Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

Thompson Guidelines for Success

Several years ago at Thompson, students and teachers worked side by side to determine what attributes need to be in place at school and beyond. Through the work Thompson created our Guidelines For Success (GFS). The traits our school community identified are: Perseverance, Responsibility, Respect, Kindness, and Teamwork. These traits are displayed around Thompson in hallways, classrooms, the cafeteria, and other learning spaces. These guidelines have become part of our “common language” at Thompson and a reminder to all of us to be the best we can be each and every day. Each morning students are reminded of the importance of navigating their school day grounded in these traits. If possible, please consider reinforcing these qualities on the home front to support this consistent message.

Parent Drop Off

As a reminder, parents dropping off students in the morning should pull all of the way forward in the East lot and exit promptly to minimize any traffic snafus that may occur during student arrival. Parents are also able to drop off their child on Indiana Street just west of the tennis courts and students can enter through the Door 5/gym entrance. Students should not be dropped off prior to 8:00 am as that is the time the building opens and supervision begins.

End of the First Quarter

The end of the first quarter, October 15th, is quickly approaching and is only four weeks away. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind our students and families of the importance of staying focused and attentive to the learning expectations and targets.

A way to ensure students are up to date on all of their work is by checking Home Access Center (HAC) regularly. Consider making this a nightly routine by sitting down with your child to check both Home Access Center and Google Classroom / Schoology for each of your child’s classes. We want to thank you for partnering with us to ensure that your child is working to the best of his/her ability. Please contact us if we can support you in any way!

Have a great weekend!

Steve

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 has been delayed. We will notify you when the scheduler is open.

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.

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

Now accepting enrollment for Choir, Band, and Orchestra for the 2nd Quarter!

Beginner musicians are welcome! (Note: No beginners for 7th and 8th grade Orchestra). And those students with prior experience (any grade) are encouraged to re-join band, choir, and orchestra!

We ARE singing and playing instruments every day at school! Try it for the 2nd quarter and see what you think! Please contact us for more information and/or to sign up:

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

Support for Quarantined Students

If your child is quarantined due to Covid, our teachers will send work to your child and work with you and your child as we always have when a child is out of school. We want to recognize that quarantine offers some unique challenges for our students.

We will be offering instructional support through a certified teacher during quarantine. Ann Rose, a recently retired D303 teacher will be available to support our quarantine students through Zoom. When a child begins quarantine, we will email both the child and the parent with information on how to access Mrs. Rose's Zoom for support. We encourage our quarantined students to access this instructional support!

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.