HAPPENING IN OCTOBER!

WOW! It's amazing to me how quickly the last month of school went - as the wise Tim Graham once said, "the days might go by slow, but the years go by quick." In reflecting on the last month and all the anticipation and excitement of the start of school, I'm more than pleased with what THS has been able to accomplish. I had an opportunity to do a share out at last Thursday's school board meeting and reported that, "the vibe at THS is good." Fortunately, our THS Student Board Representative, Ameiya Brown, reiterated and supported this completely anecdotal assertion. Phew!

Looking forward, we have a ton of things going on in October (see below). The span from the start of school through the end of Quarter 1 (November 3rd) is comprised of 8 straight full 5 day weeks. This is a long stretch and our students and staff start to feel the challenges of the grind - grades, attendance, behaviors and social-emotional issues all seem to surface during the October stretch. Knowing that this is coming helps us navigate some of these challenges. Here are some questions that I recently shared with our staff that you might also appreciate:

• Self-Care: What’s your self-care plan?

• Inspiration: What’s a meaningful interaction/relationship that you can point to for inspiration?

• Gratitude: Who is someone I could surprise with a gift, a note, or a word of appreciation?

• Forward thinking: What’s a situation that might stress you out or trip you up? And, how would your best-self deal with this?

I'm hopeful that one month from now we'll be rolling into the start of 2nd quarter and the positive THS "vibe" will still be strong. As always, I'm grateful for THS, the Tumwater Community, and the strong support for our T-Bird culture - Go Birds!

Zach Suderman

This survey information offers us valuable insight into your perceptions - please... and thank you :)

https://bit.ly/FamilySurveyFall23

Tumwater Parent Organization is a great way to stay connected at Tumwater High School.

The TPO is an organization that works to connect parents, students, and staff. It is a non-profit parent group focused on providing support to students and staff at THS; specifically assisting those students who face barriers in their learning paths.

Being a member of the TPO does not mean that you need to attend our meetings (although we would love to see you!) you may certainly stay connected via email correspondence. If there is something you are concerned with - something you have a question about - a procedure you would like to understand - or students' needs you would like to assist with - PLEASE email! Principal Suderman will share current THS information at our meetings. Betsy Anderson from the Counseling Center and Stephanie Lopez from TOGETHER! will also be present to share about students who may have needs right now. We will discuss upcoming volunteer opportunities to help parents stay connected to their students at the high school level as well as look at our current budget.

Meetings for the Fall are October 24th, and November 28th from 6:00 to 7:15 pm in the THS Career Center.

This year Tumwater Parent Organization has donated funds to the food service program, provided funds for Friday Pancake Breakfasts, and purchased $500.00 worth of Fred Meyer gift cards for the Counseling Center to have on hand for students.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Contact us at tumwaterparentorg@gmail.com

Theme: STARRY NIGHT in PARIS!

Saturday, October 14th

8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

@ SPSCC Student Union Bldg (Map)

$20/Ticket

Tickets on sale September 25th - October 11th

***GUESTS: This form must be completed in full and returned to Tumwater High School's ASB Office by Wednesday, October 11th.

Fine Arts Festival is happening on Wednesday, October 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Gym at THS. All Tumwater High School Band, Orchestra and Choir students will be performing!

Picture Retakes are Monday, October 23rd! If your student is doing a true "retake," please remember they must have their original photos in hand to exchange. (The original photos will be coming to THS soon!) If your student missed the original picture day, they may come at any time during the below hours.

Please come during your alpha cut below:

• 7:50-8:20am- Student last names A-F
• 8:20-8:50am- Student last names G-J
• 8:50-9:20am- Student last names K-Q

T-bird time break…..

• 10:00-10:30- Student last names R-Z
• 10:30-11:00- All call/last chance

***Running Start or New Market students may come whenever they are available during these hours***

THS is teaming up with Bloodworks NW to save lives! We will have two busses here, all day, for our students to donate in safe and secure location!

A permission slip (attached below) must be signed by the student's parent/guardian. Permission slips will also be available for your student to pick up during their lunch the two weeks leading up to this event!

Tumwater High School's Renaissance class is working with Thurston County's TOGETHER! to stock up the snack supply in the Resource Center for all THS students. This Snack Drive will run from September 26th-October 11th. Items may be dropped off in the main office.

Thank you for your support!

Senior Information in Google Classroom - Remember to ask your Senior to check it out!

• Classroom code: vyfh2rq (students only)

• Counseling, Advising & Resources!

Senior One-on-One Meeting with your School Counselor - Parents Encouraged to Join!

• Specific information tailored to each student's post-secondary plans

• Counselors will go over Senior requirements that each student is missing/needed prior to graduation

• Skyward Blast coming soon to sign-up! Meetings will take place October 9th - October 31st. Afternoon/Evening appointments will be available.

High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) -Senior Graduation Requirement

• 30 hours of Community Service (Check out the board in the Career Center listing current opportunities)

• Updated Resume (Canva has a wide variety of templates available)

• Homeroom Curriculum lessons (will be done during Homeroom Class)

• Senior Presentation at the end of March

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - Pay for Post-Secondary Schooling

• Not open until December/January this year

• FSA ID can be created now at studentaid.gov (this will be your digital signature when you are able to fill out the FAFSA). It will take a few days after completing before you can begin work on your financial aid application. Get this done now while we wait for FAFSA to go live this winter!

College Fairs - Juniors and Seniors should plan to attend if you are wondering what college is a right fit for you!

• Thurston County PNACAC Fair | Saint Martin's University - October 4th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

• Seattle NACAC Fair - Seattle Convention Center - October 6th & 7th

College in the High School (CiHS)

• If your student is currently enrolled in a College in the High School course at THS and would like to have the option of earning college credits, the Registration Request link is now open! Students should have received instructions from their CiHS teacher about the registration process, along with the link. Students must submit their Registration Request to SPSCC by December 19th.