Thompson School News : May 7, 2018

Save The Date

* New *

  • May 8, 15, 22, 29 – Thompson Tuesdays at Not Your Average Joe’s
  • May 7 to 11 – Teacher Appreciation Week
  • May 7 and 8 – Math MCAS Grade 5 NOTE: Dates changed
  • May 9 and 10 – Math MCAS Grade 4 NOTE: Dates changed
  • May 9, Wednesday, PTO Meeting – Parents Only, 6-8 PM
  • May 11, Friday -Field Trip, Grade 1 and 2
  • May 13, Sunday – Cause + Event Thompson Fundraiser
  • May 14, Monday – Incoming Kindergarten Orientation, 9 AM
  • May 15 and 17 – Math MCAS Grade 3
  • May 16, Wednesday – Field Trip, Grade 5
  • May 18, Friday – All Town 5th Grade Dance
  • May 22, Tuesday – Incoming Kindergarten Visit, 1:30-2:30 PM
  • May 21 and 22 – Science MCAS Grade 5
  • May 24, Thursday – In School 3rd Grade Enrichment
  • May 25, Friday – Field Trip Grade 3
  • May 25, Friday – Spirit Day – Red, White and Blue
  • May 28, Monday – No School
  • May 29, Tuesday – All School Enrichment: “One Day Song”
  • May 30 and 31 – Field Trip Grade 3
  • May 31 Thursday – Thompson Art Show
  • June 7, Friday – Thompson Picnic

School Calendar

Click http://tinyurl.com/ndp8spb 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.

Highlight of the Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is THIS Week

We have a wonderful week planned to recognize our teachers and staff and need your support to make it a great success! Please help us show our amazing teachers how much they mean to us by signing up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f49adad2aa0f49-teacher

Thompson News & Events

Thompson’s Art Night

Please save the date for Thompson’s Art Night on Thursday, May 31st from 6:00-7:30pm. All student’s will have artwork on display and there will be artmaking activities for the entire family.

Students have been practicing with art media, learning new techniques, finding inspiration from other artists and reflecting on their artmaking processes since September to prepare for this show. We hope you will join us to spend some time talking with your student about their artwork and to view all of the creations coming from Thompson’s Art Studio.

This year, the art teachers have switched to a Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) model. This philosophy focuses on student choice. Students generate their own ideas and work to solve visual problems. For more information on this philosophy, please visit: http://teachingforartisticbehavior.org/

We look forward to seeing you there!

Deb Campagna and Melody Wolfe Thomas

For updates on what is happening in the Art Studio, follow us on social media.

  • Instagram: campagna_artstudio, melodywolfethomasa
  • Twitter: @dmcampagna, @MWThomasArt

Book Release by Thompson’s Own 4th Grade Teacher Sarah Marie Jette!

Ms. Jette’s first book, What the Wind Can Tell You, will be released on May 15th. Ms. Jette will host a reading and signing on Saturday, May 19th at the Robbins Library from 1pm-3pm.

To pre-order the book or for additional information: https://www.islandportpress.com/what-the-wind-can-tell-you.html

The book will also be available at the Book Rack for purchase.
CONGRATULATIONS TO MS. JETTE!

Sunscreen Safety Recommendations from Nurse Christina

Apply sunscreen to your child prior to arriving to school. Teach your child and practice with your child the proper application of sunscreen. Label your child’s sunscreen with his or her name. Remind your child that their sunscreen is only for them and that they should not share their sunscreen with other children. Sun hats are a great way to protect your child’s face from the sun and are strongly encouraged.

Please do not send spray/aerosol sunscreens. Lotions or sun sticks only please.

Green Team News for PTO Newsletter

The 4th graders’ Zero Waste Assembly skits inspired Thompson to reduce plastic straw consumption by 55%! Congratulations 4th graders!

The 2nd grade classrooms removed 4 buckets of trash from Thompson grounds during the annual 2nd grade Spring Trash Clean Up last Wed.

There are 10 trash grabbers and 7 white buckets available in the PTO room for classroom and community clean ups.

