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Thomas Community Newsletter
March 1, 2024
Dear TMS Community,
There's so much to celebrate and be proud of! The achievements of our students extend far beyond the confines of the classroom. Members of the Wolf Pack excel in a myriad of extracurricular activities, showcasing their talents, leadership skills, and unwavering determination. From concert venues to athletic arenas, from community engagement to artistic endeavors, our students continue to make a positive impact on our school community and beyond. Congratulations to each and every student who has contributed to the vibrant tapestry of our school community. We are immensely proud of the accomplishments that TMS students earn as a result of their hard work, resilience, and passion for excellence.
To our teachers, staff, and parents, we are grateful for your unwavering support and guidance. Your dedication to nurturing the academic, personal, and emotional growth of our students is truly commendable, and it is because of your tireless efforts that our students continue to thrive.
As we move along our journey of learning and discovery, let us celebrate the achievements of our students and continue to empower them to reach their highest potential.
In this newsletter you'll find new information for:
Field Trips - Futabiki School & Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
Activity Bus Information
Track & Field Information
8th Grade Parent Volunteer Opportunities
PTA Flower & Plant Sale
PTA Spring Activity Night - Date change - 4/5/24
Upcoming Events:
PTA Meeting - Tuesday, 3/5/24 @ 7 PM in the LMC and via Zoom
- IAR Testing - Week of 3/11/24
Spring MAP Testing - Tuesday, 4/16/24 & Thursday, 4/18/24
With gratitude,
Lori, Nick, & Greg
TMS Administrative Team
Middle School Musician Rocking It:
7th Grader Riley Kalnes was selected to perform on her trombone with the Northshore Concert Band! The concert was on Sunday, Feb 18 in Evanston at Northwestern University's concert hall. This is one of the best adult bands in the country. What an HONOR! She represented Thomas well. Congratulations, Riley!
IPA Recognition:
Congratulations to the following students who will be recognized at this year's North Cook Region of the Illinois Principals Association annual Student Recognition Breakfast.:
- 6th Grader - Henry Musolf
- 7th Grader - Ashna Trivedi
- 8th Grader - Colin Musolf
Student recognition criteria includes; Shows responsibility with regard to attendance and behavior ~ Demonstrates pride, dignity, and respect in personal conduct and relations with others ~ Acts responsibly and encourages responsible actions by others ~ Exhibits dedication to school, staff, and fellow students ~ Is a positive person to know
IESA Recognition:
Congratulations to TMS 8th grader Etta Fischer on being nominated for the IESA (Illinois Elementary State Association) Scholar Attitude Award. This award recognizes students that demonstrate outstanding citizenship and achieve academic excellence during their junior high school tenure.
2024 Art Expo Throwdown:
Way to go Mr. Damico and TMS Artists! The results of the 2024 Art Expo Throwdown are in and the Middle School Winner is Thomas Middle School!
Individual Student Winners:
- 1st Place and Best in Show: Harper Andrews, Thomas Middle School
- 2nd Place: Bianca Valdecantos, Thomas Middle School
*We are so proud of you!
Wrestling Regional Champs
Congratulations to coaches Ben Hamilton and Anthony Greco and the wrestling team for taking 1st Place at the IESA Wrestling Regionals this past weekend. The wrestlers below will be advancing onto Sectionals tomorrow. Best wishes!
- Will Hess
- Caleb Nelson
- Everett Jancich
- Ryan Pham
- Billy Dugan
- Sam Ejnik
- Manato Canada
- Brady Copersmet
- Brendan Dodd
- Dino Klikas
- Donovan Arrington
- Evan Talbot
- Eric Batmunkh
- Artem Kulchytskyi
- Ethan White
- Henry Niemeier
Spelling Bee Winners
Congrats to Anagha Prasad for her first place finish in the Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee! The second place finisher was Alaina Prinz also of Thomas Middle School!
TMS is ONLY at 11% - PLEASE help us get to 20% Parent Participation
- Click here to take it
- Click here for the 5 Essentials Parent Letter
Track & Field Information
Coach Joe Kim
Coach Arin Damico
Coach David Keller
Coach Dori Matanovic
TMS Students Exploring on Field Trips
On February 22nd, students from the TMS Shinichi Club, lead by club sponsor Katie Biewer, visited the Futabakai (CFJS) school. The students had a full agenda including: Trivia Game Presentation about CFJS - TMS students won origami Soran dance about fishing performed by CFJS students - this dance is used for school vs. school competitions in Japan CFJS students practiced their English skills when showing their Genius Hour presentations to TMS students, topics ranged from JAL’s newest airplane to Key West, and from J-Pop to the World’s Greatest Mall! CFJS and TMS students competed in foot-race relays. Students enjoyed lunch together discussing topics of interest and explanations of bento boxes. CFJH presented tradition Japanese games including Paddleball, Rock-Paper-Scissors challenge, Chopstick challenges, Bozu Mekuri Card Game, Kendama and Daruma Drop.
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
Next week our 8th grade students will have the opportunity to visit the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. This important and valuable experience serves as a capstone to their learning in social studies classes.
- 8th Grade Epsilon Team will go on Monday, 3/4
- 8th Grade Zeta Team will go on Wednesday, 3/6
Activity Bus Information
Students taking the Activity Bus are required to sign in by scanning the QR code. The is an important safety measure as parents are frequently calling the TMS office looking for students. Please speak with your child about this protocol to ensure that your child understands this guideline and adheres to it.
Daily School Attendance Matters!
Daily attendance at school is expected and essential to school success. Please work with us to ensure that your child is attending school each day. If support is needed, please reach out to us.
