Dear Parents/Guardians:

As our seasons start to change in our beautiful community, our staff and students are looking ahead to wrapping up the first quarter with your children on November 7th.

Reading is Important. Really it is!It is evident that most people understand the importance of reading, and improving their reading skills, even if they do not read that often. It is clear to me, that unfortunately, many people may often feel it is a tedious task or they do not have enough time in a day. Reading needs to become an important habit for the mind, as eating is to the body. Your middle school children should spend 20 to 30 minutes reading daily and talking about what they have read. Studies have shown this practice to have a significant effect on their academic success. We applaud you for encouraging, providing, and modeling how important it is to read. Does it matter what they read? No. Find what interests them and let them explore!

Speaking of seasons changing, check out these photos of 6th grade art students getting closer to understanding the beauty of leaves through a great artwork project in Ms. Hoscheit’s class. Those leaves will be glazed within the next few days. On another note, we are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping members of our community by raking leaves and shoveling snow. Through volunteering, our students learn the value of hard work and the joy of helping others! We are looking for some of that TMS Pride! Please have your student stop by the main office and sign up if interested.

Just a reminder, our Veterans Day celebration will be held in the TMS gym on November 11th beginning at 8:15am. If you plan on attending and have yet to RSVP, please contact me at 374-7883 or michaelchapes@tomah.education. With are looking forward to another great celebration with our guests.

Once again, thanks for all the support you have provided your child since the start of the school year. We hope the school year has been a great experience for them. If you ever have a question regarding your child’s success at TMS, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or our offices for assistance.

Sincerely,

Michael Chapes Amy Langner Principal Assistant Principal

Veterans Day CelebrationTMS Gymnasium

November 11, 20198:15 – 9:15 a.m.

We would like to invite all parents and community members, especially those who have served or are serving in the military, to join us. We encourage you to attend in uniform if possible. We will have a short program followed by refreshments in the

cafeteria. In order for us to plan, please RSVP to Michael Chapes by emailing michaelchapes@tomah.education.

or phone (374-7883).

If you have digital pictures of military family members, you still have time to send them to vickiehorman@tomah.education . I will also need to know the name of the veteran, branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard), and the relationship to your child (parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.). I can also take print pictures. (Please be sure to have your child’s name and grade on the envelopes of any pictures you send.) Just make sure to send them in by November 7th.

NEWS FROM THE TEAMSNorthstars (Team 6-1) Mr. KirschbaumWe had a great start to the new school year, and we are looking forward to many exciting things happening this year on our team. We can’t believe that 1st quarter is already coming to an end. We invite parents to contact us with any concern or ideas for their child. For Math the students will start working with the number system. Any help you can give at home would be greatly appreciated. Keep checking your child’s online information and if you have questions, please speak with your child. If you have additional questions please contact the teacher.Please ask your child if they have any schoolwork to be done. We are having a large number of students who are not completing assignments. Your help at home would be greatly appreciated.

Sky-High Learners (Team 6-2) Mrs. Rabe November—Wow! The year is continuing to go quickly. The first quarter will end November 7th. Remember, if you would like to speak to us as a team, please call 374-7922 to set up a time. Could you please help your child out, as it seems to be time to refill the pencil and eraser supply for many students.The topics for November include: Language Arts—Deep study of Characters/READMath—Percentages, Division of Fractions Science—Return to Earth to look at the processes on the surface of the EarthSocial Studies—the Civil War and heading into Reconstruction

“Leading the Pack”! (Team 7-1) Ms. Tordoff Thank you for using the Infinity parent access to see your child’s grade. Also, please be sure to look at Schoology for homework or resources for your child’s classes. Your child should know how to log in, but the counseling office has information on how you can log in as a parent/guardian. This Month in Academics:Math: We will be continuing to learn about the number system. We have learned how to add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative integers, as well as express fractions as decimals. In November, we will be learning how to multiply and divide rational numbers, as well as solving word problems with rational numbers.English Language Arts: This month we will be studying the way different authors create characters. We will start with reading short stories by the select authors. From those short stories, the students will choose which author they want to read full novels by. We will study the different strategies that the authors use to create characters so that we can use the same strategies when we write our own realistic fiction story.Social Studies: We will begin to learn about how countries trade goods. Then, we will begin our Latin American project where the students will learn about a Latin American country’s economy, exports and imports, governments, education, and much more to share with the rest of the class. Science: We will begin to focus on motion and Newton’s Laws. We will learn all about velocity, inertia, friction, and force.As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact our team. We enjoyed meeting many of you at our fall conferences.

The 72’ers (Team 7-2) Mr. Ewers Team 7-2 is off to a very good start!  The students are acclimating to our expectations and working towards a common goal of self-improvement and academic growth.  Last month the students did a fantastic job at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and we are looking forward to additional field trips in the future.  As a team, we recently completed the classic book “The Outsiders” and are planning a special dress up day to celebrate the story and watch the 1983 classic movie directed by Francis Coppola starring Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise.   November brings with it many great learning opportunities including: Science:  Newton’s Laws of Motion: Inertia, balanced and unbalanced forces, velocity and acceleration Math: We will be extending our knowledge of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers to rational numbers (fractions and terminating/repeating decimals). A Family Letter is published each week that

gives an overview of what is being covered each lesson. This letter can be found through your child’s Schoology account. Social Studies: Students are continuing their knowledge of current events by studying the news for 10 minutes every day. Our classroom discussion and student participation get better each week as we are continuing learning about what is happening in our world. Students are also beginning a unit of Human Geography. As a part of our study of geography, we study culture, which is the way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs. A culture can be understood by looking at the languages the people speak, what beliefs they hold, and what smaller groups form as parts of their society.  E.L.A.:  Writing a narrative  If you have any questions regarding your child’s progress, please call us at 372-7938.

