TIPPECANOE MIDDLE SCHOOL

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

EIGHT YEARS OF EARNING AN “EXCELLENT” RATING FROM THE OHIO

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The mission of Tippecanoe Middle School is to provide educational experiences that are a continuation of the intermediate school and a transition to the high school focusing on academic, social, emotional, and physical growth in a

nurturing environment that will contribute to success as responsible students and citizens.

DID YOU KNOW: An interesting fact about TMS

The average class size: 6th Grade – 26 7th Grade – 24 8th Grade - 25

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: I am sending this post-Thanksgiving wish with a sincere hope that

you were able to create new memories with family and friends. This is such an important time of year when the

hustle and bustle of the holiday season brings on so many distractions that students lose focus academically as

they prepare for the much anticipated Winter Break. Please encourage your child to continue to work hard and

stay focused. The end of the semester is just right around the corner. As we ponder what the “perfect” holiday gift

will be this year, please keep in mind this piece of advice from Brian Tracy: “If you raise your children to feel that

they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have

given your children the greatest of all blessings.”

TMS Participation Fee Reminder – Just a reminder to our parents that there is a Participation fee

attached to clubs and extra-curriculars for this school year. As we move into winter sports, I just would like

to share those guidelines again.

The Tipp City Exempted Village Schools have implemented an “Athletic & Participation Fee” for the

purpose of reducing the cost to the District General Fund for operating our Athletic and Extracurricular

Programs. These costs include, but are not limited to, transportation and salaries.

1. Parents and students are advised that payment of fees does NOT insure playing time. 2. Fees are $100.00/sport for TMS Athletics, $25.00 each for TMS Band and Choir, and $20.00

TMS Club participation (regardless of the number of clubs). 3. Any student who believes they qualify for a fee waiver due to financial need must fill out an

application for consideration and submit your application to the Board Office.

4. Athletic fees are due before the first contest in the sport for Fall, before the first contest in the sport for Winter and before the first contest in the sport for Spring. Fees can be paid at the seasonal orientation meeting or in the TMS office.

5. Students that have not paid the participation fee by the assigned date will be unable to participate until such fee is paid. This includes the payment, or active payment plan set up with the office, of all the student’s general school fees.

6. An INDIVIDUAL cap of $350.00 is in place. No individual student will pay more than a combined total of $350.00 total for “Participation Fees”. This $350.00 cap incorporates fees for athletics, band, choir and clubs. The participant is responsible for informing the coach or advisor when this cap has been reached. The burden of proof lies with the student in proving this cap has been met.

7. A FAMILY cap of $550.00 is in place. No family of Tippecanoe students will pay more than a combined total of $550.00 for “Participation Fees”. This $550.00 cap incorporates fees for athletics, band, choir and clubs. The participant is responsible for informing the coach or director when this cap has been reached. The burden of proof lies with the athlete in proving that the cap has been met.

PARKING LOT REMINDER!!! Please remember to pull all the way to the DROP OFF sign

in the mornings to help ease the congestion in the back parking lot.

WE NEED YOUR HELP – Please help us by arranging transportation for your children prior to

students staying after school. SWAT ends at 3:15 and most clubs are over by 3:45. Having

transportation already in place allows students to exit the building and head straight home. If

transportation is not in place then students and staff must wait until rides arrive.

OFFICE AND BUILDING HOURS

Building hours are 7:15 am to 3:00 pm. Students and parents that enter the building after 2:45 must report

to the main office. Students must be accompanied by their parent. After 3:00, the building is closed.

Please help us maintain a safe environment for our students by observing the posted hours.

PARENTS PLEASE NOTE DISTRIBUTION CHANGES

In order to reduce the amount of disruptions in classroom instructional time, and to encourage personal

responsibility and use of problem-solving skills, we are changing when we distribute items brought in for

students after the start of the day. Beginning December 5th

, homework will be placed in the teacher’s

mailbox for staff members to pick up during the day. Lunches will be delivered before lunch periods. All

other items will be delivered during homeroom. Please work with your students each day to make sure

they are organized and prepared for the day before they arrive each morning. After lunch, all deliveries

will be made in the last 5 minutes of 8th period, just before the final bell rings.

