, the Japanese art of paper folding? Join us for an origami enrichment opportunity, learning and making new creations every week! No experience necessary! We will meet Mondays during I&E. Email Mrs. Walter at twalterveverka@cbsd.org to sign up! A reminder that students must be in good academic standing (good grades, not make-up work) in order to attend enrichment activities during Tiger’s i.

Join us on Thursdays during Tiger’s i in the Library for games of strategy, critical thinking, problem-solving, and a little luck. Choose from Catan, Pandemic, Azul, The Quest for Eldorado, Chess, escape room games, and 1000-piece puzzles! A reminder that students must be in good academic standing (good grades, not make-up work) in order to attend enrichment activities during Tiger’s i. Please email Mrs. Walter at twalterveverka@cbsd.org to sign up.

On Wednesday, April 19th, Tamanend’s UNICEF Unite Club hosted its second annual Earth Day Celebration. The club raised money by participating in several fun Earth Day events. Some students created unique re-usable tote bags, while others made seed bombs to help fertilize local gardens. We want to thank all of our club members for their support and their environmentally-friendly efforts. Our next meeting will be held after school on Wednesday, May 3rd. We will be making additional seed bombs if you couldn’t make today’s fundraiser. We look forward to seeing you there!

With the weather getting nicer, it would be great exercise for your children to walk to the bus stop! Remember, if a student is not in their classroom by 7:30am, they are considered Tardy and it affects their attendance record. If students take the bus, they will never be marked late. Why wait in the car-rider line, when students can ride the bus for free? (This message was paid for by Mr. Dudley, unofficial traffic director of Tamanend Middle School)

We are excited to announce a new initiative that we are implementing called the “Tamanend Ambassadors” program. The purpose of the program is the help new members of the Tamanend community feel welcome and connected to our school. One component of the program involves connecting new Tamanend parents to parents of current Tamanend students. We believe that connecting new parents with current parents can make the transition to middle school smoother for students and their families. Tamanend Parent Ambassadors can help point new parents in the right direction when they have questions or are in need of resources. Here are the expectations for parents/guardians serving as ambassadors:

• Have a child currently enrolled in 7th or 8th Grade at Tamanend.
• Complete the Forms survey (link below).
• Give permission to Tamanend to provide a preferred method of communication with your assigned family (cell phone number or email address).
• Review informational Power Point about our school.
• Make initial contact with assigned family (via phone or email).
• Be willing to answer questions from your assigned family.
• Attend two ambassador social events (organized by Tamanend).

If you are interested in serving as a Tamanend Parent Ambassador, please complete this Forms survey by Friday, April 21. If you are selected as a Parent Ambassador, you will receive additional information and instructions from Tamanend.

Visit the CBSD website at www.cbsd.org/sealofbiliteracy to learn more. You can learn how to apply for the Seal of Biliteracy by watching this video.

If you order online prior to January 31, 2022 the cost of the full-color, hardback yearbook is available for $40 (plus tax). This is also the deadline if you’d like to add any additional personalization to your child’s yearbook. The price of the yearbook will increase to $45 (plus tax) from February 1st- April 30th. After this April 30th date, we unfortunately cannot guarantee your child will be able to purchase a yearbook at the end of the year. Please click the link here to take you to Jostens online ordering page for Tamanend. No pre-orders will be accepted in school – all orders must be done through Jostens. If you have any questions, please email Kristen Gerth at kgerth@cbsd.org. If you have a financial concern, please contact our school social worker Mrs. Raquel Riad rriad@cbsd.org .

If you are a Tamanend parent/guardian interested in volunteering at Tamanend this year, please click on link below to our Sign Up Genius--https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0849AFA62CA4FB6-parent Our first volunteer opportunity will start next week. Please review the volunteer requirements below before signing up. Thank you for your support!

Pennsylvania law requires all persons having direct contact with school children to obtain background checks and clearances. If you are planning on volunteer in in a Central Bucks school during the 2022-2023 school year, you will need to go to Volunteer Required Paperwork, and complete what is needed to be an approved volunteer in our school. Thank you!

Tamanend Middle School empowers students to grow academically, socially and emotionally. Students, staff, and families work collaboratively to model the acronym ROAR.

Respect yourself, others, and property.

Own your behaviors.

Act appropriately.

Remember Kindness.

We believe that a caring, positive school culture and learning environment foster respectful, thoughtful, appropriate, and kind citizens.

In order to operationalize our mission, Tamanend utilizes a school-wide positive behavioral intervention and support plan (SWPBIS). This plan helps us establish a social culture in which students expect and support appropriate behavior from one another— creating school environments that are socially predictable, consistent, safe, and positive. This helps to reduce problem behaviors that lead to office discipline referrals and suspensions, and to change perceptions of school safety.

• Verifications for current 7th Grade students were to be confirmed in the Parent Portal Thursday, February 16th.
  
