Thompson Friday Forecast

Next week is Thanksgiving break for all students and teachers. This is the first year that we are not holding conferences during this time period. Students will resume their classes on Monday, November 30th.

As you are all well aware our school district is taking a ‘pause’ from in-person learning from November 30th through December 18th. While this is a big shift for our hybrid students, our staff has been dedicating quite a bit of time learning new technology tools and platforms to enhance student learning. We’ve been honing our skills with virtual communications and now have both Google Meet and Zoom video conferencing available.

Please know that our administration team and student services staff are available to support your child both academically and emotionally. Please reach out to your child’s teachers, counselor, or any member of our administration team if your family is struggling with remote learning. We are all vested in helping your child succeed!

Our building will be open from November 30th through December 18th and office staff available to answer your questions. Call us at (331) 228-3100.

This is the season of thanksgiving. I am thankful for being provided the opportunity to lead such a great school community with eager students, supportive families, and a fabulous staff. It is my true privilege to be the principal of Thompson Middle School. I hope every Thompson family has a meaningful, memorable Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

~ Steve

As you know, all students will be learning remotely beginning Monday, November 30th, which is directly after Thanksgiving break. Please click HERE to access the December learning schedule for Thompson Middle School students, who until this recent change, were following the hybrid model.

For our students who have been participating as a fully remote student, please click HERE to access the remote learning schedule for December.

Please contact the Thompson office with any scheduling questions you may have. Our number is (331) 228-3100.

The i-Ready Winter Diagnostic for both reading and math will be conducted on Monday, December 7th and Wednesday, December 9th directly after the 7th period class. We are asking students to complete only one diagnostic assessment on each of these days during this time frame. Please see the schedule below:

• Monday, December 7th : 1:45-3:30 pm

• i-Ready Reading Diagnostic

• Wednesday, December 9th: 1:45-3:30 pm

• i-Ready Math Diagnostic

The information provided from this diagnostic will be used to help teachers plan for future instruction and will provide opportunities for students to work on their personal pathway. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor for assistance. Thank you all for your cooperation in making sure your child completes this important assessment. Have a wonderful weekend!

On Wednesday, December 2nd, all 8th grade students will be meeting virtually with their high school counselors for a 25 minute presentation. Students will receive an email from their counselor that will contain a link to a Zoom meeting. For this meeting, students will need their chromebooks and their earphones.

We are planning to host these meetings as follows to support both hybrid and remote learners:

• Hybrid students will attend these virtual meetings during part of their 6th period from 12:30-12:55pm on December 2, 2020.

• Remote students will login to the virtual meetings during part of their 7th period Asynchronous from 1:00-1:25pm on December 2, 2020.

For all students, the counselors will email each student the code and instructions for joining their meetings. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Leigh Gary, who is our 8th grade counselor, or Mrs. Michelle Dague, who is our Assistant Principal, and Mrs. Danielle Moeller, who is our Student Support Coordinator working with our remote students.

The LRC will provide Curbside Book Service for our students from 11/30-12/18.

How it works: Contactless book pick-up and drop-off will be available during school hours in the main entrance vestibule (book cart and return bin on the right when you walk in). Place available books on hold and we will email the student when the books are ready for pick up (within 24hrs). Only three books can be checked out at a time. We will hold the book for one week.

Over the past two weeks, during tutorial class, your child has accessed their Personal Learner Profile and reviewed their fall i-Ready math and language arts assessment scores and first-quarter grades. Then your child reflected on personal goals and created an academic goal based on the data for the remainder of the second quarter. Please take time over Thanksgiving Break to review this goal with them. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s counselor.

Improv club will meet remotely on Monday, November 30th, December 7th, and December 14th from 3:30 - 4:15 pm. The Zoom code will be emailed to current members and also posted on the classroom site. Please email Mrs. Pogge with any questions.

November marks a season of Thanksgiving! Even in the current pandemic, there is so much to be thankful for in District 303. There are three ways that you can contribute to our #D303Thankful Campaign.

