Thompson Friday Forecast

March 20, 2020

From the Assistant Principal...Sarah Cann

What a whirlwind of a week this has been! Thank you for your patience and support as e-Learning takes off. Your child’s teachers have been working around the clock to provide continuous learning materials and your children may be relying on you to figure this all out. However, I encourage you to redirect your child back to their resources and their teachers. Their teachers are ready and waiting to communicate with your child.

During this time, your child may be looking for a routine. Encourage your child to build a schedule for their day. Help your child balance tech-time with down-time. I know that technology is likely to take center stage to engage and distract us as we are stuck at home, but find time to completely disconnect your child for parts of their day.

As public conversations around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increase, children may worry about themselves, their family, and friends getting ill. CDC has created guidance to help adults have conversations with children about COVID-19 and ways they can avoid getting and spreading the disease. Click here to access the website.

Please call the main office if general questions arise at 331-228-3100. Because the schools are at absolute minimal staffing as mandated, please leave a message and we will return your call.

Stay safe!

~Sarah

e-Learning, community services, and COVID-19 resources

Expensify.org/hunger to reimburse families in need during COVID-19 crisis

These are unprecedented times, and it's inspiring to see communities rising to the challenge. However, not everyone has the resources to "shelter in place" especially the millions of people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Living paycheck to paycheck is hard when millions of businesses around the nation are closing down indefinitely, and hourly workers (including those dependent upon tips) are the hardest hit. In particular, families with kids whose primary meals happen at school are especially vulnerable when those schools shut down.

With this in mind, Expensify.org is going to temporarily redirect all of its charitable funds to Expensify.org/hunger. With its ability to reimburse volunteers directly in real-time, Expensify.org is uniquely positioned to help families in need immediately. Until today, this fund was focused on paying off kids' "lunch debts" , but with schools closed around the nation, that isn't the top priority. Instead, we're devoting everything to a new program: matching SNAP grocery purchases up to $50 per family. It works like this:

Purchase food as normal with your SNAP card
Download Expensify on iOS or Android, for free
Join the Expensify.org/hunger policy
SmartScan the receipt, which will tell us how much you paid and show that it was paid for with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card
Submit it to volunteer@expensify.org
Set up your bank account to receive the funds
So long as we have funds available, we will reimburse up to $50 per family (one time), the very next day.

To be clear, we can't commit to reimbursing every single person in need — we have no idea how many people will do this, and unfortunately, we don't have unlimited funds. We also don't know how long this crisis will last and how far our brand new charity's resources will stretch. But we're going to do what we can with the funds donated on behalf of Expensify Cardholders via the Karma Points feature, as well as by the extremely generous donors who have signed up for our Corporate and Personal Karma programs.

This is a truly global crisis, and it is only beginning. We all need to work together to weather the storm, and on behalf of Expensify.org's many generous members, we're eager to help.

-david

President of Expensify.org

The PTO needs your help for the 2020-2021 School Year!

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Elementary Intra-District Transfer Window

This message is a reminder to elementary school families that the Intra-District transfer window for the 2020-2021 school year opens on April 7 at 8:00 a.m.

For the 2020-2021 school year, ALL elementary students have been assigned to their attendance area school by the District. This includes elementary students currently attending a school on an intra-district transfer.

An Intra-District Transfer Request must be submitted online no sooner than 8:00 a.m. on the first Tuesday following spring break (April 7, 2020) and no later than 4:00 p.m. on the third Monday following (April 20). A link to the request form will be posted on the District 303 web page (district.d303.org) by 8:00 a.m. on April 7.

If you are requesting a transfer for more than one child, a separate request must be submitted for each. Due to fluctuating class sizes at schools and each grade level, siblings are not guaranteed placement. If granted, transportation is the responsibility of the parents.

If you have questions about the process, please call the District office at 331.228.2000.

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PTO Thunder Spiritwear

The PTO webstore to purchase Thunder spiritwear is now open until April 6th! Please click here to view the options provided by The Hairy Ant. Items will be delivered to Thompson by April 14th.

D303 Parent University Offerings for 2019-2020

Join us for Parent University programs aimed at engaging local experts, parents and school staff in conversations about ways in which we can collectively strengthen our communities. Programs are free and open to the public.

Thompson Yearbook

Every year, Thompson students publish a Thompson Yearbook. Students who decide to purchase a yearbook are given this keepsake at the end of the school year. Buying a yearbook is optional and not all students choose to own one. The price of the yearbook is $25.

Have you ordered your Thompson 19-20 Yearbook? You can check your PushCoin account to see if you have purchased one by going to 'transactions' and then adjusting the start date back to April 1, 2019. Contact Kim Walters (kimberly.walters@d303.org or 331-228-6410) if you have any questions or need financial assistance. Or stop in the main office during conferences!