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Thomas Community Newsletter
May 1, 2023
Can you believe today is May 1st and there are less than 30 school days left? This month we are looking forward to taking the 7th-grade outdoor education field trip to Sunrise Lake on the 18th and 19th and the 8th-grade field trip to Great America on the 31st. On June 1st at 7 PM, we will celebrate the Class of 2023 at the TMS Graduation at Buffalo Grove High School.
As we finish out the remainder of the school year, we ask that you please share these important reminders with your children:
- TMS is a wonderful place for students and staff to learn and grow. We are grateful for the communication and connection that we have with our student and parent community. Please continue to reach out and encourage your children to talk to adults about concerns they may be experiencing. We do look into the things that are shared with us.
- At TMS we take tremendous pride in our motto "Be The Good" and we seek to spread kindness to each other. Please talk with your children and encourage them to be aware that the words that they say and write, and what is posted on social media, both positive and negative, can stick with someone and have a long-lasting impact. It's essential to treat each other with kindness and respect.
New Items in this Newsletter:
- Congratulations Newsies Jr. Musical participants!
- Pride of the Wolf Pack Assembly & Scholarship Awards Ceremony - Modified Daily Schedule - Monday, 5/8/23 - See below for details
- Arlington Heights Memorial Library Art Show - 5/3/23-5/25/23
- Plant and Flower Sale Pick-Up - Wednesday, 5/10/23 - See below for details
- Early Dismissal - Last Day of School for 6th & 7th Graders - 6/7/23
- Registration for the 2023-2034 School Year for current 6th & 7th Grade Families
- May Celebrations
- Ruler Information
Thank you for your partnership,
Lori, Nick, & Greg
The TMS Admin Team
Congratulations to the Newsies Jr. Musical Participants! Bravo!
We are grateful to the following staff who supported this production:
- Director - Ms. Francesca DeTogne
- Assistant Directors - Mr.Tom & Mrs. Alex DeTogne and Mrs. Kim Malinowski
- Choreographer Mrs. Kristen Zanini
- Sound Technician Mr. Greg Holz
PTA plants, and flowers Pick-Up - Wednesday, 5/10/23 - Assigned Times!
For those of you who purchased plants, and flowers...through our TMS PTA Plant sale.
Please pick-up is at TMS on Wednesday, May 10th outside of TMS during the time slot you signed up for when you made your purchase:
- 10 a.m. - noon=
- 12 - 2 p.m.
- 2 - 4 p.m.
- 4 - 6 p.m.
Also, we will have a large number of extra plants, flowers, vegetables, and herbs for sale on May 10th for anyone who missed the plant sale.
Questions: Please contact Michelle Derochowski at 773-895-8016.
Thank you!
7th Grade Sunrise Lake Information
Dear 7th Grade Parents and Guardians,
This a couple of clarifications on how fees for the to make the Sunrise Lake Outdoor Education Field Trip.
- REQUIRED TRANSPORTATION FEE: The only fee that is required is a $12.00 transportation fee which can be paid via cash or check sent to the Thomas Middle School office or paid online via the RevTrak store linked here.
- PAYING ONLINE: If paying online, please MAKE SURE TO PAY this $12 payment on the TMS Webstore and not the D25 Transportation website.
- LUNCH: Students can bring a brown bag lunch from home or they can purchase a brown bag lunch that they can pack at school and pay for via their lunch account on the morning of the field trip.
- Permission Slip
- Sunrise Lake Newsletter
The payment and permission slip are due by 5/12/23.
QUESTIONS: Please reach out to the team leaders - Jodi Cyr (Gamma) jcyr@sd25.org and Kate Renno (Delta) krenno@sd25.org.
8th Grade End-of-the-Year Information
8th Grade Social Work Update: Mrs. Toni Giovannini reached the maximum number of days she could work as a retired social worker. At this time, if you have questions or need social work assistance, please contact the following individuals:
- Lauren Hammer - TMS Special Education Coordinator and School Psychologist
- Greg Keadle - TMS Associate Principal supporting 8th Grade
- Drew Martin - tMS School Psychologist
8th Grade Newsletter - Click here
Great America Field Trip - Wednesday, 5/31/23 - The permission slips deadline is 5/8/23!
8th Grade Party @ TMS - Thursday, 6/1/23 from 12:30-2:45 PM - Parent Volunteers are needed at this event. Stay tuned for a sign-up sheet.