- ABSENCE REPORTING: The TMS attendance reporting options are open 24 hours a day 7 days per week. If your child is sick or unable to attend school, the parent/guardian MUST report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260 by 8 AM, the latest, on the day of the absences.
District 25 Pre-Registration is now OPEN
Pre-Registration is NOW open to families with incoming new and kindergarten students for next year, 2024-2025! Please begin the registration process by visiting www.sd25.org/Registration and clicking on the 2024-2025 Pre-Registration drop down.
TMS PTA INFORMATION
Join the TMS PTA and help support the TMS community! Check out the TMS PTA Website.
TMS PTA meetings are held in the TMS LMC at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend!
- Tuesday, March 5 In-person and - Join Zoom Meeting. ID: 89190232455. Passcode: 310964
- Tuesday, May 7
2023-2024 Executive Board Members
- President: Megan Puzen
- President-Elect: Kris Dugan
- Vice President: Nora Muenkel
- Treasurer: Diane Beardmore
- Secretary: Joclyn Katz
Are you willing to volunteer? Do you have a question for the PTA? Please contact the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com
Glenbard Parent Series
District 25 is a partner in the Link Together Coalition which gives our community access to the Glenbard Parent Series. Please check out the various Glenbard Parent Series presentations that work to engage top experts, parents and school staff to become proactive and informed in pursuit of the mutual goal to strengthen our communities. Programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.
ABC/25 Foundation
Monday, February 19th - Exploring Cryogenics With Mr. Freeze - EVENT AT IVY HILL
- Join us on February 19th, 2024, for our STEM event at Ivy Hill, where Mr. Freeze from Fermilab will get kids (and adults) excited about science as he demonstrates cryogenics using liquid nitrogen.
- This event is free for members but will be $10 per participant for non-members. It's a fantastic show, but even with two show times, space is limited, so sign up now!
- Make sure to sign each child up individually. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0949A4AC2FA0FCCF8-46656888-thecoolestshow#/
Monday, February 19th - Sunday, February 25th - MINDFUL KITCHEN FUNDRAISER - 20% of Sales Goes Directly to the Fork Farm Fundraiser
- From Monday, February 19, 2024 through Sunday, February 25, 2024, we are partnering with local Arlington Heights business “A Mindful Kitchen.”
- They will donate 20% of sales to the Fork Farm initiative when mentioning the ABC/25 Foundation, either verbally if buying in-store or by writing ABC/25 in the order notes section if ordering online.
- Visit their website for more information about their healthy and delicious options! https://amindfulkitchen.com.
Tuesday, January 9th – Sunday, March 31st – The FIRST EVER district wide fundraising initiative called – GROWING TOGETHER: A FORK FARM INITIATIVE
- The ABC/25 Foundation has been working with Sandra Voss, District 25 Director of Food & Nutrition Services, to dive deep into the world of Fork Farm Hydroponic Farming!
- It's been a transformative experience for students at Patton and Dryden, who've had the opportunity to cultivate and consume their own lettuce. Below is a video we've put together to share this knowledge with you.
- The ABC/25 Foundation is striving to raise sufficient funds for one or more additional Form Farm Flex Farm hydroponic units for the benefit of AHSD25 students. To magnify our impact, for every donation you make, we're going to match it (up to $5,000)!
- Learn more out our initiative and Fork Farms here: https://abc25.org/forkfarm
- DONATE HERE: https://sd25.revtrak.net/ABC25.../fork-farm-initiative
Here our staff and students about about the Fork Farm program here: https://fb.watch/q3CZwKauQu/
Summer U
- Summer U 2024 June 6 - June 27, 2024 at Thomas Middle School *Dates subject to change pending review of winter weather emergency days.
- Registration will begin on March 4, 2024 at 9 am and end on April 26, 2024, at 3 pm.
- Please visit www.sd25.org/summeru for a full list of courses and times.
- If you have any questions about Summer U, please email summeru@sd25.org for assistance.
IMPORTANT HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION
- Physical Forms: Athletes must have a current physical BEFORE they can participate in ANY practices. Physicals are good for 13 months. Physicals can be turned in at the TMS office or uploaded to the TMS Health Office form linked here.
- Dental Forms are due by May 15th, 2024 must be dated after November 15th, 2022.
Please contact the TMS Health Office if you have any questions:
Laura Toussaint - ltoussaint@sd25.org
Stephanie Musolf - smusolf@sd25.org
Bus Information
- All students need to show their bus pass in order to ride the bus!
- Click here for the Bus Safety Guidelines and Rule as well as details on lost items on the bus.
- Bus Company Questions: Contact Cook Co. School Bus Company at 847- 439-0923
- Please direct bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist: Laura Comastro as she can answer your questions and resolve issues.
Safe2Help Illinois
Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program where students can use a free app, text/phone, and website (safe2helpil.com) to share information on school safety issues in a confidential environment. Once vetted, the information provided will be shared with local district and school officials and/or local 911 call center, depending on the nature of the information shared. Safe2Help Illinois is a long-term initiative to change the school culture in Illinois by helping students reach out when they have concerns. To learn further about Safe2Help Illinois, please see the videos below. More information can also be found on their website at safe2helpil.com. Video for Middle School Students
Meet our New School Resource Officer
Please know that you can report concerns or social media incidents to our School Resource Officer, John O'Leary from the Arlington Heights Police Department from the Arlington Heights Police Department. He is available to address your concerns and can be reached at joleary@vah.com M: 847-878-2949. W: 847-368-5393. In addition, the police station is open 24-7 to report incidents that occur outside of TMS, after school hours, and on the weekends. You can also call 911 or go to the Police Station to report concerns.
The TMS Office will have modified hours over winter break and will be closed on 12/26 & 1/2.
Please be sure to call before coming into the office.