TMS Dragons
PRO: Perseverance, Respect, Ownership January 2026
From the Principal’s Desk
I read something over break that made me think -
It was about how winter isn’t usually the season we associate with renewal—that honor belongs to spring. Winter is for stillness, reflection, and gathering energy. But in schools, I think that January feels different. A new semester offers us a rare reset: fresh routines, new goals, and the opportunity to begin again with clarity and intention. It’s a moment to take what we’ve learned from the fall and step into the next "chapter"—steady, thoughtful, and ready for what’s ahead.
Here at Turner Middle School we are reflecting on where students are, celebrating progress made so far, and using data thoughtfully to guide our next steps. By looking at multiple measures of learning, we’re able to better support students, adjust instruction, and help every learner continue to grow. We’re excited about the progress ahead and grateful for your partnership as we support students on their learning journey.
Also, as part of our fresh start this year, we’re looking at how we communicate with families. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey—your feedback is greatly appreciated!
It is a great day to be a dragon!
Adam Kohn
🚫No School for Students
Monday, January 5, 2026 (Teacher Work Day) & Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (Staff PD Day)
🚫No School, Martin Luther King Holiday
Monday, January 19, 2026
🚌8th grade field trip to BHS
Tuesday, January 20
🕺School Dance
Friday, January 30 4:15 - 5:15pm
Student course fees and any unpaid athletic fees are now posted to your student’s account.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our bookkeeper:
📞 970-613-7405
📧merri.hocker@tsd.org
Thank you for taking care of these balances promptly!
TMS Counseling Department Notes & News:
We’ll be doing the district-approved Signs of Suicide (suicide prevention) curriculum in 8th grade PRO classes from January 12-13.
BHS Registration Night - February 24 at BHS from 6-7:30 PM - this is for all incoming freshmen who plan to attend BHS for 2026-2027 school year. Students will select courses by filling out a form and they will submit those forms at the end of the evening.
Happy New Year and welcome back to all of our Dragons! The new year has started and we are ready to take on 2026! A couple reminders from the 6th grade team:
Please make sure your student has fresh supplies! We have a number of students who are completely out of pencils, pens, highlighters, etc. Please check with your student to see if they need a resupply if you are able.
Teachers are seeking donations of Kleenex. It has been a busy flu season, and we are running low. If you have the means to donate some boxes to your student’s homeroom, it would be so appreciated!
We hope you had a restful break and are as excited as we are to begin 2026 together!
In Science
We are finishing our unit, History of Life on Earth. Students explored how fossils and geologic time help tell the story of Earth’s past. Coming next is Change Over Time and Adaptations, where students will investigate how plants and animals change over generations and develop traits that help them survive in different environments.
In Social Studies
As the semester starts we are beginning our fourth unit, Medieval Times. We will be discussing the Black Death, Feudalism, and the Dark Ages.
In English Language Arts (ELA)
We are excited to start Unit Two of MyPerspectives, a sci‑fi aligned unit titled “Living Among the Stars.” Students will consider the essential question, “Should we make home in space?” and will read selections by Ray Bradbury, Tomoyuki Suzuki, and Sheri Buckner. The unit will culminate in an argumentative essay responding to the essential question. Weekly vocabulary tests will continue; please support study habits at home.
In Math 2.0
Students are starting Chapter 6, which includes percents, fractions, and decimals, as well as lessons on discounts and mark‑ups.
In Math 2.5
Students are starting Chapter 3, focused on angles, parallel lines cut by a transversal, triangles, and other polygons.
The eighth graders have been busy in their core and PRO classes. These Turner Dragons have been participating in school assemblies and spirit week! In January, Literacy classes will have the opportunity to ask questions of the Berthoud HIgh School counselors and students about expectations and what high school life is like. Also in their Literacy classes, students worked on writing essays for a novel by researching a resilient person. The writing process will culminate with students voting on which essay they consider to be most effective at building and communicating a strong case for their person.
On January 20, we'll be taking a field trip to Berthoud High School for "Future Freshmen Career Expo" to explore a wide range of career and college options and begin thinking about how their interests and strengths connect to future opportunities. At the Career Expo, students will meet professionals from various industries, learn about different career pathways, and ask questions about education, training, and real-world job experiences. This experience supports our classroom learning by encouraging goal setting, critical thinking, and awareness of post-secondary options.
We look forward to providing students with this meaningful and engaging learning experience!
