Cougar Connection

As we welcome fall I am reminded of why I love this season so much. The energy of the beginning of a school year, cooler days, and the promise of falling leaves serve to celebrate change and growth. One of the most remarkable things about working with middle schoolers is that we have the privilege of observing incredible transformation in students each year. Our students are embracing their social consciousness and becoming more and more resilient as they approach new challenges.

This month, we look forward to many exciting activities. Please see the calendar linked in the newsletter and use our website to stay up to date on all TEMS happenings. Events planned this month provide wonderful opportunities for us to connect and celebrate our students’ achievements together.

Please click here to see a month-at-a-glance for October. You can also reference the school event's calendar that can be found on the school's website. Follow TEMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Threads.

• South Windsor Public Library Teen Events
• Hartford Public Library Teen Events

During the week of September 23-27, TEMS will once again be participating in “Starts with Hello”, a Sandy Hook Promise program. The goal of the week is to help everyone feel included and accepted, the easiest part of which is to greet each other with a hello, and to use people’s names. Please see the schedule below for events related to this goal.

• Monday ~ Everyone at TEMS will wear nametags made in homeroom

• Wednesday ~ Wear green or purple to represent kindness, acceptance, & belonging to our school community

• Thursday ~ We will put up the Pinwheels for Peace for International Day of Peace

• Friday ~ Sidewalk chalk greetings

Paralympic gold medalist Sydney Satchell visited TEMS to share her message and connect with our school value of Resilience. Sydney is Mrs. Mafe's daughter who recently competed in Paris and helped her team bring home a GOLD in sitting volleyball. What an amazing woman, athlete, and role model!!

Check out her website for her story and her message: www.sydneysatchell.com

As our middle school students navigate their academic and social lives, building resilience is more important than ever. Resilience helps them cope with challenges, learn from setbacks, and develop a positive outlook.

Here are a few ways you can support your child in becoming more resilient:

1. Encourage Problem-Solving: Help your child approach challenges as opportunities to learn. Encourage them to brainstorm solutions rather than feel overwhelmed.

2. Foster a Growth Mindset: Remind them that mistakes are part of learning. Emphasize effort and progress rather than perfection.

3. Promote Healthy Relationships: Encourage your child to build strong friendships and seek support from trusted adults. Social connections are vital for emotional well-being.

4. Model Resilience: Share your own experiences of overcoming challenges. Your example can inspire them to handle difficulties with a positive attitude.

5. Establish Routines: Consistent routines can provide a sense of stability, helping your child feel more secure in their daily life.

6. Encourage Self-Care: Help your child recognize the importance of self-care, including physical activity, hobbies, and downtime to recharge.

By working together to build resilience, we can equip our children with the skills they need to thrive in and out of the classroom. Thank you for your continued support!

It is with great enthusiasm that we offer the Timothy Edwards After-School Matinees again this year. Several TEMS staff members have offered to instruct a variety of courses after school. Most of these courses expand on traditional education, as it is our goal to develop children and initiate interests in all areas. The program will begin on October 16th and run for six weeks, ending in November. The classes will beheld from 2:45 - 4:00 p.m. after school once a week.

A few important notes:

• The digital brochure is linked here and attached below.
• Registration begins on Monday, September 23rd at 9:00 am and closes on Friday, September 27th.
• Registration is online and directions will be sent with the online brochure.
• Only one course per student. Courses will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.
• The cost for each course is $40. Payment is due to the main office by October 4th.

School Counselors have been actively visiting classrooms across all grade levels to introduce themselves, explain the services they offer, and begin building meaningful relationships with students. In the coming weeks, they will be delivering targeted lessons focusing on key areas, including Naviance - our career and future planning platform, building self-advocacy skills, and a continued emphasis on social-emotional health. These initiatives are designed to support our students’ growth and well-being both in and out of the classroom.

As we settle into the school year, I want to take a moment to emphasize the importance of regular attendance for our middle school students. Consistent participation in school not only helps students grasp the curriculum but also fosters essential social skills and a sense of belonging within the school community. Missing even a few days can impact a student's understanding and progress. Every lesson is a building block for their future learning, and your support in ensuring they are present every day makes a significant difference.

