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November 12, 2023 Callout

Good evening Jaguar Families, 

This week we celebrated our Arts Programs at Thurgood.  Our Thespian Showcase “One Act” Dinner Theater was a hit and we want to thank each of you who attended to support our amazing Drama Program.  We also want to congratulate our students whose art was selected for display at the Morean Fine Arts Exhibit. Thurgood earned the maximum number of submissions to be accepted for display and our 5 students will be honored at the upcoming “Word and Image” Middle School Exhibition.

To continue our praise, we were able to recognize academic growth and celebrate that 32 students received accolades for their efforts on the Quarter 1 Civics assessment as they answered all but one or two question correctly.  6 students received a Perfect score and all were celebrated on the announcements.

On Monday we will finalize Volleyball season with a match against Maderia Beach Fundamental and we will then transition to our virtual SAC meeting on TEAMS starting at 6pm.  The link for this meeting will be on the weekly updates email.

Please make sure to look at the calendar of events as we have a variety of offerings this month.  Meetings, events, and field trips are all listed on the calendar in the attached email.

If you have any questions, please call the school at 727-552-1737 during normal operating hours.

Have a great rest of your weekend, thank you for your time, and Go Jaguars!

 

Monday, November 13th is an A Day – Periods 1-4

 

Upcoming Events

11/13 - Volleyball Game @ Thurgood vs. Maderia Beach Fundamental - 4:30 pm

11/13 – SAC Meeting (Virtual Meeting on TEAMS) https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDdhYjFjZTktOTk1YS00OGYwLWE3ODYtMmRmNzkzYWIyZWIz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22733c9305-39d7-461a-866f-fdf27bf3c7ff%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e1ede4c9-5cdd-498e-9207-f140cc03dcd1%22%7d 

11/15 – Great American Teach In

 

Fundamental Policy Reminders

An Increase has been identified for Infractions that are being tracking in our Student Conductor system for Dress Code, Tardies, Lunch misconduct, and much more.  These are the items to remind students about each day as they prepare to leave for school:

* Ripped/Torn Jeans are not permitted

* Gum is not permitted at school

* Skirts/dresses/shorts are not to be more than three inches above the knee

NOTE: These infractions will continue to be tracked and students who continue violation of these guidelines will be provided consequences based on progressive discipline.

 

1st Block Enrichment – School-Wide Initiatives:

The following activities/interventions will be used during 1st/5th Blocks every day during our enrichment opportunities.  For 20 minutes, we will focus on our school-wide interventions and climate and culture initiatives as they relate to school improvement goals.  Next week’s schedule is below:

11\13

11\14

11\15

11\16

11\17

A: Get Spotted Reading

B: IXL Math

A: Leader in Me

B: Jag-Gram

A: Leader in Me

Module 10 /Lesson 3

Module 10/Lesson 4

 

 

Thanksgiving Break Challenge

As we approach a week off of school, we want to embed some opportunities for all students to engage in academics and learning.  Please review the flyer for the PCS Thanksgiving Break Challenge.  All students in Pinellas County are encouraged to participate.  Let’s continue to put the focus on academic progress for all students even when school is out of session. 

MS Thanksgiving Challenge 23-24.pdf 

 

Construction of Roadways to Soon Impact TMFMS Entrance at 22nd Ave S

In late November, The 22nd Ave S. roadway, sidewalk and drainage improvement project will construct a sidewalk on the north side of the road and fill in sidewalk gaps on the south side of the road while upgrading ADA features at the side streets.  The project also includes a construction of a center left turn lane in front of Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School.

This means that traffic patterns may vary and congestion may occur in front of the school for the length of this project.  A map is attached below to show the impacted streets and areas of 22nd Ave. S.

construction map for 22nd ave s.pdf 

 

PLEASE Update Parent Contact Info in Focus

Parents, please make sure you are updating your email and phone numbers in Focus so we can ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date information regarding school events, testing, academic achievements, athletics, etc.  These contact types can be updated if you go to the parent login in in Focus, look for the shortcuts on the right side of the screen, and update/change your contact information.  Addresses are still not able to be changed this was as you have to show two proofs of residency.

 

Athletics at Thurgood

This year we established sports beyond intramurals that have the potential to play against other local schools. What this mean is that we will need to buy equipment and jerseys that are required without having a budget designated for schools that do not officially have an athletic program. We are requesting donations or resources so this can be possible.  Any monetary or resource donation would  be greatly appreciated. The sports that we are planning this year are the following: golf, volleyball, basketball, flag football and track. Hopefully as the programs grow and opportunities arise this will be a fully developed part of Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School.

The process to give is through the school bookkeeper’s office – checks are the preferred method of donation payment. Please make checks payable to TMFMS with the memo line to read “Athletic Supplies.”

 

Basketball Club – Intramurals Tryouts and Informational Meeting

Conditioning Dates – 11/14 and 11/28 (paperwork must be completed to participate)

Paperwork Due by 11/27

CHANGE of DATE: - Tryouts begin 12/4 (Boys in the AM, Girls in the PM)

Items needed to Participate with the Basketball Club (must be completed by 11/27)

NOTE – If you have already submitted these forms for Volleyball or Cheerleading, you will not be required to submit them again. 

