Thompson Friday Forecast

Today marks the end of almost two weeks of e-Learning for our students! Teachers and administrators are impressed with the commitment of our students and families to this new way of learning. Please continue to reach out to your child’s teachers if you have specific questions. Next week is Spring Break and our hope is that you relax and enjoy family time! E-Learning will resume on Monday, April 6th.

Thank you for your continued flexibility and feedback as we navigate this unique learning environment.

Sad News

It is with sadness that I share the news that Diane Morrill, Steve's wife, passed away on Wednesday morning after a courageous battle with cancer. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Click here to view her obituary.

Please keep Steve and their sons Griffin and Jack in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Sarah Cann

Assistant Principal

D303 tech support offerings over spring break will be somewhat reduced.

• Live Chat will remain available for staff and families M-F from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

• Phone support is also available at (331) 228-4357. Staff and families should leave a message and expect a timely call back during business hours.

• The Helpdesk ticketing system is also available for staff.

Device Exchange for families and staff at Thompson will NOT be available during Spring Break and will resume on April 6th.

These are unprecedented times, and it's inspiring to see communities rising to the challenge. However, not everyone has the resources to "shelter in place" especially the millions of people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Living paycheck to paycheck is hard when millions of businesses around the nation are closing down indefinitely, and hourly workers (including those dependent upon tips) are the hardest hit. In particular, families with kids whose primary meals happen at school are especially vulnerable when those schools shut down.

With this in mind, Expensify.org is going to temporarily redirect all of its charitable funds to Expensify.org/hunger. With its ability to reimburse volunteers directly in real-time, Expensify.org is uniquely positioned to help families in need immediately. Until today, this fund was focused on paying off kids' "lunch debts" , but with schools closed around the nation, that isn't the top priority. Instead, we're devoting everything to a new program: matching SNAP grocery purchases up to $50 per family. It works like this:

1. Purchase food as normal with your SNAP card
2. Download Expensify on iOS or Android, for free
3. Join the Expensify.org/hunger policy
4. SmartScan the receipt, which will tell us how much you paid and show that it was paid for with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card
5. Submit it to volunteer@expensify.org
6. Set up your bank account to receive the funds
7. So long as we have funds available, we will reimburse up to $50 per family (one time), the very next day.

To be clear, we can't commit to reimbursing every single person in need — we have no idea how many people will do this, and unfortunately, we don't have unlimited funds. We also don't know how long this crisis will last and how far our brand new charity's resources will stretch. But we're going to do what we can with the funds donated on behalf of Expensify Cardholders via the Karma Points feature, as well as by the extremely generous donors who have signed up for our Corporate and Personal Karma programs.

This is a truly global crisis, and it is only beginning. We all need to work together to weather the storm, and on behalf of Expensify.org's many generous members, we're eager to help.

-david

President of Expensify.org

This message is a reminder to elementary school families that the Intra-District transfer window for the 2020-2021 school year opens on April 7 at 8:00 a.m.

For the 2020-2021 school year, ALL elementary students have been assigned to their attendance area school by the District. This includes elementary students currently attending a school on an intra-district transfer.

An Intra-District Transfer Request must be submitted online no sooner than 8:00 a.m. on the first Tuesday following spring break (April 7, 2020) and no later than 4:00 p.m. on the third Monday following (April 20). A link to the request form will be posted on the District 303 web page (district.d303.org) by 8:00 a.m. on April 7.

If you are requesting a transfer for more than one child, a separate request must be submitted for each. Due to fluctuating class sizes at schools and each grade level, siblings are not guaranteed placement. If granted, transportation is the responsibility of the parents.

If you have questions about the process, please call the District office at 331.228.2000.

The PTO webstore to purchase Thunder spiritwear is now open until April 6th! Please click here to view the options provided by The Hairy Ant. Items will be delivered to Thompson by April 14th.

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 19-20 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, 2019. Contact Kim Walters (kimberly.walters@d303.org or 331-228-6410) if you have any questions or need financial assistance. Or stop in the main office during conferences!

• Monday, March 30 - Friday, April 3 - Spring Break
  
• Monday, April 6 - e-Learning continues for students
  
• Monday, April 13 - Start of the M6 Health Rotation

Mrs. Sarah Cann - Assistant Principal

Mr. Shane Darnell - Assistant Principal

Mr. Grant Montgomery - Assistant Principal

Let's Talk!

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/