Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

NASA Engineer Speaks to Mrs. Swayze’s Science Classes

Last week I had the privilege of attending one of Mrs. Swayze’s 8th grade science classes. Specifically, I was able to join a presentation and Q/A facilitated by Jonathan Webb via Zoom. Jonathan is a Flight Operations Director working with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Students had a first hand opportunity to spend some time with a “real life” Astronautical Engineer training to work at the International Space Station. It was a fabulous opportunity for our students to learn a great deal about this type of engineering. As I told these 8th graders, it’s not everyday that middle school students get to spend time with a NASA Space Engineer. Kudos to Mrs. Swayze for making this happen!

Panorama SEL Student Survey This Week

One of our core values at Thompson and in District 303 is to create safe and secure learning communities where all members demonstrate respect, responsibility and good citizenship. One tool Thompson, along with District 303, has adopted is the Panorama Survey. This survey focuses on the following areas:

Self-Management
Emotional Regulation
Social Awareness
Grit
Self Efficacy
Sense of Belonging
Teacher-Student Relationship

Beginning this week students in Health and PE classes will take this 30 minutes survey. This survey will be used to help better inform school-wide practices. Students will complete this survey again in March to allow for progress monitoring. If a screening shows that a student will benefit from additional skill development, parents will be contacted and will work in collaboration with school staff to problem-solve and determine next steps.

Additional information about this screener and other assessments in District 303 may be found on our website at https://district.d303.org/departments/assessment. Thank you for your support and assistance in ensuring each of our students has the opportunity to achieve academic and social-emotional success. Please feel free to contact Lindsay Mortensen if you have any questions.

Enjoy your weekend!

Steve

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.

2021 Drinks & Snacks for Thompson P/T Conference Meals

The PTO is supporting the Thompson staff during Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 7th and 8th. We are looking for drink and snack donations. ALL FOOD AND DRINKS MUST BE WRAPPED IN INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS. WE CANNOT ACCEPT HOMEMADE TREATS. Donations should be dropped off at the Thompson office no later than Wednesday, October 6th.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4BACAD22A3FB6-2021

From Your PTO

PTO DUES - ELIMINATED

At the September PTO meeting, it was voted and approved to eliminate membership dues for the Thompson Middle School PTO. Instead, we are focusing on the Write-A-Check Campaign. (Read below for more information.) Any dues already contributed will be added to the Write-A-Check Campaign. We encourage all families to give what they can, when they can. Not having dues allows more flexibility in how our community can show its support.

As a result, all families and TMS staff members are welcome members of the PTO. Everyone is welcome to participate in PTO sponsored events and activities.

WRITE-A-CHECK CAMPAIGN

Please donate to the Thompson Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) via our Write-A-Check Campaign!

This campaign, which is instead of selling cookie dough, magazines, wrapping paper, etc. throughout the year, is our main fundraiser for the year. All money goes directly to the students and staff and funds supplies, educational resources for the classroom, events, staff grants, and much more!

It is as simple as paying online via PushCoin. Donations via check (made out to Thompson PTO, memo Write-A-Check) can be dropped off in the main office.

DOUBLE YOUR DONATIONS WITH CORPORATE MATCHING!

Did you know that many business organizations offer a matching gift program as part of their employee benefits package?

These programs allow you to invoke your organization's philanthropy for the benefit of Thompson Middle School! Through corporate gift matching, your employer can multiply your donation to our Write-A-Check Campaign!

Please check with your company's Human Resources department to see if they offer gift matching. If your employer does offer this program, your Human Resources department should provide you with a matching gift form to include with your donations.

Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Middle School conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 7th from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm and Friday, October 8th from 8:00 am - 12:00pm. Sign-up for conferences will be via the Pick-a-Time conference scheduler. You will have a choice of an in-person or a virtual conference in Zoom.

