Keeping you plugged into the exciting things happening at the Middle School
Published August 3, 2025
Volume 272
Adam Vinson - Middle School Principal
A MESSAGE FROM MR. VINSON
Our faculty and staff have been working extremely hard this week to make all of the final preparations to welcome your students back to campus! Psalm 90:12 is an appeal to God for help in “numbering our days”. The idea is that we want to exercise wisdom in all that we do so we maximize the time the LORD gives to us. That is certainly our prayer as a staff this year. We have 180 days with your children, and we want to use every single one to point them to Jesus. So, LORD, please help us to number our days so that God is glorified in all our lessons, all of our activities and all of our conversations.
AUGUST BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS
Mark your calendars for these special days to kickoff the new year. More details to come!
Monday, August 4 = MEET MY TEACHER DAY - an opportunity to walk through schedules, meet teachers, etc.
Families with last name A-L = 9:30-11:30am (drop-in time slot)
Families with last name M-Z = 1:30-3:30pm (drop-in time slot)
Tuesday, August 5 = FIRST DAY OF CLASSES = the 25-26 school year begins!
Friday, August 22 = WELCOME TO THE ROAR - a block party style event for all of our new and returning TCS families
MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND BELOW!
MEET MY TEACHER: SHOULD I COME?
Meet My Teacher Day is important because it is more than just a chance to meet your child’s teachers! Check out the checklist below regarding all you need to accomplish on this day prior to classes beginning.
***Dress Code - Normal school day attire expected***
MEET MY TEACHER CHECKLIST (Click to view)
LOCKER ASSIGNMENTS: You will pick up your child’s locker assignment in the gym.
Families with last name beginning with A-L = 9:30-11:30am (drop-in time slot)
Families with last name beginning with M-Z = 1:30-3:30pm (drop-in time slot)
CARLINE REMINDER: IT WILL GET BETTER
It’s the beginning of the year which means drop-off and pick-up lines will take longer than usual as everyone gets back into the routine. Please be patient these first couple of weeks as we are working hard to get your children to you as safely and as quickly as possible.
RIDING HOME WITH A FRIEND
If your student will be going home with another student during dismissal, please send an email to receptionist@tcslions.org OR tiffany.mcburnett@tcslions.org.
SAFEDISMISSAL INFORMATION
Parents, We have partnered with the company safeDISMISSAL.COM to facilitate our dismissal process for our Early Learning campus (PreK-3 through Kinder) and our Main Campus (1st - 8th grades). One of the many wonderful features of this dismissal process is that your children will remain comfortably and safely in their classroom until the moment they meet you in the "car loading zone".
Here are a few tips to follow during our dismissal process:
Please make sure to have your ‘pick-up’ card displayed in your front window when entering the dismissal line. Please keep your card displayed until your child has been loaded into your car.
Please stay in-line (no passing) during dismissal as the children will be instructed to walk to specific spots for loading.
To reduce your wait time, please keep up with the car in front of you. Stay attentive and focused on the car line.
If your student does not arrive at the loading spot before you do, you may be instructed to move to a "waiting" area where your child will be notified again. We ask you to move to this area so that we do not hold up the remaining dismissal line.
Please note: Your child is assigned to be picked up at a particular spot according to the order of cars in line each day. Please follow the car in front of you until the line stops, regardless of where you might or might not see your child. Stopping before the line has filled will cause the sequence to be thrown off and delay the line. We will get your child to the proper spot should they have gone to the wrong place.
Finally, we ask for your patience the first couple of weeks of school as everyone gets accustomed to the process. It will get faster/better each day!
The administrators and teachers are committed to making this process beneficial to all parties. Please visit www.safeDISMISSAL.com for more information. Below are a couple of helpful resources to further explain the process.
MIDDLE SCHOOL POLICY REMINDERS
Take some time to review a few important policies that we have for our students, particularly if you are new to TCS this year.
NO GUM: To help preserve the longevity of our desks and carpet, we ask that our students refrain from the use of gum during school hours. Please make sure your child understands this expectation as we start the new year.
NO CELL PHONE USAGE: Cell phones will still be allowed on campus, but they must remain turned off while also being stored in backpacks or lockers. Cell phones MAY NOT be kept in pockets. All cell phones should be stored throughout the school day and may only be used after regular school hours.
NO CLASSROOM DRINKS: Students who arrive in the mornings with drinks must finish the drink prior to coming to class. Drinks may NOT be stored in lockers. This includes Starbucks and Chick-fil-a drinks. This helps keep all student items safe and free from spills. Sealed water bottles are still allowed in the classrooms.
SCHEDULES ARE NOW POSTED
Please be sure to print your child’s schedule in anticipation of Meet the Teacher Day and the 1st day of school. If changes are needed/desired for your child, please reference Mrs. Peavy’s email for instructions on how to submit those requests.
Note: We will start elective classes the 2nd week of school. Our drop/add period for electives will end on Friday, August 29.
ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES
The following steps should be taken for reporting absences for 4th - 8th grade:
Send excuses for absences, including doctor’s notes to attendance@tcslions.org.
Send PRE-ABSENCE REQUESTS (family trips, etc.) to Melissa Lanier (melissa.lanier@tcslions.org) via your child’s 1st period teacher.
If your child has to miss class this year due to sickness, check out our process below for getting your child caught up on missing work and assignments. Please also notify the nursing team to make them aware of surgeries or long-term illnesses at nurses@tcslions.org.
WHAT IF MY CHILD IS ABSENT 1-5 DAYS? - Have your child connect with their teachers upon their return to the classroom. We will not send makeup work home for sick absences of this length through our Return to Academics program.