  • Contact Elizabeth Rocco at egrocco@gmail.com if you want to borrow green team supplies.
  • Contact Fiona Ehring at fionaehring@gmail.com if you are interested in helping with the garden.

Last Call for The Thompson School Council!

Thompson School Logo

For the 2018-2019 school year, we will be electing a new School Council. The School Council is a separate body from the PTO. If you are interested in becoming a School Council Member please email nmewada@gmail.com and diana_lutz@yahoo.com a brief bio and a statement of interest. The PTO will hold elections after the spring break.

The Thompson​ School Council is a representative, school-based committee composed of the principal, parents, teachers, and community members. School Councils were established by the Massachusetts Education Reform Act to improve and provide support for public schools. The School Council acts under the supervision of the Arlington School Committee.

The School Council members are elected and is comprised of equal numbers of parents and teachers. This year, we will hold an election for 2 Parent Representatives. We will meet once a month in the afternoon or early evening. Meetings of the Council are public, and all interested members of the ​Thompson community may attend.

The School Council is charged with planning, goal setting, and budgeting for improvements at ​Thompson​. Specific responsibilities of the School Council include:

  • Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
  • Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
  • Formulating a school improvement plan.

Not Your Average Joe’s

Not Your Average Joe'sThompson Tuesdays in May at Not Your Average Joe’s!

Eat or get take-out at NYAJ’s on any Tuesday in May, mention Thompson when paying the bill, and 15% of your check will go to the PTO Enrichment Fund! You can use your Community Card to save yourself 10% too – SAVE and GIVE at the same time! Excludes alcohol. Arlington location only.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Thompson PTO has many volunteer needs both small and big. If you’re looking for a way to give back to Thompson, here’s a list of ways you can help.

Join The Annual Picnic Team

Spring is here and with it, one of our favorite events of the year – the school picnic. In addition to the dunk tank, bounce houses and of course the cake walk we are adding some activities this year and could use your ideas and help to make this the best picnic yet! Join the team!

Contact: Kate Murphy, thompsonschoolvolunteers@gmail.com

Join the Community Card Team!

Planning is already underway for 2018-19! This is Thompson’s second biggest fundraiser, bringing in $16K+ annually for School Enrichment. We confirm our promotional and selling strategies now, so that we can relax over the summer and hit the ground running right when school starts in September.
Remaining Spring to-do’s include:

  • finish getting the businesses signed
  • plan for Town Day (Sept 15th – 1,000 cards sold last year!)
  • plan for Fall sales

The team is also looking for:

  • task-rabbits (distribute flyers, hang posters, proofreading, data entry)
  • brainstormers (what’s working, what could be improved, new ideas)
  • Farmers Market sales point-person (3 Wednesdays in September)
  • Preschool point-persons (put up a flyer and be a selling contact)
  • Fall Family Sales Check-Out Volunteers (during pickups or drop-offs the 3rd week of September)
  • Graphic Designer for some promotional items – will brainstorm concepts together

To get in the loop, email one of the co-chairs:

  • Ashley Lorenz (K,3,5) at ashley.e.lorenz@gmail.com
  • Gaggi DeStefanis (3) gaggi@rcn.com
  • Christy Murphy (K) cembc99@yahoo.com

For more details about the Community Card, go here.

Volunteers Needed – support the Thompson PTO

Can you volunteer for an hour or two on Sunday, May 13th? Please contact Sara Wilkinson at causeandeventvolunteer@gmail.com.

The Cause + Event race has sold out but we are still in need of volunteers to help make this event a success. We need volunteers to help with set up/clean up, pass out food, water and medals, cheer on runners along the course and a variety of other jobs starting as early as 6am and ending around 10am. The first four non-profits who provide 10 or more volunteers will receive an extra $100 donation. Thompson parents can volunteer on behalf of the school’s PTO.

