Thank you to the families that went above and beyond the last week of January to help get students to school. Winter weather is rarely ideal for the NESD busses, so any assistance truly is appreciated. Better Together!

With TMSS families escaping the cold weather for a family holiday, please let your child’s teachers know. All teachers have online platforms that we can direct you to that can now be accessed even outside of Canada. One advantage of our Edsby system is the ability for families to post absences (including the reason). Communication with school and home is crucial for a successful educational experience.

With the first semester ending on January 30th (Tuesday is a day off school for students) and February 1st being the first day of a new semester, it is a chance for students and teachers to start fresh. Your child’s schedule will not be printed out. They can access it through the Edsby app or online in all grades if they go to Feb. 1 on the calendar. However, the homeroom teachers in grade 6 through 8 will likely just share the second semester schedule with their entire class.

First semester report cards will be available on Edsby the morning of Friday, February 3rd. It certainly requires a few more “clicks” to open the report card on this platform to read final grades and teacher comments. If you’re having difficulty, please call Andrea in our school office and she can offer her assistance in the parent or student portal.

We are excited to share a new fundraiser at TMSS as we continually raise money for our dream of revitalizing the school grounds for our entire community to use and enjoy. Our SCC is organizing an online auction in March (1st through 7th) and businesses and/or individuals are welcome to donate items (deadline for donation items is February 17th).

We hope to see you at the many Tornado basketball and curling games we host!

Carmen Messer

This month's Grade 6 GRIT Award recipient is Aleaha Small. She is always open to feedback for GROWTH. She works hard even when tasks challenge her. She is RESILIENT and pushes through the things that aren't easy. Aleaha is a strong group member who can both lead and follow, and is a kind and helpful classmate; throughout this, she shows INTEGRITY and TOGETHERNESS. Aleaha shows respect for others, and her smile is infectious. Outside of school, Aleaha is also a Rambler hockey player. Aleaha, keep being you!

This month's Grade 7 GRIT award goes to Katrina Streltsova. Katrina always strives to do her best, no matter what the task is. She shows growth by reviewing her work and utilizing feedback to find ways to improve. She is resilient because she accepts challenges with a positive attitude and never gives up. Katrina takes accountability for her own learning and is always willing to put in her best effort. Keep up the great work, Katrina!

Our Grade 8 GRIT Award for this month goes to Bridjette Roy. Bridjette is a student who consistently demonstrates resilience. She is kind and always willing to lend a hand. Way to go Bridjette!

This month's Grade 9 GRIT award winner really stands for what GRIT means. She has shown tremendous growth in PE class, participating and putting in her best effort into every activity. She has shown resilience by always having a smile on her face no matter the circumstances. Furthermore, she shows true integrity by always being upfront and honest. Lastly togetherness is something she has shown so much. If it is making the snack box for the Trojans everyday, cooking muffins for her peers and others, or just being a positive role model in the community. This month's award winner represents our school in so many ways. The GRIT winner is Ava Savage.

This month’s Grade 10 GRIT award goes to Damien Dewan. Damien is a quiet, but conscientious student who diligently attempts all tasks with equal integrity and perseverance. He displays resiliency as he meticulously works through assignments. He takes great care when completing assignments and composes quality assignments at a high academic level. He is accepting of academic challenges, mindful of deadlines and is open to suggestions for improving his academic performance. He is a friendly and a student who is actively involved in classroom activities. Way to go Damien.

Grade 11 Grit : Jack Bechard

J- Jack is very efficient at balancing his school work with his sports and social life. (Resilience)

A-All around athlete. Jack is a valuable member on the following school teams: cross-country, golf, and basketball, as well as the Trojan Hockey Team. (Integrity)

C- Cheerleader for his teams. Jack has team spirit and cheers on his team, even if he isn’t playing. His enthusiasm is very contagious.(Team)

K- Knowledgeable. Jack is willing to participate in class discussions. (Growth)

This month’s Grade 12 GRIT Award goes to Madison McAvoy. Madison is a very deserving recipient of the award. She works extremely hard in all her classes and has a high overall academic average. She is respectful towards students and staff. She is always willing to help other students. She is involved in school drama and community music. She has a quiet, friendly demeanor about her. She is a very thoughtful and giving person……so much so…. that she brings baked goodies every Friday for her teachers and fellow graduates! The future is bright for Madison!

