Happy first week of summer to all!

We spent much of last week saying goodbyes, albeit virtually, and celebrating student accomplishments. If your child did not have a chance to clean out his/her hall and PE lockers, please call the main office at (331) 228-3100 to arrange for a time to stop by the school. All lockers have been cleaned out and the contents have been bagged and labeled for pickup by parents. Fourth quarter grades will be available in the Home Access Center on Monday, June 1st.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge a few significant Thompson Middle School student achievements. Please click here if you would like to view the 8th grade awards ceremony.

The American Legion award is based on courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. This is the highest honor awarded American Youth by The American Legion. This year’s Thompson Middle School award winners are Holly Stachon and Jake Bohacek. Congratulations!

The following 8th graders maintained straight A’s throughout their 3 years at the middle school. What a huge accomplishment! Congratulations to:

• Aya Belhandouz

• Madeline Chaggaris

• Elizabeth Kadyschuk

• Sabreena Kapadia

• Olivia Kowal

• Robert Kutrovatz

• Kylie Landrowski

• Jordan Linke

• Grady Mellican

• Holly Stachon

• Bennett Stevens

• Riley Wilson

The Citizenship Award winners are those students who exemplify the characteristics of an outstanding student. These are the students who on a regular basis strive to improve themselves and the school. These students are the ones who exhibit all of the learner characteristics. They are respectful, responsible, organized and accountable.

As the school year progresses students and staff develop relationships. Teachers and staff members get to know the students in the classroom, in extracurricular activities, in the lunchroom and in the hallways. Students who win the citizenship award are the ones who everyone agrees has a positive relationship with everyone he/she comes into contact with. These students touch the lives of many other people and in a positive way. They may take a leadership role in a group or they may be the supportive worker. No matter what the circumstances they are making Thompson Middle School the great school that it is.

This year’s Citizenship Award winners are:

• Team 8-1 - Alex Bardountiotis, Elias Siewierski, Juliet Ndonga, Sloan Klein, and Stephen Lynch

• Team 8-2 - Andrew Abbott, Anthony Taormina, Aria Thorsen, Ava Murnane, and Mackenzie Loomis

• Team 8-3 - Ava Stippich, Connor Richards, Joshua Hansen, Sophia Smallwood, and Taylor Boyd

• Team 8-4 - Jasmine Bawa, Jackson Godsil, Ryan Alderson, Michael Hickey, and Reagan Sipla

In the area of performing music, Amy Backer Memorial Music Scholarships were presented to Ume Hashimoto-Jorgensen for band, Gabriel Guzman for orchestra, and Brendan Losurdo for choir.

The following students are the recipients of this year’s Permanent Collection Art Awards. These students consistently demonstrated exceptional work ethic, unique creative vision, and especially skillful use in the application of materials.

• Ava Campana

• Gwen Erwin

• Kylie Landrowski

• Cole Selig

• Ella Sima

• Jason Cuazitl

• Christine Zoretic

Each year 8th grade students select a famous quote which they believe best represents what the 8th grade class would like to leave their middle school friends. This year’s Legacy Quote is by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

If you can’t fly, then run.

If you can’t run, then walk.

If you can’t walk, then crawl,

But by all means, keep moving.

Lastly, I would also like to share a few pieces of information regarding the next school year. School will start on Wednesday, August 12, 2020. Material Pick Up Days are tentatively planned for Tuesday, August 4th and Wednesday, August 5th from 2:00 - 7:00pm. Be on the lookout for more information regarding the start of the 20-21 school year.

Today we learned that all D303 middle school sports camps planned for this summer have been canceled. Please call the main office if you have any questions over the summer at (331) 228-3100.

I wish each of you a safe and memorable summer season and I hope you are all able to capitalize on the “gift of additional time” that summer is able to provide many of us.

~Steve

During the summer, device exchange will be held at Thompson Middle School every Wednesday from 9:00 - 11:00am. Please click here for more technical support resources over the summer.

Congratulations to Thompson teacher, Shari Wright, for being selected as the St. Charles VFW Post 5036 Teacher of the Year! Shari advanced to the District Level where she was selected as the VFW District 19, Illinois Teacher of the Year. She then competed at the State Level representing the district which covers 24 posts from Villa Park to Sycamore and Itasca to Darien. Well done, Shari!

As we move into the summer months, District 303 is extending our grab and go meal service at each of our 6 locations. As part of this communication, you will find an updated schedule of days when meals will be available for any student in the district who needs them.

Beginning on June 1, we will operate on Mondays and Thursdays only. Students will receive

three meals on Mondays and two meals on Thursdays. Please refer to the list below for specific locations and times of service.

Thompson Middle School, 705 W. Main Street

9:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Monday and Thursday

Anderson Elementary School, 35W071 Villa Marie Rd.

9:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Monday and Thursday

Wasco Elementary School, 4N782 School Street, Wasco

10:00 - 10:45 a.m. - Monday and Thursday

A District 303 bus will deliver meals to the front of the school.

Cumberland Green Cooperative (1798 Cumberland Green-Office Lot near court #1)

11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Monday and Thursday

A District bus will deliver meals to the office parking lot at 1798 Cumberland.

Prairie Point Apartments, 1820 Wessel Court

10:00 - 10:30 a.m.- Monday and Thursday

A District 303 bus will deliver meals to the park facing the road at the front entrance (Entrance nearest to Randall Road).

