TMSTimes Issue 5 January 2018

Happy New Year to all TMS Families! The holidays are a special time where we can catch up with family and friends. I hope all of you enjoyed a restful and relaxing holiday break. With the beginning of 2018 and a new semester, it’s a great opportunity to create new goals and a renewed focus. Our staff would like to suggest setting aside time to speak to your child regarding school as a part of your New Year’s resolution. Making a commitment to spending time discussing your child’s day lets your child know that you are interested in their education. This simple gesture shows your child you care and will have a positive effect on their success at school. As winter is in full swing, please be reminded that TMS doors do not open until 7:35 a.m. each day. With this in mind, please dress your child appropriately, especially if they walk or are dropped off early. In the event of inclement weather, extreme cold temperatures, and/or wind chills, we will allow students into the building prior to 7:35. Grade cards will be mailed home on Friday, January 5th. Please spend time reviewing the report card and discussing with your child ways in which they may improve. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher. Additionally, I would like to remind all parents they have access to homework assignments and grades by logging into Progress Book. A link for ProgressBook can be found on the Tiffin City Schools website. On February 9th our TMS Student Council will sponsor an 8th grade Valentine’s Day Dance. This event is exclusive to 8th graders only. In the past, this dance has been considered formal; however, this is not the case. Students who choose may dress in formal attire, but formal wear is not required. The dance is scheduled from 7:00-9:00 P.M. and is supervised by TMS Staff. If you have questions regarding the event, please contact me. Parents are highly discouraged from stopping on Shepherd Drive to drop off or pick up students. This poses a potentially dangerous situation that I would like to avoid. In addition, I would like to remind parents who drop their child off in the mornings to please pull up towards the bike rack before dropping off your child. This will allow the flow of traffic to keep moving as well as reducing morning congestion. Alternatively, at the end of the day please be cautious of students who are walking through the parking lot to get to their cars. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and help. Lastly, if I can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am happy to help in any way. You can reach me at 447-3358 and/or by email at shawn_murphy@tiffincityschools.org.

National Geographic Bee The National Geographic Bee Finals for Tiffin Middle School were held Monday, December 11 in the cafetorium. Honorable Mayor Aaron Montz, served as moderator of the bee. After an hour of tough competition, Gunther Kissell placed third, Aadi Bhavsar was named runner up, and Connor Schrenk was named TMS Geography Bee champion. Other TMS finalists who competed included: Madison Wise, Andrew Shawberry, Ryan Brown, Kelsie Weingart, Tirran Schleter, Andrew Duffy, and Alec Burns. Connor received a medal, will have his name engraved on the trophy plaque, and will now have the chance to compete at state levels of the bee. Our TMS bee was sponsored by The International Cultural Center, The Office of Gifted Education, and Tiffin Middle School.

Congratulations Huge congrats to Caleb Vanover for reading over 100,000 words during the first quarter of school! He has an even bigger goal moving forward. Way to go, Caleb!

Celebration of Success Congratulations to TMS 7th grader, Charity Noftz! As a 6th grader, Charity’s teacher, Mrs. Cooper, realized the caliber of Charity’s writing talent. Mrs. Cooper took the extra step and worked with Mrs. Moon to find a poetry contest to submit Charity’s work. With permission from her parents, Charity’s poetry was submitted through The American Library of Poetry. Over the summer, Charity was notified that her poem was selected for publication. We are excited to announce Charity has received her copy of the book, and TMS looks forward to receiving a copy that will be donated to our school library. Congratulations to Charity on the publication of her work, and also to Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Moon for collaborating their efforts to help a student succeed!

The Tiffin Columbian Football family had the privilege of presenting the first annual Cole Ludwig Award to TMS 8th grader, Preston Keckler. Preston earned this honor by demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship, effort, and loyalty, all of which were qualities that Cole possessed in abundance. Preston is the son of Dan and Jenny Keckler of Tiffin.