COSTA RICA ANYONE?

This small nation in the heart of Central America is unlike any other on Earth. Dense tropical forests give

way to palm-fringed beaches and rocky shores, while towering volcanoes and jagged mountain ranges

ring lush and fertile valleys. From endangered sea turtles and gregarious monkeys to sleepy sloths and

brilliant macaws, Costa Rica offers the chance to see extraordinary wildlife and plant species up close

and personal. Mr. Kenyon is taking a group of 8th and 9th graders to Costa Rica this June 16-24, 2013.

For more updated information please go to our TMS website and select the 8th & 9

th grade Costa Rica trip

tab under Headlines or go directly to the link:

http://www.tippcityschools.com/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=1173&ViewID=047E6

BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=5928&PageID=1027

WHAT ABOUT OUR NATION’S CAPITAL? – Our 8

th graders will be travelling to Gettysburg,

Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. during the early weeks of June. If you are interested in having your student take advantage of this great opportunity and have not made it to the meetings, there is still time. Please contact the tour coordinator, Mrs. Ares, for more details. LAres@tippcity.k12.oh.us or 667-8454.

GREAT THINGS HAPPENING AT TMS STEM CLUB The Tippecanoe Middle School recently completed their second design challenge. The students were required to engineer a table made from one 22" x 28" poster board, 3 meters of masking tape, and 1 glue stick. The requirement was to construct a table that was at least 6” tall with the top having a minimum area of 93 sq. in. Every team of students were able to create a table that held at least 160 lbs. and the winning team engineered a table that held 210 lbs! STEM Club meets every Friday from 2:30 to 3:30. Any 6th through 8th grader is still welcome to join STEM Club!

COMPETION CHEERLEADING SQUAD

Our Competition Cheerleading squad brought their “A game” to Indian Lake and provided the crowd with

an outstanding and colorful routine. They performed very well and should be very proud of their efforts.

Team members include: Lauren Beagle, Laken Brown, Makenzie Dietz, Sydney Eberhart, Anna Gilliam,

Madelyn Hebb, Ashleigh Hood, Kylee Loudermilk, Sophia McDowell, Brooke Musick, Ashley Ratcliff,

Addisyn Richardson, and Bekah Shininger

JUVENILE DIABETES AWARENESS

TMS students joined in a fund raising effort for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Students bought wristbands to show their support of Diabetes research, competed in Dodgeball contests at lunch, and purchased sneakers for the wall. Students also learned a new fact about the diabetes each day on the morning announcements. With combined efforts TMS was able to raise $300! Thanks to our Student Council students and supervisors for their hard work for such a worthy cause. Below are the Dodgeball winners: 6

th grade Gobblers ate up their competition, 7

th grade Power Puff powered over the others with

the 8th grade Swaglets dancing their way to victory. Fun was had by all!

8

th Graders Visit CTC - 8

TH GRADERS MADE THEIR ANNUAL TRIP TO THE Miami Valley Career

technical Center. Students were given the opportunity to explore possible career choices in the mvctc lab,

tour the facilities to learn about their programs, and eat lunch in the spacious cafeteria.

ART GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT!!!

Seventh Grade art classes had work displayed in the front hall showcase. Their paintings were inspired

by the artist Wayne Theibaud, who became famous painting cakes, cupcakes and pies. It was a powerful

lesson in acrylic painting, focusing on color blending, and mixing tints of colors to create paintings that

look almost good enough to eat! Look for these and much more each time you visit TMSl

WE ARE IT!!!

