Thompson Friday Forecast

I hope that everyone in the Thompson School Community had both a restful and memorable Thanksgiving holiday week. This has been an especially busy week at Thompson. I’ve included a few highlights below:

i-Ready Winter Diagnostic

On Wednesday and Thursday, Thompson students completed their winter i-Ready diagnostic assessments in both math and reading. I would like to publicly recognize the entire Thompson community for giving these assessments the necessary attention required. Our students were focused on doing their best in order to get an accurate picture of their academic growth so far this year, while our teachers supported an outstanding testing environment. At the school level, these student results are used by teachers and PLCs to adjust instructional approaches based on where our students are as learners. On the home front, these assessment results will be sent home with students in mid-January.

High School Counselor Visits

On Tuesday, our eighth grade students met with counselors from both St. Charles East High School, St. Charles North High School, and Compass Academy to discuss the next steps in their journey to high school. If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to Ms. Jolaoso, Thompson’s 8th grade counselor, or Mrs. Dague, Assistant Principal.

End of the 2nd Quarter

The 2nd quarter is quickly coming to an end on Wednesday, December 21st. Please take a few minutes to make sure that your child’s assignments are in. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teachers.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Thompson Middle School!

Have a great weekend!

~Steve

The i-Ready Mid-Year Diagnostics for both reading and math took place this week. Thank you for sending your child to school focused and prepared for these days.

Diagnostic makeups will take place from Friday, December 2nd - Friday, December 16th. The information provided from these diagnostics will be used to identify student growth, help teachers plan for future instruction, and provide opportunities for students to work on their personal pathway. Please click here to access an informational letter from Mr. Dave Chizsar, the D303 Director of Assessment and Accountability. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor for assistance.

The Thompson Student Council is sponsoring Spirit Week! Join in on the fun!

• Monday, December 12th - PJ Day
• Tuesday, December 13th - Sports Day
• Wednesday, December 14th - Celebrity Day
• Thursday, December 15th - College Gear
• Friday, December 16th - Saints vs Stars

Please join us for our next PTO meeting of this school year on Wednesday, December 7th from 9:00 - 10:00 am. Meetings are virtual and all are welcome! Click here for a link to the Zoom meeting. If you have any questions, please email Shannon Puri, PTO President, or Kim Walters, TMS Administrative Assistant.

Over 50 students from Thompson entered the 2022 Patriot’s Pen essay contest. This year's theme was "My Pledge to Our Veterans.” Below are the top five winners from Thompson. Lyla H. Blomquist won the overall post competition and will compete at the district level.

• 1st Place - Lyla Blomquist
• 2nd Place - Martine Mika
• 3rd Place - Connor Shafi
• Honorable Mention - Peter Morton
• Honorable Mention - Francesco Anzaldi

On Thursday, November 17th the Builders Club sponsored a volunteer opportunity at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Thompson students, along with family, spent several hours packing 631 boxes containing nonperishable items needed for holiday meals. This is equivalent to 7,193 pounds of food providing 5,994 meals. Everyone genuinely enjoyed themselves working to support those in our community. Well done Thunder Students and Families!

Sign up to give the staff at Thompson a sweet treat this holiday season!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C4AAEA62FA4F58-holiday

Drop off homemade treats in disposable containers to the main office anytime on Thursday, December 15th or up until 9:00am on the morning of December 16th. Assembling and distribution will take place on Friday, December 16th from 9:30 - 11:30 am in Thompson's Main Foyer.

What can you bake? Anything your family loves! We ask that you donate in increments of 2 dozen, anything from cookies, brownies, or any holiday sweet treat. These will be boxed up and given to staff members. If you make GLUTEN free or NUT free cookies, please label them that way, BEFORE you drop them off! If possible, please no chocolate chip cookies.

If you have any questions, please contact aliciafulgencioflint@yahoo.com.

The Salvation Army is sponsoring its annual Jim Wheeler Toys For Kids program. This program collects and distributes toys for the needy children of the Tri-City area. The program is named in honor of the late Jim Wheeler who was the creator and driver behind this effort.

Please consider purchasing an unwrapped toy for a child and placing it in the toy collection box in our main foyer by Thursday, December 8th. Thank you for your support!

Our Lost and Found is overflowing! Please have your child check the tables in the main foyer for missing items. Remaining clothing will be donated on Friday, December 9th. Thank you!

Eight graders, are you looking for a high school experience that offers:

• the chance to join a small learning community?
  
• a choice and voice in learning activities?
• opportunities to explore career pathways?
• project-based seminars with hands-on learning?
• a flexible schedule with a later start or earlier end to the day?
  

