Terrific Thomson Tidbits
April 14, 2020
A Note from the Principal
Hello Thomson Families!
I hope that this communication finds your family doing well and staying healthy. The District Distance Learning begins TODAY, Tuesday, April 14th. You should have already recieved an email/communication from your child's teacher that included a daily ELA and Math activity. The distance learning plan can in no way replace the value of face-to face instruction that happens in the walls of our school buildings from highly qualified teachers, however it can provide a learning opportunity for students during this public health crisis. Included in the distance learning plan will be a recommended time frame for each day, user friendly lessons and cross-curricular activities for ELA, Math, as well as Music, PE, and Technology. You can also expect that your child's classroom teacher will continue his/her "office hours". Remember the total to be spent on all of these activities at the DK/Kindergarten level is 90 minutes which includes 20 minutes of reading to your child...what a great way to end the day, snuggled up with your little one and a book. Additionally, I would strongly suggest breaking this up throughout the day. Also, know that we understand that some of you may be working from home or dealing with other stresses from this crisis. If you miss a day or activity, save it for another day or the weekend. Remember we are here to help you so please reach out to your child's teacher or me.
Below you will see that there is information regarding obtaining a device at home if needed. We look forward to continuing on our unprecedented journey with all of you as we all learn and grow in the process. Please know that we are here to support you in any way that we can.
The District will continue to provide supplemental learning packets for those desiring hard copy materials. They will be available each week on Mondays at our Food Distribution sites and during the week at the Cardinal Center (in the plastic bin under the canopy). Links to the grade-level packets will also continue to be available online. You can also find the link below.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, building principal or the district through our website or social media messaging.
I'd like to include student/family photos in our newsletter. If you'd like to submit a photo for our Thomson Tidbits newsletter, please email it to nmiller@davisonschools.org with "Tidbits Photo" as the subject.
Stay well and know that I miss seeing your little ones everyday!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Miller, Proud Thomson Principal
A Note from Mr. Vannest-Thomson Counselor
Hello parents!
I want to take a moment to thank you all for the care and support you are providing your little ones. These are scary and uncertain times and our little ones look to us as models for an appropriate emotional response. Thank you for doing your best to model healthy coping and for providing an appropriate response to these stressful times. Please see the link below for tools and suggestions to help support yourselves as parents and your little ones.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qk9k0fV9B6zF32wgI_1-w5nR7Nds940a/view?usp=sharing
Sincerely,
Mr. Vannest
For Families Needing a Device for Online Learning
The district will be making Chromebooks available for checkout. Each family in need will receive one Chromebook per household. Devices must be returned at the end of the state-mandated shutdown period and parents will be responsible for signing a user agreement upon checkout. Families that complete the form will be contacted with further information and instructions.
Internet Access
Spectrum (Charter), Xfinity (Comcast) and AT&T are offering free internet access for 60 days to households with students. Some of these companies are also temporarily halting shut-offs and late fees for existing customers. (Please note that the District is merely providing this information as a courtesy and we do not have any involvement with these providers or the conditions for service.) Spectrum: 844-488-8395 / Xfinity: 855-846-8376 / AT&T: 855‑220‑5211.
Accessing Student Usernames and Passwords
Student usernames and passwords can be found in the ParentVUE app/ website in the Student Info section under Additional Information. This is the information that should be used to login to the Chromebook.
Community Resources
With many businesses closed due to the stay-at-home order and unemployment at an all-time high, we know many of our families are struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this we would like to encourage families who could use the extra help right now to apply for the 2019-20 free or reduced lunch program by clicking on this link: https://www.lunchapp.com.
Those who apply and qualify based on current income would allow for their student(s) to remain eligible to participate in the free or reduced lunch program for at least 30 days at the beginning of the next school year.
Families with children on the free or reduced lunch program may also be eligible for free or low-cost internet and other services.
You may have heard or read that Michigan has become the first state in the country to gain federal approval for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT), a program to provide temporary funding to address emergency food needs and avert financial hardship for families affected by the pandemic. The food assistance benefits will go to Michigan families with students ages 5-18 who are already enrolled in the free or reduced-price school meal program. While we are uncertain at this time if families who enroll now will be eligible to receive the EBT card, officials with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services encourage families to apply.
Income on the application should be the household income at the time the application is completed. Our Food Services Department is ready to assist parents. For more information about the free or reduced lunch program, please visit our website at this link: https://www.davisonschools.org/domain/40.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Resource Packet Locations
Please remember that we are beginning our new protocols for food distribution this week. We will be passing out meals Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Those stopping by on one of the given days will get enough breakfast and lunch meals for that day and the next and those stopping on Thursday will get enough breakfast and lunch meals for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There will be no food distribution on Good Friday. Also, please be prepared to unlock your trunk or have meals placed in the bed of your pickup truck in order to ensure everyone’s safety.
Meal times and sites remain the same: 12:30 to 2 p.m. (or when food runs out) at Central, Gates, Siple, Hahn and Davison High School.
Resource packets are also available (or until they run out) at the food distribution sites.
Virtual 'Office Hours'
- Mrs. Miller, Thomson Principal, nmiller@davisonschools.org -Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9:00-10:00 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday: 4:00-5:00 p.m.
- Mr. Romanik, Music Teacher, mromanik@davisonschools.org -Monday and Thursday: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- Ms. Lockrey, Technology Teacher, wlockry@davisonschools.org -Monday-Friday: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- Mr. Hall, PE Teacher, rhall@davisonschools.org -Tuesday and Thursday: 10:00-11:00 a.m.
- Mrs. Campbell, Literacy Specialist, mcampbell@davisonschools.org -Tuesday and Thursday: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- Mrs. O'Connor, Speech Pathologist, eoconnor@davisonschools.org -Monday and Wednesday: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- Mr. Vannest, Counselor, jvannest@davisonschools.org -Tuesday and Wednesday: 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Again, if you have a question/concern you'd like help with, please reach out at anytime!