The Tohickon Golden Eagle
March 2021
TOHICKON BEGINS 5 DAY INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY
Dear Tohickon Families,
On February 22, 2021, all Central Bucks Secondary Schools switched instructional delivery models. Parents were asked to choose a 5 Day In-Person Traditional Model or an all virtual model. In the Tohickon Community, approximately 33% of families chose the virtual option, while the remaining 67% opted for the 5 Day In-Person Model.
The planning for the transition at Tohickon was extensive. The change in plans required a redesign of all classrooms, morning waiting areas and routine procedures in order to maximize spacing. Due to the type of desks at Tohickon, we needed to order several more. Lastly, our staff had to make several adjustments in the manner that they present to students each day.
We have completed one full week under the new plan and, generally, things have gone very well. Students and staff members seem to have acclimated to the new procedures and everyone seems to have settled into a routine. While we have adjusted to the change, it is important to constantly remind our students and staff to adhere to strict safety procedures as outlined in the Central Bucks Health and Safety Plan. This includes, but is not limited to, proper mask wearing, frequent sanitizing of hands, cleaning of classroom desks and door handles in between class periods and avoiding any kind of congregation in the hallways as we move from class to class. I am kindly asking all of our parents to help us in reinforcing these key procedures with your child(ren). For example, a student’s mask should be snug to the face, covering the nose and mouth at all times. Your help with this is greatly appreciated!
In closing, I hope everyone has a great month! I am hopeful, like everyone else, that things will begin to exponentially improve with the pandemic as we approach the summer months. I wish everyone the best!!!
Sincerely,
Kevin Marton, Tohickon Principal
TOHICKON PLAYERS PRESENTS ANNIE JR. ON MARCH 11, 12 AND 13
Tohickon Players will be presenting a production of Annie Jr. on March 11, 12, and 13th! Our students have been hard at work bringing to life the story of a young, red-headed orphan girl on a quest to find her parents. The event will be live-streamed, and you can purchase a ticket to access the streams here: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/47528
Tickets are $10 per stream, and you will be emailed a link that has a digital ticket. On that digital ticket will be several options (with directions) for accessing the stream the day of the show. Thank you for your support!
UPDATED SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES
There have been some updates to the secondary attendance expectations with the change to the Traditional Five Day Model and/or Virtual Model. The attendance procedures are as follows:
Guidelines for 5-Day Traditional Students
- A student will be marked "Present" if they are physically present in the classroom.
- A student will be marked "Absent" if they are not physically in the classroom.
- Students are permitted to join the virtually if they choose, but this will NOT be marked as virtually present.
- If the attendance office receives a parent excuse, the absence will be noted as "excused.”
- If attendance office does not receive a parent excuse, the absence will be noted as "unexcused."
- Five Day Traditional Students must be present and in school when taking assessments. Exceptions will be made if a student is on quarantine.
- A student will be marked "Virtually Present" if there is a need to quarantine and/or there is an extenuating circumstance. A student that is coded as "Virtually Present" will be considered the same at "Present."
Online Students
- If a student does not attend class, the student will be marked absent until the attendance office receives the communication from parents.
- If a student logs in initially, but leaves the call or does not engage, the teachers will mark the student absent with a comment so parents can see this information and reach out to the attendance office as needed.
If you have any questions, please contact the Tohickon Attendance Office at 267-893-3305.
TOHICKON HOSTS ITS FIRST PARENT TEACHER BOOK CLUB OF THE YEAR
Tohickon’s Parent-Teacher Book Club’s first meeting was filled with thought-provoking discussion about Jericho Brown’s poems from his Pulitzer Prize winning book of poetry, The Tradition. Mr. Brown is a poet, scholar, and director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University and his book The Tradition questions why and how we’ve been accustomed to terror and our cultural crisis. Teachers were thrilled when Mr. Brown retweeted Tohickon’s tweet about the event. The next meeting of the group is March 3.
“Whether you are a student in school or at home, Mrs. Hallman DiCicco an Mrs. Thomas continue to prepare hundreds of art kits to support the art making creative process!”
