Thomas Community Newsletter
January 7, 2023
We hope you had a joyful and restful winter break. On Tuesday, January 10th, students will return to school to complete the second half of the school year. We look forward to welcoming students back into the building and encourage them to arrive at school at 7:30 a.m. This will give them some time to catch up with friends and ease into school mode.
What's NEW at TMS in 2023? We have new tables and benches in our Commons. A new staff member will be joining the Wolf Pack. Mr. Brian Morgan will serve as our Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Mrs. Stacey Marini will be a TMS Teacher Assistant. We also have a few new student teachers joining us for the learning journey. January brings about the start of the scheduling process for the 2023-2024 school year along with the 5th-6th grade transition process. Details on this will be shared with all families of incoming 6th graders in the near future. Mark your calendars for the 2023-2024 School Calendar with 6th-grade Orientation and TMS locker set-up day on Friday, 8/11/23, and the TMS Back to School event Thursday, 8/17/23. For 8th-grade families, please be sure to check out the 8th-grade information below. This Wednesday, 1/11/23 @ 7 PM the TMS PTA will be discussing plans for graduation celebrations. We are seeking parent volunteers so please attend this meeting and share your ideas.
New Information in this newsletter:
- TMS Student Council Be The Good Challenge Spreading Holiday Cheer
- TMS Ski and Snowboard Outings
- TMS Student Newspaper (3rd Edition)
- TMS Wrestling Schedule
- ABC25 - STEM ASSEMBLY - CRIME SCENE SCIENCE
Important Upcoming Dates:
- Tuesday, 1/10/23 - School Resumes & Girl's Volleyball Tryouts
- Wednesday, 1/11/23 - PTA Meeting 7:00 pm, District Spelling Bee 3:15 pm @ South LMC, Girls Volleyball Tryouts
- Monday, 1/16/23 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
- Friday, 1/20/23 - End of 2nd Quarter
- Thursday & Friday, 2/16/23 & 2/17/23 - Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences - No School
Wishing you all the best in 2023!
Take care,
Lori, Nick, & Greg
The TMS Admin Team
The TMS Be The Good Challenge Spreads Holiday Cheer!
The TMS Be The Good Challenge was a huge success! We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the Thomas Middle School Community. Many thanks to the TMS Student Council representatives and our Student Council Sponsor, Mrs. Becky Fahnoe, for working tirelessly to make this event a successful way to spread holiday cheer!
Funds raised at this event have allowed us to BE THE GOOD. We've donated funds to support 40+ TMS families and we provided new books to support a Book Drive organized through the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. The TMS Student Council also donated toys purchased by our Student Council Exec Board Members to the pediatric floor at Northwest Community Hospital for kids who are hospitalized over the holidays. Wow, way to BE THE GOOD!
STEM ASSEMBLY - CRIME SCENE SCIENCE
ABC/25 Foundation invites you to a hands-on forensic science STEM assembly, CRIME SCENE SCIENCE, presented by MobileEd!
Date: Monday, 1/16/23 (non-attendance day)
Time: Four 45 minute sessions available, sessions start at 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 5:00 PM
Sign up: abc25.org/crimescene
Location: Ivy Hill Elementary School 2211 N Burke Dr, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Cost: Free for ABC/25 household member students! $10 per participant for non-members.
Details: Solve a mystery with science in Crime Scene Science!
ABC/25 GET BURBED CHALLENGE
Over 60 students submitted designs for the ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge T-Shirt design contest! We've narrowed it down to the three finalists and we need your help to choose which design will be featured on this year's race shirt! Vote here: https://www.abc25challenge.org/tshirt and make sure to participate in the ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge to get one of these exclusive shirts!
The ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge will be held on April 15, 2023! Save the date and follow The ABC/25 Foundation on Facebook or Twitter for more information and updates!
