TMS Community ROAR Report

Email: janine.smith@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/tms/
Location: 408 East Main Street, Thurmont, MD, United States
Phone: (240)-236-5100
Twitter: @JanineSmithFCPS

Greetings Panther Families,

Happy Spring! As we welcome a new season and our final term of learning, the school will be busy with important and enriching activities for our students. As we close out our final quarter of learning, it is equally important to ensure our students are attending daily. Please ensure that your child is here at school before 7:25am as that sets the tone for a positive and productive day. Thank you for your continuous support this school year and we are excited for the many exciting opportunities still ahead of us for the remainder of the 21-22 school year.

Be the Change,

Janine Smith~Principal

Anita Shank~Assistant Principal

Important Calendar Date Reminders

• Monday, April 11th-Final date to order a Yearbook
• Tuesday, April 12th-8th Grade Panoramic Picture
• Wednesday, April 13th-TMS Community Food Drop @ 3:30pm
• Wednesday, April 13th-PBIS Roy Rogers Fundraiser Night
• Friday, April 15th-Friday, April 22nd-Spring Break (Schools Closed)
• Tuesday, April 26th-MCAP E/LA
• Wednesday, April 27th-MCAP E/LA
• Saturday, April 30th-TMS Yard Sale
• Monday, May 2nd-MCAP Math
• Tuesday, May 3rd-MCAP Math
• Thursday, May 5th-Community Food Drop
• Friday, May 6th-2-hour early dismissal

Help us to recognize all of the amazing work and efforts of our TMS staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. Please take a moment to complete the form to send a shout-out to a TMS teacher. This note of appreciation will be shared with them during this week. Thanks for sharing words of encouragement this week to our teachers!

Teacher Appreciation Shout-Outs

The MSDE Special Education Parent Survey has opened for families of student with disabilities. The responses to the survey can build efforts to improve services and results for children and youth, kindergarten to age 21, and improve efforts to increase family involvement. See the attached flyer and the link to the Maryland Special Education Parental Involvement Survey, open March 21 - May 27, 2022.

The FCPS Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) invites parents/families, students, staff and the community to apply for membership on the committee. SECAC's mission is to work in collaboration with all stakeholders to advise the office of special education and the Board of Education. Applications are due by May 15, 2022.

The 8th grade shall have a dance after school from 2:30 pm until 4:30pm on June 3rd. The cost of the event is free, students are required to provide the signed permission slip below. Parents may volunteer using the link below. Dress is casual, games and snacks will be provided.

Dance/Luau Volunteers

8th Grade Permission Slip

Any questions, please contact Jessica Coblentz at jessica.coblentz@fcps.org

Exciting News! TMS will be hosting a yard sale event Saturday, April 30th from 7am to 1pm. You may reserve setup spots for the low cost of $10 (parking space sized). Don't have enough stuff for a space of your own or just want to make donations? TMS will take gently used items the week of April 25th-29th.

😁 Please share these details with your friends and family. Any questions, contact jessica.coblentz@fcps.org 😁

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050f48a8ad2aa7ff2-tms

As we approach the testing season, it is important to remember that TMS is required to complete state testing during the second half of the school year. Please see below important information about the testing process at TMS this spring. If you have any questions related to Maryland State Testing, please reach out to Anita Shank at anita.shank@fcps.org.

• April 26th & 27th MCAP Reading Testing
• April 28th & 29th Virtual Students Testing-MCAP Reading
• May 2nd & 3rd MCAP Math Testing
• May 4th & 5th Virtual Students Testing-MCAP Math
• May 9th & 10th-SS/Government Testing (8th grade students only)
• May 11th & 12th-Algebra Testing (select students only)

It is time to order your yearbook! To purchase a 2021-22 yearbook, please visit ybpay.com and use the ID code 14055222. Please reach out to Ms. Ingram at shannon.ingram@fcps.org with any questions regarding the 21-22 TMS yearbook!

We need YOU to become a member of our PTA! You can now pay for your membership online. Please click the MemberHub link below.

Your membership dues help pay for activities for the students, donations to the school, and help pay for costs of field trips to keep your cost down.

MemberHub

Become a member today!! Thank you for your support~

All Frederick County Public Schools middle and high school students have 24/7 access to virtual tutoring services for help on any subject. In September, the Board of Education of Frederick County voted unanimously to approve a contract between FCPS and Tutor Me for virtual tutoring opportunities, which are now available for students in Grades 6-12. “FCPS teachers remain the absolute best tutors for our students,” FCPS Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban said. “We believe this virtual tutoring option will be a valuable additional support when students are working on homework, preparing for exams and needing immediate assistance.” Tutor Me provides support for hundreds of subjects on demand and has thousands of verified tutors who are experts in their fields and go through background checks. Students can receive assistance through audio and video chats any time of day or night. Students can decide whether to receive support through messaging. Audio and video chats are also available. Assistance is available on virtually any subject matter. For example, students can get an essay edited or a math question answered. Tutoring is also available for students preparing for Advanced Placement exams. Students can access Tutor Me using the Clever portal. Details of how to do so are posted online. The FCPS TutorMe service has launched and is available to all TMS students.

Catoctin Area Youth Football Camp is designed to promote the game of football in a risk

free, instructive and fun way. Every camper will have the opportunity each day to grow, learn, compete, and have fun.

June 16th 8:30am-12:30pm

Camp Brochure

Lockers:

If your child is in need of a locker this year, please reach out to the grade level counselor and a locker will be assigned to your student.

• 6th Grade Counselor: Becky Krauss--Rebecca.Krauss@fcps.org
• 7th Grade Counselor: Sherry Bueso--Sherry.Bueso@fcps.org
• 8th Grade Counselor: Stacie Varanyak--Stacie.Varanyak@fcps.org

FCPS Bus Delay Information:

A quick and easy resource to check if your child's bus is delayed is to visit https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/ This site is updated in real-time to reflect any bus delays.

Reporting Bullying, Harassment & Intimidation – Bullying, harassment, or intimidation includes ongoing intentional conduct, including verbal, physical, or written conduct, or intentional electronic communication that creates a hostile educational environment by substantially interfering with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, or with a student’s physical or psychological well-being that occurs on school property, at a school activity or event, or on a school bus.

Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Forms may be submitted by a student, parent, close adult relative, or staff member to school administration. A student may request assistance from a staff member to complete the form if the student wishes. The Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Forms may be obtained in the school’s main (front) office and counselor’s office. The forms may also be obtained electronically from the school system’s web site.

Bullying Online Reporting Form

Cell Phone Policy:

Thurmont Middle School has implemented the "Off, Away, and Out of Sight" cell phone policy for the last several years. While students are in the school building during the instructional day, they are to keep their cell phones, "Off, Away, and Out of Sight".

Attendance:

If your child is unable to attend school due to an illness or doctor's appointment, or any other reason, please email a note to our attendance secretary, Ms. Shannon Ingram at tms.attendance@fcps.org. Please include your child's first and last name, grade, date of absence, and reason for absence. If Ms. Ingram has any questions she will reach out for clarification.