TMS Community ROAR Report

Email: janine.smith@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/tms/
Location: 408 East Main Street, Thurmont, MD, United States
Phone: (227)-203-2500
Twitter: @JanineSmithFCPS

I hope this message finds you well and that you are enjoying the autumn season! It’s hard to believe we’re already in October. As we embrace the rhythm of the school year, I wanted to share some important updates and exciting news from our school community.

We’re looking forward to our Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 7th, 8th, and 9th. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to connect with your child’s teachers, discuss their progress, and work together to support their academic journey. We encourage all parents and guardians to participate. Please use the link below to sign up for a time slot.

Additionally, October brings a host of exciting activities, including our TMS Book Fair & Colorfest Fundraiser. If you’re interested in volunteering or participating in any of these events, please see the dates and times below. Your involvement makes a difference, and we truly appreciate your partnership!

Thank you for your continued support, and I wish you all a fantastic month ahead!

Be the Change,

Janine Smith-Principal

Chris Bittner-Assistant Principal

Anita Shank-Assistant Principal

Important Calendar Date Reminders

• Wednesday, October 2nd-Interims Issued
• Thursday, October 3rd-School Closed-Rosh Hashanah
• Friday, October 4th-TMS Picture Day
• Friday, October 4th-Community Food Drop 3:30-4:30
• Monday, October 7th-Schools Open 4 Hours Late-Parent Teacher Conferences
• Tuesday, October 8th- Schools Open 4 Hours Late-Parent Teacher Conferences
• Wednesday, October 9th-3.5 Hour Early Dismissal-Parent Teacher Conferences
• Tuesday, October 15th-Talent Show Auditions 2:30-4:00
• Friday, October 18th-Schools Closed for Students-Teacher Professional Learning Day
• Wednesday, October 23rd-Talent Show Practice 2:30-4:00
• Friday, October 25th-2-Hour Early Dismissal-End of Term 1
• Monday, October 28th-School Closed for Students-Teacher Work Day
• Tuesday, October 29th-6th Grade Outdoor School
• Wednesday, October 30th-6th Grade Outdoor School
• Thursday, October 31st-Mobile Dentist at TMS
• Friday, November 1st-6th Grade Outdoor School
• Monday, November 4th-6th Grade Outdoor School
• Tuesday, November 5th-Schools Closed-Election Day

Dear TMS Families,

It's that time of year again, time for Conferences. Schedules open on Monday, September 23 at 9:00 a.m. Thurmont Middle School is using PTCFast.com to make signups as convenient as possible this year. Please enter the following web address into your browser window:

https://ptcfast.com/schools/Thurmont_Middle_School

Monday, October 7 - 3:00-6:30 (IN-PERSON ONLY)

Tuesday, October 8 - 3:00-6:30 (IN-PERSON ONLY)

Wednesday, October 9 - 11:30-2:30 (VIRTUAL ONLY)

If you do not have internet access, if you need an interpreter, or if you have any questions, please contact Ms. Newman via phone at 227-203-2500 ext. 45002.

Deadline for sign up is Wednesday, October 2.

Therapy Pets

Did you know that visits with pets/animals can have stress-relieving and healing benefits? Visits with therapy pets can help lower blood pressure, release endorphins that have a calming effect, diminish overall physical pain, and produce an automatic relaxation response.

Thanks to our partnership with the Thurmont Police Department and Wags for Hope, therapy pet teams will be visiting during lunch shifts on the following dates; September 30, October 17, November 25, December 13, January 21, February 14, March 10, April 22, and May 23.

Please contact your child’s grade level counselor if you have questions or if you do NOT want your child interacting with our animal visitors.

Additional Support:

Support Group Counseling

Students in all grade levels recently completed a survey regarding their interest in support group counseling opportunities. Students who expressed an interest in group participation will be contacted as groups form.

Counseling support groups focusing on emotional regulation and anxiety/ stress management are in the process of being coordinated. Kids Like Us, sponsored by the Frederick County Health Department, and Be Amazing, sponsored by Girl Scouts, are additional groups that are being coordinated and will occur throughout the school year.

