Weekly Community Message from Mr. Lawrence

October 3, 2022

Good evening Topsail Middle families, this is Mr. Lawrence with this week's community message.  Thank you to everyone that joined us last Tuesday for Curriculum Night, having our parents on campus is just another step closer to how we operated schools prior to the Pandemic.  I hope everyone faired well from Hurricane Ian as it swept near us on Friday of last week. We have lots of new information to share this week so be sure to check your email or the school website for our TMS community message.

  • Attention parents, our Math Counts team is looking to begin practices starting on October 12.  If your student is interested in this academic competitive club, please contact Brandon Wieland for more information.  His email is brandon_wieland@pender.k12.nc.us 

  • Parent Portal access is now available.  Parent Portal is a great way to check your childś grades in PowerSchool.  If you do not have access you can email us at tms@pender.k12.nc.us to request your parent portal information.  Progress reports are also set to go out by the beginning of this week.  

  • Greetings from PCS Career and Technical Education!  We are excited to announce our middle school career fair, Fall Into Your Future, hosted here at Topsail Middle.  The date will be November 18, 2022, from 8 am-11 am at TMS. We have created this flyer for the event, be sure to scan the QR code to complete the Google Form if you are interested in assisting with the Career Fair.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Middle School Career Development Coordinator, Diane Simmons at diane_simmons@pender.k12.nc.us 

  • Our custodial services department is looking for anyone interested in joining their team in the Hampstead/Surf City area.  Please check out this Fyler for details.  Anyone interested can scan the QR code to apply.

  • Attention ALL new students to NC Public Schools and Parents of ALL 7th-grade students.  Please know that the NC State Deadline of September 27, 2022, is fastly approaching and each student in these, either new to NC or in 7th grade, must turn in proof of the completed NCHA Form and a complete immunization record.  These immunizations for 7th-grade students include the TDap and Meningitis Vaccines, which are state law in NC.  These forms must be turned in by September 27 or students will be required to miss school until they are completed.  For new parents in NC, the local Hampstead Annex will be open to give immunizations Monday through Friday from 8 am-11 am and 1 pm-4 pm.  Their number is 910-270-5001, but walk-ins are welcome.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  • Here Comes the Bus will allow you to view your child's bus in real-time using either a smartphone or computer. I have also included a Spanish version.  Check out the link for more information about Here Comes the Bus.

  • Our website has changed, if you search for Topsail Middle using google you will be directed to our old website.  Please use this link to be directed to our new school website.  We are suggesting that our families download our PCS app.  It can be located at the bottom of the homepage of our new district website.  This app will allow you to receive news messages and updates, while also paying cafeteria balances for your student(s).

  • Breakfast and Lunch will NOT be free for students this school year.  Lunch prices will be $2.45 and Breakfast will be $1.45.  All families who would like to purchase lunch and breakfast or apply for a free and reduced lunch application use this link.  Families can also check out the lunch menus and make payments by using the Aramark link.

  • Attention Parents! Our PBIS (Positive Behavior & Intervention Supports) Team is in need of donations! We’ll be holding monthly lunches for our student citizens of the month as well as raffling off prizes to encourage positive behavior. If you or your business are interested in making a donation please contact Ms. Bafunno by email (danielle_bafunno@pender.k12.nc.us

Athletics/Clubs

  • We do not currently have an after-school program in place for students to stay for games.  Any student who would like to attend an athletic game would need to return to campus before the game begins.  We start taking tickets for all home games at 3:30 pm.

  • Our Football team will look to extend their winning streak as the Surf City Sharks come to town on Wednesday for a highway 17 showdown.  Kick-off will take place at 4:00 pm, tickets are $5.

  • This will be a big week for our softball team as they will have a couple of home games.  On Monday the Penderlea Hornets will be coming to town and on Thursday the Sharks of Surf City will be on campus.  Both games will look to have the first pitch thrown around 4:00 pm.

  • In an effort to streamline our processes similar to how our local high school operates athletic events, we will use a program this year called GoFan.  You can purchase an online ticket or we will also provide tickets for cash buyers as well.  Visit GoFan.com or use this link and find Topsail Middle School.  Tickets can be purchased via Apple Pay or Google Pay.  Just show it at the gate for entry into the game.  Please be aware of the GoFan fee of $1 bringing the total cost to $6 for an online ticket or $5 cash at the gate.

  • Our TMS Run Club started last week!  We will continue to meet on Mondays and Thursdays after school. Our first 5k race will be the Ocean Fest 5K on October 8th. More information can be found here

  • Our TMS Tennis Club will have practices this week on Tuesday and Thursday after school until 3:45.

  • We want to communicate about TMS Soccer now since we will be starting the season in less than a month.  Tryouts will be on October 20 and 21 at 3 pm here on campus and we will communicate other times and dates as we get closer. Most importantly now is ensuring all paperwork is completed and in order prior to tryouts.  Go to the TMS Athletics website page for all those details. We are also trying to create a list of kids who will be trying out.  Please fill out this form to help with that.

  • The Topsail High School Women’s Soccer program is excited to host our first skills camp in a few short weeks! Please check out this flyer for more information!

Team Newsletters:

PTO NEWS

  •  We're taking reservations to paint the rock this year!  Please use the signup genius to reserve your date.  Payments can be sent in with students or made to the PTO Venmo account. https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090948aea92fa5fe3-tmsrock )  We will no longer be using paper forms.

  • ****Save the date for our Glitter and Glow dance on Friday, October 28th.  More details to come.

  • The next spirit night will be October 26th at Papa Murphy's

  • It's not too late to join the PTO!  ( https://www.topsailpto.com/ )

  • PTO is still looking for volunteers for the following committees:

    •  Bus Driver Appreciation Week

    •  Teacher Appreciation Week

    •  Spirit Wear

    • Hospitality

    • School Dances

*****Be sure to follow us on Facebook by searching Topsail Middle School or on Twitter by searching for our handle which is @tms_pirates