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
Greetings Panther Families,
We hope that you are relaxing and enjoying summer break. This is such an exciting time of the year as our staff is busy preparing to welcome back our TMS students on August 17th. As a reminder, school begins promptly at 7:25 each day, so as you begin to prepare for upcoming routines, please try to have students to school by 7:20.
Please join us for upcoming events at TMS. We will have our Open House event on August 9th 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 Back to School Night on August 11th from 6:00-8:00pm. During our Back to School Night you can locate classrooms, meet teachers, reconnect with your school community and even purchase some snacks and dinner at the Sauced Savage Barbecue food truck or the Kona Ice truck.
We are very excited to welcome you all back to the building for the 2022-23 school year. Bus routes will be available on August 6th, so be sure to check the FCPS website at FCPS.org for your child's bus route.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
Be the Change,
Janine Smith~Principal
Chris Bittner~Assistant Principal
Anita Shank~Assistant Principal
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
Important Calendar Date Reminders
- Saturday, August 6th-Bus Stop Routes available via FCPS.org
- Monday, August 8th-Student Schedules Available via Schoology
- Tuesday, August 9th-TMS Open House- 2:00-6:00pm
- Thursday, August 11th-Back to School Night-6:00-8:00pm
- Wednesday, August 17th-First Day of School for Students
Assistant Principal Caseload
Ms. Shank: 7th Grade & 6th Grade M-Z
Counseling Caseload
- 6th grade: Stacie Varanyak --Stacie.Varanyak@fcps.org
- 7th grade: Rebecca Krauss- Rebecca.Krauss@fcps.org
- 8th grade: Sherry Bueso- Sherry.Bueso@fcps.org
Back to School Night
Grade Level Presentations in Cafeteria
6th Grade Presentation (6:00-6:20)
7th Grade Presentation (6:30-6:50)
8th Grade Presentation (7:00-7:20)
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 Off & 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 Off & Away. We thank you for all that you do to help us reinforce good digital citizenship.
TMS Daily Schedule: Doors Open at 7:00AM
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.
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.
2022 Annual CATOCTIN Community School Supply Program
This program is to assist students attending the Catoctin Area Feeder Schools: Emmitsburg Elementary, Lewistown Elementary, Pyramid Program, Sabillasville Environmental Charter School, Thurmont Elementary, Thurmont Primary, Thurmont Middle, and Catoctin High
Distribution will be held on Tuesday, August 9th, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm at Graceham Moravian Church Parking Lot, 8231-A Rocky Ridge Road, Thurmont, MD. This will be a drive-thru event, please stay in your car and follow the signs to pick up backpacks filled with basic school supplies according to FCPS guidelines.
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 yearbooks. Our SchoolCash Online page can be found here: https://frederickcounty.schoolcashonline.com/.
Benefits to parents and schools
SchoolCash Online helps parents and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. In addition to convenience for yourself, you will help increase efficiency and security at your school by making payments directly into your school's bank account. This allows teachers and secretaries to focus on helping students, and not counting cash. In addition, you are immediately informed about school activities!
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.
How it works
Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the safe and secure management of school fees. This system puts all of the school-related fees for your student online for purchase. Schools post their items and activities and assign the relevant fees to your student, so you can then make purchases online using your credit card. This allows you to stay informed about upcoming school activities while keeping track of the school fees that require your attention.
Thank you for your support!
Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benfits Applications
All students at all Frederick County Public Schools can apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits. Apply online!
You can complete the electronic application following this link until June 30, 2023.
Free and reduced-price meals are available to families with limited ability to pay. Eligibility is based on family size and income guidelines developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The quickest, most confidential and secure way to fill out the Meal Benefits Application is to apply electronically online from a smart phone, tablet, your child’s school-issued Chromebook, a computer or by going to the school main office or FCPS Food Service Office and filling it out online using a school computer. A paper application is available at your child's school if you are unable to access the electronic Meal Benefit Application.
Only complete one Meal Benefit Application per family even if you have more than 1 child and your children go to different schools in Frederick County Public Schools. The information you give will be used to determine or prove your child's eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. This information may also be used for other state or federally funded school benefits. FCPS Food and Nutrition Services will notify families whether they qualify for free or reduced-price meals via email or United States Postal Service if no email is on file with the school. Until notified, you must provide your child with meals or money for meals.
Factors considered in the application process are household size and total household income. HOUSEHOLD SIZE is considered all persons, related or unrelated: Including parents, children, grandparents who live in your home and share living expenses. The TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME is the income each household member received last month before taxes - this includes wages, social security, pension, unemployment, welfare, child support, alimony, and any other cash income.
Foster children are categorically eligible for free meal benefits. An application is not needed yet there does need to be documentation of status by a state or local entity familiar with the child's status. Foster children may be included in the household application as part of the household size.
TMS PTA Needs YOU!
2022-23 PTA Board of Directors:
Christy Donnelly-President
Danielle Bloxham-Treasurer
Amanda Knott-Secretary
We need YOU to become a member of our PTA! You can now pay for your membership online. Please click the MemberHub link below.
Your membership dues help pay for activities for the students, donations to the school, and help pay for costs of field trips to keep your cost down.
Become a member today!! Thank you for your support~