It’s quite the Jolly Holiday at Tamanend as Mary Poppins is rehearsed through its halls. As numbers and costumes start to come together, excitement continues to grow. This week we added our fabulous tech crew to our Mary Poppins family!

Come out and support the Tamanend Players on Thursday night at Moe’s! The Tamanend musical program is hosting a Dine-and-Donate at Moe’s in Warrington on Thursday, February 2nd from 4 to 8 PM. Pick up dinner, get welcomed to Moe’s, and help support the Mary Poppins cast and crew! Hope to see you there!

End of 2nd Marking Period / Early Dismissal at 10:45--Friday, January 27

CB Save the Music Concerts--Friday, January 27 at 7:00 PM at Holicong Middle School; Saturday, January 28 at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM at Holicong Middle School (details above)

Program Planning assembly for current 8th Graders during Tiger's i--Monday, January 30 (snow date is February 1) (details below)

Program Planning assembly for current 7th Graders during Tiger's i--Tuesday, January 31 (snow date is February 2) (details below)

Deadline for Order Tamanend Yearbook at Reduced Price--Tuesday, January 31 (after January 31, the price increases; details below)

Tamanend Player's Dine and Donate at Moe's Southwest in Warrington--Thursday, February 2 from 4:00 PM--8:00 PM (details above)

2nd Marking Period Report Card Grades Posted to Parent Portal--Wednesday, February 8 at 8:00 AM

Kelly Ann Dolan Day (Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament and Fundraiser)--Saturday, February 25

Middle School Orientation for 6th Grade Parents--Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00 PM *There is a session for Parents/Guardians of Special Education Students that begins at 6:30 PM in the Library and a session for Parents/Guardians of PEN Students that begins at 6:30 in the Cafeteria

Monday, January 30

• 7th Grade Boys Basketball @ Holicong (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 2:15
• Wrestling @ Poquessing (Away; 3:15); bus leaves at 1:15

Tuesday, January 31

• 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Holicong (Home; 3:15)

Wednesday, February 1

• 7th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Tohickon (Home; 3:15)

Thursday, February 2

• 7th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Abington Friends (Home; 3:15)

Friday, February 3

• No contests

Saturday, February 4

• Wrestling: LBCL Tournament at Council Rock South HS (A; 12:30 weigh-ins); bus leaves from Unami (time TBD) and parents drive home from CRS

INFORMATION:

· Spring sports will begin on March 20th. Family ID opens for Spring sports registration on February 1st. This includes 7th and 8th Grade Girls soccer, 7th and 8th Grade Softball, Girls Lacrosse, Boys lacrosse, Track and Field, Boys Tennis,

and 7th and 8th Grade Baseball. All 7th and 8th Grade students interested in playing a Spring sport for Tamanend this year must be registered on the Family ID web site no later than noon on March 14th. Please click HERE for detailed information, deadlines, and requirements.

· Please see below for CB South ice hockey information.

· 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.

FROM CB SOUTH:

• All students attending games at CB South from now on must present their student ID when purchasing tickets/entering gates. Students will not be sold tickets or allowed inside the gates without their IDs.
• Please see below for CB South ice hockey information.

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. Middle school aged students must be accompanied by a parent.
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. Please be advised that coming to an athletic event under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is not only extremely dangerous, but also violates School Board Policy 227. If a student chooses to attend a CB South athletic event while under the influence, law enforcement will be notified and a 5-day suspension will be imposed.

CB South’s Administration respectfully requests that parents monitor their child’s whereabouts and actions before athletic events at CB South. Please be aware of your child’s plans before the event, how they will safely get to the event, and how they will safely arrive home from the event.

We hope that you continue to show your enthusiasm and school spirit as we enter the fall athletic season. The Faculty and Administration at CB South has always considered your ability to support our teams in a positive and respectful manner as one of our key points of pride. Please join your classmates in continuing this proud tradition.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a session for Parents/Guardians of Special Education Students that begins at 6:30 PM in the Library and a session for Parents/Guardians of PEN Students that begins at 6:30 in the Cafeteria.

Curious about origami, the Japanese art of paper folding? Join us for an origami enrichment opportunity making butterflies to decorate our school for KADMF Day! We will meet Mondays during I&E starting January 30th. Email Mrs. Walter at twalterveverka@cbsd.org to sign up! A reminder that students must be in good academic standing (good grades, not make-up work) in order to attend enrichment activities during Tiger’s i.

