Tumwater News
May 30, 2022
Principal 's Message
Dear Tumwater Families,
Today we honor those who have given their life in military service for our country. For those who are remembering a loved one, our hearts are with you.
Local and national events over the past few weeks have weighed on the minds and hearts of our students as they see unspeakable violence against other children. Many students have asked difficult questions of their teachers and caregivers, while others may be too afraid of the answers to even ask. Together, we can reassure our children that we will do everything we can to keep them safe.
Your child’s safety is the top priority of our school. We regularly practice emergency drills based on the Standard Response Protocols (SRP). These can be found on the BSD School Safety & Emergency Preparedness webpage. If you haven't reviewed the Emergency Protocols and on the School Safety , I encourage you to do so. It provides an overview of the codes used when there is an emergency and explains the process for parent/student reunification if it is needed.
We often tell our students that “if they see something, say something.” Please underscore this message to your child. If they hear about a threat or see something on social media OR if they know of someone who is struggling, share that information with a trusted adult — a parent/guardian or school staff member. Students can report also information anonymously 24/7 to Safe Oregon via text, call or email.
This resource is designed to help parents and guardians in talking with your child when tragic events happen. If your child needs extra support, please encourage them to reach out to their school counselors or social workers.
Warmly,
Jill O'Neill
Principal
Upcoming Events
May 30 Memorial Day - Schools closed
June 2 TMS Theatre presents Matilda, 7 pm
June 3 TMS Theatre presents Matilda, 7 pm
June 4 TMS Theatre presents Matilda, 2 pm
June 4 TMS Theatre presents Matilda, 7 pm
June 9 PTO Community Meeting in Library, 6:30 pm
June 14 Band Concert in Main Gym, 6:30 pm
June 16 Choir Concert in Commons, 6:30 pm
June 17 8th Grade Recognition Assembly & Celebration
June 20 No School - Juneteenth Holiday
June 21 Last Day of School for Students & Field Day, Early Dismissal at 1:50 pm
Be sure to check the calendars on ParentSquare and our school website (scroll to the bottom of the home page) for the school all school events.
Tumwater Summer Camp
Our teachers are EXCITED to have some fun with students this summer!
Who: Enrollment is open to all incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th grade BSD students who live within Tumwater's attendance boundaries, including those attending Option Schools. Enrollment space is limited.
What: Enrichment experiences featuring art projects, sports skills, drones and other technology, learning to play some guitar, and giving students outdoor experiences through mini-field trips - all designed to foster student engagement and positive connections with school. Lunch and transportation is provided.
When: Monday-Thursday from 10:00am - 2:00pm
- Session 1: July 5 - July 14 (7 days)
- Session 2: July 18 - July 28 (8 days)
Where: Tumwater Middle School
How: Apply here!
High School Transition for current 8th Graders
Sunset High School's Summer School Program is available to all 8th graders residing within SHS attendance boundaries. Students living within other boundaries should check their neighborhood high school's website.
Students interested in participating in fall sports or activities such as Marching Band, should visit the SHS Athletic and Activities webpage to learn more about registration and summer practices.
Art Literacy
Thank you to Art Literacy Coordinator Melissa Manos, Volunteer Coordinator Kristi Nelson, and all our creative volunteers for making Art Literacy a reality at TMS. It has been a joy to have students and volunteers work together this month and to see creativity come to life in our classrooms. Featured artist Frida Kahlo was the inspiration for self-portraits made from layering background, school portraits, and student-created accessories. Students could choose to have portraits featured in school display cases or to take them home. We're looking forward to Art Lit returning next fall!
Speech and Debate Tournament
Members of the TMS Speech and Debate Club have worked hard, developed new skills, and enjoyed working with Sunset HS students as their coaches this year. Recently club members took part in a tournament hosted at Sunset High School.
Congratulations to those that received earned awards for their performances:
- Impromptu, 3rd Place: Ishita Grandhi.
- Interpretation, Champion: Lisa Maurer.
- Interpretation, 2nd Place: Samhita Nalamalpu.
- Oratory, Champion: Shriya Marla.
