As students entered the building on the first day of school, several emotions filled each hall. The fifth grade hall was full of nervous students who were hesitant yet excited to experience middle school learning. The sixth grade hall was filled with relief. They had survived their first year of middle school and were eagerly awaiting for the next chapter of middle school life. Seventh graders were introduced to a new side of the school. It would take a few days for them to get adjusted to the new world. And finally the eighth graders brought several emotions to school that day. First, they reflected as they

remembered how nervous they were as fifth graders. And as they looked at the current fifth graders, which they call “so cute”, they find it hard to believe that they were once that small too. They think about how they felt more comfortable through their sixth and seventh grade years. Next, they anticipate their Senior year at TCMS. What will this year unfold? Finally, they eagerly anticipate leaving the middle school. However, their feeling are mixed. They will have to be the “fifth graders” again as they enter high school. Fortunately, Thomas County Middle School has

molded it’s students to be the best. Therefore, they will be ready.

Students returning to class after exploratory

Welcome Back to TCMS!

As you enter our school, you might see that some things have changed. One major change at TCMS has added many signs and banners. Having a large school can make it difficult for parents and/or students to find various places around our campus.

However, there are now signs everywhere. These signs allow visitors to know where each grade is located, the library, the cafeteria, and other locations around school with ease. There are also banners, such as the one above, that reflect our overall motto of being a place

where Hustle and Harmony Abound and Student Learning is number one. The signs are a great addition to our school and we look forward to more progress in the future.

“Signs” of Progress

Thomas County Middle School September 2010

School News 2-3

World News 4-5

Upcoming Events 6-7

Jacket Fun Pages 8-9

Did you Know 10

Inside this issue:

Special points of interest:

• TCMS students experiences Harvard University lesson

• Can you beat the texting champion?

• Check out our fun pages

• Did you know mosquitoes had teeth? How many? Read more to find out.

On August 20, 2010, TCMS students took school pictures and a lot of people were really dressed up. First, the exploratory staff called us to chose a pose. There were five poses that we got to choose from. One of the poses that we go to do was when we were on our knees and put our hands in front. Another pose was where we sat down and crossed our arms on our knees. Once we had chosen our pose, we were

lined up to go to a specific camera. Now it was time to take the picture. We had chosen the right outfit and fixed our hair. But how would we look? Should I smile or not? 3-2-1– say cheese! Most students chose to smile. There were some students who tried to get in a few “memorable” moves, but the camera crew would not allow such actions. At the end of the day, most people decided to smile. Some

students who chose to smile were, Alexis Bergozza, Krista Vinson, Kaytlyn Lindquist, Quasha Williams, Fatima Elliott, Kenya Carter, Leezai Galvan, and Katlin Perales. Overall, we had a great picture day.

- Abigail Rehberg

provide more areas to explore future careers, lead students to make more informed choices, increase graduation rates, and increase the amount of students going to college, the military, or vocational school

This year TCMS is offering a program called Teachers As Advisors (TAA). Teachers, administrators, and other staff members have been assigned a group of students. Each group will meet once a month to discuss important issues. The goals of the program are the following: make students feel more comfortable at school,

within the Thomas County area. During our first meeting, students discussed individual academic strengths and weaknesses while creating a web. This

lesson gave students the opportunity to learn more about themselves and others. Students were excited for this opportunity and look forward

Smile for the Camera?

“TAA”king Action

Eighth Grade students wait to have their pictures taken.

have more positive classroom learning environments. The students at TCMS have been learning about school-wide behavioral expectations. Students are expected to BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE, and to BE READY each day. These are the expectations for our students in the cafeteria,

hallways, classrooms, pick-up areas and afterschool activities. We will apply consistent consequences and positive reinforcement for all students. We believe that by helping students practice good behavior, we will build a school community where all students will display true hustle and harmony in our efforts of

PBIS (Kickoff Sept. 7)

Since lifelong success depends in part on learning to make responsible choices, TCMS has decided to participate in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS helps students understand the importance of making good decisions about his/her behavior which also produces the opportunity to

“Students are expected to BE RESPECTFUL, BE

RESPONSIBLE, AND BE READY each day.”

Page 2

School News

Jacket Bucks Parent Night

Lights, Camera, Action!

Kick off Fun

What are Jacket Bucks? Jacket Bucks are coins that are used as a school-wide system to reward TCMS students. They are a part of the PBIS initiative to promote positive behavior. Students have the opportunity to be rewarded throughout the day for displaying positive behavior. Students will get to use the Jacket Bucks to purchase various items in our school

store.

