Thomas Community Newsletter

Dear TMS Community,

As we head into the week before Thanksgiving and Fall Break, we want to extend our warmest wishes to all TMS families for a restful and enjoyable week off as there is NO SCHOOL from November 24th–28th. This Friday, November 21st, marks the midterm point of the second quarter, making it a great time to check in with your student and review progress in PowerSchool and Schoology. November has given us so much to celebrate—most recently, our Veterans Day events. Thank you to our incredible TMS community for your heartfelt support in honoring our veterans and making the celebration so meaningful. We are grateful for each of you!

In this newsletter, you'll find essential information on the following items:

• Fun Festive Five Days Until Fall Break
• Veteran's Day Celebration
• TMS Spelling Bee - Wednesday, 11/19/25 @ 3 PM in the LMC
• Pack the Place, Basketball vs South - Thursday, 11/20/25
• Art Expo Voting 11/17-11/21
• 2nd Quarter Midterm - Friday, 11/21/25
• Fall Break Monday, 11/24/25 - Friday, 11/28/25 - No School
• Science Olympiad Field Trip
• Attendance Matters
• Early Dismissal Guidelines
• PTA Spirit Wear Holiday Sale coming soon!
• Omni Parent Communication Campaign
• Inclement Weather Letter
• Video for Reporting Powerschool School Attendance

• ABC/25 Membership Drive *Just a few more families needed to reach our goal!

Standing Newsletter information includes:

• Office Hours/Academic Support After School

• PTA Information

• Health Office Information

• Link Together Information

• Community Partner Glenbard Parent Series
• School Resource Office Information
  
• Safe2Help Illinois
  
• Bus Information

SAVE THE DATES:

• District Spelling Bee at TMS, 1/21/26

• 8th Grade Graduation, Tuesday, 6/2/26, 7:30 PM, Forrest View Educational Center

With gratitude for your partnerships and support,

The TMS Administrative Team

Lori Naumowicz, Principal

Greg Keadle, Associate Principal

Jeremy Fischer, Associate Principal

Allie Yoder, Associate Principal & TMS Student Services Coordinator

It was truly inspiring to celebrate so many veterans at our all-school, student-led assembly. Hearing about the years of service and sacrifice from these brave veterans left a lasting impact on our students and staff alike. The TMS student hosts led the assembly with poise, gratitude, and genuine respect, creating a meaningful experience for everyone in attendance. We are deeply thankful to the veterans who joined us and to our students for honoring them with such care.

The TMS School Spelling Bee will take place on November 19th after school in the LMC. It should be done by 4:00 pm.

Sign-up Form

Also, Thomas will also host the District Bee this year. It will be after school on January 21st in the LMC.

This Thursday, 11/20/25 brings an exciting basketball showdown between Thomas and South!

Our boys’ team will take the court at TMS, where we’re hosting a Blackout—so wear black and pack the stands. Meanwhile, our girls’ team will be competing at SMS. Let’s show our support for both teams and make it a great night of T-Wolf pride!

• 8th grade at 3:30pm
• 7th grade at 4:30

Friday, 11/21/25 marks the midterm point of the second quarter, which is a great time to check in with your middle schooler about how things are going. Ask them about their classes, assignments, and how they’re feeling as the semester progresses. PowerSchool and Schoology are helpful tools to review grades, upcoming work, and overall progress. Your support and encouragement make a meaningful difference!

Recently, the Science Olympiad team made a trip to the AHML Makerplace to kick off the start of the season! Students worked in teams to complete various team building activities ranging from Lego coding to creating a collaborative art piece. This was a great way for students to practice communicating and working with their event partners before practices start!

Just in time for the holiday season! The PTA spirit wear sale has begun! Click HERE for a link to start shopping! The store will close on 12/2 at midnight – with delivery to TMS before winter break!

In the coming days, Thomas will be sending attendance letters to families of students who have missed 5% or more of the school year so far. These letters are meant to raise awareness and continue to strengthen our partnership in working together to support consistent attendance. Our goal is to ensure that every student has access to daily learning, strong routines, and the full range of experiences that help them grow and succeed in middle school and beyond.

Just a reminder that if your student needs to leave early, for any reason, they must sign out through the main office. We will verify that a parent or guardian has filled out the early dismissal form on PowerSchool prior to releasing the student from the building. Thank you for helping to train our

T-Wolves on this process!

Click HERE to report an early dismissal.

If the District needs to “close” due to inclement weather, Dr. Kaye would make one of two decisions:

• Make up the day on a later date according to our calendar, OR

• Utilize an eLearning Day in which students use their District devices to learn from home.

