Tamanend Connections

Welcome back to school Tamanend students and families! Please note that any item beginning with "Reminder" appeared in the previous newsletter. You can reference current and past editions of this newsletter under "School Links" on our website. Starting Friday, September 8, our weekly newsletters will be sent out each Friday morning.

We will run a special schedule on the first day of school. Here's where students will start their day on Tuesday, September 5:

7th Graders--Auditorium*

8th Graders--8th Graders who arrive to school before 7:20 should report to the Cafeteria*. After 7:20, they should report to their Tiger's i class. This class appears on students' schedules after 2nd Period and is listed as I&E.

9th Graders--9th Graders who arrive to school before 7:20 should report to the Main Gym*. After 7:20, they should report to their Tiger's i class. This class appears on students' schedules after 2nd Period and is listed as I&E.

*Students who wish to get breakfast may do so in the Cafeteria before 7:30.

Student schedules are available on the Portal.

Students' bus information is posted in Portal. Click here for information from the CB Transportation Department.

On Monday, June 5, 2023 we instituted a new morning drop-off/traffic pattern at Tamanend. We will continue with this pattern for the 23-24 school year as we found it reduce wait time for buses, car riders, and staff entering our parking lots in the mornings. This is an explanation of the traffic pattern we will continue to follow. In the morning only, car riders will use the “bus loop” and ONLY busses and staff members will be allowed to enter the Main entrance. Car riders should pull up as far as possible in the unloading zone, but may drop off their children anywhere along the sidewalk. We will continue to encourage drivers to enter the school property from the Kelly Road side so that they may make a right-hand turn on to the property. For the afternoon, parents picking up their children will utilize the Main entrance and busses will utilize the “bus loop”.

Any discussion of traffic patterns provides a good opportunity to remind everyone in our community about the importance of driving safely around our school. We have many students who walk to and from school. Some of our students must cross Stuckert Road in the mornings and afternoons. Please remember the speed limit on our property and in the school zone on Stuckert Road is 15 miles per hour. Please be mindful of the stop sign on Stuckert Road at the intersection with Herblew Road. Thank you in advance for driving safely and for watching closely for our students who walk to school.

TAMANEND MORNING TRAFFIC PATTERN--

TAMANEND AFTERNOON TRAFFIC PATTERN--

Click here to view the 7th Grade School Supply List and Welcome Letter

Click here to view the 8th Grade School Supply List and Welcome Letter

Click here to view the 9th Grade School Supply List and Welcome Letter

Reminder: Students should purchase a lock for their Gym locker on MyPaymentsPlus.

Please note: We have a limited amount of school supplies available free of charge at Tamanend. Please feel free to stop by Tamanend's Main Office Thursday 8/31 or Friday 9/1 from 8:00--4:00 if you would like to select supplies for your child.

MyPaymentsPlus Opens for Technology Fee Payments--Monday, August 14 (details below)

Middle School Student Schedules Released on Parent Portal--Friday, August 25 at 8:00 AM (details below)

Welcome Back Newsletter--to be released Thursday, August 31

First Day of School for Students--Tuesday, September 5

First Regular Newsletter for 2023-2024--to be released Friday, September 8

7th Grade Back to School Night--Thursday, September 14 at 7:00 PM

Tamanend Student Picture Day--Friday, September 15

8th & 9th Grade Back to School Night--Thursday, September 21 at 7:00 PM

Early Dismissal--Friday, September 29

Welcome Back Dance--Friday, September 29 from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Deadline to Complete Annual Student Information Update in Portal--Saturday, September 30 (details below)

Required Dental Exams for 7th Graders--Due by October 15, 2023 (details below)

INFORMATION:

• The deadline for registering 7th and 8th Grade student-athletes for Fall sports was August 29th. All who registered received an email from Mr. Klein which outlines mandatory concussion information, required paperwork, start dates, and other information. Fall coaches’ contact information and start dates can also be found below.
• All student-athletes must have completed PIAA physicals uploaded to Family ID prior to the start of the Fall sports season. Those details are outline in the email mentioned above. The PIAA physical forms can be found HERE. Additional items are outlined and explained on the Tamanend Athletics web page.
• If you and would like to receive immediate updates on game schedules, cancellations, etc., visit Tamanend Athletics web page and become a “fan” to get alerts for your child’s team.

