

Big T Weekly
April 11, 2025
A Message from the Principal
Dear Big T Families,
It’s been another wonderful week at Big T, filled with hard work, school spirit, and community support!
📝 CMAS Testing & Character in Action
Our 3rd–5th grade students completed their first week of CMAS testing with focus, determination, and a strong sense of respect, responsibility, and reflection. They showed what it means to reflect and revise, carefully thinking through their answers and pushing themselves to do their best. We are incredibly proud of their effort and perseverance.
At the same time, our K–2nd grade students truly lived out our mission to Think Big, Act Big, and Do Big by supporting their older peers. They helped create a quiet and respectful testing environment and made encouraging signs to lift their classmates' spirits. It was a beautiful example of how all students—regardless of age—can contribute to our learning community in meaningful ways.
🕺 White-Out Dance Appreciation
What a night! It was fantastic to see so many families at our White-Out Family Dance last Friday. A huge thank you to our amazing PTA for sponsoring this fun event and helping us continue to build joyful, connected school experiences.
♻️ Eco-Brick Competition – Kindergarten Leads!
Our eco-brick competition is still going strong! Kindergarten has taken the lead with 75 eco-bricks submitted—way to go! Our goal is to reach 1,000 eco-bricks by April 25th, and we’re encouraging every student to contribute by making 10 eco-bricks. These will help insulate our new composting bins and support our ongoing sustainability efforts.
⏰ One More Week of CMAS Testing
We’re heading into our final week of testing, and we appreciate your continued support in getting your students to school on time, well rested, and ready to finish strong!
📅 Upcoming Events:
April 23rd – Jog-a-thon (Afternoon): Get ready to run and have fun! Check out the flyer in this newsletter for more details.
April 25th – Eco-Brick Competition Ends
May 2nd – Better World Day: A day of service and celebration of work to create a more sustainable and kind world. Look for more information to come.
May 15th – Celebration of Learning: Come see your child’s growth in action as students share their projects and learning journeys. Look for more details about this evening of celebration.
Thank you for partnering with us and helping all our students continue to grow, lead, and shine.
Warmly,
Sarah Walgast
Principal
Annual Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser
Big T's annual fundraiser is coming up on Wednesday April 23rd! Our goal is to raise $7,000 and for every student to gather at least $40 in donations. The students will run laps on the upper playground track to earn their donations. You can start donating today at https://jogforbigt.com/donate
STEM Night Survey
If you attended STEM night last week, please take a few minutes to fill out this survey. Let us know what you enjoyed and what we can do better next year! Thank You!
Join us for Camp Invention this summer
During the week of May 27th - May 30th Big T is hosting camp invention! This is an amazing opportunity for students to engage in STEM learning!
The camp is $25. Here is the link: https://www.invent.org/program-search/camp-invention/co51/13603
Spring Picture Day! Class and Individual Pictures
2nd Grade Field Trip to the Morning Fresh Dairy
1,000 Eco Bricks needed
Annual Family Update
Opened 3/3/25 - Closes 4/25/25
Time to update your information for next year!
Attention Families! Thompson School District's 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐈𝐧 link for the 2025-2026 school year is now available on your Parent Portal. This yearly update is required for every student enrolled in Thompson School District for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents/guardians in the student’s primary household need to complete the application by reviewing and updating household, emergency contact, student health information and permissions via the link. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲-𝐭𝐨-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝'𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲. Accessing the Annual Family Check-In Link: https://www.tsd.org/enrollment/afc 1) Follow the instructions on the web page, to log into your Parent Portal account. 2) If you are not able to access your Portal account, please contact your student's school secretary/front office staff to request your username and/or password or contact the helpdesk@tsd.org or 970-613-7777 If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact your student's school secretary/front office staff. We greatly appreciate your support in ensuring that your students and family's information is accurate and complete.
Kindergarteners went to the Larimer County Landfill for a field trip
Help Prevent Stormwater Pollution
Summer Scholars Registration
Messages From The Office
* When your student is absent it is a good idea to reach out to their teacher to get work to do at home. However, still call the attendance line or email the office to excuse the absence. Teachers are busy and may not have time to let the office know that the absence was excused through them.
You can now excuse the absence through the parent portal if that is more convenient for you.
* If your student is absent due to an appointment, please get a medical note from the clinic and send it to the front office. Medical appointments with a note are the only absences the state of Colorado considers as excused for their count purposes.
* Remember, if you need to change how your student normally goes home please call or email the office before 2:30 PM. Stacey.faykosh@tsd.org or 970-613-5600
* Please remember that toys are to remain at home. They can be a distraction in the classroom and there are tears if the toy disappears.
**Small lost and found items are usually kept at the office.
100 Mile Club
Here is the link to see the club stats: https://chelsiwoodcoxphotography.my.canva.site/big-thompson-running-club
Healthy Kids Summer Fun Runs
Join the Healthy Kids summer fun runs. T-Shirts are limited so sign up early!
https://www.uchealth.org/services/community-health/healthy-kids/run-series/
Healthy Kids Club Monthly Newsletter
Upcoming Dates
CMAS TESTING (3-5 grades): April 7,8,10 and April 14, 15, 17
April 15 - Group and individual picture day
April 17 - 1st grade field trip
April 18 - Kindergarten and 5th grade field trip
April 22 - PTA dinner fundraising at Culvers 4:30 - 7:30
April 23 - Jog-A-Thon
April 24 - 4th grade field trip
April 25 - no school / Robotics scrimmage
May 1 - Volunteer appreciation
May 2 - Better World Day
May 5 - 8 - Bookfair
May 6 - 5th grade to visit Walt Clark
May 8 - 3rd grade field trip
May 13 - Field day
May 15 - Celebration of Learning
May 20 - Kindergarten science fair
May 21 - 5th grade to Spring Canyon Park
May 23 - Last day of school. 1/2 day. PTA end of year celebration at Mehaffey Park
Email: info.bigt@thompsonschools.org
Website: https://www.thompsonschools.org/BigThompson
Location: 7702 W Hwy 34, Loveland, CO, USA
Phone: 970-613-5600
Facebook: facebook.com/BigThompsonElementarySchoolofNatureandStem
PTA White Out Dance! Photos courtesy of Pam Jessen
Immunization Letter for 2025-2026 School Year
Preschool for 2025-2026
Preschool for 2025-2026
Are you interested in your child being ready for kindergarten? The Thompson School District's Integrated Early Childhood Program provides quality preschool experiences for three and four year olds at 15 different sites around the Loveland and Berthoud area.
If your child will be 3 or 4 years old by October 1, 2025, your child may be eligible to participate in the Thompson School District's Early Childhood Program. We ask all interested families to complete our Preschool Interest Form available on our preschool website. If you have any questions about our program, please call 970-613-5052.
School Year District Fees
School year District Fees have been added to your student's account. See the link below for how to pay online. You can also bring cash or check to the front office. If you bring cash, please bring the exact amount as we do not have change.
Number to call for school weather closures
School Closure Line
Linea de Cierre Escolar
(970) 613-6788
Pokemon Cards
NOCO Emergency Alert
Hi Principals! Larimer County Fire Departments have asked us to share this information. Please be sure to pass this information out to your families. This emergency alert will alert those who sign up for it with emergency notifications from Larimer county. Please text NOCOALERT to 888777.