If you believe that your child would benefit from any of these counseling support groups, please contact your child's grade level counselor.

TMS Peer Tutoring Program Coming Soon

Students completed a recent survey indicating their desire to either serve as a peer tutor or to receive some tutoring support from a peer tutor. This new program is being coordinated and should be starting within the next few weeks.

If you would like your child to participate in this program in either capacity, please contact your child’s school counselor.

TMS Counseling Team Contact Information:

Jane Nicholson- Registrar- jane.nicholson@fcps.org/ 227-203-2500 X45015

Rebecca Krauss- Grade 6 Counselor- rebecca.krauss@fcps.org/ 227-203-2500 X45017

Sherry Bueso- Grade 7 School Counselor- sherry.bueso@fcps.org/ 227-203-2500 X45016

Stacie Varanyak- Grade 8 Counselor- stacie.varanyak@fcps.org/ 227-203-2500 X45019

Debbie Wivell- Behavior Support- deborah.wivell@fcps.org/ 227-203-2500 X45060

Diana Merritt- Career Coach- diana.merritt@fcps.org/ 227-203-2500 X45042

• Sixth and seventh grade is solving problems that involve percentages.
• Eighth grade is currently working on rational and irrational numbers. This includes square roots, cube roots, and ordering real numbers on a number line.
• Please encourage your child to complete their required number of ALEKS topics each week. Any support you can provide is greatly appreciated.

ALEKS can be found on your child’s device by following the steps below:

1. Open up a new tab or Google Chrome tab on your computer.

2. Click “FCPS Bookmarks”

3. Click “Clever Portal”

4. Click “McGraw Hill”

5. Click “ALEKS”

Please reach out to your child’s math teacher with any questions.

Ms. Lowe-TMS Math Specialist

Dear TMS Family,

Our English Language Arts (ELA) core curriculum for grades 6, 7, and 8 has shifted to a new resource called Into Literature. Each unit is centered around an open ended essential question intended to spark thoughtful discussion and rich text analysis. You may wish to explore these questions with your students at home as well.

Grade 6, Unit 1 Essential Question: “What are the ways you can make yourself heard?”

Grade 7, Unit 1 Essential Question “What can blur the lines between what’s real and what’s not?”

Grade 8, Unit 1 Essential Question “Does technology improve or control our lives?”

After reading some of the texts in each grade level unit, students will engage in a variety of discussions, standards-based analysis tasks, and conclude the unit by writing a Unit Writing Task. In this task, students will synthesize ideas from their reading, argue a claim, and support their ideas with relevant evidence.

Students will be provided a consumable workbook that will function as their own, personal textbook. We hope students will use this workbook to engage with the texts, annotate their thinking, interact with various standards-based activities, and make connections to course and unit concepts. They also have digital access to the textbook through their FCPS student account. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Amanda Portner

Literacy Specialist and ELA department chair

Welcome to October! This 24-25 school year we are excited to share that we have 119 identified gifted and talented students at Thurmont Middle! That is 24% of our fabulous student population. Teachers of these identified students undergo specific and relevant yearly training that meets the Maryland Code of Regulations (COMAR) requirements. During this school year, my hope is to work closely with you, your child, and the teachers to ensure a successful year! To support this endeavor at home, I share some parent resources in the newsletter. This month, it's Making Thinking Visible Conversation Starters for engaging in conversations with your child about school and other areas of their life. If at any time you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or myself.

Partners in Learning,

Mrs. Kehr

Middle School Advanced Academics Teacher Specialist

heather.kehr@fcps.org

Classic Photography is excited to be your official school photographer

and capture these special memories for you!

Your Picture Day is: 10/4/2024

Don't forget to be dressed in your best and mark your calendars today!

FREE SHIPPING on all pre-orders! (a $5 value)

All pre-orders will be returned to the school and sent home with your student.

Click Here to Pre-Order

Online Code: 24thurmontms25

Pre-ordering expires 48 hours after picture day

Questions?

(800)869-9515 x112

Click for the PDF

Here is a link for more information about the fair, including how to sign up for eWallet:

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/thurmontmiddleschool1

Mrs. Hunter loves volunteers!

