Thurmont Primary School News
December 2019
Principal's Message
Happy December TPS Families,
In reflecting on all I have to be thankful for, one of my biggest blessings is the opportunity to serve the students, staff and school community at Thurmont Primary. I am humbled and honored to join you as we promote each and every student's individual success, as well as our collective commitment to growing our brain, heart and body power through working, learning and caring together. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and partnering together to ensure this year is filled with smiles, special memories and school success!
We continue to focus on the "Courage of a Cougar" theme in all we do as a staff, as well as with the experiences we provide to students. Staff have come together during November to use the Accelerated Learning Process (ALP) as a way to plan for instruction based on individual student needs. Teachers are trying new things in the classroom and empowering one another to take risks which enhance learning experiences for students.
Students continue to be recognized for their efforts throughout the building. One way we celebrate students showing their "Courage of a Cougar" is through our "Cougar Compliment Cards" which are awarded when students consistently display the pillars of character and positively contribute to our school community. The compliment card aligns with, and reinforces, our PATHS lessons where students learn to recognize qualities about themselves and others for which they deserve to be complimented. Three recent, and very proud, award recipients are shown below.
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if I can support you or your child in any way!
Yours in education,
Michele Baisey
TPS Holiday Lunch - Tuesday, December 17th
- 11:00-11:30am - K
- 11:45-12:15pm - 2nd Grade
- 12:30-1:00pm - 1st Grade
In order to prepare for food and guests, we ask that you complete the electronic TPS Holiday Lunch RSVP Form (linked here) by Friday, December 6th.
A few notes about our holiday lunch...
- Doors will open at 10:45am to purchase your lunch tickets in the front lobby
- Cost of an adult lunch is $4.25
- Please bring exact change (cash or check made payable to TPS Cafeteria)
- Additional parking is available in the back of the school building on our blacktop (there will be no outdoor recess to accommodate extra parking for the event)
- Please plan to arrive during the 15 minutes prior to your child's assigned lunch time as this will help with parking and purchasing of lunch tickets
Robotics/STEM Lab
Our Robotics/STEM Lab was made possible through a BNBI Grant which Mrs. Lillard applied for and secured. We would like to extend a specials thanks to all those who made the opening of the lab possible...
- Mrs. Lillard, STEM Leader
- Mrs. Tippett, Technology Specialist
- Parent Volunteers who worked with students in small group stations
- Classroom teachers who adjusted schedules and joined in the coding fun
- FCPS STEM & Science Curriculum Central Office Staff
Check out some pictures of our Robotics/STEM Lab below. If your child begins asking for a coding robot or adds this to a holiday wish list now you know why!
Preparing for Winter Weather
In the event your child loses an item at school, you are welcome to stop by our "Lost and Found" area to locate it. Having your child's items labeled will help make sure his/her things can make their way back to you.
Information about Weather Closings and Delays (linked here) is available on the FCPS website. Please refer to the refrigerator magnet which was provided at the start of the school year (clipped to your calendar handbook) for delayed opening/early dismissal schedule changes.
A Note from the Health Room
With the winter and flu season approaching, here are some helpful guidelines to help decide what to do if your child tells you they are not feeling well.
When to keep your child home from school:
- a temperature of more than 100 for more than 24 hours
- nausea or vomiting
- stomachache
- diarrhea
- pale or flushed face
- persistent cough
- earache
- thick discharge from the nose
- painful sore throat
- rash or infection of the skin
- red or pink eyes
If your child had a fever the evening before or through the night, please plan to keep them home for the following school day. Student’s should have a normal temperature under 100 degrees for 24 hours prior to returning to school. If the symptoms are severe or persist for more than 24 hours, you should contact your private source of medical care.
Children sometimes use illness as an excuse to miss school. On the other hand, some children force themselves to go to school even though they are sick. It is up to you to be alert to your child’s health and to decide when it is best to send him/her to school. This is also when you need to consider if your child would be contagious to classmates.
If your child complains of being sick or does not look well after they reach school, we will contact you. Therefore, it is important that updated information and phone numbers be provided. As you read this, please remember these are general guidelines. You know your child the best! This is also a perfect time to reinforce hand washing to help minimize the spread of germs. Thank you for your attention to this matter and please call the health room if you have any questions.
Stephanie Nestor, RN
Registered Nurse
Bus Transportation
Thank you to those families who have been in touch to share information which helps us to promote safe riding behaviors of all students. Please continue to reinforce rules and responsibilities with your child at home including...
- stay in your seat, and on your bottom, at all times
- keep your hands and feet inside the seat at all times
- respect the personal space of others
- use a quiet voice to talk with other students nearby
- listen to the bus driver and follow any directions given
- tell the bus driver before getting off the bus if there are any problems
Attendance
TPS won the first Feeder Attendance Challenge for November. We had 97.38% of students at school on time and ready to learn. As we do when meeting attendance goals, we will enjoy a special spirit day celebration - Hat Day on Tuesday, December 3rd. We continue to strive for 96% attendance daily and have met this goal monthly so far this year!
The Catoctin Feeder Principals will continue with monthly attendance challenges as we believe every minute missed is a learning opportunity lost. Thank you for your support in establishing positive attendance habits to ensure your child makes the most of every day in school!
As a reminder, our Attendance Committee meets monthly and reviews absence information. Letters will be sent home to inform you if/when your child has 3-5, 7-10, or more than 10 unlawful absences. Unlawful absences are those for which we do not have documentation of the reason a child missed school. Absences are excused when you provide a note stating the reason your child was unable to come to school. Examples of excused absence reasons include illness (vomiting, diarrhea, fever, contagious illness), vacation (5 days), death in the family and medical appointments. Green notepads were sent home with every child as an easy way for you to provide absence notes to school.
Information about attendance in FCPS is available at: https://www.fcps.org/student-services/general-info-for-parents
TEPS PTA News & Events
We look forward to the following events in December...
- PTA Board Meeting on Tuesday, December 3rd at TES (5:30pm)
- Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser on Wednesday, December 4th at Frederick North Location (5:00-8:00pm)
- Holiday Shop at TPS on Wednesday, December 18th - students with money to purchase items from the Holiday Shop will be provided time to do so throughout the school day
If you haven't done so yet, please become a member of our PTA. The membership application form (linked here) can be completed and returned to school with your child at any time.
Please contact the PTA at tepsptacougars@gmail.com for information about how you can remain actively engaged in our school community!
December Dates to Remember
Wednesday, December 4th - TEPS PTA Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser (5:00-8:00pm at Frederick North Location)
Tuesday, December 17th - Holiday Luncheon (see above for details)
Wednesday, December 18th - TEPS PTA Holiday Shop
Friday, December 20th - 2 Hour Early Dismissal
- School Dismisses for all students at 1:10pm
- AM PK attends from 8:10-10:40am
- PM PK attends from 11:40-1:10pm
Monday, December 23rd through Wednesday, January 1st - Schools Closed for Winter Break
Contact Information
Email: michele.baisey@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/tps/
Location: 7989 Rocky Ridge Road, Thurmont, MD, USA
Phone: 240-236-2800
Twitter: @ThurmontPrimary