TRYOUT/HEAD COACHING INFORMATION:

7th/8th Gr. Cheerleading

Coach Kasper (jkasper@cbsd.org)

Practices begin Wednesday, September 6th (2:45-4:30); meet in Auxiliary Gym

7th Gr. Football

Coach Kollock (wkollock@cbsd.org)

Practices begin Tuesday, September 5th (2:45-4:30); meet outside by Boys Locker Room

8th Gr. Football

Coach Cape (jcape@ymcabhc.org)

7th Gr. Boys Soccer

TBA

Practices begin Tuesday, September 12th (2:45-4:30); meet in Room 337

8th Gr. Boys Soccer

Coach Eisold (peisold@cbsd.org)

Practices begin Monday, September 11th (2:45-4:30); meet in Room 337

7th Gr. Field Hockey

Coach Poston (aposton@cbsd.org)

Interest mtg. on Wed., September 6th from 2:45-3:30 in Cafeteria; practices begin Monday,

September 11

8th Gr. Field Hockey

Coach Bhaya (dbhaya@cbsd.org)

Interest mtg. on Wed., September 6th from 2:45-3:30 in cafeteria; Practices will be held Th.,

September 7 & Fri., September 8 from 3:45-4:30

7th/8th Gr. Girls Tennis

Coach Vitacco (mvitacco@cbsd.org)

Practices begin Monday, September 11th (2:45-4:30); meet on tennis courts

7th/8th Gr. Co-Ed Volleyball

Coach Szyszczak (dszyszczak@cbsd.org)

Tryouts begin Wednesday, September 13th (2:45-4:30); meet in main gym

FROM CB SOUTH ATHLETICS:

You can find a list of the CB South home football games below:

• August 25 vs. Fr. Judge
• September 1 vs. Truman
• October 6 vs. Abington
• October 13 vs. Neshaminy
• October 27 vs. Pennridge

7th Grade students will not have their student IDs in time for the first two home games. Any 7th Grade student who doesn’t have an ID can show a photo of their Infinite Campus account for the first two home games. A reminder that 7th and 8th Grade students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian in order to attend a CB South game.

We hope that everyone will continue to support our athletic teams during the Fall season. CB South prides itself on good sportsmanship on the part of players and fans alike. Please keep the following in mind as you cheer for our teams this season:

1. 7th and 8th Grade students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
2. The use of profanity and vulgarity is unacceptable at athletic events. Please do not engage in inappropriate or demeaning chants during games. Students who do not comply with this expectation will be ejected from the games and will face disciplinary consequences. Let’s focus on supporting our team, not degrading the opposing school.
3. Entering/Rushing the athletes’ area of play is prohibited and dangerous to security, teachers, spectators, and the athletes.
4. Students are not permitted to bring purses, draw string bags, backpacks, food, or beverages to any athletic event in the Fall season.
5. Students are prohibited from trespassing on the property of any school in the Central Bucks School District or on any property in any other school district. Damaging school property or engaging in any other activity that inconveniences the other school’s staff is strictly prohibited and will be considered vandalism, resulting in disciplinary and legal consequences. Please do not jeopardize your good standing by engaging in this type of unacceptable behavior.
6. All Central Bucks School District and Central Bucks High School South’s polices apply to students at athletic events.

