The Tohickon Golden Eagle
May 2020
LOOKING AHEAD IN MAY
Dear Tohickon Families,
I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy! It has now been well over one month since schools were open and we have all made temporary adjustments in everything that we do and the way we live. Our teachers are continuing to reach out to our students in every way that they can during this challenging time period, but there are great limitations, and we know that it cannot replace the invaluable academic and social interactions that occur daily in school. While we do not yet have clarity on when things will reopen, we do know that students will not return to school this year. We realize that this is a very difficult reality for our students and parents, especially our ninth graders, as there were so many special activities planned for their last year at Tohickon.
Throughout the month of April, our leadership teams have been engaged in extensive discussions regarding ways to provide closure at the end of the year, especially for our freshman class. The staff at Tohickon has been adamant about designing something special for our students and parents, even under these limited circumstances. We are still planning on developing a Ninth Grade Closing Ceremony Presentation in some form and will still issue the Principals’ Awards. Additionally, the 7th and 8th grade teams intend to put together their own presentations for the end of the year. The details on these items are still being worked out and will be conveyed to our families in the coming weeks. The fact that we cannot provide closure and recognition to our students in person is heartbreaking, but I assure you that we will do the best we can to connect one way or another.
During a typical year, we have an Orientation for our 6th Grade students from Pine Run, Gayman and Groveland near the end of May. During this unique visitation, we meet with students, give them an overview of what to look forward to and provide tours of the building. This event, originally scheduled for May 27 this year, will obviously not take place in May. However, we still intend to reach out to our sixth graders in some manner on May 27 and are hopeful that we can still provide an in person student orientation at some point prior to the start of next year.
In closing, I want to reiterate our commitment to our students, parents and community. We are working diligently, under the circumstances, to provide an academic program and maintain our connections with students. Your continuing support and understanding during this difficult period is greatly appreciated!
I wish you and your families well and hope to see you soon!
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton
Tohickon Principal
TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY – TUESDAY, MAY 5
Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, May 5. If parents/guardians get an opportunity, please reach out to your child’s teacher to wish them well. The teachers at Tohickon are an exceptional group. Above all, they care about their students and truly want them to be happy and successful in life. Any outreach of appreciation would be extra special and mean a lot. Thank you for all that you do in supporting our teachers and our school!
DISTANCE LEARNING, INFINITE CAMPUS AND GRADING
The Distance Learning Plan is well underway. Hopefully, all parents are up to date with their child’s academic progress. On April 28, the grading tab on Infinite Campus was activated in order to allow students and parents to access and view student progress. We encourage students and parents to take advantage of this feature in order to check for any missing assignments and grading status. In some cases, it is possible that missing assignments will cause a student’s average to drop below 70%, which is needed in order to pass each course. Therefore, it is recommended that students and parents review the grading section of Infinite Campus on a weekly basis. If any inaccuracies are identified, please reach out to your teacher and/or guidance counselor in order to rectify the problem. If you have additional questions on grading or grading procedures, you can access the district site by clicking here: https://www.cbsd.org/Page/54922
NJHS CERTIFICATES AND RECOGNITIONS
Congratulations to our 2019-2020 NJHS Inductees!!! All students that were recommended for induction received a letter indicating such in late March. We are saddened that we were unable to host the formal ceremony this year, but we fully intend to issue the official acceptance letters and induction certificates. NJHS Inductees can expect to receive their official induction letter and certificate in the mail at some point during the next few weeks. Once again, congratulations to all of our 2019-2020 NJHS Inductees!!!
Mrs. Bellavance's Math Classes
Students in Mrs. Bellavance’s math classes have been participating in weekly office hours where they chat about how life is going during Distance Learning, discuss the weekly math topics they are learning, and then play a friendly game of Kahoot or Gimkit to practice the weekly math skills. Those of you who know Mrs. Bellavance or who have been in her class know that she LOVES to play math games and have competitions. The students who win the weekly game receive a prize in the mail from Mrs. Bellavance!
