Tumwater News
December 3, 2021
Principal 's Message
Before fall break, our students and staff wrote expressions of gratitudes on paper leaves that were joined together to form a tree in our hallway. There are an overwhelming display of expressions of thankfulness for family, friends, pets, school staff, and being back in school. While there is much to celebrate, we also recognize that there are still needs in our community and appreciate TMS families' generosity in supporting our Canned Food Drive and Holiday Meal assistance.
At Tumwater our motto is We Share, We Care, We Dare. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way, from promotion, donation, to delivery. Together we can achieve so much!
Warmly,
Jill O'Neill
Upcoming Events
Dec. 6 OHSU Covid Test Collection, 8:45 - 9:15 am
Dec. 7 Pie Pickup, 4:30 - 7:00 pm
Dec. 8 IAC History Bee, 4:00 - 4:30 pm
Dec. 15 Geographic Bee, 4:00 - 4:30 pm
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.
Inclement Weather & Snow Routes
Wintery weather is in the forecast and 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.
Don’t let your guard down!
Our crossing guards work hard every day to help our children get to and from school safely. Whether on school property or in the community, if you see a crossing guard, please do what they are asking you to do. It takes all of us to keep the roads safe for everyone. Please be especially mindful in school zones, at intersections and crosswalks (marked and unmarked), near bike lanes and in neighborhoods. Thank you!
Approaches to Learning (ATL)
Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills provide the foundation students need for success in school and are an important part of the IB programmes. In the MYP, the ATL skills are applicable across the subjects and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of students. In the classroom, teachers provide instruction and model ATL skills, communicate clear expectations, and opportunities to practice these skills.
The ATL skills are divided into five clusters: social, thinking, research, communication, and self-management skills. Through their classes, students learn, practice, and develop the ATL skills. These skills equip students to:
reflect on their learning
meet MYP objectives in each subject
work collaboratively with their peers
share responsibility for creating a cooperative and safe learning environment
develop confidence to try new strategies
explore new ideas through inquiry
complete research with an evaluative lens
become more organized in their daily lives
communicate effectively with a variety of people in and out of the classroom
ATL skills are informed by the IB Learner Profile traits and support the development of these traits.
Learn more about the IB Middle Years Programme here.
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 was Friday, December 3rd. Our first collection day is
Monday, December 5th. Test kits will be collected from students at school entrances during morning arrival.
If you have not enrolled your student for the testing program, the next enrollment period will be Dec. 6-17.
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.
Food Drive
Thank you to our 8th Graders who helped promote the first-ever TMS Food Drive and to all our families who donated. Despite Ms. O'Neill's efforts to tip the scales with a last minute shopping spree, Duck fans donated far more than Beaver Believers by a score of 444-317 winning the state rivalry competition (and predicting the outcome of the rivalry football game)! 6th Graders overwhelming won this event, but all grade levels added points to the year long Class Competition.
Students in the Structured Learning Center supported the effort by counting and organizing the donations, which were all delivered to the St. Vincent dePaul Food Bank, which supports an average of 100 local families per week. The competitions are fun incentives, but what matters most is working together to help meet a need in our community. Thank you for your compassionate generosity!
Battle of the Books
The Battle of the Books is here! Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is an exciting quiz style tournament of reading based on questions from the official list of 16 book titles selected by the Oregon Battle of the Books Committee. At TMS the competition is open to all students who form a team and submit their permission slips by Friday, December 17th. Teams are made up of 4 members with the option of a 5th person as an alternate.
Battles will take place during the school day. Each team will participate in two battles and the top-scoring teams will be entered into a single-elimination tournament. The tournament winners will then move on to compete in the regional virtual battle against other schools in our area.
Team entry forms are available in the Student Information Center outside the main office. Only one entry form is needed for each team, but an individual permission slip from each team member must be attached. Permission slips can be printed at home or a copy can be picked up at school.
Students who would like help forming a team can turn in their individual permission slip to the library and sign up to join a team.
Visit the Cedar Mill Library for more OBOB events and practice questions to be posted later this month.