Join us on Thursdays during Tiger’s i in the Library for games of strategy, critical thinking, problem-solving, and a little luck. Choose from Catan, Pandemic, Azul, The Quest for Eldorado, Chess, escape room games, and 1000-piece puzzles! A reminder that students must be in good academic standing (good grades, not make-up work) in order to attend enrichment activities during Tiger’s i. Please email Mrs. Walter at twalterveverka@cbsd.org to sign up.

Monday, January 30 is the start of the 2nd Semester and the Third Marking Period. The beginning of a new semester marks the changing of most specials classes and offers a prime opportunity to remind ourselves of behavioral, academic, and wellness expectations.

Behavioral Expectations

Students are expected to abide by all policies put forth in the student handbook. A link to the student handbook (which is posted on the Tamanend website) may be found here. We follow a school-wide positive behavior support program called "Earn Your Stripes" which explains the philosophy behind our behavioral expectations. An explanation of the program is posted on the Tamanend website and can be found here. Here are a few rules that we would like to reinforce at this time:

• First period begins at 7:30 AM. Students must be in there first period class by 7:30 AM in ordered to be considered on time to school. Students who arrive to first period after 7:30 AM are considered late.
• Students must have a pass when they are out of class. When students request to use the restroom, they may not wander the halls; they must use the closest restroom to their classroom.
• When walking in the hallways, students should stay on the right-hand side. They must keep their hands to themselves.
• Cell phones and earbuds must be put away when students are in classrooms. The only exception is if the teacher allows them use for an academic activity.
  
• The possession and use of tobacco, vapes, vape oils, vape chargers is strictly forbidden and is considered a policy violation.
• The possession of controlled substances and alcohol is strictly forbidden and is considered a policy violation.
  
• Students are not permitted to sell items in school unless they are participating in a fundraiser approved by Dr. Caughie. Students are not permitted to purchase items from other students in school unless the sale is part of a fundraiser approved by Dr. Caughie. Fundraisers must be connected to a school club or activity. Students seeking to hold a fundraiser must see Dr. Caughie for a Fundraiser Request form. Please remember that students raising money to participate in the Kelly Anne Dolan basketball tournament must see Dr. Caughie for approval.

Academic Expectations

• Students are expected to do their best and put in a good effort. If a student does poorly on an assessment, he or she should work with the teacher to engage in additional practice and request a re-assessment in line with our district's reassessment policy.
  
• Students are expected to have a system for keeping track of their assignments, upcoming projects, and upcoming assessments. Students who need help developing an effective system, should see their school counselors. Our school counselors, Mr. Dudley, and Dr. Caughie are happy to help students with organizational and study skills.
• Students are expected to pay attention in class and engage in activities.
• Students are expected to be prepared for classes by bringing all necessary materials (including charged laptop) an any completed homework.
• Students are expected to use their time wisely. At Tamanend, we offer Tiger's i 40 minutes per day Mondays through Thursdays. This is a time for students to engage in whole-school activities, work independently, make up work, seek assistance from teachers, and engage in enrichment activities. We also offer Resource 47 minutes every other day. Resource is a time for students to engage in whole-team/whole-grade activities, work independently, make up work, and seek assistance from teachers.

Wellness Reminders

• Get good sleep. Experts suggest a period of approximately one hour of screen-free time prior to going to bed.
• Eat breakfast. A reminder that breakfast is available in the Cafeteria before 1st Period.
• Eat lunch. A reminder that students who forget their lunch should inform Dr. Caughie, Mr. Dudley, Mrs. Divedi, or Mrs. Okoniewski so that we can make sure you have lunch that day.
• Do not eat unfamiliar food or food items from other students.
  
• Get enough exercise.
• Participate in an enrichment activity that you enjoy during Tiger's i. You can learn about Tiger's i enrichment activities in the newsletter, daily announcements, and from your teachers.
• Join a club or activity. You can find a list of clubs and activities here on the Tamanend website.
  

