This week I had the privilege to visit a classroom to be a part of a Zoom call with the current Kane County State’s Attorney, Jamie L. Mosser. This activity was a great opportunity for the Thompson students to hear, first hand, the specific steps Attorney Mosser took to achieve her current position. As impressive as Ms. Mosser’s steps to her current position were, equally impressive, were the fabulous questions our students asked. The event left me with the comfort of knowing that these students generated concrete takeaways from this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to Mr. Andy Cusack for organizing this and thank you to State’s Attorney Mosser for sharing her time and career journey with our students. Parents, my hope is that by sharing this story it might spark a conversation between you and your middle school child regarding your personal educational choices and the connection between those choices and your life’s journey.

Have a great weekend,

Steve

The sounds of band and choir have returned to the halls of Thompson! This week, the band and choir students were able to once again play instruments and sing inside the school building. The students and teachers alike are thrilled to be making music together again at school. All D303 schools are very carefully adhering to protocols for band and choir including specialized masks, bell covers, and air-cycling time between groups. This first week was a huge success!

We recognize that some students may have chosen not to do band and choir this year due to the restrictions. Therefore, ALL students are welcome and encouraged to sign up for band and choir for next year. This includes those who have never participated before and all students going into 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. Changes to the course forms you already turned in WILL be allowed. If you would like to sign up for band or choir, or if you have any questions, you may contact your counselor or the band and choir teachers.

• Mr. Anderson, Band - adrian.anderson@d303.org
• Mr. Blank, Band - john.blank@d303.org
• Mrs. Rybski, Choir - michelle.rybski@d303.org

All 8th graders, hybrid and remote, will take the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) on Wednesday March 24th or Thursday, March 25th. To prepare for this assessment, students should:

• Get a good night's sleep
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Bring a fully charged Chromebook
• Bring earbuds, a calculator, a reading book, and a writing utensil

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Every year we gather input from parents and guardians, staff, and students via the Illinois 5Essentials Survey in order to improve communication, find ways to engage students at a higher level, and improve student learning. Participation in this survey is important as the results will identify areas where Thompson is doing well and areas where we need to improve.

We are asking parents/guardians to complete this survey which should not take more than 10 minutes of your time. Please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey. At the conclusion of this process, the tabulated results will be posted on the Illinois State Board of Education website, www.ISBE.net. Thank you in advance for participating and providing your feedback!

The Saint's tutoring Thunder (STT) club provides students with an opportunity to receive help on homework, projects, and/or comprehension of material that they are learning in classes. The Saint's tutoring Thunder (STT) club is available for both students attending in-person or remotely. This club meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Parents can sign their child up for this tutoring and/or students can sign up themselves!

STT allows students to meet virtually with a Thompson club supervisor and a St. Charles East Sophomore tutor from 4:15 until 5:00 pm. The Thompson club supervisor will facilitate the after school support while supervising the high school students tutoring our students.

Sign-ups are available Thursday-Monday for the following week. This ensures that we have the correct amount of tutors for our students. You can click here to sign up for Saint's tutoring Thunder club. Once your student has been signed up, they will receive an invite link in their email.

As we approach spring, the Thompson staff has already begun planning for your child’s transition to the next grade level. A big part of this involves the scheduling process. It begins by taking a look at the anticipated school population for next year. Based on these numbers, core teams are built and adjusted to take into consideration student needs. Next, the development of Exploratory and Physical Education rotations takes place, followed then by developing specific class period offerings. This is a complex process involving many variables.

To that end...parents of current 6th and 7th grade students, while we do not accept specific team requests, we do want your input regarding your child’s educational needs. If your child has a specific learning style need, placement issues, or social/emotional concerns that you want to share, please let your grade level counselor know so that we can find the best possible fit for your child as a learner. Please send this information on or before March 26, 2021.

• 6th Grade Counselor – Christy Jolaoso (Christine.Jolaoso@d303.org)
• 7th Grade Counselor – Chris Fedyski (Christina.Fedyski@d303.org)

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, 2021. The exam must be dated within 18 months prior to May 15, 2021. 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

• Friday, March 19 - Report cards are available in H.A.C.
  

• Monday, March 22 - Early Release Monday

• Wednesday, March 24 - Illinois Science Assessment for 8th Grade 'B' Students

• Thursday, March 25 - Illinois Science Assessment for 8th Grade 'A' Students

• Friday, March 26 - School Improvement Day - No school for students

• Monday, March 29 - Start of Spring Break Week - No school for students

• Monday, April 5 - School resumes

• Monday, April 5 - Early Release Monday