Thompson Friday Forecast

From the Principal... Matt Clark

Good afternoon and happy weekend TMS parents and guardians. Next week, the TMS administration team will be visiting team pods for our quarterly Pod Talks. These conversations give us an opportunity to connect with students in a smaller setting and reinforce what it means to be a member of the Thompson community.

We’ll be focusing on our three core values: Respect, Responsibility, and Kindness, and what those values look and sound like in different areas of our building.

We’ll talk with students about consistent expectations in:

Classrooms: Being ready to learn and allowing others to learn
Hallways: Moving safely and respectfully
Cafeteria: Making responsible choices and treating others with kindness

Pod Talks are a simple but important way for us to connect with students, listen to them, and make sure we are reinforcing consistent expectations throughout Thompson.

Our goal is to build a school environment where students know what is expected, feel connected to the adults around them, and understand how their choices contribute to our community.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Here’s the bottom line:

If your child is doing well academically and socially, you may not need to sign up.
If your child is struggling or you feel you need to connect with a teacher, please sign up.
You don’t need to meet with every teacher. Choose the teachers who are most relevant to your child’s needs.

And yes, your child is welcome to attend the conference with you. We actually encourage it. After all, it’s their learning journey, and middle school students are more than capable of being part of the conversation.

Scroll down for all the “how-tos” and nitty-gritty details about scheduling through ParentVUE.

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HOW TOs:

This year, parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled in ParentVUE. Scheduling opens Monday, September 21, and closes Friday, October 2.

Conferences will take place on the following dates, with the option to meet in person or virtually:

Thursday, October 8: from 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday, October 9: from 8:00 AM -12:00 PM

Step-by-step directions for both the ParentVUE website and app are included below.

Between September 21 and October 2, you can change the time in ParentVUE. After October 2, please contact your school to make a change. If you have more than one student, switch between them to schedule conferences.

If you need assistance with conferences or do not yet have a ParentVUE account, please call the Main Office at (331) 228-3100.

Thank you for your partnership. We look forward to connecting with you in October!
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Have a great weekend, and as always, thank you for partnering with us to support our students.

Roll Thunder!

Dr. Matt Clark

Thompson Principal

Notes from the Office...

Update on Tardies

Hello Parents and Guardians,

Beginning Monday, September 14, tardies to school will be formally logged for students. Students are expected to be in the building and ready to begin their school day by 7:50 AM.

Students who arrive after 7:50 AM will need to check in at the front office, where they will receive a pass to report to class. Families will receive attendance reminders via email when a tardy is recorded.

Students are allowed three tardies before additional consequences are assigned. Once a student reaches their fourth or fifth tardy, they will be assigned a detention.

We understand that occasional circumstances may impact a student's arrival time. If your family needs support in helping your child arrive at school on time, please reach out to your child's counselor. We are happy to partner with you to help your child develop consistent attendance and punctuality habits.

Thank you for your continued partnership in prioritizing student attendance and ensuring our students are ready to learn each day!

Sincerely,

TMS Admin Team

🦽 Supporting Students with Mobility Needs

When a student arrives at Thompson Middle School with an orthopedic injury or temporary mobility need—such as crutches, a walking boot, cast, or other mobility support—we ask families to please connect with one of our school nurses:

🩺 Mrs. Isbrandt • Mrs. Kashuba • Mrs. Ross (TMSC-Nurses@d303.org)

Connecting with our nurses allows us to better understand the student’s needs and work with teachers and teams to plan for safe passing periods, classroom transitions, arrival, and dismissal. Our goal is to make sure students can navigate the building safely and comfortably while they recover.

🚗 Morning Arrival Reminder

For students arriving at Thompson with mobility needs:

Early drop-off: If possible, please consider arriving between 7:30–7:35 a.m. This allows for a less congested arrival and gives us additional time to safely assist your student.
Front drop-off: If arriving during the regular drop-off window, please use the middle lane at the front of the building and have your student wait for a supervisor to assist them safely across the main drop-off lane. This also helps us reduce traffic backups while, most importantly, keeping our students safe.

Thank you for partnering with us and keeping us informed when your child has a temporary injury or mobility need. A quick connection with our nurses helps our entire Thompson team plan ahead and provide the safest possible experience for your child.

D303 Referendum Information Nights

Join us to learn more about the referendum on the November 3 ballot. Discover details on proposed district-wide facility projects, ask questions, and take a building tour (available at select locations).

Noches Informativas Sobre el Referéndum del D303

Acompáñanos para obtener más información sobre el referéndum que se votará el 3 de noviembre. Descubre detalles sobre los proyectos de infraestructura propuestos para todo el distrito, haz preguntas y realiza una visita guiada a los edificios (disponible en ubicaciones seleccionadas).

