The Tohickon Golden Eagle
January 2023
2023-2024 PROGRAM PLANNING BEGINS
Dear Tohickon Families,
Happy New Year to all of our families! I hope that you had a healthy, restful, enjoyable winter break! The winter break always marks a key transition period for us as it provides everyone with an opportunity to reflect and reset prior to the start of a new year. The first four months of the school year went smoothly, and we are hopeful that this will continue as we move into the new year.
As we return to school in the new year, the 2023-2024 Program Planning process becomes a key focus. During the month of January, the planning process mostly involves our current grade nine students. We will begin with an assembly for all ninth-grade students on Wednesday, January 4. This assembly will include our student services staff (Mrs. Schute, Mr. Stryker and Mrs. Wolfinger), along with two high school representatives, one from CB East and one from CB West. The assembly will outline the program planning process, provide information on available course opportunities at the high school and give students an opportunity to ask any questions they may have. On Thursday, January 5, all three high schools will be holding their curriculum fairs, which will provide very important information to all ninth-grade parents and students. Students and parents are strongly encouraged to attend this high school event!
The month of January is the final month of the first semester. The first semester is set to conclude on January 27. Academically, this is a very important month, as our teachers at all grade levels begin making decisions on course placement recommendations for the 2023-2024 School Year. In some cases, January can be a tough month for motivation, due to the cold weather and post-holiday lull. Therefore, it is extremely important to remind your child(ren) to continue their best efforts in all subject areas as we move through the month. January will end with program planning assemblies for grades seven and eight on January 30 and January 31.
The program planning process will come and go quickly, so it is imperative for all of our families to keep a close eye out for any email blasts and/or important calendar dates. If you have any questions about this process or specifics, please reach out to our guidance office at 267-893-3300. We will do whatever we can to make the next several weeks as smooth as possible.
Have a fantastic month!
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton
Tohickon Principal
There are upcoming events of which students and parents should be aware. The events for the month of January are as follows:
January 5
- Curriculum Fair at High Schools 6:30 PM
January 16
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Schools Closed
January 19
- Parent Council Meeting in Library beginning at 9:00 AM
January 27
- End of Second Marking Period
- Early Dismissal 10:45 AM
Coffee, Cookies and Cocoa
The staff would like to thank everyone that contributed to Parent Council's Coffee, Cookies and Cocoa day! This is one of our favorite days of the year and it would not be possible without the generosity of all of you. Special thanks go out to Mrs. Kanyok, Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Dickson for making this event happen!
ATTENDANCE
PARENTS/GUARDIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO NOTIFY THE SCHOOL OF ANY ABSENCE, LATENESS OR EARLY DISMISSALS THROUGH THE PARENT PORTAL. Excused absences include illness, death in the immediate family, inclement weather that would jeopardize the safety of the student, religious holidays, home emergencies directly related to the student, health care of the student which cannot be arranged outside of school hours, and educational trips or family travel under the conditions outlined as per the School Board Policy. Please use the parent portal rather than calling or sending your child with a written absentee notice. If an absence has not been entered through the parent portal within one week of the absence, it will remain marked as unexcused. We strongly encourage submitting a doctor note if your child has missed three or more days of school or has missed school due to a scheduled appointment. Doctor notes can be emailed to dmeadows@cbsd.org.
Ten (10) days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification will be permitted during a school year. Absences beyond ten (10) days require an excuse from a physician. In cases when a physician’s note is required, absences not documented by a physician’s note will be considered unlawful.
Vacation
Children may also be excused from school for educational tours or trips, which are defined as non-school sponsored trips taken by the student with immediate family members in attendance. Only two (2) separate absences for family travel will be excused, and the TOTAL number of days missed must not exceed five (5) days. Days exceeding these guidelines will be considered unlawful and/or unexcused. It is the responsibility of the student to let teachers know and obtain work prior to the absence in order to keep pace with class progress.
