Out thanks to the many who reached out with excellent leads on snow removal for this season. We're pleased to report that we have it all arranged now, with our very own Mr. Mike ably taking the lead. Thanks to him, our parking lot and walk ways will be safe for students, staff, and families!
TPS Family Communications
Snow Removal Has Been Secured!
Learn About the New Indiana High School Diploma
Because this topic will affect virtually all current TPS students, we are sharing this community opportunity as a stand-alone announcement in our Update. We very much appreciate MCCSC generously extending an invitation to our TPS families to join them for this event. We hope many of you will take advantage of this chance to learn:
MCCSC’s January Parent University event, focusing on Everything You Need to Know About the New Indiana High School Diploma, will take place on January 23 from 6-7p at Jackson Creek Middle School. This new diploma will be used for all students currently in 8th grade or below. Rebekah Frazer, School Counseling Specialist at the Indiana Department of Education, will share information about the new diploma requirements and the Readiness-Seals students will need to earn in the areas of enrollment, employment, or enlistment. These new requirements and the addition of the Readiness-Seals are very different than the current diploma, so all parents are encouraged to attend. If you have any questions in advance, you can submit them using the QR code below or via this link. Email ParentU@mccsc.edu if you have questions about the event.
School pictures are happening this coming week, taken by the incredibly talented Doug Rock (spouse of Intermediate teacher Heather Rock, and a TPS parent!)!
Doug will be at school this Thursday and Friday, January 9-10, and we ask that families send their kiddos to school prepared for photos on either date. We’ll start with our youngest and move up the grades, using Friday also for anyone who was absent on Thursday. And once photos have all been taken and edited, Doug will be in touch with families to share the results and the ordering information.
Our tremendous thanks to Doug for sharing his time and talent with us. We love the photos he takes of our students, and at school events!
Dr. MLK, Jr. Day – A Day ON at TPS! – Monday, January 20
Since TPS first opened its doors for the 2009-2010 school year, we have held classes on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in order to spend the day learning about his vision and honoring his legacy through activities and service. We hope to see all our students at school on this important day, which this year will fall on Monday, January 20.
As part of our day of service, we will once again be collecting laundry soap for Beacon, our community’s lead agency supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. We’ve done this project now for several years at the request of Beacon, and it has made a HUGE difference in the lives of those who don’t have access to their own laundry facilities. Soap of any type, brand, and quantity will be useful. In recent years, we’ve collected enough to supply their laundry room for several months! If you are able to participate, please have your child bring in the laundry soap contribution on MLK Day, to place in the bin we will have in the front foyer. Thank you so much!
Dental Visit – January 22
TPS offers an annual dental visit for all ages in our school, to give families an opportunity to have their children’s teeth checked to make sure that everything is looking good. This year’s visit will be on Wed, January 22. Click here for all required forms. Forms will be accepted up to the date of the visit, but the preference is for families to submit them by Friday, January 10. Questions about the dental visit? Contact Ms. Kristin L, our Health Aide!
Refresher on Snack Guidelines
As we get ready to start our second semester, we thought this was a good time to remind everyone about our healthy snack guidelines, which can be found in our family handbook, on pages 28-31.
Keep an eye out for snack schedules from teachers. We are grateful to the families who are able to provide nutritious snacks to keep brains and bodies fueled for the day!
Finalized Calendar
Our Board of Directors has now voted on the finalized calendar for the upcoming academic year.
You can find whole-year calendars on our administrative overview for families page, where they are downloadable as PDFs. You can find all finalized dates on our month-to-month web calendar, where there are also instructions for subscribing to the web calendar to get dates directly onto your device.
We hope it will be helpful to receive the 25-26 calendar early, to begin thinking about family plans for the upcoming school year.
Our thanks to everyone who provided responses in our most recent survey! Information we receive from families is incredibly valuable. We make sure that both staff-specific praise and feedback are shared with them. And we look carefully at questions and concerns that are raised.
This month we received 40 unique Possip responses: 92% shared they are currently happy or mostly happy with their child's TPS experience.
Question of the Month – As we wrap up 2024 and head into winter break, what is something you hope your child or family will experience as we enter the second half of the school year?
Family Quote of the Month – "We loved 'James and the Giant Peach'! The kids put so much heart and enthusiasm into it. It was especially nice to have the kids choose their own parts or ways of participating."
Two important Possip reminders:
(1) If you have a specific question or concern that needs to be answered in a time-sensitive way, we urge you to reach out to your child’s teacher or to another appropriate staff member. Possip is not the best tool for having immediate needs or worries addressed. It is a tool for providing feedback to help us improve practice and to best support our students and staff over time.
(2) If you use Possip to share a concern or wondering with the hope of receiving a personal response, make sure to provide your name. And please understand that due to the busy schedules of staff, and the nature of certain needs/concerns/requests, it may take us a bit of time to respond.
Our Tremendous Thanks!
We are so grateful to the many families and friends of TPS who contributed to our end-of-year fundraising campaign. Due to their generosity, we raised $5200 (43% of our $12,000 goal) to support equitable educator compensation. This allowed us to provide a winter break bonus to our staff, to thank them for their dedication, hard work, and vision. We appreciate them so very much. And we appreciate our donors who make so much possible, too!
