The Topsail Times

Dear Topsail Middle School families,

We hope our Topsail Middle School families are staying safe and warm during this weekend's weather. As we are sure you've heard, we will be operating as normal tomorrow but PCS will continue to keep an eye on the weather and make any adjustments if necessary.

We look forward to seeing everyone back tomorrow morning!

Important Dates This Week:

• 1/26: Girls basketball/Boys Soccer @ 4:15 (TMS)
• 1/28: Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting in Media Center @ 8:30 am.
• 1/29: Girls basketball/Boys soccer @ 4:15PM (TMS)

As a reminder, TMS is a peanut-free school. Please CLICK HERE for a Peanut-free website with a list of 36 of our favorite peanut and tree nut free candies (and as always, confirm on the label that it was made in a factory that doesn’t also process tree nuts or peanuts).

Thank you for your support in helping TMS stay peanut-free!

Our next School Improvement Team (SIT) meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 28th at 7:15 a.m. The SIT is a group of staff and parents that works together to review data and guide our School Improvement Plan so we can better support student learning and school goals.​

Please CLICK HERE for the agenda.

PCS Superbowl Reading Challenge begins January 24, 2026 to kick-off NFL Championship Weekend leading up to the Superbowl.

Rules:
1. Follow the PCS Million Minute Reading Challenge Guidelines.
2. Every thousand minutes logged per school will equal one touchdown with 7 points.
3. The school with the most touchdowns wins the game at the end of Superbowl Weekend (midnight, Feb 8, 2026)
5. Log reading minutes in PCS Million Minute Reading Challenge Google Form for each school found on Classlink.

"Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world." – Napoleon

The winning school will receive an ice cream party for students and a staff breakfast or luncheon.

Competition will begin January 24th and run through midnight on February 8th of Superbowl weekend.

Happy Reading!

It’s time to start up our Elementary All County Choir! Please CLICK HERE to review the following information to see if this is something your students would be interested in doing!

This is an excellent opportunity for students to participate in career exploration. Please see attached flyer for details.

If your student is interested, please have them submit the attached application to Ms. Wood (TMS school counselor) no later than Friday, February 20th. See Ms. Wood or a CTE teacher for a hard copy of the application if you need one.

Late applications will not be accepted.

For the safety of all students and staff, please remember that all visitors must check in at the main office and receive a visitor pass before going to any classroom or other area on campus. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a secure and welcoming environment at Topsail Middle.

We have a new role at TMS! Mrs. Baer has agreed to take on the role of a volunteer coordinator for TMS! We are looking for volunteers that would like to spend time working with our students. Any time that you are willing to give to support our students would be great! It does not have to be a consistent time every day or week, it can be a single time. If you have a way you would like to help, please reach out to Lidnsay Baer (lindsay_baer@pender.k12.nc.us) and she will get you set up.

It's that time of year again! It's time to order your student a TMS yearbook!

We have noticed an increase in Chromebook damage this year. We have already had more repair requests than all of last year and want to partner with you in reminding students to take great care of their devices. Please encourage your child to treat their Chromebook as they would their own personal device—carrying it carefully, keeping it in a safe place, and avoiding food, drinks, or rough handling around it.

For the 2nd semester, students that have to report CB damage for the 2nd time will receive a school consequence consistent with the level of damage on top of being required to pay to repair the damage.

For more information about Chromebook care, repairs, and expectations, please visit the Pender County Schools Technology Services page (including the FAQ section) and review the Student/Guardian Chromebook Agreement linked there: https://www.pender.k12.nc.us/page/technology-services and Chromebook Agreement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UHGTNrN_jcbxY9a1D_uy1d2YBMdJJSFm/view

Freshman applications are available online at https://www.pender.k12.nc.us/o/pechs/page/admission.

Applications are due to Ms. Wood (TMS school counselor) no later than Friday, January 16th.

Please double check that your student is bringing a clean, reusable water bottle that they can refill during the school day. It helps to send them with healthy snack(s) as well! As we enter the cold and flu season, also remind them about cough etiquette and good handwashing (and not sharing water bottles with friends).

Please CLICK HERE for this January's cafeteria menu.

Also, please be aware that the microwaves in the cafeteria are no longer operable and thus, no longer available. Please make sure that if you want to your child to have a hot lunch, please bring it in a thermos or purchase a lunch from the cafeteria.

Thank you for your support with this!

Bus driver appreciation week is celebrated each February. TMS PTO needs parent volunteers willing to help plan and organize the week to make it extra special for our drivers. If you are able to help, please email us at PTO4TMS@gmail.com

Please join us for our upcoming PTO Chick-fil-A spirit night on Wednesday, January 28th from 7am-7pm!

Topsail Middle School would like to remind our families and students of a few important reminders:

• Sick/late notes must be received within 3 days of absence/tardy.
• Our final check out time at TMS is 3pm.
• Please, no outside food/drink in cafeteria, and only water bottles in classrooms (i.e.: no Starbucks, Dunkin drinks, fast food drinks, sodas, energy drinks, etc.).
• To parents who are dropping off their students in the parking lot in the morning, please do not let your child out of the car before the bell at 8:10am. We do not have staff out there before that time and several parents have been dropping off before the bell, which is causing a major safety issue.

• Please remind your children that they may only use their own lunch accounts. They are not permitted to use accounts belonging to siblings, relatives, or friends. Unfortunately, we have had to turn several students away this week because of this issue.

  
  

We have a few important systems that will help our school year run smoothly. Please take a moment to make sure you have access to each one:

Infinite Campus

• What it does: Lets you view your child’s grades and attendance, and submit excuse notes.
• Step 1: Get your student’s activation code here: Lookup Activation Code
• Step 2: Use your code to create your account here: Infinite Campus Login
• WE ARE ALSO IN S DISTRICT COMPETITION TO HAVE THE MOST FAMILIES SIGN UP, SO PLEASE HELP TMS WIN!

Here Comes the Bus

• What it does: Allows you to see your child’s bus location, receive alerts when the bus is near, and have peace of mind about arrival times.
• What you need: Your child’s Student ID number
  • If you do not know it, email jeremy_mortensen@pernder.k12.nc.us and he will send it to you.
• District Code: 29081
• Sign Up Here: Here Comes the Bus

Rooms

• What it does: Our county-wide communication system for messaging between teachers and parents.
• Set up your account here: Rooms Information

Thank you for taking the time to set up these systems. Having access will make communication and daily routines much smoother for you and your child! We greatly appreciate the tremendous partnership we have with our TMS families!

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