THORNTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
October/November 2026 Newsletter
The 26/27 school is well underway, and believe it or not, we are quickly approaching the end of the first quarter (Oct. 9)! We have welcomed over 600 new students to Thornton this year, and they have all been doing a great job adjusting to the middle school process and unique Thornton culture. Our student and staff population is amongst the largest it has ever been with almost 2,000 students on campus, which makes us the largest middle school in Fremont and one of the overall largest schools in the district! Thank you for sending your child to school everyday, prepared to learn, and doing their best to become a positive, contributing member of our community.
Approximately 650 students participated in our Back-to-School Social on Friday, September 18th. Thank you to Mr. Shutes and our leadership students who planned this exciting event and are already busy planning the Halloween Social which will be held on October 30th this year, so save the date!
In addition to the Halloween social, we have several other note-worthy dates coming up in the next couple of months: quarter 1 ends on October 9th, parent/teacher conferences are scheduled on October 21st, 22nd, & 23rd (more on the format and times below), and the official start of the middle school boys' basketball season is October 14th (tryout information will be forthcoming in the daily bulletin). As a reminder, information for these and other TMS events can always be found on the school website calendar or by reviewing the Thornton Middle School Year-At-A-Glance Calendar. We look forward to all of the excitement the next few months will bring!
Thank you for your continued support of Thornton Middle School!
Ms. Strausbaugh, Principal
Lunch Cart
There is a cart located in front of the office for parent convenience. The cart may be used to drop off forgotten items (ie. PE clothes, water bottles, etc...) and/or student lunches. Please make sure your child knows that you are dropping off an item and remind them to check the cart. This cart is not monitored and student lunches are left at your own risk. As a reminder, students are able to receive a free, hot lunch from school if they have forgotten their lunch at home.
School Rules, Policies & Procedures
Did you know that the Assistant Principals held a Town Hall meeting with every student the week of August 17th? Assistant Principals conducted meetings during your child's PE class and provided a lot of information regarding student policies and procedures which are also outlined in the first few pages of the Thornton Agenda. To learn more about what was covered, please take a minute to review the slide presentation.
Upcoming Minimum Days & Days Off
- October 21st - Minimum Day (12:45)
- October 22nd - Minimum Day (12:45pm)
- October 23rd - No School for Students (Conference Day)
- November 11th - No School (Veterans Day)
- November 19th - Minimum Day (12:45pm)
- November 20th - No School
- November 23rd - 27th - No School (Thanksgiving Break)
Traffic
Please continue to follow all traffic rules when driving your child to and from school. It is important that students ONLY exit or enter the vehicle within the designated parking loops and from the passenger side of the car. Students jumping in and out of the car on Thornton Avenue is dangerous and illegal. Students need to remain in the car until they are safely in the designated loop and beside a sidewalk. Getting in and out of the car in the middle of the loop or driving path is prohibited. In addition, parents please stay off of your cell phones while driving through the school parking loops.
Visitors on Campus
Please remember that ALL visitors must sign in and out of the main office. Individuals may not enter the campus without a visitors badge. Parents/Guardians/Siblings who are picking up or dropping off students must remain outside of the gated area. This includes the gates at the back of the campus. Please follow these guidelines to help us ensure student safety and not waste staff resources traveling across the campus to ask those picking up students to remain outside of the gates.
Clubs and Intramurals
Did you know that Thornton offers a variety of clubs and intramural activities outside of the extracurricular volleyball and basketball athletic teams? Our staff volunteers A LOT of time to host a variety of clubs and events. Students had a chance to explore the various clubs while participating in our club rush event on Sept. 28th during lunch. If you are interested, please look at the Club page on our website and listen to the daily announcements.
Before and After School Enrichment Classes
Thornton has been extremely fortunate to have been allocated money from Proposition 28 that helps fund additional Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) instruction and materials in schools. We will be conducting before and after-school enrichment classes starting in October. The classes will run for the remainder of the semester. There are many class options that meet on various days and times. Each class runs for a 4 week session. Several of the classes will have two or three session options in order to maximize the amount of students who are able to sign-up. Class sizes will remain small and students who sign-up will be expected to attend every class meeting during the session that it is offered. There will be a separate email provided with a google form to sign up for classes. Only Thornton students, using their district issued email will be able to sign up. The class catalog is available for your advanced planning to help determine which session/s your student may want to participate. Please note that many classes overlap. Students should NOT sign up for classes/sessions that are in conflict with days/times. A registration form will be emailed for students to sign-up on October 1st via Parent Square. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
Halloween Social
Golden State Warriors - Thornton Night
If you are interested in joining your classmates and staff members at the Warriors Game on January 2nd, please purchase your tickets now using the link on the attached flyer. This year we are partnering with Walters Middle School to provide an exciting experience for both schools. If you purchased tickets and your student is interested in having a chance to participate in the player warm-ups, player tunnels, or anthem kids (as listed on the flyer), you will be contacted in mid-December by Ms. Strausbaugh. The Warriors will provide a list of all email addresses, who used the Thornton/Walters code to purchase tickets, to Ms. Strausbaugh. Ms. Strausbaugh will send out a Google Form to be completed by the parent. The form will collect the student/s names and ID#'s to be entered in a chance to participate in the player tunnel or anthem kids selection. If selected, more specific information will be provided directly to those individuals.
Conferences – October 21–23
Thornton Middle School will host Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 21, 22, and 23. Please note that this schedule is different from previous years.
Important Schedule Information
Wednesday, October 21: Minimum Day
Thursday, October 22: Minimum Day
Friday, October 23: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Who Should Attend Conferences?
Conferences are not required for all parents/guardians. They are intended primarily for families whose students are struggling academically or are at risk of failing a class. If your child is doing well and currently has an A or B, there is no need to attend a conference. Each teacher has more than 100 students, so there is not enough time to meet individually with every family. If your child is doing well but you would still like to connect with the teacher, we encourage you to contact the teacher by email or phone to discuss your child's progress and ways you can continue supporting them at home.
Conference Options
Conferences will be offered in a hybrid format, with both virtual and in-person options.
Virtual Conferences – Wednesday & Thursday, October 21 & 22
1:00–4:00 p.m. | By appointment only
Virtual conferences will be held via Zoom.
Each teacher will provide information about how to sign up.
If you do not receive sign-up information by Friday, October 16, please contact the teacher directly.
In-Person Conferences – Friday, October 23
8:00–11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
In-person conferences will be held at Thornton Middle School.
No appointment is necessary; conferences will be first come, first served.
Please go directly to the classroom of the teacher you would like to meet and wait outside the classroom until you are called.
If there is a long line for one teacher and you would like to meet with additional teachers, we recommend visiting those teachers first and then returning to the original line.
Student Schedules Needed for Conferences
For in-person conferences, please have your child provide you with their schedule that includes the teacher/room number of the teacher with whom you would like to meet. Please bring the schedule with you when arriving to the school.
Is there a staff member that you would like to recognize for their hard work? Did someone at Thornton go above and beyond to make you or your child feel welcomed to Thornton? Would you like to brag about your child's teacher? We would love to hear your feedback that will also be shared with our staff! Please consider taking a moment out of your day to recognize those individuals who are making a positive difference in the lives of our students by completing the attached google form.