Angie Thanopoulos and Katie Lindgren
ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge Race Co-Directors
ABC/25 Foundation Updates
More TMS Memberships Needed: Ursula, the ABC/25 Foundation President (and 2006 Thomas Alumni) has shared that Thomas is currently at 21.65%, needing only 32 more households to join to meet the 25% goal.
Why Join? ABC/25 stands for A Better Community for District 25. The mission of the Foundation is “To foster innovation, creativity, and excellence for the children of District 25.” By joining, you support District 25 schools and teachers with funds for innovative, creative, and excellence experiences for your students. Over 50% of the Foundation's grant money comes from membership dues.Once a school reaches 25% membership (including families and staff), that school gets an additional $2500! New this year are member benefits! Learn more at www.ABC25.org
The ABC/25 Foundation has a new fundraiser during the month of December with Nothing Bundt Cakes! ABC/25 will receive 20% of all cake sales when our flyer is presented!
Thank you as always for your support of ABC/25!
Angie Thanopoulos and Katie Lindgren
ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge Race Co-Directors
Winter Coats Available for Those in Need
TMS has received a generous donation of new and gently used winter coats in a wide range of sizes. We are eager to give these to those in need. Please reach out to the TMS Office to make arrangements for this if you or someone in your household is in need of a winter coat.
8th Grade Information
Calling all 8th Grade Parent Volunteers! At our PTA meeting this Wednesday, January 11th, we will be discussing the end-of-year celebrations for our 8th graders. If you’d like to have input or hear the discussions of the various options, please attend our PTA meeting on January 11th, at 7 pm in the LMC. If you are unable to attend in person, you can join via Zoom. We will also be assessing how many 8th-grade parents are willing to volunteer to plan and organize the events, so if you can’t make this meeting either in person or via Zoom, please reach out to the PTA to let them know you are eager to help out. Planning the end-of-year events are a big task, and many parent volunteers will be needed. We hope to see you on January 11th at the PTA Meeting!
TMS tentative Graduation Date 6/1/23: The TMS graduation ceremony is tentatively set for Thursday, June 1, 2023 at Buffalo Grove High School. This date will be confirmed in the spring.
Graduation Photos: 8th grade gown photos will be offered during the February Parent/Teacher Conference Days. Information about this will be shared following the winter break.
POP TAB Collection for Ronald McDonald House
TMS Alumni, Audrey Zagorski, is a senior at Hersey High School who serves on the Teen Advisory Council for the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie's Children's Hospital. She is hoping we can support this amazing charity with a POP TAB collection at Thomas. She has provided collection containers for each homeroom. These containers are labeled per homeroom and ready for pick-up in Admin Alley. The POP TAB collection will run through March 10th. Please see the flyer below for more details!
Mental Health Resources
For many, the holidays are full of joy and wonder but, for others, the holidays and the cold winter days that follow can be the hardest. If you know someone who is struggling, you can contact t 988 - the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as Safe2Help Illinois.
When contacting 988, a trained counselor who is part of the Lifeline network will answer. These trained counselors will listen, understand how the problems are affecting the individual, provide support, and connect the individual to resources if necessary.
Here's a link to the District 25 Social Emotional Resources.
Student Academic Support Is Available
Please encourage your child to attend Office Hours/11th Hour/Homework Club and to reach out to teachers if they need help or just want a place to work on their academics after school. This support is FREE and can be extremely helpful.
Click here for more details on options for your child to get help from staff at TMS. The activity bus departs TMS at about 3:35 PM. Please see the Activity Bus Black Out Schedule below.
TMS PTA
MEETING DATES 2022-2023 - All meetings start @ 7 PM - Attend in-person or via Zoom!
- NEXT MEETING - Wednesday - 1/11/23 *8th Grade Parents, please consider attending!
