The Tohickon Golden Eagle
December 2021
THE HOLIDAY SEASON BEGINS
Dear Tohickon Families,
The month of December has arrived! We have approximately three weeks until the winter break and there are a few important events to be aware of. The December events include the Winter Choral Concert, the Winter Instrumental Concert, and our Winter Dance.
The Winter Choral Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, December 7, and the Instrumental Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14. The concerts will begin at 7:00 PM. The parking lot and auditorium fill up quickly for these events, so it is important to arrive a little early if you are looking for preferred seating in the front of the auditorium. There are no seating restrictions, however, the CBSD Health and Safety Plan masking protocols require all school parents/visitors to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Therefore, we are kindly asking all parents/visitors to wear a mask unless they have submitted a mask exemption form to the school district.
The Winter Holiday Dance is scheduled for Friday, December 10 and will take place between 7:00 and 9:00 PM. This is not a formal dance, but typically more "dressy" than other regular dances held throughout the school year. Aside from the Freshman Dance, this dance typically has the biggest turnout. Students in all grade levels are invited to attend and tickets will be sold for $5 at the door. Along with great music and dancing, refreshments and snacks will be available for purchase. It is important to remember that dances are exclusive events for currently enrolled students at Tohickon Middle School.
Lastly, as we wrap up the final weeks of the calendar year, it is important to remember that 2022-2023 Program Planning is right around the corner and will begin the process when we return for the new year. If you are the parent of a ninth-grade student, please mark January 6, 2022 as Curriculum Fair Night at all CB High Schools.
This is a special time of year! On behalf of the students and staff, I wish all of our Tohickon Families a safe and happy holiday season. If you have any questions or concerns about the events this month, please do not hesitate to contact the Tohickon Main Office at 267-893-3300.
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton, Principal
IMPORTANT DATES FOR DECEMBER
December 6
- New pick up procedures at end of day go into effect
- Winter Choral Concert 7:00 PM
December 10
- Winter Dance 7:00 - 9:00 PM
December 14
- Winter Instrumental Concert 7:00 PM
December 23
- Early Dismissal 10:45 AM
December 24 -31
- Winter Break
ATTENDANCE
PARENTS/GUARDIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO NOTIFY THE SCHOOL OF ANY ABSENCE, LATENESS OR EARLY DISMISSALS THROUGH THE PARENT PORTAL. Excused absences include illness, death in the immediate family, inclement weather that would jeopardize the safety of the student, religious holidays, home emergencies directly related to the student, health care of the student which cannot be arranged outside of school hours, and educational trips or family travel under the conditions outlined as per the School Board Policy. Please use the parent portal rather than send your child with a written absentee notice. If an absence has not been entered through the parent portal or call has not been received within one week of the absence, it will remain marked as unexcused. We strongly encourage submitting a doctor note if your child has missed three or more days of school or has missed school due to a scheduled appointment. Doctor notes can be emailed to dmeadows@cbsd.org.
Ten (10) days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification will be permitted during a school year. Absences beyond ten (10) days require an excuse from a physician. In cases when a physician’s note is required, absences not documented by a physician’s note will be considered unlawful.
Vacation
Children may also be excused from school for educational tours or trips, which are defined as non-school sponsored trips taken by the student with immediate family members in attendance. Only two (2) separate absences for family travel will be excused, and the TOTAL number of days missed must not exceed five (5) days. Days exceeding these guidelines will be considered unlawful and/or unexcused. It is the responsibility of the student to let teachers know and obtain work prior to the absence in order to keep pace with class progress.
Lateness:
A student is considered late if they are not in their seat in 1st period by the second bell at 7:30 AM. Students must report to the office (with a note from their parent/guardian explaining their lateness) to receive a late pass in order to gain admittance to class. Such reasons as missing the bus, oversleeping, etc. are not valid excuses for lateness. On the third unexcused tardy, an administrative conference will be arranged. If the problem persists, stronger measures may be taken. Late time may be accumulated and count toward unlawful absences from school.
RX FUNDRAISING
If you have not registered yet, please help Tohickon raise funds by registering below:
support.rxfundraising.com/TohickonMS
Thank you for taking a minute to register!
