TORRINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL 200 MIDDLE SCHOOL DRIVE (860) 496-4050 JANUARY 2019

TMS VIKING NEWSALL ABOUT OUR TMS COMMUNITY

HORTICULTURE CLUB

The TMS Horticulture

Club will offer

"Flowers for

Valentine's Day" in

the Cafeteria during

lunch. Long-stemmed

Roses and Carnations

will be delivered in

time for Valentine's

Day.

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY

LITTLEFREE

LIBRARY!

We're looking for donations! Books, magazines, puzzles, school supplies, whatever you can share. There's a drop off bin in the main office, or you can always drop them off in Mrs. Wilson’s room.We also have a place for bookmarks if anyone is looking for an arts and crafts project.

Chamber Orchestra students "caroling'' the day before holiday break!

Students performing outside of the main office

Students performing outside of Mr. Fitzgerald's class (he was surprised!).

CLASSROOM VISITORS!Willy Yahn, a baseball player who is playing at the Minors level for the Baltimore Orioles, came to Mrs. Carr’s class as a guest speaker. He is from Sharon, CT and played baseball for Lewis Mills. He then went on to play baseball for UCONN- Mrs. Carr’s writing class has been working on researching different careers, and one of the students chose baseball. Mr. Yahn came in and talked about the hard work and commitment that he had to make to both school and academics. The kids asked some great questions about baseball, and also asked for tips on balancing school work and practices!

DEBATE TEAMEighth graders Ashley Petzel and Ivy Kang earned an award as one of the five most outstanding teams at the Connecticut Middle School Debate League’s winter tournament on Saturday, January 26. Credit also goes to their teammate Calista Oria, who could not attend but was a key speech writer and trainer.TMS sent a total of four teams to this tournament in Bethel, which featured 92 teams from Connecticut and New York who argued over whether the U.S. should ban hate speech. TMS’s other three teams, filled with younger debaters from grades 6 and 7, all earned solid scores. These teams included Patrick Minnerly, Zachary Freiler, Tanner Elliot, Megan Curi, Aleyna Vega, Grace Donaghy, Samra Babic, and Shayla Williams. Petzel had the top rank for TMS, followed by Minnerly.The Debate Team will start its spring season in late February and will welcome new members.~Mr. Calabrese and Mrs. Minnerly

Sincerely, Bryan Olkowski, PrincipalTorrington Middle School

PRIN

CIP

AL’

S C

OR

NER

RESPECTRESPONSIBILITYSAFETY

Together we are stronger!

Greetings TMS Families, Teachers, Staff, and Students,Torrington Middle School is having a very exciting and tremendous school year! First, Torrington Middle School is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in its current location. Our outstanding faculty and amazing students continue to remain the pride and joy of our community and we are looking forward to celebrating this major milestone in our school’s history in the Spring. Second, our school leadership team has been busy implementing a number of new initiatives designed to ultimately improve the educational experiences of all our students. Our school leadership team has begun working with Torrington High School Administration to begin the process of aligning curricular offerings, which will further prepare our students for the world beyond high school. Many of our staff and faculty attend Secondary Ad Hoc committee meetings with district leaders, community members, parents, and Board of Education members to increase opportunities for students to be exposed to more rigorous coursework while preparing students to be successful in high school. Torrington Middle School has started offering students elective STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) courses to help children be exposed to possible future career paths in these fields. We have also expanded our Algebra offerings at Torrington Middle School by offering an additional section of Algebra to 8th grade students. Students who successfully complete Algebra in the 8th grade will have the opportunity to begin their high school years in higher level Math courses, which will further prepare our students for college and beyond. Torrington Middle School also launched a weekly Advisory program where every student in the building is teamed up with an adult who serves as an advocate for the student and fosters strong school to family relationships. During the Advisory period, students work to forge positive peer relationships with other students learning how to follow our school’s three core values of

