This morning we will share this inspirational message from a rarely seen Martin Luther King, Jr. speech. Dr. King was giving a motivational speech to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967.

King tells the children that they are at a very important time in their lives, when they must start to prepare a blueprint for their lives, and gives them poignant advice on how to do so. It's poignant and makes clear that Dr. King understood the hearts and minds of middle grade students.

King said to the students, “the question is whether you have a proper, a solid, and a sound blueprint. And I want to suggest some of the things that should be in your life’s blueprint.” Here is the inspirational advice Martin Luther King Jr. then gave them to help build a blueprint for life.

#1 Know Your Worth

“Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth, and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count, always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.”

#2 Find Your Life’s Work

“Secondly, in your life’s blueprint, you must have as a basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding as the days and the years unfold what you will do in life, what your life’s work will be. Once you discover what it will be, set out to do it, and to do it well. Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail! If you can’t be the Sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”

#3 Follow these Eternal Principles

“Finally, in your life’s blueprint, must be a commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love, and justice. Well life, for none of us, has been a crystal stair, but we must keep moving, we must keep going. If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl, but by all means, keep moving.”

Students who currently ride Bus 116 home from Tates Creek Middle to the stops shown below will be changing to Bus 2318 beginning Thursday 01/23/2025.

Mt Foraker Dr & Mt Bison Ct - 04:18 PM
Mt McKinley Way & Catskill Ct - 04:15 PM

Questions regarding this change may be directed to Stephen Ramsay, FCPS Routing Supervisor, at 859-422-0211.

DanceBlue is a student run organization at UK, where they fundraise year-round for the UK Children's Oncology and Hematology Clinic. The fundraising celebration culminates in a 24-hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon for students at UK.

One of the ways DanceBlue at UK involves the community is by allowing schools to host a "mini marathon". We obviously do not want to ask students to not sit or sleep for 24 hours. But! We will celebrate our fundraising efforts with a 'mini marathon' on March 7 from 2-6 PM, in the gym! This celebration will include learning the line dance that the UK students do at the large dance marathon, games, themed 'hours' and a wonderful sense of community.

We have set a goal to raise $8000 for DanceBlue. To reach our ambitious goal, we have organized several fundraisers. You don't have to dance to donate! Keep an eye out for:

• Penny wars house competition (happening now!!)
• TCMS DanceBlue apparel (see below)
• Candy grams for Valentines Day
• Pie a teacher voting
• Restaurant nights
• A Leprechaun pancake breakfast
• Spirit week the week of the mini marathon
• Tickets to DanceBlue
• And more!

The first and easiest way to get a Dance Blue t-shirt is to buy a ticket to participate in Dance Blue. Tickets will go on sale prior to the marathon. A $30 ticket includes entrance to the marathon and a Dance Blue tshirt in your house color.

In addition, students, staff and families can buy TCMS Dance Blue apparel at the link below!

All proceeds, from the tickets, apparel sales and fundraisers above will be donated directly to UK's Children's Oncology Clinic.

If your daughter is interested in playing lacrosse, but the co-ed TCMS team isn't her jam, the Big Blue Lacrosse Club (BBLC) might be a good fit. The BBLC still has room on their all-girls team and is seeking participants.

The middle school spring team registration will remain open until Friday. BBLC hopes that this team can be a space for girls to learn more about this great sport and have fun this spring. If you need gear, the club can help with that as well.

Information and registration: https://www.bigbluelacrosseclub.com/register

The Living Arts & Science Center announced admission is now free after 5 p.m. on weekdays. Consider this your invitation to explore the art galleries or catch a planetarium show.

A reminder that our phone number changed over the summer. Our previous number (859-381-3052) is no longer in service.

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Wednesday, January 29, welcomes the start of Lunar New Year celebrations across the globe. In the Chinese culture, 2025 is the Year of the Snake. This week, we bring you middle grades novels celebrating cultures which observe the lunisolar calendar.

• When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
• American Dragons: Twenty-Five Asian-American Voices by Laurence Yep

• Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria Huang

• Paper Dragons by Siobhan McDermott

• Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

• When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao

• Iron Widow a series by Xiran Jay Zhao

• Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
• Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies translated & edited by Moss Roberts

Live from Hollywood, California, check out the views of The Hills at this historic time in their history.

We are hiring a 6th grade math teacher! Please help us spread the word!