TMS Community ROAR Report
Be the Change at TMS!
Email: janine.smith@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/tms/
Location: 408 East Main Street, Thurmont, MD, United States
Phone: (240)-236-5100
Twitter: @JanineSmithFCPS
September Newsletter
Be the Change
Greetings Panther Families,
What an amazing start to the 21-22 school year! The school is alive with energy, excitement, and student learning. Our TMS staff is working hard to establish relationships, build connections, reconnect, and engage students within the learning process. We appreciate the support and dedication of the entire TMS school community to ensure in-person instruction is a success. Please remember we are here to support you this school year; please be sure to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have. We will work together to Be the Change at TMS!
Be the Change,
Janine Smith~Principal
Anita Shank~Assistant Principal
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
Important Calendar Date Reminders
- Monday, September 6th - School Closed (Labor Day)
- Tuesday, September 7th - School Closed (Rosh Hashanah)
- Wednesday, September 8th - PBIS Roy Rogers Fundraiser Night @ 5:00pm
- Monday, September 13th - MCAP Fall Assessments
- Tuesday, September 14th - MCAP Fall Assessments
- Wednesday, September 15th - MCAP Fall Assessments
- Thursday, September 16th - School Closed (Yom Kippur)
- Thursday, September 23rd - Mid-Term~2 Hour Early Dismissal
- Friday, September 24th - Fair Day~3.5 Hour Early Dismissal
Important Reminders and Updates
Lockers:
As a mitigation strategy we have decided for the first half of the school year to allow students to carry their book bags with them to class. If your child is in need of a locker this year, please reach out to the grade level counselor and a locker will be assigned to your student.
- 6th Grade Counselor: Becky Krauss--Rebecca.krauss@fcps.org
- 7th Grade Counselor: Sherry Bueso--Sherry.Bueso@fcps.org
- 8th Grade Counselor: Stacie Varanyak--Stacie.Varanyak@fcps.org
Grade Level Syllabus:
Please make sure you ask your child to see the grade level course syllabus for their classes. They are located on their Gateway Schoology Course. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher.
Students Reporting Security Concerns:
"See Something, Say Something" and "Don't repost it. Report it" - Encourage students to report security concerns to a trusted adult (parent, school staff member, school administrator, SRO, or a local law enforcement agency). Students may also anonymously report concerns using the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line at 833-MD-B-SAFE. In an emergency, call 911. Additional resources can be found on each school's website and the FCPS website.
One Call Now:
Beginning on September 14th, the person designated on your child’s emergency contact form as primary caregiver, will receive One Call Now messages if your child has been marked absent for the first 2 or more periods of the school day. This call is automated and it is possible that if a child enters school later in the day or doesn’t check-in with their first and second period teachers, the call could occur in error. Since this service is new, it is also possible that our staff could make errors as we fully integrate this into our practice.
As always please feel free to call our front office if you feel you have received a phone call in error.
If you wish to opt out of this or any of the One Call Now calls you receive, feel free to listen to the message through to the end for directions to opt out. Please know by opting out of this service, you will decrease the school’s engagement efforts to provide important student and school information with you.
FCPS Bus Delay Information:
A quick and easy resource to check if your child's bus is delayed is to visit https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/ This site is updated in real-time to reflect any bus delays.
Required Safety Drills:
The Maryland State Department of Education requires all schools to practice and complete a variety of safety drills. Schools practice these required safety drills in order to be prepared in case of emergency. Below are the required drills:
- Fire Drills (5 drills per year)
- Evacuation Drill
- Reverse Evacuation Drill
- Shelter in Place Drill
- Lockdown Drill
- Drop, Cover and Hold Drill
- Severe Weather Drill
- Avoid-Deny-Defend/Active Shooter Drill
Technology Fee:
Annual Technology Fee for an FCPS issued Chromebook has been eliminated for the 2021-22 school year. Students are responsible for damaged or loss of devices and may be charged for repairs.
1st Repair - $30
2nd Repair - $60
3rd Repair - $120
Lost Chargers - $30
National School Breakfast and Lunch Program:
Applications for free and reduced-price school meal benefits for the 2021-2022 school year are online at www.fcps.org/meals.
Frederick County Public Schools, Food and Nutrition Services announces participation in the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) for the 2021-2022 school year. SSO is part of the National School Breakfast and National School Lunch Program and has been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow all children enrolled at Frederick County Public Schools to receive meals for free.
We encourage families to complete the free and reduced-price meal benefits application even though all children receive meals at no charge because the USDA provides funds that support the nutrition program based on your child’s eligibility.
Free and reduced-price meal benefits are available at all Frederick County Public Schools. Online and printable applications can be found at www.fcps.org/meals. Families should fill out a meal benefits application, regardless if students return to school in person or via distance learning.
FCPS Food & Nutrition Services:
FCPS Food & Nutrition Services is currently recruiting for non-benefitted Food Service Workers for our school. The position is 3 hours a day with a payrate of $13.70 per hour. If you’re interested, please view JOB 8048, Non-benefitted Food Service Worker for the Oakdale region and submit your application through this link: https://www.applitrack.com/fcps/OnlineApp/default.aspx?Category=Food+and+Nutrition+Services&all=cat .
