Thompson Friday Forecast
May 22, 2020
From the Principal...Steve Morrill
Administrative Change at Thompson
It is my pleasure to announce that Mrs. Michelle Dague, current Wredling Middle School Assistant Principal, will be joining my administrative team next year replacing Sarah Cann who is moving to a district level position. Mrs. Dague is a former Thompson teacher and brings with her a significant amount of experience working with middle school students and their families. Welcome Mrs. Dague!
Thank You to Our PTO
I would like to personally thank the PTO for all of their support this year. You have amazed me with your generous gift of time and financial assistance all year long. Thank you to all!
8th Grade Farewell
As we say goodbye to our 8th graders, I encourage parents to get your children involved in high school activities from the get-go. Find something they like and insist on helping them to make a connection with a group outside of the academic day. In doing so, students find a connection with an adult advisor and other kids with common interests. This has proven to enhance the high school experience. Enjoy the high school years!
Wrap-Up
We have experienced a unique ending to a very interesting school year. I would like to take a moment to thank all of the Thompson stakeholders for your flexibility, perseverance, and focus on learning during this year, and most recently during this time of remote learning. My hope is that, years down the road, we will all look back at this time in history and be proud of both our individual and organizational responses to this historic challenge.
We will publish one more Friday Forecast next week highlighting some of our students and staff members. As the summer progresses, be on the lookout for district communication regarding the status and plans for the 2020-2021 school year.
Enjoy your summer break; Be Safe!
~Steve
School Supplies for Next Year
Our PTO has teamed up with School Tool Box to give you the option of purchasing pre-packaged school supplies for next year. Place your order online and it will be delivered directly to your home address. You will have the option to customize your order by adding or removing items. Be sure to place your order early to allow plenty of time for your supplies to be shipped to your home before supply drop off day. Please use this link (https://schooltoolbox.com/school-supplies/) to place your order. Please see this flyer for more information.
School supply lists for next year can be found on the Thompson registration page by clicking here.
Please call the main office if you have any questions at (331) 228-3100!
School Fees & Food Waivers for 2020-2021
SCHOOL FEES WAIVER: The school fees waiver will ONLY be a PAPER application since there is financial documentation required for income verification. A family can only qualify for a free waiver of fees; there are no reduced fees. The application will be located on the district website in July. Questions regarding school fee waivers - Sharon Wlezien at 331-228-5417
FOOD WAIVER: Only one application needs to be completed for each household. Please include ALL family members that live in the household (even those not attending a school). In July, ONLINE applications will be posted on the district website. In addition, paper applications will be available at the schools and the Administration Building as in years past. Unlike the school fees, families can qualify for Reduced. Questions regarding food waivers - Patti Townsend 331-228-6529
A few things to note:
● Free/Reduced applications will be sent by mail during July to each household who previously qualified for the program.
● Families directly certified by the State of Illinois for the 2020-2021 school year will receive FREE FOOD and their FEES will be WAIVED. If your family is qualified by the state, do NOT need to complete either application. You will receive an approval letter in the mail.
Summer Food Service
As we move into the summer months, District 303 is extending our grab and go meal service at each of our 6 locations. As part of this communication, you will find an updated schedule of days when meals will be available for any student in the district who needs them.
From now until May 29, we will operate on the same schedule that we have used throughout the spring. However, we will not be serving meals on Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.
Beginning on June 1, we will operate on Mondays and Thursdays only. Students will receive
three meals on Mondays and two meals on Thursdays. Please refer to the list below for specific locations and times of service.
Thompson Middle School, 705 W. Main Street
9:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Monday and Thursday
Anderson Elementary School, 35W071 Villa Marie Rd.
9:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Monday and Thursday
Wasco Elementary School, 4N782 School Street, Wasco
10:00 - 10:45 a.m. - Monday and Thursday
A District 303 bus will deliver meals to the front of the school.
Cumberland Green Cooperative (1798 Cumberland Green-Office Lot near court #1)
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Monday and Thursday
A District bus will deliver meals to the office parking lot at 1798 Cumberland.
Prairie Point Apartments, 1820 Wessel Court
10:00 - 10:30 a.m.- Monday and Thursday
A District 303 bus will deliver meals to the park facing the road at the front entrance (Entrance nearest to Randall Road).
The Crossings, 1690 Covington
10:40 - 11:10 a.m. - Monday and Thursday.
A District 303 bus will deliver meals to the area near the clubhouse.
St. Charles Place, 15th Street and Indiana
11:20 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Monday and Thursday
A District 303 bus will deliver meals to an area in front of the apartment complex.
As we progress through the summer, we will send families additional information and reminders about the district’s meal service program.
Dig Deeper! Read, Investigate and Discover with Your Library
Summer Reading is almost here!
The St. Charles Public Library District invites kids to read a little bit every day to keep up their reading skills outside of the school year. They can pick up a book in any format- print or digital, and they can read or be read to. If a kid reads 20 minutes each weekday for the ten weeks of the program, he or she will reach 1000 minutes by August 2nd!
Starting May 26th, visit our website or scpld.readsquared.com to sign up and start logging minutes online. Kids receive a virtual badge for every 100 minutes logged! Complete an online mission each week and earn additional minutes.
At 1000 minutes, kids are eligible for a book prize and an entry in our Grand Prize Drawing. There will be five gift baskets in the drawing- each focused on a different area: Reading, Science, Art, Video Games, and Legos. For a short movie highlighting the program, visit our Youtube channel.
