Students in Mrs. Trotter's fifth-grade class are using the PALS reading strategy to build stronger readers!

Sixth grade MERIT has a lot of students new to the MERIT program and new to TCMS. To help the students meet new people and make new friends, the teachers designed a scavenger hunt. Students had to ask each 45 questions to find out who has a dog, loves to swim, plays basketball, etc.

Once the scavenger hunt was complete, students worked in small groups that were randomly assigned to decide five things they had in common. Students came up with things such as We all love Chic-Fil-A, We all have brothers, We all play sports, etc. This was a great end to the second week of school and helped students get to know each other a little better.

A parent informational meeting will be held in the TCMS cafeteria on Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 5:30 P.M. for those interested in Rose City Wrestling Academy.  Please see the informational flyer for more information.

Students in Mrs. Lanatta's MERIT fifth-grade science class got their hands dirty with the first science lab of the year. Students were making rainbows to practice skills with different science tools and to practice lab safety procedures.

Students on seventh-grade Gold Company recently competed in a Lab Safety Escape Room. Seven out of ten groups "escaped" in under ninety minutes while having fun learning about the importance and procedures of lab safety!

Students in Mrs. Layne's eighth-grade Algebra 1 class used their knowledge of simplifying radicals with and without variables to complete an escape room. All students were able to escape within 45 minutes!

During the first week of school, students from Dr. Billie Campbell’s 5th-grade MERIT Social Studies class participated in a week-long activity culminating with a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) lesson.

The project combined integrated themes in Social Studies of group work and conflict management. Students were encouraged to find methods of working together while facing various challenges. After the group assignment, the fifth-graders completed a writing reflection that highlighted the project’s outcomes. Students did a great job as they rose to the change and the activity was a success!

Students in Ms. Crawford's fifth-grade class labeled the elements of a plot diagram. Students had to work collaboratively to master the standard.

Thomas County School Superintendent Dr. Lisa Williams has appointed Dr. Lauren Duplantis to serve as the district’s health and wellness coordinator.

Duplantis will chair the system’s wellness committee and will help market the school-based health center as an option for parents who do not have a primary-care provider.

Dr. Dale Graham who returned to the Thomas County School System in 2018 as the district’s math coordinator was named District-wide Director for the MERIT Program last fall and is rolling out several initiatives for the new school year.

MERIT, short for Maximizing Education to Realize Intellectual Transformation, provides a rigorous curriculum and enrichment opportunities for gifted and academically high-achieving students in grades 5-12. The program spans both Thomas County Middle School and Thomas County Central High School. 

Under the new structure, the program has a middle grades coordinator, Dana Studdard, and a high school coordinator, Erin White.

Thomas County School Superintendent Dr. Lisa Williams has appointed Michele Dechman instructional coordinator of Bishop Hall Charter School.

Dechman joined the faculty of Thomas County Schools in 1999 where she has taught elementary education, special education, gifted education, and computer coding.  She earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University and an educational specialist degree from Valdosta State University.