We wanted to inform you about a health club opportunity at CB South. As 9th Graders, you have the opportunity to join a club called HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America). It is a nationally affiliated medical club that provides opportunities for high school students to explore certain areas in the medical field. You will be able to participate in things such as:

• State and National wide competition that include a wide variety of topics

• Hearing guest speakers in the medical field talk about their experience and how they got to where they are
• Fundraisers, blood drives, fun and informational club meetings, and more

Overall, the HOSA club is a great opportunity for any student grades 9-12, to explore the medical field if they are considering or interested in a medical profession. Below, we have a form linked for any 9th Graders to fill out if they are interested in joining the club this year.

Forms Link: https://forms.office.com/r/5ru5suuAsx

7th Grade BTSN will be held Thursday, September 14 at 7:00 pm

8th and 9th Grade BTSN will be held Thursday, September 21 at 7:00 pm

Tiger's I enrichment activities take place during the i/e period Mondays through Thursdays. The first enrichment activities will be begin mid-September. Participation in Tiger's i enrichment activities is optional. You must be in good academic standing (good grades, all work complete) in order to participate in a Tiger's enrichment activity. If a teacher needs to see for academic purposes during a particular Tiger's i period, you must report to the teacher instead of the enrichment activity. You can find out about upcoming Tiger's i enrichment activities in the following ways:

• Daily announcements posted on Tamanend website
• Tamanend Announcements Canvas course (your teachers will show you how to enroll in this course in early September)
  
• Tamanend Connections newsletter
• Enrichments bulletin board outside of Main Gym
  

Ms. Brenda Scheffey has returned to Tamanend to serve as Interim Assistant Principal. Ms. Scheffey has been an integral part of the Tamanend community for many years. She has 31 years of experience in education (30 in Central Bucks) and has served Tamanend as Teacher, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, Friends Facilitator, Field Hockey Coach, Basketball Coach, Lacrosse Coach, Softball Coach, School Store Advisor, After School Detention Supervisor, SAP team member, Interim Guidance Counselor, and Interim Assistant Principal. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Scheffey back to Tamanend!

We would like to take this opportunity to update everyone on Tamanend's cell phone policy. It is important that cell phones be turned off and put away during the school day so that students can focus on learning and interacting appropriately with their peers. For some students this will be a change, and will will work through this together.

Cell phones and other electronic communication devices must be turned off and kept out of sight during the hours of 7:30 am and 2:30 pm, including at lunch time and between classes. Students will not be permitted to use their cell phones during the school day, unless instructed by an adult for educational purposes. You can read the entire school district policy by clicking this link: Active Policies - 20 Welden Drive | Doylestown, PA 18901 | Phone 267-893-2000 BoardDocs® Plus and searching for policy #829.1.

We understand that periodically, parents must get important messages to their children. Parents may call the Main Office at 267-293-2900 to relay important information. In addition, students may use the Main Office phone to contact their parents to convey important messages. We greatly appreciate your support of this policy. It is very important that we work together to help students focus on learning and limit distractions and disruptions caused by cell phone use during the academic day.

For the 23-24 school year, students will not permitted to carry their backpacks throughout the day. They will be required to use their lockers to house their backpacks, lunches, and other materials. Students will have access to their lockers at designated times throughout the day. Locks are built into our lockers. Students will have the opportunity to practice opening their lockers during our open house on August 25 and on the first day of school.

The Central Bucks School District attendance policy (#204) conforms to the Pennsylvania School Code sections 1326 to 1333 dealing with compulsory school attendance. “Every child of compulsory school age having a legal residence in this Commonwealth… is required to attend a day school in which the subjects and activities prescribed by the standards of the State Board of Education are taught.”

Reporting an Absence from School:

• Parent/guardian must notify Tamanend Attendance of students excuse for absence using the Parent Portal (see below) or by calling (267)893-2920.

Excused Absences and Medically Excused Absences:

Excused Absence (E) is granted for the following reasons: illness, quarantine, death in the family, impassable roads, inclement weather, religious holidays, health care, exceptionally urgent reasons, and family trips. We recommend that you provide the office with a medical note anytime your child is absent and sees a doctor. Absences substantiated with a doctor's notes are considered "Medically Excused". After the 10th absence excused by a parent/guardian, students must submit medical note for all subsequent absences. If a medical note is not provided, the absences is considered Unexcused (U).

