SPAN Meeting

SPAN (Synergy/SAGE Parent Action Network) will host our next meeting on Thursday Jan. 7, 2016 at 7pm in the WestWood Elementary Media Center (5370 WestWood Dr. SE; Prior Lake, MN  55372).  The meeting will feature Prior Lake/Savage district personnel who will speak and answer questions about how the needs of gifted students are met throughout grade levels..   If you have questions or would like to be placed on our email list, please email Apryl at span.priorlake@gmail.com. See all of our meeting dates on our website www.mcgt.net/priorlake .

TOMS LAKERS of the Week

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the Week of December 21st.

6^th Grade:

MacKenzie Moe

Owen Roberts

Evan Wolfe

7^th Grade:

Abdi Ismail

Timothy O’Brien

Ian Reimer

8^th Grade:

Thomas Bentley

Joey Hager

Tuesday, Dec. 22nd Ugly Sweater Day at Twin Oaks

It’s time to dig in the back of your closet for the Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater. Telltale signs of the ugly sweater are red and green, large depictions of snowmen, reindeer, and Christmas trees, and any sort of pom-pom or felt applique.

Hope you can participate in the school tradition.

TOMS Lakers of the Week!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of December 14th.

6^th Grade:

Aiden Sullivan

Carson Hilborn

Abby Mattila

7^th Grade:

Cameron Miller

Noah Roscoe

Louis Peters

8^th Grade:

Travis Riddering

Maria Castillo

Rachelle Cruzen

Winter Break

No School: December 23rd - January 1st.

School Resumes: Monday, January 4th (Day 1)

TOMS LAKERS of the Week!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of December 7th.

6^th Grade:

Warwick Barker

Wyatt Larson

Mikah Larson

7^th Grade:

Hayat Abdalla

Dillon Henderson

Christina Peterson

8^th Grade:

Zoe Chmielewski

Benjamin O’Konski

Travis Riddering

Staff/Student Book Club

Book club is back! We will be reading The Boys Who Challenged Hitler. All you history lovers, this one is for you!

From amazon.com:

At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.

We will meet after school on Friday, January 8, 2016 in the media center to discuss the book and have treats. 

International Exchange Student Program

Make your family an international one – host an AFS international exchange student! Jianan, who goes by “Vera” from China is a student at Prior Lake HS this year, and for a variety of reasons (none related to Vera) her host family isn’t able to continue hosting her much longer. Vera is very interested in dance, and at home in China she’s a part of a traditional Chinese dance club. She also love swimming, singing, and reading.

Vera is really enjoying being a student at Prior Lake HS this year, and we’d love to find a Prior Lake family to continue hosting her so she won’t need to change schools! She will be in Minnesota until the end of June, and we are looking for a host family to host her beginning December 19^th. Host families can sign up to host her for the rest of her exchange program, or sign up to help out temporarily.

AFS host families come in all shapes and sizes – single parents, single adults with no kids, two-parent families,  and LGBT families are all welcome! Host families are responsible for providing the exchange student with the following:

1.       3 meals a day

2.       His or her own bed (students can share a bedroom with one host sibling of the same gender)

3.       Transportation to-and-from school (this can be a school bus, carpool, or if you’re close enough, walking!)

4.       An American experience!

Hosting Vera is a unique opportunity that can give your family a chance to learn more about life in China. It’s also a chance for you to share your favorite things about Minnesota with an international teenager! Many host families stay in contact with their exchange students for years after the exchange year is complete and truly come to think of their student as a member of the family.

If you’re interested, or would like more information, contact Emily Turner (AFS field staff in the Twin Cities) at eturner@afsusa.org or 612-219-6041.

Health Office News

News from the Health Office

Click on the link for family resources

https://www.smore.com/912yq-news-from-the-health-office

Strength Team Starts Dec. 8th

Winter Middle School Strength Team starts Tuesday, December 8th. Register here

https://plfootball.sportngin.com/register/form/714997829

TOMS Volunteers

It’s conference time again on December 10th!   In appreciation for the time and effort that teachers put in, please consider contributing to the potluck on December 10th.  The teachers will be having turkey sandwiches for dinner and would appreciate any sides or desserts to go with their meal.