If you order online prior to January 31, 2022 the cost of the full-color, hardback yearbook is available for $40 (plus tax). This is also the deadline if you’d like to add any additional personalization to your child’s yearbook. The price of the yearbook will increase to $45 (plus tax) from February 1st- April 30th. After this April 30th date, we unfortunately cannot guarantee your child will be able to purchase a yearbook at the end of the year. Please click the link here to take you to Jostens online ordering page for Tamanend. No pre-orders will be accepted in school – all orders must be done through Jostens. If you have any questions, please email Kristen Gerth at kgerth@cbsd.org. If you have a financial concern, please contact our school social worker Mrs. Raquel Riad rriad@cbsd.org .

Tamanend 9th Grader, Rachel Thomas participated in the New York Times Coming of Age Art/Writing Contest as part of an enrichment opportunity this past Fall, and received honorable mention in the contest. Congratulations, Rachel!

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.

At Tamanend, we have many ways for students to get involved, be a part of a group, and meet new friends. We have a large variety of clubs, athletic teams, extracurricular activities, musical opportunities, and social groups. However, we know that there are still students who struggle to fit in or become part of the school community. We are actively working to build upon our opportunities for students to get involved, but we need more information to help us identify students and their interests, and to let us know if we are on the right track. At the end of the semester, we will be offering a Student Connections Survey to all students during Tiger’s I. If you would like more information on the short survey (11 questions, approx. 4 mins to complete), or if you would like to opt your child out of the survey, please contact Mr. Dudley at kdudley@cbsd.org.

Program Planning for the 2023-2024 school year is underway. Program Planning is the process by which students, parents, teachers, and school counselors collaborate to create each student's class schedule for the subsequent school year. The Central Bucks Program of Studies, which explains the program planning process and describes all courses, can be found on the CBSD website as per the dates listed below. Please find a list of important dates below related to program planning:

• Tuesday, January 3--Program Planning assembly for current 9th Graders during Tiger's i (snow date is January 4)
• Thursday, January 5--CB South Curriculum Fair for current 9th Graders at CB South at 6:30 PM
  
• Thursday, January 19 through Sunday, February 5--Current 9th Grade students enter course requests in Portal
  
• Monday, January 30--Program Planning assembly for current 8th Graders during Tiger's i (snow date is February 1)
• Tuesday, January 31--Program Planning assembly for current 7th Graders during Tiger's i (snow date is February 2)
  
• Wednesday, February 1--Administrators and counselors guide current 8th Graders through choosing electives in Portal during Resource (snow date is February 2)
  
• Friday, February 10--Course verifications for current 7th Graders posted on Parent Portal
• Thursday, February 16--Electronic confirmation of course verifications for current 7th Graders due in Parent Portal
• Thursday, February 22--Course verifications for current 8th Graders posted on Parent Portal
• Tuesday, February 28--Electronic confirmation of course verifications for current 8th Graders due in Parent Portal
• Friday, March 17--Course verifications for current 9th Graders posted on Parent Portal
• Wednesday, March 29--Electronic confirmation of course verifications for current 9th Graders due in Parent Portal

If you are a Tamanend parent/guardian interested in volunteering at Tamanend this year, please click on link below to our Sign Up Genius--https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0849AFA62CA4FB6-parent Our first volunteer opportunity will start next week. Please review the volunteer requirements below before signing up. Thank you for your support!

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!

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.

• The CB South Curriculum Fair for next year's 10th Graders was held on Thursday, January 5th. CB South's Program Planning & Curriculum page contains videos from across their various departments and can help give a sense of their offerings. Paramount to the high school transition are relationships and connectedness. Tamanend and CB South counselors will continue to plan and program for relationship-building opportunities as your child transitions to high school, including the forthcoming program planning assembly with high school and middle school counselors, curriculum fair, Q&A with high school counselors during the Intervention and Enrichment time, and welcome days at the high schools. We will share more information about these exciting events soon. Please reach out to your child’s counselor for additional assistance and information as we work together to support this transition.
• MBIT’s Open House was held on Thursday, December 1st at 6:00. Please visit their website (www.mbit.org) to see all of the amazing programs that MBIT has to offer.
• Please see below for a Strengthening Families program beginning on January 19th. Program outcomes can be seen on the website, here. Click here to see a short video clip about the program. Click here to sign up to participate in the Strengthening Families Program 10-14 at Bensalem High School.

A reminder that in order to attend school, students need to be fever free for 24 hours without medication. A fever is considered 100.4 or higher.

