The Principal's Perspective...

From the desk of Mr. Drenon Fite , Jr.

Welcome to the 2011—2012 school year at TMS. With the beginning of a new school year comes change...new faces, new names, new policies; all with a common purpose of achieving the optimum learning environment.

However, the most important factor in a successful school year is you! The partnership between our school, your family, and the student is key. We start this school year having met our Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goal and by being recognized by the Texas Education Agency as a “RECOGNIZED” school for the 5th consecutive year. Please join our administration and faculty in building on those achievements by re-dedicating our efforts to the sole purpose of creating an atmosphere where academic excellence prevails.

On that note, I strongly encourage all parents to take an active role in our parent volunteer organization. Your time and talents can and will make a difference to all TMS students. Giving our students every possible advantage is the dedicated goal of our parent organization and we encourage you to please join us in this endeavor. Parent volunteers are always a blessing to any school, but the incredibly active and committed parents we have at TMS are an integral part of our success.

As the school year got off to such a smooth start, I would like to thank the parents, students and staff who generously gave so much of their efforts to make that possible. It gives me great pleasure to tell you that most of our TMS staff remains the same this year; we have, however, added some new faces. As the school year progresses, we will highlight these teachers in our newsletter so that you will recognize their faces around campus.

So, the excitement of returning to school after the long summer break is behind us, and now the work begins. Each of us has a role and a purpose. As parents, one of your greatest tasks is communicating—with your student, with your family, with teachers, and with administration. Please also ensure that we always have current contact information on file for you. If you have recently changed your cell phone or work number, please contact the office staff on campus to let them know.

Tatum Middle School has a new and improved website that we hope you will find useful. Please have a look and check back often for the latest TMS news. The website is www.tatumisd.org.

Thanks,

Drenon Fite, Jr.