Here’s the link to sign up 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4da8af2fa2f58-december1

TWIN OAKS LAKERS OF THE WEEK!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of Nov. 30th. 

6^th Grade:

Owen Bartusek

AJ Beck

Owen Smeby

7^th Grade:

Emma Bachinski

Gabby Sabin

Kendall Stewart

8^th Grade:

John Berg

Jenna Frazier 

Morgan Olson

Box Top Contest Winners!

Congratulations to Ms. Fitchett's 6th grade primetime.   The class donated 695 Box Tops and received the 200 bonus points for trimming!! They will receive an ice cream party for their participation. 

2nd place goes to Ms. Williamson's class with 240 + 200 for trimming.

Overall, more than 3000 Tops were received from 20 classrooms.  That means $300 for PACT projects.

Watch for another contest next spring.  Thanks to all for participating! 

CHILD NUTRITION ASSISTANT NEEDED

“Want to work in a fun atmosphere, with competitive pay and great hours during the school day?  We currently have positions for prep cook assistants and substitutes available in Child Nutrition Services.  Starting wage range is $13.47-13.93 per hour.  Hours vary depending on position and are typically between 9 or 10am and 2:00pm.  Please contact Janeen Peterson, Child Nutrition Director at 952-226-0008 if interested and/or visit the district website under employment for more details.”

Middle School Activities

Winter Laker Performance:

MS starts Tuesday, 12/8/2015  -  Meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30PM to 4PM at TOMS Weight Room

Register now and get faster and stronger this winter!  Here are the links: 

Middle School (7^th/8^th grade only):  https://plfootball.sportngin.com/register/form/714997829

Boys Swim/Dive – Starts on 11/30 and is open to all 7^th-12^th grade boys

Practices are Monday-Friday 3:15PM – 5PM at HOMS Pool

Here is the code to their Schoology group for information and updates: 22ZB4-X9M5K

Interested swimmers and divers can contact Coach Joe Bollinger with any questions at jbollinger@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us .

Middle School Ski Club Information

We will begin another great season of Ski/Snowboard Club on Monday, Dec. 21^st, 2015.  Join us for 5 Mondays at BuckHill!

Here is the link to the information and registration: https://priorlake-savage.ce.feepay.com/course/ski-snowboard-2015-16/ski-club-6-8-grade

We offer a variety of ski option packages for beginner thru advanced levels.   

All participants must register by Dec. 14^th   ---  any questions, please contact Rachel McKay at rmckay@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us

or Beth Fuller at bfuller@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us or call Community Education at (952) 226-0080.

PBIS Minute To Win It

Happy Thanksgiving week! Today, during Primetime students had fun in the auditorium playing Minute to Win It games! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

No School: November 25th, 26th, & 27th.

Community Education

Winter/Spring Registration is now open. Click here for more information.

Attention 7th Graders

Washington DC Trip 2016 parent meeting is Monday, November 23rd in the Twin Oaks Auditorium from 6:30 to 7:30. Click Here for details.

SPAN December Meeting

SPAN (Synergy/SAGE Parent Action Network) will not be meeting in December. We will host our next meeting on Thursday Jan. 7, 2016 at 7pm in the WestWood Elementary Media Center (5370 WestWood Dr. SE; Prior Lake, MN  55372).  The meeting will feature Prior Lake/Savage district personnel who will speak and answer questions about how the needs of gifted students are met throughout grade levels..   If you have questions or would like to be placed on our email list, please email Apryl at span.priorlake@gmail.com. See all of our meeting dates on our website www.mcgt.net/priorlake .

Activity Afternoon Cancelled

Due to low participation, the Activity Afternoon planned for tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 20^th has been cancelled.

TOMS LAKERS of the Week

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the Week of November 16th!

6^th Grade:

Alivia Birdsley

Jordan Contreras

Kathlyn Sabby

7^th Grade:

Gabe McDonald

Christopher Peer

Connor Wietgrefe

8^th Grade:

Grace Brannen

Alexis Mach

Dante Schroeder

TOMS Upcoming Events

• Cookie Dough Pickup: Thursday, November 19^th, Afterschool – 6:00 p.m. TOMS Lower Level Ala Carte Area.
• Mon. Nov.16^th-Fri. Nov. 20^th Box Top Contest
• Fri. Nov. 20^th: Activity Afternoon 2:15-3:45 TOMS
• Wed. Nov. 25^th –Fri. Nov. 27^th: No School, Thanksgiving Break

Twin Oaks Middle School Actitvity Afternoon

6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Students

Friday, November 20th from 2:15-3:45pm 

Signed Permission slip & $5.00 fee

Click Here for more information.

