The Tohickon Golden Eagle
December 2019
THE HOLIDAY SEASON HAS ARRIVED!
Dear Tohickon Families,
The holiday season has arrived! There are three weeks until the holiday break. The holiday break will begin on December 23 and continue through January 1. Students will return to school on Thursday, January 2. The weeks leading up to the holiday break will include some special events. The Winter Concerts, the 9th Grade MBIT Tour, the Winter Dance and the Mykee Fowlin Assembly are all scheduled to take place over the next few weeks.
The Winter Concerts are scheduled to take place on December 4 (Choral) and December 11 (Instrumental). The concerts will begin promptly at 7:00 PM. Mrs. Heine, Mr. Dengler and Mrs. Pak and their students have been working diligently to prepare for these events. These events will serve as culminating activities for students involved in band, chorus and/or orchestra. We hope that you will be able to join us for these special events!
The MBIT Tour will occur on December 13. Ninth grade students interested in MBIT will take a bus over to MBIT during the AM hours to receive a personalized tour of the facility. Students participating in the event are expected to be back by noon. One of our counselors will travel over to MBIT with our students. Interested students must return their permission slip to the Guidance office by Friday, December 6.
On December 18, Mykee Fowlin, psychologist, performer and poet will be visiting all five Central Bucks Middle Schools. At Tohickon, Dr. Fowlin will present to our eighth and ninth grade students. Dr. Fowlin has performed in CBSD several times over the years. His performance, "You Don't Know Me Until You Know Me," is widely regarded. Dr. Fowlin has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Evangel University, in Springfield, Missouri and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Rutgers University. To learn more about his presentation, please visit his website at mykeefowlin.com.
The next three weeks will go by very quickly. On behalf of the staff at Tohickon, I wish all of our families a safe and healthy holiday. If you have any questions regarding December events, please do not hesitate to contact the main office at 267-893-3300.
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton, Tohickon Principal
There are upcoming events of which students and parents should be aware. The events for the month of December are as follows:
December 4
- Winter Choral Concert - 7 PM
December 11
- Winter Instrumental Concert - 7 PM
December 13
- MBIT Tour - During School Day (AM)
- Winter Dance - 7 to 9 PM
December 18
- Mykee Fowlin Assembly for Grades 8 and 9
December 20
- Early Dismissal for Students (10:45 AM)
December 23 through January 1
- Winter Break - No School for Students and Staff
TOHICKON HONORS OUR VETERANS
On November 8th, 2019, the Social Studies Department hosted veterans from the Tohickon community for our annual Veterans Day Breakfast. Over the years, this event has become the highlight of our efforts to educate our students about Veterans Day. Students across all grades invited family members, neighbors, or close family friends to the breakfast and honored their service in this special ceremony. Tohickon’s 9th grade chorus held a special performance of In Flanders Fields and the national anthem. A short video featuring Tohickon students was also shown as a tribute of our collective appreciation. To prepare for this culminating event, all grade levels participated in various activities in their classrooms, including a letter writing campaign, collaboration with OEG (Operation Eternal Gratitude), and teacher-facilitated Skype interviews with Veterans from around the nation. We are so grateful for our students’ enthusiastic response to honor our local Veterans this past month. Moreover, we are so proud to honor our Veterans and respectfully acknowledge their service with our students.
SEL SURVEY FOR ALL STUDENTS
Central Bucks School District has partnered with Hanover Research to administer and analyze a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) survey. The survey will be conducted at Tohickon MS on December 4 through a survey link that students will access during their school day. The purpose of this survey is to collect student experiences and perceptions so that Central Bucks can ensure that our programs and support systems meet the social-emotional needs of all students. The survey will ask questions assessing the CASEL social emotional competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
The survey will be administered during the school day and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please contact Dr. Alexis McGloin at amcgloin@cbsd.org if you have any questions or concerns. If you do not want your child to participate, please send your request to the following email address: kmarton@cbsd.org.
Thank you for your help in our efforts to keep our school community safe and inviting environment.
