Tamanend Connections
Tamanend Together!
September 25, 2020
HERE'S WHAT HYBRID LEARNING WILL LOOK LIKE AT TAMANEND
As we transition from the 100% Virtual Phase to the Hybrid Phase of the 2020-2021, we invite you to take some time out of your busy day to consider what Hybrid Learning will look like at Tamanend. The information contained in this edition of the Tamanend Connections newsletter will help you conceptualize this new phase of learning. Our entire faculty and staff has been working hard to prepare for arrival of our hybrid students and to continue to support our students who will be engaging in 100% online learning.
Students, thank you for your hard work during the first few week of the school year. You quickly adapted to a new learning environment, problem solved and assisted peers and teachers, and demonstrated persistence!
Parents, thank you for your support and patience as we navigate the tremendous changes associated with this school year. We will continue to work hard to provide an excellent learning experience for your children throughout the year.
On a personal note, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our phenomenal teachers and support staff. In my 21 years in education, I have never seen such dedication, collaboration, flexibility, and creative thinking. You truly are what makes our school such a special place and I am honored and humbled to serve as your principal.
At this time, and at all times, we remain Tamanend Together.
Sincerely,
Brian D. Caughie, Ed.D.
Principal
Schedule for Next Two Weeks
Secondary students will return to school beginning Thursday, October 1. PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR CHILD IS ASSIGNED TO HYBRID 1 or HYBRID 2. (Find your child’s hybrid group assignment on the PDF version of the schedule under “Documents” on the left-navigation bar in the Parent Portal). This informs which days they will attend in-person classes.
- HYBRID 1 attends school in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays, and online on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
- HYBRID 2 attends school in-person on Thursdays and Fridays, and online on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
- Students enrolled in the hybrid model, “Hybrid 2” will begin attending in-person classes on Thursday, October 1. Students enrolled in the hybrid model, “Hybrid 1” will begin attending in-person classes on Monday, October 5.
- Wednesday, September 30 will be a 100% online asynchronous learning day for all students. Teachers will post assignments and classwork in Canvas for students to complete.
- Every Wednesday will be a 100% online day for all students with a blend of synchronous/asynchronous instruction.
- Thursday, October 1—Hybrid Group 2 students will report to Tamanend for the first time; online instruction for Hybrid Group 1 and 100% Online Group will be asynchronous allow opportunity for the Hybrid Group 2 students to become acclimated to the routines and protocols outlined in the CBSD Health and Safety Plan.
- Monday, October 5--Hybrid Group 1 students will report to Tamanend for the first time; online instruction for Hybrid Group 2 and 100% Online Group will be asynchronous allow opportunity for the Hybrid Group 1 students to become acclimated to the routines and protocols outlined in the CBSD Health and Safety Plan.
We will be sending several updates related to hybrid procedures over the next several days. Click here to visit the Hybrid Learning section of the Tamanend website for updates and further information.
Reminder--How Will I Know Which Blended Learning Group My Child is In?
Keep Yourself and Others Healthy During Hybrid Learning
Face coverings are required at Tamanend
Click here to watch a short video about the benefits of wearing a cloth face covering.
Favor de hacer clic aquí para ver un video corto acerca de los beneficios de llevarse una mascarilla de tela.
It's important to wash your hands frequently
Click here to watch a short video about the importance of washing your hands frequently.
Favor de hacer clic aquí para ver un video corto acerca de la importancia de lavarse las manos con frecuencia.
It's important to stay home when you are sick
Click here to watch a short video about the importance of staying home when you are sick.
Favor de hacer clic aquí para ver un video corto acerca de la importancia de quedarse en casa cuando este su hijo(a) enfermo.
Students & Staff Must Wear Face Coverings
Screening and Self-Reporting
- isolation restrictions dictated by the Bucks County Department of Health are lifted, AND
- 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, OR if asymptomatic, 10 days since the date of their positive test, AND
- once they are fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication
The individual will need to report directly to the health suite upon returning to school to be evaluated by the school nurse. A"flowchart," found below, has been prepared to help families determine when to send their child to school.
What to Do If Your Child Is Sick
Hand Washing & Hand Sanitizers
Morning Student Drop Off/Parking Lot Procedures
If parents/guardians decide to drive students to school, please plan enough travel time to allow for safety and congestion on Stuckert Road and in our school parking lot. The speed limit in our lot is 15 mph.