Please use this link to sign-up:

http://bit.ly/4dgj4mc

*All volunteers must first register through the FCPS Volunteer Center at least one week prior to volunteering.

https://www.fcps.org/student-services/volunteer-in-fcps

The Mobile Dentist is Coming to TMS - October 31.

A state licensed dentist will check your child's mouth & teeth, as well as provide cleaning, x-rays as necessary, fluoride treatment and apply sealants, as needed. Additional care, such as fillings, may also be provided. A dental report will be sent home with your child.

Permission includes initial dental care & follow up visits. Please sign and return form to Ms. McKenzie before October 17.

www.MySchoolDentist.com

SIGN UP ONLINE

Parents and Guardians of Catoctin Feeder Schools

Are you curious about how your child learns and what motivates them in the classroom?

Want to know how you can help them with their academics without stress?

Do you want to learn about the truths and myths of learning?

If so, then our Catoctin Feeder’s Community WalkThru Events are for you! Join us every month to build a greater understanding of how students learn, what motivates students, and myths of education. This event is for EVERY parent/guardian of students from preschool through 12th grade. Join us for our very 1st event on October 16th from 6:00pm-7:30pm at the Thurmont Public Library.

See the flier and click the link below to pre-register

Community WalkThru Nights Interest Form

Questions?

Please contact Mrs. Ryley (sarah.ryley@fcps.org) and Mrs. Kerr (darlene.kerr@fcps.org) for more information

Children need a trusted adult to turn to when they feel threatened. It is important that your child is encouraged to contact their school counselor, administrator or teacher to report bullying because it may not stop without help. If your child feels uncomfortable reporting bullying and harassing behaviors, parents are encouraged to report it to FCPS staff.

To report bullying, use the FCPS Bullying, Harassment or Intimidation Reporting Form, available on the FCPS.org website.

If bullying happens outside of school, families can call:

• 211 for community resource information
• Law enforcement if threats or physical harm occur

Learn more about bullying, harassment, and intimidation in the FCPS Students and Families Tab, found at www.fcps.org. Information is also available in Bullying - Harassment - Intimidation Complaint Process for Students linked here.

Attendance has been and will continue to be an area of focus for our feeder schools. We can’t support your child’s success if they are not in school; being at school each day opens opportunities for our students. Below is the chronic absenteeism* rate for each school for the past two school years (note - the lower the rate, the better the attendance). We are excited by the improvement and look forward to building on this growth to even further increase our attendance rates.

*Chronic absenteeism: A student is defined as chronically absent if he/she misses 10% or more of the school days.

The FCPS Code of Conduct highlights the expectation that students come to school every day on time and ready to learn. We share that same expectation and will support you and your child to achieve that. We appreciate the partnership of our Pupil Personnel Worker (PPW) Jason Senuta - he works with each of our schools to support students and families. Mr. Senuta helps us to monitor attendance (both for our school and for individual students); when we see a concern, we will reach out to families via letters, phone calls, or visits to ensure that all of the necessary supports are in place to facilitate good student attendance.

Good attendance is a habit, and that good habit should start with the first day of school and carry through the year. There are some easy ways for parents to affect good attendance:

• Take note of the days off and/or early dismissals throughout the year and work to schedule student appointments then (or after school hours).

• Ensure that you communicate with the school when there is an unavoidable absence from school so that we can document that accordingly.

• Talk to your student about good attendance and ensure that they are in school, on time every day.

Our partnership is powerful in creating opportunities and success for your child - we look forward to working with you to make it a great year!

FCPS is using a new portal for school meal related information. Go to the parent portal at http://linqconnect.com/ where you can:

- Apply for meal benefits (FARM)

- View menus, meal prices and a la carte prices

- Add money to student accounts

- Transfer funds between students

- View student meal transactions

- Set low-balance notifications

Breakfast is FREE to ALL TMS Students this year!

End of Term 1:

Term 1 ends on October 25th. If your child has missing assignments or needs to complete a re-assessment, please encourage them to speak with their teacher(s) as soon as possible.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher(s).