Unexcused Absences:

Unexcused Absence (U) may be declared for reasons such as employment, truancy, car trouble, parental neglect, oversleeping, missing the bus, shopping, babysitting, visiting relatives, hunting, fishing, working at home, vacation trips, unauthorized leaving from school, and remaining at home to do school work. In situations where absence is declared unexcused or unlawful, students may be assigned to make up time missed outside regular school hours.

Consequences for Unexcused Absences:

Attendance to school is crucial to academic success. As stated above, parents must provide notice of excused absences as allowable by the PA School Code. If a student does not provide an excusable notice within three days after their absence, the following consequences may be applied:

1. Detention

2. Saturday detention

3. Parents will receive attendance letters which state that continued unlawful absences my result in referral to the magistrate.

4. District Justice will notify parent of truancy hearing date and if found guilty, be subject to fines and penalties prescribed by the School Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Appointments:

• If possible, all appointments should be scheduled outside the school day.
• If an appointment must be scheduled during the school day, parent/guardian must either:
  • send a note in with the student stating the time of pick up and the reason for the early dismissal.
    • The student should submit the note to the main office before homeroom.
  • excuse the student for early dismissal using the Parent Portal.
• At the time of dismissal a parent/guardian must sign their student out in the main office.
• For the absence to be recorded as Medically Excused, a physician's note must be submitted to the front office upon return.

Lateness to School:

• Late students MUST sign in at the Main Office when they arrives to school.
• A note must be provided by the parent/guardian stating the reason for the lateness, or parents must excuse the student using the Parent Portal. Oversleeping, traffic, car trouble, and missing the bus are considered unexcused latenesses to school.
• After three unexcused latenesses to school, students will begin to receive disciplinary consequences.

Vacations/Family Trips, Field Trips, & other Planned Absences:

1. Two weeks before a planned absence, student should pick up a "Request for Approved Absence" form in the Main Office.
2. Parent/guardian should fill out the form. Request for Approved Absence for Family Travel

Missed Work:

• Students are responsible for making up all work missed as a result of excused absences. If students will be out for an extended amount of time (at least 3 full days), parent/guardian should call the student’s school counselor.
• A student is allowed the same number of days to make-up work as the number of days she/he missed for excused absences and lateness. Students are obligated to discuss and arrange plans for make-up work within that time. Failure to do so may result in failing grades on missed assignments.

Auto Caller:

If a student is marked absent, the Tamanend Attendance Auto Caller will contact parents/guardians by phone for notification.

Click Below to Read CBSD's Letter to the Community Regarding the Importance of Attendance

English version

Russian version

Spanish version

Ukranian version

All Tamanend students will receive agenda books on the first day of school. We are making a collective effort to teach students how to properly, effectively, and consistently use an agenda book to keep track of their academic work and organize their time. We will present a lesson on effectively using agenda books on the second day of school during Tiger's i. Teachers will reinforce the importance of agenda books in class. In addition, 7th Graders will we learning organization skills as part of the Study Skills units in InC and Integrated Technology. We will also help students with organization as part of our academic study skills modules in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies classes.

You can find CBSD's policy related to the retaking of assessments (quizzes, tests, assignments, etc.) at the link below--

Assessment and PA Graduation Requirements / Grades 7 - 12 Reassessment Guidelines (cbsd.org)

Students should make sure their laptops are ready for the start of school. Click here to technology tasks students should complete before the first day of school.

We received a donation of brand new backpacks. If you would like one for your child, please email one of the following staff members and we will set one aside for you:

Brian Caughie, Principal bcaughie@cbsd.org

Patti Hartz, Secretary phartz@cbsd.org

Andrea Consoletti, Student Service Secretary aconsoletti@cbsd.org

Tamanend Middle School empowers students to grow academically, socially and emotionally. Students, staff, and families work collaboratively to model the acronym ROAR.