The Crossings, 1690 Covington

10:40 - 11:10 a.m. - Monday and Thursday.

A District 303 bus will deliver meals to the area near the clubhouse.

St. Charles Place, 15th Street and Indiana

11:20 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Monday and Thursday

A District 303 bus will deliver meals to an area in front of the apartment complex.

As we progress through the summer, we will send families additional information and reminders about the district’s meal service program.

Soon to be 6th grade families...please take a moment to tour your new school here. You can find directions for viewing and narration here. And click here to view the TMS Virtual Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night presentation by Mr. Morrill.

We are looking forward to welcoming our newest Thunder students!

Summer Reading is almost here!

The St. Charles Public Library District invites kids to read a little bit every day to keep up their reading skills outside of the school year. They can pick up a book in any format- print or digital, and they can read or be read to. If a kid reads 20 minutes each weekday for the ten weeks of the program, he or she will reach 1000 minutes by August 2nd!

Starting May 26th, visit our website or scpld.readsquared.com to sign up and start logging minutes online. Kids receive a virtual badge for every 100 minutes logged! Complete an online mission each week and earn additional minutes.

At 1000 minutes, kids are eligible for a book prize and an entry in our Grand Prize Drawing. There will be five gift baskets in the drawing- each focused on a different area: Reading, Science, Art, Video Games, and Legos. For a short movie highlighting the program, visit our Youtube channel.

Additionally, we are excited to announce that the St. Charles Public Library will be offering library cards to all District 303 students! Every student who attends a District 303 school will be eligible to get their own library card. Parents will opt in for a student card when they do online registration. Please note that only students will be able to get a library card. Parents, or other family members who do not attend school are ineligible to receive a card.

A library card will give you access to all our ebooks and eresources while our public space is closed. You can access all the information on what we have available at scpld.org/ebooks.

We are so excited to offer this invaluable resource to our students at District 303. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Stulgate, 630-549-8971.

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 will be located on the district website in July. 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). In July, ONLINE applications will be posted on the district website. In addition, paper applications will be 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

A few things to note:

● Free/Reduced applications will be sent by mail during July to each household who previously qualified for the program.

● Families directly certified by the State of Illinois for the 2020-2021 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 will receive an approval letter in the mail.

Thank you for engaging in the weekly Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. Across the past five weeks, parents and students have engaged in learning around each of the CASEL core competencies connected to SEL which are:

• Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.

• Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.

• Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

• Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

• Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

This has been a very different school year. The collaborative relationship between home and school, established and made stronger by this health crisis, has supported students' ability to continue to come together to learn and grow. Remote learning has taken a toll on students and adults. As you enter the summer months, know D303 staff continue to be accessible to you. Do not hesitate to reach out via Let’s Talk or by connecting with your building administration. All previous SEL lessons are available through the D303 Remote Learning for Students. We are hopeful the resources shared will be a continued support to parents/guardians and children across the summer months. If you have any questions on the information provided or are seeking additional support for yourself or child, please contact Patti Palagi, Director Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org or (331-228-6457).

Additional resources to support you over the summer months are included here:

Coping with Quarantine

Coping During Times of Uncertainty

Self Care is defined as the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress (Additional resources: Self Care: CDC, 40 Things You Should Do for Yourself During Self-Quarantine, 25 Simple Self-Care Tools for Parents and Parents Self-Care: Prioritizing Your Own Well-Being Benefits your Whole Family

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched the Pandemic EBT application for families on May 1 at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/. P-EBT is a new special benefit that can help families buy food for their school age children who would normally receive National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free or reduced-priced meals when schools are in session. All families with school age children who attend schools approved for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) are eligible for the benefits as they receive NSLP meals at no charge.

Families that currently receive SNAP benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits. These additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded into Illinois LINK EBT accounts along with regular SNAP benefits. Families who do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive NSLP free or reduced-priced meals will need to apply directly with IDHS. The fastest way for families to receive benefits is to complete the application for P-EBT available online (Click “Apply for Benefits” at the link.) A paper application in English and Spanish is also available and can be submitted by email to DHS.FCS.PEBT@illinois.gov. IDHS created a flyer to help families with the application process. We are asking NSLP sponsors to share this flyer with their families.

ISBE is working in partnership with IDHS to ensure that this validation is available for all NSLP sponsors, both public and non-public. Thank you to all the schools that participate in the NSLP for submitting data by the April 17 deadline. We are asking that you please continue to verify that count, so that all families who are eligible can access the additional financial support provided by P-EBT. Instructions for this crucial verification can be found online.

If NSLP sponsors need assistance with the data submission/update, please email the ISBE Nutrition Department at cnp@isbe.net. If families need technical assistance with the application, please direct them to email IDHS at DHS.FCS.PEBT@illinois.gov.

Nutrition Department, Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. First St., Springfield, IL 62777
cnp@isbe.net, www.isbe.net/nutrition

As you know, Principal Morrill recently lost his wife Diane to cancer. Diane was a music/orchestra teacher for Addison District 4 for many years. A scholarship fund to support District 4 students who participate in orchestra has been established in Diane's name. If you are interested in contributing, please click on this link for more information.

Please keep Steve and his sons in your thoughts!

• Monday, June 1 - Grades posted in HAC
  
• Wednesday, August 12 - First Day of School