TOHICKON HOSTS LIVE Q AND A WITH SIXTH GRADE PARENTS
On February 25, 2021, from 6:30 until 7:30 PM, Mr. Marton, Dr. Fash, Mrs. Schute, Mr. Stryker and Mrs. Fox held a LIVE meeting with sixth grade parents as part of its orientation activities for this year. It is always very nice to meet new families and have an opportunity to interact in an open format. There were some great questions and the night went very well!!!
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Please continue to remind your children the best way to avoid germs is to wash their hands often with soap and water. Children who have cold symptoms or a fever above 100.3 degrees should remain home until fever free without medication. Also, we encourage students to carry water bottles to remain hydrated throughout the school day. Let’s hope for a calm end to winter!
Important Information for Incoming 7th Graders
All incoming 7th grade students are required to have a Pennsylvania State Mandated dental exam. Dental exams are acceptable with any date after 9/1/2020. Please complete and return the dental exam form prior to the start of the new school year. Also, 7th grade students need to have the Tdap and Meningitis vaccinations prior to the start of the new school year. Please keep this in mind as your child has their yearly physical completed. Feel free to contact the health office at 267-893-3315 with any questions or health concerns you have for your child.
FROM THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Registration for spring sports closes on March 19. The spring season begins March 22. We have many sports to choose from for 7th and 8th graders. Girls: soccer, softball, lacrosse, track. Boys: baseball, lacrosse, track. Registration directions can be found at Sports Registration Directions. All schedules and sports information can be found at tohickonathletics.com. Please reach out to Ken Hall at khall@cbsd.org if you have any questions about spring sports. We are looking forward to a great spring sports season!
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
PSSA TESTING
PSSA testing dates have not been determined as of yet. More information will be available in the near future.
9th to 10th grade Course Verification Sheets
Course Verification Reports showing your child’s course selections for next year will be available on the Parent Portal on March 19th. Parents are asked to electronically confirm they have viewed the verification report on the Parent Portal by March 25th.
Parents and students should look over the course verifications carefully to confirm the courses are accurate and sequentially appropriate. If you have any concerns or questions, please email your child’s counselor and/or teacher. No changes will be made after April 1st.
Guidance Office: 267-893-3310
- Mrs. Diane Schute (dschute@cbsd.org) will be working with those students with last names from A-Le.
- Mr. Joseph Stryker (jstryker@cbsd.org) will be working with those students with last names from Lf-Z.
Congratulations On Your Retirement!
Mrs. Ginny Mee has been our guidance secretary at Tohickon since we opened our doors in 2002. She is a special person and will be greatly missed!!! She went above and beyond in everything that she did during her time at Tohickon and she did it with grace and finesse. We wish you all the BEST! Please welcome our new guidance secretary, Mrs. Judith Jacob who comes to us from the New Hope Solebury School District. We are excited to welcome you to our school!
HOW TO MAKE CHANGES TO STUDENT INFORMATION
Please note the following procedures for submitting address changes and/or changes to mailing addresses, guardian(s) or other household information. This information is also available on the Central Bucks School District Website - www.cbsd.org.
All student address changes within Central Bucks must be validated at the Central Registration office by appointment only. We cannot make changes at the middle school.
Any changes to the current information we have on file can be changed through the Parent Portal.
Student Change of Address Procedures:
- Download the Change of Student Address Within Central Bucks form or obtain the form from the school your student currently attends.
- Call (267-893-2111) or email (CentralRegistration@cbsd.org) Central Registration for an appointment.
- Complete the form and bring it to your scheduled appointment along with the following REQUIRED documentation:
- Property Deed/Agreement of Sale (follow up with deed) OR Current Lease Agreement
AND one of the following:
- current utility bill
- current tax bill/receipt
- current bank statement.
Change in Household Membership:
All student household membership additions, deletions or changes must be documented on the Household Membership Change form. This would include the following:
- Parent/Guardian changes
- Sibling changes
- Mailing changes.
Student Household Membership Change Procedures
Download the Household Membership Change form or obtain the form from the school your student currently attends. Complete the form and return to your student’s school or mail it to the address below:
Central Bucks School District
Educational Services Center
Central Registration
16 Welden Drive
Doylestown, PA 18901
If you have any questions, please call Central Registration (267-893-2111) or email your questions to CentralRegistration@cbsd.org
Tohickon Middle School
Email: kmarton@cbsd.org
Website: cbsd.org/tohickon
Location: 5051 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-3300
Twitter: @CBTohickonMS