TPS Principal's Page

As we wind down the month of October, next week promises to be a ton of fun! The Student Council has planned a Spirit Week for next week culminating with the MS Dance Friday night. The whole school is invited to participate in Spirit Week but the dance is only for Middle Schoolers. Remember that Thursday will feature a short Costume Parade at 9:00. Friday will have the students participating in the PTA Viking Challenge during their specials.  The week's themes:  Monday- Pajama Day Tuesday - Mix and Match Day Wednesday - Sports Jersey Day  Thursday - Costume Day  Friday - Color Wars Day  8th: Red 7th: Green 6th: Black 5th: Blue  4th: Yellow 3rd: Orange 2nd: White 1st: Purple K: Gray Staff: Pink I have had many communications and conversations since my email on Tuesday. I do want to reiterate to everyone, my highest priority is student and staff safety. I do not take this responsibility lightly. I am honored that people trust me to keep their children safe ...

  A Note from Mrs. DiFonso This week I had the pleasure of eating lunch with some first graders who were our very first "Artists of the Month". We ate in the conference room where their art is displayed and boy did we have fun!  Each month, Mrs. Finkler will select some student artwork for me to display in our TPS conference room. The artists and I will celebrate by having lunch together and enjoying their impressive efforts!  Staff and families will have the opportunity to enjoy these pieces of art during meetings at the school!  This is surely something to be proud of and excited about!  I cannot wait to see what talents our Warriors have in art class!  Every year, middle schools from across the commonwealth nominate an 8th grader to Project 351 . Project 351 (the number of cities/towns in the state) is a non-profit organization that focuses on student leadership. As a school, we look for a quiet leader who works hard and is an "unsung hero...

It has been so great to see parents coming in and meeting with staff about their children! The connection between home and school is critical in student learning. As is the students' awareness that we are all working in concert for them. Finally, when parents make time for conferences, it signals to students that the work they do here is important. These are all the messages we want our students to have. Thank you. It is great to be a partner in their learning.  A Note from Mrs. DiFonso This week, we welcomed a new addition to our TPS playground!  We now have a Buddy Bench! Last year, the TPS PBIS Committee was looking for ways to promote building relationships and friendships in school.  The addition of a Buddy Bench will allow students to make new friends, identify a classmate who may not have a peer to play with, and encourage empathy and belonging. The location of the bench is perfect, too, right near the play structure! A special thanks goes out to our PTA who funded...

This week was an interesting one but also an important reminder of our focus on student safety. It started with our Wednesday fire alarm evacuations and it ended this week with our ALICE drill. This drill was planned in collaboration with the Princeton Police and Fire Departments over the summer. These drills are more dynamic than the traditional "lockdown drills" and fire drills. For these drills, I announce something is unsafe at a specific location in the building and the staff makes a decision based on this information, their location, and students' abilities, etc. to either lockdown or evacuate. Teachers have been gently preparing students for this drill since the start of the school year. The intent is to prepare students but never to scare them. There is confidence in preparation. However, it is always a somber discussion that these drills are necessary. If you ever have any questions about how or why we complete any of these drills, please don't hesitate to re...