Tippecanoe eighth grade girls enjoyed a day jammed packed with science Friday. Twenty girls were

chosen to attend the annual We Are IT conference at Edison Community College. The conference

revolves around the fields of STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Each student was able

to choose three sessions to attend throughout the day. The fifteen available sessions are designed to

give the students hands on experience with such things as robotics, designing apps, CSI investigation,

photo editing, physics, and much more. The event kicked off with breakfast and keynote speaker Terry

Conley. Ms. Conley was an aerospace engineer and naval pilot that grew up in Houston, Ohio. She

expressed how important it is to break through barriers in careers that are predominantly focused on

males. This talk set the stage for a day full of STEM experiences to expand the girls’ knowledge of STEM.

The girls also had a chance to eat a box lunch with local female professionals in the STEM areas. The

Tipp City girls were lucky enough to sit with the keynote speaker and discuss her success in more depth!

The day ended with awards for an essay contest students were encouraged to enter. The grand prize

was a laptop computer! Although Tipp did not take home the computer two students, Kayla Bruns and

Maya Vyas, did take home a free pizza certificate for placing in the top twenty out of ninety essays!

Overall the girls had a phenomenal time learning about the possibilities of a future career in a STEM field.

Tipp Middle School would like to thank the STEAM Boosters for the financial support that made this trip

possible!

VETERAN’S DAY PROJECT – Ms. Mandy Myers wanted to reinforce the importance of honoring those

people who not only made the commitment to serve our country but also continues to make the

commitment today by reaching out to military personnel deployed as we get closer to the holiday season.

Her students donated many items that will be sent to a student’s parent who is currently serving

overseas.

HURRY BEFORE YOU ARE TOO LATE

Get your Tippecanoe Glasses here at TMS for $6 each or $20 for a quantity of 4. They will be sold in the

office and at our TMS athletic events. Fill them with goodies or leave them empty. They are a great gift

idea for anyone! Quantities are limited!!

From the Staff of TMS have a great Holiday Season!

STAY CONNECTED WITH TMS • Receive Daily Announcements / Monthly Newsletter – Email – khagen@tippcity.k12.oh.us to receive that information • District Quick News – Sheryl Brownlee – Tipp Website – Great insights into things happening all around the district

• One Call Now – Tipp Website – Get those early morning “Snow Day” calls along with important information sent from the buildings and district.

• Athletic Boosters – Tipp Website – Great way to get involved in the sports realm.

• Music Boosters – Tipp City Website – Get started now and provide support for your band or choir member. It is never too early to join the fun. • Parent Internet Viewer – Tipp City Website – Check grades and automatic reports on your child’s progress. With just a quick click you can see grades the minute they are entered into the teachers’ grade book.

• Parent Conferences – Come and place a name to a face. Get to know the teachers working with your child.

• Labels / Box Tops for Education – Please send them in so we can help fund some extra programs.

PROJECT MORE – A reading program aimed at helping our students increase their reading levels. Students read to volunteers in this scientific based intervention program for 30 minutes a day for 4 days a week. This is a great way to get to know some really outstanding young people.

TIPP CITY FOODTOWN’S APPLES FOR STUDENTS Tipp Middle School is participating in a new program that will help bring new resources into the building without costing anyone any hard earned money. Thanks to the Tipp City Foodtown Apples for the Students Program, we can receive computers, software, sporting goods, audio-visual aids, science items, books and other materials FREE in exchange for Tipp Foodtown register receipts. When you shop at Foodtown, please save your receipts along with those of your friends, relatives, and neighbors. You can send them to school or drop them in the appropriate box at the store and we will do the rest. Please support our students by saving all Foodtown receipts.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday. Dec. 4 Reader’s Theater 3:30 Band Room, Parents and friends of STARSS are invited to enjoy the performance and Holiday punch and cookies

Thursday. Dec. 6 Parent – Teacher Conferences 3:00-7:00

Please call the main office for an appointment (667-8454) Friday. Dec. 7 Interim Grades are available to parents Tuesday Dec. 11 TMS Band and Choir Holiday Concert 6:30 THS Friday Dec. 21 8

th grade Math Exams

Friday Dec. 21 Last Day before Winter Break Thursday Jan. 3 Students return from break