The TMSS senior curling teams have been busy with league play since returning from Christmas. They played games in Nipawin and Melfort and will head to Bjorkdale to complete league play. NESSAC will take place in February in Nipawin.

On January 13-14 Ty Olson/Allyssa Svenson and Brecken Whitelaw/Jaycee Prevost attended a Mixed Doubles Bonspiel in Prince Albert. This was their first time playing this format and they did fantastic! Ty and Allyssa lost in the A final while Brecken and Jaycee lost in the B Final. It was a great learning experience.

NESSAC will take place in Nipawin on February 8 & 9. Good Luck Curlers!

Jr and Sr Archery has hit the road running, after the New Year! With 48 archers involved in the program, we have lots of eager athletes, ready to participate in as many tournaments as possible after a three-year drought. Students will be headed to Moose Jaw, February 4th to compete at the first shoot of the season.

Huge shoutout goes to our TMSS Senior Boys Basketball team who took the title of A Side Champs at their home tournament this weekend! Fantastic performance by these boys who have been working hard all season. Thank you for creating some exciting basketball to watch. Congratulations, boys!

The team would also like to pass their appreciation on to those who helped out with the tournament this weekend:

Thanks to Coach Keith Chapman and Coach Kim Gisi for the knowledge and direction.

Thanks to all of the parent volunteers who helped with the Saturday morning breakfast.

Thanks to the students who volunteered time to scorekeep and run the clock.

Thanks to the TMSS teachers for refereeing.

Thanks to Janke LLP, Tisdale Dairy Queen, and Beeland Co-op for sponsoring.

Thanks to the fans for their enthusiasm!

TMSS would like to send our sincere thanks to CN Railway for the generous grant of $25,000 to be put towards our outdoor Amphitheatre construction. This is a huge contribution and brings us so much closer to our goal!

What’s the big deal about gratitude?

It certainly feels good to be thanked and appreciated. However, the benefits to the person who is taking the time to say thanks is often overlooked. The Oxford dictionary defines gratitude as the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Research tells us there are lots of benefits to expressing gratitude.

Harvard Health publishing put out an article in 2021 outlining research on the subject. Gratitude is shown to be correlated with people experiencing greater happiness. More specifically it helps people to feel more positive emotions, appreciate good experiences, deal with challenges, build strong relationships. Due to all these benefits it’s believed to improve your overall health. Gratitude is a way for us to appreciate the things we already have, rather than thinking we will be happier if we could just acquire something new or achieve higher status.

How do we practice gratitude? Is it as simple as saying “thanks” or saying the words “I’m grateful for….”? Do we even need to practice?

The truth is, it can be as simple as taking the time to say thank-you or thinking about something you are grateful for. The important part is to do so with intention, to be specific about what you’re grateful for and to genuinely mean it. Just saying the words without the feeling behind it, won’t result in all the healthy benefits. As for practice, yes, the more regularly you take the time to express gratitude the better you get at it. It might feel silly when you first start, but the benefits grow.

Here are some ideas of how you can practice gratitude in your life:

1. Write a thank-you note, letter or email to someone expressing your enjoyment and appreciation

2. Take mental note. Take time on the regular to think about all the things in your life you are grateful for. Maybe this is when you first wake up or before you go to sleep.

3. Keep a gratitude journal.

4. Meditate. While you meditate focus on what you are grateful for.

Check out these websites for some more guidance on your gratitude practice:

https://www.mindful.org/

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/gratitude-practice.html

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/gratitude-journal/

And in the spirit of gratitude… I want to sincerely express how grateful I am that you took the time to read what I have written. It means a lot to me that I get to share things that might benefit other people in a positive way. Thank-you!