Happy Friday Thunder Families!

Do you often find that your middle schooler can provide short very succinct responses when they talk about their school day! When you ask how their school day was, you may get responses like, “Fine”, “OK”... But those answers don’t always provide us with what we are seeking to understand.

Recently, I was shared an article titled, 30 Questions To Ask Your Kid Beyond 'How Was Your Day?' It has some really good suggestions and conversation starters that can help foster meaningful discussions around topics such as the following:

• What challenges did you face today?
• What made you laugh today?
• When did you feel most proud of yourself today?
• What new fact did you learn today?

Finding time to have these deeper conversations is a wonderful way to get a pulse on how your child is doing in middle school, along with keeping clear and open lines of communication. Additionally, as we are nearing the final three weeks of 3rd quarter, this is a great opportunity to also ask how your middle schooler feels they are doing this quarter and where they may need some support so that they can finish with a feeling of doing their best.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Michelle

The Thompson PTO is taking Board nominations! The PTO is comprised of elected board positions, dozens of non-elected committee chairs, and numerous volunteers. Our Board positions are open to parents, guardians, and staff as well. If you are interested in running for a Thompson PTO Board Position for the 2023-2024 school year or know someone who would be a good fit, please complete the form below.

Members of the current Board will reach out to anyone who is nominated to share what it is like to be a Board member and to answer questions.

For more information about the open positions, please contact Michelle Dague, Interim Principal, or any of our current PTO Officers: Shannon Puri (President), Laura Bouton (Vice President), Lani Hamilton (Treasurer), and Michelle Johnson (Secretary). You may also visit our PTO website at https://thompsonpto.com.

https://forms.gle/DD6gBqVUtk9iSCnt5

Please join us for the next PTO meeting of this school year on Wednesday, March 1st from 9:00 - 10:00 am. Meetings are virtual and all are welcome! Click here for a link to the Zoom meeting. If you have any questions, please email Shannon Puri, PTO President, or Kim Walters. Hope to see you there!

Attention Thunder Parents: We have been asked to inform parents not to use the student parking lot (off Oak St near 9th) at the Haines Center to wait and pick up students after school. It has created both an issue with traffic flow as Compass students who need to leave after school to get to activities or jobs and are unable to get out of their parking spot because they are getting blocked in. In addition, it has created a safety hazard for student drivers as middle schoolers sometimes run through the lot to get to their parents' cars. Please help us keep everyone safe by not using this parking area in the future. We appreciate your support. Thank you!

Every year, the Yearbook Club publishes a Thompson yearbook. Students who decide to purchase a yearbook are given this keepsake at the end of the school year. Buying a yearbook is optional and not all students choose to own one. The price of the yearbook is $25.

Have you ordered a Thompson 22-23 Yearbook? You can check your PushCoin account to see if you have purchased one by going to 'transactions' and then adjusting the start date back to July 1, 2022. Also, we have a list of all students who will be receiving a yearbook posted on the wall by the cafeteria. Contact Kim Walters (kimberly.walters@d303.org or 331-228-6410) if you have any questions or need financial assistance.

Starting March 14th St. Charles North High School Football will host their Speed Stars Strength Sports Performance Camps. The camp is designed for all Middle School aged students, both male and female. It is non-sport-specific and will be centered around age-appropriate functional training. The sessions will run Tuesdays and Thursdays in March and April, with the week of spring break off. Sessions begin at 7:00 pm and end at 8:15 pm. Please see the flyer below to register.

'North Stars Helping Thunder' is an after school tutoring program where St. Charles North High School Honors students help our Thunder students with their homework. This program runs from 3:45 - 4:30 pm every Tuesday and Thursday in the LRC. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah Romano (Sarah.romano@d303.org) or Diane Pollilo (Louise.polillo@d303.org), Thompson Staff Facilitators. Please consider encouraging your child to take advantage of these resources!

Join us at next Parent University, Identifying and Supporting Students with Anxiety, on March 1st from 9:30 - 10:30 am and 6:30 - 7:30 pm. This will be presented by Allyse Rehak, MA, LCPC with Riverview Counseling Services at the Haines Center in Community Room 140. Come learn more about anxiety and how to build your child’s emotional health.

Click here to register. We hope to see you there!

• Wednesday, March 1 - Parent University - Identifying and Supporting Students with Anxiety - 9:30 - 10:30 am and 6:30 - 7:30 pm
• Wednesday, March 1 - PTO Meeting (Virtual) - 9:00 - 10:00 am
• Friday, March 3 - Teacher Institute Day - No School for Students
• Friday, March 17 - End of the 3rd Quarter
• Monday, March 27 - Friday, March 31 - Spring Break
• Monday, April 3 - School Resumes
• Wednesday, April 5 - PTO Meeting (Virtual) - 9:00 - 10:00 am
• Friday, April 7 - School Improvement Day - No School for Students