Kudos to those who placed in the finalist category:
- Impromptu Finalist: Xerxes Wadia, Suan Cho, Anastasia Erickson
- Interpretation Finalist: Anusha Jeyakumar
- Oratory Finalists: Kevin Ramadoss, Alexander Pi, Rehansa Ihalawela
- Parliamentary Debate Finalists: Team Ahmed and Hyatt. Semi-finalists: Team Raghavan and Shah.
This has been a fun year and a good learning experience for Tumwater. We did well for our first tournament. We're looking forward to new club members joining the Speech & Debate Club next year, along with many returners too.
Student Recognition
We are happy to share that TMS students won 2nd & 3rd Place in the middle school division of the KATU 2022 innovation Challenge.
Tumwater & Stoller students joined together for the Young Minds team which took second place. Congratulations to Tumwater's Anusha Jeyakumar whose team generated the concept of an optimization method delivered through an app that allows users to receive personalized charging recommendations to maximize the lifetime of their EV’s battery.
Kudos to Anjali Sanjeepan, Sahit Jayaweera, and Brendan McHenry who formed Team Moss and earned 3rd place with their idea to create a vertical moss garden (moss panel) to address air pollution because people in the city of Portland need a way to reduce air pollution in a cost effective manner.
Follow the link above to view the teams' pitch their concepts.
Apollo Boys Basketball Camp
Sunset High School Boys Basketball is holding a youth basketball camp June 27-30 at Sunset High School from 9:00am-12:00pm. The camp is hosted by Varsity Coach David Saultz and members of the high school basketball program and is for any boy who will be in grade 4-9 in the fall, regardless of experience or skill level, who is interested in improving at basketball, learning about the Sunset Basketball Program and having fun. For more information and to register for the camp please visit sunsetboysbasketball.com
Beaverton’s Safe Routes to School program
It’s data collection time again for Beaverton’s Safe Routes to School program. The purpose of this program is to make walking and biking to school safe, convenient, and fun.
Parent’s and guardian’s input into how students travel to and from schools and their impression of the safety of the route is valuable as the city and county prioritize needed improvements for our roads.
The following links will take you to a district survey and will be combined with classroom tallies to give us a good picture of how students are getting to and from schools throughout the district.
The district survey will be open for responses for four weeks from May 1st until May 31st.
We appreciate your help in giving us information to make the Safe Routes to School program effective for all Beaverton School District students.
Survey Links:
Follow us @BeavertonSafeRoutes
NEW DATE! Final PTO Community Meeting on 6/9 to Include Board & Budget Vote
Join your PTO leadership in the final community meeting of the year on Thursday, 6/9 at 6:30 pm in the TMS Library. Principal O’Neil and your PTO Board will be on hand to offer Tumwater & PTO updates, and community members will elect next year's officers and approve next year's budget.
2022-23 Proposed Board Slate:
- President: Hannah Wood Donohue
- Vice President: Kelly Kinzer
- Secretary: Eva Novick
- Treasurer: Heather Vonk
- Director of Volunteers: Kristi Nelson
- Member at Large: Peng Ge
2022-23 Proposed Budget:
Your PTO Board, together with Principal O’Neill, went line by line through this year’s budget to discuss the value of each item and to craft a proposed 2022-23 budget that aligns with our TMS goals & aspirations. Significant changes from the previous year’s budget include:
- Increased income goal; adding in matching funds
- Increased community grant & evening event budgets
- Addition of printed student planners
As a reminder, all TMS parents & guardians are automatically voting members of the Tumwater PTO. Looking forward to seeing you on 6/9!
Questions? Email Hannah (president@tumwaterpto.org).
Volunteers Needed for 8th Grade Celebration
Volunteer shifts are now available for the 8th Grade Celebration, scheduled for Friday, 6/17.
As a reminder, all volunteers must be in our TMS volunteer system. If you log into mIP and are unable to see these shifts, then you have not requested your profile be moved to the TMS system or have not completed the vaccination/exemption process. More info can be found at www.tumwaterpto.org/volunteer. Questions regarding mIP can be directed to Kristi (volunteer@tumwaterpto.org).
Haven't donated yet? There's still time via Paypal.
Questions about the celebration? Email Amber (amber.fer@frontier.com)
Tumwater Middle School
Building the knowledge and skills that empower students to change the world.
