Hello TSMS Families. Welcome to our January edition of our newsletter. Lots going on in the coming month amidst what, for some, has been a difficult transition into the new year. We know the winter months, the lack of sun, and the cold can make us want to shut ourselves inside, but we encourage our families and our students to get out of the house as much as possible. There is so much to do in NYC! Take advantage of our partnership with Urban Advantage and head to a museum. We have been talking a lot about self care with our staff and with our students. It's always amazing what a trip outside to a museum or to the park can do for our emotional selves. Even a walk around the neighborhood on a break from work can do wonders for our productivity! Talk to your kids about how they are feeling and how they are coping with the ever increasing demands of being an adolescent. Check in on their social media habits and make sure that they are staying safe online. As our adolescents reach out to us as adults less, it's important we continue to let them know we are there to be an open and honest voice in the incredibly difficult world they are navigating. Here's a look at what's coming up and some of the amazing work our teachers and students have been doing.
Calendar
JANUARY 25 • EARLY DISMISSAL DAY
On Wednesday, January 25, we will have our "monthly" Early Dismissal Day for professional development. All students will be dismissed at 12pm, or 12:50 after a bag lunch, depending on how you filled out the form. If you would like your child to stay until our regularly scheduled dismissal time at 2:35, please reach out to Shirley via e-mail or phone at 347-563-5303.
**Also, as a special treat. parents are invited to attend our celebration in the morning! Please fill out this survey to RSVP if you are planning to attend. Show starts at 11:30 in the auditorium!
JANUARY 27 • MODULE 2 ENDS
Friday, January 27, marks the end of Module 2. We are officially half way through the year! Now is the time for students to start thinking about their goals for the spring. What have they been doing well? Where have they seen room for improvement? Encourage your child to reach out to their teachers to reflect on their successes and make a plan for the second half of the year to finish strong. 7th grade families should expect to see a mid-year transcript in this report card mailing to get a sense of how JumpRope is going to translate to high schools during the application process. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.
JANUARY 27 • ALL SCHOOL FIELD TRIP TO SEE HIDDEN FIGURES
Our entire school will be taking the day off from instruction to go see the critically acclaimed, award winning film Hidden Figures. Thanks to our PTA for helping to supplement the cost! Hidden Figures follows the true story of a team of African-American women who provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program's first successful space missions. We are asking that students pay $5 and make sure they bring a bag lunch to school if they don't want to eat a school prepared bag lunch. Permission Slip is included here.
**January 24 game was changed to be away. February 16 there will be an added JV game at home.
FEBRUARY 7 AND 8 • 7TH GRADE GOES TO COURT
7th graders are going to Court!!! 7th grade trials are in the afternoons on Tuesday, February, 7 and Wednesday, February 8. Whoever has Humanities in the afternoon on those days will being going to trial. The trials are at the U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Courthouse in Brooklyn Heights. More info will follow soon but it's important to note that on BOTH DAYS, students won't return back to school until 3pm. That means students will be dismissed later than usual on that Wednesday. Parents are allowed to attend - just make sure your kids will let you! Students have been working diligently and debating the always timely issue of how much limits the government can put on free speech.
FEBRUARY 13 • SLT AND PTA MEETINGS
On Monday, February 13, our School Leadership Team and our Parent Teacher Association will meet from 5-6 and 6-7 respectively. Stay tuned for agenda items in the coming weeks.
MARCH 1 • NAEP TEST FOR SELECT STUDENTS
On Wednesday, March 1, a select few of our 8th graders have the opportunity to take the National Assessment for Educational Progress, the only National Assessment for Reading and Math. Please note this test is optional and we will be sending home more information at the beginning of February and again with report cards for those students selected. This test will not impact grades or the high school process in any way.
Highlights and such...
ART ROOMS IN NEED! • DONATIONS REQUESTED
Thank you to all of our parents that generously donated supplies to our Art Department at the beginning of the year! We are once again in need of Clorox wipes to keep our Art Rooms tidy and clean. Any donations would be deeply appreciated!
MS M AND MS S NEED BOOKS!
Ms. Mashamesh & Ms. Shrier have set up a Donor's Choose project to get all the latest books in their class for book clubs and partnerships. The class also needs an iPad for kids to listen to audio books and to record book club discussions. If you would like to add to the classroom library just click on the link here. Thanks!
6TH GRADE HUMANITIES • TEAMS BALANCE AND DIVERSITY
In December, students met to share their tips and strategies for writing a clear, organized and passionate essay! Our writing work continues as we read and research about teen activists and the work they do all over the world! Stay tuned for our informational writing on a variety of world issues and the teens who stand up for what they believe in!
COLLECT YOUR BOX TOPS
Keep collecting your box tops and get them to Frances Quezada in Room 335.