In an effort to partner with our community, we are working on sending out regular communication to ALL families with information about your child's attendance. The purpose of the regular updates is only to inform families and to ensure that our records are accurate. If our records indicate that your child may be chronically absent or truant then additional supports and communication can be expected. I've included the state definitions of these terms from the TEMS Student Handbook below.

Chronic Absenteeism: A student whose total number of absences at any time, excused or unexcused, during a school year is equal to or greater than ten percent of the total number of days that they have been enrolled is considered to be chronically absent.

Truancy: Any student between the ages of 5 to 18 who has four (4) unexcused absences in one month, or ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year, will be considered truant. When a student is truant, a school administrator shall schedule a meeting with the student’s guardian(s) and appropriate school personnel to review and evaluate the reasons for the student's truancy.

As TE begins to communicate with families about their student’s attendance, taking a look at the SWHS Credit Loss Attendance Policy could be helpful to some. It can be found on page 12 here.

Please see the information below for information about two upcoming events.

Teaming Up with your Child to Defeat Anxiety- September 25th at 6:30

• VIRTUAL- Link to Join HERE
• Offered by Sarah Soboleski from Youth and Family Services

Social Media Power Hour- October 10th at 6:00

• IN PERSON, TEMS Cafeteria
• Offered by Officer Lawren Owens, and two counselors from Y&FS-Robin Lagasse Paula Berson

We may still be at the start of the year, but it isn't too early to purchase a yearbook! These are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting the Josten's Website. The cost is $43 until October 31st when the price will be raised.

I am so happy to share that we will be welcoming therapy dogs to TEMS again this year. Eli, Bugs, Sky and Eve will be stopping by classrooms throughout the year when they start their visits in October. If you have any questions about this program you are encouraged to reach out to your child's counselor.

The next meeting is scheduled for October 17th at 6:30 and will be virtual. Go to the TEMS PTO Website to stay up to date on news and activities.

Key PTO Events:

• PTO Bingo on September 27th- Click here to register, more information below.
• PTO Scarecrow Decorating Contest ALL October-Information coming soon.
• PTO Meeting October 17th- Agenda will be sent in advance with a link.
• PTO Active-Thon Fundraiser October 24th-See below- more information coming soon!

Mrs. Debbie Matchett is our school's Technology Content Coach. She supports educators, students, and families in navigating technological tools that can enrich educational experiences. She recently shared these slides with grade 6 families in Open House that may serve as a good resource for all families when it comes to student technology. This month Mrs. Matchett offers important information about GoGuardian.

South Windsor Public Schools utilizes GoGuardian software to help schools easily manage their student devices, better understand their students, and keep them safer online during the school day. Parents/Guardians have the ability to download and use the GoGuardian Parent App. This App provides Parents and Guardians with the ability to pause their students' internet, block specific websites, and schedule internet availability outside of the school day on the district managed device. Click Here to learn more.

Visit the Parent Portal to get real-time info about grades, assignments, teacher comments and school announcements. Additionally, you can enter in your child’s absence by using the attendance monitor button within the Portal. Visit https://powerschool.southwindsorschools.org/public/ and check it out!

You can also download the PowerSchool App for your smartphone at the App Store or on Google Play. The district code is ZSKH.

At TEMS, we administer benchmark assessments to all learners in the fall, winter, and spring. These aren't tests that need to be studied for- instead, these are a chance for students to show what they know. These are not counted towards a student's grade in any class, but the assessments serve as one way teachers match resources and supports to learners. This year, we are launching the use of iReady as our universal screener. More information about thsi assessment can be found here.

We will be administering our fall assessments next week and want to share important tips for success:

• Make sure to sleep well every night and to eat foods that keep our bodies healthy.
• Use test taking strategies like taking your time and reading all questions and directions carefully.
• Stay positive- our children have a diverse range of strengths!
• Students must utilize wired headphones that can be used for benchmark assessments and State SBAC testing. We have these available, but families are encouraged to send personal use ones for their child. Earbuds/Bluetooth devices are not allowed due to testing security.

