TuES News Family Newsletter
March 15, 2024
Message From The Principal
Good day, Tuscarora,
We are 8 school days away from Spring Break, a time for our Tuscarora families and staff to take a break from school and relax. I hope this is a time for our Timberwolves to get outdoors with friends and family, enjoying the longer daylight hours. However, note that there are still 8 school days until this happens, so we need our entire pack here every day on time and ready to learn. We fell behind on winning the Battle of Ballenger Creek Attendance Trophy by so little in February, we certainly believe we can get it back before the end of the school year but we need out families help to do this. Check out the results below:
1st place: Carroll Manor with 94.47%
2nd place: Tuscarora with 94.45%
3rd place: Orchard Grove with 93.33%
4th place: Ballenger Creek with 93.15%
We have many exciting events this spring, including Literacy Night, STEAM Night, and Multicultural Night, so please look through this newsletter noting them on your calendar – we want to see you here supporting these events with your student(s). Also this spring, information about celebrating our Tuscarora Staff the first week of May will be coming your way soon. We hope you will take a moment during this week to send a “thank you” via email or letter sharing your appreciation of the staff who support your student(s) each day at Tuscarora.
Finally, this has been shared throughout the school year in this newsletter, but it needs to be reiterated. In order to volunteer at Tuscarora Elementary School and/or chaperone on a field trip ALL must complete the FCPS MANDATORY VOLUNTEER TRAINING and be processed through our volunteer management center each school year. This can take several days following the completion of the training. Once it is complete it remains active for the remainder of the school year. Please do not wait to do this; if you want be selected to chaperone, it needs to be done. If you want to volunteer for Field Day (or other school day events), this must be complete. If you have not done so yet, I urge you to consider completing this over Spring Break.
Have a lovely weekend, we look forward to seeing our students every day, on time and ready to learn for the 8 school days leading up to Spring Break.
Make today great,
Carrie Zimmerman
Tuscarora Spring Spirit Wear Sale
The Tuscarora Spring Spirit Wear Sale is underway! Choose from hundreds of designs and garments that are delivered to your home in days! You'll save 25% off the entire site! New product lines include Nike and Adidas! Shop at https://1stplace.sale/44522.
And here is a $10 Gift Voucher for every staff member, good through 07/31/24
Tuscarora Elementary School Annual Multicultural Night May 2, 2024
Dear Tuscarora Elementary families,
We invite you to be a vibrant part of our upcoming Multicultural Night, a celebration of diversity and unity! This special event aims to showcase the rich tapestry of our community by highlighting various cultures through engaging performances, delectable cuisines, and interactive displays. The Multicultural Night will be held Thursday, May 2, 2024, 6:00 - 8:00PM. We are asking for those in our community that have an interest in being part of the event to please fill out our 2024 Multicultural Night - Volunteer Form by following the link provided. The Tuscarora Elementary Multicultural Committee looks forward to another fantastic evening of celebrating and sharing of our diverse cultures.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JMCuilCNVHCKjIqO6g_UssPNEvncVtgUeMiD43MbaYk/edit
Thank you!
~ The Tuscarora Elementary Multicultural Committee
Field Day Will Be Here Before You Know It
Hello TUES Families,
The PE department has started the planning process for 2024 Field Day! Please mark your calendar for May 17th. With a rain date of May 24th.
We will be having sign-ups for volunteers starting Mid-April. If you are interested in volunteering, please make sure you take the mandatory volunteer training. Link for training: https://fcps-volunteers.ezcommunicator.net/edu/fcps-volunteers/login_form.aspx?app=0
Like in years past we are not allowed to have family members just watch the event for the day. You must volunteer.
Our Field Day T-shirt sale has opened. This is completely optional if you want to purchase a t-shirt for the day. Color for each grade level are:
PreK/K Gray
1st: Purple
2nd: Green
3rd: Carolina Blue
4th: Maroon
5th: Light Pink
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Mr. Hahn at Ryan.hahn@fcps.org
Upcoming Dates of Note
3/22/24 - Schools Closed for Students/Staff Work Day
3/28/24 - Draw Your Destiny -Cartoonist Assembly for Students During School Day
3/29/24 - 4/07/24 - FCPS Spring Break
04/09/24 - April PTA Meeting 6:30 PM
04/15/24 - STEM Night at Tuscarora ES 6:00 - 8:00 PM
04/19/24 - PTA Carnival at Tuscarora ES
04/25/24 - TuES Literacy Night 6:00 - 7:30PM
05/02/24 - Multicultural Night 6:00 - 8:00 PM
05/07/24 - May PTA Meeting 6:30PM
05/06/24 - 05/10/24 - Teacher Appreciation Week
05/14/24 - Schools Closed for Students and Staff (Election Day)
05/17/24 - Field Day
05/27/24 - Schools Closed for Memorial Day Holiday
Headphones & Earbuds
As a reminder our students use Chromebooks throughout the school day to access iReady for reading and mathematics, as well as other resources. The use of wired headphones or wired earbuds help to keep the learning environment quiet for all. Additionally, all students engaged in state testing (grades 3 - 5) will need wired headphones or earbuds. While the school has some wired headphones, many students have a preference for comfort with wired headphones and wired earbuds that may be better addressed from the family. Classrooms mark the wired headphones for the individual student use.
