TPS Principal's Page: November 2023

Friday, November 17, 2023

Sneaking into Thanksgiving week!

It was a joyous day at TPS today! We kicked off the day with our TPS Thanksgiving parade. Led by Cruiser, the parade meandered through the halls. 8th grade followed behind Cruiser and passed out notes of gratitude. 3rd grade was right behind them with Balloons over Broadway. And finally, the 6th grade came through with capstone projects around their learning so far this year. The route was lined with students sharing signs of gratitude and parents with big smiles.

Several other grades completed parade float STEAM projects. Notably, 2nd graders coded robots to run a short route without bumping into things. Also, 5th grade had an opportunity to participate in the Third Annual Balloons Over Broadway experience! Students had the chance to create a parade balloon, write a descriptive writing piece from the point of view of said balloon, and lastly, participate in a cooperative learning STEAM activity. Students were tasked with trying to keep their balloon afloat using various items to weigh it down. Teamwork, communication, and creativity helped students find success!

After this morning's parade, grades 5-8 participated in the first TPS Turkey Trot, racing through the Meadow trail in pursuit of the elusive 8th-grade turkey (seen here up a tree)!

A note from Mrs. Finkler: "Last chance, it's not too late. The order deadline is quickly approaching. Act now to support your school and celebrate your child's creativity. Order Here: Online: www.SquarelArt.com/Shop Need to find your child's art online? Use our art search. Together, we can help support the school and create lasting keepsake memories of your child's art to enjoy for years!"

Save the date: The PTA Holiday Shop will run from December 5th through the 8th. Students will have an opportunity (or two!) to shop during their school day. We will have small gift items under $10 available for the students to purchase.

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I feel like Thanksgiving came really quickly this year! Please remember that we do not have school Wednesday through Friday next week. I hope you all find time to celebrate the week with family and friends. With only two days next week, I will be sure to cover the following week in the "Look Ahead"

The district office has asked me to let all of you know....we are hiring subs! Public education is severely lacking in this area these days and WRSD is no different. This flyer explains what they are looking for and I am always happy to talk to anyone about the possibility. Especially if you'll agree to sub at TPS!

A note from the Library:

"The TPS Library is hoping that our overdue library books will come home! If your child has overdue books, you have some options to return the book, or if it is very lost, pay the replacement cost or buy us a new copy. As an alternative, your child can also bring in a non-perishable food item that we will donate to a local food pantry. Please help us to keep our collection healthy and ready to share with more readers!

If you would also like to purchase a new book for the library from our Amazon Wish List, you can do so here. We are always adding new titles (and looking for suggestions for new titles!) so check back often!"

Our Lego League team is preparing for their tournament in December and we are all very excited about it! We are also starting to prepare for our Explore program which begins in January. This program is for students in 1st through 5th grades. Learn more about the program through this flyer or the short video below. It is a really exciting and engaging program.

Chocksett Middle School is inviting any girls interested in playing basketball season to join them by signing up here.

Electronic Folder

New: Lego Explore, Lights in Common

The Weeks Ahead:

Monday (11/20) Day D
Tuesday (11/21) Day A

TPS Thanksgiving Parade

Wednesday through Friday: No School - Thanksgiving Break
Monday (11/27) Day B

Boys Basketball starts

Tuesday (11/28) Day C
Wednesday (11/29) Day D
Thursday (11/30) Day A

Monty Tech VIP
PTA Meeting

Friday (12/1) Day B

And way ahead:

Week of 12/4 - The PTA Holiday Shop

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Long Weekend!

After the ALICE drill, I had some conversations around student safety. This drill, specifically dealt with physical safety, but we are equally concerned about social emotional and all aspects of student safety. I wanted to share some of what we do here. Every year, we ask students to identify a safe adult in the building that they can talk to. Every year, we train staff on being mandated reporters. If we ever suspect a student is unsafe, we are required by law to contact DCF. If we suspect or get reports of bullying, we initiate an investigation and implement a safety plan while investigating. You can learn more about this process on our website. If there is ever a concern about sexual harassment, we follow the Title IX requirements. More information about this can be found here. And please know, if a student ever reports not feeling safe, we take their concerns seriously and work with them. Last year, we incorporated Restorative practices in many situations to support students. Safety is always a top priority at TPS!

A note from Mrs. Finkler:

"Hello Family,

Coming home to you soon will be your child's custom catalog for the Square 1 Art fundraiser. Get a head start, and start ordering keepsakes and gifts featuring your child's art online NOW, if you like!

Simply search for your child's art using Art Search, and enter the state, school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order!

Order by: 11/28/2023

Upload additional art if you like, using Art Upload!

If you have questions or need anything at all, contact customer care online .

Thank you for supporting our school!"

Today at lunch, we were lucky to be joined by Sargent Jo Falco. Sgt. Falco served in the army during the Vietnam War and spent lunch talking to our students about Veteran's Day. I have to say, that our students were appropriately respectful and engaged in his talk. Thank you to the PTA for arranging this. And thank you to Sgt. Falco and all of our Veteran's for their service. This weekend and every day, we honor them.

Electronic Folder

The Week Ahead:

Monday (11/13) Day C

PTA Mini Grants close
School Council

Tuesday (11/14) Day D

MS Basketball sign ups close

Wednesday (11/15) Day A
Thursday (11/16) Day B

SEPAC

Friday (11/17) Day C

Friday, November 3, 2023

Happy Friday!

This morning we completed our first ALICE (violent intruder) drill of the school year. The safety of this building and everyone in it is a primary concern. We must do these to allow students and staff to develop muscle memory and practice making important decisions in the moment. Everyone did an amazing job! Rooms that evacuated did so quickly and quietly. Rooms that went into lockdown did an amazing job as well. We are so appreciative of the Princeton Police and Fire Departments and their support. The students and staff did a great job in the drill. I continue to schedule these with the hope that we never need to use them for real.

Middle School Families: We have enough interest that it seems we will be able to have a boys' basketball team once again. Sign-ups are online and will remain up until midnight on Tuesday, 11/14. The team will practice daily from 3:00-5:00 with tryouts/practices beginning when we return from Thanksgiving (11/27). Payment is not required until the team is made. Any girls interested in playing basketball this year can sign up to join Chocksett in Sterling here once it is posted. Last year, we had a few girls join the team there and they won the district championship!

"We still need volunteers in the TPS Library! Our slots with the greatest need are any day of the week between 10:30 and 12:40, and we can often accommodate parents who want (or don't want) to help out in their child's class. Contact Jessie (jessie.trowbridge@gmail.com)to learn more about getting started!"

Last call for PTA Poinsettias!

REMINDER: Veteran's Day Photo Collage, deadline extended

With Veteran's Day coming up soon, we would like to celebrate all of the veteran service members that have connections to the TPS community. If you have a photo that you would like included in the photo collage, we are extending the deadline to MONDAY!

We are changing the format this year and WILL return copies (only if you specify), or you can email a digital copy to us and we will print it for you! Email tpsprincetonpta@gmail.com. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to show your Veteran’s Day pride at TPS!