Tumwater News
August 24, 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Students and Families,
If you've driven by the school recently, you've probably noticed a full parking lot. Over the past few days, there has been a buzz of activity as teachers set up their classrooms and we prepare for students to begin school. When I was a student I looked forward to the start of the school year, anxious to reunite with my classmates and launch another year of learning. As an educator, this time of year always fills me with hope and excitement. This year, that anticipation is magnified as we ready ourselves to welcome the first Tumwater Middle School students and also return as a district to full, in-person learning for all students.
In addition to academic learning, time during our first few days and weeks together will be spent building relationships as we weave the new Tumwater community together. Our intent is for all students to feel welcomed, valued, and accepted in our school.
Students and families are invited to join us for the school dedication on Thursday, Sept. 2nd. Building tours will be held from 4:30-5:30 and 6:15-7:30 pm. The dedication ceremony will be held on our patio and fields from 5:30-6:15 pm. You're welcome to join us for either of the tour sessions and the dedication ceremony too. Shuttle buses will run between the upper parking lot of Cedar Mill Bible Church and Tumwater from 3:45-7:45 pm. On site parking is very limited, so please consider choosing to ride/walk, carpool, and/or use the shuttle. We're grateful to our community partners, including Market of Choice who will be providing refreshments for the event and Tumwater PTO who will host an interactive booth and photo opportunity.
I'm looking forward to meeting you in person soon!
Warmly,
Jill O'Neill
Shared Campus
As you may have noticed with our new school sign, this year we will be sharing our beautiful building with the Flex Online school. This is a temporary, one year arrangement as a more permanent home for Flex Online is identified. The two schools are distinct from one another and will generally use different areas of the building. Tumwater 6th-8th graders attend class in person and Flex Online K-12 students engage in their learning remotely.
Meet Your Counselor
Hello, Tumwater Rapids! We are your Tumwater counseling team and we are so excited to meet you all! We wanted to share with you our counseling website. Here you will find helpful information and resources, as well as ways to contact us. On the student page, students can also find an appointment request form, to request an appointment if they'd like to meet with their counselor. We will be adding more to our website in the coming weeks, and look forward to meeting everyone, and building our Tumwater community together!
Tumwater Middle School Counseling Enrollment Verification
A few weeks ago parents/guardians should have received Enrollment Verification emails to confirm enrollment at Tumwater and to update student information, including emergency contacts. Please review your student's information carefully and complete the verification prior to the first day of school. Click here for a how to guide and instructional video.
School Hours & Calendar
The school day is from 9:15 am - 3:50 pm. Students should arrive no earlier than 8:45 am and plan to depart by 4:00 pm, unless in a prearranged meeting with a teacher or school-sponsored club. Staff supervision is not provided before or after those times.
The cafeteria will open for breakfast at 8:45 a.m. To promote social distancing, unless students are eating breakfast at school, students will go to their first class upon arrival.f
The district calendar is available here - scroll down for a pdf available in 9 languages.
Student Schedules
There is a chance that Tumwater student schedules will be viewable starting Friday evening. Once our school schedule goes live, IT starts rostering students in our learning applications to prepare for teachers returning, district-wide on Monday, August 30th.
Please reinforce to your children that their schedules are not final until Wednesday, September 1st. This allows our counselors the time they need to review schedules and make changes, as necessary. We worked hard to ensure that our students received their top elective choices. Classes are full, and there is not a lot of flexibility for changes.
Thank you so much for your support. We are so excited to welcome your child to Tumwater Middle School!
First Days of School
Weds., Sept. 8th is the first day of school for 6th Graders. 7th and 8th graders' first day is Thurs., Sept. 9th. The first days will include many opportunities for students to get to know one another, become familiar with the building, and practice school routines. Chromebooks will be checked out to 6th graders and other students during the first week.
We will follow COVID-19 guidance from the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education. Currently the guidance is that all K-12 students and staff will wear masks inside the building and on buses. Follow these links for more BSD Back to School Information, including a Back to School Checklist.
Library Update
Our shelves are filled with a vast collection of genres, ready to be perused and enjoyed by students. Welcome readers!
Band Instrument Night Rescheduled - Tues., Sept. 21st
The Band Instrument Preview Night originally scheduled for Sept. 1st has been reformatted and rescheduled. Instead of an opportunity for students to rotate through stations and try out instruments, 6th & 7th Grade band students will have an opportunity to learn about the instruments in class during the first two weeks of school. We will host a rental event on Tuesday, September 21st from 5-7 p.m. for family drop ins. Band students and their parents/guardians will receive an email with more detailed information from Band Director Mr. Swardstrom prior to the start of school
Tumwater Theatre Takes The Stage
We are opening a new theatre company in the 2021-2022 school year and have partnered with the Beaverton Education Foundation to fundraise initial start up costs. We're well on our way to meeting our goal and your donation will be much appreciated. You can also help us by sharing the link below with your family, friends, and on social media. TMS Takes the Stage
School Supply List
Our school supply list is available on our school website. Tumwater is not partnering with any organizations that pre-package school supplies. We encourage you to reuse any items available at home and are able to support any students who need assistance with supplies.
Teachers will be helping students manage digital calendars and planning tools, so paper planners will not be distributed to students as they were at most middle schools before distance learning. Students who wish to use a planner are welcome to bring their own to school and we will have a limited supply available at school.
If you are in need of assistance with school supplies, please call the school office or email TMS-Communications@beaverton.k12.or.us.
Medication drop off at Tumwater
We will be hosting two curbside events for parent/guardians to fill out forms and drop off student medication on Tuesday, Aug. 31st from 8-10 am and Friday, Sept. 3rd, from 8-10 am. Look for a tent in the student drop off lane.
Home is the best place for your child to receive medication. If possible, spacing of medication dosages should be arranged to allow for home administration. The Beaverton School District follows State guidelines for medication administration, when home administration is not possible. Please review the BSD guidelines below for medication administration to ensure safe, accurate administration at school. Medications must be updated each school year.
ALL MEDICATIONS:
- Must be in original container.
- Must be transported to/from school by a parent/guardian.
- Necessary paperwork is completed by parent/guardian. (All medications forms can be obtained in the school office.)
- Adequate amount of medication is provided by the parent/guardian.
- All changes in instructions must be in writing and cannot be accepted verbally.
- All medications must be picked up at the end of each school year or they will be discarded.
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS:
- Must be in prescription bottle.
- Label must have child’s name, name of medication, route of administration, dose amount to be given at school, frequency/time of administration, and physician’s name.
- Most pharmacists will provide two containers for prescription medication at home and school.
- Middle school students may carry emergency medications needed for immediate access (non-injectable) medications with them IF permission is obtained and the Self-Administration Medication Authorization form is completed and on file in office.
NONPRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS
- Must be in original container (no baggies, foil, etc.) and labeled with child’s name.
- Physician order needed only when the parent’s instruction for administration contradicts the safe dosing instruction on the bottle/container.
Bus Routes
The BSD Transportation Department will email parents/guardians bus route information starting on August 31st. Learn more
here. Join Tumwater's Volunteer Database
Email update_volunteer_locations@beaverton.k12.or.us in order to add your profile to Tumwater Middle School. Parents are not automatically moved from their elementary schools into the Tumwater volunteer database. All volunteers, chaperones, and visitors must have a completed background check.
New to the Beaverton School District?
Fill out a parent application. Follow the steps to create a username, password, and profile. The background check mandated by Beaverton School District is included in this application. Once a profile is created, volunteers will be able to update personal information, view and sign-up for open volunteer needs, and communicate directly with Tumwater's Volunteer Coordinator.
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Tumwater Middle School
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