The Weekly Update #4

Dear Hornet Families,

As we look ahead to our fourth week of school, our community is officially finding its groove. Classroom instruction is in full swing, and students have comfortably settled into their daily learning routines.

Hornet Power Hour & Advisory in Full Motion We are excited that our Hornet Power Hour (combining Advisory, Targeted Intervention, and Academic Enrichment) is now fully up and running for the week ahead! This dedicated time allows us to meet students right where they are during the instructional day—whether that means developing weekly advisory and academic goals through advisory, building strong connections through advisory, or building strong foundational skills in ELA and math standards through the enrichment period.

Our Theme: "Row the Boat" As we head into this next stretch of Quarter 1, we continue to anchor our school community in our theme: Row the Boat.

• Collaboration: Partnering closely with you at home to support your child’s growth.

• Synchronicity: Ensuring smooth, consistent routines across all grade levels and classrooms.

• Accountability: Encouraging our Hornets to take ownership of their learning, behavior, and daily habits.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we build momentum together. We look forward to seeing our students bright and early Monday morning!

Principal Bletzinger

Important dates and events for the week ahead. You can also check out our daily, weekly, and monthly events on our school website calendar!

This month at Thomas Carr Howe Middle School, our students are focusing on being Inquirers—curious learners who ask thoughtful questions, seek understanding, and explore new ideas.

In their classes, students will strengthen ATL Research skills by formulating and planning research questions and Thinking skills by applying prior knowledge to new situations. These skills are connected to important Employability Skills, including Lifelong Learning and Initiative.

Families may notice students:

• Asking more thoughtful questions
• Exploring new topics and ideas
• Connecting what they already know to new learning
• Taking greater initiative in their learning

Because these skills transcend individual classes and content areas, students will see the same habits of learning reinforced throughout the school day. Our goal is for students to recognize that being an Inquirer isn't just something they do in one class—it is a skill they can use everywhere.

Skills Today. Success Tomorrow. Stronger Learners. Bright Futures.

Our district IB support team recently met with Toddle, and the core system issues have been resolved. This week, teachers are actively diving into the platform—building and refining units, designing lesson plans (learning experiences), and setting up student assignments and grading. Students will be accessing Toddle in their classrooms over the coming weeks as teachers begin integrating it into their daily routines.

Our staff will evaluate system performance during the September 8th Professional Development day. If everything continues to run smoothly, we plan to roll out parent access later during the week of Labor Day so you can easily follow along with your child's IB learning journey!

What is Toddle and Why Are We Using It?

Toddle is our dedicated all-in-one learning platform built specifically for International Baccalaureate (IB) schools. While PowerSchool handles official school records and overall grades, Toddle gives parents a front-row seat to your child's day-to-day IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) journey.

Through Toddle, you will be able to see:

• Unit Plans & Class Projects: How teachers connect lessons to real-world contexts and IB themes.

• Student Work & Portfolios: Real-time growth, assignments, and learning reflections.

• IB MYP Criteria: Detailed feedback on how your child is developing key skills and subject competencies.

📆 Monthly Activity Calendar: You can view our full schedule of weekly practices, game dates, and club meeting times on our official monthly calendar here: Monthly Activity Calendar

ℹ️ Sports & Clubs Contact Information: You can view our roster of club sponsors and athletic coaches here: Athletic/Club Contacts & Meeting Cadence

💡 Predictable Scheduling: To help families plan ahead—and to give students the chance to try a variety of activities without overlapping—we host practices and club meetings on consistent nights each week. You can view the weekly cadence here:Athletic/Club Contacts & Meeting Cadence

❓ Questions About Athletics: If you have questions about Athletics, please contact William Clay, Athletic Coordinator (clayw@myips.org), or Ted Isaacs, Assistant Athletic Coordinator (isaacst@myips.edu).

We are continuing to publish our 2026-2027 Information for Families & Students Packet for new families that may have recently enrolled at T.C. Howe Middle School.

🔍 What’s Inside the Packet?

We’ve mapped out answers to your biggest questions so you can hit the ground running. Reviewing the packet will give you a clear overview of:

• Key Dates: Details for our first day of school on Monday, August 10th, and Student Progress Conference dates (formerly known as PIT Day).

• Daily Logistics: Crucial arrival and dismissal procedures, including exact drop-off maps for car riders (Door 1) and bus riders (Door 19).

• The IB Block Schedule: How our daily morning Advisory and rotating Gold/Brown (A/B) days work.

• A Parent’s Guide to IB Grading: A helpful breakdown of how we measure student growth using the unique 0–8 criteria rubrics and 1–7 final scores.

• Student Life & Support: Information on sports, extracurricular clubs, and staying connected through KINVO, Toddle, and PowerSchool.

📥 Access Your Full Packet Now!

We highly encourage all families to download and review this packet together before our orientation events. It’s the best way to get your student prepared, organized, and excited for day one!

If you have any questions as you read through the guide, please don't hesitate to reach out to our main office at 317-693-5560 or email Dr. Bletzinger at bletzingerj@myips.org. Let's make it a fantastic year, Hornets!