Respect yourself, others, and property.

Own your behaviors.

Act appropriately.

Remember Kindness.

We believe that a caring, positive school culture and learning environment foster respectful, thoughtful, appropriate, and kind citizens.

In order to operationalize our mission, Tamanend utilizes a school-wide positive behavioral intervention and support plan (SWPBIS). This plan helps us establish a social culture in which students expect and support appropriate behavior from one another— creating school environments that are socially predictable, consistent, safe, and positive. This helps to reduce problem behaviors that lead to office discipline referrals and suspensions, and to change perceptions of school safety.

Our Central Bucks “Guidance” Department will now be known as “Student Services” Department. We are making this name change K-12 to better represent the wide-range of services that our department provides to students and families across the district. While we certainly provide “guidance” to students, our School Counselors, School Psychologists, Student Support Social Workers, Student Support Counselors, and Nurses provide services including academic planning; college and career planning; social and emotional programs and initiatives; physical wellness; connections to community resources (financial, housing, food, services); and educational record management. We look forward to seeing students and families in our Student Services Office!

Kindergarten and New Students:

All new students will need to use the following:

Families can find their username by logging into Parent Portal >

More > Family Information. For support they can contact their

building office, librarian (elementary), or counselor (secondary).

New student passwords are First Initial - Uppercase, last initial -

lowercase, Date of birth - numeric. Example: John Smith born

12/25/2003 = Js122503

All new students will be forced to make a new password their first time

logging in.

Please do NOT reset your entire class or use the same password for

all students.

Microsoft will also prompt the student to answer security questions

for SSPR the first time logging in.

Grades 1-12:

All students in grades 1-12 should use their password from last year. If students forget their password, please have them refer to the instructions at www.cbsd.org/passwordguide.

Children entering 7th grade are required to have:

• 1 dose Meningococcal Conjugate (meningitis)
• 1 dose TDAP – tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis

Students must be fully immunized by the 5th day of school. Please send an up to date copy of your child's immunization report Mrs. Lauren Myrtetus, our certified school nurse. If your child will not be immunized by the 5th day of school please email Mrs. Lauren Myrtetus with the date of the doctor's appointment. Our certified school nurse's email is lmyrtetus@cbsd.org

To check the immunization status of your student, go to the Portal and click on the Health tab.

Dental exams are required for all 7th Graders by October 15, 2023. Any exam given since September 1, 2022 is acceptable. Please have your student turn in his or her dental exam form directly to the Health Office.

Students eat lunch with their grade-level classmates. 7th Grade lunch is after 4th Period. 8th Grade lunch is after 5th Period. 9th Grade lunch is after 3rd Period.

Families can access the online application for Free & Reduced Meals by clicking here. The application must be submitted each year. If your child received free or reduced lunch last year, you must re-apply for the 23-24 school year if you wish to be eligible for this program.

For supervision and safety reasons, students may not be dropped off at school before 7:10 a.m. If you are driving your student to school and arrive before 7:10, please remain in your car with your student until 7:10 a.m.

Students are not required to purchase a CBSD issued physical education uniform; however, students will be required to change into athletic attire and sneakers to participate safely and practice good hygiene. Student attire must adhere to the dress code guidelines presented in the student handbook. CB locks will still be required to purchase to ensure personal items are secured in a locker. Locks are available for purchase on MyPaymentsPlus.

When the weather is poor (heavy rain, low temperatures, etc.), more and more parents/guardians choose to drive their children to school. A reminder that students are expected to be in their 1st Period classes by 7:30 AM. If a child is late to school because of CBSD transportation, their tardiness will be excused. If a student is late to school because of car trouble, over-sleeping, or they are in the car drop-off line, their tardiness is unexcused. Typically, there are few cars in the drop off line from when the doors open at 7:10 until about 7:20. After 7:20, the line begins to get very long.