TMS Graduation @ BGHS - Thursday, 6/1/23 @ 7 PM: The TMS graduation ceremony is set for Thursday, June 1, 2023, at Buffalo Grove High School. We have planned for an outdoor ceremony on the football field. If the weather does not cooperate that week, we'll move the festivities into the gymnasium.
8th GRADE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL - Thursday, 6/1/23 will be the last day of school for the 8th graders!
Early Dismissal | Last Day of School
Summer will come just a few hours early this year. On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, students will be dismissed early.
- 6th & 7th Grade Middle School Students will dismiss at 1:30 pm.
- Early Childhood Students will dismiss at 2:15 pm.
- Elementary School Students will dismiss at 2:30 pm.
- CAP will begin at 2:30 pm.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the District Office (847) 758-4900.
Registration for the 2023-2034 School Year - Attention Current 6th & 7th Grade Families!
Please CLICK HERE to complete the online registration at your earliest convenience. Our goal is to have all of our students registered by May 31st, 2023.
Questions or issues with registration: Please contact Andrew Benton, Data and Systems Specialist, AHSD25 - 847.758.3013 or abenton@sd25.org
CINCO DE MAYO
Cinco de Mayo is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The victory over the French army was a morale boost for the Mexicans.
For more information, visit: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/cinco-de-mayo
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, it is dedicated to paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.
For more information, visit: https://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/
JEWISH HERITAGE
May is Jewish American Heritage Month, it is an annual recognition and celebration of Jewish Americans’ achievements and contributions to the United States of America.
For more information, visit: https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/about/
Ruler Information
5 STEPS TO HELP CHILDREN REGULATE EMOTIONS
Emotional stability is a vital component to children's academic, social, and emotional growth. Research shows that the mere presence of a caring adult can help children lead more successful lives. As adults caring for children, we can use what we know about emotion skills to not only guide children through intense emotional situations, but to show up as our best selves when they need us. This resource defines five steps we can use to open conversations, get to the heart of an issue, and support children's healthy emotion regulation skills based on the webinar, Helping Children Manage Emotions During Uncertain Times, delivered by Drs. Marc Brackett and Robin Stern.
STEP 1- REGULATE YOUR OWN EMOTIONS
Start by checking in with our own emotions.
When we are aware of our emotions, they’re less likely to take over. Being aware of how we are feeling can help us pay attention to how our emotions influence the words we use, the choices we make, and how we respond to others.
Know what emotion regulation strategies work for us.
Creating a compassionate space for children to experience their feelings, move to a calmer emotional state, and participate in problem solving or decision making is reliant on our ability to manage our own emotions. This is known as co-regulation. Co-regulation is how we affect one another’s feelings through what we say, how we say it, and what we do.
Consider the best time and place to have the conversation.
We can ask ourselves:
Is there enough privacy? Is a certain time of day better? Am I in the best emotional space to support the child? What is the best way to have a conversation with this child? Will the conversation happen in person, via phone call, or via videoconferencing?
Take a proactive Meta-Moment.
By taking a Meta-Moment beforehand, we can imagine ourselves in the conversation with the child. What will we think? How might our body feel? We can visualize pausing and breathing before responding. Then, we can activate our best self. A useful exercise for defining our best self is to fast forward 20 years and think about how we want this child to think of us. It is helpful to prepare strategies that we can call on in the moment so that we can align our actions with our best self.
2- HELP THE CHILD WITH THEIR EMOTIONS
Be an emotion scientist.
We can approach conversations with children with curiosity, ask openended questions, and listen deeply without judgment. Emotion scientists think flexibly, realize that emotions are complex, and attempt to learn more - whether or not they would feel the same way in a given situation. This is an expression of caring that helps us forge quality relationships.
Open the conversation.
We might say, “I want to understand how you are feeling,” or “What I am noticing is …”, or “Can you tell me about what is going on?” Then, we can give our undivided attention. Children learn to express their emotions in more constructive and respectful ways when they are confident that their feelings will be heard.
Respond with empathy.
We all want to be heard, understood, and have our feelings validated. Some phrases we can use to respond with empathy include:
“I feel closer to you, just knowing what you are going through.” “I am honored that you trust me enough to share that." “Wow, that’s a lot.”
Remember that behavior is an outcome, not an emotion.
Our internal experience of emotions, what happens in our body, and the thoughts we have are not the same as how we express the emotion through our actions, facial expressions, body language or words. We might assume that we know how someone is feeling by how they are behaving, but emotion expression is complex. Behaviors provide important clues, but they are only clues. Asking just one more question before moving on to offering a regulation strategy or problem solving can be helpful in exploring how a child truly feels.