Lateness:
A student is considered late if they are not in their seat in 1st period by the second bell at 7:30 AM. Students must report to the office (with a note from their parent/guardian explaining their lateness) to receive a late pass in order to gain admittance to class. Such reasons as missing the bus, oversleeping, etc. are not valid excuses for lateness. On the third unexcused tardy, an administrative conference will be arranged. If the problem persists, stronger measures may be taken. Late time may be accumulated and count toward unlawful absences from school.
Operation Eternal Gratitude
During the month of November, the seventh grade participated in a service-learning project. We worked with an organization at CB South titled Operation Eternal Gratitude. (OEG) Students collected items that our military troops may need while working in other countries. As you can see, we were successful and pleased with the turn out! Students also wrote letters and cards to the troops. They thanked them for their service and gave them a peek into their lives here at Tohickon. (Photos below)
PARENT COUNCIL MEETING
We will be holding our next Parent Council Meeting on Thursday, January 19, beginning at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held in person in the library. We hope to see you there!
TWENTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY NOMINATIONS
We invite you to nominate alumni & staff to be recognized as we celebrate over twenty years at Tohickon!
On Friday, November 18th a rededication ceremony was held to recreate the dedication ceremony that was held on November 19th, 2002.
We are holding a year-long celebration with special spirit days, reflection events, and unveilings of different projects being worked on to commemorate this milestone.
One of our projects is to celebrate and recognize the achievements of alumni and staff members. We invite you to nominate Tohickon alumni and staff for their achievements with the recognition form below. Please complete one entry per nomination. Examples include but are not limited to military service, first responder service, educational achievement, led a fundraiser, led an initiative, created their own business, achievement in the arts, achievements in athletics, government service, etc.
A committee of students, staff, and parents will review all submissions to identify those who will be honored. Due to the volume of submissions, we will make every attempt to honor those who are nominated based on the criteria.
To nominate, please click the link below:
PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS
Students are not required to purchase a CBSD issued physical education uniform; however, students will be required to change into athletic attire and sneakers to participate safely and practice good hygiene. Student attire must adhere to the dress code guidelines presented in the student handbook. CB locks will still be required to purchase to ensure personal items are secured in a locker. Locks are available for purchase on MyPaymentsPlus.
STUDENT SERVICES
MBIT and is it for me?
The MBIT Open House in December was a success. We also had 75 students sign up to attend a field trip in December to see the school. Wow! Any interested 9th grade students can also sign up to shadow an area at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT) to see if it’s a match for them. Interested students should go to their website (www.mbit.org) to learn more. Applications should be submitted online as soon as possible. Feel free to stop in the Student Services Office for help.
Preparing for 10th Grade
January 5th, 2023 -- Curriculum Fairs at CB East and CB West – 6:30 PM – The curriculum fair is an opportunity for parents and students to gain more information about the high schools and the courses available. We strongly recommend that 9th grade students and their parents plan to attend.
Calling All 9th Grade Families: 10th Grade Program Planning/Course Selection Process
This year for program planning for our 9th grade students, the high school counselors will continue to work closely with the middle schools to ensure that students are on the correct trajectory. To increase efficiency and effectiveness of doing so, we will be using the following plan:
1. High school counselors will go to the middle school 9th grade program planning assembly to instruct students on what to do, expectations, etc.
2. Students will then put in their course requests for electives and teachers will put in their recommendations for core academic classes.
3. Once course requests are in, middle school and high school counselors will review all students’ requests/schedules in depth and will collaborate on meeting with students who have conflicts, questions, or who request a 1:1 meeting for more specific situations.
While our counselors are not meeting with every single student, they will be reviewing each students’ schedule in-depth and will work directly with students and families to problem solve if/when needs arise.
Paramount to the high school transition are relationships and connectedness. We will continue to plan and program for relationship building opportunities as your child transitions to high school, including the forthcoming program planning assembly with high school and middle school counselors, curriculum fair, Q&A with high school counselors during the Intervention and Enrichment time, and welcome days at the high schools. We will share more information about these exciting events soon.
Please reach out to your child’s counselor for additional assistance and information as we work together to support this transition. Thanks!
