TMS Community ROAR Report
Be the Change at TMS!
Email: janine.smith@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/tms/
Location: 408 East Main Street, Thurmont, MD, United States
Phone: (240)-236-5100
Twitter: @JanineSmithFCPS
July Newsletter
Be the Change
We hope that this newsletter finds you well and that you have had a restful and rejuvenating summer. This is such an exciting time of the year as our staff is busy preparing to welcome back our TMS students on August 23rd. We are so delighted to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing school community for the 2023-24 school year. As we prepare for this exciting start, please take a moment to read the following updates for this school year.
At TMS, our school day begins promptly at 7:25am each day, so as you begin to prepare for upcoming routines, please commit to having your student(s) to school by 7:20am. Please join us for upcoming events at TMS. New this year, our Catoctin Feeder Schools are participating in a bus tour. Please see the flier below for the times and locations where you can join us and meet staff from each of the Catoctin Feeder Schools! We will have our Open House event on August 15th from 2:00-6:00pm. During this time your child can get a printed copy of their schedule and tour the building. We also hope that everyone joins us for our Back to School Night on August 21st from 4:00-5:30 pm. During our Back to School Night you can listen to a brief grade level presentation, locate classrooms, meet teachers, reconnect with your school community and even purchase some snacks and dinner at the Glamour View food truck.
We are excited about the new school year and look forward to creating many fond memories together. If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out. Let's make this 2023-24 school year an enriching and successful one!
Be the Change,
Janine Smith-Principal
Chris Bittner-Assistant Principal
Anita Shank-Assistant Principal
TMS Career Coach-Ms. Diana Merritt
Message from Ms. Merritt
My name is Diana Merritt and I’m excited to be the new Career Coach at Thurmont Middle School. This will be my 4th school year with FCPS. I live in Northern Frederick County with my husband of 20 years along with our 3 boys that have either gone through or are currently attending a school within FCPS. I hold an Associates and Bachelors degree both from The University of Phoenix and currently working towards my masters degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. As the Career Coach I will educate, empower and guide students to take ownership of their futures. With strategic partnerships like FCC, Frederick Workforce Development and Frederick County Government we are paving the way for our students to excel and preparing them for success no matter what career path they choose. I look forward to working with all of the staff and students this coming school year and making a difference within our community.
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
Important Calendar Date Reminders
- Thursday, August 10th-Student Schedules Available via Schoology
- Tuesday, August 15th-Catoctin Feeder Bus Tour (location and times listed above)
- Tuesday, August 15th-TMS Open House- 2:00-6:00pm
- Monday, August 21st-Back to School Night-4:00-5:30pm
- Wednesday, August 23rd-First Day of School for Students
- Monday, September 4th-School Closed--Labor Day
FCPS Code of Conduct
Assistant Principal Caseload
Ms. Shank: 8th Grade & 7th Grade M-Z
TMS Schoolwide Norms
In every classroom, students are expected to adhere to the following expectations:
- Respect yourself
- Respect others
- Respect the task at hand
Please take a moment to reinforce with your student these expectations; together we can ensure that each and every student reaches their full potential.
Counseling Caseload
- 6th grade: Sherry Bueso- Sherry.Bueso@fcps.org
- 7th grade: Stacie Varanyak --Stacie.Varanyak@fcps.org
- 8th grade: Rebecca Krauss- Rebecca.Krauss@fcps.org
Back to School Night
Grade Level Presentations in Cafeteria
6th Grade Presentation--4:20-4:40pm
7th Grade Presentation--4:45-5:05pm
8th Grade Presentation--5:10-5:30pm
Student Cell Phone & Earbud Use at TMS
In an effort to work together to ensure appropriate use of cell phones for students, we wish to take this opportunity to remind parents and students of the rules for having a cell phone at school. Our FCPS Regulation is linked if you would like to review it. Regulation 400-18 Electronic Devices - Student Use.
Please reiterate with your child that the use of cell phone/ear buds is prohibited for unsanctioned purposes such as: cheating, harassing or bullying others, taking photos or videos of others without permission, checking personal social media accounts, or sexting. At TMS, the rule for cell phones and earbuds is Silent & Away. If a student violates this cell phone and/or ear bud policy, for the first offense, the student will be asked to bring the device to the front office where they can sign for/pick it up at the end of the day. If a student violates the policy more than once, they will be asked to bring the device to the front office and a parent/guardian will need to sign for/pick up the device. If a student violates the policy more than twice, disciplinary action may be taken by administration.
Please keep in mind that some violations of the cell phone rules may have consequences not only related to student discipline, but legal action as well. In the past, victims have pursued legal action against both the student and the parent/guardian. Those outcomes are best avoided when schools and parents partner together. Please remind your child to keep their earbuds and cell phone Silent & Away. We thank you for all that you do to help us reinforce good digital citizenship.
