The Tohickon Golden Eagle
December 2017
Dear Tohickon Families,
December has arrived and so has the holiday season. There are a few key events during the month that you should be aware of. These include our Choral and Instrumental Concerts, our Holiday Dance and the seventh grade field trips to see "A Christmas Carol." Details of these events are included in the calendar below. There will be no school during the last week of December and we will return to school on January 2nd.
This time of the year tends to move very quickly, and 2018 will be here before we know it. Therefore, it is important to make note of some events coming up at the beginning of January. Upon return from the winter break, current ninth grade students will begin the Program Planning process for high school. There will be a Program Planning meeting for all ninth grade students at Tohickon, during the school day, on Thursday, January 4th. During this meeting, the process of planning for next year will be discussed and reviewed in detail by our guidance department. Secondly, one week later on Thursday, January 11th, the high schools will be holding their curriculum fairs during the evening hours. Please mark down these important dates, as they will be here very soon.
In closing, I want to wish you and your family the best as we move through the holidays! Please enjoy this time, sharing special moments with family and friends. I hope you have a wonderful month and holiday break!
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton, Principal
The Holiday Season has Arrived!
There are several upcoming events that students and parents should be aware of. The events for the month of December are as follows:
December 5th
- Choral Concert 7:00 PM
December 8th
- Holiday Dance 7:00 - 9:00 PM
December 14th
- Instrumental Concert 7:00 PM
December 20th
- 7th Grade Field Trips - A Christmas Carol
December 23rd through January 1st
- Winter Recess - No School
A Special Breakfast for our Veterans
On Friday, November 10th, we held our annual Veterans' Day Breakfast. The breakfast was designed and organized by Mr. Forney and the Tohickon Social Studies Department. The breakfast included great food, music, recognitions and a group photograph of our veterans.
During the event, students were invited to attend, sit and eat with their parents, grandparents, relatives, etc. Mr. Forney gave a special welcome and recognition to all of the veterans that attended. There were well over 100 people in attendance. This has become a very, very special day for us at Tohickon! We greatly look forward to spending this morning with them, listening to their stories and thanking them for all they have done to keep our country safe.
Tohickon Girls attend Finding Kind Assembly
On Tuesday, November 21st, Tohickon Girls attended an assembly titled "Finding Kind." The Kind Campaign is "an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl bullying..."
Mrs. Schute, one of our Tohickon Guidance Counselors, ran the program. The assembly involved a pre-discussion, film and debriefing period. All female teachers and students attended the event. Teachers and students spoke very highly of the event, sharing how it was engaging and meaningful.
Soup Kitchen
Soup Kitchen will be meeting from 2:30-5:00 in room 408 on the following dates: January 9th and 18th, February 6th and 22nd. This activity is open to all Tohickon students on a first come basis. Sign up sheets for this activity can be found on the Community Service bulletin board 2 weeks before the date. This activity is limited to 25 students.
Our Soup kitchen benefits Aid For Friends and the New Britain Food Larder.
Tohickon Club Update
We, at Tohickon, have always expressed to parents and students the importance of getting involved in school activities, clubs, events, etc. Club offerings have greatly expanded during this school year. At this point, I am proud to announce the following club offerings for Tohickon:
Afternoon Math Club – Sponsored by Andrea Bellavance and Kim Rissing (abellavance@cbsd.org)
Art Club – Sponsored by Alison Bongiorno and Samantha Schollenberger (abongiorno@cbsd.org)
Band Enrichment Club – Sponsored by Sarah McGahey (smcgahey@cbsd.org)
Chess Club – Sponsored by Alison Lewis (alewis@cbsd.org)
- Dance Club - Sponsored by Melinda Fuller and Natalie Dobrowolski (mefuller@cbsd.org)
Diversity Club – Sponsored by Bridget Fox (brifox@cbsd.org)
- Engineering Club - Sponsored by Robert Kibbe (rkibbe@cbsd.org)
Garden Club – Sponsored by Jim Neely (jneely@cbsd.org)
Morning Math Help Club – Sponsored by Andrea Bellavance (abellavance@cbsd.org)
Iron Chef Club – Sponsored by Susan Furfari (sfurfari@cbsd.org)
Orchestra Enrichment Club – Sponsored by Jennifer Repper (jrepper@cbsd.org)
Reading Olympics Club – Sponsored by Bridget Fox, Jennifer Reese and Alison Lewis (brifox@cbsd.org)
Running Club – Sponsored by Alison Lewis and Angela Parisi (alewis@cbsd.org)
Science Olympiad Club – Sponsored by Joshua Collins and Michael Weir (jucollins@cbsd.org)
Sewing Club – Sponsored by Susan Furfari (sfurfari@cbsd.org)
Student/Parent Book Club – Sponsored by Zach Sibel (zsibel@cbsd.org)
If you would like to sign your child up for one of these clubs or have any questions about time, place, etc., please use the email listed next to each club. We are thrilled with the expansion of these clubs and are hopeful that we will have many students interested in participating. As the school year marches on, more clubs may be added, so keep a close eye on the monthly newsletter for updates.