The following letters were sent out to the D25 Community on Wednesday, November 12:

- Inclement Weather Letter

- eLearning Day Letter (this letter is located within the Inclement Weather Letter)

Student safety remains a top priority in District 25. All schools are safe and welcoming for every student and family, with district procedures in place to support students’ safety and learning in the event of any ICE-related incident. The district will continue to share information with families to reinforce our commitment to keeping students safe.

• District Dish (Under Superintendent Message) – September 18 & October 16

• Dr. Kaye’s Letter – January 2025

It's essential to set up this account as this is how you can report student absences, early dismissals, or late arrivals. Please take a few minutes to set up this account. Information is included below.

Have you tried to set this up and it's not working? Click HERE to view a video tutorial!

TMS online attendance reporting now takes place on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. You must know your Parent PowerSchool username and password to log in and report an absence for your child online.

• To request your parent/guardian codes for PowerSchool, please fill out this form.
  
• Directions on the new reporting system can be located here.
  
• Still experiencing issues with your account, please email thomastech@sd25.org.
  

If you need technical assistance, please email thomastech@sd25.org. Note: PowerSchool Attendance Reporting is only available using a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc) and is not available on the app.

If needed, you may still call the TMS Attendance Line at 847-398-4260: press 1 and leave a message on the attendance line. However, due to the number of absences reported daily, we do prefer the PowerSchool method. If you need technical assistance, please email thomastech@sd25.org. Note: PowerSchool Attendance Reporting is only available using a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc) and is not available on the app.

Thank you for your partnership in ensuring daily attendance and timely absence reporting!

Help us earn $2,500 by joining the ABC/25 Foundation.

Membership is $40, but District staff have a discounted rate of $25. Membership dues directly fund the teacher grants.

Thomas needs JUST 20 MORE FAMILIES to join to meet our goal and receive this grant!

TMS After School Support by Team is available to ALL students on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays!

• Please encourage your child to attend Office Hours and to reach out to teachers if they need help or just want a place to work on their academics after school. This support is FREE and can be extremely helpful.
• Click HERE for more details on options for your child to get help from staff at TMS.
• The activity bus departs TMS at about 3:35 PM for students who have a bus pass.

The TMS PTA has a lot to offer this year! We are excited for all the activities we have planned!

• Wednesday, January 14, 2026
• Wednesday, February 25, 2026
• Wednesday, May 13, 2026

• President - Jim Moncada

• President Elect - Kym Battista

• Vice President - Ian Silverman

• Treasurer - Sara Hess

• Secretary - Joslyn Katz

TMS PTA Memberships - Have you joined the PTA? Your membership gives you exclusive access to the Thomas Middle School Directory through Directory Spot. Not a member? No problem! You can join by visiting the AH25 Webstore to purchase online or by emailing us at thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com.

District 25 is a partner in the Link Together Coalition which gives our community access to the Glenbard Parent Series. Please check out the various Glenbard Parent Series presentations that work to engage top experts, parents and school staff to become proactive and informed in pursuit of the mutual goal to strengthen our communities. Programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.

Social media concerns, incidents that occur after school hours/on the weekends, or outside of school can be reported to the SRO or you can contact the Arlington Heights Police by calling 911 or the non-emergency phone number (847) 368-5300. You can also go directly to the Police Department located at 200 E Sigwalt Street in Arlington Heights. It is open 24 hours. The SROs can be contacted as well:

SRO: John O'Leary joleary@vah.com Cell Phone: (847) 344-2330

SRO: Chris Seebacher cseebacher@vah.com Cell Phone (847) 368-5393

Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program where students can use a free app, text/phone, and website (safe2helpil.com) to share information on school safety issues in a confidential environment. Once vetted, the information provided will be shared with local district and school officials and/or local 911 call center, depending on the nature of the information shared. Safe2Help Illinois is a long-term initiative to change the school culture in Illinois by helping students reach out when they have concerns. To learn further about Safe2Help Illinois, please see the videos below. More information can also be found on their website at safe2helpil.com. Video for Middle School Students

• Click here for the Bus Safety Guidelines and Rule as well as details on lost items on the bus.
• Please direct bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist: Laura Comastro as she can answer your questions and resolve issues. lcomastro@sd25.org. Phone: 847-758-4888
• Bus Company Questions: Contact Cook Co. School Bus Company at 847-439-0923

• Principal - Lori Naumowicz
• Associate Principal - Greg Keadle (Delta, Epsilon, & Zeta Teams)
• Associate Principal & Student Services Coordinator - Allie Yoder
• Associate Principal & Teacher - Jeremy Fischer (Alpha, Beta, Gamma Teams)