I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. As we enter the month of December, there are a lot of exciting activities on the horizon! The end of first semester is just around the corner. The end of the semester correlates with the start of winter break (Dec. 23rd). Students should be working with their teachers to make certain all work is completed and up to date prior to leaving for winter break. In addition, there are several other events which are outlined below in the upcoming calendar.

During the winter months we typically see an increase of illness and students staying home sick. Please remember to keep students home if they have had a fever or have vomited within the prior 24 hours. We have been reminding students to stay out of the rain during passing periods, breaks, and lunch to avoid sitting all day in wet clothing. Hopefully, if we all do our part we can keep students in school and healthy!

I wanted to share an area of concern that I have been noticing lately regarding technology. It is a school rule that students do not use their phones while on campus. However, we do allow students to use their phones at socials and during some afterschool activities. On occasion, students will receive a photo/meme/etc... through "air drop." Air drop is a feature on the iPhone which allows students to "drop" a photo/meme/etc... to any individual who is nearby and has their iPhone setting to "everyone." Please speak to your students about the inappropriate nature of sending anonymous photos to individuals whom they do not know as well as the importance of changing their air drop setting to "off" or "contacts only." If you're unsure how to do this, here is a quick video that demonstrates the process. By making this small adjustment, we can work together to keep our students safe.

Let me conclude by saying, I appreciate your support of Thornton Junior High and of our staff members. From the Thornton Staff to you and your loved ones, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!

Warm Regards,

Ms. Strausbaugh, Principal

Amazon Wishlist - we still need help securing more playground equipment for students to use at lunch. Please consider helping us out!

The end of the first semester will be on Dec. 22nd. The new semester begins upon the return from Winter Break on January 9, 2023. Please make sure you check Infinite Campus and students print out their second semester schedule prior to returning from break as some schedules may have changed. If you believe there has been a scheduling error (ie. repeat of an elective) please click on this link to request a correction.

We are very pleased to announce that we have found a coach! Much appreciation and gratitude goes out to Ms. Oliva who has agreed to coach this year's teams. Tryouts will be held afterschool the week of December 12th. Cuts will be held after each day to help narrow down to our final teams by the end of the week. 8th graders will tryout on Monday (Dec. 12), Wednesday (Dec. 14) and Friday (Dec. 16). 7th graders will tryout on Tuesday (Dec. 13), Thursday (Dec. 15) and Friday (Dec. 16). Teams will be posted on Monday, December 19th.

Winter Break will begin at 12:48pm on Dec. 22nd and go through Jan. 8th. School resumes on Jan. 9th. Please note the office will close early on Dec. 22nd at 2:00pm. All students should clear the campus by 1:15pm on Dec. 22nd.

Thornton will participate in a special activity to support the Alameda County Food Bank. On December 22nd, students will have an opportunity to donate change during lunch time which will be counted and donated to the Alameda County Food Bank. Students who want to participate can bring "spare" change on Dec. 22nd. More information will be forthcoming!