ID: 84539033721
Passcode: 025903
(US) +1 386-347-5053
Passcode: 025903
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://sd25-org.zoom.us/j/84539033721?pwd=WE1nL0RvU2JLTXJUdllJZEh1L0h6QT09
Additional Meeting Dates:
- Tuesday - 2/7/2023
- Wednesday - 3/15/2023
- Wednesday - 4/5/2023
2022-2023 PTA Officers:
- President: Suzanne Krause
- President-Elect: Megan Puzen
- Vice President: Norah Muenkel
- Treasurer: Kelly Spokas
- Secretary: Deborah Oiler
Do you have questions for the PTA? Email the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com
Daily Attendance Information
Daily attendance is expected and essential to school success. Please work with us to ensure that your child is attending school each day. If support is needed in this area, please reach out to us.
- ABSENCE REPORTING: The TMS attendance reporting options are open 24 hours a day 7 days per week. If your child is sick or unable to attend school, the parent/guardian MUST report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260 by 8 AM, the latest, on the day of the absences. Please be sure to report your child's absence so that we can account for all students each day. Advanced notification of absences is greatly appreciated.
- ARRIVAL TIME: Students should arrive at school between 7:30-7:40 AM so that they can stop at their locker and be seated in their homeroom class by 7:50 AM.
- LATE ARRIVAL/TARDIES: Students arriving late to school are unexcused unless a parent or guardian calls to report the reason for the late arrival. Oversleeping and traffic are not considered excused absences. Students must sign in at the office upon arrival at school.
- EARLY DISMISSAL: If your child has a doctor's appointment and needs to leave school before dismissal at 2:45 PM, please be sure to report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260. Students must sign out in the office before leaving school early.
Students who are absent from class are encouraged to check Schoology for assignment information. In addition, it may be helpful for students who are absent to attend Homework Club / Office Hours for a few days upon returning to school.
PowerSchool & Schoology Information
Chromebook tourbles? Students can contact TMS Tech Support via email: thomastech@sd25.org
The Tech Office is located in the LMC.
IMPORTANT HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION
- District 25 Covid-19 Information
- Athletic Registration Form: This is for students that wish to participate in TMS athletics. If a student is participating in a sport, we must have the physical by the first day of practice.
- DENTAL FORMS: All dental forms are due by 5/15/23 and must be dated after 11/15/21.
- HEALTH OFFICE DOCUMENTS: Health Office documents can be turned into the TMS main office or can be uploaded to the TMS Health Office Form linked here.
Crossing Guard Opening
There is a new crossing guard job for the corner of Harvard and Maude! Click here to apply!
Salary:
- Starting salary is $19.32 per hour.
- No benefits available.
- This position is located at the corner of Harvard and Maude.
- Morning (8:30 am - 9:00 am)
- Afternoon (3:30 pm - 4:00 pm)
AHSD25 School Resource Officers
School District 25 has a wonderful partnership with the Arlington Heights Police Department and we are very fortunate to have two outstanding School Resource Officers that support our schools. The SROs attend various TMS events throughout the school year as they are an essential part of our Wolf Pack.
Officer Danny Malik & Officer John O'Leary
School Resource Officer
Arlington Heights Police Department
dmalik@vah.com & joleary@vah.com
M: 847-878-2949
W: 847-368-5393
Bus Information
All students need to show their bus pass in order to ride the bus!
Please direct all bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist:
Laura Comastro. Laura is the best person to answer your questions and resolve any issues.
847-758-4888
Additional bus information can be found at the transportation link on the District 25 website.
Our students practiced bus evacuation procedures on Oct. 18th. The video below was included in our morning announcements to help students learn these procedures as well. Students will have a 2nd opportunity to practice this in the Spring.
TMS Office Information
Monday - Friday 7 AM - 3 PM
*Modified hours over breaks and closed on holidays.
Attendance Reporting:
Online Attendance Form: Click here to report your child's absence or late arrival or early dismissal. The other option is to call the TMS office at 847-398-4260 to report your child's attendance.
TMS Address:
1430 N. Belmont Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Phone: 847-398-4260
Fax: 847-394-6843