NEWS FROM ELECTIVE CLASSES
What’s going on in the elective classes? Some seventh and eighth grade students will be continuing in their elective classes, but most will be changing classes at the semester. Sixth grade students will be switching to a new elective in January.
Band/Choir/Orchestra will be beginning learning the music for spring concert.
Band - 7th and 8th graders will be prepping for auditions for District Honor Band.
Consumer Family Studies
6th - cooking basics, handwashing dishes, kitchen safety, and kitchen math.
7th - Review kitchen safety, writing a grocery list and recipe, comfort foods
8th- Review kitchen safety, writing a grocery list and recipe, comfort foods
Spanish
8th grade learning about celebrations (Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve…) and things related to them (vocabulary, verbs)
7th grade learning about life in school in Costa Rica (and other Spanish speaking countries) and learning differences between these places, with vocabulary and verbs related to that.
6th grade learning about body parts in Spanish, they just finished their numbers from 0 to 100
PE - Fitness testing, writing SMART fitness goals, and playing badminton
Lifetime Sports - Darts & Badminton
Art- 8th grade Multimedia will be learning Adobe Express and Sketchup and the history of Printmaking. The second two weeks of January will be working on simple print projects.
7th Grade Art will be drawing and painting with watercolors.
6th grade Art will work on drawing and watercolor painting.
Please see the new Amazon Art Teacher Wishlist:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2CSUWZYV7STYF/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Thank you for supporting the Art Program!
Industrial Tech - Looking forward to starting a new set of classes. We begin the semester with computer aided drafting by making 3-D models: 6th grade ID Tags, 7th Grade Light Switch Covers, 8th Grade Fidget Key Chains.
Plus 1 Class - Learning about what it means to be Gifted, working on time management and organization through a Kinex project, and exploring careers through activities using the Innovation Lab (blood typing, taking vitals, CPR, engineering, plant science,
Gifted Education news
Math Counts will continue to meet on Mondays in January.
Spelling Bee Club will continue to meet on Wednesdays in January.
The Thompson District Chess competition will be held on Saturday, January 24th from 8 am - 1 pm at Lucille Erwin Middle School. Check the TSD.org website for registration. This is a popular activity and usually fills up early. Registration opens Dec. 1.
Mrs. Leonard is looking for adult or high school volunteers to grade at the Math Counts competition on Feb 5. Answers provided! Please contact her at kristina.leonard@tsd.org if you are interested.
Keep Your Chromebook Safe This Winter
STUDENTS: As winter sets in, a reminder: do not leave chromebooks in cold cars overnight. This can damage the battery and other functions of the computer, to the point where it may stop working, or even crack the screen! Students/Families are responsible for these damages, as insurance does not cover negligent acts such as this. Also, please remember to bring your fully charged chromebook when you return from break! Misplaced your cord? The most affordable replacement option is purchasing one yourself online: district recommended option
TSD Implements System to Support Students Online
I.T.S. offers software to help manage your student's device at home, whether they use an iPad or Chromebook. While we hope these tools are helpful, no filter or device restriction is perfect, and we encourage you to use other network management tools, such as parental controls built into your home router, if necessary.
Securly is a powerful safety tool that works in the background on all district-issued devices. It helps ensure that students stay safe and focused by filtering content on the browser, managing screen time, and keeping parents in the loop. Here’s what it offers:
Website Filtering
Inappropriate or unsafe sites are automatically blocked to help protect students from harmful content.
Weekly Email Activity Reports
Receive a summary of your child’s online activity directly in your inbox. Reports are sent to the email address you provided during the district’s Annual Family Check-in.
Custom Time Limits at Home
With the Securly Home App, you can set your own rules for when the Chrome browser is available outside of school hours—making it easy to manage screen time.
Learn more about the service by visiting the Securly Home App Set Up Guide
Amazon wish list
Will you please help our TMS staff fulfill their Amazon Wish Lists:
Update from Nutrition Services
Propositions LL and MM passed and that means the Healthy School Meals for All program (that we are operating currently) will continue.
Here are a few reminders about the meal program:
students may have 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch daily
seconds and a la carte items (including a la carte milk) are NOT free
adults may NOT have free meals (with a few exceptions)
students must take at least 3 items from the 5+ offered including a fruit or vegetable
students do NOT have to take milk
we still encourage families to fill out an application for other benefits (fee waiving, discounts outside of the district, etc)
Interested in Middle School Golf?
Season: March–May 2026 Thompson School District is excited to announce its Pilot Middle School Coed Golf Program for Spring 2026!
