Tumwater News
November 12, 2021
Principal 's Message
Dear Students & Families,
We are now halfway through First Semester and teachers are completing first quarter progress reports to communicate student learning so far in the year. Progress Reports are viewable in ParentVue/StudentVue. To learn more about using this tool, the BSD Apps & Resources for Parents/Guardians.
Next week, students will not have school all week for our Fall Break. November is a time when many pause to reflect on things and people for which we're grateful. This year, I'm deeply grateful for medical research and the development of a vaccine that has allowed us to return full-time to in-person learning. After more than a year of social distancing for even family gatherings, I treasure the opportunity to spend time with my family. I'm also appreciative of the work of TMS students, staff, and families, as well as district support staff and community partners in the opening of Tumwater Middle School. Together, we are building an inclusive learning community.
Wishing you a restful Fall Break!
Warmly,
Jill O'Neill
Upcoming Events
Nov. 15 - 19- Food Drive
Nov. 18- PTO Community Meeting, 6:30 pm
Nov. 22- Staff Development Day - No School for Students
Nov. 23 - 26- Fall Break - No School
Dec. 20 - 31- Winter Break - No School
Be sure to check the calendar on ParentSquare and our school website (scroll to the bottom of the home page) for the school all school events.
8th Grade Community Building
Earlier this week, 8th Grade students took the Pre-ACT, a college-readiness test. The test took most of the morning. After lunch, students engaged in activities focused our motto of
We Share, We Care, and We Dare. They worked in teams on solving a grid maze focused on the importance of communication, attended an IB Learner Profile assembly, and worked on one of three service projects. The projects included designing a publicity campaign for an upcoming food drive, creating
Love Rocks to share in the community, or making Poster Art for the
Students Rebuild World Needs Challenge. Thank you, 8th graders, to making a difference in our school, local, and global communities!
Canned Food Drive
During the week of November 15-19, Tumwater students will be collecting food to support the Oregon Food Bank local partner, Helping Hands. Students are encouraged to drop off non-perishable foods when they arrive at school.
Every item donated will be tallied for two competitions:
1) Oregon State vs. Oregon. The annual Oregon Football Rivalry Game is a few weeks away, but how will the rivalry play out at Tumwater?
2) Class Competition Points. 6th Grade is currently leading the competition, but students have a chance to help their grade earn points. Every item will be tallied, then the total will be divided by the number of students, and the percentage will be awarded as points.
Recommended donations: dried beans, peanut butter, canned fruit, canned tuna or other fish, canned meat, canola and olive oil, broth and stock, pasta, rice, and pasta sauce, all-natural juice. We are not able to accept items past or near expiration dates.
The competitions are fun incentives, but what matters most is working together to help meet a need in our community. Thank you in advance for your compassionate generosity!
Reduced/Waived School Fees
All BSD students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch at school for the entire 2021-2022 without applying. However, by applying and receiving approval, a student can receive additional benefits including electronic device coverage, athletic fees, and more.
If you have received an approval letter for the 2021-2022 school year, you do not need to apply.
If you have not received an approval letter and you wish to be considered for other benefits, such as electronic device coverage, athletic fees, testing fees, you must apply for Meal Benefits. Go to www.schoolcafe.com to apply online, or pick up a paper application in the front office.
Inclement Weather & Snow Routes
BSD has updated the Inclement Weather protocols for the 2021-22 school year. Information about closures and delays can be found on the BSD website:
https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/inclement-weather.
If your student rides the bus, please note the Snow Routes listed there. Many of Tumwater’s bus routes change when there is snow or ice.
COVID-19 Tests
The Beaverton School District will be offering weekly, take-home tests to screen for COVID-19. The tests are free to families. This will become available to Tumwater students on November 19th.
The deadline for enrolling in this program for the first round of testing was Thursday, October 28th. Our first distribution day for testing kits is Friday, November 19th. This will take place in Science classes. Our first collection day for testing kits is
Monday, December 5th. Test kits will be collected from students at school entrances during morning arrival.
We will continue to enroll students in the program next week, but they may not be able to participate in the first week of testing. The next enrollment period will be November 8 - December 3.
For additional information, please review the packet your child brought home and visit the BSD COVID-19 Protocol Information webpage and open the "COVID-19 Testing" tab under Frequently Asked Questions.
THRPD Cross-Country Meet
Congratulations to the THPRD's Cross Country Team at Tumwater! In our first season, we had an impressive number of students participate in this after school program and we are grateful for the fantastic coaching of TMS PE/Health Teacher Andrew Langenstein.
TMS runners turned in strong performances at the District Meet on Saturday Nov 6 and participants will receive their ribbons as soon as they arrive at school. Kudos to the Men's 3000 Meter team who won the team title.
Here's a look at some of our top finishers:
Mens 1,500 Meters
2 Liam Slater
7 Ruhaanveer Kaler
8 Brek Thelin
13 Aiden Wind
15 Gavin Baldwin
18 Benjamin Ellerbrook
Womens 1,500 Meters
1 Avery Brooks
13 Vivienne Deeb
Mens 3,000 Meter Team
3 Even Palmquist
12 Blake Englund
13 Ike Thelin
19 Maxwell Peterson
21 James Dahlgren
22 Michael Fu
23 Tristan Leafblad
26 Sahit Jayaweera
35 Joseph Lee
36 Soren Widman
38 Ethan Lee
41 Taafeef Khayer
Womens 3,000 Meters Team
3 Danielle Huss
13 Addie Rodriguez
23 Quinn Klaus
Thanks for your support and we hope to see many Tumwater students joining THPRD's Spring Track & Field Program! Learn more about youth sports in our community here.