LIBRARY LUNCH AND LEARN
Tohickon Library hosted its first ever Library Lunch & Learn on November 13 with Department of Forestry professional & wildland firefighter, Greg Reese. Mr. Reese (husband of 7th Gr ELA teacher Jen Reese) spoke about many things including prescribed burns, the importance of weather when fighting fires, and what fighting forest fires out West entails. He also shared a lot of the equipment that they use for fighting forest fires, including wind meters, flame resistant clothing, and protective shelters. The students and teachers enjoyed learning about this unusual career.
TOHICKON STUDENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
TOHICKON STUDENTS PLACE 2ND IN POP WARNER EASTERN REGION CHEER AND DANCE COMPETITION
Six Tohickon students, Peyton B., Naomi N., Lily G., Isabella G., Charlotte M. and A. Moore, placed 2nd in the Pop Warner Eastern Region Cheer and Dance competition for both of their routines and are now moving on to the Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance competition in December. This was quite an accomplishment considering 6 of the 9 girls are brand new and have never cheered prior to this year. Our students were up against some tough competition and teams who have been cheering together for years.
TOHICKON STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN AN ALL STAR BOWLING BENEFIT FOR SAY
Ben Arnstein, a ninth grade Tohickon Student, is pictured below with several other young adults that participated in actor Paul Rudd's All-Star Bowling Benefit for SAY, an association that aids young stutterers. The event took place in Weehawken, NJ.
NOVEMBER PICTURES
PARENT COUNCIL MEETING
Due to the busy holiday season, there is no Parent Council Meeting scheduled during the month of December. The next Tohickon Parent Council Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 16 at 9:00 AM, in the Tohickon Library.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB OFFERINGS AT TOHICKON
In order for clubs to run, a teacher must be willing to sponsor the club after school and there must be a reasonable level of student interest. For these reasons, Tohickon clubs may be different from year to year. Throughout the year, Tohickon expects to be running the following clubs:
- Art Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Bongiorno (abongiorno@cbsd.org)
- Dance Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Heath (sheath@cbsd.org)
- Debate Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Showaker (nshowaker@cbsd.org)
- Diversity Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Fox (brifox@cbsd.org)
- Environmental Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Showaker (nshowaker@cbsd.org)
- Fitness Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Dobrowolski (ndobrowolski@cbsd.org)
- Garden Club - Sponsored by Jim Neely (jneely@cbsd.org)
- Magic: The Gathering Club - Sponsored by Mr. Geller (zgeller@cbsd.org)
- Math Club and Math Counts Team - Sponsored by Mrs. Bellavance and Mrs. Rissing (abellavance@cbsd.org)
- Morning Math Help Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Bellavance (abellavance@cbsd.org)
- Music Enrichment for Strings (MES) - Sponsored by Mrs. Pak (hpak@cbsd.org)
- NOVA - Community Service Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Furfari (sfurfari@cbsd.org)
- Running Club - Sponsored by Ms. Meadows (dmeadows@cbsd.org)
- Sewing Club - Sponsored by Mrs. Furfari (sfurfari@cbsd.org)
If you are interested in joining one of the clubs at Tohickon or have any questions, please see the club's sponsor in order to sign up.
MESSAGE FROM THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Welcome to Tohickon Athletics! Students that are interested in participating in sports must visit the Tohickon Athletics Webpage to find directions on how to register. Students cannot participate until the physical is complete and uploaded to FamilyID.
All 9th grade sports will be held at the high schools. Students can register for 9th grade sports by visiting the athletics website of the high school they will be attending:
Any questions about 7th or 8th grade sports can be directed to the Tohickon Athletic Director, Ken Hall. khall@cbsd.org Questions about 9th grade sports can be directed to the high school Athletic Directors.
TOHICKON ONLINE STORE
If you're interested in ordering official Tohickon MS gear, there is an online store for the 2019-2020 school year! The apparel isn't just for athletics - anyone can order Tohickon gear from this site! To shop, click here!
