Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

This morning community members came together to show their gratitude, appreciation, and support for teachers and staff. They delivered donuts, bagels, and coffee to all D303 schools as well as the transportation building and grounds departments. They also distributed gift cards that we were able to raffle off to our staff. Their message said, “Thank you for all that you do for our children! Even though it may seem at times that you are in this alone, please be assured that you are not!” The Thompson staff appreciated this kind gesture and the support of the community!

Four Weeks Remaining in the Second Quarter
We are half of the way through our second quarter which closes on December 17th, before Winter break! Thanksgiving break provides a great opportunity for family discussions about academic progress and encouraging your student to finish the quarter strong. Please contact your child’s teachers or guidance counselor if you have any questions.

Just a reminder that there will be no school for students the week of November 22nd for Thanksgiving Break. School will resume on Monday, November 29th.

Have a great weekend!

~Steve

High School Counselor Visits for 8th Grade Students

On Tuesday, November 30th, all 8th grade students will be meeting with their high school counselors for a 45 minute presentation. For this meeting, students will need their Chromebooks as they will be learning how to locate information on the high school websites in preparation for course registration which will take place in mid-January.

We will be hosting these meetings during 2nd period from 9:30 - 10:15 am.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Chris Fedyski, 8th grade counselor, Ms. Lindsay Mortensen, Assistant Principal, or Mr. Sam Pasholk, Student Support Coordinator working with our remote students.

TMS Supports Our Military Troops

In partnership with Operation Gratitude, the Thompson Middle School Student Council hosted a Halloween Candy Give Back program. The candy will be donated to our military troops. We collected enough candy to fill 11 copy paper boxes. This picture is of a few of our members sorting candy.

i-Ready Mid-Year Diagnostics

The i-Ready Mid-Year Diagnostics for both reading and math will be conducted after Thanksgiving Break. Our testing schedule is:

Thursday, December 2nd 8:40-10:40am - i-Ready Math Diagnostic
Monday, December 6th 8:40-10:40am: i-Ready Reading Diagnostic

Diagnostic makeups will take place from Tuesday, December 7th - Friday, December 17th. The information provided from this diagnostic will be used to identify student growth and help teachers plan for future instruction and will provide opportunities for students to work on their personal pathway. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor for assistance.

TMS Spelling Bee

The buzz around Thompson Middle School is that there will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, November 30th and Tuesday, December 7th in room #112 for any student who is interested in participating in this year’s TMS Spelling Bee. At this meeting, students will be given more details, a permission slip, and a practice guide to support them as they prepare for this big day! If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Michelle Gupta at Michelle.gupta@d303.org.

E-Learning Plan and Emergency Days

The School Board has approved an E-Learning plan that gives the district the option to offer remote learning in place of emergency days. Currently, our last day of school is Tuesday, May 24, which is the week before Memorial Day. As we move into the winter months, we want to update you on the plan for how the district will manage emergency days and e-learning days.

If we experience inclement weather, the first three days will be “snow days” that will be made up at the end of the school year on May 25, 26, and 27 as needed.
Subsequent emergency days will be remote days so the last attendance day will still be before Memorial Day.
If there is a long stretch of inclement weather (blizzard, polar vortex, etc.), we may split the days into “snow days” and e-learning days so as to not have too many non-attendance days in a row.

Volunteers Wanted for the Book Fair

We need volunteers...we need YOU! The Thompson LRC is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair from November 30-December 8. Sign up now and get ready for a fun and rewarding volunteer experience.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c48a5aa28a7f94-tmsbook

As a public school district, we are required to comply with the Governor’s Executive Order relative to COVID-19 mitigation steps in all district buildings. These steps will keep our students, staff members, and volunteers safe while they are in our schools. All volunteers must:

Provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test received within 72 hours of arriving to volunteer
Bring documentation to the front office upon arrival
Wear a properly fitting mask at all times while in the building
Complete the Volunteer Information Form prior to the first time you volunteer

Lost and Found

Our lost and found area is overflowing! Please encourage your child to check the tables in the main foyer to see if anything belongs to him/her! We will be donating these items during Thanksgiving Break.

Volunteers Needed To Share Career and Education/Training Experiences

College and Careers plays an integral role in the classroom experience for each of our 7th and 8th grade AVID classes. On Fridays we are looking for volunteers to share their career and education/training experiences via Zoom during either 4th (11:15 - 11:40 am) and/or 5th period (12:15 - 12:40 pm) each week. If you would like to present to our students, please complete this Google form.