If you have questions, please contact Susan Wedge in Food & Nutrition Services at 301-644-5067 or email susan.wedge@fcps.org
Schoology:
- FCPS Schoology Page for Students and Families https://www.fcps.org/student-services/schoology
- FCPS Schoology YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGATg8OciCItdUiqHJyHHrA
- FCPS Schoology Troubleshooting Guide https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OJWzxwXeSumMlev5Ac8_-B0aaKhW5_ofMvuRO3a1pws/edit?usp=sharing
- How To View Grades in Schoology https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HG9UQhjKp3gqu7lj6zJJoPNuALXpsY8GGseM5Gu-yX0/edit?usp=sharing
Cell Phone Policy:
Thurmont Middle School has implemented the "Off, Away, and Out of Sight" cell phone policy for the last several years. While students are in the school building during the instructional day, they are to keep their cell phones, "Off, Away, and Out of Sight".
Attendance:
If your child is unable to attend school due to an illness or doctor's appointment, or any other reason, please email a note to our attendance secretary, Ms. Shannon Ingram at tms.attendance@fcps.org. Please include your child's first and last name, grade, date of absence, and reason for absence. If Ms. Ingram has any questions she will reach out for clarification.
COVID-19 Updates & Resources
The health of our students, staff, and families is our first priority. Dr. Alban, FCPS Superintendent, recently released updated information for our community through her weekly "Superintendent's Update". Please review it below if you have not already had a chance.
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis continues to challenge us. Along with the gleeful return of students came the news of more than 600 students quarantining. In order to preserve the in-person learning option, we must do all we can to limit spread in our school buildings by following the advice of local, state and national health officials. Families understandably have questions. We wanted to share this video update with you that explains quarantine protocols and procedures. Our Frequently Asked Questions feature on FCPS.org also provides more details on quarantining and a host of other relevant topics. We also have created the following graphics:
- COVID-19 Response in English
- COVID-19 Response in Spanish
- Contact Tracing and Close Contact Information in English
- Contact Tracing and Close Contact Information in Spanish
FCPS is supporting students who are quarantining. Teachers are putting their instructional materials into Schoology, our learning management system, so that students can access the information and assignments for days they are absent. Schoology was used last year and students and staff are familiar with this platform. When a student is placed in quarantine, school leaders work with the families to offer tutoring options. The availability of tutors varies across schools and levels; we continue to explore ways to expand the number of tutors, including contracted services. It is our hope that universal masking and other mitigation strategies we have in place will limit the spread of COVID-19. I am asking any staff and students who are exhibiting symptoms to please stay home. We need everyone working together to help our kids in school.
FCPS is a system that believes in continuous improvement. We always appreciate feedback that can help us improve program implementation. FCPS was the first school system in Maryland to open our doors and welcome back all of our students and staff. Leaders have appreciated the many positive messages they've received from students and families. One thing we know for certain, we must be #TogetherFCPS.
FCPS Regulation Review
All schools are required to share the following FCPS Regulations:
Regulation 500 - 32: Replacement of Lost or Damaged Instructional Materials
Regulation 400 - 73: Responsible Use of Digital Technology
Regulation 400 - 48: Bullying, Harassment, Intimidation Complaint Process for Students
Regulation 500 - 05: Grading, Reporting, and Intervention-Secondary
Fall Assessments
As we progress further into the fall, students will begin required state testing during the second half of September. Please see below for pertinent information and reminders about the testing process:
- Maryland State Testing will occur in the morning for all grades on the following dates: Monday, September 13th & Tuesday, September14th and for grade 6 only, Wednesday, September 15th.
- It is important for students to be well rested with a good nights sleep in preparation for testing on each of these dates.
- Remember, students may have a free breakfast beginning at 7:00 am each morning to ensure a successful start to the day.
- Please make every attempt to have students at school on-time and avoid scheduling appointments during testing.
- All students will need to bring corded headphones for use on the assessments and their FCPS Chromebook fully charged with the charging cord.
As we get closer to these dates, additional information will be provided to students. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Anita Shank, Assistant Principal, 240-236-5100.
Student Firearm Possession
Car Rider Information
TMS Car Rider/Walker Information:
If your student is a walker or a bicycle rider, we ask that students follow all traffic laws and if they need to cross the street, they use the crossing guard at the corner of Main Street and Summit Avenue. Bicycles should not be ridden, but walked on the Summit Avenue sidewalk as this sidewalk is very congested at dismissal and arrival times.
If your student is a car rider in the morning, arrival "drop off" occurs in the front of the school. Please drive your car to the flag pole and allow students to exit the vehicle. Students will enter at the side entrance with blue doors that can be seen from the parking lot. Please do not drop off students between cars in the parking lot.
For car rider dismissal at the end of the day, student pick-up will be in the parking lot off Summit Avenue. There will be two different locations to park and wait for students. The first is the staff parking lot. Cars will form two lines in the parking lot. If this location is full, you can park along Summit Avenue. Please see the diagram.
To help ensure safety, TMS staff will be in the parking lot helping students cross into the car pick up line. Students need to cross in marked crosswalks. Cars will be allowed to leave the parking lot once the buses leave. Please pay close attention to school staff guidance in the parking lot for everyone's safety. Please have your student picked-up no later than 2:40pm.
Finally, please note that the Town of Thurmont prohibits U-turns on Summit Avenue. If you park on Summit Avenue you will need to drive to the end of Summit Avenue and turn onto Woodland Avenue. Please do not wait and block traffic on the opposite side of the street.
As we adjust to the new routines, thank you for your patience and understanding. We appreciate your cooperation to ensure students are safe.