2019-2020 LEADERS OF TOHICKON MIDDLE SCHOOL
Throughout the year, feel free to contact these team members, should you have any questions that pertains to their area of specialization. The team, subject area and specialized leaders are as follows:
2019-2020 Teams and Team Leaders
- Team Infinity 7A (Grade 7) - Mrs. Kelli McMahon (kmcmahon@cbsd.org)
- Team Summit 7B (Grade 7) - Mrs. Jennifer Reese (jereese@cbsd.org)
- Team Odyssey 8A (Grade 8) - Mrs. Andrea Bellavance (abellavance@cbsd.org)
- Team Expedition 8B (Grade 8) - Mr. Zachary Sibel (zsibel@cbsd.org)
- Freshman Team - Mr. Michael Weir (mweir@cbsd.org) & Ms. Alison Lewis (alewis@cbsd.org)
2019-2020 Subject Area Coordinators
- English - Mrs. Amy Fry-Daly (afry@cbsd.org)
- Math - Mrs. Andrea Bellavance (abellavance@cbsd.org)
- Science - Mr. Jarred Levenson (jlevenson@cbsd.org)
- Social Studies - Mrs. Taylor Girardi (agirardi@cbsd.org)
- Special Education Facilitator - Mrs. Kelly Zagwoski (kzagwoski@cbsd.org)
2019-2020 Specialized Area Leaders
- Director of Athletics – Mr. Ken Hall (khall@cbsd.org)
- Building Technology Coordinator - Mrs. Bridget Fox (brifox@cbsd.org)
- Building Technology Coach - Mr. Matthew Powell (mpowell@cbsd.org)
- Head School Nurse - Mrs. Sheila Kelly (shkelly@cbsd.org)
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
The cold weather has officially kicked into full gear, and with that comes Cold and Flu Season. Remember to wash hands frequently to prevent the spread of germs. Children should be fever free for 24 hours to be in school. The health office does not have cold medication at school so these should be given at home. Your child may carry a personal supply of cough drops but no other medication may be administered without a physician order. Please advise the nurse’s office with any new medical condition your child develops in order to keep health records up to date.
We wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!
Sincerely, Sheila Kelly CSN, Val Workman RN, and Kathy Simons LPN
HOW TO GET INFORMATION AT TOHICKON MIDDLE SCHOOL
Communication
We pride ourselves on communication at Tohickon! There are a number of ways we communicate with our parents. They are as follows:
Monthly Newsletter - The newsletter typically comes out via email on the first of each month, running from August through June. The newsletter is designed to be informational and substantive. There is always a chronology of upcoming events listed. All present and past Tohickon newsletters can be found on the Tohickon website.
School Website - The Tohickon website is a great place to find important information. The most recent newsletter and daily announcement links are always located on the front page. All information pertinent to parents and students can be found in the "Parent/Student" section of the website.
E-Mail Blasts - Email blasts at Tohickon are used when an important message needs to be sent to parents quickly. PLEASE do not delete these messages, as they are most likely very important.
Twitter - Messages and pictures are sent to the community frequently to highlight unique events happening in school. Follow us on Twitter @CBTohickonMS
Parent Council Meetings - These are great opportunities to hear what is going on and to provide feedback to Mr. Marton and Mr. Murtha. The Tohickon Administration values your opinion and wants to hear your thoughts on given topics. Parent Council Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month, and meeting dates are as follows: September 19th, October 17th, November 21st, January 16th, February 20th, March 19th, April 16th, May (Teacher Appreciation Activities). All meetings are held in the Tohickon Library. The meetings begin promptly at 9:00 AM and usually conclude between 10:00 and 10:30 AM. There is no meeting in December or June and the May meeting is traditionally reserved for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.
Teacher Websites/Canvas - All teachers are expected to maintain an updated school website/ Canvas homepage. These sites are useful for finding out what is going on in class, tracking assignments, etc.
Parent Portal - All grading and assignment information can be accessed using the Parent Portal. If you are having any trouble accessing your child's information, please contact the guidance department at 267-893-3310.
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to be in school daily, unless they have an excused absence (i.e. illness). If your child will not be able to attend school, parents need to email tohickonattendance@cbsd.org. Email is strongly preferred but if you are unable to email the school, please call the school attendance line at 267-893-3305. PLEASE DO NOT SEND WRITTEN NOTES UNLESS IT IS FROM A PHYSICIAN. Students must be in school before 10:30 AM in order to get credit for the day.
Students will not be allowed to participate in any after-school activities if they are not here before 10:30 AM and/or they do not complete a half a day of school. If a student needs to leave before 2:30 PM, they should bring a note to the front office in the morning. Once a note is provided, they will be given a yellow pass, which allows them to leave their class at the designated time.