• Verifications for current 8th Grade students were to be confirmed in the Parent Portal Tuesday, February 28th.
• Verifications for current 9th Grade students were posted in the Parent Portal on Friday, March 17th and are to be confirmed by Wednesday, March 29th. (If using the Parent Portal app, select the menu and go to “More”, then “Backpack” in order to view and confirm.)
• The CB South Curriculum Fair for next year's 10th Graders was held on Thursday, January 5th. CB South's Program Planning & Curriculum page contains videos from across their various departments and can help give a sense of their offerings. Paramount to the high school transition are relationships and connectedness. Tamanend and CB South counselors will continue to plan and program for relationship-building opportunities as your child transitions to high school, including the forthcoming program planning assembly with high school and middle school counselors, curriculum fair, Q&A with high school counselors during the Intervention and Enrichment time, and welcome days at the high schools. We will share more information about these exciting events soon. Please reach out to your child’s counselor for additional assistance and information as we work together to support this transition.
• MBIT’s Open House was held on Thursday, December 1st at 6:00. Please visit their website (www.mbit.org) to see all of the amazing programs that MBIT has to offer.

A reminder that in order to attend school, students need to be fever free for 24 hours without medication. A fever is considered 100.4 or higher.

Families can access the online application for Free & Reduced Meals by clicking here. The application must be submitted each year.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

CBSD is currently accepting applications for Free & Reduced Lunch. Students who qualify for the Free and Reduced School Meals Program may also qualify for a variety of needs-based assistance based on their program eligibility. Federal law requires the family’s consent before Central Bucks School District can use or share eligibility status for purposes other than the provision of free or reduced lunch. This information will only be shared if you consent to help provide needs-based assistance to your student that may be beneficial to your family. Your decision to share or not share this information will not in any way affect your eligibility status for the Free and Reduced School Meals Program; it is completely optional.

If your student(s) qualifies for the Free and Reduced School Meals Program, you will receive a notification of a document that needs your attention in the Parent Portal. The Free/Reduced Lunch Information Sharing Consent Form requests permission to use the eligibility status to qualify for various needs-based assistance and programming. You may consent for all areas listed below, decline consent to all areas, or provide partial consent. See the link below for instructions to complete this consent form.

Free/Reduced Lunch Information Sharing Consent Form Instructions

Best wishes for a wonderful start to the school year.

For supervision and safety reasons, students may not be dropped off at school before 7:10 a.m. If you are driving your student to school and arrive before 7:10, please remain in your car with your student until 7:10 a.m.

Students are not required to purchase a CBSD issued physical education uniform; however, students will be required to change into athletic attire and sneakers to participate safely and practice good hygiene. Student attire must adhere to the dress code guidelines presented in the student handbook. CB locks will still be required to purchase to ensure personal items are secured in a locker. Locks are available for purchase on MyPaymentsPlus.

If parents/guardians decide to drive students to school, please plan enough travel time to allow for safety and congestion on Stuckert Road and in our school parking lot. The speed limit in our lot is 15 mph.

Below is a map of how the student drop-off will work in our parking lot. Drop off should only happen along the sidewalk in the front parking lot up to the Main Entrance, as indicated by the yellow highlighted area on the map. For your safety and the safety of our students, please follow these directions and do not drop your student off on Stuckert Road, the Visitor's Parking area, or in the middle of the Main Parking Area.

When dropping off your child, please remember that you should MAKE A RIGHT-HAND TURN INTO/OUT OF THE PARKING LOT. Please stay to the right of the parking lot, along the sidewalk, all the way up to the Stop Sign across from the Tennis Courts. Pull up as far as you can when the cars in front of you clear, and let your child out on the sidewalk. PLEASE STAY IN A SINGLE-FILE LINE WHILE IN THE PARKING LOT.

When picking up your child, please remember that YOU SHOULD ONLY MAKE A RIGHT-HAND TURN INTO THE PARKING LOT. The line of traffic will extend back toward the baseball field (Kelly Rd.). Please stay in the line of traffic and continue moving up as the car(s) in front of you move up. If we follow this procedure, all cars we be gone by 2:40.

When the weather is poor (heavy rain, low temperatures, etc.), more and more parents/guardians choose to drive their children to school. A reminder that students are expected to be in their 1st Period classes by 7:30 AM. If a child is late to school because of CBSD transportation, their tardiness will be excused. If a student is late to school because of car trouble, over-sleeping, or they are in the car drop-off line, their tardiness is unexcused. Typically, there are few cars in the drop off line from when the doors open at 7:10 until about 7:20. After 7:20, the line begins to get very long.

If you drive your child to school and the weather is poor, please consider leaving home earlier so that your child arrives to class on time.

Thanks for your assistance!

The regular school day is from 7:30--2:30.

7:10: Students may be dropped off at Tamanend.

7:10--7:20*: 7th Graders wait in the Auditorium; 8th Graders wait in the Cafeteria; 9th Graders wait in Main Gym

7:20: Classrooms open to students

7:27: Reminder bell rings

7:30: First period classes begin

*Breakfast is available to students in all grades beginning at 7:10 in the Cafeteria.

