Thomas Timberwolves
School Community Newsletter - May 2, 2021
Safety ~ Connection ~ Instruction
Hello, Thomas Middle School Community,
We hope this email finds you and your family well. Perhaps you saw the amazing double rainbows at TMS last week. How about that as a symbol for this school year? These sayings seem fitting; The greater the storm, the brighter your rainbow, and every storm in your life is followed by a rainbow. We have so much to celebrate from the 2020-2021 school year. I'll never forget the wise 8th-grade boy at a graduation committee meeting earlier this year who told his classmates that it is important to make sure we look upon this school year and think about what we've gained as opposed to what we lost. How great is that?
A big celebration for the TMS community this year is the recognition that we have earned from the Illinois PTA. We have been the recipients of the Illinois PTA Ruby Award for Communication and the Illinois PTA Administrator of the Year Award. We could never earn these distinguished awards without strong partnerships, sharing of ideas, and genuine support between the students, the staff, and the PTA. It takes a solid foundation to survive a challenging school year like this. The staff at TMS is so grateful for the trust and confidence our PTA has placed in us. With that, we welcome and congratulate the 2021-2022 PTA Executive Board members continuing to serve for another year and those new to our board:
- President - Amy Hoffman
- President-Elect - Suzanne Krause
- Vice President - Melissa Teuscher
- Treasurer - Kelly Spokas
- Secretary- Deborah Oiler
Many thanks to the outgoing 2020-2021 PTA Executive Board members. Your services and efforts to support the TMS community have been tremendous! We appreciate you!
- President: Lucy Block
- Secretary: Lisa Ulrych
Noteworthy items for the coming weeks:
- IAR TESTING May 5th, 6th, 7th & 10th: On these dates, we will have modified daily schedules. Please see below for details.
- STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK May 10th - 14th: Please check out the Staff Appreciation PTA SignUpGenius link for an opportunity to support our staff.
- PTA SPRING SPIRIT WEAR: The spring orders are in and were distributed this week. If you have not picked up your items yet, please stop by the TMS office.
- REMINDERS ABOUT DROPPING OFF ITEMS IN THE OFFICE: Please encourage your child to pack their backpack the night before school to ensure that they have all of their necessary materials. All students should bring headphones and Chromebooks to school each day. We are trying to limit the number of visitors to the school office.
Important Dates:
- Registration Emails for the 2021-2022 School Year are sent: Monday, 5/3 (Superintendent's Update 4/30/21)
- IAR & 8th Grade ISA Testing: Week of May 3-7
- 8th Grade Graduation Car Parade - Monday, 5/24/21 *NEW TIMES - 3:00 Remote-Only students & 3:30 In-Person students
- Create Your Brand Assembly with our School Resource Officers - Monday, 5/17/21
- Pride of the Pack Assembly - Monday, 5/24/21
- 8th Grade Graduation Rehearsal - Wednesday, 6/2/21 @ 7:45 a.m.
- 8th Grade Student Picnic *NEW DATE - Wednesday, 6/2/21 @ 12:40 p.m.
- 8th Grade Last Day of School & Yearbook Distribution - Wednesday, 6/2/21
- No School - Non-Attendance Day for Students - Staff SIP Day - Friday, 5/28/21
- 8th Grade Graduation - Wednesday, 6/2/21 @ 7:30 p.m. BGHS (Rain Date 6/3/21)
- Last Day of School 6th & 7th Grade & Yearbook Distribution- Friday, 6/11/21
We are grateful for your partnership as we continue to prioritize safety, connection, and instruction. Thank you for embracing this journey with us!
Take care and be well,
~ Lori, Greg, & Nick
NWEA MAP Spring 2021 Reports
NWEA MAP spring 2021 reports for IN-PERSON students will be sent home via backpack mail on Friday, May 7th. Reports for REMOTE-ONlY students will be mailed home on May 7th.