Parent Council Meeting Reminder
There will be no Parent Council Meeting in December. The next Parent Council Meeting will take place on Thursday, January 18th, at 9:00 AM in the Tohickon Library.
TEAM HAPPENINGS!
TEAM SUMMIT - GRADE 7
Team Summit had a successful turn out with their community service project this month. We collected items for a group called Operation Eternal Gratitude (OEG) which is a military support group that collects items to send to troops overseas. OEG has engaged in many service related assignments ranging from sending care packages to the Middle East to giving holiday gifts to military children. Besides collecting items, our students wrote letters to service men and woman. On November 17th, Mrs. Reese and Mr. Harris opened the wall in between their rooms. All the English classes on Team Summit spent the day drafting letters, and writing notes to people in our military.
A car load of donations will be delivered to CB South this week. Thank you for all of your donations!!
TEAM INFINITY - GRADE 7
It is hard to believe that marking period one is over and we are into the thick of marking period 2! This marking period always flies by because of the Thanksgiving and winter breaks, so stay on top of your child’s progress by speaking with them daily about school and checking the parent portal on a weekly basis to stay up to date with grades. Here are some highlights of what Infinity students have been doing in their classes:
In Social Studies, students are well into the Ancient Greek unit, having just studied Types of Governments, Athens/Sparta, and the Persian Wars. In the coming weeks, they will begin to work on their first District Assessment, the Citizenship document-based essay.
In Science classes, students are continuing to explore the matter unit. They will be studying elements, compounds, and mixtures, as well as physical and chemical changes. They will be doing several lab activities to identify the different substances and the changes involved.
In English Language Arts classes, students, are reading A Christmas Carol; the advanced classes are reading the classic novel by Charles Dickens, while the academic students are reading a dramatic version of this classic tale. The study of this timeless story will also bring us to see a professional theater performance on December 20th. Please be sure to register your child for the trip using My Payments Plus. Any questions about the trip can be emailed to kmcmahon@cbsd.org. Also, if you are scratching your head for gift ideas for your children, remember that books are gifts you can open again and again.
Pictured below are some of Ms. McMahon’s ELA B students working on a sequencing activity in class!
TEAM ODYSSEY - GRADE 8
November was a great month for Team Odyssey students. The first marking period came to an end and students were recognized for outstanding achievement. We held an awards assembly and students that made the honor roll were awarded their certificates. The team also awarded students for demonstrating characteristics that our team values: Teamwork, Attitude, Success, Determination and Honor. We enjoyed our first field trip to Chamber Theatre Productions at the Keswick on November 30th.
TEAM EXPEDITION - GRADE 8
In Mr. Sibel's English class, students are reading a variety of novels. In some classes, students are reading Life as we Knew It and The Dead and the Gone. Both of these novels are written by the same author, about the same event, but take on very different points of view. Students analyze the use of point of view in literature and how it impacts the meaning/understanding of a text. Other classes are reading the non-fictional piece Tuesdays with Morrie.
In Mr. Levenson's science class, we have started studying the human body unit. Students are finishing up their research paper on skin cancer and learning what they can do to protect themselves from the sun. In this unit we will explore all the major systems of the human body through both labs and online activities. All the students look forward to dissecting the cow eye at the end of the unit and some who don’t like dissections will get a chance to explore simulated human body activities online.
In Mr. Trimbur's social studies classes, we ended our Causes of Revolution unit with a debate assessment. After selecting the perspective of a patriot or loyalists, students defended their perspective using Office 365. We are now starting a unit on the Revolutionary War.