If you drive your child to school and the weather is poor, please consider leaving home earlier so that your child arrives to class on time.

Thanks for your assistance!

The regular school day is from 7:30--2:30.

7:10: Students may be dropped off at Tamanend.

7:10--7:20*: 7th Graders wait in the Auditorium; 8th Graders wait in the Cafeteria; 9th Graders wait in Main Gym

7:20: Classrooms open to students

7:27: Reminder bell rings

7:30: First period classes begin

*Breakfast is available to students in all grades beginning at 7:10 in the Cafeteria.

You may report your child's absence in any of the following ways:

• Phone (Attendance hotline): 267-893-2920
• Written note to be turned in to Main Office
• Through Portal. Click here to learn how to report student absences through Portal.
  

Tamanend is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive experience at our school. We work hard to ensure that we have financial supports in place for families in need. Please be aware that we can help with the following resources:

• Food--pantry with healthy snacks and personal care items available all day outside of Guidance; meals to take home (students and/or parents and guardians can contact Mrs. Consoletti in the Guidance Office or Mrs. Myrtetus in the Health Office); weekend food packages to take home (students and/or parents and guardians can contact Mrs. Consoletti in the Guidance Office or Mrs. Myrtetus in the Health Office)
• Clothing
• Internet access
• Field trips, school supplies, fees
• Holiday gifts

If your family experiences a financial hardship, please feel free to email one of the staff members below so that we may help:

Brian Caughie (Principal) bcaughie@cbsd.org

Lauren Myrtetus (Certified School Nurse) lmyrtetus@cbsd.org

Jeff Klein (Guidance Counselor and Athletic Director) jklein@cbsd.org

Mandy Cammann (Guidance Counselor) mcammann@cbsd.org

Andrea Consoletti (Guidance Secretary) aconsoletti@cbsd.org

Here is a list of ways Tamanend communicates with students, families, and the community:

• Tamanend website: includes important information, resources, calendar of school events, and daily announcements
• Calendar of school events (posted on our website)
• Daily announcements are posted here each morning on the Tamanend website.
  
• TV show (weekly, during Advisory period)
• Email blasts from Tamanend administration regarding important news, new procedures, and reminders
• Parent Portal: student information, grades, and attendance
• Tamanend Connections newsletter: useful information, important reminders, and school highlights emailed weekly during school year and posted on Tamanend website
• Twitter: @CBTamanendMS highlights of activities, events, and daily life at Tamanend
• CBSD app: highlights of activities, events, and daily life in Central Bucks

¡Bienvenidos a Tamanend! Yo soy Brian Caughie, Director de Tamanend Middle School. Soy hispanohablante. Pasé mucho de mi vida en España. Estoy aquí para apoyarles a todos los estudiantes y familias en Tamanend. Favor de llamarme or escribirme (en inglés o en español) si Ud. tiene cualquier duda o pregunta.

Correo electrónico: bcaughie@cbsd.org

Oficina: (267) 893-2900

Daily announcements are posted each morning on the Tamanend website. You can access them through the website here. If you prefer to have the daily announcements emailed to you directly each morning, please email Mrs. Patti Hartz at phartz@cbsd.org to be added to the daily announcement email distribution list.

Pennsylvania law requires all persons having direct contact with school children to obtain background checks and clearances. If you are planning on volunteer in in a Central Bucks school during the 2022-2023 school year, you will need to go to Volunteer Required Paperwork, and complete what is needed to be an approved volunteer in our school. Thank you!

Tamanend students make a difference in our community. Share your story about the accomplishments and good work of a Tamanend student with Dr. Caughie at bcaughie@cbsd.org so that he may highlight this good news in an upcoming edition of Tamanend Connections.

Email: tms@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Domain/25
Location: 1492 Stuckert Road, Warrington, PA
Phone: 267.893.2900