C+E Boston is a fun, family-oriented event that celebrates health and wellness, the spirit of philanthropy among the runners, and the work of the nonprofits in our community. This race is unique – at least 50% of each runners’ registration fee is donated to their charity of choice. For more info please visit the race website at http://causeandeventboston.com/

Help Throughout the Year

To check all current volunteer opportunities: http://tinyurl.com/ThompsonPTOVolunteers

Community

Stop And Take a Breath

Mindfulness for Parents of Children with Disabilities

SEPAC workshop, Wednesday, May 16th, in the Ottoson Media Center, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

A 90 Minute Experiential Workshop geared towards learning simple techniques that can be incorporated into daily life. Included will be a brief overview of the impact of stress upon the human mind and body, and of the current neuroscientific support for positive effects of mindfulness based practices.

Presentation by Carla C. Leone, a long time Arlington resident, Parent of a child with complex disabilities, Teacher of Radiant Child Yoga through Arlington Community Education, Meditation Teacher, en route to obtaining a Master’s in Mindfulness from Lesley University.

Arlington EATS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Arlington EATS

When you are doing your weekly grocery shopping, consider grabbing one extra box of pretzels or rice chex or a box of apple squeezers or something from the list below.

  • Fruit
  • Baby carrots
  • Nutrigrain bars (only the Kellogg’s Nutrigrain brand)
  • Applesauce (squeezers preferred)
  • Single serve fruit cups in fruit juice
  • Plain Cheerios (please use Cheerio brand)
  • Triscuits
  • Wheat Thins
  • Pretzels
  • Craisins

Drop the snacks off in the labeled Arlington EATS tote in the front office or please contact Sarah Gupta at sarah@arlington-eats.org if you would like to arrange an alternate drop off or even have someone pick up your snacks. THANK YOU for you continued support and donations! They are all greatly appreciated!

The Arlington EATS program provides snacks in all schools across Arlington. “Arlington Public Schools offer free and reduced price lunches that feed more than 650 students on school days. When school is not in session, family food resources are stretched. Arlington EATS’ mission is to help our students Eat All Through Summer and the school year.” http://www.arlington-eats.org

Arlington Children’s Theater Presents

Gulliver’s Travels features a talented cast of 43 ACTors ages 7-12 from seven local towns. Performances will be held on Thursday, May 17 at 7 PM, Friday, May 18 at 7 PM, Saturday, May 19 at 10 AM, 2 PM and 7 PM, and Sunday, May 20 at 3 PM at the Masonic Temple, 19 Academy St, Arlington, MA 02476.

Tickets are $10.00 and available online at http://gulliver.brownpapertickets.com or at the door.

Arlington Scoopermania

“You are invited to Arlington’s fourth annual Scoopermania, all-you-can-eat ice cream festival, which will be held on May 19th from 1-5 PM on the Jefferson Cutter House Lawn (611 Mass. Ave). Entry to the ice cream buffet will cost $5 per person, and all proceeds will go to the Jimmy Fund for cancer research and treatment. For months the members of the AHS Scoops Club have worked on this fundraiser to raise money to aid cancer patients. We have received ice cream donations from local businesses including Rancatore and JP Licks, and ice cream topping donations from other businesses along with a permit from the Arlington Board of Health to distribute them. On May 19th, we hope that we can bring the community together for both a fun ice cream event, but also so we can raise awareness of and fight cancer, together. Additionally, for the first time, we are planning on having local bands perform! This is a great time to get together with friends and even hang out with family! All are welcome to attend! Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you there!”

See Arlington Scoopermania 2018 Flyer.

All-Town 5th Grade Dance!

Friday May 18th 6-8PM

Ed Burns Arena, 422 Summer Street

Put on annually by the Arlington Rec, this event is a special time for graduating 5th graders to celebrate with old friends, and meet new ones as they get ready to enter Gibbs.

  • DJ, pizza for sale, photo booth and more!
  • $5 in advance, $7 at the door. 5th graders ONLY.

Go here for advance ticketing and further details.