Contributions of every size throughout the year support heart-mind-voice educational excellence. Donations can always be made through our secure online giving portal, including the setting up of a recurring gift in the amount and schedule that is ideal for you. Or, reach out to Ms. Amy any time to discuss giving options and opportunities. Now is always a great time to support TPS!
Important Winter Weather Reminders
Dress for the Weather – January and February are historically some of the most challenging weather months in Indiana, and we want everyone to be prepared just in case! First and foremost, please remember to have your kiddos dress for the weather. Temperatures can fluctuate quite a bit, so layering is a great way to make sure they are warm enough as they arrive at school, but can cool down if the temperature goes up throughout the day. And please always have your kiddos bring hats, gloves, and coats each day – our goal is to be outside for recess as much as possible!
Delay & Cancelation Protocol – This is a good moment for you to do a little refresher on how TPS handles delay and cancelation days. Click here to find all details on our website. On most days, TPS follows the decision making of MCCSC regarding delays and cancelations. On Fridays, as well as on days when we are in school but MCCSC is not, we make the determination ourselves. No matter the decision origin, we notify families as quickly as we are able. We understand the stress involved when waiting to learn if school is delayed or canceled. We appreciate everyone's kindness and flexibility while decisions are made and communicated as quickly as possible.
TPS follows a 3-week meal rotation for regular meals, and a 1-week meal rotation for vegetarian meals. Vegetarian meals are reserved for those who have previously shared this need with us. You can always find the meals menu – as well as the week we are in within the rotation, and the sign-up form for requesting vegetarian meals – on our website.
For the week of January 7, we will be in week #1
Newly added or updated items are initially listed in italics. Subscribe to our google calendar to import dates directly onto your device, or access the full calendar via our website and phone app.
Monday, January 6
Staff Professional Development Day; No Classes
Tuesday, January 7
First Day of Classes, Spring Semester
Monday, January 20
MLK Day (A Day On, Not Off @ TPS!); Classes in Session
Wednesday, January 22
TPS Dental Visit Day
Monday, February 17
Winter Conference Day (No Classes)
Monday, February 24
Panera Dining Night (4-8p)
Saturday, March 1
25-26 Lottery Closes (5p)
March 3-14
IREAD Testing Window, Grades 2 & 3
March 17-28
Spring Break, No Classes
Tuesday, April 1
International Night, Rescheduled (6-8p)
April 7-9
Middle School Performances @ John Waldron Arts Center
April 14-May 16
ILEARN Testing Window, Grades 3-8
Saturday, May 17 (tentative date; confirmed soon!)
Project Celebration Ticketed Event (7-10p)
Tuesday, May 20
6-8 Field Day
Wednesday, May 21
3-5 Field Day
Thursday, May 22
K-2 Field Day
Friday, May 23
Conference Day; No Classes
Monday, May 26
Memorial Day; No Classes
Friday, May 30
Staff Appreciation Luncheon (1:30p)
Thursday, June 5
Grade 8 Graduation @ Bloomington High School North (7-9p)
Friday, June 6
Graduate Celebration Day
Tuesday, June 10
Museum of Authentic Work (times TBA)
Wednesday, June 11
Final Day of Classes
Thursday, June 12
Staff Work Day
Happening in the...
Winter Shelter Volunteers Needed
With cold weather already dropping into the area this year, the Bloomington Severe Winter Shelter is working hard to build their list of volunteers willing to assist as needed during the winter months. Interested individuals can learn more about what is expected of them by referring to the Volunteer Manual at https://tinyurl.com/volunteer-manual and then signing up at https://tinyurl.com/winter-shelter-volunteers. For questions or assistance, contact their volunteer coordinator at btownsevereshelter@gmail.com or call (812) 332-4459.
Spring Art Classes with Little Spring Studio
Join Little Spring Studio for art classes this spring at the I Fell Gallery in Bloomington. Classes are open to children and teens ages 4-14 and cover a variety of art projects including drawing, painting, clay, sculpture, and more. On Fridays, Little Spring offers a class for ages 7-10 from 1:30-3:00 PM. You can register, see the class schedule, and learn more here: www.littlespringstudio.com Questions? DM @littlespringstudio on Instagram or email hello@littlespringstudio.com.
GOAL Family Wellness Program with the City of Bloomington
The City of Bloomington is offering a new cohort, beginning in February, for their free health and coaching program for families with children ages 7-17, to learn about healthy eating, physical activity, and establishing healthy habits. Weekly sessions are Mondays, from 6:30-7:30 at the Banneker Center (end of February through end of April). Click here for more information!
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To submit community events, opportunities, or announcements for the Update, send an email to connect@theprojectschool.org by utilizing the below guidelines:
(1) Prepare a one paragraph blurb, written and formatted to be easily copied and pasted.
(2) Include all necessary details (what, when, who, contact info, registration links, etc.).
(3) Submit no later than the Thursday afternoon prior to the Sunday you’d like it included.
(4) Share any promotional materials (fliers, etc.) as hyperlinks, not as attachments.
TPS reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of a submission for the Update.
This institution is an equal opportunity employer.
Visit our website and follow us on Facebook for lots of great school information!
Access a plain-text newsletter in our Family Communication Archive!
Questions about this newsletter? Contact us!