📚 LRC BOOK FAIR

We are pleased to announce the Anderson Book Fair is coming to Thompson Middle School from September 30- October 8!

Sept. 30th - 7:30-2:00
Oct. 1st - 6th 7:30-3:00
Oct. 7th - 7:30-2:00
Oct. 8th - 8:15 AM - 8:00 PM (during Parent/Teacher Conferences)

Our Anderson Book Fair will have a wonderful selection of engaging books for every reading level. Please consider signing up as a volunteer to help our fair run smoothly.

Sign Up to Volunteer HERE

🧮 Mrs. Zitella's Math Corner

Ratios → Scale Factors → Transformations

Math has a funny way of bringing old friends back together! Ratios, scale factors, and transformations are taught at different grade levels, but the ideas connect. Students take what they learned with ratios and use that multiplication thinking later with scale factors. Those ideas then support future work with transformations, coordinates, and dilations. Stay tuned! 😀

Different grade levels, different skills, but the math keeps connecting! It really is all about building one piece on top of another.

Visual Strategies:

Use ratio tables. Identify the number being multiplied each time. Then, connect the multiplier directly to the idea of a scale factor.
Color-code corresponding parts to compare the original figure to the scaled figure.Use the same color for corresponding sides. This supports transformations.
For scale factors, students might say, “Every length was multiplied by 2.” For a translation, “Every point moved right 3 and up 2.”
Ask, what changed and what stayed the same?

A dilation changes in size, but the shape stays the same.
With a translation, location changes but size and shape stay the same.

***It ALL adds up! Find the relationship, find the rule, apply the rule! Go math!!!

Shout-out to our students who are coming to class prepared, completing their assignments, and ready to learn! Your preparation and effort make a difference. Keep up the great work!

⚡ PTO Updates

🙌 GET INVOLVED! 🙌

We're excited to share our first volunteer opportunities of the school year. Please take a look at the committees and opportunities Thompson PTO runs and supports throughout the school year. We’d love to have you join us!

A quick note about these opportunities:

Many of the opportunities listed here are for planning and organizing roles that help make out PTO events and programs possible. These are ongoing committee opportunities rather than day-of event volunteer shifts.

There will also be opportunities to volunteer on the day of certain events, such as our dances. Those sign-ups will be shared closer to each event date.

Time commitments are our best estimates and may vary depending on the committee and event. Whether you have a little time to give or would like to take on a bigger role, there’s a place for you! Grab a friend and sign up to help—or jump in and lead a committee of your own.

Click HERE for 2026-2027 Thompson PTO Committee & Volunteer Opportunities

If you have questions about any of our current volunteer opportunities, please reach out to us. And, as always, we welcome your ideas! If there’s something you’d like to see the PTO do, please let us know. We’d love to hear your ideas and find ways to make them happen.

Board@ThompsonPTO.org

We invite you to our next PTO meeting

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

6:00-7:00 PM
Virtual
This will meeting will take place remotely.

We will share the link to attend closer to the meeting date.

A few of the topics for this meeting will include (in no particular order):

Principal's Report
Budget Update
Grant and Donation Requests
Upcoming Events
Committee Openings

If you are unable to join us, the minutes from the meeting will be available here afterwards.

Let us know you plan to attend our PTO Meeting

by RSVPing here.

RSVPing is not required to attend,

but it does help us to plan ahead.

Mark your calendars now - we hope to see you at many of these events!

October 7, 2026 - Walk & Roll to School Day
October 28, 2026 - Monster Bash (Halloween dance)
December 15, 2026 - Holiday Cookie Exchange (as gifts for Staff)
February 5, 2027 - Snow Ball (winter dance)
May 14, 2027 - 8th Grade End of the Year Celebration Dance
May 26, 2027 - 8th Grade End of the Year Celebration Picnic

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!

📣 High School Headquarters

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.

📆 Community Events

🏈 Heading to a High School Football Game this weekend? READ THIS

Important Rules to Remember while attending both North and East High School football games this fall:

1. All students must be with an adult.

2. They are not allowed to congregate in front of the concession stands or under the bleachers.

3. They need a school ID to enter.

4. Any behavior issues will be reported back to their home school administration for action.

2026-2027 Playgroups

St. Charles Public Library

All students are eligible for a St. Charles Public Library card. Check out the FAQ to learn how to obtain a card for you child.

Donate to pay off Student Lunch Debt

District 303 has created a Pushcoin link to donate to student food accounts with negative balances. Please feel free to donate if you are able to do so! Every little bit helps!