Below is a map how the student drop-off and pick-up works in our parking lot. Drop off and pick up should only happen along the sidewalk indicated by paw prints on the map. For your safety and the safety of our students, please follow these directions and do not drop your student off or pick your student up on Stuckert Road, the Visitor's Parking area, or in the middle of the Main Parking Area. Thank you for your support and careful driving.
Afternoon Student Pick Up/Parking Lot Procedures
If parents/guardians decide to pick students up from school at the end of the day, please plan enough travel time to allow for safety and congestion on Stuckert Road and in our school parking lot. The speed limit in our lot is 15 mph. Student dismissal will begin at 1:16 during Hybrid Learning.
Below is a map how the student drop-off and pick-up works in our parking lot. Drop off and pick up should only happen along the sidewalk indicated by paw prints on the map. For your safety and the safety of our students, please follow these directions and do not drop your student off or pick your student up on Stuckert Road, the Visitor's Parking area, or in the middle of the Main Parking Area. Thank you for your support and careful driving.
Where Do Students Go When They Arrive in the Morning?
7th Graders report to the Auditorium*
8th Graders report to the Cafeteria*
9th Graders report to the Main Gym*
*Students may choose to go to the Cafeteria for breakfast.
At 7:20, students will be dismissed from the locations listed above to report to their 1st Period classes.
Students arriving to Tamanend after 7:20 should report directly to breakfast in the Cafeteria or to their 1st Period classes.
Where Do Students Go When They Arrive on the First Day of In-Person Learning?
7th Graders
Report to Auditorium. We will practice physical distancing as per the green dots on the seating. Students are expected to be seated as directed by faculty and staff. 1st Period teachers will escort 7th Graders to class.
8th Graders
Prior to 7:20, report to Cafeteria; After 7:20, report to 1st Period class. We will practice physical distancing as per the green dots on the seating. Students are expected to be seated as directed by faculty and staff.
9th Graders
Prior to 7:20, report to Main Gym. After 7:20, report to 1st Period class. We will practice physical distancing as per the green dots on the seating. Students are expected to be seated as directed by faculty and staff.
7th Graders
On the first Day of Hybrid Learning, 7th Graders will report directly to Auditorium. We will practice physical distancing as per the green dots on the seating. We will also review key health and safety procedures. First period teachers will escort students to their class. During each class period, 7th Grade teachers will review procedures and engage in school orientation activities including building tours.
What Should Students Bring To School Each Day?
Students should bring the following items to school each day: mask, laptop and charger, and a snack. If a teacher needs students to bring in a particular book or item, they will communicate that to the class. Students will be permitted to carry backpacks in school, to all classes. Backpacks will be placed under each student's desk.
Lockers
Hallways
Wellness Break
Student Seating
Restrooms
Building Cleaning
Cleaning Standard
The Central Bucks Facilities & Energy Management Operations Department (FEMO) is responsible for the daily cleaning and disinfection of all district buildings. Custodial staff have been trained on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved guidelines. Cleaning inspection checklists have been developed by the FEMO Department, and all buildings are inspected for completion of all assigned tasks.High-Touch Surfaces
All district facilities will be cleaned and sanitized daily, with special emphasis placed on high-touch surfaces twice per day, including, but not limited to water filling stations, door handles/knobs, faucet/toilet handles, and railings. Student desks will be wiped between classes. The FEMO team will utilize EPA approved disinfection supplies from our partners at Hillyard, and complete tasks as prescribed on "job cards" that outline specific steps for cleaning classrooms, restrooms, and other areas.
Cleaning Student Desks During the School Day
Headphones for Hybrid Learning
It will be helpful if students bring headphones to school for some classes during Please note that air pods may not work well with student laptops. We recommend using wired headphones. Wired headphones require a USB (USB A) plug or a standard headphone plug (3.5mm jack).
Visitors and Volunteers
When you arrive at Tamanend for a scheduled appointment, please report to the Main Office with a PA License. While visiting, you are required to wear a face covering as outlined in the PA Department of Health’s Order Requiring Universal Face Coverings announced July 1, 2020. You will be required to use a health self-screening tool. You will need to confirm completion of the screening with the building secretary who will then complete the sign in log for you and give you a visitor’s sticker indicating the date, time, and your destination.
CALENDAR ITEMS TO NOTE
School Holiday--Monday, September 28
Return to Tamanend for Hybrid 2 Group--Thursday, October 1
Return to Tamanend for Hybrid 1 Group--Monday, October 5
Required Dental Exams for 7th Graders--Proof of a dental exam due by October 15, 2020. Any dental exam since September of 2019 is acceptable.