WHAT IF MY CHILD IS ABSENT 5+ DAYS? - Reach out to Melissa Lanier (Return to Academics Coordinator) so we can best determine a makeup plan for your child. Mrs. Lanier will help collect makeup work for you to simplify the process.
NOTE: If your child is sick, we want your child to focus on resting and healing before worrying about missing assignments. Please know our teachers will work diligently to help your child catch up once they are feeling well enough to complete assignments.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM INTRODUCTIONS
We are thankful to have our same administrative team back this year, albeit with updated titles and more specific responsibilities to help serve you and your family.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: Tiffany McBurnett - Mrs. McBurnett is entering her 15th year at Trinity and has served in an assistant principal-type role for several years without the official title. Mrs. McBurnett assists Mr. Vinson in the day-to-day operations of the middle school while also overseeing support services related to behavior, conflict management and discipline for our student body.
ACADEMIC DEAN: Kristan Peavy - Mrs. Peavy is entering her 6th year at Trinity and has served the last several years in the area of curriculum and instruction. Mrs. Peavy oversees our middle school academic program, working closely with our teachers to ensure both our curriculum and instruction is appropriately biblical and rigorous.
DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC SERVICES: Melissa Lanier - Mrs. Lanier is entering her 14th year at Trinity and has served in the area of student academic programs since last year. Mrs. Lanier oversees academic services that enhance curriculum, instruction and student achievement including, but not limited to, honors placement, field trip activities, and return to academics.
DIRECTOR OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT: Wesley Lassiter - Mr. Lassiter is entering his 5th year at Trinity and has served as an 8th grade Bible teacher since last year. Mr. Lassiter oversees the spiritual programs and discipleship initiatives within our student body including, but not limited to, chapel programming, small groups, and Bible studies.
DIRECTOR OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: Jenn Opsahl - Mrs. Opsahl is entering her 9th year at Trinity and has served in our skills development program since being hired. Mrs. Opsahl oversees the programs designed to support students with learning challenges.
DRESS CODE AND NEW SPIRIT WEAR OPTIONS
Check out our 25-26 DRESS CODE OVERVIEW to refresh yourself on the guidelines.
*New Middle School Spiritwear* - Our spiritual theme for the 2025-2026 school year will be “Bold as a Lion”. To help reinforce this theme, we will be selling both t-shirts and sweatshirts with the design below. Purchase your very own “Bold as a Lion” shirt here.
While not required, middle school students are encouraged to wear either the “Bold as a Lion” t-shirt or sweatshirt to chapel each week.
8TH GRADE RETREAT: SNOWBIRD WILDERNESS OUTFITTERS
For all of our rising 8th graders, mark your calendars now for our annual 8th-grade retreat to Andrews, NC. This is a memorable event each year and is used to launch our spiritual development for 8th grade.
WHEN? - Sept 3-5
WHERE? - Snowbird Outfitters in Andrews, NC (www.swoutfitters.com)
COST? - $210 (includes transportation, food, recreation)
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Are you looking for ways that your child can complete their required 10 hours? Check out the options below.
Chapel Setup Team - We are looking for volunteers who will commit to setting up chairs for chapel each Wednesday morning. Students who serve on this team will need to arrive by 7:30am. Students who serve on this team will also fulfill the required 10 hours for the school year.
Cafeteria Clean Up Team - We are looking for volunteers who will commit to staying behind a few extra minutes each day after being dismissed from lunch to assist our cafeteria workers with table clean up. Students who serve on this team will fulfill the required 10 hours for the school year.
If your child would like to volunteer for either team, please email our Director of Spiritual Development, Mr. Lassiter, at wesley.lassiter@tcslions.org.
IMPORTANT BACK-TO-SCHOOL DATES
Check out our SCHOOL CALENDAR
Monday, Aug 4: Meet the Teacher Day
Tuesday, Aug 5: 1st Day of Classes
Friday, Aug 22: Welcome to the Roar
Aug 29: Remote Learning Day
Sept 1: Labor Day (No School)
Sept 3-5: 8th Grade Retreat to Snowbird
MIDDLE SCHOOL RESOURCES
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CHECK OUT THE HELPFUL TOOLS BELOW REGARDING
THE 25-26 SCHOOL YEAR
UNIFORM POLICY - Note the minor changes/adjustments for this year.
SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
This is an optional program for students to maintain and improve their reading skills. Students who choose to complete the challenge will receive a mystery prize in August.
SUMMER MATH CHALLENGE
Check out this letter if your child is entering 6th grade, or check out this letter. f your child is entering 7th or 8th grade regarding suggested math resources this summer.
SUPPLY LISTS FOR FOR EACH GRADE LEVEl
We are almost finished finalizing these lists with our new teachers, but go ahead and start purchasing the items listed if you want to get a jumpstart with upcoming sales. No items will be removed, but some additional items may be added over the next week.
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION PACKET - Helpful for rising 6th graders and all new 7th and 8th graders, but also a good refresher for all returning students too.
COMMUNITY SERVICE FORM - Reminder that all middle schoolers are required to completed 10 hours of service by May 2026
MIDDLE SCHOOL THRIVAL GUIDE - Don’t just survive middle school, help your child THRIVE during these years! Check out the helpful guide assembled by our TCS staff based on years of middle school experience.
OUR TEAM IS HERE TO HELP!
Principal: Adam Vinson (adam.vinson@tcslions.org)
Assistant Principal: Tiffany McBurnett (tiffany.mcburnett@tcslions.org)
Academic Dean: Kristan Peavy (kristan.peavy@tcslions.org)
Director of Academic Services: Melissa Lanier (melissa.lanier@tcslions.org)
Director of Spiritual Development: Wesley Lassiter (wesley.lassiter@tcslions.org)
Director of Skills Development: Jenn Opsahl (jennifer.opsahl@tcslions.org)