TOMS LAKERS of the Week!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of November 9th:

6^th Grade:

Hannah Carlson

Zoe Chmielewski

Dante Schrieder

7^th Grade:

Erin Anderson

Kyle Nordling

Jasmine Path

8^th Grade:

Jonah Kolsrud

Ella Palmquist

Caleb Riegle

Box Top Contest

Our first Box Tops collection for this school year will begin on November 16^th.The Primetime Classroom to collect the most Tops by Monday, Nov. 23^rd will win an Ice Cream Party courtesy of PACT (Parents Assisting Children and Teachers).

(Note: Tops must be trimmed/clipped and not taped or stapled to enter)   Those little Tops add up! Last semester’s contest raised over $600!!!  GO LAKERS !

Earthlings visit from Edgewood

Yesterday, preschoolers from Edgewood walked over and got to visit a middle school science classroom.  The preschoolers learned about a variety of animals from the middle school earthlings.  It was a great success and we are hopeful to continue the science classroom relationship.

Winter Strength Team sign up!

7th & 8th Grade Athletes:  Here is the link to register for the Winter Middle School Strength Team https://plfootball.sportngin.com/register/form/714997829

2016 Washington DC Trip

Attention all parents of 7^th graders.  We are very excited to offer an amazing once in a life- time opportunity for your student. Next fall over MEA Break(Wednesday Oct. 19^th – Saturday Oct. 22^nd)  we will be taking our annual 8^th grade Washington D.C. trip. This trip is an wonderful opportunity for your son or daughter to travel to our nation’s capital and experience history first hand. Information will be shared with students on Friday Nov. 20^th . The following Monday Nov. 23^rd we will be having an optional parent information meeting in the Twin Oaks Auditorium from 6:30 to 7:30.  The purpose of the meeting is to quickly explain the trip and then open up the floor to parent question.  If you have any question please contact Mr. Mertens cmertens@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us or  Mr. Dapper ndapper@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us

Nathan A. Dapper

7^th Grade American History Teacher Twin Oaks Middle School

8^th Grade Washington DC Trip Co-Adviser Prior Lake Middles School

Quarter 2 Schedule

The end of Quarter 1 is Thursday, November 12th.  Please keep in mind that this day is also a 2 hour early release and there is no school Friday November 13.   

Quarter 2 will be starting Monday November 16th.   Please be aware that some changes have been made to student schedules in the last few days.  We ask that all families view your child’s Q2 schedule in Infinite Campus.  To prepare for next Monday morning, please print a copy or have your child write it in his/her assignment notebook (remember room #’s!)

To print:  Select “Reports” from the menu on the left side and then click on “Student Schedules”.  Do not print from the Schedule view.

Schedules for 6th grade students should generally remain the same except for one class.

Schedules for 7th grade students are based on semesters so no changes have been made.

Schedules for 8th grade students are based on quarters and student schedules may look very different from Q1.  Students should have the same teachers for English, Science, Global Studies and Math, although it can be a different period.

Please report any errors to your Guidance Counselor.

TOMS Teacher of the Year!

Congratulations Laurie Davis-Friedges for being nominated as Twin Oaks Middle School Teacher of the Year!

Family & Consumer Science Pumpkin Carving Contest

Participants were:

Aly Volk- 8th grade

Stevan Blauert- 8th grade

Gabby Jensen- 8th grade

Christiana Will- 8th grade

Ava Roberts- 8th grade

Sophie Sanden- 7th grade

Sarah Keeney- 7th grade

Lillian Kuiken- 7th grade

Brielle Anderson- 7th grade

Kelly Nikolas- 7th grade

Maria Braun- 7th grade

Lilly Barney- 7th grade

Gabriel Coleman- 6th grade

Quinn Walker- 6th grade

Abby Pocrnich- 6th grade

Jonah Kolsrud- 6th grade

Fall Fundraiser Pick Up Date: November 19th

Thank you very much for supporting our fall fundraiser! Your generosity is greatly appreciated by our students and staff. The frozen cookie dough pickup will be at the school on Thursday, November 19. You can pick it up beginning after school until 6:00 that evening. It is very important that you make arrangements to pick up your cookie dough on that day because it is a perishable product and we do not have sufficient freezer storage at the school to store it overnight. If you cannot make it on that day, please arrange for a friend or neighbor to pick up your order.

