Dear Big T Families,

Happy Veteran’s Day! Thank you to all veterans for your service. Big T appreciates you!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our annual Chili Supper and Silent Auction! Big Thompson Elementary has such great community support and the Chili Supper/ Silent Auction is always a fun time to see and reconnect with everyone. We had so many great volunteers who donated their time and energy to make this event successful. Thank you to all volunteers and the Big T PTA for all of your hard work. Our fifth grade helpers did a wonderful job and were great representatives for Big T.

Our goal for this fundraiser was $25,000. We are grateful for all who support our school. Our final numbers are being tallied and we will have those results soon. Early numbers show us at $20,000! We are grateful!

Our 5th grade class has been working really hard on creating the Big T Rams News. Here is the link if you would like to see what they created: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12rkmB-xj25RO0iJhrC5vsaCU1xZXElXF/view?usp=sharing_eil_m&ts=63651614

An attendance reminder: If your student is out due to an appointment or visits the doctor when they are sick, please get a doctor’s note and send it to the front office. The time absent covered in the note does not count against your student’s attendance.

Remember November is the Philo food collection drive. Please drop off packaged food in the boxes outside of the classroom doors.

Have a great weekend,

Sarah Walgast

Principal

Mind Time is back at Big T! This small group instructional program has shown huge success in test scores over the years. Mind Time is a program for our first and second graders to receive more catered instruction from their teacher in reading. Students rotate through small groups Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of every week. Students who are not working with their assigned teacher, will be working on our online reading instruction program, Lexia and/or iReady. In order to assist our teachers, we are looking for 4 to 6 registered volunteers, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons of every week, to help our support staff supervise students using the computers. Volunteers are needed from 2:30pm to 3:00pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. Volunteer for some or as many slots you are available. Whether you have a first/second grader or not, this is a great opportunity to make a difference at Big T! Parents, grandparents and even working spouses who can spare 30 minutes are encouraged to sign up. This is also a great way to claim a good parking spot before pick up traffic arrives... wink, wink, nudge, nudge! We truly appreciate any help you can give. You may review and sign up here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F45AAAA29A0F58-mind2.

Remember, all adults must be registered through the district to volunteer at Big T before working with students. This is for the safety of our students and staff. If you or someone you know needs to register to be a volunteer please go to the district's website https://www.thompsonschools.org/volunteer to sign up and have a volunteer background check completed. If you are already registered, you do not need to reapply. Once registered (or if you are already registered) please take the time to review the available slots at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F45AAAA29A0F58-mind2. This sign up will be ongoing now till the end of the school year, so please check back frequently to help us fill these spots. Thank you!

***All volunteers must be registered and follow all current TSD Covid Guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact Big T's volunteer coordinator, Erin Lambert, at bigtvolunteer@gmail.com

November 21-25 - Thanksgiving Break

December 5 - BTES Science Fair

December 10 - District Science Fair

December 14 - Winter Concert

December 19 - January 4 - Winter Break

Email: info.bigt@thompsonschools.org
Website: bigthompsonelementary.org
Location: 7702 W Hwy 34
Phone: (970) 613-5600
Facebook: facebook.com/bigthompsonelementary
Twitter: @BigThompsonRams

The district school fees for the 2022-2023 school year have been added to your student's accounts. Fees this year are $32.00 for Elementary students. New this year, you are able to pay with credit card on your parent portal. This link explains how to pay on parent portal:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o_SyImPw26nw9zrtSAvN41qbWwifOS-ZTnhTM4izZFA/edit?usp=sharing

This link is a video showing you how to pay on the parent portal:

https://www.iorad.com/player/1997337/Infinite-Campus--Campus-Payments--How-to-Pay-Fees-on-Parent-Portal?#trysteps-1

You can also stop by the school and pay with cash (exact amount please, we do not carry change) or check.

Now that lunch is no longer free to everyone, we've had many questions concerning lunch money. You can send cash or check in with your student or bring money to the front office. Be sure to remind your student to hand the money to their teacher in the mornings. We encourage everyone to go to the My School Bucks website and create an account.

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home

Even if you do not put money into the account through the website (there is a fee) you can track how much money is in your student's account and their charges.

healthykidsclub.org

Looking for a part time job? Would you like to work with Big T students for a day or a half day? The school district is in need of substitute teachers. The best thing is you do not have to work at all the schools in the whole district, you can specify which schools you would like to work at - including Big T! We could really use some good people to cover when a staff member cannot be here.

If you would like to be on the list to substitute for a classified position (secretary, library, health aide, classroom aide) Please go the the Thompson School District employment page and apply to be a classified substitute. Once you are approved for the position let me know at stacey.faykosh@tsd.org and I will place you on our substitute call list for Big T. Here is the link to apply: https://www.applitrack.com/thompson/onlineapp/default.aspx

Our greatest need is for certified substitutes who cover classroom positions. For these positions you need a state substitute certification (which is pretty easy to obtain) then apply on the Thompson School district website at the above link. Once again, email me your information once you are in the system and I will put you on our call list. The state has 3 certification levels. A 1 year certification for anyone who has a high school diploma or GED, a 3 year certification for anyone with a college degree and a 5 year certification for anyone with a current or expired teaching certification. Here is the link for the state certification: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/licensure_subapp

Please consider this great employment opportunity and assist Big T at the same time!

Are you interested in your child being ready for kindergarten? Are you interested in free preschool for your 3 or 4 year old child? If your child turns 3 or 4 by October 1, you may qualify for preschool! Please contact us at 970-613-5052 if you have any questions or visit our website for information about the programs we offer and how to apply.

If you do any purchasing through Office Depot/Max, please use our ID#70018268. We get 5% back through their Gives Back to School Program. Thank you!

You are able to make an anonymous report for anything that concerns or threatens you, your family, your friends, or your community. For more information go to: