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Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are ready for March Madness and all the excitement that spring brings! With 17 school days until spring break, TMS is supporting the D25 All-Stars Sock-A-Thon by raffling off a pair of socks to a lucky student and staff member each school day until spring break. CLICK HERE to place your sock order in support of our amazing All-Stars!

There's so much to share in this newsletter...

At this time, TMS has a 16% parent completion rate for the 5Essentials Survey. Please take this survey if you have not already done so.
Congratulations to the TMS Wrestling Team for winning Sectionals! We have 20 wrestlers moving on to Regionals!
The TMS Community is fortunate to have two HEARTS OF GOLD WINNERS you should know.

PTA Activity Night 3v3 Basketball Tournament - Parent Volunteers Needed - click here
PTA Flower and Vegetable Sale SAVE THE DATE 3/10/23-4/7/23
TMS 2023 Futabakai Shadow Day
D25 Parent Academy

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday, 3/6/23 @ 9 AM - Summer U registration opens
Wednesday, 3/8/23 @ 7:30 PM - Parent Webinar - Three Ways to Change Emotional Stability in a Changing World
Friday, 3/10/23 - PTA Activity Event - 3v3 Basketball Tournament
Tuesday-Friday, 3/14/23-3/17/23 - IAR Testing & ISA Testing *Modified Daily Schedules
Wednesday, 3/15/23 @ 6 PM in the TMS LMC and via Zoom - TMS Parent Presentation with Tom McSheehy from Teaching Heart Institute: Guiding Adolescents in Learning to Deal with their Emotions in Healthy Ways
Friday, 3/17/23 - PTA Spirit Wear Orders Due
Monday - Friday, 3/27/23-3/31/23: Spring Break - No School

Thank you for your partnership,

Lori, Nick, & Greg

The TMS Admin Team

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Illinois 5Essentials Survey for Parents

5Essentials Survey | Click here to take it

If you have not already, please take a few minutes to complete the 5Essentials Survey. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at our school and guide improvement. A report will be generated only if we have 20 percent parent participation.

TMS CURRENTLY ONLY HAS a 16%! Please help us get to at least 20%!

Survey Link: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/?target_name=parent

*Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.*

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Teaching Heart Institute Parent Presentations by Tom McSheehy

When: March 15, 2023 @ 6 PM in the TMS LMC and via Zoom

Parent Presentation Title: Guiding Adolescents in Learning to Deal with their Emotions in Healthy Ways

Description: The after-effects of the pandemic continue to felt and seen in our adolescents. More and more adolescents are dealing with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. One of the most important skills that you can teach your child is how to deal effectively with their intense emotions like anxiety, anger, hurt, and sadness. Come learn some simple, quick activities that parents can do to support their children in learning to identify, feel, tolerate, and manage their emotions so they thrive, not just survive, through challenging times in their lives.

When: April 11, 2023

Parent Presentation Title: Title The Challenges and Gifts of Being Highly Sensitive

Description: 15-20% of adolescents are highly sensitive (HS). They feel and experience everything intensely which can make living in this world an overwhelming experience to them.

Adolescents who are highly sensitive are often misunderstood, judged, and labeled, and they can think that something is wrong with themselves. Adolescents who are highly sensitive can be more susceptible to suicide. Learn about highly sensitive children and how to support their social emotional growth. This presentation can be meaningful for parents who have highly sensitive children or parents who don’t have them.

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D25's Parent Academy

On Friday, the District launched its new Parent Academy newsletter and page on the website.

The goal of Parent Academy is to provide learning opportunities for parents to better understand ways to support their students’ academic success and personal well-being. We welcome parents and families to engage in various activities and events to explore topics related to mental health, well-being, equity and inclusion, and academics. Please visit the website (www.sd25.org/ParentAcademy) for archived newsletters, further resources and information, or to submit an idea/topic for the next Parent Academy newsletter.

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Summer U 2023

Summer U 2023 June 12 - June 30, 2023 at Thomas Middle School *Dates subject to change pending review of winter weather emergency days. Registration will begin on March 6, 2023 at 9 am and end on April 28, 2023, at 3 pm. Please visit www.sd25.org/summeru for a full list of courses and times. If you have any questions about Summer U, please email summeru@sd25.org for assistance.

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Our D25 All-Stars Sock-A-Thon

Our D25 All-Stars Sock-A-Thon is underway! If you would like to support our D25 Special Olympics Team, please CLICK HERE and buy some socks! Half of the proceeds will go to support the D25 Special Olympics Team, the D25 All-Stars. Then, you can rock your socks on March 21st for World Down Syndrome Day and to support our All-Stars! *Sale ends March 3.*

Click here to learn more!

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VEX IQ Robotics Illinois State Championship

Congratulations to the TMS students that participated!

Space Turtles took home the Excellence Award (that is the highest award any team can achieve), the Teamwork Champion Award, and the Robot Skills Champion Award
Marshmallow Menagerie took home the Teamwork Champion Award as well (Space Turtles took 1st place). Marshmallow Menagerie took 2nd place which allowed them both to get the Teamwork Champion Award).
Both teams are moving on to the World Championship that takes place April 29-May 2.

https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20230221/arlington-heights-hosts-state-robotics-championship

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2023

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Futabakai

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Shadow Day!

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RACE TO REGISTER for the ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge on April 15, 2023!

RACE TO REGISTER for the ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge on April 15, 2023! Join classmates, friends, family, and staff to support the ABC/25 Foundation. You can run or walk the 5K or 1 Mile events or support the event by volunteering. Register by March 17th to receive the early bird benefits - a guaranteed race shirt in your size, packet delivery to your SD25 school, and discounted registration! Additional details and link to the registration can be found at abc25challenge.org/registration.

Be sure to watch the video to see the winner of this year's race shirt! Follow us on Facebook for all events and updates!

Angie Thanopoulos and Katie Lindgren

ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge Race Co-Directors

www.abc25challenge.org

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8th Grade Information

8th Grade Social Work Update: Mrs. Toni Giovannini at tgiovannini@sd25.org.

Graduation Ribbons and Diplomas: Emails were sent from Mary Higgins regarding these items. Please reach out. to Mary (mhiggins@sd25.org) or 847-398-4260 if you have any questions.

TMS tentative Graduation Date 6/1/23: The TMS graduation ceremony is tentatively set for Thursday, June 1, 2023 at Buffalo Grove High School. This date will be confirmed in the spring.

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ABC/25 Foundation Updates

More TMS Memberships Needed: Thomas has not yet met the goal of 25% of our households joining ABC/25. PLEASE HELP US OUT BY PURCHASING A MEMBERSHIP.

Why Join? ABC/25 stands for A Better Community for District 25. The mission of the Foundation is “To foster innovation, creativity, and excellence for the children of District 25.” By joining, you support District 25 schools and teachers with funds for innovative, creative, and excellence experiences for your students. Over 50% of the Foundation's grant money comes from membership dues. Once a school reaches 25% membership (including families and staff), that school gets an additional $2500! New this year are member benefits! Learn more at www.ABC25.org

Thank you as always for your support of ABC/25!

Angie Thanopoulos and Katie Lindgren

ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge Race Co-Directors

www.abc25challenge.org

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Student Academic Support Is Available

TMS After School Support by Team is available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays! Students are invited to stay after school for academic support.

Please encourage your child to attend Office Hours/11th Hour/Homework Club 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. Please see the Activity Bus Black Out Schedule below.

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TMS PTA

TMS PTA Website

MEETING DATES 2022-2023 - All meetings start @ 7 PM

Wednesday - 3/15/2023 - Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 869 3738 9703
Passcode: 801904
Wednesday - 4/5/2023
Tuesday - 5/9/23

2022-2023 PTA Officers:

President: Suzanne Krause
President-Elect: Megan Puzen
Vice President: Norah Muenkel
Treasurer: Kelly Spokas
Secretary: Deborah Oiler

Do you have questions for the PTA? Email the PTA at: thomasmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com

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Mental Health Resources

Save the Dates for TMS Parent Presentations on Mental Health Topics with Tom McSheehy - Wednesday, March 15th @ 6 p.m. and Tuesday, April 11th. Specific meeting topics will be shared soon.

If you know someone who is struggling, you can contact 988 - the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as Safe2Help Illinois.

When contacting 988, a trained counselor who is part of the Lifeline network will answer. These trained counselors will listen, understand how the problems are affecting the individual, provide support, and connect the individual to resources if necessary.

Here's a link to the District 25 Social Emotional Resources.

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Daily Attendance Information

Daily attendance is expected and essential to school success. Please work with us to ensure that your child is attending school each day. If support is needed in this area, please reach out to us.