Fall athletics are up and running, quite literally in fact. The TE Cross Country girls team opened up their season with a home meet against East Hartford. The girls swept the top 5 spots to take the win. Our leaders were Jana Brownbill in 1st (14:15), Greta Johnson 2nd (14:17), Ashlyn 3rd (14:39), Saanvi Nigam 4th (15:00) and Lillian Magnoli 5th (15:15).

The TE Boys Cross Country Team competed in their first race of the season against East Hartford at Nevers Park. East Hartford brought a small but mighty team and took first place, but TE filled in the next 8 spots led by Aiden Pilatti with Evan Taylor hot on his heels. Sixth grader Cayden Poehnert took fourth place in a near photo finish with Connor Hall. Brandon Willcox, Shaunak Tamhane and Thomas Stewart rounded out the top ten TE finishers on the new course.

The Timothy Edwards boys soccer team opened up their CRAL season last night taking on the Ellington Wildcats yesterday after school. The first half was played in the wildcats end of the field, though TE could not score thus resulting in a 0–0 halftime score. The second half was played in between the two goal boxes as neither team really challenged the others goal. However, late in the second half, Ellington were awarded a penalty for a challenge in the box. Leave it to 6th grader Will Woods to step up to the challenge, as he made a great save on the penalty. Not only did he save this penalty, but he saved one in the first half as well to keep TE from conceding. Yesterday, the boys soccer team came out on top against Tolland at home with a 4-0 final score. Their next game is away at Suffield.

The Timothy Edwards girls soccer team tied Tolland middle school yesterday 1-1 with a great goal by Aleksa Zajac assisted by Emily Ward. Goalkeeper Victoria Macchi kept the Cougars in the game with three amazing saves. Aleksa Zajac earns MVP for her hard work and leadership on the field. Coach B and Coach Sayed would like to give a special shout out to sixth graders Mia LeRoy, Eliana Beakal, and Gianna Ayala for their strong defense and team work. The girls team plays again today at home at 3:45.

The first field hockey game is scheduled for Monday, September 30th in Suffield with their home opener on Tuesday, October 1st vs. Suffield. Come and cheer all our athletes on!

There are so many student and staff celebrations at TEMS each month. Feel free to share celebrations with our staff for recognitions outside of school that you would like shared with our community.

Mrs. Eva Longo is the TEMS Library Media Specialist. She supports students in accessing electronic and print text resources.

It has been an exciting start to the school year here in the TE library media center. I’ve enjoyed meeting all of our sixth graders who came through with their ELA classes for a library orientation. The main objective of this visit was to get students familiar with the library layout so they’re comfortable locating and checking out library materials. Most returning 7th and 8th grade students also visited the TE LMC this month with their ELA classes to check out books. It is always so rewarding to see just how many enthusiastic and voracious readers we have here at TE!

I always like to remind students of our growing virtual library of e-Books and e-audios that they have access to 24/7 through Destiny Discover. Students can watch a brief video located off of the main LMC page that instructs them on how to check out TE’s virtual content.

Please click on the link below to see the rules and policies in place in TE’s library media center:

Library Hours and Policies

CHET Dream Big! Competition (the “Competition”) launched on August 15! K-12 students in Connecticut have the opportunity to enter the Competition and be awarded a scholarship of up to $20,000 to help pay for their future education! This competition is brought to you by the Connecticut State Treasurer’s Office as Trustee of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET).

This year, almost $350,000 will be awarded in CHET 529 College Savings Plan – Direct Plan (“CHET 529 Direct Plan”) account contributions to students in grades K-12 and technology prizes to schools. For the winning students, we will be awarding:

• Three prizes of $20,000
• 24 prizes of $5,000
• 239 prizes of $500

To enter, students are asked to answer a question by submitting a drawing or painting, essay, or video. Submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 p.m. on November 4. There is no cost to enter. For program details, rules and the entry process, visit:

www.chetdreambig.com

The daily TETV Morning News serve as our primary vehicle for communicating important information to students each day. This is where students can learn about upcoming events, tryouts, clubs and activities, and current events. In addition to playing during homeroom each day you can access the daily news on our school website.

We value our partnership with South Windsor Youth and Family Services. Please see the information about upcoming events and resources below.