If any of these criteria match your academic goals or vision for school, Compass Academy could be an excellent option for you. Compass Academy students can choose to attend either part-time or full-time at Compass, and they still have access to courses, sports, activities, and events at St. Charles East/North as well.

To learn more about Compass, please attend the Open House on December 13th from 6:30-8:00 pm. This brief information video may also provide helpful information.

If you are unable to attend the Open House but would like to attend a tour at Compass, please complete this form and someone from Compass will contact you soon.

Dear Parents of 8th Graders Attending East,

Peer Leadership is an extracurricular program that matches selected incoming freshmen with juniors and seniors who make the transition into high school fun and easy and mentor them throughout the year. Because this program meets during the school day, it has to be put into a student’s schedule when registering for next year’s classes. Although we would like to be able to offer this to all interested incoming freshmen, our numbers are limited by available classroom space and our budget.

In order to start the selection process, interested students should apply using this application (make a copy and fill it out.) Please email the application to Jim Reed, the Peer Leadership Coordinator (James.Reed@d303.org). Completed applications must be received no later than Tuesday, January 17, 2023. For more information about Peer Leadership, please attend Future Saints Night on January 11, 2023 from 6:30 - 8:20pm.

We hope to hear from you!

The buzz around Thompson Middle School is that there will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, December 13th (note the date change from December 6th) from 3:45 - 4:30 pm in Room 212 for any student who is interested in participating in this year’s TMS Spelling Bee. At this meeting, students will be given more information, a permission slip, and a practice guide to support them as they prepare for this big day!

Spelling Bee Practice Rounds will also take place on Tuesday, December 13th from 3:45 - 4:45 pm in Room 212. An additional practice round will take place in early January. The schoolwide Spelling Bee is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, 2023 beginning at 4:00 pm in the LRC. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Gupta at Michelle.Gupta@d303.org.

Please make sure the contact information you’ve provided the District is up-to-date. We want to ensure you’re getting timely alerts on inclement weather operations and other important notifications.

District 303 will send notifications to families through the ParentLink system by text message, phone call and email based on your settings. Parents/guardians can view and edit their contact settings through the Home Access Center.

To receive timely emergency communications, we strongly encourage families to enable text notifications. For most people, this is the fastest way to receive and view important messages. Here’s how:

• From the HAC main menu, select the “registration” tab to view your contact settings
• Select the “edit” button to change your contact settings
• To enable text message notifications, enter your cell phone number in the SMS/text message field
• Select the “save” button

Users can only update their child(ren) and personal contact information. You will not be able to make changes to another parent/guardian's contact information. For updates to emergency contact people, please reach out to the school directly.

'North Stars Helping Thunder' is an after school tutoring program where St. Charles North High School Honors students help our Thunder students with their homework. This program runs from 3:45 - 4:30 pm every Tuesday and Thursday in the LRC. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah Romano (Sarah.romano@d303.org) or Diane Pollilo (Louise.polillo@d303.org), Thompson Staff Facilitators. Please consider encouraging your child to take advantage of these resources!

The Thompson after school activity bus runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students sign up for the bus with the club adviser who they are meeting with that afternoon. The bus route is posted on the Thompson website under Activities. The times are estimated as the number of students riding the bus will fluctuate.

• Wednesday, December 7 - PTO Meeting (Virtual) - 9:00 - 10:00 am
  
• Monday, December 12 - Friday, December 16 - TMS Spirit Week
• Tuesday, December 13 - Compass Academy Open House for 8th Grade Families - 6:30 - 8:00 pm
• Wednesday, December 21 - Last Day of the 2nd Quarter
• Thursday, December 22 - Monday, January 9 - Winter Break
• Tuesday, January 10 - School Resumes for Students
  
• Tuesday, January 10 - Start of the 3rd Quarter
• Wednesday, January 11 - PTO Meeting (Virtual) - 9:00 - 10:00 am
• Wednesday, January 11 - Future Saints Night for 8th Grade Families @ SCE - 6:30 - 8:20 pm
• Thursday, January 12 - Future North Stars Night for 8th Grade Families @ SCN
• Monday, January 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
• Wednesday, January 25th - Middle School Early Release Day

Mr. Steve Morrill - Principal

Mrs. Michelle Dague - Assistant Principal

Ms. Lindsay Mortensen - Assistant Principal

Mrs. Danielle Moeller - Student Support Coordinator

Mr. Sam Pasholk - Student Support Coordinator

Let's Talk!

Email: kimberly.walters@d303.org
Website: http://thompson.d303.org
Location: 705 West Main Street
Phone: (331) 228-3100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thompson-Middle-School-671638232903851/