Some of the students with smaller orders may come home from school with their cookie dough so please check with them before making a trip to school.

You will receive a copy of your student’s order form with your order so you know who purchased cookie dough from your student.

Cookie Dough Pickup!

Date: Thursday, November 19

Time: After school – 6:00 p.m.

Where: Lower Level (Ala Carte Area)

TOMS LAKERS of the WEEK

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the Week of November 2nd.

6^th Grade:

Ashlyn Jore

Kassim Juma

Ben Oslund

7^th Grade:

Shere-Ka Bishop

Parker Hill

Chris Perez

8^th Grade:

Austin Gordon

Brenden Jore

Travis Riddering

Friendly Exchange Student Program

Meet our New Friends from Guatemala!
Prior Lake Middle Schools have participated in this program for several years. The program Friendly Exchange, gives our 6th, 7th, & 8th graders the opportunity to learn about a different country, it's culture, customs, and way of life.  These students from Guatemala stay with a host family and attend school for 11 weeks. Meet our Exchange students click here.

Middle School Philosophy Club

Do you like to ponder the mysteries of life?  Do you enjoy sharing your opinions?  If yes, then join the Philosophy Club!  This is free and no registration is required.  Come to HOMS Room 381 on Thursdays after school 2:20-3pm, starting this week.

WE Day 2015

We Day is a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities. We Schools is the yearlong program that nurtures compassion in young people and gives them the tools to create social change.

We Day brings together world-renowned speakers and award-winning performers with tens of thousands of young people to celebrate their contributions and kick-start another year of change.

Together they offer young people the tools and the inspiration to take social action, empower others and transform lives—including their own.

Middle School Winter Actitivities

Are you interested in joining: Nordic Ski, Boys Swim/Dive Team, Wrestling, Ski Club, Strength Team! Click Here for more information!

TOMS Halloween Staff Costume Contest 2015

Busy Bee's in the Kitchen

Melody Wisconsin Devil

Winners of the Halloween Costume Contest, "Dude Perfect"

Team Lifeskills

Guess Who?

Emojis #2

Country Hoedown

M & M's

Bank Robbers

Emoji's #1

Falling Domino's

TOMS LAKERS of the Week!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of October 26th!

6^th Grade:

Carly Cross

Tana Peterson

Tyler Schaff

7^th Grade:

Emily Hesse

Louis Peters

Jack Willer

8^th Grade:

Josh Aspelin

Kaiden Klausen

Mia Thilges

TOMS Fall Costume Guidelines

Friday, October 30^th, 2015

All students are invited to participate in the fun by wearing a costume on Friday, October 30^th. When thinking of ideas for a costume, please consider school expectations and maintaining a safe learning environment for all. Please remember…

1.     No blood, gore, skulls, crossbones, bad words, or offensive costumes

2.     Faces be free of masks or other obstruction

3.     Make-up and wigs are allowed

4.     Props, weapons or added accessories need to stay at home

5.     Hats are allowed if they are part of the costume

6.     Sunglasses are allowed if they are part of the costume, but must be removed during class

7.     ALL COMPONENTS of your COSTUME, INCLUDING MAKE-UP, MUST BE PUT ON AT HOME, any student choosing to put on costumes at school will be asked to remove it

8.     If a costume is becoming a distraction to the learning environment, teachers may ask students at any time to remove their costume

SPAN Meeting

SPAN (Synergy/SAGE Parent Action Network) will host its next meeting on Thursday Nov. 5 at 7pm in the Twin Oaks Middle School Media Center (15860 Fish Point Road; Prior Lake, MN  55372).  The meeting will feature speaker Patty Bradley, a former gifted specialist in the Edina school system, who will speak about perfectionism in gifted kids.   If you have questions or would like to be placed on our email list, please email Apryl at span.priorlake@gmail.com. See all of our meeting dates on our website www.mcgt.net/priorlake .