Academy for the Fine Arts:

The Academy for the Fine Arts will be hosting an open house on Thursday October 24th from 6:30-8:00pm. Anyone interested in the program is encouraged to attend where they will be able to tour the facilities, speak with current students and faculty, and view a presentation on how the AFA can fit with a variety of college and career pathways. To register, use the QR on the poster or visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLZhRF35AbT9Q4ci5YQS23PaMRnWtJ9D7RzltnYGYwnQA5Ew/viewform

The Academy for the Fine Arts is the visual and performing arts pathway for high school students in grades 10-12. The AFA meets during the school day and is housed in Gov. Thomas Johnson High School. In addition to rigorous advanced level courses, many of which count as Dual Enrollment credit, the AFA provides a unique artistic community for students who are seeking to challenge themselves in a collaborative environment and offers focus areas in Dance, Music, Theatre, Musical Theatre, and Visual Art.

To learn more about the AFA, visit www.fcpsartsacademy.org or contact Jonathan.kurtz@fcps.org

Attendance Information:

If your child is unable to attend school due to an illness or doctor's appointment, or any other reason, please email a note to our attendance secretary, Ms. Shannon Ingram at tms.attendance@fcps.org.

For early dismissals:

• Parent/Guardian will come to the office to sign student out
• Please bring your ID
• Allow adequate time to locate student for an early dismissal
• If you allow someone else to sign your student out, please note the name you authorize in your note to the school. They will be required to show ID to pick up student.

Don’t forget, when going to a medical appointment, remember to get a doctor's note from their office. We will update your student's attendance accordingly.

Students Reporting Security Concerns:

"See Something, Say Something" and "Don't repost it. Report it" - Encourage students to report security concerns to a trusted adult (parent, school staff member, school administrator, SRO, or a local law enforcement agency). Students may also anonymously report concerns using the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line at 833-MD-B-SAFE. In an emergency, call 911. Additional resources can be found on each school's website and the FCPS website.

FCPS Bus Delay Information:

A quick and easy resource to check if your child's bus is delayed is to visit https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/ This site is updated in real-time to reflect any bus delays.

Volunteering at TMS:

Are you interested in volunteering at TMS? If so, all volunteers must complete the virtual training each year linked here. Please note this must be completed to chaperone field trips. Please reach out to Shannon Ingram with questions/concerns.

Community Liaison: If you are in need of assistance with school supplies, hygiene products, food, or other community resources for housing, please reach out Crystal Mckenzie, our TMS Community Liason at Crystal.McKenzie@fcps.org. We are here to support and assist all of our families!

Online Tutoring Service for Students: The Frederick County Library has an online tutoring platform called Brainfuse HelpNow. This service can be used with a Frederick County Public Library Card Number. HelpNow is a resource designed for K-12 students and beyond. Live tutoring is available in English and Spanish from 2:00-11:00 p.m. to provide homework help for core subjects, including mathematics, science, and English language arts. Practice long division, improve reading comprehension, and learn other key skills. Practice for standardized tests. Students may submit papers to HelpNow’s Writing Lab for expert assistance and feedback, or collaborate with peers in virtual study spaces. More information is available at the FCPL website, https://www.fcpl.org/learn/brainfuse-helpnow.

Water Bottles: TMS currently allows students to carry a water bottle with them throughout the day. Unfortunately, students are not being careful with their water bottles and a significant amount of water is being spilled on the hallway tiles each day. This presents a safety hazard because the water spills can be difficult to see and students or staff could slip on the spill before we have an opportunity to clean it up. Please also reinforce with your student that there are NO disposable cups such as single use coffee cups, soft drink cups, etc. Please help us keep everyone safe and remind your child to be careful with their water bottle, and to only use water bottles that can be sealed.

2024-25 PTA Officers:
Elizabeth Day-President

Jennifer Clements

Jessica Moore

Michele Conrad

Carolina Lake

General Meeting: October 24th at 6:00pm--meet.google.com/ykf-uodf-cxz

Digital Membership: https://fspta-00023696.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true

We need YOU to become a member of our PTA! Please be on the lookout for the online membership link for you to join. We are excited to grow our amazing TMS PTA!