Nov 14 & 28, Wednesday – Kindergarten Enrichment Program Wicked Cool for Kids
Nov 15, Thursday – School Committee meeting, 6:30 – 10 pm
Nov 17, Saturday – Boys In Motion 5K – 9 am
Nov 19, Monday – Otto Pizza Fundraising Night, 5 – 9 pm
Nov 21, Wednesday – 12 pm Early Release (no lunch served)
Nov 22 & 23, Thursday and Friday – No School (Thanksgiving)
Nov 30, Friday – Spirit Day: Sports Day
Dec 4, Tuesday – Parent-Teacher Conferences
Dec 10-14, Monday-Friday – Book Fair
Dec 11, Tuesday – Parent-Teacher Conferences
Dec 11, Tuesday – Literacy Night
Dec 13, Thursday – Parent-Teacher Conferences
School Calendar
Click here for Thompson’s Google Calendar to get school holidays, early release days, and PTO events on your own calendar. Click here for a printable version of this month’s calendar.
It’s time for conferences! By now you should have received an email from me that had links to each classroom teacher’s sign-ups. If you have not, please reach out to your child’s teacher. The conferences are designed to be 15 minutes, with a 5-minute transition time, and most conferences are scheduled back, to back, to back…you get the idea! Please be mindful of finishing on time.
We have conferences coming up Dec. 4 and 11 during the day, and in the evening on Dec. 13. Dismissal will be at 11:15 a.m. on both 12/4 and 12/11, so please mark your calendars!
Thank you,
Karen
PTO Spotlight
Dear Thompson Families,
The beginning of the school year is a busy fundraising time for the PTO, with our two largest fundraisers held in September and October. The Arlington Community Card (ACC), which is launched in September, and the October Direct Donation Drive contribute to the bulk of the PTO’s annual budget. This year, both drives broke previous records, bringing in more than $53,000! Thank you to everyone who supported these fundraisers and the many parent volunteers who strategized, organized, and implemented the two drives. A special shout-out to the leads, Juliet Moir and Yael Beals for organizing the Direct Donation Drive and Ashley Lorenz and Gaggi DeStefanis for spearheading the ACC.
With the major fundraisers behind us, for the rest of the year we will have smaller programs to continue to build the PTO budget. These include one-time events such as the recent Halloween candy buy-back program and the election day bake sale, and others such as the upcoming Otto Pizza fundraising night (Nov. 19). Additional easy ways to continue to support our school year-round include:
Amazon: If you shop on Amazon, please use the Amazon banner on the PTO website (www.thompsonschoolpto.org). Last year the PTO earned $2,400 through the Amazon Associates program. The PTO earns a percentage of sales at no cost to you. Check out the FAQ.
Box Tops: We collect Box Tops throughout the year, and each box top is worth 10 cents for Thompson. You can find a pink and yellow Box Tops container in the lobby below the mailboxes.
Besides financial donations, all PTO events are only made possible with many helping hands. Whether you have an hour or more, consider volunteering your time for an event. There is a fun PTO event most months, so keep an eye out in this space for volunteer announcements or reach out to our volunteer chair, Yael Beals (yael.beals@gmail.com), with questions.
The Election Day Bake Sale was a resounding success! We raised just over $2,000! Thank you to all the bakers for whipping up amazing treats, and to all the parents and kids who volunteered at the event. Thanks also to local businesses for their generous donations: Whole Foods Market, Stop & Shop, Dunkin’ Donuts (Broadway), and Quebrada Bakery.
Otto Fundraising Night Monday, Nov 19, 5 – 9 pm @ 202 Mass Ave., Arlington
The Thompson PTO will receive a percentage of all purchases from take-out, delivery, dine-in, or simply buying a gift card. Have some guilt-free pizza! Spread the word!
