I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! We are excited to have the kids back...just not yet. We still have some work to do. However, I wanted to put several things on your radars.
We have scheduled our annual
Popsicles on the Playground for
August 23rd from 4:00-6:00. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the weather cooperates and we can actually have the event on the playground. I'm 0 for 2 so far in my tenure here! This event is hosted by the PTA and is an opportunity for all students to get reacclimated to the building and new students to get some nerves out and possibly make some new friends. This is also an opportunity to pick up new t-shirts. Use this
link and order by August 14th to get them in time. I'd encourage everyone to consider joining the PTA team!
Updated School Supply lists can be found on our website here. Our goal is always to keep costs for families down, however, if the list proves to be too much for you please reach out and let me know. We have different mechanisms in place to support families with these costs.
Once again, TPS will have a
School Council consisting of parents, staff, and a student or two. The group discusses the School Improvement Plan, Budget, the Handbook, and advises the Principal (that's me) on different decisions. If you are interested in serving on this committee or would like more information please let me know. If we have more interest than we do seats, there will be an election process.
Girls on the run! TPS is excited to offer Girls on the Run this fall! This program was created for girls in 3rd through 5th grades. GOTR is a program designed to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates movement. TPS staff, Elizabeth Budness, Alina Budrys, and Melissa Finkler have participated in training and will be the coaches at TPS. More information can be found
here.
New Staff Member: Lindsay May will be joining us as our new MS special educator. She joins us from Chocksett Middle School where she was a MS civics teacher for several years. She's already hard at work reading IEPs and getting ready for this new adventure.
Extended-day sign-ups are here! Please check this link if you want to access the program this year. We do not intend to set a cap for attendance but will look to add staff if the number of students requiring the program outpaces the staffing currently in place. You are required to pick specific days, though so that we can plan appropriately. Mrs. Nourse has been hard at work this summer and the program is now able to accept electronic payment! There is also a program handbook that can be found here.
Music in grades 5 through 8 will continue to be a choice between band or chorus. It is required that families make this determination prior to the first day of school using this form. We will collect the names of students can still participating in strings at a later date.
Cross Country season is nearly upon us. We are looking forward to another great season! Sign-ups for students in grades 5 through 8 can be found here and there is a hard deadline of August 28th. We will not accept registrations after this date as we require the time to make sure physicals are all up to date. I know students have been disappointed to miss the deadline in the past so I'd encourage everyone to sign up sooner rather than later and risk missing out. If you know Coach, you know his passion for the program. Here is a link to his call for athletes to join the team!
Every year, a group of 8th-grade parents work together to raise money to offset the cost of our 8th-grade students' celebrations. These celebrations can take many forms, and I always seek feedback from the students themselves to make sure the celebration matches their wants. This past year's 8th-grade class chose to have a semi-formal dance and go on a trip to Six Flags. If you are interested in fundraising, please reach out to me and I will help facilitate the creation of a committee.
Arrival and Dismissal- Drop off and pick up are always tricky at every school the first week back from
the summer. We will be continuing the process from years past. The school day starts at 8:25 and ends at 2:55. Buses will continue to drop off and pick up at the front of the building. Parent drop-off (starting at 8:05) will occur along the side (near the main office entrance). Before the doors open, we ask that cars stop by the fence before turning to pull up against the building. Once we open the doors, cars will loop around the "island" and can start dropping off at the crosswalk. If you are stopped at any point along the sidewalk, please ask your child to exit the vehicle so we can keep the line moving. After a group of cars pull away, the next car with children should pull up all the way to the crosswalk. C
hildren should be able to open the door, grab their things, and exit the car quickly. I know many parents have their kids start to prepare their belongings ahead of time and strategically place backpacks where they are easily accessible. If they cannot do this independently or they have things in the trunk, parents should pull up to an empty spot along the "island" after the crosswalk and park to help their little ones. This is a great area to pull into also if they (or you) need that last squeeze after a hectic morning. We leave those spots open just for you and there is no rush there. Using these also shows respect for other people who are trying to get places and may be running late. I also appreciate everyone's patience, especially during these first few days, while everyone is getting back in the flow. The end of the day will follow a similar procedure with the only difference being, that cars will form two lines side by side. A staff member will signal the drivers when each group is loaded and can go.
Everyone: School Dismissal Manager - After our inaugural year with School Dismissal Manager we are moving forward with it as veteran users. You will receive an email from the program inviting you to set your student(s)' default dismissal. Please remember that despite the name of the program, this is one-stop shopping. In addition to dismissal changes, you should enter all attendance-related notifications here. This includes tardies, absences, and early dismissals.
Transportation- Routes have been published on
PowerSchool under "Forms".
Go here if you want to do any of the following you can do that
here:
- Add to your list of people approved to get your student off the bus.
- Give permission for the driver to let your student off the bus without an adult if you want them to and they are under 4th grade.
- Request a different bus route than the one that corresponds with your home address.
- Make a request to maintain an alternate route previously agreed upon. These are required to be requested annually.
1st Day Goals- On the first day of school we will jump right into the day. We will help all students off the bus or out of cars to get right down to their classroom. This is a great time to start building routines from day 1. I generally have 4 goals for the first day of school. 1: Get all the kids in the building. 2: Make sure they all eat. 3: Get them all home safely. 4: Have as much fun as possible.
Kindergarten: Come meet the teachers! While the rest of the building starts on the 27th, Kindergarten
will start on the 28th. However, we invite all kindergarteners to come in on the 27th for Orientation and to meet their teacher.
On August 27th from 9:30-10:15, we invite you to come and see the classroom! Caregivers and kindergarten students may come (we will gather in the cafeteria), and walk together to the kindergarten classroom. Once there, we will have a quick scavenger hunt to complete together, and then access table toys while the teachers go over a few last-minute things for the school year! This is also a great opportunity to bring student supplies in, in a labeled bag. It will save them from having to carry the extra weight on their first day. Afterward, students are invited to go outside and enjoy the playground with their new friends. We ask that all families head to their cars by 10:15 so the playground can be used for recess.
Lunch- Lunches continue to be free to all students who would like them. They still charge the principal! What people might not realize is that filling out the free and reduced lunch paperwork supports the district in recouping the costs of meals. You can find the necessary paperwork
here. I hope the students enjoy the new tables the district was able to purchase through grant funds! This is the first time in a long time we haven't been using "hand me down" tables! Thank you to Margaret Barton (Supervisor of Nutrition) for all she does to support the TPS cafeteria! \
Looking ahead:
- Tuesday (8/27) Day A
- First Day of School 1st through 8th
- Wednesday (8/28) Day B
- First Day of Kindergarten
- Thursday (8/29) Day C
- Friday (8/30) Day D
- TPS Friday! Wear your TPS gear or Red/Black
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