Preparing for 7th, 8th and 9th Grade
We will begin PROGRAM PLANNING for next year in ALL grades January and February 2023. See important dates listed by grade on the Student Services website in January.
*9th grade Program Planning Assembly: January 4th
*8th grade Program Planning Assembly: January 31st
*7th grade Program Planning Assembly: January 30th
Discussion Groups
Tohickon Counselors continue to run a variety of discussion groups with students who have expressed an interest. Topics for these groups include Stress Management, Grief and Loss, Family Support and Mindfulness. Students who have signed up will participate in group during school hours. Groups will run once a week for approximately six weeks.
The counselors are looking forward to meeting with students and helping them face the many challenges of the middle school years in a healthy way. Everyone benefits from talking things out and learning new strategies.
Laptop Breakage
We have seen a rise in the amount of screen breaks for student laptops. Our policy covers for 2 broken screens per device. If your child’s laptop screen breaks 3 times, we will be required to send you an invoice for the repair and labor. The current cost for this is $200. Please remind your child to care for their laptops. Some simple steps to assist are:
- Use two hands when holding or moving the device.
- Use clean hands while using the laptop or iPad.
- Use only the provided digital pen or finger on the screen.
- Use only the power adapter that came with the device.
- Use a microfiber cloth to clean the screen.
- Keep device stored in the provided case. This includes traveling through the hallways, on buses, or anytime the device is not being utilized.
- Make sure nothing is on the keyboard, close the lid, and remove all cables if any are plugged into the laptop. Place laptop in your bag carefully.
- Be careful when placing your case on the floor. Keep the device off the floor so screens do not get stepped on by others.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Welcome back and we hope you had an enjoyable break! A HUGE THANK YOU to our Tohickon Staff and Students for helping 28 families in our Tohickon Community make their holidays a little brighter this year!
Cold and Flu season has officially kicked into high gear, along with other respiratory illnesses. Remember to wash hands frequently and cough into your arm to help prevent the spread of germs. Children should be fever free for 24 hours to be in school. The health office does not have cold medication at school so these should be given at home. Your child may carry a personal supply of cough drops but no other medication may be administered without a physician order. Proper paperwork from a physician needs to be turned in for use of an inhaler in school. If you are unsure of the medication policy, feel free to call us to discuss at 267-893-3315. Please advise the nurse’s office with any new medical condition your child develops in order to keep their health records up to date.
We wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy 2023!
FROM STUDENT COUNCIL
The Annual Toys for Tots Toy Drive was a huge success! Over 280 toys were picked up by our former student and Young Marine, Susan Suber. Thank you to all the students, parents & faculty for your contributions and for making this a joyous holiday for those less fortunate in our community.
*Team Expedition is shown below celebrating their Pretzel Party win!
Winter Wonderland Dance was well attended. We had close to 400 students in attendance, and they were dressed to impress!
All profits will fund future Student Council events/projects. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the student council advisors with any questions.
Ms. Dobrowolski ndobrowolski@cbsd.org
Ms. Meadows dmeadows@cbsd.org
If you have not registered yet, please help Tohickon raise funds by registering below:
support.rxfundraising.com/TohickonMS
Thank you for taking a minute to register!
TOHICKON YEARBOOKS
Tohickon yearbooks will go on sale Wednesday, February 1st for a reduced price of $40 until Tuesday, February 14th at 11:59 PM. After that time, the yearbook price increases to $45. If your child would like a yearbook, please order one before our final deadline: Thursday, March 2nd. No extra copies of the yearbook will be ordered. Yearbooks can be purchased through MyPaymentsPlus on or after February 1st.
To order a yearbook for your child, please visit MyPaymentsPlus and log in. If you register as a guest, please make sure to use your child’s first and last name instead of your own.
For instructions on accessing MyPaymentsPlus, please visit this link.
For help, questions, or additional information, please contact TOHyearbook@cbsd.org
Tohickon Middle School
Email: kmarton@cbsd.org
Website: cbsd.org/tohickon
Location: 5051 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-3300
Twitter: @CBTohickonMS