Parents of Thomas County Middle School students will get the opportunity to experience school again. Each grade is having a Parent Night. On this night, parents will get a chance to see how their child spends his/her day by following the same schedule. It will also be a great opportunity to talk about your child’s progress. Fifth

Grade Parent Night will be August 31. Sixth Grade Parent Night will be September 14.

Seventh Grade Parent Night will

be September 21. Eighth Grade Parent Night will be September 28. Each

parent night will begin at 6:00 with the exception of seventh grade, which will begin at 6:30. We look forward to having great Parent Nights throughout

Thomas County Middle School will be having a Fundraiser Kickoff. It begins on Monday, August 30, 2010. This is a very special event in our school and we look forward to having great success. Please support our school. It’ll be really fun!

-Abigail Rehberg

member and express how much we appreciate him/her. Students also travel through various books while sharing various stories with the

TCMS students are becoming famous. Each week, students get the opportunity to be on NewsCentral, TCMS’s student news channel. So far, the broadcasting class has had various hosts and features. There is a Staff Appreciation segment where students randomly choose a staff

school. The weather team keeps everyone aware of weather conditions for the surrounding counties while the sports team keeps us up to date with middle and high-school sports. We look forward to future shows and welcome all comments. The class website is

www.centraltech.weebly.com.

PARENTS GO BACK TO SCHOOL

Page 3

There are companies that are unknowingly selling eggs that are giving some people Salmonella. The amount of people that has already became sick from eggs is around 1,300 Americans. The eggs are being recalled from over 20 states. I like eggs, but I will be really careful about what type of eggs I eat. You should also make sure that your eggs are good and not bad.

-Abigail Rehberg

There have been many attempts to solve the oil spill problem. Cement has been used. There was also a 450,000 pound donation of hair that was used as a way to soak up the sticky ball of oil towards the gulf coast shorelines. According to CNN, “A new study finds oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from a ruptured BP well

degraded at a rate that was “much faster than anticipated,” thanks to the interaction of a newly-found

and unclassified species of microbes with the oil particles. This bacteria plays a significant role in controlling the ultimate fates and consequences of deep-sea oil plumes in the Gulf of Mexico. There are still millions of

gallons of oil in the gulf.

groups are doing their best to help rebuild and provide food and shelter. So far, Doctors without Border has spent $65 million of the $112 million dollars it received. The Red Cross has spend $148 million of the $408 million dollars. They stated that they are “saving some money in reserve

According to CNN, “Six months after the earthquake struck Haiti, most governments that promised money to help rebuild the country have not delivered any funds at all.” When the earthquake happened in Haiti, lives were lost and family members were killed. Many

for more permanent projects such as water and shelter. The people of Haiti are still hurting and it is important that we remember and continue to do all we can to make this world a better place.

Wayne Jordan Jr.

Egg recall Oil Spill

Haiti still needs help

Haiti six months after the earthquake

Hundreds of Americans have become sick from eggs.

typed the following sentence: “The razor-toothed piranhas of the general serrassalonus and Phygocentrus are the most

ferocious fresh water fish in

the world. In reality, they seldom attack a human..” We like to text because we don’t have to actually talk. Although we text a lot, we cannot text that fast...yet!

-Britney Smith

- Maggie Smallwood

Text-message Triumph Do you like to text? Can you break the texting record? Well, Melissa Thompson has broken a Guinness World Record for texting faster than anybody in this world! (25.94 seconds) She

“Can you break the Guiness World Record

for texting?.”

Page 4

World News

TCMS 8th Graders lend a “Hand”

Yes, we Khan!

A Chinese Proverb states, “A teacher opens the door, but you must enter by yourself.” Some students at Thomas County Middle School have been given the opportunity to enter the door in an exciting way. They get to become teachers! Each month, Mr. Woodfin takes a group of middle school students to Hand-n-Hand preschool. This is a chance for the student to become the teacher while using hands-on teaching techniques.

Eighth grader, Angel Tran, attended the class sessions and shared the following information.

“At Hand-n-Hand, two students were assigned to a classroom. We helped out the teachers with different activities. The classes were rotating to different teachers. My class was creating objects/shapes with recyclable things, such as bottles, boxes, or common household items.

They used their imaginations, and we helped them tape it.”

We are glad that our students get the opportunity to show what they have learned while helping others. This program shows that Thomas County Middle School can effectively collaborate.

-Angel Tran

explain the topic.

There was the Harvard teacher explaining some stuff about atoms and how they work. You

can’t really see him because he is using aboard to draw. I really thought that when he was using the board that it was pretty cool since he used paint to show what he was doing and not just videos. There are a lot of other videos out there to

watch that could be very good study tools for middle school teachers and students.”

