Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! Although our opening this year did not feel “typical,” it did feel closer to normal than our opening last year. I hope you and your family had a fabulous summer, returning to some degree of normality while creating memorable times and recharging the batteries in order to begin a great year of learning.

I love the first days of school welcoming our eager students back and supporting our teachers as they start the year. It has been an exhilarating first few days of school. Our staff is certainly excited to be back and our students have matched their enthusiasm.

I observed happy, engaged students and teachers prepared for the year during my classroom visits this week! I noticed excellent behavior, attentive audiences, and focused learners. These are student qualities that tell me our kids are excited and ready to do the best they possibly can.

As I have said in many settings, I am honored to have the opportunity to be your principal. If I can ever be of assistance, please call the main office at 331-228-3100. I look forward to hearing from you!

Have a great weekend!

Steve

Thompson Fall Musical Coming Soon!

The Thompson fall musical is a musical review called "All Together Now." This production will include hits from top musicals like Newsies, Mama Mia, Beauty and the Beast, and more! Audition packets will be available on August 16th in the main office, the choir room, and in the google classroom this weekend. The classroom code is h2bfnxq. Please email Mrs. Pogge with questions. sandra.sebolt-pogge@d303.org The audition is Tuesday, August 24th.

Fall Food Service Information

OrganicLife is once again providing food service to our middle school. Please click here to view the menus. Students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade who attend in-person classes are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. Lunch choices are typically a hot lunch, a deli sandwich, or a grab bag.

Students should pre order their food using a Google form which is posted on our website. Students can order meals between 6 pm the night before until 9:30 am that day. To order a meal, students need to be in a Chrome browser (or on their Chromebooks) logged into their D303 Google account. Only students can order meals.

Also students will have the opportunity to order breakfast for the next day and pick it up as they leave school. We will be reminding students to place their orders in the morning and pick up pre ordered breakfasts at the end of the day! Please call the main office if you have any questions.

Early Release Days

Early release days this year will be on Wednesdays instead of Mondays and approximately once per month. Students will be dismissed at 2:42 pm on these days and buses will be leaving Thompson at approximately 2:50 pm. The following are the eight 2021-2022 Early Release Days for Middle School:

September 1
September 29
October 27
December 1
January 26
February 23
March 23
April 27

These dates can also be found on the Thompson calendar on our website.

Curriculum Nights

Thompson’s Curriculum Night for 6th grade parents will be held on Wednesday, August 25th. The 7th/8th Grade Curriculum Night is on Thursday, August 26th. Both events will begin at 6:30 pm. Please allow 15 minutes for parking and getting to your child’s first hour classroom.

The format for the nights will give you the opportunity to meet your student’s teachers, learn about this year’s curriculum, and hear about classroom expectations while following your child’s schedule found in HAC. The evenings will conclude by 8:15 pm.

For those who do not wish to attend in person, we will be posting teacher presentations on our website. We look forward to partnering with our families for a successful school year!

School Fees & Food Waivers for 2021-2022

SCHOOL FEES WAIVER: The school fees waiver will ONLY be a PAPER application since there is financial documentation required for income verification. A family can only qualify for a free waiver of fees; there are no reduced fees. The application is on the district website. Questions regarding school fee waivers - Sharon Wlezien at 331-228-5417

FOOD WAIVER: Only one application needs to be completed for each household. Please include ALL family members that live in the household (even those not attending a school). Applications are posted on the district website. In addition, paper applications are available at the schools and the Administration Building as in years past. Unlike the school fees, families can qualify for Reduced. Questions regarding food waivers - Patti Townsend 331-228-6529

Families directly certified by the State of Illinois for the 2021-2022 school year will receive FREE FOOD and their FEES will be WAIVED. If your family is qualified by the state, do NOT need to complete either application. You should have received an approval letter in the mail in July.

D303 Parent University

Parent University was developed in response to the need for programming to address the social and emotional needs of students in District 303. We continue to strive to provide information on topics that are relevant, timely, and beneficial for all parents and guardians.

District 303 regards parent engagement as fundamental to the success of our students both inside and outside of the classroom. Parent University is designed to create partnerships between school and home and provide a place where parents and staff members can learn together.

Based on information gathered from parent surveys and the work on the Parent University Committee, the district designs and offers programming that is timely, meaningful, and easily accessible. Over the last several years, we have heard parents when they have requested programs that can be consumed on their schedule such as videos, webinars that are also available after the meeting, and voiced presentations. At the same time, we will also continue to host in-person programming.

If you have ideas about programming, please contact Carol Smith at carol.smith@d303.org or Cindy Ruesch at cindy.ruesch@d303.org.

Parent University - Mental Illness: The Silent Epidemic

September 2, 2021
Mental Illness: The Silent Epidemic
Zoom at 6:00 pm; Recording to be posted

Mark Potter is a nationally recognized basketball coach and speaker who is bringing his message to families in St. Charles. Mark grew up in Kansas, where he was a basketball and baseball stand-out. He played both sports at the collegiate level before moving into a career as a high school teacher and coach for 11 years. He then served as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at NCAA Division II Newman University for 19 years and has the distinction of being the winningest basketball coach in Newman’s history.

Thirteen years ago, Coach Potter began a downward spiral into a world of darkness. He missed eight games and 25 practices due to severe depression. He now brings his story to businesses and schools to promote education about mental illness. His passion is to share his story in hopes that people will also pursue treatment and find a way to live productively with mental illness.

Join the District 303 Parent University Webinar on September 2 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. as we welcome Coach Potter. Click here to register!