Today, I’d like to share a few “odds and ends.”

• Our students and staff continue to do a great job with our “3 Ws” of social distancing.

• Wearing your mask appropriately

• Watching your distance (6 feet)

• Washing your hands

• As families move from in-person learning to remote learning, student schedules will continue to be adjusted. This is certainly not ideal for students, families, or staff, but it must be done to meet the learning requirements of all of our students.
  

• I am excited that the new school year is underway. I would encourage you to take advantage of all possible learning opportunities with your middle-schooler. One way you can do this is by choosing your words carefully. For example, instead of asking your child, “what he/she did at school today?”~~ Ask him/her, “what they LEARNED today?”. Changing the question every so slightly might really change the response you receive.

• Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 8th from 8 am - 8 pm and Friday, October 9th from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. Next week’s Friday Forecast will contain more information about how to sign up for these conferences.

• Today, September 11th, is the 19 anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks in New York and on the East Coast. I mentioned this during today’s announcements as I strongly believe it is important that those of us who remember this day continue to share our memories and knowledge of these events so that all of us will always understand this day’s significance. As a former social studies teacher, I encouraged our students to speak with teachers and family members about this horrific event and capitalize on the opportunity to learn more about our country's history and honor the thousands of victims of these attacks. If you have the opportunity this weekend to have a conversation about this event in our history, I encourage you to do so.

Have a restful, safe weekend,

Steve

• The meeting for A group students will be on Monday, September 14th at 8:00 am in Room 119.
• The meeting for B group students will be on Tuesday, September 15th at 8:00 am in Room 119.

More clubs will be starting soon! Please check the Daily Announcements and contact the main office at (331) 228-3100 with questions.

Thompson Middle School will be offering two sports starting September 21st. Volleyball will be offered to all 7th and 8th grade girls. Football will be offered to all 7th and 8th grade boys. As of now, we will not be scheduling any games against other schools. All students who want to attend must have a current physical and an Agreement to Participate in Interscholastic Sports on file with the front office before attending any sessions. The cost to participate is $120 and will be billed through PushCoin

Additional information will be emailed to students by their physical education teachers next week. Students are encouraged to attend a virtual meeting with the coaches next week, the link will be provided in the email. This is a great opportunity for kids to be involved and active. We ask that you please be patient as many things may change throughout the season. In the meantime, please email any questions to Mr. Wilke at christopher.wilke@d303.org.

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

Parents and Guardians: Please note that, as some families and students are choosing to move from in-person to remote learning, we must continue to make adjustments to student schedules, which in most cases may also include a change in teacher. When class sections become too small or large based on these adjustments, your child’s schedule may also need to be adjusted. Although our preference is to keep consistency in our scheduling, please understand that it has become necessary to accommodate the choices families are making for their children. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we try to balance all of the different constraints we are managing during the pandemic.

Welcome to remote learning! Remember that remote students have classes every day. Below are resources for our full remote learners:

• Remote Academy Calendar (and Bell Schedule)

• Overview and Expectations

• Teachers and Resources

You can check the attendance for any of your students at any time by logging into the Home Access Center and clicking on the attendance tab to view. Toggle between students using the arrow in the upper right hand corner.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the main office at (331) 228-3100! We are here to help!

The middle school food vendor is OrganicLife again this year. District 303 has collaborated with our food service vendors to provide grab and go meals for students to enjoy at home. As we move into the school year, we want to make you aware of procedures for making sure that students continue to receive meals, whether they are learning in-person or remotely. Please review the information attached to this Friday Forecast from the District Office.

Click here to view the Food Services website with a link to the daily menus.

Breakfast: $1.60; Reduced Breakfast: $0.30

Lunch: $2.90; Reduced Lunch: $0.40

Milk: $0.60 (when purchased separately from meals)

Due to COVID-19, the school district is no longer accepting check payments and cash at the schools. Parents will need to use PushCoin to apply funds.

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 2020-2021 school year will receive FREE FOOD and their FEES will be WAIVED. If your family is qualified by the state, you do NOT need to complete either application. You should have received an approval letter in the mail in July.

We want to make sure that all students and staff members are included in our yearbook this year! If you did not get your picture taken, and cannot come to Thompson for picture make up days, please upload your own portrait to:

• www.yearbooksforever.com
• Access code: thompsonms

Mr. Harmon, one of our yearbook advisors, created this video to show you how easy it is to upload your child's portrait.

If you have any questions, please call the Main Office (331) 228-3100.

• Monday, September 21 - Pick-a-Time Conference Scheduler Opens
• Tuesday, October 6 - Pick-a-Time Conference Scheduler Closes
• Thursday, October 8 - Conferences from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm (No School for Students)
• Friday, October 9 - Conferences from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm (No School for Students)
• Monday, October 12 - Columbus Day Holiday
• Wednesday, October 14 - Picture Retake Day
  
• Thursday, October 15 - Picture Retake Day