Professor Khan offers “ A vast digital trove of free mini-lectures all narrated by Khan, an ebullient, articulate Harvard MBA and former hedge fund manager.” Bill Gates stated, “This guy is amazing. It is awesome how much he has done with very little in the way of resources.” This is a great opportunity for us to “get a small piece of a Harvard education.”

-Abigail Rehberg

Imagine a TCMS student learning in a college class. This is not just any college class, it is a class at Harvard University. You are probably picturing someone at least 18 year old. However, one TCMS student has already had this great experience, me. Here is what she shared.

“My name is Abigail Rehberg and I had a college experience as I was taught by Harvard Professor Sal Khan. I visited the site, khanacademy.org, and experienced a lesson on Atoms. The lesson was easy to understand. I especially liked the drawings that he used to

TCMS student is taking

courses from a Harvard Professor!

Page 5

Math, we have been doing prime numbers, odd numbers, greatest common factors, and least common factors. In science, we have been learning about triple beam balances and the scientific method. In Social Studies, we have been learning about the different types of governments. I am enjoying the beginning of my Sixth

So far, in the sixth grade I have been having fun. I have amazing teachers. Their names are Mrs. Garbett, Mrs. West, Mrs. Lassater, and Mr. Strickland. They are very nice and we rarely have homework from any of them. In Language Arts, we have been reading a book called “A Mummy Mystery.” It is about two girls and a museum. In class, everyone had to make their own version of “A Mummy Mystery.” It was fun. In

Grade year and I believe that the rest of the year will be equally as fun or even better. I am sure other TCMS students have had

similar experiences and encourage you to send in your stories to show our teachers how much we appreciate all that they do..

-Zachary Cochran

My Sixth Grade Start

Page 6

Upcoming Events

• September 1, 2010– 7th grade Football Game

• September 2, 2010—8th grade Football Game

• September 6, 2010– Labor Day Holiday

• September 8, 2010—Fundraiser Ends

• September 8, 2010- Football Game

• September 11, 2010– 7th Grade Band clinic/ Softball Tournament

• September 13, 2010—Softball Game

• September 16, 2010—TCMS Pizza Night at Papa Johns

• September 17, 2010—Blood Drive

• September 22, 2010—7th Grade Football Game/ TCMS Soccer Game

• September 23, 2010—8th Grade Football

• September 29, 2010—7th Grade Football Game

• September 30, 2010—8th Grade Football Game

SEPTEMBER 2010

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

the things she does best. On the first day of school, I knew I

was going to like her because I was late and she made me feel comfortable and not really shy and uptight anymore. She is one of the best

teachers I have ever had. I like her even more because she makes sure I knowing what I

My favorite teacher is Mrs. Garbett. She is really cool and crazy. When I say crazy, it’s in a good way and I like that about her. My teacher knows how to make me laugh if I’m having a bad day. She is very creative and loves to have fun just like me. She is my homeroom teacher, which let’s me get to know her better and

have to do before she gives an assignment. She is a really nice person and easy to talk to about stuff. I like that when I have to read in front of the class, she makes sure I am on the same passage as everybody else. I think if anybody met her, they would like her a lot just like me.

Zachary Cochran

My Favorite Teacher

O r g a n i z a t i o n

Page 7

Puzzle

Buy your yearbook today!

Help Jack get to school on time. How long does it take

for you to get Jack to

school? He only has 2

minutes to get there

on time.

Page 8

Jacket FUN

Do you REALLY know your colors?

Double Trouble

Page 9

Say the color not the word. Can you finish the list in 30 seconds without

making any mistakes?

Unscramble the words to read the hidden message below.

Coca Cola was originally green.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Pinochhio is Italian for “pink eye”!

In Colorado, it is illegal to catch mice without a hunting liscence.

Mosquitoes have 47 teeth.

Most lipstick is partially made of fish scales.

Ants never sleep.

The first toilet seen on television was on Leave it to Beaver.

It is impossible to like your elbow.

Thomas County

Middle School

Billy Ray Cyrus

Mother Teresa

Shania Twain

Leann Rimes

Michael Jackson

Cameron Diaz

Kobe Bryant

Meagan Good

Richard Gere

William Clinton

Wes Craven

Tony Bennett

Louis Armstrong

Lucille Ball

Whitney Houston

Hulk Hogan

Halle Berry

Ben Afflek

Orville Wright

Kenny Rogers

Famous People Born in August

Were you born in August? So were these people.

Did you know...