Tumwater News
January 18, 2022
Principal 's Message
To honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., yesterday was not only a holiday, but the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service for all of us to improve our communities. As TMS moves towards authorization as an IB Middle Years Program school, our students will be challenged to use design thinking to identify needs in our local and global communities that can be addressed through their creativity, skills, and time.
One of the needs of many middle schoolers is to develop skills for responding to bullying they might experience in-person or online. This week during Advisory our students will focus be learning strategies to be kind and courageous when they encounter online bullying. 6th Graders will explore "Digital Drama Unplugged," 7th graders will learn about being "Upstanders and Allies Taking Action Against Cyberbullying" and 8th graders will discuss "Responding to Online Hate Speech." Each of these lessons is part of our year-long digital literacy curriculum. Here are family resources aligned with these lessons to support conversations at home:
Thank you for supporting service and learning!
Warmly,
Jill O'Neill
Principal
Upcoming Events
Jan. 17 No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 20 Virtual Band Performances
Jan. 20 PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 pm
Feb. 4 Grading Day, No School
Feb. 11 TMS Theatre presents Puffs, 7 pm
Feb. 12 TMS Theatre presents Puffs, 3 pm and 7 pm
Feb. 21 Presidents Day - No School
Feb. 22 Staff Development Day
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.
3rd Annual Walk + Roll Art Contest
Safe Routes to School invites all Beaverton Middle School students to participate in our January Art Contest. Students may create a Safe Routes to School piece of art depicting why they choose to walk or roll to school. A winner will be chosen for each grade across the district. Each winner will receive a prize bag with items to help safely travel to school. A grand prize winner will also receive a full day art class from Gilchrist Art Camp. Submit your entry to your school office by January 31st. Visit www.beaverton.k12.or.us/safe-routes for contest details.
Virtual Concerts
With a change in COVID-19 protocols, we made the decision to move this month's music concerts to a virtual format. This week our choirs were showcased in livestream performances and next week our bands will perform in a similar format. Click the links below to view the choir concerts.
COVID-19 Protocol Updates
Based on districtwide parent/guardian feedback about excessive ParentSquare, when we have a positive/presumptive COVID-19 case we are now posting a notification letter in ParentSquare, but are posting it without an alert to your devices.
BSD has also posted notices in the past few days about changes to isolation/quarantine and contact tracing protocols. With COVID-19 moving quickly through our local community, it is more important than ever that students are consistently wearing masks correctly. The currently most recommended masks are the KN94, KN95, or N95, which provide a close fit against the face. For those who find surgical masks often slip off their noses, the above options are better fits. The next best option is to double layer a surgical mask and cloth mask. In addition to proper masking, frequent handwashing, and avoiding social gatherings will help keep our community healthy.
It’s important to notify us if your student tests positive for COVID-19 or experiences any of these primary COVID-19 symptoms:
- Fever of 100.4°F or higher
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- New loss of taste or smell
- Chills
If you have had your child tested at a doctor's office, private lab, or through the OHSU partnership and you receive a positive result, it is important for you to notify the school. These agencies will not share the results directly with the school, so to ensure timely contact tracing we rely on families contacting us.
For the most up-to-date information on the district's response to Covid-19, please see the Frequently Asked Questions on the BSD Covid-19 Dashboard Webpage.
Tumwater Lost and Found
Please look through the
slide deck, (click link to access slide). If you find an item that belongs to your household email
TMS-Communications@beaverton.k12.or.us with the slide number and item letter. We will get the missing item to your student.
Parking Lot Safety
Thank you to all the drivers who are slowing down, as well as following signage and established drop off / pick traffic patterns in our school parking lot. Here are a few reminders:
- Slow and yield to pedestrians.
- Remain in your car and allow your child(ren) to come to you.
- Use the designated langes. Notice that the main lot entry by the flag pole has one entry lane and two exit lanes. After the crosswalk there is both a traffic lane and a drop off / pick up lane (yellow curb).
- Drop off students only in the areas marked by a yellow curb - please use the full U-shaped turn.
- Refrain from letting students out of the car or picking them in the traffic lane, marked by a red curb.
- When dropping off or picking up, after you've entered the parking lot please do not turn left before the crosswalk. This lane is blocked with an orange cone during drop off/pick up. All traffic should follow the U-shaped turn.
- The spaces marked "car pool" are intended for staff parking, not student carpools.
Be Ready: Volunteering Opportunities Await in 2022
Many fun & fulfilling volunteer opportunities are scheduled for 2022, including Art Lit and OBOB. Ensure that you are cleared to volunteer at TMS by heading to www.tumwaterpto.org/volunteer and reviewing the two-step process. Instructions are available on how to 1.) join the TMS database & 2.) upload your vaccine info. Let's be ready for an amazing 2022!
Tumwater Middle School
Building the knowledge and skills that empower students to change the world.
