Thompson Friday Forecast

December 21, 2018

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

WINTER BREAK

Winter Break begins at the end of the day today and will run through Friday, January 4, 2019. School will resume on Monday, January 7, 2019. Enjoy your winter break! The 7/8 office will be open December 26-28 and January 2-4.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO THE ENTIRE THOMPSON COMMUNITY
It pleases me to be able to say that I consistently see caring, compassion, and selflessness from both our students and staff. It pleases me to know that I am a part of a community that emphasizes putting the needs of others first. Compassion is a great quality to have. When our students and staff emphasize compassion, it creates a very special environment.

BULLYING ASSEMBLY

On Thursday, the 7/8 center welcomed Matt Wilhem who delivered an anti-bullying message to our 7th and 8th grade students. We would like to thank Hurley & Volk Orthodontics who sponsored this presentation!

THE END OF THE QUARTER IS NEAR
When we return from winter break, there will only be a few school days until the end of the second quarter (mid-point of the year) on January 17th. Winter break provides a great opportunity for family discussions about academic progress and encouraging your student to finish the quarter strong. Please contact your child’s teachers or guidance counselor if you have any questions.

During this winter break, please be sure to connect with your middle schooler. Listen to what your children are saying and enjoy their company during this family time. School breaks provide the great gift of TIME and the opportunity for parents to catch up with kids and assess how things are going.

THOMPSON PTO
Thank you to all of the Thompson families who provided cookies for our staff this week. We appreciate all of the time you spent baking for us! Our sincerest thanks goes out to the entire PTO for their continued support and partnership.

I wish each and every one of you a safe and restful winter break! See you on January 7th!
~Steve

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Parent Satisfaction Survey

Every year, District 303 conducts a satisfaction survey eliciting feedback from our students, teachers, and parents. This year, as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), we will now be participating in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. As a parent or guardian, this survey will provide you with the opportunity to share your thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness about your child’s school.

We value your feedback and appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your suggestions for improvement! Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey. For more information, please see the letter attached to today's Friday Forecast.

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Fuel Up to Play 60 Video

Our FUTP 60 team had the opportunity to submit a video that represented us using our flag football kit with our students. We are please to announce that Fuel Up to Play 60 and GENYOUth awarded our school the winner of this contest. They said that "our FLAG-In-Schools contest entry was among the best and we are delighted to award you this prize."

Click here to view the video the students created. Congratulations to our FUTP 60 team on this accomplishment!

High School Counselor Visits

Our eighth graders met with their high school counselors this week to learn about high school and course schedules. Students were given a blue sheet for our North Stars and an orange sheet for our Saints to identify possible electives for next year. Students should review these sheets with parents and bring them back to school for their counselor meetings on January 23rd and January 24th.

In addition to their visit to TMS, the high schools have also communicated the dates for their Future Saints and North Star Nights. They are scheduled as follows:

St. Charles East Future Saints Night: Wednesday, January 9, 2019
St. Charles North Future North Stars Night: Thursday, January 10, 2019

The purpose of these evenings is to provide information regarding the curriculum offered at the high school, as well as introduce students to the various activities/clubs/sports available to the class of 2024. If you have any questions about these evenings, please don’t hesitate to contact the high schools or access their school websites for more information.

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Patriot's Pen Essay Winners

Each year the VFW holds a scholarship competition for middle school students called Patriot's Pen. Students write a 300-400 word essay with the chance to win a $5,000 scholarship and a trip to DC. The 2018 - 19 theme is “Why I Honor the American Flag.”

Seven Thompson students were selected to attend an awards dinner at the St Charles Veterans Center. The students are Jackson March, Elizabeth Kadyschuk, Kathryn Kadyschuk, Hailey Griffin, Seth Cortez, Mairin Sookswat, and Joshua Zacharias.

Each of these student's essays have been submitted to compete at the VFW district level. Congratulations to these Thunder students!

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D303 Middle School Culinary Competition

Do you have what it takes to be the D303 Middle School Top Culinary Champion? We want YOU to join our Thompson Thunder team! This year’s culinary competition will kick off with an informational meeting at 7:50 am on Wednesday, January 9th in Room 121 at the 6th grade center.

You will receive competition details, meeting schedules, and find out when your test samples are due for team selection. 15 students will be chosen to represent Thompson as we compete against Wredling on Saturday, March 2nd at St. Charles East High School. The theme this year is GREEN. All dishes must contain visible GREEN ingredients. Please contact Mrs. Schmidt if you have any questions.

