TMS Community ROAR Report
February Newsletter
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
Be the Change
Greetings TMS Families,
As we shared, Thurmont Middle School has been collaborating with our TMS PTA to update our school mascot from a Panther to a Cougar. We have officially established the transition date to be the first day of term 4 so all our students can end the 2023-24 school year as a Cougar. We are currently working with local businesses to get donations so we can purchase a TMS Cougar t-shirt for every student. Once we have more information about this, we will communicate that to you. In the meantime, be on the lookout for our new official logo; we can't wait to share this update with the entire school community on March 25th!
Be the Change,
Janine Smith-Principal
Chris Bittner-Assistant Principal
Anita Shank-Assistant Principal
February SGA Spirit Week-February 12th-16th
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
- Friday, February 2nd-All County Chorus Rehearsals
- Monday, February 5th-Wyld Life 2:30-4:30pm
- Tuesday, February 6th-Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night-TMS Cafeteria 6:00-7:00pm
- Wednesday, February 7th-SGA Meeting 2:30pm-3:30pm
- Thursday, February 8th-PTA Meeting 6:00pm
- Friday, February 9th-PTA Cookie Decorating Event 2:30-5:00pm
- Monday, February 12th- Wyld Life 2:30-4:30pm
- Tuesday, February 13th-Leo Club 2:30-3:30pm
- Thursday, February 14th-Roy Roger's Fundraiser 5:00pm
- Friday, February 16th-2-hour Early Dismissal-Mid-Term
- Monday, February 19th-School Closed-Presiden'ts Day
- Tuesday, February 20th-TMS Band Feeder Tour
- Wednesday, February 21st-SGA Meeting 2:30-3:30pm
- Wednesday, February 21st-Book Club-TMS Media Center 2:30-3:30pm
- Thursday, February 22nd-Chorus Adjudication Practice 2:30-4:00pm
- Monday, February 26th- Wyld Life 2:30-4:30pm
- Thursday, February 29th- Chorus Adjudication Practice 2:30-4:00pm
TMS Yearbooks for Sale!
Capture this year's school memories by ordering your yearbook TODAY! Get your yearbook ordered today. Sale ends on 04/05/2023. We will NOT order extra copies. All orders must be done through Classic Photography. If you would like to submit a love letter to your child, you must submit PRIOR to March 1, 2024. Please click on link below for more information.
National School Counseling Week
February 5-9, 2024 is National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). This week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.
Ms. Bueso, Ms. Krauss, Ms. Varanyak, and Ms. Wivell serve as our amazing TMS student services team. Please join us in celebrating our dedicated counseling team during the week of February 5 and thanking them for all they do for our TMS community!
Counselor Corner
TMS Counseling Team Contact Information:
Sherry Bueso- Grade 6 School Counselor 240-236-5107/ sherry.bueso@fcps.org
Stacie Varanyak- Grade 7 School Counselor 240-236-5113/ stacie.varanyak@fcps.org
Rebecca Krauss- Grade 8 School Counselor 240-236-5108/ rebecca.krauss@fcps.org
Debbie Wivell- Behavior Support Specialist 240-236-5155/debbie.wivell@fcps.org
Jane Nicholson- Registrar 240-236-5106/ jane.nicholson@fcps.org
Diana Merritt- Career Coach 240-236-5163 /diana.merritt@fcps.org
Assistant Principal Caseload
Ms. Shank: 8th Grade & 7th Grade M-Z
Grading in FCPS
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is committed to ensuring that students’ grades reflect what they know and are able to do, and that classroom grading practices are consistent, accurate, fair, and transparent. Each year, teachers and leaders examine their grading practices to ensure that grading is aligned to these goals. To help students, parents, and other stakeholders better understand what goes into conversations about grading in FCPS, check out the video above to learn more.
For more information about grading policies and regulations, please see FCPS Regulations 500-5 (Secondary) or 500-06 (Elementary), Grading, Reporting, and Intervention.
Out of District Applications
FCPS is accepting out of district applications from February 1 - March 1.
Click HERE to view the FCPS Information Sheet about Out of District Applications.
Click HERE to view the FCPS application for Out of District. Applications will not be accepted without a signature. If you have any questions about the application or out of district process, contact Jason Senuta at 240-236-8891.
Service Learning
Have you volunteered outside of the school day to a non-profit organization?
If so, please return this form to Ms. Kehr
I will keep track of your service learning hours.
If you have 25 hours by May of your 8th grade year, you can earn an award.
All hours will transfer to high school.
More information can be found here on the FCPS website.
There are also forms located in Ms. Kehr’s room (250) in the office and in the Media Center.
