The Tohickon Golden Eagle
January 2018
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Dear Tohickon Families,
Happy New Year!!! I hope that you had nice, enjoyable winter break! The month of January has arrived and with its arrival comes important events related to Program Planning and course selection for the 2018-2019 School Year for all grade levels, our annual dodgeball event, and the end of the second marking period.
Ninth grade students will attend important assemblies during the first few weeks of the month. There will be a high school program planning assembly on Thursday, January 4th, during the school day. During this assembly, the Tohickon Guidance Counselors will be presenting on the options available for next year. On Tuesday, January 9th, also during the school day, all ninth grade students will attend a presentation from Middle Bucks Institute of Technology. This will give students an overview of what MBIT is and the professional programs available. The high school curriculum fairs will take place on Thursday, January 11th, beginning at 6:30 AM. Details are listed in the guidance section of this newsletter.
The eighth grade teachers will speak to current eighth grade students (during classes), between January 29th and January 31st, about the honors options available for ninth grade. During these discussions, the teachers will discuss the criteria and characteristics necessary to be recommended for an honors level course. Teachers will be available if students have questions.
The program planning assembly for current seventh grade students will take place on January 31st, during the school day. During this assembly, the Tohickon Guidance Department will discuss what an eighth grade schedule will look like along with some available options. Specifically, they will talk about advanced level courses and world language options. The world language teachers will also give a brief overview of the Spanish and French programs.
On January 26th, during the evening, we will be hosting our 3rd Annual Tohickon Dodgeball Tourney. This has become a very popular event, as it draws several teachers and hundreds of students. Parents and spectators are invited to attend for a nominal entrance fee.
As we move into a new year, I wish all of our families a happy and healthy month! If you need further clarification on any items within the newsletter, please contact the main office at 267-893-3300 or the guidance office at 267-893-3310.
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton, Principal
JANUARY EVENTS
There are several upcoming events that students and parents should be aware of. The events for the month of January are as follows:
January 4th
- Program Planning Assembly for current 9th Grade Students (during school day)
- MBIT Open House (at MBIT during evening)
January 9th
- MBIT Assembly for 9th Grade Student (during school day)
January 11th
- Curriculum Fairs at CB High Schools (during evening)
January 15th
- NO SCHOOL - MLK Birthday
January 18th
- Parent Council Meeting at 9AM in Tohickon Library
January 24th
- MBIT Field Trip for interested students
January 26th
- End of 2nd Marking Period - Half Day
- Winter Recognition Assembly (during school day)
- Dodgeball Tournament (7pm)
January 29th through 31st
- 8th Grade Teachers to speak w/students (in class) about 9th Grade Honors Courses
- Program Planning Assembly for current 7th Grade Students
TOHICKON STUDENTS SHINE AT WINTER CONCERTS
DR. FOWLIN VISITS TOHICKON
On Monday December 18th, during an extended advisory period, Dr. Michael Fowlin visited Tohickon Middle School to perform for all grade levels. Dr. Fowlin is a psychologist, poet, and performer that has presented at CBSD Secondary Schools for many years. The program, titled "You Don't Know Me, Until You Know Me," was an incredibly poignant presentation on recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating our differences. Dr. Fowlin had a profound impact on our staff and students, discussing how we all can make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. Dr. Fowlin tried to help students understand the perspectives of others and the golden rule (treat others as you would like to be treated).
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
The monthly Parent Council Meeting will take place on Thursday, January 18th, at 9:00 AM in the Tohickon Library. Mrs. Fox will be on hand with students and teachers to demonstrate how we are using technology in classrooms.
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
Winter sports at Tohickon are well underway! Tohickon Wrestling is off to a great start and will have several matches this month. 7th grade girls basketball wrapped up their season and had an impressive 7-1 record this year. The 8th grade girls basketball team will be competing in the district tournament early in January. We had a great turnout for 9th grade basketball and have three 9th grade basketball teams at Tohickon this year, two boys teams and one girls team. They will all be playing into February. The 7th and 8th grade boys basketball seasons will be starting soon. Tryouts will be in mid-late January. Students should listen to announcements for tryout dates.
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
7th to 8th Grade:
January 31, 2018 – Program planning assembly reviewing World Languages and Advanced courses. We will begin program planning discussions with teachers February 1st and 2nd.
8th to 9th Grade:
February 1, 2018 – Program Planning & Elective assembly. Program planning will take place in February.
9th to 10th Grade:
January 4, 2018 –What is MBIT? Is MBIT for me? 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.
January 11, 2018 -- Curriculum Fairs at CB East and CB West -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). CB WEST Curriculum Fair will begin at 6:30pm. CB EAST Curriculum Fair will begin at 6:30 PM for last names starting with A-K and 7:30pm for last names starting with L-Z.
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