3-PROBLEM SOLVE TOGETHER
Support helpful short-term strategies.
Once we know how a child is feeling, why, and how they want to feel, we can encourage helpful short-term strategies for regulation like mindful breathing, taking a walk, or using thought strategies like positive self-talk or reframing. It is important for us to give children permission to experience their feelings if they need to, or move away from those feelings if they want to.
Model positive self-talk.
This thought strategy involves telling ourselves something helpful or encouraging - like what we might say to our closest friend or family member, or what they would say to us. Once we hear those supportive words, we can internalize them and repeat them in our heads to help us through challenging situations. Some examples are, “I’ve done difficult things before and I know I can succeed at this.” or “Everyone makes mistakes and I can learn and grow from this.”
Encourage positive reframing.
Positive reframing is a thought strategy that involves reminding ourselves that there may be other more positive ways of looking at the situation. By changing the way we think about a situation, we can change what it means to us and how we feel about it. After acknowledging and validating, we can ask ourselves, “Is there another way I could think about this?”, “Is there another, more positive explanation that may also be true?” or “What can I learn or take away from this experience that could be helpful?”
Help children become more independent in their regulation skills.
In conversations with children, we can explore what thoughts or actions help to soothe or energize them. It’s important to offer help and ideas without forcing them. We can say, “I have an idea about that. Do you mind if I share it?” It’s good to be mindful of the fact that emotion regulation strategies that work for us might not work for others. Sometimes it is helpful to use a problem-solving framework that includes helping a child generate multiple solutions to a problem, evaluating the options, and choosing the best one.
4- CLOSE THE CONVERSATION
Ask for agreement to close the conversation.
Once we have helped a child have explore their feelings and brainstorm strategies, we can ask if they feel ready to close the conversation. They may have a few more thoughts and feelings that they need to articulate. If the child has a lot more to say and time is constrained, it might be best to schedule a time to continue the conversation.
Plan to check in later.
If the child feels it would be helpful, we can set up a specific time to talk with them again.
This can either be a time to continue the conversation, or to check in about how the strategies that the child is trying out are working. Just like with
the initial conversation, we can consider the best place and time for this second talk and check in with ourselves beforehand.
Reiterate next steps.
It can be helpful to reiterate the next step that we decided on. We can review the emotion regulation strategies that we discussed and make sure the child feels ready to enact them. It is important to clarify the time and place for the next scheduled conversation, and let the child know that it's okay to talk
earlier if they need more immediate support.
End on a positive note.
We can show our optimism that a child will be able to enact their chosen emotion regulation strategies and express gratitude for having this time together. We can say something like, "I was glad I got to have this conversation with you and that you felt you could share this with me." Finally, we can remind the child that this feeling is temporary and will pass or will get better.
5- FOLLOW UP
Check in regularly and offer ongoing support.
This is an important step and one that sometimes gets forgotten. Once a child is calm, we tend to move on and may not follow up. Dropping the event when there may still be lingering feelings can leave a child feeling misunderstood or dismissed. We can ask, “How are you feeling about... ?” or “How is it going since …?” and then take the time to listen without trying to provide answers or suggestions right away.
Consider what conditions support helpful emotion regulation.
We can ask ourselves how can we create an environment where children and adults feel safe to express a full range of emotions, where discussions about emotion regulation are commonplace, and where a variety of strategies are permitted. Investigating childrens' successes and challenges with the strategies they used will help us understand them better as individuals. With children, we can praise their successes, accept their challenges, and work together to try other strategies if needed.
Respond to setbacks with compassion.
We all do the best we can in all aspects of our lives. Sometimes things go well, and sometimes they don’t. When adults or children experience setbacks, we can respond with compassion, support, and an understanding that mistakes happen. If we notice that a child is being particularly hard on themselves, we might ask: “What would you say to your best friend if they were in the same situation?”
Reach out for more support when needed.
If a child has experienced a traumatic experience and is continuing to struggle, refer them to a mental health professional for additional support.
SAVE THE DATES 2023-2024 School Year
- 6th Grade Orientation: Friday, 8/11/23
- All School Locker Set-Up Date: Friday, 8/11/23
- First Day of School and Welcome Back Event: Thursday, 8/17/23
Student Academic Support Is Available
Please encourage your child to attend Office Hours/11th Hour/Homework Club and to reach out to teachers if they need help or just want a place to work on their academics after school. This support is FREE and can be extremely helpful.
