Thomas Timberwolves
August 17, 2021 Updates
Hello, Parents and Guardians,
School starts in just two days ~ Thursday, August 19th! Please see below for details on what to expect on a variety of topics.
The First Day of School Schedule: Due to advisory lessons and practicing all of the safety drills (including a hard lockdown, shelter in place, evacuation, and relocation drill) there will be an adjusted daily schedule which is listed below.
Bus Stop & TMS Start Time: Plan for your child to be at the bus stop on time or at school by 7:30 AM. TMS will open our doors at 7:40 AM and students should report to homeroom each morning upon entering the building. Please see the map below for the location assigned to each team to enter the building.
School Supplies: Students DO NOT need to bring ALL items on the supply list on the first day. Sixth graders especially without the use of lockers can bring in materials as needed throughout the first weeks of school.
Back-To-School Night - Thursday, August 19th - See suggested times below!
In an interest to help spread out the attendance for this event, we encourage students to attend independently or students may wish to bring ONE parent/guardian/older sibling to attend during the following times:
5-6 PM - 6th Grade
6-7 PM - 7th Grade
7-8 PM - 8th Grade
Class Sizes and Social Distancing in the Classrooms: Currently, at TMS, all of our classrooms provide for 3 feet of social distancing with class sizes ranging from 18-30 students.
Lunch: The majority of homerooms (9-10 homerooms) will meet in the Commons for lunch each day. Students can pick up a free lunch, weather permitting, all students will head outdoors to eat lunch. In order to provide 3 feet of social distancing indoors during lunch, please note that there will be 2-3 additional lunch spaces (classrooms) per grade level per day. Again, the plan is for lunch to take place outdoors as much as possible. To start the school year, homerooms will rotate through the additional lunch spaces. Please click here for more details on food services and lunch.
We hope this additional information is helpful. Please know that we will share more details with the students when they arrive this Thursday and more information will be given to you in the weeks ahead. For now, we hope you have the necessary information to get off to a great start to the school year.
Thank you and take care,
Greg, Nick, & Lori
BE ALERT! ROAD CONSTRUCTION NEAR THOMAS MIDDLE SCHOOL
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Suggested alternates:
- If possible, consider using Douglas Avenue as a drop-off and pick-up point. Middle schoolers can walk through Greenslopes Park and cross Belmont Avenue at the corners of Thomas Street or Olive Street.
- If possible, utilize Olive Street and consider meeting your child/dropping them off at Olive Street and Belmont Avenue. Having them walk a short distance to TMS might be faster than traffic on Belmont Avenue.
- For 6th Grade morning drop-off, you can only turn east out of the TMS parking lot. So, when heading east on Thomas Street, consider turning north on Belmont Avenue instead of south to avoid additional congestion on Belmont Avenue. Then detour over to Dryden Street.
SHIELD TESTING | OPT-IN
District 25 is planning to begin the SHIELD testing program in our schools for the students who have opted-in on September 8, 2021. In order to opt-in for your child to participate in SHIELD testing, fill out this form and turn it into our front office or email it to Laura Toussaint at ltoussaint@sd25.org.
The SHIELD Illinois saliva-based test developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is able to detect COVID-19 and its variants in symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptomatic individuals. For more information in the form of a Q&A on the COVID-19 SHIELD test in our schools, click here.
Here is one common question we are being asked:
Can I opt my child in to be SHIELD tested for when they are a close contact, only, thus opting them out of being tested weekly?
No, in order to guarantee a student's participation in the SHIELD testing program when they are a close contact, they must already be an opted-in participant. We are working with a 3rd party provider, and that provider needs time to get a student entered into the program. We cannot guarantee that someone could be entered on day 1, 3, 5, or 7 in order to test-to-stay.
BUS INFORMATION
If your child is a bus rider, the bus information and bus passes are sent to you by Laura Comastro from our transportation department.
Her contact information is:(847) 758-4888 or lcomastro@sd25.org
Please direct all transportation and bussing questions to Laura Comastro.
NOTE: Students will not be required to show their bus pass until October.
6th GRADE - SAVE THE DATE - LOCKER SET-UP - 9/11/21
On Saturday, 9/11/21 from 9 AM-noon we will open up TMS to give the 6th grade students and one parent an opportunity to set up lockers.
Can't make 9/11/21, no worries! On Monday, 9/13/21 all 6th graders will have an Advisory on locker set-up.
TMS TRAFFIC PATTERNS and EXPECTATIONS FOR ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL
At the start of each school year, it is important to review the TMS traffic patterns and expectations for the start and end of each school day.
Traffic Pattern: Here is a link to the TMS MAP highlighting our traffic patterns for morning drop off.
Arrival Before School
6th Grade Drop-Off: 6th graders should be dropped off in the Arlington Heights side parking lot.
7th & 8th Grade Entrance: All 7th and 8th graders should be dropped off on Belmont Ave. Please pull forward as far as possible to allow as many cars to drop off at once.
Busses: Busses will drop off in the morning in the Belmont (main parking lot). Cars should not enter the main parking lot in the morning.
Dismissal After School
How do students exit the building? At 2:45, the end of the school day, students are expected to make their way to their after-school activities by 3:00 pm or they can choose to exit the building for the day. Students walking or biking home may select to utilize any exit at the end of the school day.
Parent Pick-Up Line: ALL 6th, 7th & 8th graders can get picked up on the carpool line which is on Belmont Avenue. Please be sure to form a single line along Belmont Street and remain in your car until your student arrives. DO NOT pick your students up on Thomas St. This can create an unsafe situation.
Bussing: Students taking the bus should exit out the LMC doors, as the busses will line up in the Arlington Heights side parking lot. Cars are not permitted to enter this lot after school.
Please note that our first day of school, Thursday, August 19th, is a full day of school. Just as a reminder, the doors to TMS open at 7:40AM each morning for all students. Students are expected to be seated in homeroom by 7:50AM. Prompt arrival at school each morning will help your child start each day on a successful note.
Designated Lineup/Entrance Locations
Each grade level team has an assigned building entrance. Please see the diagram below.
6th Grade
Alpha - Door #9
Beta - Door #8
7th Grade
Gamma - Door #1
Delta - Door #6
8th Grade
Epsilon - Door #1
Zeta - Door #10
Masks
Picture Day is Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Curriculum Night
*6th Grade Curriculum Night: Tuesday, 8/31/21 @ 6 p.m.
*7th & 8th Curriculum Night: Thursday, 9/9/21 @ 6 p.m.
CAP supervisors/activity leaders needed!
The Arlington Heights Park District runs a before and after-school student supervision program at all District 25 Elementary Schools and they are in need of and currently hiring CAP supervisors/activity leaders!
For more about the positions and to apply, click the link here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ahpd?keywords=cap
If you have any questions about the job, you can email the AH Park District's CAP and Day Camp Supervisor, Katie Waszak (kwaszak@ahpd.org).
For information on the CAP Program, CLICK HERE.
Illinois State Report Card - Thomas
Thomas Middle School
Email: tmsadmin@sd25.org
Website: https://www.sd25.org/Domain/9
Location: 1430 N Belmont Ave, Arlington Heights, IL, United States
Phone: 847.398.4260
Twitter: @AHSD25Thomas