Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

I am proud and privileged to be the principal of Thompson Middle School and have the pleasure of seeing many fabulous things on a daily basis. We have outstanding students and an outstanding staff supporting you and your child.

Communications from parents, students, and staff provides additional opportunities to connect with our stakeholders and support this great school. We have almost 1300 students and with a building this big it requires a management system to ensure that we are as efficient and effective as possible when responding. Please understand, and do not be offended, if I forward your communication to one of our staff members. My goal is to quickly connect the people with questions or concerns to those staff members responsible for that area. Here is a Thompson “Go-To” chart that indicates staff members and their areas of expertise which will assist you when determining a landing spot for your email or phone call.

In addition to the chart above, here are a few examples and specific list of who you can contact at Thompson for various concerns:

General questions about your child’s learning: contact the teacher. Classroom problems or challenges should also start with the teacher. (A phone call is even better than an email.)
Broader questions involving more teachers: contact the Team Leader.
Discipline or behavior issues, bullying, and other non-academic related questions:

Sam Pasholk, Student Support Coordinator for 6th Grade, 8th Grade and STRIVE
Danielle Moeller, Student Support Coordinator for 7th Grade and OASIS

For special education issues, please contact:

Your child’s case manager for any questions or concerns regarding their IEP.
Additional support, Taryn Raiman, Middle School Intervention Coordinator

For English Language Learner issues, contact:

Your child’s ELL teacher or classroom teacher
Additional support, Jacalyn Rubio, Middle School EL Coordinator

For social-emotional support or scheduling questions, please contact your child’s counselor.

6th grade: Leigh Gary
7th grade: Christy Jolaoso
8th grade: Chris Fedyski

For technology issues, please have your child follow this flowchart for support.
For administrative resources, please contact:

Lindsay Mortensen, Assistant Principal for Teams 6-1, 6-2, 7-1, 7-2, 8-1, 8-2
Michelle Dague, Assistant Principal for Teams 6-3, 6-4, 7-3, 7-4, 8-3, 8-4
Steve Morrill, Principal

You can find email addresses for our staff on the Thompson Staff Directory.

Have a great weekend!

Steve

i-Ready Diagnostic Reports

The i-Ready Fall Diagnostic Reports for both Math and Reading are being sent home with your child on Friday, September 10, 2021, so be on the look out! You will find the following information included with the two diagnostic reports:

A letter from Mr. Dave Chiszar, who is the Director of Assessment and Accountability, that explains the i-Ready diagnostic report and what is being included in the documents sent home.
A “ How Do I Read the Diagnostic Reports” document that will support you as you look at the data.

As students have now completed this initial diagnostic for the year, their personalized pathway has been identified and set for each student to begin weekly lessons in math and reading. Last week in tutorial, your child began to work on lessons in their personalized pathways. The goal for each student is to pass one lesson in both reading and math each week. If your child is finding the lessons too easy, please feel free to contact your child’s language arts or math teacher to let them know. This may be an indication that the personalized pathway level identified from the diagnostic was set to low. We can rectify this by setting an appropriate level in the pathway. Should you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor. Please click here to access the counselor information.

Join the Thompson Holiday Choir!

Holiday Choir is open to all TMS students. We will learn lots of fun songs to perform for community and school events in December. The 6th Holiday Choir will rehearse on Tuesdays from 7:45 am to 8:30 am starting September 14, and the 7th/8th Combined Holiday Choir will rehearse on Thursdays from 7:45 am to 8:30 am starting September 16. We will rehearse in the Choir Room (105). See Mrs. Rybski for more information and please sign up on the Google Classroom chak3ap

Thompson Middle School Open House

We are excited that Thompson will be hosting a Parent-Guardian Open House on Wednesday, September 22 from 6 PM to 8 PM! This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to walk through Thompson, meet Thompson teachers, and get to know the building.

In order to maintain a safe environment for parents, guardians, and staff members, all attendees need to:

Wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth regardless of vaccination status
Avoid congregating in large groups while in the buildings
Honor that this is a parent/guardian event only. No children are allowed in the building during this event.

Upon entering the building, we will let you know where each teacher/team will be located. If you are interested in seeing your child’s classrooms, please print or screenshot your child’s schedule from the Home Access Center. Also note that this event is a meet-and-greet with teachers. The time to ask questions about your child and their progress is at Parent-Teacher Conferences which are scheduled for October 7 and 8. Please enter through the main entrance, door #1 or the Gym entrance, door #5

Pre Arranged Absence Form

Students must apply for the privilege of using pre-arranged absence days through the

Principal/Assistant Principal’s office when an absence is anticipated in advance. Pre-arranged absence forms must be completed and signed by each teacher and turned in two (2) school days prior to the date of the prearranged absence.

The building principal or designee has the authority to grant up to five (5) days of excused absence per year for the following types of absences:

❖ Career Education Visits

❖ Participation in regional and/or national contests or awards

❖ Family Vacation-qualified by the phrase “accompanied by a parent”

❖ Special Religious Events

Any date which is in excess of these five days is considered to be unexcused.

TMS Pre Arranged Absence Form

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.

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.