Thompson Friday Forecast

January 14, 2022

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

As we move through the month of January, my internal clock begins to tick regarding the opening of the next school year. This month, parents and guardians of middle school students for the 2022-2023 school year will be asked to complete middle school elective forms.

Completing this elective form with your child is an opportunity to talk with your middle schooler about their future. We anticipate that these forms will be distributed the week of January 24th and we will send out a ParentLink message letting you know that they are coming home.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Tuesday is a teacher institute day. On Tuesday teachers will be learning with colleagues in the morning and the afternoon will be used for training on instructional software that will be implemented next fall.

We will see students back at school next Wednesday! Enjoy your long weekend!

Steve

Attention All 8th Grade Students/Families!

Next week is 8th Grade registration for high school courses. 8th grade students will meet with their counselors to discuss the courses they are planning to take next year. Please click here to access the registration meeting information and forms.

If students have any questions regarding registration, please reach out to their prospective high school. Thank you!

TMS Homework Lab

Homework Lab is a great place for students needing a quiet location to get work done after school. The Homework Lab is open for 2nd semester and below are the remaining dates, and additional information, for the months of January and February.

Jan 20th
Jan 27th
Feb 1st
Feb 8th
Feb 17th
Feb 24th

Time: 3:45-4:30

Place: Room #235

Facilitators: Miss Romano and Mrs Polillo

Please note that students can take the activity bus to the nearest elementary school to their home. We hope that you will come join us in the Homework Lab!

TMS Health Office Donations

On occasion, students come to the Health Office and need more than an ice pack or a band-aide. While we keep a limited supply on hand, we do need to replenish these items periodically. We would appreciate your donations. Click on the link below. Thank you for your generosity!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4BACAD22A3FB6-donations

Middle School Top Chef Cooking Contest

Attention all Thompson student chefs! The 13th annual Top Chef Cooking Contest is looking for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who love to cook and are interested in showcasing their cooking talents at the Top Chef Cooking Contest scheduled for March 5th at St. Charles East High School.

For more information please plan to attend an informational meeting after school this coming Thursday, January 20th from 3:45-4:15 pm in the Thompson LRC. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please email Ms. Mortensen for the google classroom code where you can access the information that we will share.

i-Ready Winter Diagnostic Reports

Attention All Parents/Guardians:

The i-Ready Winter Diagnostic Reports for both Math and Reading are being sent home with your child today, so be on the lookout. You will find the following information included with the two diagnostic reports:

A letter from Mr. Dave Chiszar, Director of Assessment and Accountability, that explains the i-Ready diagnostic report and what is being included in the documents sent home.
A “How Do I Read the Diagnostic Reports” document that will support you as you look at the data.

Should you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor. Please click here to access the counselor information.

Thompson Yearbooks

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 21-22 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, 2021. We are extending the due date for ordering books to Friday, January 21, 2022. Contact Kim Walters (kimberly.walters@d303 or 331-228-6410) if you have any questions or need financial assistance.

Upcoming Parent University Programs

iGen: Understanding the Smartphone Generation presented by Jean M. Twenge
February 9, 2022 at 6:30pm via Zoom
Click here to register - If you cannot attend, you will be able to view a recoding of this presentation which will be posted on the District website.

With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born after 1995, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them. Members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation—and the world.

Jean M. Twenge, is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and six books, the latest of which is iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

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Important Safety Reminder for TMS Parents

When it comes to issues that concern students and/or school safety, “If you see something, say something - immediately”. On a school day during staffed hours (7:30 am - 4:00 pm), the student, parent, or community member should call the school and/or seek an administrator ASAP for prompt action. If this information emerges outside of the school day, please call 911 immediately. The safety and wellbeing of our Thompson community is always our top priority!

E-Learning Plan and Emergency Days

The School Board has approved an E-Learning plan that gives the district the option to offer remote learning in place of emergency days. Currently, our last day of school is Tuesday, May 24, which is the week before Memorial Day. As we move into the winter months, we want to update you on the plan for how the district will manage emergency days and e-learning days.

If we experience inclement weather, the first three days will be “snow days” that will be made up at the end of the school year on May 25, 26, and 27 as needed.
Subsequent emergency days will be remote days so the last attendance day will still be before Memorial Day.
If there is a long stretch of inclement weather (blizzard, polar vortex, etc.), we may split the days into “snow days” and e-learning days so as to not have too many non-attendance days in a row.

TMS Administrator and Staff Contacts