Additionally, we are excited to announce that the St. Charles Public Library will be offering library cards to all District 303 students! Every student who attends a District 303 school will be eligible to get their own library card. Parents will opt in for a student card when they do online registration. Please note that only students will be able to get a library card. Parents, or other family members who do not attend school are ineligible to receive a card.
A library card will give you access to all our ebooks and eresources while our public space is closed. You can access all the information on what we have available at scpld.org/ebooks.
We are so excited to offer this invaluable resource to our students at District 303. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Stulgate, 630-549-8971.
Stress and COVID-19: A Course for Teens
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Lessons
Thank you for engaging in the weekly Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. Across the past five weeks, parents and students have engaged in learning around each of the CASEL core competencies connected to SEL which are:
Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.
Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.
Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.
Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.
Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.
This has been a very different school year. The collaborative relationship between home and school, established and made stronger by this health crisis, has supported students' ability to continue to come together to learn and grow. Remote learning has taken a toll on students and adults. As you enter the summer months, know D303 staff continue to be accessible to you. Do not hesitate to reach out via Let’s Talk or by connecting with your building administration. All previous SEL lessons are available through the D303 Remote Learning for Students. We are hopeful the resources shared will be a continued support to parents/guardians and children across the summer months. If you have any questions on the information provided or are seeking additional support for yourself or child, please contact Patti Palagi, Director Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org or (331-228-6457).
Additional resources to support you over the summer months are included here:
Coping During Times of Uncertainty
Self Care is defined as the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress (Additional resources: Self Care: CDC, 40 Things You Should Do for Yourself During Self-Quarantine, 25 Simple Self-Care Tools for Parents and Parents Self-Care: Prioritizing Your Own Well-Being Benefits your Whole Family
Important Notice Regarding Health Requirements for the 2020-2021 School Year
Pandemic EBT Application Available
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched the Pandemic EBT application for families on May 1 at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/. P-EBT is a new special benefit that can help families buy food for their school age children who would normally receive National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free or reduced-priced meals when schools are in session. All families with school age children who attend schools approved for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) are eligible for the benefits as they receive NSLP meals at no charge.
Families that currently receive SNAP benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits. These additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded into Illinois LINK EBT accounts along with regular SNAP benefits. Families who do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive NSLP free or reduced-priced meals will need to apply directly with IDHS. The fastest way for families to receive benefits is to complete the application for P-EBT available online (Click “Apply for Benefits” at the link.) A paper application in English and Spanish is also available and can be submitted by email to DHS.FCS.PEBT@illinois.gov. IDHS created a flyer to help families with the application process. We are asking NSLP sponsors to share this flyer with their families.
ISBE is working in partnership with IDHS to ensure that this validation is available for all NSLP sponsors, both public and non-public. Thank you to all the schools that participate in the NSLP for submitting data by the April 17 deadline. We are asking that you please continue to verify that count, so that all families who are eligible can access the additional financial support provided by P-EBT. Instructions for this crucial verification can be found online.
If NSLP sponsors need assistance with the data submission/update, please email the ISBE Nutrition Department at cnp@isbe.net. If families need technical assistance with the application, please direct them to email IDHS at DHS.FCS.PEBT@illinois.gov.
Nutrition Department, Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. First St., Springfield, IL 62777
cnp@isbe.net, www.isbe.net/nutrition
Diane Morrill Scholarship Fund
As you know, Principal Morrill recently lost his wife Diane to cancer. Diane was a music/orchestra teacher for Addison District 4 for many years. A scholarship fund to support District 4 students who participate in orchestra has been established in Diane's name. If you are interested in contributing, please click on this link for more information.
Please keep Steve and his sons in your thoughts!
Online Registration for Next Year
Returning Student Registration for 2020-2021 has moved to an online format that opened on Monday, April 27th. In years past, parents completed the necessary paperwork in paper format. This year, all acknowledgments and authorizations are contained in a single electronic, online registration form that will be easily accessible from most electronic devices (computer, Chromebook, and Smartphones).
Parents can sign into the Returning Student Online Registration form using their Home Access Center (HAC) credentials, select individual students, and complete their registration. The form is located in the Parents/Community menu of the District website and on Thompson’s website under Parents/Registration Materials.
Registration fees for elementary and middle school are available in PushCoin and billed to reflect the early bird discount of $10.00 if paid by May 22nd. High School fees will be available in June. For families who may qualify for a fee waiver, and are not directly certified by the state, a 2020-2021 district fee waiver application will be available on the District 303 website in July, accessible from the Parent/Community menu.
Please contact the main office if you have any questions at (331) 228-3100!
Administrator and Office Assistance
Although the administrators and office staff are following the governor’s stay-at-home order, we are still available to answer questions and assist you when needed. Please call the main office at (331) 228-3100 or email one of the administrators. We are here for you!
- 6th Grade Assistant Principal - Shane Darnell
- 7th Grade Assistant Principal - Grant Montgomery
- 8th Grade Assistant Principal - Sarah Cann
- Principal - Steve Morrill
Dates to Remember
- Friday, May 22 - Last day for Early Bird discount for 2020-2021 fees
- Friday, May 22 - Last Day of School
- Monday, June 1 - Grades posted in HAC
- Wednesday, August 12 - First Day of School
Thompson Middle School
Mrs. Sarah Cann - Assistant Principal
Mr. Shane Darnell - Assistant Principal
Mr. Grant Montgomery - Assistant Principal
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/