As we look ahead on the calendar, you’ll notice a few upcoming days when students will not be in attendance. While these days may feel like a pause in the routine for students, they are incredibly important opportunities for our staff to engage in professional learning, collaboration, and planning. These dedicated work days allow our teachers and staff to refine instructional practices, analyze student progress, and strengthen the supports we provide for all learners. Ultimately, this time is an investment in ensuring we continue to grow and provide the highest quality educational experience for Thompson students.

You will also continue to see communication from me regarding the 5Essentials Survey. This survey is an important tool that provides us with feedback about school climate, communication, family engagement, and how effectively we are supporting students. The feedback helps us identify both areas of strength and opportunities for growth so we can better meet the needs of our Thompson community. High participation rates help ensure the feedback is representative and meaningful as we use the results to guide future planning and improvement efforts. Fair warning… you may get sick of emails from me kindly encouraging completion of the 5Essentials Survey, but it truly provides valuable insight that helps us continue to grow as a school.

As always, thank you for your partnership, support, and trust. Thompson is a special place because of the strong collaboration between school and home, and we are grateful to work alongside you in supporting our students.

Have a wonderful long weekend, and Roll Thunder!

🚗 Morning Arrival / Afternoon Pick-Up Update 🚗

Thank you for your ongoing support and for modeling patience and positivity each morning/afternoon. With your help, we’ll continue to keep our arrival/departure process safe, efficient, and welcoming for all!

Please help us by reviewing and following these friendly reminders at TMS:

✅ Drop-off begins at 7:30 AM.
Staff are on duty to welcome students at that time—early arrivals before 7:30 are not supervised. In inclement weather, students may enter Door 5 to await the official entry time.

✅ Doors 3, 4, and 5 close promptly at 7:48 AM.
Students arriving after this time will need to enter through the main office and will be marked tardy.

✅ Keep the line moving.
Please pull all the way forward towards the cone with the red flag, have backpacks ready, and remind your student to exit quickly and safely when you stop (think of it like an airport drop off).

✅ Drop off should only occur in the circle drive next to the curb

Students should not exit a vehicle from 7th Street, Route 64, or as soon as they enter the circle drive. Students must exit next to the curb out of the passenger side of the car.

✅ Drop off in the parking lot by the Gym is off limits

Please DO NOT park or pick up your child near door 5 in the marked out areas. Use Indiana Street to drop off or pick up your child. Thank you for your cooperation!

The 5 Essentials survey is now open and awaiting your feedback. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.

This survey only takes about 10 minutes to complete!
Here is the link to the survey. It is in Spanish and English.

Please be sure to put in Kane County as our county so you can find Thompson. Also, please read the questions and possible answers carefully as they sometimes mix up the "importance" of the responses.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we begin to prepare for our standardized assessments in March and April, we wanted to share some dates with you so that you can plan accordingly. Please see below:

IAR Reading will be Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26th
IAR Math will be on Tuesday, April 7th - Thursday, April 9th
Illinois Science Assessment for 8th graders will be on Tuesday, April 21st

Please note that we will be running building wide schedules on the IAR testing days. Please click here to access a letter from the Director of Assessment and Accountability. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s counselor. Thank you.

Volunteers Needed

On Thursday, March 12 and Thursday, April 30 Builders Club is scheduled to volunteer at the Northern Illinois Foodbank. The volunteer shifts are from 5:30 PM-7:30 PM. Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity for students and family members to make a difference in the community while spending time together. There are not many opportunities in which parents may participate with their child in a school activity.If you would like to attend any one of these opportunities, or both, with your Thompson student, please email David Simone at: david.simone@d303.org. In the past, there have been entire families that volunteered. Participants need to be eight years of age to volunteer at the foodbank. Builders Club looks forward to sharing this volunteer opportunity with our Thompson families.

This month, students have been reviewing and learning how to find common denominators when working with fractions. While this is an important math skill, It also connects perfectly to important life lessons, such as finding what we have in common with others.

When students compare fractions, they are not always able to compare them immediately. The fractions may look differently, but when we rewrite them as having the same common denominator, creating equivalent fractions, we can clearly see how they relate to each other. Suddenly, what was once confusing, makes sense!

Life works the same way. We all come from different backgrounds, have different interests, and see the world in different ways. At first glance, these differences may feel like barriers. But when we take the time to find common ground, similar values, goals , and experiences, we are able to understand each other much better.

Learning to find common denominators helps students: make fair comparisons, think critically, and build problem -solving strategies that will be used beyond the classroom. Just as in life, math teaches us that understanding begins by finding what we share with others.

***Shout-out to Mrs. Halverson’s 6th period ACC Math class for winning the homework challenge for January! Keep doing your homework, boys and girls!

Math Tip: Finding the least common multiple for the common denominator between two fractions helps us compare fractions more efficiently and also saves time with reducing fractions when problem solving.

Help Us Collect ONE MILLION Pop Tabs!

We’re on a mission to collect one million pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities, and we can’t do it without YOU (and your grandparents, cousins, neighbors, and carpool crew)!

Those tiny aluminum tabs from soda cans, soup lids, or sparkling water may seem small—but when we collect them together, they add up to real support for families with seriously ill children.

Here’s how to pitch in:

Save your pop tabs at home—and ask your grandparents, cousins, friends, and neighbors to do the same!
Bring them to school all year long.
Every tab brings us closer to our 1,000,000-tab goal!

Let's pull together and make a difference!

Future Saints Families

Click here for information the high school has shared with us for you.

Future North Stars Families

Click here for information the high school has shared with us for you.

Thompson

Activities and clubs information

Homework Help

NHS Honors students help our Thunder students with their homework 2:55 - 3:40 pm every Tuesday and Thursday in the LRC

Referral GPS

An anonymous, easy-to-use, secure website to locate mental health and substance use treatment resources

Thompson Middle School

Dr. Matt Clark - Principal

Mrs. Michelle Dague - Assistant Principal

Mr. Ryan Wood - Assistant Principal

Mr. Sam Pasholk - Student Support Coordinator

Ms. Christine Ellis - Student Support Coordinator

Email: katrina.michaelis@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/