• Write a note of appreciation to a staff member. You may download and print our notecard template linked here or create a note of your own to share.
• Participate in our social media campaign by sharing a picture or thought using the hashtag #D303Thankful.
• Share a story, note of appreciation, or photo on Let’s Talk using the D303Thankful button.

Attention 7th and 8th graders: Do you like to write? Do you have a story that you are really proud of? Or a poem that you wrote this past year? Maybe an essay or report that is awesome?

Then the 42nd Annual AAUW Creative Writing Contest could be for you! Please click on this link for more details. Entries are due by February 3, 2021.

The Salvation Army is sponsoring a Toys For Kids program. Please consider purchasing an unwrapped toy for a child and placing it in the toy collection box in vestible by Monday, December 7th. See the attached flyer for their wish list. Thank you for your support!

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, please upload your own portrait to the Walsworth website. Remember to choose “Thompson Middle School.” In the field that says “City” make sure to add in St. Charles and then click on “Shop the Store.”

• Access code: thompsonms_123

We encourage students to also use this site to upload photos which the Yearbook staff can then add to the yearbook.

Buying a yearbook is optional and not all students choose to own one. The price of the yearbook is $25. 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, 2020. We are extending the due date for ordering books to Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Contact Kim Walters (kimberly.walters@d303.org or 331-228-6410) if you have any questions or need financial assistance. Yearbooks which will be distributed at the end of May.

We are now allowing parents and students to sign up for our Saints tutoring Thunder (STT) club. This club will meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Saint's tutoring Thunder (STT) club will provide students with an opportunity to receive help on homework, projects, and/or comprehension of material that they are learning in classes. The Saint's tutoring Thunder (STT) club is available for any student, whether attending in-person or fully remote.

STT allows students to meet virtually on Google Meets with a St. Charles East Sophomore tutor from 4:15 until 5:00 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Thompson club supervisor will facilitate the after school support while supervising the high school sophomore students tutoring our students.

Sign-ups are available Thursday -Monday. This ensures that we have the correct amount of tutors for our students. You can click here to sign up for Saint's tutoring Thunder club. Once your student has been signed up, they will receive an invite link in their email.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Shane Darnell, Assistant Principal.

Parent University was developed in response to the need for programming to address the social and emotional needs of students in District 303. Over the last decade, the district has strived to provide information on topics that are relevant, timely, and beneficial for all parents and guardians.

December 7, 2020
9 MANERAS DE REFORZAR EL APRENDIZAJE DE LOS NIÑOS EN TIEMPOS DE CUARENTENA - presentation will be in Spanish
Virtual
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Ferney Ramírez Hernández, author of “Padres Exitosos” (Successful Parents) - Los districts no son los únicos responsables del éxito académico de los hijos, los papás también lo somos. Sobretodo, en éstos tiempos que las escuelas tienen un acceso limitado, debemos asumir un liderazgo positivo para que el aprendizaje continúe en casa, de una manera eficaz. En este taller daremos a los padres algunas sugerencias y recomendaciones para saber cómo hacerlo.

December 8, 2020
Supporting the Social-Emotional Needs of Gifted Children
Virtual
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Dr. Michele Kane, professor of Gifted Education at Northeastern Illinois University.

Our TMS and WMS Middle School Counselors will be offering office hours for Remote Students only. These office hours are intended to provide students academic support, time management skills, organizational skills and stress/anxiety coping strategies. The ZOOM link to meet with the counselor during the scheduled hours can be found on the Remote Academy website page.

Office Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

9:00 am - 10:00 am & 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

• Monday, November 23 - Thanksgiving Break - non-attendance week
  
• Monday, November 30 - School Resumes

• Wednesday, December 2 - 8th Grade High School Counselor Visits (virtual)

• Monday, December 7 - i-Ready Reading Diagnostic - 1:45 - 3:30 pm

• Wednesday, December 9 - i-Ready Math Diagnostic - 1:45 - 3:30pm

• Thursday, December 10 - PTO Meeting (virtual) - 9:00 - 10:00 am
  

Mr. Steve Morrill - Principal

Mrs. Michelle Dague - Assistant Principal

Mr. Shane Darnell - 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/