IAC Competition Deadline - Mon., 12/6
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.
Students can use this link to register to participate in the qualifying exams for one or more of the three competitions listed above. Please note, students must use their BSD Gmail account to register.
Registrations are being accepted through 8 am Monday, December 6th.
Dungeons & Dragons Club
D&D is an opportunity for students to socially interact in a shared storytelling adventure, where they make good things happen, solve problems, and overcome challenges. Most importantly, it’s going to be a way for students to connect that doesn’t involve looking at a screen! There’s even going to be math and probabilities involved. If you aren’t sure what D&D is, this link might give you some context.
The club will meet on Wednesdays, from 3:55pm to 4:50pm in B225. The first meeting is Wednesday December 8th. Students will need a way to get home either by themselves (walking, cycling) or they will need a pick-up from a designated adult. Club Advisor Mr. Hillhouse will provide snacks, dice and gaming materials.
If your student is interested and you approve, please ask them to complete this survey. You should also complete the parent / guardian permission form at this link.
For questions or more information please contact Robert_Hillhouse@beaverton.k12.or.us
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.
Sustainability Solutions Fair Winner
Congratulations to 7th Grader Anusha Jeyakumar for winning first place in the 2021 Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions fair conducted by Arizona State University. Along with teammates Sahana Mutaiah and Nivedha Sathiskumar, Anusha and her team were recognized for their Smart Neighborhood Delivery Pooling System.
The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service encourages, rewards and celebrates inventors, social entrepreneurs, innovative designers and creative thinkers who develop solutions to global sustainability challenges. Sustainability solutions solve complex problems that involve issues related to social justice, environmental well-being and economic growth. Learn more here.
Social Media Basics for Middle Schoolers
Commonsensemedia.org is an excellent resource for parents and guardians as they support their child(ren)'s digital experience. Here an great example of an article titled
What are the basic social media rules for middle schoolers?
The reality is that most kids start developing online relationships around the age of 8, usually through virtual worlds such as Club Penguin. By age 10, they've progressed to multiplayer games and sharing their digital creations and homemade videos on sites such as YouTube. By age 13, millions of kids have created accounts on social-networking sites such as Facebook.
Here are the essential safety and responsibility guidelines for middle schoolers:
- Follow the rules. Many social sites have an age minimum of 13 for both legal and safety/privacy reasons. Encourage kids to stick with age-appropriate sites.
- Tell your kids to think before they post. Remind them that everything can be seen by a vast, invisible audience (otherwise known as friends-of-friends-of-friends). Each family will have different rules, but, for middle school kids, it's a good idea for parents to have access to what their kids are doing online, at least at first, to be sure that what's being posted is appropriate. Parents can help keep kids from doing something they'll regret later.
- Make sure kids set their privacy settings. Privacy settings aren't foolproof, but they can be helpful. Take the time to learn about default settings and how to change privacy settings on your kids' favorite sites, and teach your kids how to control their privacy.
- Kindness counts. Lots of sites have anonymous applications such as "bathroom walls" or "honesty boxes" that allow users to tell their friends what they think of them. Rule of thumb: If your kids wouldn't say it to someone's face, they shouldn't post it.
Source: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/social-media/what-are-the-basic-social-media-rules-for-middle-schoolers
Parents/guardians should have access to and monitor children's digital presence, including photos and videos stored on their phones and/or shared on social media. Additional articles can be found on commonsensemedia.org. Click on "Parents Need to Know," then select Tweens (10-12) and/or Teens (13+).
PTO Community Meeting Minutes
We are thrilled with the continued community support and participation. The November Community Meeting included a guest speaker and updates from Principal Jill O’Neil and your Tumwater PTO Board. Highlights include:
Read the full minutes &
click through the slideshow to learn more.
We look forward to seeing you at our next Community Meeting on Thursday, 2/10.
Questions? Email Hannah (tumwaterpto.president@gmail.com)
PTO Guest Speaker: Understanding MYP Scoring & Grading
Wondering how to interpret your student’s report card?