Last year, CB middle schools began running a weekly intervention and enrichment period. The purpose of this period is to provide time, space, and support for students to receive help from a teacher, to participate in enrichment activities, and to prepare for upcoming assessments and projects. At Tamanend, we called this time Tiger's i. For the 2022-2023 school year, our middle schools will be expanding this from a weekly program to a daily program. Students' Tiger's i groups will meet during the I & E block on their schedule.

You may report your child's absence in any of the following ways:

• Phone (Attendance hotline): 267-893-2920
• Written note to be turned in to Main Office
• Through Portal. Click here to learn how to report student absences through Portal.
  

Tamanend is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive experience at our school. We work hard to ensure that we have financial supports in place for families in need. Please be aware that we can help with the following resources:

• Food--pantry with healthy snacks and personal care items available all day outside of Guidance; meals to take home (students and/or parents and guardians can contact Mrs. Consoletti in the Guidance Office or Mrs. Myrtetus in the Health Office); weekend food packages to take home (students and/or parents and guardians can contact Mrs. Consoletti in the Guidance Office or Mrs. Myrtetus in the Health Office)
• Clothing
• Internet access
• Field trips, school supplies, fees
• Holiday gifts

If your family experiences a financial hardship, please feel free to email one of the staff members below so that we may help:

Brian Caughie (Principal) bcaughie@cbsd.org

Kyle Dudley (Assistant Principal) kdudley@cbsd.org

Lauren Myrtetus (Certified School Nurse) lmyrtetus@cbsd.org

Jeff Klein (Guidance Counselor and Athletic Director) jklein@cbsd.org

Mandy Cammann (Guidance Counselor) mcammann@cbsd.org

Andrea Consoletti (Guidance Secretary) aconsoletti@cbsd.org

Please click on the link below to learn about food assistance for families in Central Bucks:

https://vimeo.com/748146211 (English version)

https://vimeo.com/748143109 (versión en español)

Any Central Bucks family who may need a little extra food assistance is welcome to join on us at Barclay Elementary School. Our 2022-23 drive-up food distribution runs from 4:30 to 5:30 PM on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. We generally have free dry goods, fresh produce, milk, eggs, and bread, and often have some frozen meat and poultry. At each event we pass out an average of 10,000 pounds of food. No advanced sign-up is necessary. We kindly ask that you do not line up before 4:30 so as not to interfere with our student dismissal, and that you do not block our neighbors’ driveways. If you do line up during our student dismissal, you will be kindly asked to leave. Also, do not pull forward until you are certain that you have enough room and will not block someone’s driveway. Our neighbors are very understanding and supportive of our work, but also need to come and go during our events.

We received a donation of brand new backpacks. If you would like one for your child, please email one of the following staff members and we will set one aside for you:

Brian Caughie, Principal bcaughie@cbsd.org

Patti Hartz, Secretary phartz@cbsd.org

Andrea Consoletti, Student Service Secretary aconsoletti@cbsd.org

Here is a list of ways Tamanend communicates with students, families, and the community:

• Tamanend website: includes important information, resources, calendar of school events, and daily announcements
• Calendar of school events (posted on our website)
• Daily announcements (Posted each school day morning on our website and in Canvas. Look for the “Tamanend Announcements” course. Students will self-enroll in this course during the first week of school.
  
• TV show (weekly, during Advisory period)
• Email blasts from Tamanend administration regarding important news, new procedures, and reminders
• Parent Portal: student information, grades, and attendance
• Tamanend Connections newsletter: useful information, important reminders, and school highlights emailed weekly during school year and posted on Tamanend website
• Twitter: @CBTamanendMS highlights of activities, events, and daily life at Tamanend
• CBSD app: highlights of activities, events, and daily life in Central Bucks
  

¡Bienvenidos a Tamanend! Yo soy Brian Caughie, Director de Tamanend Middle School. Soy hispanohablante. Pasé mucho de mi vida en España. Estoy aquí para apoyarles a todos los estudiantes y familias en Tamanend. Favor de llamarme or escribirme (en inglés o en español) si Ud. tiene cualquier duda o pregunta.

Correo electrónico: bcaughie@cbsd.org

Oficina: (267) 893-2900

Starting with the 2022-2023 school year, Tamanend is changing how we publish daily announcements. We will continue to post our daily announcements on our website. We will also be publishing daily announcements through Canvas. We believe this change will make students more connected to the many activities and events available at our school. Tamanend Students will self-enroll in the "Tamanend Announcements" Canvas course during the first week of school. If parent(s)/guardian(s) wish to receive the daily announcements via email blast, they should email Mrs. Patti Hartz.

Tamanend students make a difference in our community. Share your story about the accomplishments and good work of a Tamanend student with Dr. Caughie at bcaughie@cbsd.org so that he may highlight this good news in an upcoming edition of Tamanend Connections.

Email: tms@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Domain/25
Location: 1492 Stuckert Road, Warrington, PA
Phone: 267.893.2900