Dear TMS Parents and Guardians,

It’s almost time for parent/student/teacher conferences! We strongly believe communication between teachers and families is important, and we value the partnership we have with you. Please note that conferences are not required for all families and you are always welcome to reach out to us at any time with questions. While we wish we had the opportunity to meet individually with everyone, there are not enough conference slots available to accommodate every family. Therefore, it simply is not possible for us to meet with all TMS families on conference days. We will be reaching out to families to schedule conferences for students who require the most support at this time.

If your family is not contacted for a conference but you would like a progress update, you may find that many of the questions you have can be answered through existing resources such as PowerSchool and Schoology. To help guide you in finding the information you may be looking for, please see the frequently asked questions regarding student progress listed below that can be answered using our online resources.

Here is a summary of key information about TMS Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences:

• CONFERENCE DATES: Thursday, 10/12/23 & Friday, 10/13/23 in person at Thomas Middle School.

• GOAL OF CONFERENCES: TMS staff strives to communicate, connect, and problem-solve with parents and students during conferences. TMS Conferences focus on supporting struggling students who would benefit from having parents and teachers, along with the student, working together to discuss how to make improvements.

• WHO SHOULD SIGN UP? Middle school conferences are different than Elementary School Conferences. Due to the large number of students at TMS and the time given for conferences, not all families can be provided with a conference during this time.

• HOW DO CONFERENCES WORK? Conferences are hosted by individual teachers. A select number of families will receive a request for a Team Conference for the student and parent to meet with multiple teachers at the same time.

• HOW DO YOU SIGN UP? We use the MEET THE TEACHER platform to sign up for conferences.

• SIGN-UP TIMELINE: Starting 9:30 AM on 9/29/23, parents can log into the MEET THE TEACHER site by clicking here. The Meet The Teacher sign-ups will CLOSE on Monday, 10/9/23 @ 3 PM to allow for staff preparation.

• SHOULD STUDENTS ATTEND THE CONFERENCE: Yes, if you sign up for a conference, your middle school student is expected to attend with you.
• HOW LONG IS A CONFERENCE: Each conference is 7 minutes long. Conference times slots are booked in 10-minute increments, but conferences are only 7 minutes long. The 3 minutes in between is for students and parents to travel to each teacher's location.
• WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CASE OF DUAL HOUSEHOLDS? We kindly ask that parents sign up for conferences together with the student.
• HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD NEEDS A CONFERENCE? Student grade information can be found in PowerSchool and Schoology. Please note that parents can request to meet with teachers or the team at any point in the school year. Please reach out the your child's team leader if you have any questions.

Team Leaders:

• Alpha - Arin Damico, email: adamico@sd25.org
• Beta - Maureen McDermott, email: mmcdermott@sd25.org
• Delta - Kate Renno, email: krenno@sd25.org
• Gamma - Jodi Cyr, email: jcyr@sd25.org
• Epsilon - Greg Stocco, email: gstocco@sd25.org
• Zeta - Anthony Kuch, email: akuch@sd25.org

Thank you for all of your support so far this year! We understand how important families are to a student’s success and appreciate your support. We look forward to continued academic success and many more great times this school year!

Thank you,

Lori, Greg, & Nick

TMS School Administrators

• Your child can log in to Schoology and show you the assignments they have been given.

• If you need assistance with your login information for the PowerSchool or Schoology platforms, please click here to request the access codes and a member of the Thomas Tech team will email you.

• If you are not sure how to navigate these platforms, your child can show you. You can also Click here for a link to the Thomas Parent Tech Resouces which includes videos on PowerSchool and Schoology.

• Each day teachers update their Schoology sites with the Daily Class Agenda.

• Assignment grades are listed in PowerSchool.

• PowerSchool will give you an overall grade for each class, as well as scores for assessments and assignments.

• If an assignment is marked with a zero, that likely means that your child did not complete it or has not turned in the assignment. We recommend having the student show you the actual assignment AND their work.

How can my child get extra help at school?

• TMS staff offer Office Hours and Homework Club after school each week. This is an ideal way for your child to connect with their teachers regarding missing work.

• You can see your child's attendance report in PowerSchool.

• Students absent 5% or more of the school year are considered chronically absent.

• Please have your student view their Schoology as directions and announcements are shared in the Daily Agendas and many assignments can be completed online.

• Students should check Schoology to see what they have missed each day. They should also check PowerSchool.

• Teachers cannot be expected to provide work weeks in advance, but we will try our best to ensure that our online platforms are up to date.

• TMS staff offer Office Hours and Homework Club after school each week. This is an ideal way for your child to connect with their teachers regarding missing work.

Address: 1430 N. Belmont Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Phone: 847-398-4260

Fax: 847-394-6843