Our TMS MYP Coordinator, Kristin Haward, presented this slide deck when explaining grading at Tumwater during the November PTO Community Meeting. Tumwater uses the IB (International Baccalaureate) MYP (Middle Years Program) rubric system. There are four criteria with rubrics for each subject, with individual assessments within each criterion. Criterion scores are combined to create the final grade.
To track your child's progress:
- Log on to ParentVue, click on “Grade Book” and then select a specific class.
- On a computer, click on the “standards view” tab. If you’re on the app, it should default to “standards view.” This view provides a list of all of the assignments a teacher used in order to determine the final grade, which is called a “summary judgment.” This view also provides insight on which criterion(s) your student is proficient in and where they’re still developing their skills. If you do not see a criterion, it is because there has not been an assessment in that area yet.
- If you’re used to letter grades, 6.0-8.0 translates to an A, 4.5-6.0 translates to a B, 3.0-4.5 translates to a C, 2.0-3.0 translates to a D and less than 2.0 translates to an I or N.
Pie Distribution Volunteers Needed Tuesday, 12/7
The PTO needs volunteers to help distribute frozen pies on December 7th for the 8th grade celebration fundraiser. This is a great evening volunteer opportunity and will greatly support our 8th grade fundraising team. Duties will be handing out pre-purchased pies outside the school.
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Pie distribution will occur between 4 - 7 pm, and we will split the time between two shifts (4:00-5:30pm and 5:30-7:00pm.) To sign up, click this link: 8th Grade Celebration Pie Distribution Volunteer
PLEASE NOTE: All volunteers must be in our TMS Volunteer database and have an approved COVID vaccination verified by district staff. See www.tumwaterpto.org/volunteer for more info.
Questions? Email amber.fer@frontier.com.
Donations Needed for Staff Appreciation "Winter's Night In"
This holiday season we want to bring love and joy to our Tumwater Staff. Please review the sign-up genius and sign up to donate items for the Staff Appreciation team to collect and assemble into gifts. Donations will be received at the Tumwater Main Entrance by 10am on Friday, December 10th.
Donate $25 Winco Gift Cards to Support TMS Families
Spread joy & relief to TMS families this winter by donating a $25 Winco gift card to our holiday drive. These donations will provide food assistance to families who need support this holiday season.
It's time to come together and show up for our fellow Rapids. SIGN UP NOW.
Please deliver to the front office by Friday, 12/10.
Thank you for supporting the Tumwater community this December!
PTO December Parent Checklist
Miss our November meeting? Glance through this list to see action items for parents!
LOOK OVER VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS: including instructions on how to 1.) join the TMS database & 2.) upload vaccine info: www.tumwaterpto.org/volunteer UPLOAD STUDENT VACCINE INFO INTO PARENTVUE: Yes, it is a legit pain clicking through everything again, but it's a huge help to our school nurse & contract tracing efforts. LOOK FOR DECEMBER’S SIGN-UPS: Staff Appreciation & Community Outreach
CO-CHAIR OBOB: Email Jyothi & Kristi (tumwaterpto.volunteer@gmail) if interested 8TH GRADE FAMILIES: JOIN THE SEND-OFF TEAM! Email Amber (amber.fer@frontier.com) if you are interested in joining the team & be on the lookout for pie delivery volunteer shifts on 12/7. DONATE: We will always accept your contribution! Head to www.tumwaterpto.org/fundraising for more info.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG: One email a day whenever we post! Sign-up at www.tumwaterpto.org.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA & LIKE EVERYTHING: Yo yo, are you following @tumwaterpto on both Insta & Facebook? Here's a huge help: LIKE ALL THE THINGS. We don't care if you actually like them , but any interaction helps spread the word. It's called organic reach (google it), which means our message is at the mercy of the algorithm. It's so easy to help us out this way!
SAVE THE DATE: Our next Community Meeting is Thursday, 2/10/22. Yes, 2022. We only have five community meetings in a school year, so don't miss a moment! We promise to 100% respect your time by always being prepared & efficient.
Tumwater Middle School
Building the knowledge and skills that empower students to change the world.
