It may be Friday the 13th, but there was nothing unlucky about the way our students represented Thompson today. Our 7th Grade Career Fair was a fantastic event, and our students did an outstanding job engaging with the many professionals who generously gave their time to share about their careers. It was great to see our students asking thoughtful questions, making connections, and beginning to think about the many paths their futures could take. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this meaningful experience possible for our students. And a special thank you to Mrs. Ray and Mrs. Casey for organizing and facilitating this meaningful event!

As I mentioned in my video this morning, yesterday the Thompson building officially turned 100 years old. On March 12, 1926, St. Charles High School first opened its doors at this location. In 1959, the school was renamed George E. Thompson High School to honor Mr. Thompson’s profound impact on education in St. Charles. Through the Class of 1977, it remained the city’s only high school building before becoming Thompson Middle School for the 1977-78 school year.

For a full century, this building has been filled with students learning, teachers inspiring, and staff supporting generations of young people. We are incredibly grateful to our community for continuing to invest in Thompson through expansions, renovations, and modernizations over the years. Most of all, we are thankful for the students, educators, and staff who have made this place special by developing lifelong learners who strive to be respectful, responsible, and kind.

We are planning to celebrate Thompson’s 100th anniversary later this spring, once the weather decides to cooperate a bit more. You will find a Save the Date below for a community celebration on May 13. We hope current, former, and future Thompson families can join us as we celebrate a century of Thunder pride.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and Roll Thunder!

Reminder about Food/Drink at TMS

1. Parents are welcome to drop off lunch only for their own child - not a group.

Parent deliveries should be brought to the main office.
Food and beverages may only be provided for your individual student. For example, a pizza cannot be purchased for a group of students. And students are not permitted to use apps to have food delivered during the school day.

2. We WILL NOT accept or sign for delivered lunches for students
If there is an emergency situation and you need to send something for your student, please get in touch with the main office with details so they don't turn away the delivery driver. 331-228-3100

Thank you for helping us ensure our school day runs smoothly and with little disruption!

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.

State legislation requires that all Illinois children in Sixth Grade will have a dental examination. A licensed dentist must perform the examination, and he or she shall sign the form. Dental offices should have the form available, but it is also available online at www.d303.org under Departments, then Health Services, then “Health Documents and Forms”. Each 6th grade student must present proof of a dental examination by a dentist prior to May 15, 2026. The exam must be dated within 18 months prior to May 15, 2026. If your child has had an exam already, you can ask your dentist to complete the form for the exam.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has established a waiver for children who show undue burden or lack of access to a dentist. Parents or legal guardians who object to the dental examinations on religious grounds shall present to the school a signed, detailed statement of the objection.

The deadline is quickly approaching! Please submit this if you have not already done so. You can Email it to TMSC-Nurses@d303.org

If you have any questions, please contact the TMS nurses:

Diane Isbrandt RN, Certified School Nurse

Amy Kashuba, RN

Stephanie Ross, RN

Thompson Middle School

331-228-3104

Volunteers Needed

On 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.

Probably the most meaningful compliment a teacher can receive from a student is, “I trust you.” When a student expresses trust, it shows that they feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and grow. It also reflects a relationship built on care and respect. Once at this level, students realize that the teacher has their best interest in heart. This is such an important part of teaching and learning. I am grateful for the student who said this to me this week. It reminds me of the meaningful impact we have as educators.

Where does the time go? We will begin the fourth quarter on Monday. Reflecting on student progress, I feel that we need to continue to build math fact fluency. This is something that could be practiced at home. With only 3-5 minutes of daily practice, math facts become more fluent which supports efficiency with future learning.

Students can access fluency practice through their Amplify link, which is targeted to what they already know and what they need to improve in order to develop automaticity. Continued exposure to math facts is essential for recall. Another resource for building math fact knowledge is XtraMath, a free program available to teachers, parents, and students. Students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts in short daily sessions, focusing on both speed and accuracy to build automatic recall. Teachers and parents can monitor progress through reports that show which facts students have mastered.

Let's give it a try!

***Shout-out to our students who have been completing each nightly assignment and come prepared to show their learning..

Math Tip: Math fluency improves with short, consistent practice. Spending just 3–5 minutes each day reviewing math facts helps build automaticity.

Our 6th grade Service Learning class will be collecting supplies for children-themed birthday parties to be donated to a local food pantry. Items requested are party supplies, such as streamers, signs, banners, wall decorations, candles, plates/napkins/cups as well as non-perishable cake/cookie/brownie mixes, flour, and frosting. Collection boxes will be located in the 6th grade pods and outside of the front office. Please see the attached flyer for info. Thanks for your support in ensuring that every child is able to celebrate their special day!

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/