For the past twenty-one years, Tamanend Middle School in Warrington has been supporting the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund (KADMF). KADMF provides assistance for needs not covered by insurance to families who are caring for seriously ill, disabled or severely injured children in the tri-state area. Although they are often invisible to all but the family, the non-medical side effects of serious childhood illness can be devastating. The global coronavirus pandemic has created even more challenges for these families, and the financial assistance from KADMF can help ease these burdens.

The Annual Kelly Anne Dolan Shoot-Out at Tamanend includes a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, pick-up games, karaoke, prize baskets and other activities for the students and Tamanend community. In a typical year, five hundred Tamanend students participate in the event, and over the last twenty years the students have raised over $500,000 for KADMF. As you know, this year is different, and full of challenges for everyone. We will not be able to have our annual basketball tournament and KAD Shoot-Out event, but that is not going to stop us from continuing to support this incredible organization. To do this, we need your help. Please consider contributing to our fundraiser: “Goin’ Green for KAD”.

What Is “Goin’ Green for KAD”? “Goin’ Green for KAD” is one of a few fundraisers we would like to do to assist KADMF. We ask our Tamanend families to donate whatever is doable to help KADMF assist families. With this type of fundraiser, the entire donation supports the fund! Your contribution will mean so much to the families who need support from the KADMF this year. No donation is too small! There are many ways you can make your donation:

1. Use your My Payments Plus account, www.mypaymentsplus.com and after logging in, look for “Goin Green for KAD” and you can make your donation there.

2. Send cash/checks, made out to KADMF to school with your son/daughter.

3. Mail a check, made out to KADMF to Tamanend – indicate on the check that the donation is part of Tamanend’s event.

4. Mail a check, made out to KADMF directly to the fund (address is below) – Please make a note that your donation is part of Tamanend’s KAD Shoot-Out.

The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, contributions to which are tax-deductible as permitted by law. Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful consideration in reviewing this request. Should you have any questions about KADMF or this fundraiser, please feel free to contact Jeff Klein (jklein@cbsd.org). Thank you for your consideration and the support you devote to your children, our school community, and the value of serving and helping others!

Tamanend is excited to offer some new KAD apparel as part of our fundraising efforts this year. We have partnered with Kampus Klothes again for the clothing sale and they have helped us create a new design for this year. Kampus Klothes is also donating 15% of the profits directly to the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund! We are also offering hats, beanies and sweatpants (definitely a must-have during/because of the last 11 months!).

The store is open now and will close Sunday, Feb 28 at 11:59 pm. You can view the store and shop at this link: https://kellyanndolanmemorial2021.itemorder.com/

Here are some reminders from Kampus Klothes:

1. If you are planning to order from the store please be aware of the closing date. If a deadline is missed we will not accept any late orders.
2. Order carefully. We do not accept returns on any decorated items. There are sizing charts available here: http://www.kampusklothes.com/sizing-charts
3. All orders will be fulfilled 3 weeks after the closing date of your store.
4. Please note our procedure for backordered items. There are times when the manufacturers stock for items offered on our online stores may become unavailable or backordered. If that should occur, the individuals who purchased that item will be contacted and offered an alternative product or a refund. Once contacted about a backorder, if we don’t hear back from you within 24 hours, your order will be cancelled and we will refund your money.

If you have any questions about ordering from the online store, please contact Jackie Horvath at Kampus Klothes (jackie@kampusklothes.com).

Early Dismissal--Friday, February 12 (students are dismissed at 10:45)

President's Day (School Holiday)--Monday, February 14

Middle School Parents Orientation (for parents of current 6th Graders)--virtual presentation posted on Tuesday, February 16 by 7:00 PM; follow-up Teams call (details below)

Parent Council--Thursday, February 18 (virtual, on Teams) Click here to join the meeting.

New Learning Model Begins--Monday, February 22 (5-day in-person learning OR 100% virtual live-streamed learning)

INFORMATION:

• Attendance at basketball games is currently available for one (1) parent/player and cheerleader for home games only, and a ticket must be shown prior to entry. Attendance at any event is subject to appropriate behavior and adherence to CBSD athletic and districtwide health and safety plans. Anyone who refuses to adhere to guidelines will be asked to leave campus.
• Family ID opened for Spring sports registration on February 1st. Tryouts/practices are scheduled to begin on March 22nd. Please visit Tamanend’s Athletics page for information/details on registering for sports.
• REMINDER: Please keep in mind that students must go home at the end of the school day. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete and parent/guardian to coordinate transportation back to school on days of practices/games, as well as for away games.

FROM CB SOUTH:

• Family ID is now open for spring sports registration and will close on February 25th.
• CB South girls lacrosse will be having open workouts every Monday and Wednesday on the grass soccer fields from 3:00 to 5:00 and Saturdays from 12:00 to 2:00 in the stadium starting January 25. You must be registered on Family ID to participate.

