September Newsletter
September 30, 2024
Hello Thurston Elementary Families,
It has been a great start to the new school year. Routines are being established, fall benchmarking is complete, instructional groups have started and we are back in the swing of day to day activities.
A good routine to start at the beginning of the school year is to think about the questions you ask your student when they get home. Oftentimes, when you ask “How was your day?” you will get a general answer of “Fine.” What you ask can help children think about more specific things from their day. Maybe that is kindness to others, working through a tough situation, recognizing when they need to ask for help, telling you about a new friend they have made, and so much more.
Here are some suggestions for questions you can ask your student after school.
Taken from, 50 Questions To Ask Your Kids Instead of Asking “How was your day?”
1. Did you fill someone’s bucket today? Did someone fill yours?
2. Who did you sit with at lunch?
3. Did you help anyone today? How?
4. Tell me something you learned today that you didn’t know yesterday.
5. What made you feel proud?
6. When did you need help today? What did you do?
7. Does everyone have a friend during recess?
8. What would you like to learn more about at school?
9. What is the best thing that happened today?
10. If I called your teacher, what would they tell me about you as a student and as a friend?
Warm Regards,
Amber Mitchell, Principal
If you would like to stay up to date on the latest announcements and TES events, check out the links below.
Schools regularly hold safety drills so students know what to do in the event of an emergency.
We had opportunities to teach and practice some of those safety-related procedures during the week of September 23-27. A fire drill, an earthquake drill, bus evacuation drill, and lockout procedures were taught and practiced this week.
We hope this intentional practice will help students know how to be prepared in the unlikely event of a real emergency. If you have questions about any of these drills, please feel free to contact your child's teacher.
Our annual Open House will be October 17, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Bring your students, who will take you on a tour of our school and their classroom and introduce you to their teacher. You will find this a great opportunity to see the school, talk to the teacher, and find out about what students are learning and doing in the classroom. This is a family friendly event, so everyone is welcome to join. We hope to see you there!
Thank you so much for a great start to the school year. As a reminder, please pull all the way forward at drop-off and pick-up, so we can fit as many vehicles as possible in our drive-through lanes. At the end of the day, we will direct your child to meet you, wherever you may be in line. Follow the directions of adults and Safety Patrol students. Together we will make this somewhat challenging part of our day work!
Please call the office by 9:30 a.m. to let us know when and why your child will be absent. Also, we try to have consistent after-school plans for each student. If your child's after-school arrangement is different than usual (i.e. being picked up at school rather than riding the bus), please let us know by 2 p.m., so that we can get a message to your child in a timely manner. The office phone number is 541-744-6411.
Learn to Ride a Bike - A Free, All Ages, Drop-In Event For Not-Yet-Riders! (flyer linked here)
Monday, October 7, 4:30-6:30 pm, 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe St, Eugene
Do you or your child want to learn how to ride a bike? Join 4J, Bethel, and Springfield Safe Routes to School programs, the City of Eugene, the City of Springfield, and Shift Community Cycles for this fun event with bike checks, free helmets and information about bike share.
We’ll start with balancing and gliding without pedals or training wheels. Some will learn to pedal in one session, while others may need more practice to reach that final goal. You don’t need your own bike to participate, but please bring a helmet and bike if you have one. Contact Safe Routes to School at mazze_s@4j.lane.edu or albee_b@4j.lane.edu with questions or to volunteer.
For a number of years, TES has teamed up with area agencies for Socktober, in a month-long event designed to provide socks for those less fortunate. Your child can bring new or very gently used socks to donate; we'll have a bin set up outside the office all month to collect their contributions. It's another opportunity for our kids to learn the value of community service and helping others!
Volunteers are an important part of a child's school experience. Whether it's helping a child with reading or math in the classroom, going on a field trip, working on teacher projects at home, participating in Heroes of the Hallway, popping popcorn, or any number of other needs around the school, you are needed!
All previous SPS volunteers cleared through the Raptor application need to be renewed by September 30th, 2024. After that, they'll be good for two years.
Visit https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/MzU2ODplbi1VUw== to apply.
Meet our TES PTG board:
President - Brianne Jenkins
Vice-President - Erin Chamberlin
Treasurer - Angie York
Secretary - Ivanna Ramsdal
If you need to contact our board, you can reach them at tesptg@gmail.com
Heroes of the Hallway is a fun opportunity for dads, grandpas, and other father figures to come into the school. As one of our Heroes, you can volunteer in a classroom or on specific days participate in special activities with our students and other Heroes! Contact Collin Waldahl for more information.
