Thomas Community Newsletter

Dear TMS Community,

As we wrap up October and look ahead to November, we’re excited for all that’s happening at Thomas, so we are sending this newsletter a few days early. With Halloween just around the corner, our focus remains on keeping the school day fun yet centered on learning. Students are welcome to wear costumes (guidelines linked HERE), but we’ll maintain our regular schedule and ask that no candy, masks, or props be brought to school. Looking ahead, we’re preparing for our Veterans Day Celebration, a meaningful tradition where we honor those who have served in the various branches of the U.S. military. Families are invited to submit the names of special guests who have served, and we’d be honored to welcome them to our school breakfast and Veterans Day Assembly. Click HERE to invite your special guest.

In this newsletter, you'll find essential information on the following items:

• Essential Halloween Information
• Veterans Day Celebration 11/11/25 *Assembly Schedule
• TMS Spelling Bee
• TMS Wrestling Team
• Video for Reporting Powerschool School Attendance

• ABC/25 Membership Drive *Just 20 more families needed to reach our goal!

Standing Newsletter information includes:

• Office Hours/Academic Support After School

• PTA Information

• Health Office Information

• Link Together Information

• Community Partner Glenbard Parent Series
• School Resource Office Information
  
• Safe2Help Illinois
  
• Bus Information

SAVE THE DATE Calendar Reminders

• Veterans Day Celebration Tuesday, November 11

• TMS Spelling Bee, November 19, after school in the LMC

• Thanksgiving Holiday Break - Monday, November 24 - Friday, November 28

• District Spelling Bee at TMS, January 21, 2026

• 8th Grade Graduation, Tuesday, June 2, 7:30 PM

With gratitude for your partnerships and support,

The TMS Administrative Team

Lori Naumowicz, Principal

Greg Keadle, Associate Principal

Jeremy Fischer, Associate Principal

Allie Yoder, Associate Principal & TMS Student Services Coordinator

Halloween is almost here, and we’re excited to celebrate the season together at TMS! 🎃 Last week’s Fall Fest was such a hit — thank you to our amazing PTA Activity Committee and all the volunteers for putting together such an enjoyable event for the students.

At Thomas, we keep Halloween day focused on learning while still having fun. Students are welcome to dress up if they’d like, but we don’t host classroom parties or bring in candy and treats during the school day. This approach has worked really well in keeping the day enjoyable and running smoothly for everyone.

To make sure everyone has a safe and positive experience, please keep these Halloween Guidelines in mind for Friday, October 31:

• No changing outfits or applying makeup or hair sprays at school.

• No masks or face coverings during the day.

• No props of any kind.

• No blood, gore, or anything that shows violence.

We can’t wait to see some creative (and school-appropriate!) costumes around the building. Let’s make it a great day — full of learning, laughter, and Wolf Pack spirit!

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Thomas Administration at 847-398-4260.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween!

~The TMS Admin Team

Veterans Day honors all of those who have served our country in war or peace — dead or alive — and to thank living veterans for their sacrifice. At Thomas Middle School we take great pride in hosting our annual Veteran's Day Celebration and we hope that you'll join us!

Please complete THIS FORM by Friday, November 7th, 2025 for each "guest of honor" at our Veterans Day celebration - breakfast and assembly.

This past Wednesday, we hosted our first-ever TMS Pep Rally/Recognition Assembly — what an incredible success! Click HERE to view a video (thank you Ms. Boston and the Media Club for creating this Q1 highlight reel)! The energy and enthusiasm throughout the gym were contagious as students and staff came together to celebrate the end of the quarter and all the amazing accomplishments of our Wolf Pack. From the cheers to the games to the spirited videos, the event captured exactly what makes TMS so special — a community where everyone feels included, connected, and proud to be part of the Pack! A huge shout-out and heartfelt thank-you to Dori Matanovic and Marc Goldstein for serving as the MC for event.

The TMS School Spelling Bee will take place on November 19th after school in the LMC. It should be done by 4:00 pm.

Sign-up Form

Also, Thomas will also host the District Bee this year. It will be after school on January 21st in the LMC.

Student safety remains a top priority in District 25. All schools are safe and welcoming for every student and family, with district procedures in place to support students’ safety and learning in the event of any ICE-related incident. The district will continue to share information with families to reinforce our commitment to keeping students safe.

• District Dish (Under Superintendent Message) – September 18 & October 16

• Dr. Kaye’s Letter – January 2025

Please talk with your middle schooler and ensure that they have headphones for school each day. These are needed for various assignments and activities.

It's essential to set up this account as this is how you can report student absences, early dismissals, or late arrivals. Please take a few minutes to set up this account. Information is included below.

Have you tried to set this up and it's not working? Click HERE to view a video tutorial!

TMS online attendance reporting now takes place on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. You must know your Parent PowerSchool username and password to log in and report an absence for your child online.

• To request your parent/guardian codes for PowerSchool, please fill out this form.
  
• Directions on the new reporting system can be located here.
  
• Still experiencing issues with your account, please email thomastech@sd25.org.
  

