Sept '26 Colt Round-Up

From the Principal

Hello Colts and Colt Families:

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year. At Thurston High School we want all students to have a sense of belonging on campus. Achieving that goal starts on the first day of school. It was fantastic to welcome back all of our students to campus!

To support all students, we had time in 1st period homeroom to build community and review schoolwide expectations for different areas of campus - with a focus on our personal electronics expectations which requires devices to be powered off and stored in a zipped bag, backpack, or locker for the full school day.

Tell us how your student’s first day of school went through this survey!

This month's newsletter is full of information to start the year strong.

Encourage your student to get involved! We host our first all school club rush next Friday, 9/18, during lunch in the main courtyard. Auditions for the winter musical, Seussical the Musical, start Monday, September 21st. Spirit Week is the week of Homecoming, September 21st through the 25th. Our first school dance, Homecoming, is Saturday, September 26th.

Campus feels focused. In class, students are engaging with peers and staff. Students are settling in to the classes they’ll have for the rest of Semester 1. Students are engaged in learning.

School and home are partners in supporting student success. Thank you for helping your student build a healthy routine so that they are here on-time and ready to learn each day. As this year progresses, please let us know if we can be of assistance to your child or to your family in any way.

We are glad you are a part of our Colt community,

Go Colts!

Principal Pelster

Thurston High School

Follow @thurstoncolts for campus highlights or at our new school website https://ths.springfield.k12.or.us/about

In Search of Chaperones - Sign-Up to Volunteer, 10/6, 10/7, or 10/27

There will be two large class field trips to support our curriculum at THS. On Tuesday, October 6th and Wednesday, October 7th, our 11th graders in NGSS Biology will be engaged in a field lab. On October 27th, we will be completing college visits with our Seniors. We are in search of chaperones who would enjoy spending time in the field with small groups of students. Our goal is 10 students in a group. This will require many helping hands. If you are willing to support us in taking these valuable trips into the field, please sign-up to chaperone. Any parents / guardians are welcome to register to chaperone.

Student ID Cards and Make-Up Photos - Friday, 9/18

Does your student still need their student id card for the 2026-27 academic year? More than 1000 students took their school photo at the Rodeo. Make-up photos for yearbook and school IDs are on Friday, 9/18. Students will need to show their student ID to exit campus at lunch, and to enter school events like Homecoming. Re-takes will be in October. Place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT8JSBH7.

Month at-a Glance

9/18 - ID Photos
9/18 - Club Rush at lunch
9/21 - Musical Auditions begin
9/21-9/25 - Spirit Week
9/24 - Beyond High School - Senior Night, 7:00 p.m. in the THS Library
9/24 - Homecoming Assembly (S-Schedule)
9/24 - Last Day to Add Classes
9/25 - Early Release Friday
9/26 - Homecoming Dance, 8:00 p.m. at THS
9/29 - Schoolwide Latework Deadline

Recommended Actions

Locate our bell schedule and A/B calendar on our website, here
Place your order for school photos on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT8JSBH7.
Purchase ASB membership ($35) and access athletic events for free and receive discounts on dances and student activities, including the Homecoming game and dance
Donate to our school supply fund
Register to volunteer or chaperone at THS
Sign-up to be a community responder for our THS Family Resource Center

In this newsletter

Get Involved
Homecoming
<Save the Date> Beyond High School Night for Seniors and Senior Families 9/24 at 7 p.m.
Attendance 101
Electronics Policy
Hall Pass Expectations
Thurston Family Resource Center - Be a Community Responder

In every Round-Up:

Contact Us

We Are Colts: Caring. Brave. Prepared.

We are all Colts: Thurston High School is a caring community dedicated to developing caring and brave graduates prepared for a future of their choosing.

Get Involved

Our goal is for every student to feel connected to our Thurston High School community. We encourage all students to get involved in student life.

Athletic contests are underway and our athletes are working hard on and off the field. Find our fall sports schedules here. Our theater department will hold auditions for the fall musical - Seussical the Musical - beginning September 21st. On Friday, September 18th we will host our fall club rush. If students don’t see a club or activity they want to join, students can start their own club by picking up a form in the main office, finding 10 other like minded peers, and submitting their club for approval with our ASB.

Homecoming

Homecoming season is just around the corner - September 21st - September 25th. We are looking forward to the festivities that make this such a fun week here on campus. Voting for Homecoming Court will happen during homeroom advisory.

