The Topsail Times

Good afternoon, Topsail families.

We hope everyone in the Topsail Middle School community had a wonderful and safe Halloween, for those who celebrated! As we look forward to welcoming our students back on Monday, we kindly ask parents to remind their children not to bring candy to school, as it can be a disruption to classroom learning. Wishing you all a restful weekend, and don’t forget to check out the latest news and updates from our grade levels and school. We’re excited to see you back and ready for a great week ahead!

Please note: We are changing the format a bit! Be sure to scroll to the bottom for our grade-level newsletters.

Important Dates This Week:

• 11/2: "Fall Back" 1 hour
• 11/3: Boys Basketball/Girls Soccer @ PLE
• 11/4: Make-up Picture Day
• 11/5: Math Check-in #1
• 11/6: Boys Basketball/Girls Soccer @ Cape Fear Middle
• 11/6: PTO Meeting (Library) @ 5:30 pm.
• 11/7: FCA (Aux Gym) @ 4PM

Upcoming Events:

• BOOK FAIR: November 13-21
• TMS DANCE: November 14
• AUTHOR VISIT: Dusti Bowling December 3rd

Parents, in order to help improve traffic flow on Hwy 17, we are making a change to our traffic pattern. We are asking that all parents that are dropping off or picking up their student, follow the map that is below. Students will be able to exit their vehicle in the same location as before. Also, please try to avoid stopping in the traffic circle on campus. As you can see from the map, this is a potential bottleneck. We are hopeful that this change will help alleviate our traffic backing up out onto Hwy 17 in the morning and afternoon.

This year, our federally connected survey date is Wednesday, November 5, 2025. This survey will document the students who are federally connected - meaning they have a parent who is on active duty or a civilian employee on federal property. Paper survey cards will be sent home to students on that day. Please fill out the information on the card and return it to your child’s homeroom teacher. Thank you for helping us collect this information.

Mark your calendars for Topsail Middle’s Sugar Sweet Dance on Friday, November 14th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm! 5th graders will dance in the Small Gym, while 6th–8th graders will be in the Big Gym. Enjoy pizza, snacks, and drinks for just $1 each. Tickets are $5 and will be available for purchase on November 7th, 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. Don’t miss this fun-filled evening with friends, music, and tasty treats!

Join the fun at the OMKC Non-Runners Run on November 15th! This event kicks off at 10 AM at Faith Harbor UMC and ends at The Salty Turtle Brewery. Participants will enjoy a half-mile “run” with donuts at the halfway point and a beer at the finish. Feeling ambitious? You can sign up to “go the extra mile”! All proceeds support Operation Military Kids Clubs, which provide a safe, supportive community for military kids. Register today to support a great cause and enjoy a relaxed, family-friendly event!

Our TMS Book Fair is just around the corner. Click THIS LINK to preview and sign up for e-wallet, which is an electronic way families can add money for students to spend at the book fair.

We’re grateful to be on a team with you as we work to support your child’s mental health needs. Middle school is often a challenging time in a student’s life and their needs are growing and changing as they get older. Please CLICK HERE for a few ideas and resources to help navigate these changing needs.

A PECHS counselor and current student(s) will share information about PECHS with Topsail 8th graders on Monday, November 3rd during their Encore block. There is also a PECHS parent information night on November 3rd at 6:00pm at CFCC Surf City campus, and on November 6th at 6:00 pm at PECHS Burgaw campus.

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.

Kids need to practice self-care too! We ask a lot of our students day in and day out. Here are some ideas to help your student maintain their mental health and well being.

Pender County Schools is partnering once again with the Pender County Health Department to provide flu shots for students this fall. This initiative will be available to all students across the district, with vaccines administered by health department nurses. To participate, students must be eligible to receive the flu vaccine and have written parental consent. For children without insurance, state-supplied vaccine will be available at no cost.

Our TMS Flu Clinic is scheduled for 11:00am on Thursday November 20th.

Paper forms are available in office.

Flu Vaccine Consent Forms:

Staff Consent Form - https://form.jotform.com/252656140740150

Student Consent Form - https://form.jotform.com/252656216931156

Formulario de Consentimiento del Estudiante - https://form.jotform.com/252656755627166

Lifetouch Picture Retakes will take place on 11/4/25. It is only for students who missed Picture day and for those that need a retake. Flyers will be in the front office for pick up. Payment is not required the day of picture day and can be purchased online however students will need this form completed to get their picture made.

Also, for our student athletes, don't forget to purchase fall sports pictures by CLICKING HERE for the attached flyer.

ENJOY 10% OFF your order!

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EXPIRES: July 31, 2026

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Aramark is excited to announce our 2025 Parents Thanksgiving event! Topsail Middle will be participating on November 24th. Aramark will need an estimated headcount at each school for the parents that intend to purchase a ticket and eat in the cafeteria. Please CLICK HERE to sign up for this fun family event!

Please CLICK HERE for this month's cafeteria menu.

Topsail Middle School is looking for parent volunteers to join our SIT Team.

The School Improvement Team (SIT) plays a key role in shaping our school’s direction by fostering continuous improvement. Each SIT is composed of the principal, assistant principals, teachers, instructional support staff, and parent representatives.

If you are interested in joining the team, please reach out to our SIT chair, Laura Schlegel at laura_schlegel@pender.k12.nc.us

• Our next Spirit Night will be on Tuesday, November 18th at Burrito Shak. We hope to see you there!
• Spirit wear (t-shirts and pura vida bracelets) will remain available to purchase throughout the remainder of the school year. T-shirts & bracelets are fully stocked and orders will be delivered to your students classroom twice a month through April. Our spirit wear order form can be found HERE. If you have any questions, please contact TMS PTO at pto4tms@gmail.com
• Reservations are open for this year’s “Paint the Rock”. Please sign up to reserve your date or dates now using the sign up below! Scan the QR code below to make your payment. Other payment options coming soon.
• https://signup.com/mobileweb/2.0/vspot.html?activitykey=351517720099#choose_event_page
• Please consider joining PTO this year! TMS PTO strive to support every student and staff member throughout the year! Your membership is important! CLICK HERE to join today!

Join us in reaching ONE MILLION MINUTES reading by the end of the school year.

1. Read anytime, anywhere out of school
2. Keep track of your minutes and contribute to the school and district total
3. Every minute matters - together we can meet our goal

Reading builds knowledge, imagination, and lifelong learning skills. By working together, Pender County Schools will reach this incredible goal. Let’s grow our love for reading — one page at a time!

Tracking form will be provided by the school.

October 1 - May 31

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.

  
  

At Topsail Middle School, we offer a confidential program called MUNCH (Meals Until No Child Hungers).

In this program, a backpack/gym bag of food is sent home with the child each week on Friday.

CLICK HERE if you would like to participate!

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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