Scope of Policy

In response to Indiana Legislation and Senate Bill 78, Indianapolis Public Schools has adopted the following personal electronic device policy (linked below). For purposes of this policy, a personal electronic device means any portable wireless device capable of voice, messaging, or other data communication, including a cellular telephone, tablet computer, laptop computer, gaming device, or smartwatch connected to a cellular network, cell tower, or the Internet.

Prohibited Student Use

The use of personal electronic devices (PEDs; e.g., cell phones, headphones, earbuds, AirPods) is prohibited during the instructional day. All student PEDs must be off during the instructional day between 8:45 am and 4:00 pm, and stored in a secure location. All students are provided with a locker to store their personal items. Students are required by law to store their PEDs in their lockers.

Staff will follow the procedures below if a student fails to keep PEDs in their locker during the instructional period.

1st Offense:

• PED is confiscated and held in the front office for the remainder of the instructional day
• Student may pick up their PED at the end of the day
• Parent contact made

2nd Offense:

• PED is confiscated and held in the front office for parent/guardian pickup]
• Parent contact made

3rd Offense:

• PED is confiscated and held in the front office for parent/guardian pickup
• Parent contact made; conference scheduled
• Parent conference must be held to create a contract and release PED

If a student refuses to give the device to staff upon request, the behavior will be elevated to an administrator.

If you have any questions about the expectations set forth, please contact Principal Bletzinger at 317-693-5560 or bletzingerj@myips.org.

At TCHMS, regular and timely attendance is a foundational building block for student success and a vibrant school culture. Middle school is a critical period where students build the independent habits they will carry for the rest of their lives. When a student arrives on time every morning, they kick off their day with a focused mind, connect with their peers during Advisory, and establish a rhythm that sets them up for long-term success.

Achieving excellent attendance is a team effort—we are truly all in this together.

🎯 Understanding the Numbers: The 94% Target

Our school performance is collectively held accountable to a state attendance rate target of 94%. While that might sound like a flexible percentage, the reality of the math is eye-opening:

• The Limit: A 94% attendance rate means a student can miss no more than 10 days across the entire school year. Please view the Student Attendance Overview for Families PDF linked below.

• The Impact: Every day a student is absent, they miss crucial learning experiences and valuable interactions with their teachers. Keep in mind that we operate on an A Day/B Day schedule. When a student misses a day, they may not have that day's classes again for two to three days!

• On-Time Matters: Attendance isn't just about missing full days; it's also about arriving on time. Doors open at 8:45 AM, giving students the critical time they need to visit their lockers, secure their electronic devices, and settle into their morning Advisory class by 9:00 AM. Arriving late can disrupt a student's morning momentum and cause them to miss key community announcements.

🤝 Held Accountable Together

Because our school's overall rating is tied to meeting this 94% threshold, every single day your child is at school on time helps our entire Hornet community shine. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in making morning routines a priority, scheduling appointments outside of school hours whenever possible, and reinforcing the value of dedication.

Let’s work together to ensure every student is present, punctual, and prepared to learn every day!

We understand that illnesses and emergencies happen, and our top priority is keeping our Hornet community safe, healthy, and supported. This digital form is designed to provide families with a quick and convenient way to notify our main office of a student absence. Please ensure all required fields are fully completed so we can update our records accurately.

Before you submit your report, please keep these important health and state guidelines in mind:

• Fever & Illness Policy: To prevent the spread of germs on campus, if your child has a fever, they must remain home until their symptoms have improved and they are completely fever-free for more than 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
• Excused Absences: Students who are kept home due to illness and are formally reported by their families via this form will be marked as excused.
• State Attendance Law: As a reminder, Indiana Law states that students may not miss more than 10 days of school within a single school year.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school healthy and ensuring we meet our attendance goals together!

Questions About Attendance?

If you have any questions or need to discuss your child’s attendance record, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to Assistant Principal Aaron Vest at vesta@myips.org.

• To Join: https://www.givebacks.com/causes/inpta-12711528
• BAND App Group: https://band.us/n/aba5035cJeY4e
• Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19Dq1LRNX6/

Shepherd is a faith-based organization committed to serving the community. This year we are offering before and after school programs to support students and families at Howe.

Both programs provide a safe, engaging environment where students can connect, grow, and have fun. Activities include games, guest speakers, college/business visits and life mapping-a hands on approach to help students identify their interests, create life goals and explore future career paths.

Before and after school care programs will begin shortly after the school year begins. If you have any questions about the program or would like to enroll, please call the Shepherd Center at 317-375-0203.

Please help to give back to our school. The Kroger Rewards Program gives a percentage of your shopping back to the school you choose. Download the Kroger app and register your Kroger account – go to top right corner and tap on the three lines. Go to Rewards, then go to Community Rewards and click. Search T.C. Howe Middle School and select. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to Principal Bletzinger at 317-693-5560 or bletzingerj@myips.org.