TMS Daily Schedule: Doors Open at 7:00AM
Chromebooks
All TMS students will be assigned an FCPS Chromebook. This initiative will allow all students the ability to access FCPS digital resources necessary for academic success. In addition, an FCPS Chromebook must be used for state testing. While a fee is not charged for the assignment of a Chromebook, repair costs will be billed if damages occur. FCPS recommends keeping the assigned device in the provided case at all times. Additional FCPS technology information, including device usage agreement, repair costs, and technology regulations can be found HERE.
Student Password Reset
FCPS will reset ALL student passwords on August 1 to their Student ID number. This password allows students to login to their Schoology, Chromebooks, Chrome Browser and other FCPS resources.
All students in grades 3 - 12 will be required to change their password at initial logon. Should you need to access your account prior to the start of school, please click this link for more information.
Lockers & Locks
Attendance Information
If your child is unable to attend school due to an illness or doctor's appointment, or any other reason, please email a note to our attendance secretary, Ms. Shannon Ingram at tms.attendance@fcps.org.
For early dismissals:
- Parent/Guardian will come to the office to sign student out
- Please bring your ID
- Allow adequate time to locate student for an early dismissal
- If you allow someone else to sign your student out, please note the name you authorize in your note to the school. They will be required to show ID to pick up student.
Don’t forget, when going to a medical appointment, remember to get a doctor's note from their office. We will update your student's attendance accordingly.
Attendance = Opportunity
As a feeder, we continue our commitment to attendance knowing that attending school each day opens opportunities for our students. The image is the attendance rate* and the rate of chronic absenteeism** for each school for the 2022-23 school year:
*Attendance rate: An overall school attendance rate of 94% or higher is considered proficient.
**Chronic absenteeism: A student is defined as chronically absent if he/she misses 10% or more of the school days.
Our shared feeder focus on attendance is outlined below:
Common Goal: Catoctin feeder pattern schools will use high yield strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism within the feeder from 25% to 21% or less over a 3 year period.
Statement of action: If we more deeply understand our community, family and student profiles and build relationships among all stakeholders, then we reduce chronic absenteeism and increase overall attendance.
We appreciate your support in establishing positive attendance habits at home and reinforcing the importance of coming to school on time each day.
Car Rider Information
TMS Car Rider/Walker Information:
If your student is a walker or a bicycle rider, we ask that students follow all traffic laws and if they need to cross the street, they use the crossing guard at the corner of Main Street and Summit Avenue. Bicycles should not be ridden, but walked on the Summit Avenue sidewalk as this sidewalk is very congested at dismissal and arrival times.
If your student is a car rider in the morning, arrival "drop off" occurs in the front of the school. Please drive your car to the flag pole and allow students to exit the vehicle. Students will enter at the side entrance with blue doors that can be seen from the parking lot. Please do not drop off students between cars in the parking lot.
For car rider dismissal at the end of the day, student pick-up will be in the parking lot off Summit Avenue. There will be two different locations to park and wait for students. The first is the staff parking lot. Cars will form two lines in the parking lot. If this location is full, you can park along Summit Avenue. Please see the diagram.
To help ensure safety, TMS staff will be in the parking lot helping students cross into the car pick up line. Students need to cross in marked crosswalks. Cars will be allowed to leave the parking lot once the buses leave. Please pay close attention to school staff guidance in the parking lot for everyone's safety. Please have your student picked-up no later than 2:40pm.
Finally, please note that the Town of Thurmont prohibits U-turns on Summit Avenue. If you park on Summit Avenue you will need to drive to the end of Summit Avenue and turn onto Woodland Avenue. Please do not wait and block traffic on the opposite side of the street.
As we adjust to the new routines, thank you for your patience and understanding. We appreciate your cooperation to ensure students are safe.
School Meals
FCPS is using a new portal for school meal related information. Go to the parent portal at http://linqconnect.com/ where you can:
- Apply for meal benefits (FARM)
- View menus, meal prices and a la carte prices
- Add money to student accounts
- Transfer funds between students
- View student meal transactions
- Set low-balance notifications
School Cash Online
We are excited to inform you that Frederick County Public Schools offers SchoolCash Online as our preferred method of payment for all school fees, including everything from field trips to fundraisers. Our SchoolCash Online page can be found here: https://frederickcounty.schoolcashonline.com/.
Register now!
Registering for your free SchoolCash Online account takes less than two minutes! Visit https://frederickcounty.schoolcashonline.com/ and click Register.
Should you encounter any difficulties, please contact the SchoolCash Online parent help desk by visiting schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support.
- Convenient and Easy to Use--Available 24/7
- Safe-avoids having students carry cash and checks
- Saves Time--shows payments & order history in one place
Transportation
TMS PTA Needs YOU!
2023-24 PTA Board of Directors:
Christy Donnelly-President
Jennifer O’Connell-Secretary
Elizabeth Day-Treasurer
We need YOU to become a member of our PTA! Please be on the lookout for the online membership link for you to join. We are excited to grow our amazing TMS PTA!
Principal - Thurmont Middle School