For many of us, staying connected while in a pandemic has been difficult. Ninth grader, Hannah Lloyd, however, has found ways to not only connect with, but to get closer with the school community. In class, Hannah can be relied on to partner with or work in any group. Her group is guaranteed to get the work completed and to find a shared interest along the way. In her extracurriculars, Hannah continues to be a leader. Hannah has been a part of the Friends group since 7th grade. Hannah purposely chooses to be paired with the students with less verbal skill. She finds different means to communicate with these students and always seems to know what they are trying to tell her. Additionally, Hannah has helped to spread this program to Simmons Elementary in the Hatboro Horsham School District. She demonstrated for the school how to begin this program, best practices, and the benefits. Finally, Hannah used her skills as a field hockey player to aid a new coach. When one of Hannah’s teachers was explaining that she was to coach field hockey, but had not played in a long time, Hannah offered her own time after school to come and assist. She connected with the team as a positive role model and helped to build their confidence as players. Hannah is the epitome of interpersonal competence in school, outside of school, and in her community.

We are so proud of Hannah!

Program Planning for the 2021-2022 school year has begun. Program Planning is the process by which students, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors collaborate to create each student's class schedule for the subsequent school year. The Central Bucks Program of Studies, which explains the program planning process and describes all courses, can be found on the CBSD website and below.

Program Planning Timeline

• January 4--Program of Studies booklet for Grades 9-12 available online. Click here to view.
• January 5--Program planning presentation for current 9th Graders (during school day)
• January 7--Central Bucks South Curriculum Fair website (for current 9th Graders) opens
• January 15--Program of Studies booklet for Grades 7 & 8 available online at https://www.cbsd.org/domain/387
• January 8 to March 17--Current 9th Grade students enter course requests at home via Parent Portal
• January 27--Program planning presentation for current 7th Graders
• January 28--Program planning presentation for current 8th Graders
• February 7--Course verifications for current 7th Graders viewable in Portal
• by February 11--Course verifications for current 7th Graders electronically confirmed by parents in Portal
• February 23--Course verifications for current 8th Graders viewable in Portal
• by March 2--Course verifications for current 8th Graders electronically confirmed by parents in Portal
• March 19--Course verifications for current 9th Graders viewable in Portal
• by March 25--Course verifications for current 9th Graders electronically confirmed by parents in Portal.

Here is the link to Tamanend's Program Planning page.

February is Black History Month. This week, we feature the poem "Knoxville, Tennessee" by Nikki Giovanni. Click here to read this poem.

Since the beginning or the year, our parent drop-off and pick-up traffic has improved tremendously, but we still need your help. There will soon be an increase in daily traffic as more students return to in-person learning. We must remember that WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO WALK TO SCHOOL. Recently, we've seen an increase in cars speeding on Stuckert Road. For the safety of our students, please maintain a 15 mph school zone speed limit in our parking lots and along Stuckert Road. Thanks for your help!

Do you have some free time after school? Do you like being artsy? The Community Service Club has a service project for you!

Cradles to Crayons distributes backpacks full of school supplies every September. They aim to include a hand-made card with encouraging words about the upcoming school year to help the receiving child feel optimistic and excited about learning.

Making cards is easy and fun! Here are the details:

• You can use plain white printer paper, construction paper or cardstock.
• Fold the paper in half and write inspiring messages on the front AND inside the card.
• Use crayons, markers or colored pencils for writing and drawing pictures.
• Make your cards colorful and add fun accents like stickers.
• Cards should not specify age or gender.
• Do not include any reference to family, religion or holiday figures.
• All writing on Ready for Learning cards should be school, education, and learning-specific.
• Please, no glitter!

Tamanend will be doing a collection until the end of February. If you'd like to drop off your cards at school, Mrs. Mancini (room 233) will be happy to collect them! If you are 100% virtual, the front office can put them in Mrs. Mancini's mailbox.

More information can be found at bit.ly/RFL-cards.

The goal of the Tamanend yearbook is to capture a year in the lives of our students. This year, a good portion of student life is taking place at home and we want to see it! What does your online learning set up look like? What do you do during the snack break? We want you to send us your best pictures from online learning! You can upload these pictures by following the steps below:

1. Please visit the website https://images.jostens.com/upload.jsp
2. When asked to type a User ID, please type 415873954
3. Click on “Choose File” and upload your picture
4. Under “Contact Information” you will enter your student’s e-mail address, your student’s first name, and your student’s last name
5. Under “Image Information” you will enter your student’s first name, your student’s last name, and you will choose their grade.
6. Agree to the Terms of Use by checking the box
7. Finally, click Upload Chosen Image

All photos are due by Friday, February 26th. Thank you!

Hello! Are you looking for a way to connect with other kids from school while you are learning from home in the virtual setting? Mrs. Cammann is hosting a Wellness/Snack Break Social time each day from 10:35-10:55 during the virtual and hybrid learning models. Students are invited to join in to share some conversation and be connected with students across all grades. On Wednesdays, we will have games and trivia during this time! You are welcome to participate daily or pop in occasionally - no pressure. Maybe you will even get to know some new faces! Just click the link below to take part, socialize, and participate, while using our Tamanend ROAR to respect and include each other in this group. Enjoy your snack and unwind with us at 10:35 any day. Hope to see you there! Click here to join the meeting

Don’t forget to order your child’s 2020-2021 Tamanend Yearbook! The price of the yearbook is $40. The last day to order a yearbook is April 30. Please click the link here to take you to Jostens online ordering page. No preorders will be accepted in school – all orders must be done through Jostens. If you have any questions, please email Kristen Gerth at kgerth@cbsd.org.

