Tiger Times
Week of January 23, 2023
This Week
- 1/17 - 2/17: iReady Testing - see below for more information
- 1/24: Teacher Records Day | NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
- 1/26: After School Detention | 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
- 1/29: FREE Middle School Baseball & Softball Camp - see below for more information
Middle School Baseball & Softball Camp
Southfield HS A&T baseball coaches are offering FREE baseball and softball camps on Sunday's in the gym at University HS (19301 W. 12 Mile Road; Lathrup Village). Email Coach Bell at: southfieldbsa@gmail.com for more information. Space is limited--don't delay!
Ready Readers: 4th & 5th Grade
The 3rd Annual Future Leaders, Ready Readers Virtual Reading Event is sponsored and supported by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Southfield Alumnae Chapter. Thompson's 4th & 5th Grade PYP Scholars will attempt to unseat Vandenberg Elementary, who will be defending their title and trophy. Thompson's 4th or 5th grade classes will participate in a virtual Quiz Bowl Kahoot game on Tuesday, May 23rd and the winning school will receive a banner and trophy presented by the sorority, not to mention bragging rights for a year! This year the school with the Best Pep Rally video and staff participation will be recognized and honored as well. All students who participate will receive an award for their participation.
iReady Testing
Our school is continuing its usage of a math and reading program called i-Ready. Below, you will find information about the program and how we will be using it in the classroom.
What is i-Ready?
i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth,
personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic supports to keep your child engaged as they learn.
What can I do to help?
To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:
● Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
â—Ź Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
● Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will get
only about half of the questions correct.
â—Ź Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
â—Ź Use paper and pencil to show work for math questions.
To support your child’s learning in Online Instruction, you can:
● Discuss your child’s progress on their i-Ready lessons.
● Celebrate your child’s learning and growth.
â—Ź Encourage them to use i-Ready at home.
o They will need access to a computer or iPad®, internet, and their login information. To check
if your system meets i-Ready system requirements, please visit i-Ready.com/Support to run
a system check.
Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! I look forward to sharing i-Ready information with you throughout the year. If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact me, Principal Hall, or your child's teacher. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.
Champions: Before & After Care
We are looking into offering Champions (latch key) for our families. If you are interested, please email TK8 Main Office Secretary Ms. Gillis at alexis.gillis@southfieldk12.org and let her know if you are interested. If there is enough interest, we will be able to offer this service to our families. Pricing is below:
2022/2023 School Year
Before-School: 6:00 am - 8:35 am
1 day: $8 per week
2 days: $14 per week
3 days: $21 per week
4 days: $28 per week
5 days: $32 per week
After-School: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
1 day: $12 per week
2 days: $23 per week
3 days: $33 per week
4 days: $44 per week
5 days: $53 per week
Additional Fees:
Registration: $25 per family
Non-School Full Days: $34 per day
Drop In Before-School: $8 per day
Drop In After-School: $12 per day
Discounts:
Multi-Child or Military: 10%
School Employee: 50%
DHS State Subsidy payment accepted!
Go Blue! Wolverine Pathways wants YOU!
6th Grade Scholars and Families
TK8 Parents, is your child interested in attending one of the best universities in the nation? Applications for the Fall 2023 Wolverine Pathways program are now being accepted. Graduates of Wolverine Pathways who are admitted to the University of Michigan will receive a four-year tuition scholarship. 52% of WP alumni have been admitted to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor — double the overall U-M admissions rate.Wolverine Pathways is now accepting applications for Fall 2023 Admissions! They are looking for highly motivated 6th grade students. See below for more details.
If you have any questions, please contact wolverinepathways@umich.edu.
About the Wolverine Pathways Scholar Experience
- Pre-college courses and academic summer camps with U-M educators
- Programming to develop mathematical thinking and confidence
- College advising and application support
- SAT prep
- Collaboration with corporate, nonprofit and university partners, including paid internships
Wolverine Pathways provides free college preparatory enrichment and guidance for 7th through 12th-grade students who live in Detroit, or within the boundaries of the Southfield Public or Ypsilanti Community school districts.