On Friday, May 1, the Tohickon Music Department is hosting an Open Mic Night for the Tohickon community on Teams! Tohickon students, parents, and staff are all invited to attend as audience members OR perform! All musical acts welcome. If you would like to perform, please email Sarah Heine at sjheine@cbsd.org . To join the Teams meetings, use this link: https://bit.ly/3cYXvYF. Hope to see you there!”
MRS. FOX AND THE TOHICKON MORNING SHOW – WORKING TO KEEP STUDENTS AND FAMILIES CONNECTED!
Mrs. Bridget Fox, our esteemed Librarian, continues to work with our staff to connect with our students. The Tohickon Morning Show continues to dazzle in every way during this difficult time. Staff members are taking time out of their day to provide Mrs. Fox with content for the show, while Mrs. Fox works diligently to provide our students and community with a presentation on Tuesdays and Thursdays of every week. We are very thankful for the hard work that goes into this program and the efforts of our staff to connect with students as much as possible!
CBSD Farmers Market at Barclay
Help us share food with families and children throughout the Central Bucks School District during this crisis! Click HERE to support our Go Fund Me.
The CBSD Farmers Market at Barclay was started a year ago by a small group of principals and teachers, collectively known as The Friends of John Barclay, with a mission to address food insecurity for children in the Central Bucks School District. Through the generosity of local organizations, including Bucks County Opportunities Council (BCOC), Philabundance, and Rolling Harvest, we distributed thousands of pounds of fresh produce to children and their families at our monthly markets.
A week after the start of the COVID-19 crisis, we were able to quickly expand our operation, and we now distribute food every week on Wednesdays at 4:00 PM at Barclay Elementary School. Last week, we shared milk, eggs, fresh produce, and dry goods with over 200 families throughout the district. Unfortunately, this number has been increasing each week. We believe that in a community as well resourced as ours, no child should ever be hungry. We also believe that at some point in time, we all might need a little extra support, and we should feel confident in the compassion and empathy of our friends and neighbors.
Eighty percent of the funds we raise will go directly to CBSD families and children in the form of weekly food support. While we receive many donations, we have built relationships with wholesalers who are able to offer excellent prices on bulk purchases of perishable and non-perishable groceries that we don't receive from outside organizations. We have no overhead or administrative costs, as our efforts are completely volunteer supported. The other twenty percent of the money we raise will be donated to the three organizations above -- BCOC, Philabundance, and Rolling Harvest. To give you a sense of their generosity, we received nearly 5,000 pounds of food donations from them just last week. Without their kindness and support, none of our efforts would be possible.
The Friends of John Barclay, and our small group of employee volunteers, are very grateful for even the smallest donations. Please consider supporting families and children throughout the district who need a little help during this difficult time. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.
BennettStrong Foundation Helping Hospital Heroes
Parent Positive Facebook LIVE Event with Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard – Working cooperatively with The CB Cares Educational Foundation, the Central Bucks School District invites our entire community to take part in a very special Parent Positive Facebook LIVE event hosted by Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard on Thursday, May 7th at 4:00 PM. Presented courtesy of Dr. Dahlsgaard, the event entitled “The Second Greatest Generation? A Call to Action Over Anxiety,” will feature a 30-minute LIVE presentation by Dr. Dahlsgaard followed by a 20-minute public question and answer session. During the event, Dr. Dahlsgaard, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders, will discuss strategies for psychological survival during the once-in-a-generation pandemic of Covid-19. She hopes to inspire our community to manage our fears and build resilience for our future. A long-standing supporter and friend to CBSD, Katherine Dahlsgaard, Ph.D., ABPP, is Clinical Director of the Anxiety Behaviors Clinic in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We hope to “see” you live. Visit www.cbsd.org/facebooklive beginning at 4:00 PM on Thursday, May 7. You DO NOT need a Facebook account to watch the LIVE event.
Art Gallery by Mrs. Thompson
Mrs. Thompson has been creating little 3D art gallery spaces for her students’ artwork. All artwork was created during Distance Learning with materials students had at home. Students learned about different art styles and created their works in response to specific objectives. Students have been creating so much artwork; this gallery is just a small sample of some of the great work these artists have been doing.