Join us for the Tamanend Parent Book Club. This year, we will be reading It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens (2015) by Danah Boyd. The book describes how social media impacts teenagers and how they connect with the world around them. This book club will follow a "no-pressure" format in which the facilitator will present a summary of the chapter and open the floor for discussion. We will share resources and ideas with the goal of helping the entire Tamanend parent community navigate the challenges and joys of raising adolescents. The first meeting will be held on March 4 at 6:30 via Teams. Click here to read more about the Parent Book Club. Click here to join the meeting.

Are you interested in global issues and news? Do you want to get involved in helping people in your community and around the globe? Join the Tamanend UNICEF Unite Club. This club was started this year and the purpose of this club is serve as a space to discuss global issues, engage students, help students use their voice to enforce positive change, make better thinkers and communicators, and much more. Students will have the opportunity to learn about child protection, education, water, sanitation and hygiene which may align with certain areas of study, allowing for a more insightful, understanding life outside of the classroom. The club will also provide students with an opportunity to gain leadership positions on campus. Through fundraising, awareness, and community service, we will be able to help the millions of children who need our help. Please fill out this interest form https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=j0gLqp78hUGl4zhCIN8jyiSa13bnl15Kgt4n4oFy81FURjJUTThYNlM2M0xTN0pWNFU5MzNWUE9OQy4u if you are interested in the club. Meetings will be once every two weeks virtually A date for our first meeting will be sent out to those interested soon! If you have any questions feel free to contact Kalidindi.H055@student.cbsd.org , EORINSKI@cbsd.org , or AHIGGINS@cbsd.org.

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!

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!

Teachers will be taking attendance every class period during hybrid learning. If your child is unable to participate in hybrid 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

Please note for Hybrid students: If your child is participating online from home due to illness on a day he or she is scheduled to be in the building, please contact Attendance. Your child will receive Attendance credit for participating online that day if he/she is logging on to Teams calls and participating in classes.

A reminder that students should check their Outlook email daily for important reminders and information from teachers. This is another great way to stay connected.

One of the first steps to selecting a career is to become aware of the many options available. In Central Bucks schools, our students begin that process through the Career Readiness related curriculum in elementary buildings (QUEST, Economics Project in Social Studies) and secondary buildings (Success Plan, Information Technology classes).

Here are two videos which might inspire that search for just the right career. Watch them with your children and listen to what they say about what they see in their future.

For younger students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9TLZBZ3eo8&feature=youtu.be

For older students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP89iBasyCE

For comments or questions, please contact Ginny Barrett at vbarrett@cbsd.org.

The Innovation and Technology Department has created this webpage to explain the many ways to access technology support.

https://www.cbsd.org/Page/63431

Dental exams are required for all 7th Graders. Any exam given since September 1, 2019 is acceptable. Please email your dental form to our certified school nurse, Mrs. Lauren Myrtetus at lmyrtetus@cbsd.org, mail it to us at 1492 Stuckert Rd. Warrington, PA 18976, or drop it off in the Main Office. The form can be found on this Tamanend Health Office page on our website.

Please notify our Certified School Nurse, Lauren Myrtetus, if you, someone in your household or your student have been diagnosed with COVID or if your student has been identified as a close contact of someone who has been diagnosed with COVID. Also, please notify Mrs. Myrtetus if your student is ill and is being tested for COVID.

If your students needs to quarantine, he or she should report directly to the nurse’s office on his or her first day back to school for a temperature and symptom screening.

Mrs. Myrtetus is happy to answer any questions related to COVID.

Lmyrtetus@cbsd.org

267-893-2915

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revised their recommendations around the length of time that an individual should quarantine after exposure to a positive COVID-19 case. The district integrated these changes into our Health and Safety Plan. These changes will dictate the time that students are unable to attend school in-person and participate in school-sponsored activities and athletics following exposure and/or travel outside of Pennsylvania.

• Students must remain at home for 10 days—7 days with evidence of a negative COVID-19 test—from the date of last close personal contact with a positive individual. The COVID-19 test must have been administered at least 5 days after the exposure.
• The commonwealth has revised their travel restrictions to reflect the CDC’s new guidance. Pennsylvanians who are returning home after travel are required to either quarantine for 10 days without testing, or to quarantine for 7 days with a negative test on or after day 5 of quarantine. Please note, out of an abundance of caution, our health and safety plan protocols require all students and employees to refrain from in-person instruction and school-sponsored athletics and activities during the commonwealth’s travel quarantine period regardless of age.

Please find a revised flow chart that contains this new guidance for your reference below. If we continue to stay home when we are sick, wear face coverings consistently and appropriately, wash hands regularly, and stay six feet away from others as much as possible, we will all do our part to help one another stay heathy.

Families can access the online application for Free & Reduced Meals by clicking here. The application must be submitted each year.

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

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