Lincoln Financial Field Trip
Periodic Table
In science, to start off the chemistry unit, each student gets an element assigned that they research, and create an element advertisement describing the element in a fun and creative way that helps others to learn more about the element. After all the advertisements are complete we build a large periodic table in the hallway and use it as a model to help show and explain patterns that are present in the periodic table itself. This preliminary knowledge of the periodic table allows us to move into the experimental part of chemistry with demonstrations, fire, explosions, all the good stuff middle school eighth graders love!
ELD Class
The ELD Class had fun using their new chalk pens! These were a fabulous gift from staff development. What students wouldn't want to write on their desks?! They used them to brainstorm any words that contain the s blends that they are learning in our new Reading Horizon program.
Team Expedition
This month we have been learning about Native American Traditions. This past week we learned about and listened to the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address and had a discussion about what we are grateful for. Kids were excited to hang their 'gratitude feathers' in the hallway! Team Expedition teachers are grateful for our amazing students!
We loved having the wonderful Roxy Reading dog and Kerri visit our ELD class! Students read their transfer cards with Most Common Word list to this sweet pup! No judgement here!
Mr. Bartosiewicz
Playing math games in Bartosiewicz's class. If you get a question correct on the whiteboard, you earn points for your team. Bonus....if you get the question correct, you can putt to earn even more points for your team!
Mrs. Bellavance
This week is Algebra 1 with Mrs. Bellavance students learned how to find slope and rate of change lines. They worked in small groups to complete a slope scavenger hunt around the classroom. Next up, we will be graphing lines using y+mx+b!
Mr. Hall
This week in Mr. Hall's science class we wrapped up our study of the human body with the dissection of the cow eye. Students worked in groups and were able to see all the parts of the eye in this enrichment activity. Now we move to Chemistry!
Cooking in FCS
FROM OUR GUIDANCE OFFICE
What is MBIT? Is MBIT for me?
Interested 9th grade students can sign up to shadow an area at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT) to see if it is a match for them. MBIT had a virtual open house and two Q&A sessions in November but are always willing to answer questions. Interested students should go to their website (www.mbit.org) to learn more. Applications should be submitted online as soon as possible. Feel free to stop in guidance for help.
Preparing for 10th Grade
January 6th, 2022 -- Curriculum Fairs at CB East and CB West – 6:30 PM – The curriculum fair is an opportunity for parents and students to gain more information about the high schools and the courses available. We strongly recommend that 9th grade students and their parents plan to attend.
We will begin PROGRAM PLANNING for next year in January 2022. See important dates listed by grade on the guidance website in January.
Discussion Groups
Tohickon Counselors will be running a variety of discussion groups with students who have expressed an interest. Topics for these groups include Stress Management, Grief and Loss, Family Support and Mindfulness. Students who have signed up will participate in group during school hours. Groups will run once a week for approximately six weeks.
The counselors are looking forward to meeting with students and helping them face the many challenges of the middle school years in a healthy way. Everyone benefits from talking things out and learning new strategies.
The Next Parent Council Meeting is in January
We typically do not have a Parent Council Meeting in December due to the holidays. We will be holding our next Parent Council Meeting on Thursday, January 20, beginning at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held in person in the library. We hope to see you there!
Share Good News About Tohickon Students!
Tohickon Students achieve amazing things and make a difference in school and in the community. Share your story about the accomplishments and good work of a Tohickon student with Mr. Marton at kmarton@cbsd.org so that he may highlight this good news in an upcoming edition of the Tohickon Golden Eagle online newsletter.
From the Nurse's Office
ATTENTION 7TH GRADE PARENTS
The PA State Mandated Scoliosis Screening will be done for all 7th grade children who have PE during the 1st semester, on Monday, December 13th and Tuesday December 14th during PE class. It is a quick screening done over their clothes. If you DO NOT wish to have your 7th grade child screened, please send an email to the school nurse, Sheila Kelly at shkelly@cbsd.org by Friday, December 10, 2021.
Cold weather has officially arrived and with that comes Cold and Flu Season. Remember to wash hands frequently and cough into your arm 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 to keep health records up to date.
We wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!
Sincerely, Sheila Kelly, CSN, Sylvana Hamilton, RN, and Kim Bentz, RN
Tohickon Middle School
Email: kmarton@cbsd.org
Website: cbsd.org
Location: 5051 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA
Phone: 267-893-3300