Cougars ROAR: TEMS Community News

We are officially past the first quarter of the school year. Thank you to families who have signed up for conferences next week. The relationship between home and school is one of the most important ones for us to foster, and we are so happy to be able to welcome you into the building next week.

This month has offered so much to be grateful for. Fall athletics wrapped up and we are proud to share that both the boys and girls soccer teams ended the season as the 2023 CRAL champions. We'd also like to recognize Henry Venne, Peter Venne and Keshav Prem who were awarded 2nd place at the year’s first Connecticut Middle School Debate League’s Tournament. TEMS had over 80 students participate!

On November 9th we welcomed Veterans for panel presentations with grade 8 students. Social studies classrooms focused on Veterans Day activities throughout the week and TEMS families shared photos and information about special Veterans in their lives.

On November 13th TEMS recognized World Kindness Day by sharing kindness shout outs. Some of these are displayed in our lobby. The following evening, we welcomed TEMS families into the building for an Evening of Gratitude featuring student presentations, gratitude activities, and a light dinner.

Finally, our Cougar-thon matinee hosted the school-wide Neon dance on November 17th with fundraising and dance proceeds benefiting CCMC. They also challenged Homerooms to a Penny War. The students raised over $2,000 so far.

Next Tuesday, November 28th, 6 students will be presenting at the South Windsor Board of Education meeting about their experience participating in TEMS matinees. We are so happy to be able to offer so many unique enrichment opportunities to our students. You can look forward to our winter matinee catalog coming soon.

As we head into the Thanksgiving break I know I certainly have a lot to be thankful for. I am honored to come to work at TEMS each day. It is a privilege to work alongside incredible teachers in a building full of gloriously unique middle school children. This community continues to impress me with our shared commitment to educating the whole child. I wish each of you the best as you enjoy the long weekend together. Thank you!!

Please click here to see a month-at-a-glance for December . You can also reference the school event's calendar that can be found on the school's website. Follow TEMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Threads.

• South Windsor Public Library Teen Events
• Hartford Public Library Teen Events

Safety for all of our students is a top priority for our staff. In observing traffic flow during daily arrivals we want to take the opportunity to remind families to be incredibly vigilant in our lots for students getting out of cars and crossing through the parking lot. Please proceed with caution when pulling in and out of spaces, and drive very slowly. We may need to make some slight adjustments to our safety team's supervision areas and adjust traffic to maintain safety. Please help us by following directions from our team during this busy time of day. We appreciate the shared efforts to make sure our kids arrive to school safely.

The TEMS PTO meetings are a great way to stay involved and connect with the principal and with other parents. You are welcome to submit questions or agenda items to our meetings by using this link in advance of our meetings.

Join us for our next meeting on December 14th at 6:30 in the TEMS Library Media Center. We are working on offering a virtual option. A link to join will be sent with my reminder about the meeting in December.

Coming Soon: The PTO is sponsoring a Scholastic Book Fair the week of January 22nd. If you are interested in volunteering please email the PTO President, Dee Corticelli, at teptopres@gmail.com

Our bin is overflowing with jackets, bags, and water bottles! Please help us connect these lost items to their rightful owners. The bin is located in the main foyer and students are encouraged to check there if they are missing anything. All items will be laid out during report card conferences. Items still left after conferences will be donated. Thank you!

We know that TEMS students do so much in and out of school worth celebrating. If you would like to feature a celebration that occurs outside of the school you are welcome to email Ms. Irwin with the great news.

This month, the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC) showcase happened on November 4th at Fairfield University. Sanjay Vinothkumar won the "Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award" and best of all top young Inventors. Congratulations to Sanjay, a 6th grader on the Emerald team!

In 6th grade, counselors play a crucial role in teaching classroom lessons on setting rigorous goals for the academic year. These lessons are designed to empower students to strive for excellence and achieve their full potential. The counselors focus on guiding students in setting realistic yet challenging goals that will push them to grow academically, personally, and socially. Through interactive activities and discussions, students learn the importance of setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. They also explore various strategies to overcome obstacles and develop a growth mindset, emphasizing the belief that effort and dedication lead to success. Parents/Guardians: Ask your 6th grader about their goals.

Mrs. Alison Fetta and Mr. Kent Besocke are instructional coaches that support faculty and staff in providing instruction that meets the needs of our diverse learners at TEMS.

Over the past month, Instructional Coaches Mrs. Alison Fetta and Mr. Kent Besocke have been visiting classrooms and witnessing engaging examples of Evidence-Based Practices: instructional strategies for which there is research or evidence of improving student learning outcomes. At TEMS, learners were provided:

• clear learning goals and success criteria through well-established routines. A randomly chosen student led the orchestra by playing a guiding musical note while other students listened and tuned their own instruments. This daily routine allows for successful performances.

• connections between new learning and previous learning. Students acted as the World Language teacher to facilitate the class introduction, bridging previous learning to the new class.

• models to support clarity. To show what students have learned, the teacher provided different types of models in order to have a better grasp of what they needed to include in their project.

• opportunities for practice and feedback. One teacher had students give feedback to their peers by identifying glows and grows. They also used sentence starters to communicate their feedback. Another teacher had students using the Smartboard to draw examples of non-proportional graphs/lines, which then generated an opportunity for teacher and student feedback.

• questions to check for understanding. The teacher reviewed concepts, had students turn and talk, and then asked questions using thumbs up/thumbs down.

• ongoing assessments for and of learning. Prior to submitting their work, students received actionable feedback so they could make revisions and show their knowledge of energy flow.

Next month, we will continue to highlight other classrooms in the Family Newsletter. Our Teaching and Learning Framework focus will be on Challenging and High Expectations: beliefs, attitudes and dispositions that establish high standards for all students with dynamic and multifaceted learning tasks.

The daily TETV Morning News serve as our primary vehicle for communicating important information to students each day. This is where students can learn about upcoming events, tryouts, clubs and activities, and current events. In addition to playing during homeroom each day you can access the daily news on our school website.

The South Windsor Public Schools has openings for caring, responsible, and reliable individuals to substitute in all of our schools. We need your help to find individuals interested in working in our amazing district with wonderful students and staff, while having a flexible schedule and earning $125 per day. Prior experience working with school-aged children or a bachelor’s degree is required. Our substitutes are an essential part of our schools. Please share with your friends, neighbors, and relatives who may be looking for a flexible job opportunity, enjoy community involvement, or are interested in gaining experience working in the field of education.

For more information, please contact any of our school administrators or visit our website to apply for about these important positions: https://www.applitrack.com/southwindsor/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Substitute

The South Windsor Teen Center is a valuable partner. Please visit their site for information about upcoming events and programming. The South Windsor Teen Center is located in the Charles N. Enes Community Center at 150 Nevers Road in South Windsor.