The Topsail Times

Good afternoon, TMS families,

We hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It is hard to believe we are already in our final week of school before Spring Break—the year is truly flying by. When we return, we will have just five weeks of learning before EOGs begin, so this is an important time for review and preparation. There is still a great deal of learning to accomplish in this final stretch of the 2025–2026 school year, and we appreciate your continued support in helping our students finish strong.

Important Dates This Week:

• 3/30-4/3: iReady Math Diagnostic EOY
• 3/30: TMS Theater Rehearsal (Aux Gym) @ 3:35 pm.
• 3/31: Spring Picture Day
• 4/2: Baseball/Volleyball (PLE) @ 4:30 pm.
• 4/2: PTO Meeting @ 5:30 pm.
• 4/3: Holiday: Good Friday - NO SCHOOL
• 4/6-4/10: Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

We are thrilled to share that our TMS Battle of the Books team brought home the regional championship in New Bern! The team fought hard all day and secured first place by just two points, with Onslow County finishing second and New Hanover County third.

We are incredibly proud of these students—their dedication, teamwork, and love of reading truly shone through. We would also like to extend a huge thank-you to our Battle of the Books coaches, Ms. Engle and Ms. Medwick, for their time, dedication, and unwavering support of our students.

Our team will now advance to the State Battle of the Books competition, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!

Dear Families,

I hope you are well. As we get closer to the end of the school year, we will be administering end-of-year diagnostics in iReady over the next several weeks. We want to leverage the last several weeks of the school year to provide students with targeted support so they are ready for state tests at the end of the school year. iReady diagnostic assessments help teachers measure student progress and identify areas where we should focus instruction.

Specifically, these assessments give teachers clear, objective data about each student’s strengths and areas for growth. They also provide results that guide targeted mini-lessons and small-group instruction so learning time is used most effectively. Finally, they help us celebrate growth and plan summer professional development for the next year

There are several ways you can support your child and the school. Please help ensure your child arrives well-rested and on time on assessment days, provide a calm, encouraging morning—remind them to do their best and that effort is what matters, and keep regular routines (meals, sleep) to help them perform their best.

We value your partnership and appreciate the support you give at home. If you have questions about the assessments or how results will be used, please contact the school.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Alan McNaughton

Principal, Topsail Middle School

Please help us recognize our military-connected students and families during the week of April 13-17 (right after spring break!) by participating in Military Spirit Week. Additionally, we will continue to recognize this special group of TMS students throughout the month of April.

The term "bullying" is often used to describe any disagreement or negative interaction between two students. While bullying is not tolerated at TMS, it is important to recognize that conflict is a natural part of social interaction and development. Please refer to the below chart and have a discussion with your child so they can identify the difference when reporting a concern.

Order now to take advantage of early Picture Day pricing. Order forms will be sent home with students this week—please complete and return them by Picture Day.

Online orders must be placed by 11:00 a.m. CST on Picture Day at mylifetouch.com using Picture Day ID: EVTCQ98G6.

LIFETOUCH PICTURES

Don't miss this inspiring free presentation by Scarlett Lewis, Founder of the Choose Love Movement, on Monday, April 20th, 2026, from 5:30-6:30 PM at Topsail High School Gymnasium (245 N St Johns Church Rd). Discover neuroscience-based strategies on stress response, the "Choice Moment" for self-control, gratitude for resilience, forgiveness to reduce anger, and compassion for safer schools—created in response to Sandy Hook to empower students and prevent violence.

Scan the flyer QR code for a student video, more info, or to donate (goal: $1,500 to fund this community event). Questions? Email Topsail HS YAC at amandanicole.cullen@pender.k12.nc.us.

Interested in supporting the Pender County Special Olympics? You can help by purchasing a shirt using the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWs1hlO5RS9NRGZp1qMFUq6jt_cr_iX5QrYMU3MQvt1i16tg/viewform

As the weather warms up, we want to remind students and families of the Topsail Middle School and Pender County Schools dress code expectations. More information can be found in Board Policy 4316 . We ask students to follow these guidelines for their health and safety, and because we believe clear standards help promote discipline and self-respect. All TMS students are expected to follow the Pender County Schools dress code each day.

As a reminder, when reporting absences, please email tms@pender.k12.nc.us. Please do not email your child’s teacher directly.

Thank you for your support with this!

CLICK HERE for our rock calendar and instructions to reserve your dates.

Pender County Schools is excited to share a new online resource for families: Parent ProTech. This user-friendly platform is designed to help parents and caregivers navigate kids’ technology use, social media, and online safety with confidence. Parent ProTech offers short videos, guides, and practical tips on topics like managing screen time, setting up parental controls, understanding popular apps and games, and supporting healthy digital habits at home.

Families can explore the growing library of courses and resources any time by visiting:
https://app.parentprotech.com/courses or scan this QR Code:

We encourage you to browse what’s available and use these tools to support your child’s safe and responsible use of technology.

Please CLICK HERE for March's cafeteria menu.

Please CLICK HERE for April's cafeteria menu.

Also, as a reminder we are a peanut-free school, so please do not send any peanut-based products with your TMS students for lunch or a snack.

Thank you for your support with this!

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. Please email the to the following: tms@pender.k12.nc.us Please do not email your teacher.
• 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

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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