Tiffin Middle School recognizes students monthly based upon their positive attitude and behavior in class. We evaluate their willingness to volunteer, to display a cheerful behavior, leadership characteristics, and their willingness to work with other students and staff. We are looking to honor students for their contribution in making our school the best school it can possibly be. November winners were: Salah Price Bobby Cantrell Jessica Herron Grant Terry Aricka Fisher Miranda Fisher Abigail Hoppes Ty Smith Kenadie Sherman Logan Lewis Anna Sherwood Cole Newlove

Curriculum Information Night A Curriculum Info Night will be held in the Columbian High School auditorium on Thursday, January 18, 6:30-8:00pm. General information will be shared concerning the opportunities available at the high school. All our 8th grade students and parents are most welcome to attend.

On December 7th, an undercover law enforcement officer from the Ohio Investigative Unit presented the Sober Truth program. The program sponsored by C.A.R.S.A. (Community Action for Reducing Substance Abuse) was presented to eighth grade students enrolled in Mr. Myers’ physical education class. During class, the officer discussed the dangers and consequences of underage drinking, covering areas that ranged from laws and penalties for breaking the law, to real-life stories from the agent herself. The program, which also touched on social media issues, was a free program for our students that has been presented to many civic groups, schools, health fairs, and court appointed classes all over the state of Ohio. It has gained support from Ohio athletic teams such as the Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, Columbus Clippers, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Indians, Dayton Bombers, Toledo Storm, Toledo Mud Hens, New York Mets, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

© 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

January 2018

Bullying typically peaks in the middle grades, as tweens try to figure out where they fit in with their peers. These ideas will help your middle schooler know what bullying can look like—and learn how to be a part of the solution.

RecognizeAsk your child if he has

seen bullying at school. Dis-cuss how bullying comes in many forms, including spreading rumors, making threats, or leaving someone out on purpose. Even if your tween hasn’t seen anyone trip or punch a fellow stu-dent, he might realize that the kid who is frequently called names or whispered about is being bullied.

Stand upChildren who are bullied need to know

they have someone on their side. If your middle grader witnesses bullying, he can calmly step in by saying something like “That’s not funny” or “You’re being mean.” Or he might ignore the bully and address

Snow day plans Plan ahead for school clos-ings and delays because of

bad weather. Sign up to receive email, phone, or text alerts from the school, or check the school website. If needed, make arrangements with friends or family who can watch your child dur-ing a delay or closing.

Go-get-’em goalsYour middle schooler can make the most of the new semester by setting specific goals for each class. Examples: “I will improve my math grade.” “I will fill out my reading log every night.” Encourage him to write his goals inside the cover of his planner or binders.

Curse words: Not cool Today’s “plugged-in” tweens may get used to hearing and reading foul language and decide it’s no big deal. Explain to your middle grader that cursing can make a bad impression on teachers, coaches, and even friends. Suggest that she substitute words like “ugh” or “darn” instead.

Worth quoting“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” Booker T. Washington

Just for fun

Q: What gives you the strength to walk through walls?

A: A door.

The power to stop bullying

the target: “Let’s sit at another table” or “I think your shoes are cool.”

ReportTweens may be afraid that bullying will

get worse if they tell an adult. But explain that school staff can often resolve an issue without revealing who reported it. For example, if your child sees a kid knock papers out of someone’s hands on the bus, he could alert the driver. At school, he can privately tell a teacher or the principal about bullying—and encourage other students to do so, too.

ShortStops

Better public speakingPublic speaking is part of school life,

from giving class presentations to leading team meetings. Here are ways your tween can boost her skills and confidence.

Find an audience. Practicing will calm her nerves. She might give her speech in front of a mirror, present it to family members, or even use a pet as her audience.

Get rid of “extras.” Pesky filler words such as like and um can slip into your tween’s sentences without her realizing it. Suggest that she record her speech and play it back, making a tally mark each time she hears an unnecessary word. Then, she could focus on reducing the number of marks each time she practices.

Tiffin Middle SchoolChris Joyce & Melissa Mellott, Guidance Counselors

© 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

To provide busy parents with practical ideas that promote school success, parent involvement,

and more effective parenting.

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Middle Years January 2018 • Page 2

2. Consider options. Encour-age your tween to investigate solutions instead of ignoring a problem. Say she loses a library book. She might call the library rather than letting fines pile up. She may be surprised to find they will give her an extension to look for the book—or that the cost of replacing it is less than she thought.

3. Reframe the situation. Put-ting a positive spin on a problem will help her solve it. Instead of thinking, “I hate it when Crystal cancels our plans,” she could tell herself, “Now I’ve got time to finish that book I’m in the middle of.”

Keep a learning journal■Q My older daughter recently

mentioned she’s keeping a “learning diary” for her college classes. Is that something that could help my middle schooler?

■A A learning diary is simply a place for students to reflect on their studies. Keep-ing one is a great way for your tween to think more about what she learns.

Suggest that your middle grader get a notebook she likes and label each entry with the class and date. She might write about topics that interest her, like how a novel she read in English helped her understand an important period in his-tory. She could also record questions and ideas to investigate, such as a science experiment to try.

Encourage your girls to share their journals from time to time—your younger daughter will get a glimpse of what goes on in college!

No problem!When your tween has a problem, how

she handles it can determine whether she overcomes it or remains stuck. Help her see problems as opportunities in disguise with these steps.

1. Put it in perspective. Knowing that problems are a normal part of life may keep your middle grader from feeling stressed out by them. Share a similar problem you had at her age (forgetting about a big test) or recently (a disagreement with a friend). Then, explain how you resolved it.

Being involved in the community can teach your middle grader compassion for others and give him a sense of belonging. Consider these tips:

■ Start by volunteering together. Com-munity centers, places of worship, and your local United Way can suggest family-friendly oppor-tunities. You and your child might sort donated cloth-ing for a homeless shel-ter or bake cookies for a charity bake sale.

■ When your middle grader is ready to volunteer on his own, he could ask his

Connect without electronicsMy son Eli got in the habit of

playing video games the minute he got home from school. When I tried to talk to him, his eyes stayed glued to the screen, and he barely responded.

So I made a new rule: no screens for the first hour after we all get home from school and work. That way, we can reconnect and talk about our day. Sometimes we play a quick card game or tell jokes before I start dinner and Eli does homework.

Next, we’re going to try something “radical”—an entire device-free evening. If we need the tablet or computer for homework or our jobs, that’s okay. But “rec-reational use” is off-limits for that night. I hope Eli will see that family comes first—and that it’s possible to survive for a few hours without electronics.

Community service for tweensschool counselor about options. Perhaps he’ll be paired with a student who has special needs so they can read together in the school library. Or he may join in a park or stream cleanup day.

Tip: Encourage your tween to keep a record of his volun-teer experience that includes supervisors’ contact information and his dates of ser-vice. This will come in handy when he applies for jobs or programs in high school.

Parent to

Parent

Q&A

January 2018

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6

Happy New Year!

Teacher Workday, no school

Prof. Development Day for

staff, no school

Students return to class Computer Club, 2:45-3:45 GBK vs Shelby BBK @ Shelby

Grade cards mailed home

GBK vs Hopewell Loudon BBK @ Hopewell Loudon Wrestling @ Clyde

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

WRE, 2:50-3:50 OMEA Practice, 4:00-9:00 PTO Mtg, 6:00

GBK @ Bellevue BBK vs Bellevue TCS Organizational Mtg., 6:00pm, adm bldg.

Computer Club, 2:45-3:45 GBK vs Sandusky BBK @ Sandusky

OMEA Festival

Wrestling @ Norwalk

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Martin Luther King Day, no school

GBK @ Norwalk BBK vs Norwalk

Wrestling @ Huron

Computer Club, 2:45-3:45 GBK vs Findlay BBK @ Findlay Curriculum Info Night, 6:30pm, Columbian

Wrestling @ Bellevue

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

WRE, 2:50-3:50

GBK @ Willard BBK vs Willard Wrestling @ Oak Harbor

Computer Club, 2:45-3:45 GBK vs McPherson BBK @ McPherson

28 29 30 31

WRE, 2:50-3:50 GBK vs Willard BBK @ Willard

GBK @ Shelby BBK vs Shelby