Grandparents Support Group

The Town of Arlington offers a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group which now meets on the second Wednesday of each month from noon to 1:30 at the AYCC offices in the Whittemore-Robbins House behind the Robbins Library. Prospective members should email LAugust@town.arlington.ma.us or call the Council on Aging, 781-316-3410, for a short telephone interview before attending the group.

Connect with Us

THOMPSON PTO BOARD

Nandana Mewada, Co-President
Diana Trudell, Co-President
Yael Beals, Vice-President
Danielle Gottesman, Communications Chair

If you have news to share with the community, please email ThompsonPTOevents@gmail.com by Thursday at 12 noon to be included in the next newsletter.

Please note that we will only include news from the Thompson School and Town of Arlington. Announcements of interest to the Thompson community from other non-profit organizations may be included at our discretion.

Thompson School News : April 23, 2018

Save The Date

* New *

  • April 23 – 27, Earth Week Activities at school
  • April 24, Tuesday, Yoga 4th Grade
  • April 25, Wednesday, Administrative Professionals Day – Ms. Vicki
  • April 26, Thursday, Yoga 5th Grade
  • April 27, Friday, Spirit Day: Wacky Socks
  • April 27, Friday, 3rd Grade Trip to Plimoth Plantation
  • April 27, Friday, Yoga 5th Grade
  • April 30, Monday, Grade 3-5 Enrichment, ImprovBoston Anti-Bullying workshop (rescheduled)
  • May 1 – 31, Tuesdays, Not Your Average Joe’s Fundraising Event
  • May 1, Tuesday, Yoga 4th Grade
  • May 3 & 4, Thursday & Friday, Yoga 5th Grade
  • May 9, Wednesday, PTO Meeting – Parents Only, 6-8 PM

School Calendar

Click http://tinyurl.com/ndp8spb for Thompson’s Google Calendar to get school holidays, early release days, and PTO events on your own calendar. Click http://tinyurl.com/y7u5k2on for a printable version of this month’s calendar.

Principal’s Update

Dear Thompson Families,

Happy Spring! I think I can finally say that after the fabulous weather these last couple of days. There’s nothing better than being outside, in the sunshine, watching kids play. One of my favorite sights to see is so many families and friends playing and talking after school on the playground. There’s so much value in those moments – and fostering our community is one of them.

Baseball season has officially kicked off in our house, and with that will come driving from field to field, dinner on the run, and me helping to “coach” from the sidelines! I’m sure I will be crossing paths with many of you on those evenings.

On another note, I’d like to ask the parent community for some support. Over the past few weeks I have seen an increase in some challenging and concerning behaviors in many grade levels. With our students having access to technology – YouTube, Gaming Systems with game Chat enabled, and messaging – I have seen more and more incidents of students “trash talking” to each other, making aggressive statements that they may or may not fully comprehend, and challenges to the authority of our lunch and recess staff. Please continue to have frank conversations with your children about the importance of being respectful of themselves, each other, and all adults that work at Thompson School. I appreciate your support!

With the end of April break comes the craziness that is the last two months of the school year. We continue with MCAS in the month of May, PTO sponsored Field Trips are happening at every grade level, Staff Appreciation Week, Field Day, and the Family Picnic to name a few! We are also looking ahead to next year and will be sending out our Parent Input Form for Class Placement in 2018-2019. We also begin the events that will welcome our newest students, while saying goodbye to our oldest. Please mark your calendars – the 5th Grade Celebration of Learning will be June 19th.

At this time of year, I also like to ask for families who know that they will not be returning to Thompson for the next school year to please email Vicki at vrose@arlington.k12.ma.us. This will help us plan accordingly for class sections and sizes. At this time, we already have 80+ students registered for Kindergarten and 8-10 new registrations for the other grades. Thank goodness we have our addition!

