TGMS Weekly Update
July 17, 2020
A message from Kara Jackson
Dear Parents and Students,
As the principal of Toll Gate Middle School, I welcome you to the 2020 - 2021 school year.We hope this newsletter finds you having an enjoyable, relaxing vacation. This special summer edition is being sent in hopes that it will answer many of your questions about the upcoming year. While we all know that the 20 - 21 school year will look different, we will do our best keep you informed through our TGMS Weekly Updates. We encourage you to visit the PLSD Website for Back-to- School information, the website is an excellent source of information.
We have been working hard to get our building ready for your student’s return. The custodians have done an amazing job. We all want students to return to school safely! Please understand that things may change as we get more information and guidance from Governor DeWine and the Health Department. Please read on for specific information on everything that we know to date.
Again, stay safe, stay healthy!
Start of the School Year under the Hybrid Model
The hybrid model means that your student will attend school with a cohort of students (which will be roughly half the amount of students that we normally would have). Cohorts will be the same for families so if you have a student in another building they will attend classes on the same day. Cohorts will attend either Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday, with Wednesday being a virtual day for all students. As a district and building, we are working on how to get schedules/cohorts to families so please be patient with us. More details about how the school day will look will be forthcoming as soon as they are made available. As indicated in this plan, please note that masks will be required for students who are riding the bus and in the school buildings. Please start to discuss and practice this with your student at home so they become more comfortable with wearing a mask. This is also a great time to stress the importance of wearing a mask for everyone’s safety.
Last night the board had a special meeting to review the updated “Flexible Learning Plan”. The updated "Flexible Learning 2.0" plan was approved by our Board of Education during this meeeting. To view the detailed plan, visit https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/flexible-learning-2-0-plan-qa/ or you can find it by clicking the blue "Back-To-School Plan & Forms" button at the top of our homepage (www.pickerington.k12.oh.us). It will likely answer a lot of your questions! You may also submit any additional questions to plsd_communications@plsd.us. One of the biggest changes was in the start date to this school year. The change was recommended by our calendar committee and was approved last night by the board. The new start date for the 2020-21 school year will be on Monday August 24th, 2020. More information about preschool, kindergarten, and cohort (A and B) start times to come. Updates to the 2020-21 school calendar will be published as soon as possible.
A few additional notes
Device Distribution
We will provide details on device distribution for those students who do not have one as the specifics become available.Placement Letters
Our hope is to mail student homeroom placements in early August.
Deadline to apply for the Virtual Academy is July 26, 2020.