Bullying, Harassment or Intimidation
Children need a trusted adult to turn to when they feel threatened. It is important that your child is encouraged to contact their school counselor, administrator or teacher to report bullying because it may not stop without help. If your child feels uncomfortable reporting bullying and harassing behaviors, parents are encouraged to report it to FCPS staff.
To report bullying, use the FCPS Bullying, Harassment or Intimidation Reporting Form, available on the FCPS.org website.
If bullying happens outside of school, families can call:
- 211 for community resource information
- Law enforcement if threats or physical harm occur
Learn more about bullying, harassment, and intimidation in the FCPS Students and Families Tab, found at www.fcps.org. Information is also available in Bullying - Harassment - Intimidation Complaint Process for Students linked here.
School Meals
FCPS is using a new portal for school meal related information. Go to the parent portal at http://linqconnect.com/ where you can:
- Apply for meal benefits (FARM)
- View menus, meal prices and a la carte prices
- Add money to student accounts
- Transfer funds between students
- View student meal transactions
- Set low-balance notifications
Breakfast is FREE to ALL TMS Students this year!
Free Mental Health Crisis Care Center Now Open 24/7
23-24 School Updates
Mid-Term for Term 3: Mid-term for term 3 is on February 16th. If your child has missing assignments or needs to complete a re-assessment, please encourage them to speak with their teacher(s) as soon as possible. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher(s). All students also have access to free online tutors 24 hours a day using the TutorMe link in Schoology or on our school’s website.
Water Bottles: Please remind your student that we encourage consumption of water throughout the day, however, we are seeing an increase of drinks other than water throughout the building that are not properly sealed and therefore creating spills throughout the building. Students should only bring water to school in a bottle that is resealable to prevent these types of situations. Thanks for your support of this!
Morning Arrival:
Reminder, TMS doors are not open to students until 7:00am, please do not drop off your student prior to this time as there is no supervision of students prior to 7:00am. Thank you for your attention to this.
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.
Students Reporting Security Concerns:
"See Something, Say Something" and "Don't repost it. Report it" - Encourage students to report security concerns to a trusted adult (parent, school staff member, school administrator, SRO, or a local law enforcement agency). Students may also anonymously report concerns using the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line at 833-MD-B-SAFE. In an emergency, call 911. Additional resources can be found on each school's website and the FCPS website.
FCPS Bus Delay Information:
A quick and easy resource to check if your child's bus is delayed is to visit https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/ This site is updated in real-time to reflect any bus delays.
Volunteering at TMS:
Are you interested in volunteering at TMS? If so, all volunteers must complete the virtual training each year linked here. Please note this must be completed to chaperone field trips. Please reach out to Shannon Ingram with questions/concerns.
Community Liaison:
If you are in need of assistance with school supplies, hygiene products, food, or other community resources for housing, please reach out Crystal Mckenzie, our TMS Community Liaison at Crystal.McKenzie@fcps.org. We are here to support and assist all of our families!
If you are in need of a new bed, please access the following link from Sleep Heavenly Peace.
Tutor Me
Our school is proud to announce that we’ve teamed up with TutorMe to offer 24/7 online tutoring to all students!
TutorMe is a place where our students can build the connections they need to learn and thrive. Through TutorMe, students connect with a tutor who’s an exact match for what they’re looking for – whether you’re stumped by an algebra equation, craving a confidence boost, or looking for an extra challenge. There’s more to TutorMe than live online tutoring. Through the TutorMe Writing Lab, you can submit drafts of any written assignment and receive detailed feedback from expert writing tutors in just a couple hours. Reference the TutorMe Support Guide to get started. TutorMe Student Support Guide (English) ESP. Guia de Apoyo- TutorMe (Spanish)
TMS Cookie Decorating Event
TMS PTA
VALENTINE'S COOKIE DECORATING
STUDENT EVENT
After School Friday, February 9
Decorate cookies and make a Valentine. There will be a prize for the most original cookie decoration and Valentine.
Snacks and fun!
Please pick up by 5pm in the back parking lot.
Please see Google Form for sign-up.
TMS PTA Needs YOU!
2023-24 PTA Board of Directors:
Christy Donnelly-President
Jennifer O’Connell-Secretary
Elizabeth Day-Treasurer
Meeting Dates:
February 8th GENERAL MEETING
March 14th BOARD MEETING
April 11th GENERAL MEETING
May 9th – GENERAL MEETING- Voting of new board members
Digital Membership: https://fspta-00023696.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true
We need YOU to become a member of our PTA! Please be on the lookout for the online membership link for you to join. We are excited to grow our amazing TMS PTA!
Principal - Thurmont Middle School