TVMS News

Hello TVMS families,

It was wonderful to see so many families joining us for Back to School Night on Wednesday! If you were not able to attend the optional welcome session with the school administration team, the presentation has been posted on our school website for you to view. Thank you for taking the time to partner with us as we start the year.

Our first PTSA meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 8, from 7:00- 8:00 PM. This is another great opportunity to stay connected to our school and find ways to support our students and school community. The meeting will be offered both in person and virtually. The Google Meet information can be found further in this newsletter.

This week, grade-level administrators met with students during one of their science classes for a Town Hall meeting. During the meeting, we reviewed schoolwide expectations, the Student Code of Conduct, and discussed their role in creating a safe, inclusive, and positive school environment. These conversations are important in making TVMS a place where everyone feels safe, respected and welcome.

We are off to a strong start to the school year!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Mrs. Denise Young

Principal

September

Monday, September 7-- Schools and offices closed, Labor Day

Tuesday, September 8-- PTSA meeting, 7:00-8:00 PM

Tuesday, September 15- Thursday, September 17-- Math MAP

Tuesday, September 15 - Thursday, October 15- National Hispanic-American Heritage Month

Monday, September 21-- Schools and Offices Closed, Yom Kippur

Arrival: Doors open at 8:15 am, First period starts at 8:30 am (Students are late after 8:30 am)

Dismissal: 3:15 pm, No early dismissals after 2:45 pm

• Car Loop Reminders: If you are dropping off your student in the morning, please use the car drop off loop in front of the main entrance of the school and follow the directions of our staff members. No cars should be parked along the car drop off loop during arrival and dismissal. Please park in the parking lot if you need to enter the school.

Join us on Tuesday, September 8, from 7-8 PM for our first PTSA meeting of the school year. You can attend in person or virtually-- whatever works best for you!

We appreciate your support and collaboration.

TVMS PTSA Meeting

Tuesday, September 8 · 7:00 – 8:00pm

Time zone: America/New_York

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/pyj-msox-jef

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 862-295-2021‬ PIN: ‪252 757 509‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/pyj-msox-jef?pin=2681579905988

Joining the PTA does not commit you to any activities. Your membership helps provide financial support for our programs and gives you access to National PTA membership benefits.

Please consider signing up today!

Ms. Rice, our Advanced Academic Programs Resource Teacher, presented information about the Instructional Seminar offerings at TVMS this year during students' English classes. Instructional Seminars are open to all students and happen during the school day, during class. Students are expected to get teacher permission before coming to seminar and to make up any work they miss. There are 17 seminars offered this year and more information can be found on the sign up form.

Students interested in signing up for seminars need to fill out the Instructional Seminars Sign Up form using their HCPSS credentials. Open/login to your Google Drive before selecting the link. If a personal email (gmail, yahoo, etc) are open on the phone or computer you are using, the form will likely require you to ask for access. Please close your personal email and then retry the link using your HCPSS credentials.

Parents/guardians should not fill out the form for their students but are encouraged to assist their student(s) if needed. There is a space on the form to indicate that parents/guardians are aware that the student is signing up for the seminar(s).

The sign up form closes on Friday, September 11th.

Our community is full of skilled and knowledgeable individuals in a variety of fields and subjects and we'd love for you to share those skills and knowledge with our students. We have 17 different Instructional Seminars that are offered to our TVMS students and this would be a perfect opportunity for you to share with them. We are looking for guest speakers for the following seminars:

• Book Club (local authors, etc.)

• Cryptography (creating codes, breaking codes, espionage, etc.)

• Debate & Advanced Debate (skills of public speaking, crafting an argument, use of evidence, etc.)

• Engineering (design process, creating prototypes, solving real world problems, etc.)

• Forensics (crime scene investigation, science of trace evidence, collecting/cataloguing evidence, etc.)

• Graphic Design (use of digital tools vs. hand drawing, creating design based on client requirements, color, logos, etc.)