The Rockin’ Roosters (Team 8-1) Mrs. Hruska Our team would like to thank our Veterans for their service to our country. Please join us in celebrating them at our TMS Veterans Day Assembly on Monday, November 11th. November 18th kickoffs off National Education Week. We are here to serve the children of our community all year long, but this is a week we showcase education as a whole. What an honor to work with your kids!We have several trips planned as teams this year. These dates are tentative, but hopefully the following will help you plan ahead: December 20th - Ultimate Gift at THS in a.m./Holiday Assembly in p.m. January 10th – Mt. LaCrosse Ski Trip April 20th - Campus tours of WTC and UW-LaCrosseMay 26th - Boat launch June 2nd - Kalahari Trip

If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please feel free to call, email or set up an appointment to meet with us. We meet daily from 2:40-3:15 if you would like to meet with us as a team.

The Survivors (Team 8-2) Mr. Balz Students will be working on their European projects for Social Studies. This is a major long-term project with weekly checkpoints along the way. Students should also continue checking their grades on Infinity and making sure all of their work is turned in on time. With The break coming up, now would be a good time to replenish school supplies that have gotten low. Also, the 8th grade ski trip will be coming up in January. More information will follow. Please watch for the permission slip to come home at the start of January.

Box Tops for Education is changing!Box Tops is changing to digital-only. Box Tops will be earned through a new mobile app by scanning receipts within 14 days of purchase. School will earn $.10 for each Box Top product purchased.Why the change? New technology creates new opportunities. By using the mobile scan app, we reduce costs and help reduce our carbon footprint on Earth.Download the Box Tops for Education app today and get started. No more clipping required. Simply buy any Box Top product and be sure to scan the receipt. Thank you for supporting Tomah Middle School.

NOVEMBER 2019 EVENTS Note: Please verify dates and times for sporting events on the web site as they are subject to change.

Friday, November 1

Sunday, November 3 Daylight Savings Time Ends – Set clock back one hour

Monday, November 4 Chess Club 3:30-4:30 p.m. Animation Club 3:30-4:30 p.m. FFA Meeting 6:30-7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 5 Full Jazz Band Rehearsal 7:00 a.m. Bridging Brighter Smiles @TMS 8:00-3:00 p.m.

FFA w/Monroe County Mobile Food Pantry @Fairgrounds 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 6 Bridging Brighter Smiles @TMS 8:00-3:00 p.m. Show Choir Rehearsal 3:25-4:45 p.m. Art Club 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 7 End of 1st Quarter Jazz Band Rehearsal – Trumpet Sectional 7:00 a.m.

Friday, November 8 No School – Grading Day/Teacher Collaboration Show Choir Kids Clinic 7:45 a.m. (Concert 3:00-4:00 p.m.)

Monday, November 11 Veterans’ Day Assembly 8:15-9:45 a.m. Begin 4 ½ week classes

Tuesday, November 12 Full Jazz Band Rehearsal 7:00 a.m. 8th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Westby TMS 4:30 p.m. 7th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Westby THS 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 13 Show Choir Rehearsal 3:25-4:45 p.m.

Thursday, November 14 Jazz Band Rehearsal – Low Brass Sectional 7:00 a.m. 8th grade Boys’ Basketball @G-E-T 4:45 p.m. 7th grade Boys’ Basketball @G-E-T – Ettrick Elem. 4:45 p.m.

Friday, November 15 Wrestling Invitational @Riverdale REMS 4:30 p.m.

Monday, November 18 Chess Club 3:30-4:30 p.m. Animation Club 3:30-4:30 p.m. 8th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Lincoln - TMS 4:30 p.m. 7th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Lincoln – La Grange 4:30 p.m. Gymnastics Player/Parent Meeting – Recreation Bldg. 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 19 Full Jazz Band Rehearsal 7:00 a.m. Wrestling @Westby High School 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 20 Show Choir Rehearsal 3:25-4:45 p.m. Art Club 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 21 Jazz Band Rehearsal – Saxophone Sectional 8th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Winona TMS 4:45 p.m. 7th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Winona – La Grange 4:45 p.m.

Friday, November 22 Full Jazz Band Rehearsal 7:00 a.m.

Monday, November 25 8th grade Boys’ Basketball @Aquinas 4:30 p .m. 7th grade Boys’ Basketball vs. Aquinas @Mathy Boys & Girls Club 4:30 p.m.

Wrestling Quad @West Salem 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 26 Full Band Rehearsal 7:00 a.m.

Wednesday, November 27- No School – HAPPY THANKSGIVING Friday, November 29 Holiday Parade – 7:00 p.m.