I hope you and your families had a wonderful week, and the transition back will be smooth for all of us. These next 45 school days will fly by…be sure to hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

See you on the field,

Karen

Highlight of the Week

Thompson Green Team

Earth Week April 22nd-27th

April 23rd-27th- All-Schools Textile Recycling Competition

All Schools will be competing to collect the most textiles during the competition week and to win a prize and town recognition! Can Thompson match or collect more than the 272.6 lbs of textiles donated last year? Drop off your textiles (all old, worn, torn clothes, shoes, bedding, stuffed animals, etc) to the Bay State Textiles collection bin outside your school.

April 23rd-After school Green Team 5th Grader meeting
April 25th- Zero Waste Assembly 9:30 am

including skits and speeches about the 4th graders’ “Strawless Campaign” and 5th graders’ “Zero Waste Campaign”!

April 26th- Zero Waste Day

Parents please pack a zero waste snack and lunch with your students! Zero waste lunch= lunchbox with reusable containers and silverware and a water bottle. No disposable straws, juice boxes, plastic bags, food cups or snack bags ideally. More information on how waste free lunches save money: http://www.wastefreelunches.org/what-is-a-waste-free-lunch-program.html#what-does-it-look-like?

April 23rd-27th – Parent volunteer class opportunities!

Sign up to read books on Earth Day themes in K-1 classrooms! Featured book is “One Plastic Bag”at http://oneplasticbag.com/. Books will be available at the front desk.
Sign up to help with trash clean up with 2nd grade classes!
Sign up to help the 4th and 5th graders with their Zero Waste Assembly!

More information about textile recycling:

  • https://www.mass.gov/guides/massdep-textile-recovery
  • https://www.smartasn.org/SMARTASN/assets/File/resources/SMARTInfographTextileRecycling.pdf
  • https://www.smartasn.org/SMARTASN/assets/File/resources/SMARTDoubleLifeofRecycledTextiles.pdf

For questions about the textile recycling competition, you can contact Rachel Oliveri, School Sustainability Coordinator, at roliveri@arlington.k12.ma.us.

Goods News! Arlington Garden Club is awarding $200 toward the Thompson school garden revival. Contact Fiona Ehring at fionaehring@gmail.com if you are interested in helping with the garden.

If you have any questions about the Thompson Green Team, contact Elizabeth Grace Rocco @ egrocco@gmail.com.

Thompson News & Events

Community Collection Drive​

We are piloting a mid-year Community Collection Drive to help equip our teachers with materials they need for their classrooms. Our goal is to make this a Thompson Community effort so families can contribute new or gently used items. (Specific teachers were not listed because donations will be shared.)

Run or walk a 5k and support Thompson PTO

The 5K run/walk, Cause + Event Boston, is coming back to Arlington on Sunday, May 13 (Mother’s Day) at 8:00 am.

C+E Boston is a fun, family-oriented event that celebrates health and wellness, the spirit of philanthropy among the runners, and the work of the nonprofits in our community. This race is unique – at least 50% of each runners’ registration fee is donated to their charity of choice. You can select the Thompson PTO or your favorite charity.

Over the past three years, Cause + Event has donated almost $1000 to the Thompson PTO as a part of the $60,000 donated to participants’ selected charities. This is the goal race for the FitGirls program so there will 250+ 4th and 5th grade girls running the 5K including 45 from Thompson!

Register today at www.causeandeventboston2018.racewire.com, and do it soon, last year the race sold out a month early!

You can learn more about the race at the Cause + Event Boston website. Questions? Feel free to contact Sara Wilkinson @swilkie49@hotmail.com.

The Thompson School Council Needs You!​

Thompson School Logo

For the 2018-2019 school year, we will be electing a new School Council. The School Council is a separate body from the PTO. If you are interested in becoming a School Council Member please email nmewada@gmail.com and diana_lutz@yahoo.com a brief bio and a statement of interest. The PTO will hold elections after the spring break.

The Thompson​ School Council is a representative, school-based committee composed of the principal, parents, teachers, and community members. School Councils were established by the Massachusetts Education Reform Act to improve and provide support for public schools. The School Council acts under the supervision of the Arlington School Committee.

