The Topsail Times

Happy February, Topsail families!

We hope you are staying warm and safe with this winter weather. As I am sure you already know, tomorrow will be a snow day due to the winter storm. PCS and Topsail Middle will continue to keep you updated about the forecast and any impact on school for Tuesday. ​

In the meantime, please take a moment to look through this edition of the Topsail Times for important updates, reminders, and news from around our school. We wish you and your family a safe and restful weekend and appreciate your continued partnership.

Important Dates This Week:

• 2/2: SNOW DAY (no school)
• 2/2: Girls Basketball/Boys Soccer vs (Surf City Middle School) is postponed with a rescheduled date, TBD
• 2/4: Girls Basketball/Boys soccer @ 4:15PM (TMS)
• 2/5: 8th Grade Field Trip to Raleigh
• 2/5: PTO Meeting @ 5:30 PM
• 2/6: FCA @ 4:00 PM (Aux Gym)

TMS Community,

Thank you to everyone that has been following our new traffic pattern for drop off and pickup. We have seen a major reduction in the number of cars that are blocking traffic on Hwy 17 in the morning and afternoon. However, in reviewing our traffic flow over the last several days, we are starting to see an increase in traffic entering the main entrance in both the morning and afternoon. All cars that are dropping off students in the morning or picking up students in the afternoon should enter at the stoplight on Jenkins Rd.

In an effort to support this, starting on Monday February 9th, cars that enter through the front entrance to the school will not be able to enter the pickup traffic pattern and will have to go back out to Hwy 17 and down to the light at Jenkins rd.

NCDOT has let us know that impeding traffic on Hwy 17 is not acceptable. Having all cars enter on Jenkins Rd will eliminate this issue.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Mac.

Please help celebrate School Bus Driver Appreciation Week February 9th through the 13th 2026.

There are several benefits of school bus transportation. Specifically:

1. The school bus provides access to the public schools that many students might not otherwise have.
   
2. The school bus is the safest way to get to and from school.
   
3. Students and staff benefit from improved air quality around the school with each bus replacing dozens of parent vehicles.
   
4. The community benefits by saving money using school bus transportation and with improvements to traffic around the school.

For more information and resources, visit: https://www.napt.org/lovethebus. Attached you will find the proclamation from Governor Stein, also online at:

Governor Stein Proclaims School Bus Driver Appreciation Week | NC Governor

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!

The SAIL Matrix is our school-wide behavior expectations chart at Topsail Middle School, built around the values of Safety, Achievement, Integrity, and Leadership. It shows what these expectations look like in everyday situations—classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, assemblies, bathrooms, carpool, and the bus—so students and families can clearly see how Pirates are expected to “SAIL” throughout the day. We want all our families, especially those new to TMS, to be aware of this matrix so we can partner together to reinforce these expectations at home and help support our continued success inside and outside the classroom!

CLICK HERE for our SAIL matrix.

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!

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).

Reminder to 5th and 7th grade parents that the vision referrals sent home need to be returned to Nurse Chewning. Please return the completed form after the student's eye appointment. Thank you to families that have already given feedback or returned the form. If you have a 5th or 7th grader and have any questions about your child's vision or vision screen or need help securing an appointment or resources, please contact Nurse Chewning via email: jessica_chewning@pender.k12.nc.us.

Please CLICK HERE for this February'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

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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