Families can access the online application for Free & Reduced Meals by clicking here. The application must be submitted each year.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

CBSD is currently accepting applications for Free & Reduced Lunch. Students who qualify for the Free and Reduced School Meals Program may also qualify for a variety of needs-based assistance based on their program eligibility. Federal law requires the family’s consent before Central Bucks School District can use or share eligibility status for purposes other than the provision of free or reduced lunch. This information will only be shared if you consent to help provide needs-based assistance to your student that may be beneficial to your family. Your decision to share or not share this information will not in any way affect your eligibility status for the Free and Reduced School Meals Program; it is completely optional.

If your student(s) qualifies for the Free and Reduced School Meals Program, you will receive a notification of a document that needs your attention in the Parent Portal. The Free/Reduced Lunch Information Sharing Consent Form requests permission to use the eligibility status to qualify for various needs-based assistance and programming. You may consent for all areas listed below, decline consent to all areas, or provide partial consent. See the link below for instructions to complete this consent form.

Free/Reduced Lunch Information Sharing Consent Form Instructions

Best wishes for a wonderful start to the school year.

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.

If parents/guardians decide to drive students to school, please plan enough travel time to allow for safety and congestion on Stuckert Road and in our school parking lot. The speed limit in our lot is 15 mph.

Below is a map of how the student drop-off will work in our parking lot. Drop off should only happen along the sidewalk in the front parking lot up to the Main Entrance, as indicated by the yellow highlighted area on the map. For your safety and the safety of our students, please follow these directions and do not drop your student off on Stuckert Road, the Visitor's Parking area, or in the middle of the Main Parking Area.

When dropping off your child, please remember that you should MAKE A RIGHT-HAND TURN INTO/OUT OF THE PARKING LOT. Please stay to the right of the parking lot, along the sidewalk, all the way up to the Stop Sign across from the Tennis Courts. Pull up as far as you can when the cars in front of you clear, and let your child out on the sidewalk. PLEASE STAY IN A SINGLE-FILE LINE WHILE IN THE PARKING LOT.

When picking up your child, please remember that YOU SHOULD ONLY MAKE A RIGHT-HAND TURN INTO THE PARKING LOT. The line of traffic will extend back toward the baseball field (Kelly Rd.). Please stay in the line of traffic and continue moving up as the car(s) in front of you move up. If we follow this procedure, all cars we be gone by 2:40.

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.

Last year, CB middle schools began running a weekly intervention and enrichment period. The purpose of this period is to provide time, space, and support for students to receive help from a teacher, to participate in enrichment activities, and to prepare for upcoming assessments and projects. At Tamanend, we called this time Tiger's i. For the 2022-2023 school year, our middle schools will be expanding this from a weekly program to a daily program. Students' Tiger's i groups will meet during the I & E block on their schedule.

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

Kyle Dudley (Assistant Principal) kdudley@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

Please click on the link below to learn about food assistance for families in Central Bucks:

https://vimeo.com/748146211 (English version)

https://vimeo.com/748143109 (versión en español)

Any Central Bucks family who may need a little extra food assistance is welcome to join on us at Barclay Elementary School. Our 2022-23 drive-up food distribution runs from 4:30 to 5:30 PM on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. We generally have free dry goods, fresh produce, milk, eggs, and bread, and often have some frozen meat and poultry. At each event we pass out an average of 10,000 pounds of food. No advanced sign-up is necessary. We kindly ask that you do not line up before 4:30 so as not to interfere with our student dismissal, and that you do not block our neighbors’ driveways. If you do line up during our student dismissal, you will be kindly asked to leave. Also, do not pull forward until you are certain that you have enough room and will not block someone’s driveway. Our neighbors are very understanding and supportive of our work, but also need to come and go during our events.

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 (Posted each school day morning on our website and in Canvas. Look for the “Tamanend Announcements” course. Students will self-enroll in this course during the first week of school.
  
• 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

Starting with the 2022-2023 school year, Tamanend is changing how we publish daily announcements. We will continue to post our daily announcements on our website. We will also be publishing daily announcements through Canvas. We believe this change will make students more connected to the many activities and events available at our school. Tamanend Students will self-enroll in the "Tamanend Announcements" Canvas course during the first week of school. If parent(s)/guardian(s) wish to receive the daily announcements via email blast, they should email Mrs. Patti Hartz.

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