Tumwater STEM Fair
This year's STEM Fair will be virtual. The purpose of the fair is to share ideas and appreciation for the effort individuals, partners, and teams spend using science, technology, engineering, and math to create new opportunities, and offer solutions that enrich people's lives. Learn more about how to participate in this year's Science & Engineering Fair here.
Academic Competitions
Several students and families have expressed an interest in academic competitions. As we build our After School programs we are using sustainability over time and access for all students as key factors in decision making. More info about non-competitive after school program will be shared shortly. Academic competitions are divided into two categories: School Sponsored and School Affiliated.
School Sponsored:
This year there are are 5 academic competitions that are sponsored by the school and take place during the school day or as an after-school activity:
Note that after 33 years, The National Geographic Bee has been permanently discontinued.
School Affiliated:
The International Academic Competitions require an affiliation with a school. TMS has registered as an IAC sponsor and will proctor the qualifying exams for the following competitions. These are free 20-minute exams that will be offered after school. Students will need to pre-register with the school in order to attend these exam sessions. If students qualify for the Regional or National competitions, the registration fees are paid by the family of the qualifying student, not the school.
Use this link to register to participate in the qualifying exams for one or more of the three competitions listed above.
Science Olympiad is open to students who want to compete individually or on a team of 10-15 students from the same school. Tumwater does not organize, register, coach, host, or sponsor Science Olympiad teams. Teams meet off campus under the guidance of someone other than school staff. The school will appoint a staff liaison to communicate between the team and Tumwater. Learn more by visiting the program’s website.
Clothing Donations
Our students are active during recess and a few have slipped in the field and gotten muddy. We are in need of all sizes of sweatpants to offer. Please help by donating sweatpants in sizes Youth Large to Adult XXL. Donations can be dropped off in the front office.
PTO Community Grants
At the November PTO Board Meeting, the board considered applications for the first round of Community Grants, funded by the generous donations from our community.
Congratulations to our first round of PTO Community Grantees:
$2400 for “Tumwater Onstage.” This is seed money to begin the TMS After School Theatre Program. It is a supplement to $3500 in funding from this summer's BEF Choice project.
$950 for 8th Grade Night Sky Project. 8th Graders will soon start a unit on Astronomy and this project will support students in taking photos of the night sky.
$1057 for 7th Grade Wind Turbine Project. 7th Graders in Mrs. Tran-Parta's science class will have the opportunity to build wind turbines and all students will be able to use Vernier measurement equipment and the turbines for science inquiry labs.
$3750 for Book Clubs. This grant supports Language Arts classes in expanding their selection of fiction and non-fiction titles for Book Clubs and build our fledgling collection, while impacting every student in the school.
Students and staff appreciate the generosity of our families, friends, & PTO! Thank you for uplifting our students!
Lunch Volunteers Needed
We have two urgent and ongoing volunteer opportunities during the lunch periods to support Tumwater staff. YES, you can do this! Click below to be sent to the mIP sign-up.
Lunchtime Volunteers - COMMONS: Volunteers will assist in the Commons area during lunch periods by greeting and helping students, reminding students about social distancing as needed, and cleaning tables between lunch periods.
Lunchtime Volunteers - LIBRARY: Volunteers are needed to help supervise the lunch recess periods in the Library. Activities include greeting and helping students, reminding students about social distancing as needed, reshelving books, and straightening up the library between recess periods.
The preference is to have a consistent team of volunteers for the lunch period to minimize the need for staff to regularly train new volunteers, making life easier for all. If you are able to volunteer on a regular basis, please BE A HERO & sign up for as many shifts as you are able.
Volunteers require proof of vaccination. Head to
www.tumwaterpto.org/volunteer for more info or hit up our Volunteer Coordinators Jyothi & Kristi at
tumwaterpto.volunteer@gmail.com.
Pie Sale!
Support the 8th grade class send-off and buy handmade and delicious pies from the Willamette Valley Pie Company. Sales are open now, so free up some freezer space because these pies are delicious! Prices range from $12-$32 and will be ready to pick up on 12/7.
Options include:
9-inch Fruit Pies (40 oz), including American Apple, Cherry Crunch, Marionberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, & Caramel Apple Streusel ($18)
9-inch Traditional Pumpkin ($15)
Cobblers (26 oz.) including Marionberry & Peach ($12)
Variety Pack of six mini pies, with Marionberry (x2), Apple, Cherry, Peach, & Raspberry/Rhubarb ($32)
Take dessert off the to-do list and order now.
Tumwater PTO Community Meeting Next Thursday, 11/18
Join us for November's Community Meeting on Thursday, 11/18 at 6:30pm via zoom. Pop in to hear school & PTO updates with Principal Jill O'Neil and your Tumwater PTO Board. All parents/guardians are automatically members of the Tumwater PTO and all are encouraged to attend.
Zoom info and the agenda will be sent closer to the date.
Questions? Email Hannah (tumwaterpto.president@gmail.com)
Subscribe to the Tumwater PTO Blog
The TMS PTO is proud to announce a new method to stay informed on PTO news: our blog subscription! Head to www.tumwaterpto.org and scroll down for the "Subscribe" section. Community members can enter their name & email address to be added to our distribution list. Once you have confirmed your subscription, our latest blog updates will land in your inbox on the day they post. This is an optional method for those parents wanting the current updates as soon as possible.
PLEASE KNOW: We value your privacy and your inbox. You will only receive one blog email a day, regardless of how many times we post. Your middle schooler may not share, but we sure will!
Tumwater Middle School
Building the knowledge and skills that empower students to change the world.