HOW CAN I REACH MY CHILD DURING THE SCHOOL DAY?
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Guidance Office: 267-893-3310
- Mrs. Diane Schute (dschute@cbsd.org) will be working with those students with last names from A-Le.
- Mr. Joseph Stryker (jstryker@cbsd.org) will be working with those students with last names from Lf-Z.
HOW TO MAKE CHANGES TO STUDENT INFORMATION
Please note the following procedures for submitting address changes and/or changes to mailing addresses, guardian(s) or other household information. This information is also available on the Central Bucks School District Website - www.cbsd.org.
All student address changes within Central Bucks must be validated at the Central Registration office by appointment only. We cannot make changes at the middle school.
Any changes to the current contact information we have on file can be changed through the Parent Portal, including email addresses, emergency contacts, and phone numbers.
Student Change of Address Procedures:
- Download the Change of Student Address Within Central Bucks form or obtain the form from the school your student currently attends.
- Call (267-893-2111) or email (CentralRegistration@cbsd.org) Central Registration for an appointment.
- Complete the form and bring it to your scheduled appointment along with the following REQUIRED documentation:
- Property Deed/Agreement of Sale (follow up with deed) OR Current Lease Agreement
AND one of the following:
- current utility bill
- current tax bill/receipt
- current bank statement.
Change in Household Membership:
All student household membership additions, deletions or changes must be documented on the Household Membership Change form. This would include the following:
- Parent/Guardian changes
- Sibling changes
- Mailing changes.
Student Household Membership Change Procedures
Download the Household Membership Change form or obtain the form from the school your student currently attends. Complete the form and return to your student’s school or mail it to the address below:
Central Bucks School District
Educational Services Center
Central Registration
16 Welden Drive
Doylestown, PA 18901
If you have any questions, please call Central Registration (267-893-2111) or email your questions to CentralRegistration@cbsd.org
CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program)
CHIP is short for the Children's Health Insurance Program, Pennsylvania's program to provide health insurance to uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance.
CHIP is brought to you by leading health insurance companies. You'll have a choice of major insurance companies with networks of physicians, specialists, and care facilities near you. Your kids may even be able to keep visiting the same doctors they see today.
Click here to find out more information & to apply!
HOW TO SUPPORT TOHICKON
Just by doing your routine shopping, you can help Tohickon in our efforts to raise money for special programs and various items to support our school and students. Tohickon has registered in fundraising programs sponsored by Giant Market, eScrip.com, and Amazon.com. We also collect Boxtops for Education, and recycle paper and clothing. Check out the details below. It is easy to do and a wonderful way to support our school! Thank you, in advance, for your participation in these programs!
GIANT A+ School Rewards Program (Began on September 6th, 2019)
Tohickon Middle School has the opportunity to earn cash through Giant A+ School Rewards Program. All you have to do is: Log on to giantfoodstores.com/aplus to register online OR dial 1-888-448-4642 to register your card over the phone. After you register your card, each shopping trip at Giant using your BONUSCARD earns CASH for our school! Each month, the amount of CASH awarded will be updated on the Giant website. Attending to this simple process makes a HUGE difference to our school. We need your support. Please be sure to register your card to benefit Tohickon Middle School using ID #05868. Thanks to our Tohickon families, we raised $6,000 from this school rewards program last year.
eScrip.com
Just register online at www.escrip.com. Tohickon’s Group ID # is 150239570. You can split your donation among several different schools or organizations, so if you’re already registered with another group, consider adding Tohickon! While you’re logged onto the www.escrip.com site, you may want to consider registering your debit and/or credit card so that Tohickon will benefit from purchases made with those cards at retailers like Office Max, Eddie Bauer, Barnes and Noble, and Payless Shoes. Choose “my escript” from the menu at the top of the screen, log in with your password, go to “Account Administration,” and select “Credit and Debit Cards.” Be sure to check out the complete list of participating merchants and contribution rates.
Amazon.com
Tohickon Middle School
Email: kmarton@cbsd.org
Website: cbsd.org/tohickon
Location: 5051 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-3300
Twitter: @CBTohickonMS