ABSENCE REPORTING: The TMS attendance reporting options are open 24 hours a day 7 days per week. If your child is sick or unable to attend school, the parent/guardian MUST report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260 by 8 AM, the latest, on the day of the absences. Please be sure to report your child's absence so that we can account for all students each day. Advanced notification of absences is greatly appreciated.
ARRIVAL TIME: Students should arrive at school between 7:30-7:40 AM so that they can stop at their locker and be seated in their homeroom class by 7:50 AM.
LATE ARRIVAL/TARDIES: Students arriving late to school are unexcused unless a parent or guardian calls to report the reason for the late arrival. Oversleeping and traffic are not considered excused absences. Students must sign in at the office upon arrival at school.
EARLY DISMISSAL: If your child has a doctor's appointment and needs to leave school before dismissal at 2:45 PM, please be sure to report this to the TMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at 847-398-4260. Students must sign out in the office before leaving school early.

Students who are absent from class are encouraged to check Schoology for assignment information. In addition, it may be helpful for students who are absent to attend Homework Club / Office Hours for a few days upon returning to school.

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PowerSchool & Schoology Information

This is an ideal time to check in with your child and review PowerSchool and Schoology information. If you need assistance with your login information for these platforms, please click here to request the access codes and a member of the Thomas Tech team will email you. Click here for a link to the Thomas Parent Tech Resouces which includes videos on PowerSchool and Schoology.

Chromebook tourbles? Students can contact TMS Tech Support via email: thomastech@sd25.org

The Tech Office is located in the LMC.

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IMPORTANT HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION

District 25 Covid-19 Information
Athletic Registration Form: This is for students that wish to participate in TMS athletics. If a student is participating in a sport, the TMS Health Office must have a copy of the physical by the first day of practice or tryouts.
DENTAL FORMS: All dental forms are due by 5/15/23 and must be dated after 11/15/21.
HEALTH OFFICE DOCUMENTS: Health Office documents can be turned into the TMS main office or can be uploaded to the TMS Health Office Form linked here.

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AHSD25 School Resource Officers

School District 25 has a wonderful partnership with the Arlington Heights Police Department and we are very fortunate to have two outstanding School Resource Officers that support our schools. The SROs attend various TMS events throughout the school year and they are an essential part of our Wolf Pack.

Please know that you can report concerns or social media incidents to the school administration and or school social workers. In addition, our School Resource Officers from the Arlington Heights Police Department are available to address your concerns and the police station is open 24-7 to report incidents that occur outside of TMS after school hours and on the weekends.

Officer Danny Malik & Officer John O'Leary

School Resource Officer

Arlington Heights Police Department

dmalik@vah.com & joleary@vah.com

M: 847-878-2949

W: 847-368-5393

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Bus Information

All students need to show their bus pass in order to ride the bus!

Please direct bus transportation questions to the District 25 Transportation Specialist:

Laura Comastro. Laura can answer your questions and resolve issues.

lcomastro@sd25.org

847-758-4888

LATE BUSES: If the bus is more than ten minutes late, parents may call Cook County School Bus Co. at 847-439-0923 to find out if the bus is late, or missed a stop. Parents who cannot stay at the bus stop should have a contingency plan with neighbors and with their children concerning what to do if the bus is more than 10 minutes late in the morning or if the parent is not home after school.

ITEMS LEFT ON THE BUS: If a student leaves an item on the bus, the parent should contact Cook Co. School Bus Company at 847-439-0923 to locate the item and to make arrangements for it to be returned. This can be done either on the bus route the next day or by the parent going to the bus company to pick it up (1910 S. Busse Rd., A.H.).

CONCERNS AND COMPLIMENTS: Bus emergency concerns: Contact Cook County School Bus at 847-439-0923 or for the AHSD25 Transportation Manager during the school work day, 847- 758-4888. About bus drivers/bus service: Contact the Transportation Specialist at 847-758-4888. About other passengers: Contact the school office to report any issue with regard to behavior on the bus.

Additional bus information can be found at the transportation link on the District 25 website.

Our students practiced bus evacuation procedures on 10/18/22 and will have a second opportunity to practice this on 4/13/23.

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TMS Office Information

TMS Office Hours:

Monday - Friday 7 AM - 3 PM

*Modified hours over breaks and closed on holidays.

Attendance Reporting:

Online Attendance Form: Click here to report your child's absence or late arrival or early dismissal. The other option is to call the TMS office at 847-398-4260 to report your child's attendance.

TMS Address:

1430 N. Belmont Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Phone: 847-398-4260

Fax: 847-394-6843