Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

School Improvement Activities

Last Friday was a county-wide School Improvement Day. We were excited to have this time to focus on improving instruction, making plans to better meet student needs, and addressing IAR protocols in preparation for these upcoming assessments in April.

At Thompson, we spent much of the morning focusing on how to improve student engagement in the classroom. The afternoon included Schoology breakout sessions as we grow our understanding of the Schoology platform. This will be the primary tool used to support classroom instruction and communication with families next year. This day was not only extremely valuable from an instructional growth perspective, but it was also nice to see all of our D303 middle school teachers collaborating, supporting each other, and spending time together.

Equity Audit Parent Focus Groups

Parent focus groups will be held across D303 during the month of April as a part of the district’s equity audit. This will give families an opportunity to share their thoughts on our strengths, areas of need, and long-term opportunities for providing the best educational experience for all students.

These virtual focus groups will be one hour in length via Zoom and led by D303’s partners in the equity audit process, the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC). Thompson Administrators received a document listing TMS families in random order. We will be calling parents the week of March 21st to see if they would like to be a part of a focus group. Every school’s goal is to have 15 families agree to participate. We welcome your feedback even if you are not part of a focus group. A way to provide this feedback will be posted on the District website the week of April 4th and will be linked in an upcoming Friday Forecast newsletter.

If you have any questions regarding the focus group process, please contact our Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Dr. Tracy Taylor, at tracy.taylor@d303.org.

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to “spring forward” on Saturday night,

Steve

Student Panorama Assessment

In the fall of this school year students in grades 3-12 completed a universal screening tool to assess their social and emotional learning skills. In the spring students in grades 3-12 will complete a follow up survey. The use of universal screening allows us to refine and strengthen our efforts to help all students achieve success by taking positive and preventative measures as early as possible. This also provides us with the opportunity to assist students who may need additional support with social and emotional learning.

Please see the attached letter in regards to the upcoming Panorama Survey Assessment. Parents will be notified of results.

Illinois Science Assessment

Attention 8th Grade Parents/Guardians: We will be giving the Illinois Science Assessment on Thursday, March 24th during 1st, 3rd, and 4th periods. Makeups will be offered on Friday, March 25th. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Fedyski, 8th grade counselor. Thank you.

Top Chef Challenge

Congratulations to our incredible Thompson Cooks that competed in our Top Chef competition this past weekend! Contestants had to compete to qualify for the competition, complete a dish that used ‘green’ as the competitive ingredient in a 2-hour timeframe, and present 50 samples of the dish to judges and finalists’ families with a beautiful display. Thompson had several winners - including the TOP CHEF CHAMPION: Shika Shah.

Kayla's Hope Week

Join Kayla’s Hope Foundation (kaylashope.org) for a FULL WEEK of love, kindness & mental health awareness!

Beginning April 4th, we have your daily dose of fun with a silent auction, Masters golf raffle and mental health prompts! Jump in on Kayla’s Kindness Rock Garden launch party on April 5th and get your tickets to our BIG Hope Blooms celebration on April 9th.

To learn more or get involved, go to:
one.bidpal.net/KaylasHope2022
on facebook: KaylasHope03
on Instagram: @kaylashopefoundation
on twitter: @kaylashope2022

2022-2023 Thompson PTO Board Openings

The Thompson PTO is taking Board nominations! The PTO is composed of elected board positions, dozens of non-elected committee chairs, and numerous volunteers. Our Board positions are open to parents, guardians, and staff as well. If you are interested in running for a Thompson PTO Board Position for the 2022-2023 school year or know someone who would be a good fit, please complete this form.

Members of the current Board will reach out to anyone who is nominated to share what it is like to be a Board member and to answer questions.

For more information about the open positions, please contact any of the current PTO Officers: Shannon Puri (President), Laura Bouton (Vice President), Stephanie Chabura (Treasurer), and Kari Ann Harry (Secretary). You may also visit the PTO website at https://thompsonpto.com.

A Reminder from the School Nurse

State legislation requires that all Illinois children in Sixth Grade will have a dental examination. A licensed dentist must perform the examination, and he or she shall sign the form. Dental offices should have the form available, but it is also available online at www.d303.org under Departments, then Health Services, then “Health Documents and Forms”. Each 6th grade student must present proof of a dental examination by a dentist prior to May 15, 2022. The exam must be dated within 18 months prior to May 15, 2022. If your child has had an exam already, you can ask your dentist to complete the form for the exam.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has established a waiver for children who show undue burden or lack of access to a dentist. Parents or legal guardians who object to the dental examinations on religious grounds shall present to the school a signed, detailed statement of the objection.

The deadline is quickly approaching! Please submit this if you have not already done so. If you have any questions, please contact the TMS nurses:

Diane Isbrandt RN, PEL-CSN

Sherri Esposito, RN

Amy Kashuba, RN

Thompson Middle School

331-228-3104

Illinois Youth Survey for 8th Grade Students

Schools throughout the state of Illinois will have the opportunity to conduct the Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) with students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. Thompson 8th graders will be taking the survey in their social studies classes on March 16, 2022.

WHAT IS THE ILLINOIS YOUTH SURVEY? The purpose of the IYS is to better understand youth attitudes and behaviors that can impact student problems and academic success. It asks about topics like nutrition, physical activity, bullying, school climate, and alcohol and other drug use. Students will be asked to complete an anonymous survey (with no names or identification numbers). The survey is completely voluntary and privacy will be strictly protected.

WHAT IS THE SURVEY DATA USED FOR? The IYS will provide our school's combined student results providing data to assess needs, track progress toward physical, social, and mental health goals, and evaluate student support services.

If you have questions regarding the survey, wish to see a sample of the survey, or want your child to opt-out of the survey, please see the attached document or email Mr. Mike Cortina, Thompson's Student Assistance Counselor. A copy of the survey will also be available for viewing in the main office along with opt-out forms..

For more information, please visit the Illinois Youth Survey website at http://iys.cprd.illinois.edu.