Respect, Responsibility, and Safety. Students also set and monitor academic and personal goals, develop social skills, and receive one-to-one advisement on personal issues. Torrington Middle School has also brought back our school’s sports program during the school year. Our Vikings compete in a variety of sports programs ranging from Soccer in the Fall to Basketball in the Winter and Softball in the Spring. Our Unified Sports Program recently received national recognition as a model program in Connecticut and the United States! Our Band, Choral, Orchestra, and Drama programs also continue to receive state and national honors as an exemplary program. These successes certainly make our Viking family very proud! Finally, Torrington Middle School has adopted a restorative approach to address disciplinary concerns while utilizing methods that improve and repair relationships between people and communities. The restorative approach is guided by the vision that every child matters every day. Whenever a middle schooler makes a mistake, it is important that the child learns from the incident in order to not repeat the same action. We have learned from past experiences that discipline and consequences alone will not address the undesired behavior. By utilizing a restorative approach, students internalize what happened during an incident and acquire empathy for others to better understand how other people may view the same event differently. As a result, all sides involved in a conflict are more able to move past the event. Since the start of the school year, teachers and administrators have used restorative circles and conferences during the school day to help families and students give voice to their concerns while bringing closure to difficult events and situations that happened between the two parties. While students still receive consequences for their misbehaviors, they also gain the opportunity to process the incident and learn from the experience. I truly look forward to the work ahead and am confident that Torrington Middle School will remain the pillar of character for Torrington’s youth.

HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY TMS!TMS celebrates 25 years! During the

month of January, TMS staff and students

celebrated this anniversary by holding

school spirit days, a door decorating

contest, a sock and toiletry drive to kick

start the National Junior Honor Society’s

Care Closet, and more! You may find the

slideshow presentation on the TMS

website too.

25th Anniversary School Spirit Days!

-Thursday, January 10th: Semi-Formal

Day-Friday, January 11th: Farmers’ Day

-Monday, January 14th: School Colors’

Day-Tuesday, January 15th: Twin Day

-Wednesday, January 16th: Crazy Hair

Day-Thursday, January 17th: 90’s Day

-Friday, January 18th: Crazy Sock Day

Door Decorating Contest!Possible door themes:-The Viking ValuesSafety, Respect, ResponsibilityChallenge, Inspire, Achieve-Celebrating 25 Years of TMS-History of TMSWinners, by floor, get a PopsicleParty!

HELP FILL THE BOX TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY!* NEW SOCKS – all sizes* TOILETRIES:> Deodorant> Shaving Razors> Shaving Cream> Toothpaste/Brushes> Shampoo> Conditioner> Lotion> Soap> Combs/Brushes> Female Products> Diapers>Wipes

PET SHELTER WISH

LIST!

Please donate the following

items to help the animals of

The Little Guild animal shelter

of Litchfield County.

~Mrs. J. Browning and Mr.

Pepper

*For the Homeroom that collects the most items, each student will receive an ice cream voucher for the cafeteria.

7th Grade (suggestions)

Cat LitterTowels

Cat FoodPeanut Butter

Dog Waste Bags

8th Grade (suggestions)

Fleece Blankets

Bully SticksCat/Dog

ToysPet Bowls

Fancy Feast Kitten Food

6th Grade (suggestions)Paper Towels

Marrow BonesLaundry

DetergentDog Food

Beggin’ Strips

Please

donate by:

February

14th, 2019

Mrs. Browning and Mr. Pepper’s class spread holiday cheer throughout the school prior to the holiday break as a show of appreciation for all the hard work and dedication our TMS staff show everyday. Students in the room first started by brainstorming how they could give back to the staff. The class decided that the best way to show appreciation was through delivering hot chocolate and personalized holiday notes to all staff members in the building. On Thursday, December 20th, all students in Mrs. Browning and Mr. Pepper’s class created carts with hot chocolate, whipped cream, candy canes and holiday cards & went door to door and delivered the treats. We are looking forward to our Spring Cart where we will be going to door to door with strawberry lemonade and lemon bars!

