Two Mile Tidbits

Last week, you received a message from CPS outlining updates for inclement weather days. For your convenience, I have included the message in this newsletter.

I understand this may feel like a lot of information, but there’s no need to worry! My goal at TMP is to keep things as stress-free as possible for parents. While I value keeping students engaged in learning, I also recognize the joy and excitement that snow days bring—they’re a cherished part of childhood!

This week, your child will bring home a "choice board" in their Friday Folder. Please keep this resource in a spot that’s easy to access.

• Each student will receive a Choice Board with grade-appropriate activities to work on during AMI days.
• No Board Return Required:
• Students DO NOT need to return their Choice Boards to school, have them initialed, or dated after an AMI day.
• Participation will be self-reported by students.
• Keep Boards for Future Use:
• Please keep Choice Boards at home for reference on future AMI days.
• If a board is lost or misplaced, it can be accessed through the CPS Student Portal or by requesting a replacement copy from the school.
• Teacher Support During AMI Days:
• Classroom and specialist teachers will be available via email from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on AMI days.

Information from CPS:

Columbia Public Schools will use an Alternative Method of Instruction (AMI) plan on days when school is not in session due to inclement weather during the 2024-25 school year. This is in response to new state law requirements.

AMI will allow all Columbia Public Schools students to be engaged in learning on inclement weather days when conditions prevent schools from being in session.

As done in prior years, we will inform families if school will not be in session due to inclement weather and that an AMI day is scheduled.

Please note the AMI offered for inclement weather days differs from what was required during the pandemic. Inclement weather AMI will not include the delivery of new content to students and will focus on review and study of material already taught. AMI instructional days count toward your student’s classwork and attendance.

Additional information and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the AMI pages on the district website.

Winter Weather Procedures & Reminders

School will be cancelled, or a 2-hour delayed start implemented after roads are tested. Should cancellation or a 2-hour delayed start be necessary, efforts will be made to notify radio and television stations by 6 a.m. If a decision can be made earlier than 6 a.m., the district will make every effort to do so. Information will also be sent via the district's parent messaging system, posted on the district’s website and on CPS-TV.

Parents may make the final decision regarding a child’s attendance. If the parent views the weather too severe or road conditions too dangerous, absences will be excused.

Difficulty in contacting parents usually prevents early dismissals, but under appropriate circumstances the district may dismiss early. On inclement weather days, please continue listening to local radio and television stations for news of early dismissal. Additionally, information will be sent via the district's parent messaging system.

Your child's school will provide direction and updates on specific after-school activities in the event of inclement weather, as each school building will have different scheduling and rescheduling needs.

Stay Informed

• Parents and guardians are automatically signed up to receive text, phone and email messages from your child's school and the district via the district's parent messaging system. If you are not receiving text messages and emails, please contact the registrar at your child’s school(s) to update your contact information. E-mail and text messages will be sent in the event of a weather cancellation to parents with correct contact information on file with their child’s school.
• Check the school district website at http://www.cpsk12.org.
• Tune in to CPS-TV on Mediacom 81 and Spectrum 985 or view lived and on-demand streaming on the CPS-TV Web site at https://www.cpsk12.org/cpstv. CPS-TV is also available on Roku, AppleTV and FireTV.

Thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and school district.

We are planning a week of engaging activities and fun spirit days to excite students to come to school the week before winter break!

Monday, December 16th: Our first annual "Jingle Bell Jog" during the day! Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes and dresses appropriately for running on the track!

Tuesday, December 17th: We have a school-wide assembly with a guest speaker about having a growth mindset. This should be highly engaging and fun!

Wednesday, December 18th: Winter Pajama Spirit Day

Thursday, December 19th: Favorite Holiday Accessory Spirit Day

Friday, December 20th: Silly Sweater or Holiday Spirit Day

December 16-20th: Winter Spirit Week!

December 19th: Picture retake day

December 20th: Class Parties 2pm, last day before winter break.

December 23rd-January 3rd: Winter Break

January 6th: Return from winter break

January 20th: No School

February 7th: Early dismissal (12:10)

February 14th: Early dismissal (12:10)

February 17th: No School

Week of February 24-27th: Parent-Teacher Conferences

February 28th: No School

March 24-28th: Spring Break

We have a vocab word of the week we share on morning announcements. I will keep an updated list here in the Tidbits. See if your child can use these words correctly in conversations!

Last week: (no new word this week)

Previous Weeks:

spontaneous

collaborate

significant

prefer

accurate

eliminate

critical

essential

simplify

examine

I need your help! While I understand that illness and emergencies happen, TMP’s attendance rate this year is one of the lowest in CPS elementary schools (which has never been the case in previous years)! Every day counts because every minute of instruction is valuable. Attendance also affects our funding, accreditation, and our overall rating with the school district and Department of Education. Dropping your students off late or picking them up early impacts our daily attendance rate.

CPS expects a minimum of 90% attendance, and currently, TMP is at 81% for the year. Please help us improve our attendance! Thank you for your support!