The School Council members are elected and is comprised of equal numbers of parents and teachers. This year, we will hold an election for 2 Parent Representatives. We will meet once a month in the afternoon or early evening. Meetings of the Council are public, and all interested members of the ​Thompson community may attend.

The School Council is charged with planning, goal setting, and budgeting for improvements at ​Thompson​. Specific responsibilities of the School Council include:

  • Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
  • Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
  • Formulating a school improvement plan.

Not Your Average Joe’s

Not Your Average Joe'sComing in May! Thompson Tuesdays at Not Your Average Joe’s. Eat or get take-out at NYAJ’s on any Tuesday in May, mention Thompson when paying the bill, and 15% of your check will go to the PTO Enrichment Fund! You can use your Community Card to save yourself 10% too – SAVE and GIVE – a win-win!

Volunteer Opportunities

The Thompson PTO has many volunteer needs both small and big. If you’re looking for a way to give back to Thompson, here’s a list of ways you can help.

Join The Annual Picnic Team

Spring is here and with it, one of our favorite events of the year – the school picnic. In addition to the dunk tank, bounce houses and of course the cake walk we are adding some activities this year and could use your ideas and help to make this the best picnic yet! Join the team!

Contact: Kate Murphy, thompsonschoolvolunteers@gmail.com

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming! The week of May 7th through May 11th teachers will once again enjoy a Tuesday luncheon, a Thursday breakfast plus a few additional surprises… watch for a sign-up genius to help out that week coming your way in the next few days.

Join the Community Card Team!

Believe it or not planning begins NOW for the 2018-19 This is Thompson’s second biggest fundraiser each year, bringing in $16K+ annually for School Enrichment.

Spring to-do’s include:

  • get contracts signed
  • confirm our advertising plans
  • start planning for Town Day and beginning of new school year sales

The Team is looking for:

  • task-rabbits
  • brain-stormers
  • AND a 3rd Co-Chair (shadow for a year and poise themselves to take over for Gaggi in 2020)

Whether you’re totally ready to take something on, have some good ideas to pass on, or are just curious about what’s involved before committing to anything, please email the co-chairs:

  • Ashley Lorenz (K,3,5) at ashley.e.lorenz@gmail.com
  • Gaggi DeStefanis (3) gaggi@rcn.com.

Help Throughout the Year

To check all current volunteer opportunities: http://tinyurl.com/ThompsonPTOVolunteers

Community

Arlington EATS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Arlington EATSThe School Snack Program is growing by the day, and our kids are making good use of it. Students are encouraged to snack on fruit, which is generously supplied through our community partner, Food Link. However, the rest of the snacks offered are purchased. Helping us continue to offer this program and meet growing demands is as easy as adding another item or two to your grocery list and dropping it off in one of our marked bins.

For more information about our School Snack Program and a list of approved snacks, here’s our School Snack Program Fact Sheet. We appreciate your support!

Dallin Auction

Looking for a fun evening out? Come to the Dallin Elementary School Auction at Town Hall on Friday, April 27th, 7-11pm. We have so many great auction items this year. Beverages and bidding all to benefit the Dallin PTO. Always a great evening! You can purchase tickets online HERE or by mailing in a check with the ticket form available on http://dallinpto.org/ . Questions about the event can be directed to: DallinSchoolAuction@gmail.com

Grandparents Support Group

The Town of Arlington offers a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group which now meets on the second Wednesday of each month from noon to 1:30 at the AYCC offices in the Whittemore-Robbins House behind the Robbins Library. Prospective members should email LAugust@town.arlington.ma.us or call the Council on Aging, 781-316-3410, for a short telephone interview before attending the group.

Connect with Us

THOMPSON PTO BOARD

Nandana Mewada, Co-President
Diana Trudell, Co-President
Yael Beals, Vice-President
Danielle Gottesman, Communications Chair

If you have news to share with the community, please email ThompsonPTOevents@gmail.com by Thursday at 12 noon to be included in the next newsletter.

Please note that we will only include news from the Thompson School and Town of Arlington. Announcements of interest to the Thompson community from other non-profit organizations may be included at our discretion.