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Thomas Timberwolves
School Community Newsletter ~ 3/1/22
Hello, Parents and Guardians,
First, we are kindly asking that you please take a moment to complete the 5 Essentials Survey. Click here to share your input. This survey closes on 3/11/22 and we need at least 20% parent participation. We are currently at 11%. Your feedback is helpful in our ability to grow in our practices.
As always, there's so much to celebrate and be grateful for...
- THANK YOU TMS PTA for a wonderful week of treats and good eats! The TMS staff sincerely appreciates your generosity and kindness.
- Big cheers for the 10 TMS wrestlers who are moving on to IESA Wrestling Sectionals this Saturday, 3/5/22. Great job at Regionals last week and best wishes at Sectionals! Thank you Coaches Damico, Hamilton, and SRO Malik!
- Congratulations to the 7th grade girl's volleyball team on winning the D25 Sweetheart Tournament! This year both the 7th & 8th grade girl's teams won their Sweetheart Tournaments! The 7th grade team won their first IESA Regional game but lost the second. It was a great season! This weekend the 8th grade team will begin IESA Regionals. Thank you Coaches Jones & Slowinski!
- Tonight TMS hosted the Beginner Bands from Greenbrier and Patton Elementary School as well as the TMS Concert Band. Hats off to our student musicians for sharing their talents with our community. We are grateful for our Band Directors - Ms. Horton, Ms. Pucci, and Mr. Berry!
The Illinois State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, recently shared, "The past two years of leading through a global pandemic have been the most challenging of my career - and I know many of you would say the same." We have been presented with numerous changes and challenges, yet the Thomas students and staff continue to do incredible things. We have tried to maintain our priorities of SAFETY~CONNECTION~INSTRUCTION and we've focused on the positives while working to plan for all the possibilities. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding! Hang in there, we are still working through this but we have lots of smiles and sunshine coming our way!
STATE TESTING: This coming week, March 7, 8, & 9 all the students will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and our 8th graders will also take the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). This testing week brings about modified daily schedules and impacts the routines we've worked so hard to create. Please see below for the specific daily schedules. We ask that parents try to ensure the children get a proper night's rest and have a healthy breakfast.
LUNCH CHANGES: The students were recently invited to participate in an optional opinion poll regarding the lunch structure. The feedback shared showed the following:
- We have over 100 students that feel that the 20 minutes in the Commons/20 minutes in the classroom lunch structure works best for them.
- We also have over 200 students that shared that they appreciate the downtime to work independently in a classroom at lunch with access to their Chromebooks and appreciate the smaller environment in a classroom during the lunch period because it is quieter.
- However, given that we currently have 965 students at TMS, the majority of students would like to return to Commons and outdoor areas for the entire lunch period with all of their grade-level classmates for lunch.
- Given IAR testing next week and the modified daily schedules, we will train the students on the new lunch structure during the week of March 14-18.
- Following spring break, we will begin moving all of the grade-level teams into the Commons during their assigned lunch periods. Weather permitting, students can utilize the outdoor courtyard areas as well. Eating will only take place in the Commons.
In this newsletter you'll find NEW highlights on the following items:
Boys Volleyball Tryouts for 7th and 8th graders March 15 & 16
- Student Council Canes Fundraiser - March 30
- 5th to 6th Grade Transition Information
- 7th Grade Outdoor Education Sunrise Lake $11.00 Transportation Fee
- 8th Grade Save-The-Dates Information
Upcoming Important Dates:
- IAR Testing (& 8th Grade ISA Testing ) - March 7, 8, 9
- PARENT ACTION ITEM: Parents should complete the 5 Essentials Survey This survey closes on 3/11/22.
- TMS PTA Meeting - Wednesday, March 16
AHC PTA "Pack the Piggies" Contest - March 14-17
- Spring Break - No School - March 21-25
- 7th Grade Outdoor Education Trips - Gamma on March 31 & Delta on April 1
Parent Evening Webinar Events on Social Emotional Learning with Tom McSheehy March 30 and April 26
- Spring MAP Testing - April 4 & 5
- FitnessGram Window Opens April 4
Thank you and take care,
Lori, Greg, & Nick
PARENT ACTION ITEM: Please take the Parent 5 Essentials Survey
All parents and guardians are asked to complete the 5 Essentials Survey. Click here: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/. This survey closes on 3/11/22.
Please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ to take the parent survey.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact 5Essentials Customer Support at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.
Boys Volleyball
In order to be eligible to tryout for volleyball, you and your child must:
1) Fill out the Athletic Registration. This should only take a couple of minutes and can be filled out using any device
2) Provide an updated physical to our health office. Physicals are valid for 13 months, so to be eligible for the entire season, the date should be 4/14/21. Once the athletic registration is filled out, we will let you know if the physical on file is out of date.
Any questions? Please contact the Boys Volleyball Coaches:
Ben Hamilton: bhamilton@sd25.org
Ricky Cardi: rcardi@sd25.org
Pack the Piggies Fun-raiser!!
Are you ready to Pack the Piggy, Thomas Middle School?
The Arlington Heights Council of PTA’s (AHC-PTA) funds scholarships each year for K-8 students, as well as D214 graduating seniors. This March, the AHC-PTA will be initiating its first-ever “Pack the Piggies” FUN-raiser across the district to raise money for these scholarships.
The contest begins March 14th and goes through March 17th, which gives us four days to pack our piggy and reach our goal! The goal for Thomas Middle School is to raise $1k. If we do, our prize is that the students can do a pie-to-the-face of the administrator they vote for. To help reach our goal, you can bring in coins, cash, or checks (made out to the AHC-PTA) and pack TMS piggy!
