Thompson Friday Forecast

November 16, 2018

From the Principal...Steve Morrill

STUDENT CONFERENCES

Next week is your opportunity to take part in conferences at Thompson Middle School. Your student’s grade level and team determine the type of conference you will be participating in. Students participating in student-led conferences have been working hard in preparation, while teachers have been thoroughly preparing as well. This time of the year provides a great chance to communicate with your child’s teachers and hear about how things are going at Thompson. Making a connection between home and school is a significant, contributing factor to student success. By attending these conferences and communicating with your child’s teachers throughout the year, you are sending a strong message to your child that education is important. Although next Monday and Tuesday are specifically identified as conference days, please know that we encourage parent/teacher conferences any time the need arises.

Thank you in advance to the PTO for providing our staff dinner at both centers on Monday night during conferences. We appreciate all that you do for us!

PARENT FEEDBACK FOR STUDENT CONFERENCES

We are looking forward to meeting with our families during conference week! One way to provide us feedback after your conference is to fill out a brief survey. This link will also be sent to families via a ParentLink message. If you need any assistance filling out the survey, please stop by the main office in either building.

Our next Friday Forecast will come out in two weeks on Friday, November 30th.

I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

~Steve

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PTO Fundraiser

Don't Forget to stop by Chili's in South Elgin or St. Charles starting November 23rd! Just show your Dine to Donate Voucher (you can even show it on your phone) and the Thompson PTO will receive 15% of your total! You can find the voucher on the PTO website too! Dine in or Carry out! Such an easy way to earn the school money!

Thompson 6th Grade Center Book Fair

Be sure to visit the Thompson 6th Grade Center Book Fair through Monday, November 19th in the Thompson 6th Grade Building Learning Resource Center. Hours next Monday are 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. All proceeds are funded directly to the LRC for student and staff reading materials and resources. Remember, books make excellent holiday gifts...no tech support needed. Click on the preview video for a glimpse of just some of the AWESOME titles coming our way!

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Toys for Kids

The Salvation Army is sponsoring a Toys For Kids program. Please consider purchasing an unwrapped toy for a child and placing it in the toy collection box in our main foyers by Friday, December 7th. See the attached flyer for their wish list, ways to make monetary donations, and opportunities to volunteer.

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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!

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. Thank you for your support!

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Lost and Found

Our lost and found is overflowing! Please encourage your child to check in the cafeterias or the locker rooms to see if anything belongs to him/her! Or stop by during conference week! We will be donating these items after Thanksgiving Break.

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Khan Academy and our math books are aligned!

Khan Academy and our math books, Illustrative Mathematics - Open Up Math, are now aligned! Students can access videos, quizzes and extra practice online anytime linked to their lessons in class. This is a great resource to study for a test, to make up work when absent, and to get some extra fluency practice. Students have created accounts in their math classrooms.

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/illustrative-math

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New Thompson Spiritwear

The PTO is offering new winter Thompson Thunder Spiritwear! Click here to see the selections and prices. They are also discounting all sweatshirts and hoodies on the webstore by $5 for the holidays. Please contact the PTO Spiritwear Chairman if you have questions!

Go Thompson Thunder!!!

Parent University - Talking to your Child about the Dangers of Drug & Alcohol Use

On December 4, 2018, Matthew Quinn, Licensed Counselor from Rosecrance will be our guest at a Parent University program entitled, "Talking to your Child about the Dangers of Drug and Alcohol Use." This important Parent University program will take place at St. Charles North High School in Room 302 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.

Research shows that when parents talk to their children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and set expectations with open lines of communication, that children are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.

Mr. Quinn will provide parents with information and resources that will:

>Help them identify major risk factors for drug use among youth/adolescents
>Teach them the signs of drug use and appropriate responses
>Provide them with tools to implement practical steps that prevent children from gaining access to opioid drugs
>Increase awareness of trends and current terminology surrounding drug use
>Gain awareness of the long term health effects of vaping and e-cigarettes

The abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs are the leading cause of preventable accidents, premature death and disability among young people. While today's youth are among the most vulnerable in our communities for experiencing these adverse effects, research demonstrates that parent awareness and influence is critical in prevention and in getting the right help.

As part of this program, Nicole Cook, Mrs. America 2019 will share her personal story on how opioid abuse impacted her family in a tragic way.

Please click here to register.

Please click here to view all of the upcoming Parent University offerings.

Parent University - Mindful Parenting Book Study

Between school pressures, extracurricular activities, homework, and demanding careers, it’s hard to find time just to get dinner on the table. In Mindful Parenting, child and family psychologist Dr. Kristen Race speaks directly to today’s busy families who make up what she calls “Generation Stress” and presents an alternative – a mindful approach. Drawing on the latest research, she shows how mindfulness helps us – and our children – feel happier, healthier, calmer, less anxious, less stressed, and more focused. Come discuss the book with your fellow parents.

As part of the book study discussions, we will explore:

How the brain works and why parents and kids today are more stressed, anxious, and angry than ever before.
Practical solutions that parents can do to create a more relaxed and happier home.

Not able to attend the face-to-face discussions? No problem! We will be offering virtual discussion threads so that people can connect from home. Information about virtual discussion links will be sent to participants in January.

Can’t come to all book discussions? No problem! Feel free to join any or all of the discussions.

All parents who register will receive a copy of the book. Books may be picked up on December 10 in the Administration Center, 201 S. 7th Street, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. or 5:30-6:30 p.m. If you are unable to pick up your book on December 10, please contact Dr. Cindy Ruesch at cindy.ruesch@d303.org.

Book discussions will take place in both a morning and an evening session on the following dates:

February 7--Part I: Today's Family
9:15 a.m. at the St. Charles Public Library in the Carnegie Room
6:30 p.m. at Fox Ridge in the LRC

February 21--Part II: Simplify: Finding and Eliminating Stressors
9:15 a.m. at the St. Charles Public Library in the Carnegie Room
6:30 p.m. at Fox Ridge in the LRC

March 7--Part III: Mindfulness: Increasing Your Inner Resiliency
9:15 a.m. at the St. Charles Public Library in the Carnegie Room
6:30 p.m. at Fox Ridge in the LRC

To register, please click here by November 30, 2018.

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6th Grade Homework Lab

Hey 6th Graders! Do you have a missing assignment because you missed a class? Did you get behind on your homework? Need help reviewing for a quiz? OR Do you just want some time and space to organize your stuff?

Homework Lab is the place where you can do all of that every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:45-8:15 am in room 121 at the 6th grade center. Hope to see you soon!

Homework Helper at the 7/8 Center

Homework Helper continues in the North Computer lab of the 7th/8th grade center! Students can bring their class materials and work on homework, projects, or do make-ups of tests and quizzes. Mrs. Minuth and Ms. Romano will be there to help students with anything they wish to work on. There will be special Spanish help on Thursdays with Ms. Romano for all levels of Spanish. We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 - 4:30 pm in the North Computer Lab at the 7th/8th grade center. Activity buses will arrive at 4:30 pm to take students to their nearest elementary school. Come get some homework help!

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.