Outdoor Instruction and Play
As a reminder, we aim to get our students outdoors for recess whenever possible. Teams do take into account the time of day for recess and how students are generally dressed. Depending on conditions, it may be an abbreviated recess period or black top only. It is our goal to have students dress as their families sent them to school so they remain geared up in the manner the family would like.
As we move into warmer temperature days, classes may be outside for physical education, recess, and possibly utilize the outdoor classroom space.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found area recently has been overflowing with student outerwear, water bottles, and lunch boxes. Our staff have begun to move some of the items into the cafeteria and lay them on the stage steps in hopes our students may see their item and take it with them.
We urge families to add names to outer wear and lunch items. Students may request to visit this area to check for their things; parents are welcome to come in to check as well during the school day. Please note that arrival and dismissal times (8:30 - 9:15 & 3:15 - 4:00) are busier in our main office.
We will again donate any items remaining at Tuscarora at the end of the day on March 28 so we may clean our lost and found area during Spring Break.
Car Riders
With our recent evacuation of the school building near dismissal, we are urging families to revisit and review this in our TuES Family Handbook.
- At no point should anyone but the student enter or exit the vehicle in the car rider line. Students are to enter/exit on the right side (curb side) to ensure safety.
- If your students are unable to unlatch and/or buckle themselves independently, utilize our walker arrival/dismissal procedures by parking your vehicle and walking.
- If emergency responders enter the car rider area, all vehicles along the front of the school building are REQUIRED to move so the first responders have access to the building.
FCPS Summer Camp - Spanish Immersion 2024
FCPS Safety & Emergency Management
FCPS 31st Annual Career and Tech Fair from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 at Frederick High School
Frederick County Public Schools is excited to host the 31st Annual Career and Tech Fair from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 at Frederick High School. This event is a cornerstone of efforts to highlight Career and Technical Education in FCPS.
This year, FCPS is excited to provide the community an opportunity to learn about CTE throughout the county while cheering on students at the fair. FCPS Career Coaches from all middle and high schools will be in attendance to showcase CTE student opportunities.
Doors open at 4:45 at Frederick High, located at 650 Carroll Parkway in Frederick. Local food trucks will be available for guests to enjoy while they attend the fair. One of our CTE sponsors, Tire World, will be attending and helping promote CTE.
Additionally, high school CTE teachers, partners and organizations will be present to share about CTE pathways and extracurricular opportunities such as FBLA, FFA, SkillsUSA, FCPS Robotics Clubs and ACE Mentoring. All students, parents, staff and community members are welcome to attend to learn about CTE and cheer on middle school students in the competitions!
Leading up to the Fair during February, designated as National CTE Month, middle school students are expanding their skills and knowledge for the competitions listed below that are tied to their related CTE course curriculum.
Winners of classroom-level competitions or judged to advance to school-level competitions will go on to represent and compete for their school in the county championships at the Career and Tech Fair.
Middle school student competitors must be pre-registered by their school's CTE teacher for the following competitions:
- All Wound Up: Students from Technology Exposition classes construct rubber-band cars and adjust the specifications to travel the greatest distance.
- Energy Bar: Students in Food Science embark on a multi-stage journey where they develop, market, and brand a healthy energy bar using readily available ingredients.
- Movie Magic: Students in Computer Science Exploration recreate and animate a scene from a movie or TV show provided by the judges using Scratch.
- Design Challenge: 6th and 7th grade Design challenges test a student's abilities to use the Design Process to solve a complex problem.
- Games and Animations: Students will be asked to code "something" that builds off the skills they would have used in their CSI class. A game or animation prompt will be provided to students at the competition.
- Budget Challenge: Students will complete a 3 month budget simulation using the Personal Finance Lab (60 minutes to complete). This engaging learning experience assesses their financial literacy skills with real-life scenarios and consequences.
- Hovercraft: Teams of two 8th grade Pre-Engineering students put their designed and constructed hovercrafts through a timed trial across a specified distance; the fastest hovercraft wins.
- Cupcake Wars: Teams of 2-4 eighth-graders from Life Skills in Society compete in a cupcake decorating competition based on a deliciously appealing theme of their choice.
- Bridge Challenge: Students will build a bridge using limited materials and supplies to meet the criteria and constraints provided. Bridges will be tested to see how much they can hold.
Students or parents who want to know more about the classroom competitions should reach out to their student's middle school CTE Teacher.
For more information about the Career and Tech Fair please contact Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Norm McGaughey, or CTE Administrative Secretary, Haley Weldon, at 301-644-5188.