Any little bit helps! Each box top is worth 10¢ for our school!
7TH GRADE MATH • NEW iXL ACCOUNTS!
For 7th grade math- students got accounts on IXL.com to practice and strengthen their mathematic skills. Ask them to show you what it's about and maybe even brush up on a little middle school math!
SHOUT OUT TO OUR PTA • NEW SOUND SYSTEM AND BAKE SALES!
Special shout out to our PTA for helping to support our music program in partnership with 3rd Street Music and purchasing a new sound system for our school band! Also, our PTA has been rocking it with bake sales, most recently today! Thanks to all the kids and families who have helped make these possible.
6TH GRADE MATH • PLANETARIUM IN SPACE
As promised, here's a video of the Planetarium Project put together by the 6th grade math class. They all worked very hard the last few days before winter break to prepare for and build the planetarium. Enjoy the footage! -Jackie Brown and Sara Garner
ART WITH MS. LACKEY
Ms. Lackey's art class has been finishing up lots of exciting projects as we close the 2nd module. (All students change Art teachers for 3rd module!)
6th Graders have been learning about the color wheel: How to mix all the colors and the unique relationships they have to each other. This knowledge is expressed in their Color Pattern paintings. Look for them on the bulletin boards in the near future!
7th grade has just finished their Pop Art Sculpture unit. Working in randomly assigned groups, the students created larger than life sculptures of everyday objects, incorporating their knowledge of proportion they learned in math to their work in art. The pieces are so playful and exciting! We have an enormous tissue box, a thumb tack, pens, a sharpie marker, a combination lock, a pineapple, a clothes pin, an origami swan, a cell phone, sunglasses, a button and even a Hershey's chocolate bar. Look for them displayed around the school in different offices.
8th grade has ended their time as my students with a Faux Stained Glass project in which they took tissue paper and cut it to fit their organic or geometric composition. These will be coming home to adorn apartment windows very soon!
TSMS YOGIS IN NEED OF SOME MATS
We've started a yoga club for the 6th graders! it will be every Friday in the theatre room during recess! Yoga means union and is the union of movement with breath. We will be connecting breathing techniques and movement to relieve stress and increase focus and joy!
A request: This past friday we were actually short mats! If you would be willing to donate yoga mats or money to support our yoga club please let Sarah Fishstrom, 6th grade humanities teacher and yoga instructor know at sfishstrom@tsmsonline.org. Thank you in advance for any support!!
8TH GRADE FAMILIES AND D.C. TRIP
We sent home a letter outlining our funding needs for our 8th Grade Senior Trip to Washington D.C. to all families. If you did not receive one, you can access it here. Every year, our trip to D.C. is an incredible community event that kids talk about for years to come! Please know that we will bring every child on this trip regardless of their ability to pay for the entire trip. Also, be mindful that we have outlined certain criteria that students need to meet and be aware of that may jeopardize their ability to attend.
CALLING ALL USED BOOK OWNERS!
Dear TSMS Kids and Families,
Our names are Molly Carroll Thompson and Evelyn Mullen Walsh. We are in the sixth grade. In humanities we have been studying teen activism and got inspired. We decided to hold a used book drive and sale at TSMS to raise money to support girls' education around the world. All the money we raise, we will donate to The Malala Fund. Our goal is to make $200. We are asking kids and families to bring in and donate their gently used books. Please donate any books you can spare. We appreciate anything.
Book Donation Dates: Monday,1/23 to Wed, 1/30
Book Drop Off: Room 304 (Ginger and Sarah's Humanities room)
Book Sale Date: Wed, Feb 1st at lunchtime
Don't forget to bring money to buy a new-to-you book!
Thank you for helping us meet our goal.
FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICE
“New Year, New Me” is a phrase that has come up in the Guidance Office since the start of 2017. It is surprising to hear such a strong statement from our students, but the pressure to be better and “new” is strong even for our kids. It is my hunch that a lot of this pressure comes from social media.
A hallmark of adolescence is an increased value placed on the peer group. In today’s technological world, social media applications such as Instagram and SnapChat give unlimited access to the peer group. Our children are constantly scrolling through photos and videos that provide them with information. Children are comparing their lives with these images and most likely struggling to understand what it all means and how their lives compare to those portrayed.
I’m sure that we have all thought, “Why don’t I have…” or “Why don’t I look…” but as adults we are better armed with coping skills to combat these thoughts. Our children need our support as they view these images to understand that they are wonderful just as they are, and that while it is a new year, they can just continue to improve on the their own greatness!
NEW VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS Parents, there are new 2016 Vaccination Requirements for your child. Students at the age of 11 must receive the Tdap booster vaccination entering into 6th grade. All students entering 7th grade are required to receive the MenACWY Vaccination. Please see link here: Immunization Requirements