TAMANEND ATHLETICS
Athletic Transportation Procedures for 20-21 School Year
The Athletic Department has updated our transportation procedures for the 20-21 school year based on the hybrid learning model that will begin next week. In our hybrid learning model, all students will be asked exit campus by 1:30pm to travel home. Upon arrival at home, student athletes should have lunch, get changed into athletic gear, retrieve their water bottles and equipment, and return to school at 3pm for their practices or games. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we cannot provide all 125-250 athletes at the high schools and middle schools the proper supervision, areas to eat lunch, or locker rooms to get changed.
On game “away” days at the high school level, student athletes will be supervised from 1:30-2pm until they get on the bus to travel to their away contest. We will provide an area for the students to store their equipment, get changed into uniforms and have some lunch prior to getting on the bus. A shuttle will be provided for those 9th graders who need to get from their middle school to their high school. The following rules must be followed on the shuttle by 9th Grade athletes:
· Students will be seated two per seat in standard buses
· Students will be assigned seats when feasible
· Family members will sit together
· Students and coaches are always required to wear a mask or face coverings while using district transportation
· Drivers to wear face coverings when students enter and exit
· When possible, bus windows will be open to increase ventilation
· Athletes will be told to face forward at all times.
For 7th and 8th Graders on games days, athletes will be responsible for providing their own transportation to their opponent’s school.
If you have specific questions regarding the details of transportation, please contact Tamanend Athletic Director, Mr. Jeff Klein at jklein@cbsd.org. These procedures are subject to change as updated guidance from the State becomes available.
Best,
Danielle Turner
District Athletic Director
TAMANEND FEATURES
Mock Trial Team for 9th Graders
Do you want to improve your speaking and analysis skills? Do you like exploring legal issues of everyday events? Or, just want to spend some time hanging out with Mr. Sterner and Mr. Heisey? We are pleased to offer the Mock Trial Club at Tamamend for any interested 9th graders. It’s a great way to learn about the legal profession and debate your way through an actual case as either a lawyer or a witness, as well as build your skills for future participation and competition at CB South. Please e-mail Mr. Heisey (jheisey@cbsd.org) or Mr. Sterner (dsterner@cbsd.org) if you are interested. Thank you!
We Want Our Students to be Strong, Independent Readers!
Roaring Voices Review (Tamanend's Literary Magazine)
Do you like having an impactful voice through writing, art, and/or photography? Then please join us as part of Roaring Voices Review, Tamanend’s own literary magazine. Please let Mrs. Mancini (lmancini@cbsd.org) or Mr. Sterner (dsterner@cbsd.org) know if you are interested via e-mail, and we will alert you to our first meeting. Thank you!
Tamanend Today Club
While we can’t currently run Tamanend Today, our live weekly TV show, we are still seeking interested students who enjoy broadcast media and video production. We have some ideas for production until we can go live again, and we would like your ideas for when we can go live. Until then, join us and be a part of producing meaningful, pre-recorded broadcasts and features. If media production is your thing, please reach out via e-mail to Mr. Sterner (dsterner@cbsd.org) or Mr. Landis (mdlandis@cbsd.org) to be part of our Tamanend Today Club! Thank you!
Please Update Emergency & Census Information in Parent Portal
The online form will ask you to confirm and/or update the following:
- Demographic Information
- Emergency Contacts
- Health Information, including permission for emergency care and analgesic administration
- Media Release Preferences
If you do not have a Parent Portal account, please follow this link to request one. If you need help with your Parent Portal account, please contact your child’s school for assistance.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to update this important information!
QUOTES AROUND TAMANEND
HELPFUL REMINDERS ABOUT TAMANEND PROCEDURES
Communicating Absences
Teachers will be taking attendance every class period during virtual learning. If your child is unable to participate in virtual learning during all or part of the day due to illness or medical appointment, please report your child's absence in any of the following ways:
- Email: tamanendattendance@cbsd.org
- Phone (Attendance hotline): 267-893-2920
FROM OUR MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Chieftain Chorus Auditions Accepted Until Saturday, September 26
Video auditions for Tamanend’s Chieftain Chorus are being accepted this week through the end of the day on Saturday 9/26. Please read the information at https://www.cbsd.org/Page/8380 for everything you need to know to prepare for and record your audition. As Tamanend’s large after-school select chorus, Chieftain Chorus is made up of 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students who enjoy singing and are in band, chorus, or orchestra class. The group will be meeting virtually to start this year on Tuesdays from 3-4pm. Students who make it into Chieftain Chorus can also audition for Tamanend’s smaller select chorus, Gold’n’Blues.