Online Registration for 2021-2022 School Year ~ LOOK FOR YOUR REGISTRATION EMAIL on 5/3/21
2021-2022 AHSD Online Registration System will be launched on Monday, May 3rd (during the morning hours). Registration emails for 2021-2022 will be sent on Monday, May 3rd. Families will be emailed details and a link to register online. We ask that you complete the registration process as soon as possible so we can effectively and accurately plan and schedule classes for all of our students. The TMS 2021-2022 anticipated student enrollment numbers are looking to be around the following:
- 6th Grade: 310 students
- 7th Grade: 320 students
- 8th Grade: 345 students
WARM WEATHER REMINDERS - Water Bottles & School Attire
- Bring a reusable water bottle to school each day.
- Wear school appropriate attire to school each day.
8th Grade Gown Distribution Information
REMOTE LEARNERS:
- All remote learners can pick up gowns at a time that works best for you before June 1st!
- TMS is open daily from 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Gown pick-up should take just two minutes ~ simply park in the Belmont Avenue parking lot, enter the main entrance, and take the gown from our pick-up table inside of the TMS vestibule.
TMS PTA
Do you have questions for the PTA? Email the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com
2020-2021 PTA Officers:
President: Lucy Block
President-Elect: Amy Hoffman
Vice President: Melissa Teuscher
Treasurer: Suzanne Krause
Secretary: Lisa Ulrych
Last Meeting of the Year:
* Tuesday, May 18 - RSVP below!
(*This meeting was moved from 5/19/21 due to the D214 High School Graduation.)
HELPFUL LINKS:
- PTA 2020-2021 Bylaws - Here is a link to the 20-21 bylaws
- Link to the TMS PTA Website
Questions regarding Spiritwear? Please contact:
Stephanie Notaro - sgnotaro@sbcglobal.net
Stephanie Gries - sgries6@comcast.net
Directory Spot: Shannon Hull is the TMS Directory Spot Chairperson. Please email ThomasPTADirectory@gmail.com for changes or access issues.
Attendance Expectations
ZOOM: Remote learning is only for families that selected the remote option or students that are in quarantine. Students that are traveling are considered absent and should check Schoology for information on the missed school work and should attend office hours to check in with staff.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE: If your student is unable to attend school, please complete the Absence Form online or leave a message in the front office with the dates of absence.
Click here to access the TMS absence form
Click Here to view the Cook County Travel Guidelines:
As always, we are here to talk things through with you and answer any questions you may have. The most important thing we can do is stay home if anyone is sick. Thank you again for partnering with us to continue to keep TMS a safe place for everyone.
BGHS Bisonettes Poms Clinics and Tryouts
Attention 8th graders...if you are interested in trying out for the 2021-2022 Bisonettes Poms team, please look for the tryout packets on the BGHS website. Clinics are on Monday, May 3rd and Tuesday, May 4th from 4-6pm. Tryouts will be on Thursday, May 6th starting at 5:00 pm.
Mental Health Resources
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (call 1-800-273-8255 for free and confidential support for people in distress and best practices for professionals)
- Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor)
- Call4Calm (text TALK or HABLAR to 552020 to get connected to a counselor in your area)
- Safe2Help Illinois (a 24/7 tip line that gives students a safe and confidential way to share information that might help prevent suicides, bullying, school violence, or other threats to school safety).
FOOD DISTRIBUTION & FREE LUNCH
FREE LUNCH FOR STUDENTS - Students can order a free lunch Tuesday-Friday at TMS. Orders are placed during homeroom.
- Day: Every Wednesday
- Times: 9:30 am – 10:30 am & 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
- Where: Thomas Middle School ONLY
- Who: All Arlington Heights families with students age 18 and under
- Important Notes: Neighbors or friends are allowed to come to pick up meal bags for you from Thomas Middle School. If food delivery is needed, please contact us and we can arrange for a delivery time.
BUS INFORMATION
Laura Comastro - lcomastro@sd25.org
PHONE: (847) 758-4888 | Fax: (847) 228-2078
TMS Office Information
*Hours may be modified over spring break. Please call before coming to the office.
Address: 1430 N. Belmont Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Phone: 847-398-4260
Fax: 847-394-6843