NEWS FROM THE TMS MEDIA CENTER!

~Mrs. Hood

Books we purchased with the Scholastic Book

Fair profits. Over 60 books! And we also made

over $1,500 to purchase books and other

supplies for the Library Media Center!

All the new books that we have

purchased this year for the LMC

(through the budget money)! Well

over 150 new books! New 2019

Nutmeg Nominees, new books in a

series, new author studies, new graphic

novels and many many more in

different genres

All the new Spanish Books that were

purchased to add to the collection of

Spanish Books! 20 or more!

4 Proven Strategies for Teaching Students with ADHD: Helping students with ADHD succeed in the classroom

1. MOVEMENT BREAKS

2. A CONSISTENT, STRUCTURED SCHEDULE: Students with ADHD thrive when they know what to expect throughout the day, so posting a consistent, structured daily schedule or class agenda in the classroom helps students stay on-task during instruction times and organized during transitions. When there are inevitable schedule changes, inform students in advance of what to expect.

3. SHARE TIME: Using circles to facilitate sharing helps students find common interests, which fosters relationships for those who have difficulty with maintaining friendships.

4. CALMING/RELAXATION STRATEGIES AND VISUALS: Students with ADHD often experience more intense feelings than other students, and they often need support with regulating emotions. Some go-to calming techniques include: deep breathing, slowly counting backwards from 10, using positive self-talk, requesting a walk to the drinking fountain or to the bathroom, drawing, reading a book, listening to calming music, and squeezing a stress ball. It is important that students learn and practice calming/relaxation strategies before experiencing strong feelings or losing control.

FROM THE PE DEPARTMENT

Thank you for checking out our Winter Wellness Walk! We are excited for you and your family to explore downtown sites, while enjoying an outdoor activity. Please park at the TJ Maxx plaza, and your walk will begin from there.For your family’s safety, please follow and adhere to all signage and lights for crossing streets. All QR codes will be displayed on the front of the building, on a window.Please record all the locations you visit (the name of the location) and the key phrase posted there. Location #1 is located at 110 East Main Street, Torrington, CT. Click on the address to open in a navigation app. If you’d like, head inside and ask for your free water (while supply lasts) Scan the code posted and head to location #2.Have fun, and stay safe!

The time has come for 7th grade families to register for the 2020 8th grade trip to Washington DC. Information is

available in the front office, room 119 or on the TMS Middle School Website. Register NOW for this once in a lifetime

opportunity. By signing up now you have over a year to pay for the trip, you save money and will be eligible for a

drawing for a $300 scholarship. Early registration ends June 1, 2019. If you have questions please contact Mr.

Lafreniere.

8th Grade families that have not yet signed up for this year’s Washington DC Trip, the deadline to do so is Thursday

February 28th. Information on how to register can be found online, in the main office or in Room 119. No students

will be allowed to register after this date.

8th Grade families that are already signed up for this year’s trip, must have their trips paid in full with Worldstrides by

Thursday March 7th. You can check your balance through the Worldstrides, MyTrip website or by calling them directly

at 1-800-468-5899. Contact Mr. Lafreniere directly with any other questions or concerns.

WASHINGTON DC TRIPIMPORTANT INFORMATION!!

IMPORTANT DATES!!

● February 8: Colonel Coulouras & THS Air Force JROTC students visit TMS

● February 14: Early Dismissal- PLC Day

● February 15: Professional Development Day- No Students, Teachers Only

● February 18: President’s Day- No School

● March 6: End of Trimester 2

● March 10: Daylight Savings Time Begins- Turn clocks forward 1 hour

● March 18-22: Susan B. Anthony “Conflict Resolution” taught in Science

Classes

● March 21, 22 & 23: TMS Drama Production of Bye Bye Birdie (Young Performers

Edition) at 7:00pm in the Auditorium

● March 27, 28 & 29: Early Dismissal Days- Spring Parent Teacher Conferences-

Times TBA