 

Jaguar Reading Initiative – “Get SPOTTED Reading”

We are piloting our new schoolwide reading initiative starting 2nd Quarter.  On October 23rd , students of each grade will need to have one of the books listed below.  These books can be purchased new or used online, found in bookstores, with some being eligible for FREE download on APPs with their student computers.  Every student on campus will select 1 of the 4 book choices to read during Quarter 2 and they will have a weekly opportunity during their 1st or 5th Block to read independently. A culminating task with student choice will be completed at the end of Quarter 2 in every students’ ELA class.  This reading should also be conducted at home and we strongly encourage our families to participate in the read as well.

6th grade

7th grade

8th grade

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

 

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

 

Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green

 

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (FREE Online)

Freedom Walkers by Russell Freedman

 

George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer

 

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (FREE Online)

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert by Marc Aronson

 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (FREE Online)

 

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka, Liz Welch, Ganda, Martin

 

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

 

Here are links to the copyright-free ebooks for the reading initiative. Students can read them online or download the plain text to read on their devices.

 

$1 Donuts – TMFMS Theater Booster Fundraiser

Wednesday Morning; $1 in Bus Circle & Car Circle

All Sales Support TMFMS Theater Boosters

STEM Club

The TMFMS STEM Club will be meeting on Wednesdays and Thursdays in room 5-207 from 4:15-5:15

  • Wednesdays – Engineering and Design
  • Thursdays - Robotics

Basketball

 

Cheerleading Club

Practice: Tuesday and Thursday from 4:15-5:15 in the Fitness Room

Required items to continue participation with the Cheerleading Club:

Club Dues are $20

 

Reporting an Absence

Parents, if your student is out sick please make sure you are reporting the student absence on our school website.  In the top right corner of the TMFMS website you will see an icon that says "Student Absence." Click on the icon and you will see a large blue circle that says "Report Student Absence."  Once you open the blue icon it will open an email to our attendance clerk. In the email please state:  your child's name, date of birth, grade level, date of absence and reason for the absence.

 

Dress Code 

  • Please use the link below to access the Thurgood Marshall Dress Code for the 2023-2024 School year.  
  • https://www.pcsb.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=102&ModuleInstanceID=62205&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=111833&PageID=197 
  • Hoodies are not permitted on campus.  Students are only permitted to wear jackets, sweatshirts, or long sleaved items as long as they do not have an attached hood.  All items must adhere to the Fundamental Policies, be school appropriate, and meet the guidelines set forth in the PCS Student Code of Conduct. 
    • We have provided multiple warnings and submitted a variety of dress code violations for this infraction.  Starting Monday, Hoodies will be confiscated if they are being worn on campus.  Parents will be able to pick the hoodies up at the front office during normal operating hours.  Keeping a hoodie in a backpack or locker is fine as long as it is not out or worn.

 

UPDATED - TMFMS – Meeting Calendar of Events

23.24 TMFMS Meeting Calendar.docx 

Please review the attached document that includes the current list of scheduled events for the year.  Use this calendar to guide yourself in deciding which meetings to attend for your meeting credit options.  Remember, you will need to attend 6 meetings this year to be in compliance with the Fundamental schools parent agreement.  As of right now, we have 27 events scheduled that can earn your credits.  There are also options for volunteer work, chaperones, booster groups and committees that allow for you to earn credits as pertaining to the parent agreement and Fundamental policy.

 

R'Club

If you are interested in enrolling your child/ren at R'Club where we focus on teaching Respect, Resourcefulness, Responsibility and Responsiveness then this is the program for you for before and aftercare! Please contact Roshelle Foster (Director) AKA Ms. Ro for more details. First come first served. I may be contacted @ (727)323-7041/(727)433-4346

 

Cell Phone Policy – Phones are to remain away all day. 

Phones that are out in any school setting can be confiscated and provided to the front office where a parent will have to pick up.  Phones that are confiscated will not be handed back to students at the end of the day.  Students may use phones in the morning as they wait to enter the building, but once they enter for breakfast, the phones are put away.  Students are also permitted to use phones after school ends as they wait for buses and parent pick up.

School Lunch

Free to All Students (students will use their Lunch PIN to log they have received a lunch.  This PIN will also be used for our Tardy tracking system which will begin next week)

 

School Hours – Student hours are from 9:40 – 4:10 Monday through Friday. 

  • Students can be dropped off by parents in the car circle located behind the school off of 19th Ave South.   
  • Students should not arrive to campus before 9:10 each day. 
  • Students will be permitted to enter campus at 9:10 each morning where they will report to the cafeteria for breakfast. 
  • Students must be picked up by 4:40 each afternoon. 
  • If students are participating in any ELP, Tutoring, Enrichment, or club opportunities, they must be picked up by 5:15pm. 

 

Thank you for your time, 

Kevin Schottler