TOMS LAKERS of the Week!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of October 19th!

6^th Grade:

Owen Bartusek

Gabby Olson

Andrew McCarthy

7^th Grade:

Zack Danyi

Sophie Sanden

Bryce Scone

8^th Grade:

Andrew Skillstad

Gabby Siats

Raptor Center

7th Grade students at Twin Oaks Middle School learned about physical and behavioral adaptations of raptors today.  This was the first of two capstone visits from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center to help see how science is used in the real world.  Students have studied the scientific process, how sick and injured birds are treated at the raptor center prior to this visit.

TOMS Links

Parent portal offers a one-stop solution to the most frequent online items parents need including links to Infinite Campus, Schoology, FeePay, menus, tech help, calendars and more: http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/parents/index.aspx

New app Child Nutrition Services is called Nutrislice.

Find Our Menus on Nutrislice 

Get easy access to our daily menus on Nutrislice. This interactive menu offers food descriptions and nutritional content, as well as allergen and carbohydrate details. You can also rate each menu item by clicking on the number of stars located on each menu item. Nutrislice is available online and on your mobile device by downloading it from the app store for iPhone or Android. Families still have the option to print menus if they choose.

Wednesday is Unity Day – Wear Orange!

On Wednesday of this week, October 21^st, it is National Unity Day.  Schools across our district and the country are encouraged to wear orange and unite together to put an end to bullying!  The middle school students will participate in activities during primetimes and watch short videos in each class period to help them think about what bullying truly means and how they can make a difference!

TOMS LAKERS of the Week!

Congratulations LAKER Pride Ticket Winners for the week of Oct. 12th!

6^th Grade:

Nicholas Kunkel

Mason Liddle

Diesa Meza

7^th Grade:

Emma Bingenheimer

Shelby Krausert

Jade Sawrey

8^th Grade:

Ashley Anderson

Lexi Hanft-Anderson

Tommy Stathopoulos

Twin Oaks Picture Retake Day, Friday, Oct. 23rd

Twin Oaks Middle School Pictures

To redeem your complimentary digital SmileSafe card, click here.

Last reminder to keep this year's school picture!

Go to mylifetouch.com

Log in with your Portrait ID (MI29518YO) and Access Code located in your picture package

Pedidos en español disponibles por internet. Utiliza tu ID del retrato y el código de acceso de tu paquete del retrato.

Parent/Guardian, how was this year’s school picture experience? Take survey.

TOMS Upcoming Events

• Middle School Conferences, Tuesday, Oct. 13^th from 4:00-7:00pm. Lower level of Twin Oaks, 6^th Grade located in the Cafeteria Area and 7^th & 8^th Grade held in Jerabek Gym.
• Our Guidance Counselors, Mrs. Loechler and Mr. Torgerson, plan to facilitate a quick (approximately 15 minutes) information session to review topics such as Infinite Campus, Schoology, resources at TOMS, expectations for assignment notebooks and more.  This will take place October 13th at 5:00pm in the TOMS media center.
• Good Digital Citizenship, parent information presentation/Q&A during Conferences from 6:00-6:30 in the TO Auditorium.
• Middle School Book Fair open during Conferences in the HOMS Media Center.
• Turn in all orders for the Magazine & Cookie Dough Fundraiser: tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 13^th to the Main Office.
• No School October 14^th -19^th. 
• Lifetouch Picture Retakes: Friday, October 23^rd.

Middle School Robotics

Last chance to sign up for Prior Lake Middle School Robotics.  Click here for more information.

Extended Day

Extended Day is a homework support program for Twin Oaks Middle School students. Our program runs on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 2:15-3:15 in a small group format and is free to our students.

If you are interested in having your student join our Extended Day program, please click on the following Link. The Extended Day program will focus on homework completion and study skills. The program will start on Thursday, October 22nd.

Complete Calendar click here.

Twin Oaks Middle School has joined Facebook!

Twin Oaks Middle School is pleased to announce we have joined Facebook.  Check the Twin Oaks Middle School Facebook page www.facebook.com/TwinOaksPLS often to stay up-to-date with events at Twin Oaks.