Let’s have some fun for a great cause!
ACTION ITEM for 7TH PARENTS: Outdoor Education Transportation Fee
Dear 7th Grade Parents,
As a friendly reminder, please be sure to complete the Sunrise Lake field trip form. The Gamma team attending on Thursday, March 31st, and the Delta team going on Friday, April 1st.
The trip will take place during school hours, with the students returning to Thomas Middle School by the end of the school day. Students will follow the regular pickup and drop-off times and procedures. Here is a link to the Permission Slip that ALL 7th grade families should complete.
TRANSPORTATION FEE: There is an $11.00 transportation fee for this trip. Please click here to pay online at the District 25 Revtrak site or send cash or a check payable to Thomas Middle School with your child to school.
Thank you,
TMS Administration
8th Grade Save-The-Dates Information
- 8th Grade Picnic - May 26
- 8th Grade Great America Trip - May 31
- Tentative 8th Grade Graduation Date - June 1(Rain date June 2)
Social Emotional Learning with the Tom McSheehy at the Teaching Heart Institute
Tom was brought to us through the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation in honor of TMS and BGHS alumni Evan Lindborg. We will be forever grateful for Evan's legacy and to his family for the opportunity to educate our community about mental health and suicide prevention.
Tom will be providing 3 Parent Webinar evening events. Please click here to RSVP to these events.
Click here for a recording of the 2/22/22 Social-Emotional Learning: Strengthening the Mental Health of Teenagers.
Wednesday, March 30th from 7-8 PM - Emotional Support: Guiding Adolescents in Learning to Deal with their Emotions in Healthy Ways
Wednesday, April 26th from 7-8 PM - Mental Health and Suicide Awareness: Educating Parents About These Important Topics
Tom will also share SEL Focus Points of the Week...
Week of Feb. 28 - March 4:
The focus of next week’s SEL mindful moments will be on using breathing to calm the brain and nervous system. Breathing is the quickest and easiest way to calm the brain and nervous system. If your child can learn techniques to calm themselves when stressed, they can deal effectively with stress and intense emotions. It will also help them to focus their brains and perform optimally in their academic work. The Thomas teachers are working on the same Mindful Moments in class, except that they are one week ahead of you. Take 20-30 seconds to breathe deeply throughout the day and practice breathing in the car, before eating dinner, etc.
Week of March 7-11:
The focus of next week’s SEL mindful moments will be on using the heart to calm the brain and nervous system. The heart has the ability to calm the brain and nervous system. If your child can learn techniques to calm themselves when stressed, they can deal effectively with stress and intense emotions. It will also help them to focus their brains and perform optimally in their academic work. The Thomas teachers are working on the same Mindful Moments in class, except that they are one week ahead of you. Take 20-30 seconds to do this quick heart mediation throughout the day and invite your child to do it with you.
Tom McSheehy MSW, LSW
720-369-3000
Teaching Heart Institute
teachingheartinstitute.com
Parent Education Information on The Glenbard Parent Series
Summer U 2022
FREE Breakfast at TMS!
WHEN: Monday - Friday from 7:30 AM until 7:45 AM
WHERE: Students should enter the building and tell the door supervisors that they are going to breakfast in the Commons Extension.
Shield Testing Information
At TMS, Shield Testing is conducted on Monday afternoons. TMS students enrolled in Shield Testing are responsible for going to the LMC during their homeroom's assigned time. A reminder for the testing schedule is posted in the Morning Announcements on Mondays. Students are not called down to test.
Please click the links below and fill out the Shield form if you would like to unenroll your child.
Extra Help Is Available
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.
PTA Spring Flower, Vegetable, and Herb Plant Sale
Stay tuned for ordering information!
TMS PTA
For the 2022-2023 school year, the PTA is seeking some Executive Board and Committee positions. We need parents to attend the monthly meetings, share suggestions, discuss events, and volunteer their time. Please consider one of these roles.
The Parent-Teacher-Association meets monthly on the following dates in person in the TMS LMC and via Zoom:
March 16 - 7 PM
April 12 - 7 PM
May - TBD
Meetings are hybrid style and you can attend in person or online. Please RSVP here so we can send you the Zoom link.
2021-2022 PTA Officers:
President: Amy Hoffman
President-Elect: Suzanne Krause
Vice President: Melissa Teuscher
Treasurer: Kelly Spokas
Secretary: Deborah Oiler
Do you have questions for the PTA? Email the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com
Join the ABC/25 Foundation
Please consider joining the ABC/25 Foundation.
The link to join is: JOIN ABC/25.
The cost is $25 for staff members and $40 for families to join.
The ABC/25 Foundation provides powerful grants that schools can earn which can benefit all students.
If you have questions, please contact:
Ann Poyer
ABC/25 Foundation President
847-989-9802
GENERAL D25 BUS INFORMATION
If your child is a bus rider, the bus information and bus passes are sent to you by Laura Comastro from our transportation department.
Her contact information is:(847) 758-4888 or lcomastro@sd25.org
Please direct all transportation and bussing questions to Laura Comastro.
NOTE: Students are now required to show their bus pass each day.
Illinois State Report Card - Thomas
Thomas Middle School
Email: tmsadmin@sd25.org
Website: https://www.sd25.org/Domain/9
Location: 1430 N Belmont Ave, Arlington Heights, IL, United States
Phone: 847.398.4260
Twitter: @AHSD25Thomas