Click here for more details on options for your child to get help from staff at TMS. The activity bus departs TMS at about 3:35 PM. Please see the Activity Bus Black Out Schedule below.
TMS PTA
The last PTA MEETING OF THE 2022-2023 School Year: Tuesday - 5/9/23 @ 7 PM in the TMS LMC and via Zoom:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://sd25-org.zoom.us/j/89857229513?pwd=SjFBTkgwbTR2R21PMzlYN0o3VFVZUT09
Meeting ID: 898 5722 9513
Passcode: 312584
The PTA is seeking volunteers for specific committee and officer roles for the 2023-2024 school year. Please reach out to thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com if you're interested in getting involved!
2022-2023 PTA Officers:
- President: Suzanne Krause
- President-Elect: Megan Puzen
- Vice President: Norah Muenkel
- Treasurer: Kelly Spokas
- Secretary: Deborah Oiler
Do you have questions for the PTA? Email the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com
Mental Health Resources
If you know someone who is struggling, you can contact 988 - the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as Safe2Help Illinois.
When contacting 988, a trained counselor who is part of the Lifeline network will answer. These trained counselors will listen, understand how the problems are affecting the individual, provide support, and connect the individual to resources if necessary.
Here's a link to the District 25 Social Emotional Resources.
Daily Attendance Information
Daily attendance is expected and essential to school success. Please work with us to ensure that your child is attending school each day. If support is needed in this area, please reach out to us.
- ABSENCE REPORTING: The TMS attendance reporting options are open 24 hours a day 7 days per week. If your child is sick or unable to attend school, the parent/guardian MUST report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260 by 8 AM, the latest, on the day of the absences. Please be sure to report your child's absence so that we can account for all students each day. Advanced notification of absences is greatly appreciated.
- ARRIVAL TIME: Students should arrive at school between 7:30-7:40 AM so that they can stop at their locker and be seated in their homeroom class by 7:50 AM.
- LATE ARRIVAL/TARDIES: Students arriving late to school are unexcused unless a parent or guardian calls to report the reason for the late arrival. Oversleeping and traffic are not considered excused absences. Students must sign in at the office upon arrival at school.
- EARLY DISMISSAL: If your child has a doctor's appointment and needs to leave school before dismissal at 2:45 PM, please be sure to report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260. Students must sign out in the office before leaving school early.
Students who are absent from class are encouraged to check Schoology for assignment information. In addition, it may be helpful for students who are absent to attend Homework Club / Office Hours for a few days upon returning to school.
AHSD25 School Resource Officers
School District 25 has a wonderful partnership with the Arlington Heights Police Department and we are very fortunate to have two outstanding School Resource Officers that support our schools. The SROs attend various TMS events throughout the school year and they are an essential part of our Wolf Pack.
Please know that you can report concerns or social media incidents to the school administration and or school social workers. In addition, our School Resource Officers from the Arlington Heights Police Department are available to address your concerns and the police station is open 24-7 to report incidents that occur outside of TMS after school hours and on the weekends.
Officer Danny Malik & Officer John O'Leary
School Resource Officer
Arlington Heights Police Department
dmalik@vah.com & joleary@vah.com
M: 847-878-2949
W: 847-368-5393
Bus Information
All students need to show their bus pass in order to ride the bus!
Please direct bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist:
Laura Comastro. Laura can answer your questions and resolve issues.
847-758-4888
CONCERNS AND COMPLIMENTS: Bus emergency concerns: Contact Cook County School Bus at 847-439-0923 or for the AHSD25 Transportation Manager during the school work day, 847- 758-4888. About bus drivers/bus service: Contact the Transportation Specialist at 847-758-4888. About other passengers: Contact the school office to report any issue with regard to behavior on the bus.
Additional bus information can be found at the transportation link on the District 25 website.
Our students practiced bus evacuation procedures on 10/18/22 and will have a second opportunity to practice this on 4/13/23.
TMS Office Information
Monday - Friday 7 AM - 3 PM
*Modified hours over breaks and closed on holidays.
Attendance Reporting:
Online Attendance Form: Click here to report your child's absence or late arrival or early dismissal. The other option is to call the TMS office at 847-398-4260 to report your child's attendance.
TMS Address:
1430 N. Belmont Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Phone: 847-398-4260
Fax: 847-394-6843