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The Howler
Informing The TMS Community
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December News
Hello TMS families, we are excited to present this month's Howler to you written by the Yearbook/Journalism class. This month, we are notifying the community of TMS about upcoming December events! We will be highlighting: returning sports, the food drive, Winter Break, Veterans Day assembly recap, the Giving Tree, orchestra and choir concert, yearbook reminders, and a delicious winter treat!
TMS Giving Tree
We need your help! There are still have quite a few tags left on our Giving Tree. Pick up a gift tag from the tree in the TMS library to buy a holiday gift for a Tumwater family in need. December 7th is the last day to turn in your gifts and tags. We would love to see all of the tags gone, and lovely presents returned in its place. Happy holidays!
Fall Festival
Fall Festival was a hit! Students and staff had an incredible time. Fall Festival featured a photo booth, cake walk, therapy dogs, arts & crafts, Bingo, PE games, treats, and more! As shown here, Mr. Harris, I mean our TMS turkey, ran the temporary tattoo booth! Thank you to all who made this wonderful event possible!
Boys Basketball and Girls Volleyball
Boys basketball signups are open starting this month. The signup link is on the TMS website. The first day of the season is January 3rd. The next winter sport is girls volleyball starting on February 14th. Only seventh and eighth graders can participate in these indoor sports. A huge thanks to our coaches who decided to coach and encourage students to play these sports!
Buy Your Yearbook!
Just an important reminder that you can buy your yearbook on the TMS website. They are only $30 now, but don't wait! This is the lowest price of the year! They will go up in price starting in January. Click the icon to the right for easy purchasing. The 250th, 300th, 350th, and 400th students to order their Yearbook will win a bouquet of Dum-Dums! Save those memories throughout the school year of 2023-2024!
Food Drive
Winter Break
Veterans Day Assembly Recap
Holiday Choir and Orchestra Concert
TMS Choir also has a performance at BHHS on December 13th at 7:00 PM!
Thankful Box
District Wide Spirit Week
Firewolf Bites - Christmas Crunch
Equipment
- silicone mat
- candy thermometer
- spatula
Ingredients
- ▢35-40 saltine crackers
- ▢1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- ▢1 cup brown sugar
- ▢1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate or chips (see note 1)
- ▢1 ½ cups toppings such as chopped pecans, crushed pretzels, M&Ms, or crushed OREOs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 15” x 10” x 1” pan with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone mat. Line up crackers in a single layer in rows on prepared sheet.
- Meanwhile, using a candy thermometer, melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes (270 to 290 degrees if using a candy thermometer). Immediately pour over crackers and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Bake 5 minutes or until the candy hardens (300 to 310 degrees if using a candy thermometer). Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments at 50% power until melted. Spread over hardened caramel. (You can also sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hardened candy, pop it back in the oven until melted, and spread after that).
- Sprinkle nuts or other toppings and press into the chocolate using a greased spatula. Cut into squares while warm. Cool completely for at least 15 minutes and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Chocolate: Sometimes chopped bar chocolate works better than chocolate chips. To melt the chocolate, you can either 1). melt it in the microwave and pour it over the top, or 2). sprinkle the chips on the hardened caramel topping, let them sit for a minute to melt, and then spread the softened chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Toppings: Try chopped pecans, pretzels, OREOs, M&Ms, toffee bits, peanut butter cups, toasted coconut, coarse sea salt, candy canes, or drizzles of white chocolate. Or, just leave it plain!
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 servings of Christmas Crunch.
- Storage: Depending on the season and the humidity, Christmas Crunch should keep well in an airtight tin or container for about a week or longer at freezing temps (like on your patio or in your garage).
- Freezer: Christmas Crunch freezes well! Break or cut it into pieces and store it in freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months.
- Chocolate: Sometimes chopped bar chocolate works better than chocolate chips. To melt the chocolate, you can either 1). melt it in the microwave and pour it over the top, or 2). sprinkle the chips on the hardened caramel topping, let them sit for a minute to melt, and then spread the softened chocolate chips with a spatula.