All practices and home competitions will take place at Cattail Creek. Away competitions will be held in Greeley or Windsor. District transportation will not be available for practices. Teams are limited to 16 players; all participants must attend tryouts and bring their own golf equipment. If equipment is needed, please reach out to your school AD. There is a $75 refundable registration fee for the tryout process and the season. Contact your School AD or click on the link for more information: Registration Link Registration deadline: February 13, 2026 English Flyer Spanish Flyer
~Submitted by Athletics & Activities Department
Illness Alert
Many illnesses are currently circulating in the community, and several students throughout Thompson School District have developed symptoms of illness including: fever, cough, runny nose, and sore throat and/or vomiting or diarrhea over the past few weeks. Our district has taken steps to prevent further spread by increasing cleaning and disinfecting, encouraging frequent hand washing and following other recommendations of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.
Respiratory Illness
Symptoms of respiratory illness begin suddenly and can include fever, headache, chills,
body/muscle aches, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Respiratory illness is easily spread from person-to-person through the air by coughing or
sneezing. An infected person may spread illness before having symptoms and several days after
becoming ill. Children and staff with weakened immune systems can develop more severe
illness and serious health complications.
Gastrointestinal Illness (GI)
Symptoms of gastrointestinal illness (stomach bug) often include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal
cramps, and nausea. Many GI illnesses can be spread from person-to-person through the fecal
matter. An infected person may spread illness before having symptoms and several days after
becoming ill. Children and staff with weakened immune systems can develop more severe
illness and serious health complications.
What to do
● For respiratory illnesses, stay home from daycare, school, or work until 24 hours after
fever has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medication.
● For gastrointestinal illnesses, stay home from daycare, school or work until at least 24
hours have passed with no diarrhea or vomiting. Some schools may extend the exclusion
time if there is an increase in these specific symptoms school wide.
● For strep throat, please keep your student home for at least 12 hours after starting
treatment and until the student feels well enough to participate in class.
● Check with your daycare provider, school or workplace regarding additional exclusion
recommendations.
● Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water.
● Remind students and staff to cover their noses and mouths with a tissue or their arm
when coughing or sneezing.
● Avoid touching the eyes, mouth, or nose.
● Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces frequently.
● Consult with your healthcare provider for testing and treatment options as well as
annual vaccines for prevention of illness.
● If you have questions talk to your healthcare provider or contact the Larimer County
Department of Health and Environment at 970-498-6708 or comm-
disease@co.larimer.co.us.
NOCO Emergency Alert
Larimer County Fire Departments have asked us to share this information. This emergency alert will alert those who sign up for it with emergency notifications from Larimer county. Please text NOCOALERT to 888777.
Safety Drills
TMS practices emergency safety drills on a continuous basis throughout the year. The type of drill we practice and discuss with students is rotated. We help students to become familiar with the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) which outline 5 situations and the actions that both the students and the adults do during an emergency.
How sick is too sick?
Please refer to the document, "How sick is too sick", from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) when deciding if students should stay home due to symptoms of illness. Reach out to the school health office with questions.
Absence reporting
1. You can call the attendance line at 970-613-7490 and leave us a message.
2. Notify us of planned absences directly through the portal, ensuring a seamless and efficient communication process.
Access the How-To Guide HERE for further instructions.
TMS PTO
TMS parent teacher organization (PTO) meets at Turner Middle School.
Please feel free to join them for the next meeting on Friday, January 9 at 9:00am.
See TMS Website for contact information.
SAAC
If you are interested in being a part of our School Accountability and Advisory Committee (SAAC) committee, please contact Adam Kohn at adam.kohn@tsd.org.
Turner Middle School
Mission:
We will provide a safe and inclusive environment and ensure a high level of learning for every student to become engaged citizens and lifelong learners.
Vision:
Cultivate Excellence, Celebrate Diversity, Connect with Community
Interim Principal: Adam Kohn
Interim Assistant Principal: Cassie Warwick
Dean: Lacey Scadden
Secretary: Merri Hocker
Attendance Secretary: Kelly Sandoval
Registrar: Brandii Wilson
School Nurse: Stephanie Roberts
School Health Office Aide: Pam Sargent
Website:https://tms.tsd.org/
Location: 950 Massachusetts Avenue, Berthoud, CO, USA
Phone: 970-613-7400
Email: Info.TMS@tsd.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TurnerMSBerthoud
Twitter: @tmsdragons