Ninth Grade Science Classes
Tohickon's 9th grade Science students were fortunate to be able to talk to Neil Shubin on April 17. Mr. Shubin is a vertebrate paleontologist who discovered the fossil fish Tiktaalik roseae and the author of several books, including Your Inner Fish, and a professor of anatomy.
Running with Mr. Powell
During his “Running with Mr. Powell” segment on the Morning Show, Mr. Powell has been taking students virtually to iconic locations all over Philadelphia. He’s visited the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, Ben Franklin’s Grave, the Art Museum, City Hall, the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Zoo, and Eastern State Penitentiary. At each place he gives historical and fun facts about the locations.
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!
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Message from the School Nurse
Hello Tohickon Family! While we are all finding a new normal in this unprecedented time please remember to take care of yourselves both physically and mentally. The easiest way to avoid germs is to wash hands often with soap and water. There are some ideas of ways to get physical exercise without leaving your home on our Distance Learning Page. Continue to practice SOCIAL DISTANCING, STAY HOME and STAY CALM. We will all get through this together!
Important Information for Incoming 7th Graders
All incoming 7th grade students are required to have a Pennsylvania State Mandated dental exam. Dental exams are acceptable with any date after 9/1/2019. Please complete and return the dental exam form prior to the start of the new school year. Also, 7th grade students need to have the Tdap and Meningitis vaccinations prior to the start of the new school year. Please keep this in mind as your child has their yearly physical completed. Feel free to email Sheila Kelly, school nurse, at shkelly@cbsd.org with any questions or health concerns you have for your child.
Fitness Challenges
Teachers have been challenging students to all kinds of Fitness Challenges on the Morning Show and showing students how they are keeping active and having fun during the quarantine.
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Moving/Withdrawing?
Will your son or daughter be withdrawing from Tohickon or transferring to another Central Bucks school? If yes, please email Mrs. Mee at gmee@cbsd.org before the end of the school year so that school and health records can be forwarded to their new school.
There are all sorts of wonderful ideas, exercises, and videos to get you to breathe, chuckle, or do some planning. As you take a break from the classroom DL work, be sure to check out the guidance page!! It is updated daily with new content.
A reminder to Parents, the Guidance Counselors are available for support and consultation. If your student is struggling to deal with the impact of the Coronavirus, or is having difficulty with any of the typical developmental issues of adolescence, please encourage them to reach out to Mrs. Schute or Mr. Stryker via email.
Mrs. Schute and Mr. Stryker talked to Tohickon students through the Morning Show about how deep breathing and exercise can maintain positivity and alleviate stress and anxiety. Mrs. Schute recommends using the calm app at calm.com to help with deep breathing. Mr. Stryker wants students to try some daily physical activity.
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 under Central Registration - https://www.cbsd.org/domain/76.
All student address changes within Central Bucks must be validated by the Central Registration office. We cannot make address changes at the middle school.
Student Change of Address Procedures:
1. Click here to download the Change of Address Form or (when schools reopen) obtain the form during normal business hours, 8am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, at the Educational Services Center located at 16 Welden Drive, Doylestown PA 18901.
2. Complete the form and e-mail to CENTRAL_REGISTRATION@CBSD.ORG with the following required documentation (these documents may be scanned and emailed to the address above):
Property Deed or Current Rental Lease
AND
Two of the following:
Current Utility Bill, Cable Bill or Internet Bill
Current Credit Card Bill
Current Bank Statement
Current Mortgage Statement
Current Vehicle Registration
Property Tax Bill
Your student’s records will be updated to reflect the new address upon receipt of the required documentation. Transportation will be notified, please note that transportation may take up to 48 hours to update your new bus stop.
Any changes to the current information we have on file for parent/guardian email addresses, phone numbers and emergency contacts can be changed through the Parent Portal.
Change in Household Membership:
All student household membership additions, deletions or changes must be documented on the Household Membership Change form available on the website - https://www.cbsd.org/Page/319. 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 (once they reopen). 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!
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