Sign-up Directions: (Click here for directions)

Log into your HAC Account
Click on Home
Click on School Links for ‘Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduler’
Only choose Q1 teachers

A few notes about sign-up:

Most conferences will be 8 minutes long with an individual teacher. There will be a 4 minute passing period between conferences.
Parents should not feel obligated to sign-up for conferences. If your child is doing well at school, both academically and socially, then you might choose not to participate in conferences. If your child is struggling, we would suggest that you do come to conferences.
You might only feel the need to meet with one teacher or just a few teachers. There is no obligation to meet every teacher.
If you wish to meet with the explore teachers, please sign-up to visit your child’s first quarter explore teacher(s).
You can sign-up for a conference with a teacher only one time. Our student services team (counselors, social workers) will be available if you would like to contact them directly for a meeting.
In some cases, a teacher may contact you in advance to set-up a conference time. That means we want to guarantee you a time to meet with your child’s teacher(s).
Students may attend conferences with their parent/guardian, following mitigation guidelines.
The Pick-a-Time Conference Scheduler closes at 11:59pm on Monday, October 4th.

We are looking forward to our time collaborating together. If you have any questions, please call the Thompson main office at (331) 228-3100.

Attention Parents and Guardians of All 8th Grade and 7th Grade AVID Students

District 303 offers all students enrolled in 8th grade and 7th grade AVID classes the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 in the fall. The PSAT is a part of the SAT series of assessments that help guide students through academic measures of college and career readiness ending with the SAT taken in their junior year. The SAT can be used with most colleges as a part of the admission process.

Your son/daughter will be participating in the PSAT test on Wednesday, October 13th. Like any other day, attendance is important. If students arrive late to school, they will be held in the cafeteria until the window for one of the tests has closed.

Below are some helpful tips to help your child as they prepare for testing day:

Get a good night sleep
Eat a healthy breakfast
Be sure to charge the chromebook overnight

If you have specific questions about the assessment please contact David Chiszar (david.chiszar@d303.org) You can also find additional assessment information at https://district.d303.org/departments/assessment.

Michelle Dague

Assistant Principal

SOS for Parents in the Trenches

October 6, 2021

Debbie Reber, NY Times bestselling author

Zoom Webinar, 6:30 pm; Recording to be posted

Click here to register!

When parents are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and burned out, it’s hard to show up in a way that best supports their child’s development, especially if/ when our kids are struggling, too. In this practical and actionable talk, Debbie shares ten powerful “tilts,” a.k.a. practical ideas to help parents shift their thinking, responses, and actions in a way that will help them feel more confident and peaceful as they parent their unique children.

Supporting Kids Who Learn Differently: Back-to-School Edition

October 13, 2021

Debbie Reber, NY Times bestselling author

Zoom Webinar, 6:30 pm; Recording to be posted

Click here to register!

School always presents certain challenges for students who learn and think differently (kids with ADHD, dyslexia, giftedness, autism, anxiety, or other neuro-differences). But the COVID-19 pandemic has created even greater obstacles. Debbie shares ideas on how parents can best prioritize and plan in the pandemic-era school landscape. She also offers advice on how to support differently wired children’s cognitive, social, and emotional needs during this atypical time, while also taking care of one’s own emotional health and well-being.

Facilitated Book Talk: Differently Wired by Debbie Reber

October 20, 2021
Zoom - 6:30 p.m.
Click here to register!

Dr. Cindy Ruesch, Director of Staff, Family and Student Services, and Dr. Patti Palagi, Director of Instructional Interventions will lead a discussion about the book and how it can help parents embrace and accept their children who think differently. As part of the registration, you will receive a free copy of Ms. Reber’s book you may pick up at Town House Books.

Pick up a free copy of the book any time during normal business hours (Monday-Saturday 9:00-4:00) at:
Town House Books
105 N 2nd Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174
Please note, you must register in order to be on the list at Town House Books.

College Financial Aid Webinar

The St. Charles Public Library is hosting a free Zoom webinar called "Understanding College Financial Aid - and How You Can Benefit From It" on 10/6 at 7 p.m. This webinar introduces little-known financial strategies parents can use to reduce college costs, improve admissions chances, and increase scholarship opportunities. Register in advance here: https://bit.ly/mcpt106.