• Green Team (gardening, recycling, etc.)

• Math/Logic (solving logic puzzles, writing logic puzzles, mathematical/strategic thinking, etc.)

• Newspaper (article writing, interviewing, crafting headlines, etc.)

• Photography I & II (rule of thirds, light/shadow, leading lines, use of digital cameras, etc.)

• Stock Market Game (economics, tracking/purchasing/selling stocks, investments, etc.)

• Television Production (skills of script writing, anchoring, running the tech and sound board, etc.)

• Voices of Change - formerly African American History (primary sources, oral history, etc.)

• Writers Guild/Workshop (writing creative writing pieces such as short stories, poems, graphic novels, etc.)

Please contact Ms. LeAnn Rice at leann_rice@hcpss.org to offer your skills and knowledge to our students. She is happy to discuss the dates and times she has available as well as work with you to create a meaningful experience for our TVMS Timberwolves!

6th Grade: All 6th grade students will receive their school- issued device during the week of September 8th.

Chromebook Expectations:

• Students may only have their Chromebooks out with teacher permission
• While in the classroom, students should only use their Chromebooks for assignments/ school purposes
• Students must treat their Chromebook with care and should carry it in a padded backpack
• Students must report any damage immediately to our media specialist, Ms. McNeill
• Students should come to school with their Chromebooks charged
• Students should go to the media center if they need to charge their computer during the day

HCPSS is seeking community members to serve on curriculum advisory committees, which provide a forum to share ideas and support continuous academic excellence. Interested stakeholders should submit an online interest form by September 11. Please click here for more information and to submit your application.

The Howard County Office of Transportation will offer free RTA bus passes to all middle and high school students. Please send an email to our guidance secretary, Alissa Aronstam (Alissa_Aronstam@hcpss.org), if you are interested in receiving bus passes for your students.

TVMS may have an opportunity to provide transportation for families to attend the STEM Expo. Depending on our response, we may have a bus available with pick up from the school free of charge. Please fill out the form below if you are interested.

Lockers

• Lockers are available upon request

• 1st period teachers will share locker request information

• Locker times are arrival, before lunch, after lunch and dismissal

• Students are allowed to carry backpacks throughout the day

Cell phones & Wireless devices

• Cell phones and wireless earbuds will remain off and away during school hours.

• First Incident: Students who do not meet this expectation will be sent to the office to store their device for the remainder of the day.

• Second Incident & Beyond: The personal technology device is confiscated until it is retrieved by a parent/ guardian.

Food/ Drink Expectations

• To Keep Our Classrooms Clean– No food after homeroom ends at 8:35 am in the classroom.

• To Keep Our School Clean– No open food/drinks in the hallways.

• To Maintain Our School Grounds– No food outside during lunch and recess.

• Food delivery services (i.e. Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.) are not allowed. Delivery will be refused as we do not have the capability to process this during the school day.

Update your family information for the new school year. It is mandatory that all parents/ guardians verify and/ or update emergency information for each child each school year. Updating this information provides us with the most current emergency contact information, and also ensures that you are receiving important information and updates for HCPSS and TVMS.

Log in to HCPSS Connect, select the Online Registration/ Family File button at the top right of the page, and then select Family File Verification.

Full details on updating your Family File are available online.

2026-2027 School Supply List can be found here on the TVMS website.

Corded Headphones for academic use

In addition to the linked school supply list, students will need to bring a pair of headphones with a cord to plug into their Chromebooks. Students are not permitted to use AirPods and other wireless ear buds in an effort to eliminate cell phone use and distractions. Classrooms will also have headphones for students to borrow if they do not bring their own.

View, download, print or subscribe to the HCPSS 2026- 2027 calendar online. The calendar is subject to change; the online calendar reflects the most recent version. There will be no printed 2026-2027 calendars.

Website: http://www.tvms.hcpss.org
Location: 7000 Banbury Drive, Hanover, MD, USA
Phone: 410-313-8711