In Ms. Gendron's English classes, students are beginning a unit on Edgar Allan Poe. They will be analyzing “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”, and participating in a dramatic reading of one of his poems. Thus far, we have completed “Poe Posters” with facts about his life.
In Mrs. Rissing's Pre-Algebra classes, students are currently working on proportions and similarity to solve real life problems. Geometry is axiom deep in proofs about congruent triangles. Minds are expanding exponential!
NINTH GRADE TEAM
It’s hard to believe that we have already finished one marking period and are heading into the holiday months. This school year is off to a smooth start, and we are really enjoying working with our students this year. Here is a quick recap of some of things going on in 9th grade.
In social studies, we just wrapped up our study of WWI and will be heading into the Roaring 20s. As is customary, students participated in our annual trench warfare activity, in which they recreated the charge through “No Man’s Land”. No life-threatening injuries were reported.
English classes are studying the elements of fiction, with an emphasis on theme, through the reading and analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird. Projects can be seen, lining the ninth-grade hallway.
Students got off to a rocky start (pun intended) in science with their Geosphere Unit, which covered the Earth’s changing surface, structure, plate tectonics and Earth’s history. Next, they will dive into their Hydrosphere Unit.
Remember that ninth-grade students will start the course selection process for 10th grade at the beginning of January. Students will attend an assembly during which guidance staff will explain the process, and classroom teachers will talk to students about their placements for next year.
From the Nurse's Office
As we get into the colder weather please keep in mind that Cold and Flu season is upon us. Please remind your children to wash their hands often and to cover their cough with the arm. If your child needs medication please administer it at home, as the health office does not have any cold medication. Your child may carry their own personal supply of cough drops with them but absolutely no other medication is permitted without a physician’s order. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the health office at 267-893-3315. Thank you!
Sports Update
Tohickon will be offering the following Winter Athletics this year:
• 7th Grade Girls Basketball (Begins Nov. 6th and runs until Dec. 20th)
• Varsity Girls Basketball (7th and 8th grade) (Begins Nov. 6th and runs until Jan. 8th)
• 9th Grade Girls Basketball (Begins Nov. 30th and runs until Feb. 1st.)
• 7th Grade Boys Basketball (Begins Jan. 16th and runs until Mar. 2nd)
• Varsity Boys Basketball (7th and 8th grade) (Begins Jan 16th and runs until March 9th)
• 9th Grade Boys Basketball (Begins Nov. 30th and runs until Feb. 1st)
• Wrestling (Begins Nov. 13th and runs until Feb. 2nd)
• Cheerleading (Begin and end dates to be determined following fall season)
Additionally, 9th grade students who desire to play basketball at one of the high schools will have the opportunity to tryout at CB East & West for their Varsity or J.V. teams.
In order to participate in a sport at Tohickon, the following needs to be done prior to tryouts:
• Register for child's desired sport via Family ID on the Tohickon Website under Athletics
• Hand in section 5 and 6 of the PIAA physical if your child did not play a fall sport. This needs to be dated after June 1, 2017. If they did play a fall sport, section 7 of the PIAA physical needs to be completed and handed in.
All physicals can be handed in to Mr. Costello in Room 122 or emailed directly to pcostell@cbsd.org. Physicals will not be accepted at tryouts; they need to be handed in at least three days before tryouts.
Please, don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Costello (pcostell@cbsd.org) if you have any questions or concerns.
FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
What is MBIT? Is MBIT for me?
January 4, 2018 – OPEN HOUSE for students and parents at MBIT - Middle Bucks Institute of Technology – 7PM – 9PM. For more information, go to the MBIT website: www.mbit.org (Snow date January 11).
January 9, 2018 -- All 9th grade students will attend a presentation from Middle Bucks Institute of Technology that will give our 9th graders an overview of the courses and pre-professional programs available for high school students.
Preparing for 10th Grade
January 11, 2018 -- Curriculum Fairs at CB East and CB West – 6:30PM – 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. (Snow date January 18)
January 24, 2018 – 9th Grade Visit to MBIT – 9th grade students interested in seeing MBIT in action and learning more about the programs should sign up for the trip in the guidance office and obtain a permission slip. Students will travel by school bus to MBIT.
We will begin PROGRAM PLANNING for next year in January 2018. See important dates listed by grade on the guidance website in January.
Tohickon Middle School
Email: kmarton@cbsd.org
Website: cbsd.org
Location: 5051 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA
Phone: 267-893-3300