Wolverine Pathways |610 E. University Ave., Suite 2339, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
PYP 2nd - 5th Grade Spanish
Our Meg Languages Spanish classes have started! As an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program school, we are happy to have partnered with Meg Languages to bring this exciting opportunity to our students. Their teacher, Profe Ange, will hold Zoom sessions with students from her virtual classroom in Bogota, Colombia, while our TK8 2nd - 5th grade teachers are in the classroom with students and facilitate activities as needed.
School Closures & Holidays
- Tuesday, January 24, 2023 / Records Day: No Students
- Monday, February 20 - 24, 2023 / Mid-winter Recess Friday
- Monday, March 27 - Friday, March 31, 2023 / Spring Recess
- Friday, May 26 - 29, 2023 / Memorial Day Recess
TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
There is no school for students on the following days due to Teacher Professional Development. Please mark your calendars for these dates:
- March 15, 2023
- April 19, 2023
Annual Enrollment
The SPS Online Annual Enrollment information is required to have current contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, who can pick up your child from school),emergency information and health information (seizures, asthma, etc.) for your child. Click on the link below to update your information: https://mistar.oakland.k12.mi.us/southfield/parentportal/
Breakfast & Lunch Menu
Southfield Public Schools will continue to provide FREE breakfast and lunch to our students this school year. The Main Office will not accept Door Dash, Uber Eats or any outside restaurant food, including those from parents/guardians. You may drop off a bag lunch from home.
You may view the breakfast and lunch menus here: https://southfield.nutrislice.com/menu/thompson-k-8-international-academy
Cold & Flu Season
Please keep your child home if they are experiencing any of the cold or flu symptoms below. Students with flu symptoms and a fever over 100.4 degrees must be free of taking fever reducing medication (Tylenol or Motrin) for 24 hours before returning to school. We appreciate you doing your part to keep our school community safe!
Contact Information
In order to assist families with making the correct contact for school related matters, please see below:
- All staff member email addresses follow this format: firstname.lastname@southfieldk12.org .
- A list of teachers and their departments are available on the Thompson K-8 International Academy website.
- All building level issues should first be addressed at the building, not district level.
- This LINK provides you with who to contact for a variety of school related matters.
COVID Testing @ Thompson
Oakland County Nurse Donna McLemore is available to perform rapid Covid tests (with consent only) on students. A consent form is required and is available in her office at Thompson. All participants will receive their results on the same day. Nurse Donna is available Monday - Friday from 9:00 am 3:00 pm.
OK 2 Say
OK2SAY is the student safety program which allows students to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at students, school employees, and schools. It uses a comprehensive communication system to facilitate tip sharing among students, parents, school personnel, community mental health service programs, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and law enforcement officials about harmful behaviors that threaten to disrupt the learning environment. (source: michigan.gov/OK2say)
TK8 students and their families are encouraged to report any activity they feel may create an unsafe learning environment.
Parent Portal & Student Attendance
Parents/Guardians may now enter an excused absence for their child in the MiStar Parent Portal. Instructions were sent to all parent/guardian email accounts. However, you may still call the school at 248.746.7400 and press "2" if your child will be absent from school or needs to be picked up early, to be connected to our attendance line. Absences more than 24 hours will NOT be excused.
Parent/Student Handbook
Please review the Parent/Student Handbook together with your child so that you are both aware of our policies and expectations.
Unauthorized Student Sales/Fundraisers
Unauthorized Sales
It is a Southfield Public Schools Code of Conduct violation for any student to sell items during the school day. Homemade/store bought food, snacks, candy, drinks or other items are not allowed to be sold for students’ personal gain or outside fundraisers. Items will be confiscated and a parent/guardian will be required to pick up the items from the school--items will not be returned to students under any circumstances. Repeated violations will result in disciplinary action.
Distribution of Unauthorized Materials: The act of distributing or selling materials on school property without authorization of the building administration is expressly prohibited. Violators of this provision shall be subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension or expulsion.