Thurston Middle School, Springfield, Oregon

Our Book Fair Dates are March 13th – March 20th

Please click this link for more information:

TMS Spring Book Fair

Last year our 6th Grade Students participated in a wonderful fundraiser to help install a well in South Sudan.  This week we received a letter that our TMS Well has been installed! Our well is number 360 of the wells drilled, beginning back in 2005.

We are so proud to be a part of this history – all due to the wonderful work of our students in sponsoring and raising the necessary funds to make this happen.  Great job!!!

General Information Outdoor School Meeting

Tuesday – January 29th, 2019
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm – in the Gym

ODS Dates for this year:
1st session = June 3-5 Monday to Wednesday
2nd session = June 5-7 Wednesday to Friday

Agenda:
Location, Housing, Cost, Transportation, Donations & Fundraising, Meals, Classes and Activities, Parent Volunteers

School Safety Training 10/19/2018

Safety of students and staff is of the upmost importance to Springfield Public Schools, and while tragic and highly covered by media, school violence is actually quite rare.

We at SPS are acutely aware of the tragic nature of such situations and are committed to equipping our schools with the best practices to keep everyone safe. The way that we have trained for dangerous intruders is not changing it is evolving. SPS is implementing best practices and is working in collaboration with our local law enforcement partners to implement the ALICE method.

ALICE empowers everyone to use his or her best judgment on each unique situation.

ALICE stands for Alert Lockdown Inform Counter Evacuate.

Here at TMS we will be training on Friday,  October 19th.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any additional questions.

Brandi Starck – Principal

District Wide TAG (Talented and Gifted) Testing ~ Springfield Public Schools

On Saturday, March 16, 2019, Springfield Public Schools will hold their district wide Spring TAG Testing at Ridgeview Elementary School.

The TAG test assesses whether or not your child is at the 97%ile or above in the areas of Reading, Math, or Intellectual giftedness. The 97%ile means that if your child was in a line of 100 students, they would know more than the first 97 students in line. These children are at the top of their class, and typically above most students at their entire grade level at school.  If you feel your child may fit into this category, please talk to your child’s teacher and your school’s TAG contact to refer your child for spring screening.

After you refer them for screening, the teacher will pull all of the data for the screening and be in contact with you about whether or not your child would qualify to test. If your child qualifies for testing, you will receive a packet from your school with a parent questionnaire and more information about times of testing for your individual child.

If your child is already qualified as TAG, and you feel that your child may need to be accelerated a grade level, you would also speak to your child’s teacher and the TAG contact to refer your child for acceleration. The testing for acceleration will take place Saturday, March 16, 2019, for the above grade level test in Reading, Math, Writing, Science, Reference & Research and/or Social Studies. After testing, we will meet as a team with your school to discuss the next steps and fill out the Iowa Acceleration Scale.

Questions?
Please call Brandy Selby, Thurston Middle School TAG Contact, at:541-744-6368 (school) or email her at brandy.selby@springfield.k12.or.us

Thurston Middle and Willamalane are proud to offer an after school program that is open to all TMS students!

Grades 6-8. More than just an after-school program, Thurston After School Academy offers intentional academic support that encourages academic growth by encouraging every kid to explore their potential. With custom-tailored support, we are able to challenge kids who seek to broaden their academic horizons, while engaging youth that need a daily check-in. One-on-one mentoring allows kids to have a guide on the side who helps them to set goals, organize work and even receive tutoring sessions. We will also provide student-led recreational learning opportunities that allow children to explore art and STEM topics of their choosing.

Program Dates: November 5, 2018 through May 30th, 2019.                            Time is 3:05 pm to 4:40 pm.

To learn more about this and register your student – please click the following link:

TMS After-School Academy

TMS welcomes new staff this year!  We are excited for our 18-19 School Year!

• Ashley Banks- 8^th Grade Math/Science
• Mindy Henricks- Administrative Secretary
• Kendra Litalien- 6^th Grade Language Arts/Social Studies
• Steven Twomey- 8^th Grade Language Arts/Social Studies
• Francesca Wilson- 7^th Grade Math/Science

The Oregon Health Plan is now open to more children and teens, regardless of immigration status.  OHP is free health coverage for Oregonians who meet income and other criteria. It covers many health care services such as check-ups, tooth fillings, glasses and prescriptions. It also covers labs, x-rays and hospital care. It even pays for rides to and from the doctor’s office. Apply to see if you qualify. Help is free.

Call the Access Team at Community Health Centers of Lane County at 541-682-3585 for more information. They are trained and certified by OHP to answer your questions and help your family apply for free. OHP is now for me!

School attendance matters!  There are only a few reasons that are acceptable for “Excused Absence”:

Illness
Death in the Family
Medical Appointment (please bring a note from Doctor)

Reasons that are considered “unexcused” include haircuts, birthdays or other family celebrations, shopping or errands, and yes, also vacations.

To learn more about attendance, check out our District link for an overview:

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

SUMMER ACADEMY TO INSPIRE LEARNING

What’s SAIL all about?
SAIL is an innovative pipeline program that helps local eighth
through twelfth graders prepare for college.
SAIL offers free one-week summer camps, where students
learn about various subjects from distinguished University
of Oregon faculty members through fun social and interactive
activities. Each summer, returning students choose a new
academic subject. SAIL camps include sessions on the
college admissions process, scholarship availability, and
the financial aid process.
During the school year, SAIL offers mentoring—administered
by UO college students—to eligible students in local high
schools who are navigating the college admissions process.

To learn more about this program – please click this link:

https://sail.uoregon.edu/