Reminder--Tune-Up Tuesdays
VIRTUAL LEARNING RESOURCES
Reminder--Tamanend's Virtual Learning Quick Resource Guide
Reminder--Technology Support
FROM OUR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Reminder--9th-12th Grade Student Technology Toolkit
FROM OUR HEALTH OFFICE
Reminder--Required 7th Grade Dental Exams
Reminder--Required Immunizations
The current immunization requirements for the 2020-2021 school year are as follows:
Children in kindergarten through 12th grade are required to have the following vaccines:
· 4 doses DtaP – diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (one dose must be on or after the 4th birthday)
· 4 doses Polio (one dose must be on or after the 4th birthday)
· 2 doses MMR – measles, mumps, rubella
· 3 doses Hepatitis B
· 2 doses Varicella (chicken pox)
Children entering 7th grade are also required to have:
· 1 dose Meningococcal Conjugate (meningitis)
· 1 dose Tdap – tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis
To check the immunization status of your student, go to the Portal and click on the Health tab.
Please email proof of new vaccinations to our certified school nurse, Mrs. Lauren Myrtetus at lmyrtetus@cbsd.org or mail it to us at 1492 Stuckert Rd. Warrington, PA 18976
FROM OUR CAFETERIA
Breakfast and Lunch Available for Free to All Students
The Central Bucks School District and Aramark are committed to providing every student with the tools they need to succeed, including nutritious meals they can enjoy at no charge. No applications are needed! Breakfast bags will be available for daily grab and go pick up in the morning in the Cafeteria. Grab a breakfast bag and start your day off by fueling your body or hold onto it and enjoy at the designated snack period. Lunch will be available to grab and go at dismissal from the Cafeteria. On Tuesdays and on Fridays, students may take home Breakfast and Lunches for the three school days they are learning online from home. Parents can also pick up breakfast and lunch meals for students on Mondays and Thursdays from 10:30-12:00 at one of three locations:
CB West Visitor Entrance
CB South Gymnasium Entrance
CB East Main Office Entrance
Reminder--Free & Reduced Lunch/Breakfast Application
RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE
Help with Resources
If you are experiencing a financial hardship, please know that the staff members listed below can help you and your family. We can provide assistance with food, clothing, field trips, student fees, internet access, and other issues. Please don't hesitate to contact us:
Brian Caughie, Principal bcaughie@cbsd.org
Kyle Dudley, Assistant Principal kdudley@cbsd.org
Lauren Myrtetus, Certified School Nurse lmyrtetus@cbsd.org
Jeff Klein, Guidance Counselor jklein@cbsd.org
Mandy Cammann, Guidance Counselor mcammann@cbsd.org
Reminder--Grandfamilies Support Group
Reminder--Housing Information
CB CARES
GETTING INVOLVED AND STAYING CONNECTED WITH TAMANEND
TMS Parent Council
Thursday, Oct 15, 2020, 09:00 AM
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Ways to Stay Connected with Tamanend
Here is a list of ways Tamanend communicates with students, families, and the community:
- Tamanend website: includes important information, resources, calendar of school events, and daily announcements
- Calendar of school events (posted on our website)
- Daily announcements (scrolling on TV screens during school day and posted on our website)
- TV show (weekly, during Advisory period)
- Email blasts from Tamanend administration regarding important news, new procedures, and reminders
- Parent Portal: student information, grades, and attendance
- Tamanend Connections newsletter: useful information, important reminders, and school highlights emailed weekly during school year and posted on Tamanend website
- Twitter: @CBTamanendMS highlights of activities, events, and daily life at Tamanend
- CBSD app: highlights of activities, events, and daily life in Central Bucks
Para nuestras familias hispanohablantes...
¡Bienvenidos a Tamanend! Yo soy Brian Caughie, Director de Tamanend Middle School. Soy hispanohablante. Pasé mucho de mi vida en España. Estoy aquí para apoyarles a todos los estudiantes y familias en Tamanend. Favor de llamarme or escribirme (en inglés o en español) si Ud. tiene cualquier duda o pregunta.
Correo electrónico: bcaughie@cbsd.org
Oficina: (267) 893-2900
Share Good News About Tamanend Students
How Did We Do This Week?
Tamanend Middle School
Email: tms@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Domain/25
Location: 1492 Stuckert Road, Warrington, PA
Phone: 267.893.2900