Spirit Week

Themes will be announced on campus in advisory and through our spirit week banner in the main courtyard September 16th so students can plan and prepare to dress up and show their class spirit. Students will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for participation.

Homecoming Pep Assembly

Freshman prepared for our first all school pep assembly on Freshman Day. We are always excited for our assemblies as a key way to build campus spirit and pride. As a reminder, assemblies are a required part of our curriculum and attendance is required. We do have a quiet area available for students who struggle with loud crowds. Encourage your student to celebrate their peers and participate in this fun, community centered celebration.

Homecoming Dance

We hope that your student plans to join us for our first school dance: Homecoming. This formal dance is on Saturday, September 26th from 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria. This event is a school event and is drug and alcohol free. Guest forms are available in Student Services and are due no later than September 18th. Tickets go on sale beginning Wednesday, September 16th. Keep an eye out for information on Spirit Week fun and our dance theme on @thurstonhsasb for instagram posts related to ASB Sponsored events and activities.

<Save the Date> Beyond High School Planning Night

We will be having a post-high school planning night for seniors and their families. This will provide an overview of how to prepare to apply to college and post-high school training programs. The event will be held on September 24th at 7:00 p.m. in the library.

From the Student Services Office

Attendance 101 - Do I need to call if my student is absent? Please do!

Student attendance matters. Students who attend regularly (no more than 1 absence per month) have the best chance of academic success. This year, automatic calls will be made when students are absent. Families are encouraged to proactively communicate with the school attendance office at 541-744-5027 or email at ths-attendance@springfield.k12.or.us.

Athletes and performers, remember, you must be at school to compete or perform!

Parents / guardians contact student services to check students out for appointments. Students will receive a call slip to student services, prompting them to check out. This ensures accurate attendance for your student and that all students are accounted for. Students who have an appointment (doctor, orthodontist, etc.) can bring an appointment verification slip to update their attendance to reflect “doctor.”

Contact Your Student via Student Services

Parents / guardians can send urgent messages to their student through student services office. We are able to send a note directly to the student during class. Students also have access to a landline in student services to contact home if needed.

Parent-Student Handbook and Highlights

Students had the opportunity to learn about school wide policies from the student handbook in advisory.

Two important policies that help students prioritize their learning and class time are reducing distractions from cell phones and using hall passes appropriately.

Electronic (phones, headphones) Policy

Your student’s learning is important to us. We updated our policy based on parent and staff inputand in alignment with the statewide ban on personal electronic devices in schools. To ensure that we are fostering a learning environment that is free from distraction, students are expected to keep their personal electronics turned off and stored not on their person (e.g. in a zipped bag, backpack, or locker) from 8:00 a.m. - 3:05 p.m. This includes Phones, Headphones, Smart Watches, Smart Glasses. For more information, please see our handbook: https://ths.springfield.k12.or.us/families-community

We are also reminding students that using a Chromebook during instructional time without prior permission by staff, or who use the device in ways that cause a disruption to the educational process, may lose access to the device and will face disciplinary consequences.

Please help encourage your student to be focused on learning during class time.

Hall Pass Policy

To ensure students are using campus resources appropriately, and prioritizing their learning time, students are expected to utilize hall passes on a limited basis for urgent needs only. Students are expected to remain in the area their hall pass matches - to the water fountain and bathroom closest to their classroom.

Resources on Campus

Thurston Family Resource Center - Be a Community Responder

Our family resource center and Thurston thrift have been busy this first week of school. We flew through our supply of SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS in the first two days of classes. We have given away over 200 pieces of CLOTHING. Students in need of weeknight or weekend food packs can sign up for this resource.

If you have high school friendly clothing/toiletries/school supplies you would like to DONATE, they are gladly accepted. Drop off in the main office or sign in to bring them to the FRC directly.

Are you willing to be a community responder for our Thurston High School students? Community responders receive alerts for specific needs of our school and for specific students submitted by Thurston High School staff. Sign up to SERVE our Thurston community here - http://www.15thnight.org/volunteer-form Thank you for helping be part of our community safety net here in T-town.

<repeat> Free Meals for All Students Continue

All students receive free meals on campus this year. Students can pick up a FREE meal in the cafeteria. Breakfast is served before school from 7:35 a.m. - 7:55 a.m. and again from 9:25 a.m. - 9:35 a.m. Lunch is served from 11:25 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. See the daily menu here.