The 5th grade Thompson Green Team project this year is to start making Green Team environmental education and action videos. The main content of these videos will be the reporting of their editorials on water-related environmental issues, which they will be writing soon in the classroom, and past campaigns (This Is the Last Straw and Zero Waste). Four families from the Green Team club participated in the ACMI summer filmmaking bootcamp, and several more students have been picking up filmmaking skills this fall. Green Team members have been filming the musical introductory and closing sequences that will include pictures of our past Thompson school actions and Family Folk Chorale audio of REM’s “Stand.” On Friday Nov. 16 from 2:40 – 4:40 pm, the Green Team will meeting at ACMI’s Studio B to learn how to edit and make their videos with ACMI’s youth mentor, Kevin Wetmore. Email Elizabeth Rocco at egrocco@gmail.com if you or your child are interested in being on a team of film editors.
Spirit Day: Sports Day
Friday, Nov 30
Dress as a favorite athlete or represent your favorite team!
Arlington
Community Card
Over 1,500 cards sold to date! November is our last big marketing push, and with the holidays approaching, it’s the perfect time to use “makes for a great holiday gift or stocking stuffer!” when chatting the card up around town. Cards can be purchased anytime at The Book Rack, at Menotomy Beer and Wine, or online via PayPal at www.arlingtoncommunitycard.org. Thompson parents can also purchase cards from Ms. Vicki at the front desk and from Family Sales sellers.
Community News & Events
AFC’s Childcare & Preschool Options Night
Nov 14, 7 – 8 pm @ Thompson Elementary Gym
Local parents, both from Arlington and surrounding towns, are welcome to join for a free night of one-stop shopping for their childcare needs. This is a wonderful chance for busy parents to come to one place and meet the faces behind Arlington’s great preschools and daycare centers all at once. Parents can save time and gas, not having to drive all over town to pick up brochures and applications. There are nearly twenty licensed preschools and daycare centers in town with a large variety of programs. Free and open to all local parents. Questions? Email options@arlingtonfamilyconnection.org.
Parent Forum: How To Raise Ethical/Thoughtful Children in the Age of Me Too
Nov 15, 7 – 8:30 pm @ Ottoson Middle School
As we are bombarded by the wave of unethical, criminal, and sordid behaviors of political, educational, entertainment, and sports figures, how do we help our children develop a moral compass and make decisions that are grounded, appropriate and compassionate? This dialogue is suitable for all parents who are invested in raising their children. PRESENTER: Damon Blank is a licensed marriage/family therapist. He has been in private practice for over 35 years. He works with individuals, couples, families, and groups.
Community Forum To Quit Smoking
Nov 20, 7 -8:30 pm @ Robbins Library Community Room
Free hypnosis and behavioral modification workshop to help smokers and vapers quit for good. REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
Show your Spy Ponder Pride while supporting Arlington Pop Warner Cheer!
Arlington Pop Warner Cheer B Team are the Regional Champs and are competing in the Pop Warner National Cheer Competition in December. To help fundraise for their trip, the B Team is selling Spy Ponders smartphone wallets for $5.00. To purchase your wallet, please send $5.00 via paypal to Kiela@comcast.net. Please be sure to include your full name and address, and your wallet will be delivered to your home.
Volunteer! Boston Kids Comic Fest
Do you love comics? Do you want to be part of a fantastic event that offers access to kid-friendly comics and graphic novels specifically for youth ages 8 to 12? The Second Annual Boston Kids Comic Fest will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Pine Manor College, 400 Heath St. in Chestnut Hill. Last year was a huge success with more than 250 kids, parents, teachers, librarians, and comic book lovers attending. We are seeking volunteers to help us with sponsorship and media outreach this year. If you can spare a few hours a week, we would love to involve you in our purely volunteer-run event. Interested? Contact Liza Halley at lizahalley08@gmail.com.
Amazon: If you shop on Amazon, please use the Amazon banner on the PTO website (
Stop & Shop A+ Rewards: 
Box Tops: We collect Box Tops throughout the year, and each box top is worth 10 cents for Thompson. You can find a pink and yellow Box Tops container in the lobby below the mailboxes.
Sweet Success
Green Team News
Arlington