If you need technical assistance, please email thomastech@sd25.org. Note: PowerSchool Attendance Reporting is only available using a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc) and is not available on the app.

If needed, you may still call the TMS Attendance Line at 847-398-4260: press 1 and leave a message on the attendance line. However, due to the number of absences reported daily, we do prefer the PowerSchool method. If you need technical assistance, please email thomastech@sd25.org. Note: PowerSchool Attendance Reporting is only available using a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc) and is not available on the app.

Thank you for your partnership in ensuring daily attendance and timely absence reporting!

When your child has Health class this year, the Health teacher will teach a lesson on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention regarding Erin's Law. If you have specific questions or concerns about this, please contact your child's health teacher.

• 6th Grade Health Teachers: Dave Zapatka (dzapatka@sd25.org) during 3rd quarter for Alpha students and Anne Barrett (abarrett@sd25.org) during 4th quarter for Beta.
• 7th Grade Health Teachers: Heather Hepner (hhepner@sd25.org) for Gamma during 1st quarter, Kate Renno (krenno@sd25.org) for Delta during 2nd quarter, and Anne Barrett (abarrett@sd25.org) during 2nd quarter.
• 8th Grade Health Teachers: Therese Perkins (tperkins@sd25.org) for Zeta, Rob Weis (rweis@sd25.org) for Epsilon, and Anne Barrett (abarrett@sd25.org) for both. *Your child's schedule indicates which quarter Health is.

Help us earn $2,500 by joining the ABC/25 Foundation.

Membership is $40, but District staff have a discounted rate of $25. Membership dues directly fund the teacher grants.

Thomas needs JUST 20 MORE FAMILIES to join to meet our goal and receive this grant!

Become a member by October 17th, and your child(ren) will be entered into a drawing to win a ride to school with the Arlington Heights Police Department!

Please contact the TMS Health Office if you have any questions or visit D25 Health Services.

• Laura Toussaint - ltoussaint@sd25.org
• Shelly Grossman - sgrossman@sd25.org

Physical/Immunization Record:

• Required for all kindergarten, 6th grade and new students

• The physical must be dated on or after August 21, 2024

• Parents must complete and sign the health history section

• Immunizations Requirements must be met or include a MD approved schedule of administration

• Failure to submit the form and have it reviewed by the School Nurse prior to the OCTOBER 15th deadline will result in your child being EXCLUDED from school

TMS After School Support by Team is available to ALL students on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays!

• Please encourage your child to attend Office Hours and to reach out to teachers if they need help or just want a place to work on their academics after school. This support is FREE and can be extremely helpful.
• Click HERE for more details on options for your child to get help from staff at TMS.
• The activity bus departs TMS at about 3:35 PM for students who have a bus pass.

The TMS PTA has a lot to offer this year! We are excited for all the activities we have planned!

• Wednesday, January 14, 2026
• Wednesday, February 25, 2026
• Wednesday, May 13, 2026

• President - Jim Moncada

• President Elect - Kym Battista

• Vice President - Ian Silverman

• Treasurer - Sara Hess

• Secretary - Joslyn Katz

TMS PTA Memberships - Have you joined the PTA? Your membership gives you exclusive access to the Thomas Middle School Directory through Directory Spot. Not a member? No problem! You can join by visiting the AH25 Webstore to purchase online or by emailing us at thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com.

District 25 is a partner in the Link Together Coalition which gives our community access to the Glenbard Parent Series. Please check out the various Glenbard Parent Series presentations that work to engage top experts, parents and school staff to become proactive and informed in pursuit of the mutual goal to strengthen our communities. Programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.

Social media concerns, incidents that occur after school hours/on the weekends, or outside of school can be reported to the SRO or you can contact the Arlington Heights Police by calling 911 or the non-emergency phone number (847) 368-5300. You can also go directly to the Police Department located at 200 E Sigwalt Street in Arlington Heights. It is open 24 hours. The SROs can be contacted as well:

SRO: John O'Leary joleary@vah.com Cell Phone: (847) 344-2330

SRO: Chris Seebacher cseebacher@vah.com Cell Phone (847) 368-5393

Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program where students can use a free app, text/phone, and website (safe2helpil.com) to share information on school safety issues in a confidential environment. Once vetted, the information provided will be shared with local district and school officials and/or local 911 call center, depending on the nature of the information shared. Safe2Help Illinois is a long-term initiative to change the school culture in Illinois by helping students reach out when they have concerns. To learn further about Safe2Help Illinois, please see the videos below. More information can also be found on their website at safe2helpil.com. Video for Middle School Students

• Click here for the Bus Safety Guidelines and Rule as well as details on lost items on the bus.
• Please direct bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist: Laura Comastro as she can answer your questions and resolve issues. lcomastro@sd25.org. Phone: 847-758-4888
• Bus Company Questions: Contact Cook Co. School Bus Company at 847-439-0923

• Principal - Lori Naumowicz
• Associate Principal - Greg Keadle (Delta, Epsilon, & Zeta Teams)
• Associate Principal & Student Services Coordinator - Allie Yoder
• Associate Principal & Teacher - Jeremy Fischer (Alpha, Beta, Gamma Teams)