PTO News

The PTO has been excited to support several activities so far this year with many more coming in the future including the Grade Game Nights highlighted below. We are thankful for all our Thompson families who help make all of it possible.

Our next PTO meeting will be on January 10, 2019 at the 6th grade center from 9:00 - 10:00 am. All are welcome!

Thank you for your support!

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PTO Trivia Nights/Open Gym

Mark your calendars as the 8th Grade Trivia Night/Open Gym will be held right after school on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 and the 7th Grade Trivia Night/Open Gym will be on Thursday, January 10, 2019. These will both take place at the 7th/8th grade building from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. These events are supported by the Thompson PTO and various teachers who run them. There will be gift cards for the students to win! All 7th and 8th graders are encouraged and invited to attend these free events! What a great way to start out the new year!

An Amazing Race is planned for our 6th Graders after school on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. More information on this event will follow.

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Thompson Spiritwear Still Available

The PTO is keeping the store open to order Thompson Thunder Spiritwear! Click here to see the selections and prices. They are also discounting all sweatshirts and hoodies on the webstore by $5. Please contact the PTO Spiritwear Chairman if you have questions!

Go Thompson Thunder!!!

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Thompson 18-19 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 18-19 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, 2018. We are extending the due date for ordering books to Thursday, January 17, 2019. Contact Kim Walters (kimberly.walters@d303.org or 331-228-6410) if you have any questions or need financial assistance.

If you would like to order a yearbook, please view the PushCoin product listings by clicking here.

Kayla's Hope

The Lehmann family is very pleased to announce that Kayla's Hope Foundation is now formed. We are also pleased and humbled to announce that an anonymous donor has come forward with an offer to match every gift to the Kayla's Hope Foundation, dollar-for-dollar, through the end December 2018, up to $10,000. If you are able, please consider making a donation so we can receive the full blessing of this matching gift pledge. If you would like to see what Kayla's Hope Foundation is please click the following link.

https://www.communityfoundationfrv.org/…/kaylas-hope-found…/

We created this foundation to keep the memory of Kayla alive. We will never forget her and her goodness. She would want us to remember only the best of her and would be pleased that we are giving back to those in need and helping others who may be struggling as she was. Thank you for your support, your prayers and your love. Kayla's Hope is alive.

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Holiday Lights Recycling

Thompson is proud to be participating in the Holiday Lights Recycling program sponsored by America In Bloom - St. Charles, Elgin Recycling, and the City of St. Charles! Last year America in Bloom - St. Charles collected more than 1,000 lbs of lights, diverting them from a landfill to be recycled instead.

Drop off working or non-working Holiday Lights in bins in our main foyers. These include:

Traditional Holiday Lights
LED Holiday Lights
Italian Mini Holiday Lights
Rope Lights
Extension Cords

Please do not drop off prelit garland, wreaths, trees, or lighted lawn decorations or ornaments.

Upcoming Parent University Programs

January 24, 2019

Follow-Up ANGST Session #2

Wasco Elementary LRC - 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Click here to register for ANGST Session #2

January 30, 2019

Preventing and Addressing Bullying: Lessons Learned and Resources for Parents

Thompson 6th Grade Cafeteria - 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Faculty from the Psychology Department at Northern Illinois University will present practical information from their research and their work as part of a U.S. Department of Education training grant “Project Prevent and Address Bullying.” Thompson Middle School is partnering with NIU on this grant project, bringing resources that will be shared throughout the district. The faculty will present helpful knowledge, tips, and resources parents can use when navigating bullying situations.

Click here to register for this program.

February 20, 2019

Common Sense Approach to Managing Technology: Teaching Children How to Be Good Digital Citizens in the Age of Social Media, Gaming and Screen Time

Wredling Middle School – Cafeteria - 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Technology is a part of all our lives. From phones to laptops to video games, we are more “connected” or “plugged in” than ever. How do we help our children (and ourselves) find balance when it comes to the use of technology? During this Parent University we will share tools and strategies to help create balance and set boundaries. The night will feature a panel as well as opportunities for interactive discussion. Come “hang up and hang out”!

Click here to register for this program.

Please click here to view all of the planned Parent University Programs.

Thompson PTO

Check out the Thompson PTO website by clicking on the button above. You can support the Thompson PTO by volunteering your time and/or paying your 18-19 PTO dues.