In This Issue
- Save the Date | School Calendar
- PTO Update
- Thompson News and Events
- Community
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Connect with Us
Save The Date
* New *
- December 12 – Early Release at 11:15 (No lunch)
- December 11-15 –Book Fair
- December 12 – Literacy Night, 6 -7.30pm
- December 13 – Helena’s Hang with Friends & Light Refreshments, 7-9pm
- December 13 – Spirit Day, Favorite Book Character Day
- December 13 5-7 PM – Flu Vaccination Clinic @ Arlington Senior Center
- December 14 – Arlington EATS Community Dinner
- December 15 – Treble Chorus Concert @ Town Hall
- December 15, 8:15 – 10:00 AM – PTO Meeting in the Cafeteria
- December 22 – Spirit Day, Wear Pajamas to School
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.
PTO Update
The Holiday Season is here! Shop through these partners AND help the Thompson PTO.
Helena’s – Wednesday, December 13th. All day 10% of sales go to Thompson PTO, when you present our Holiday flier. Look for it in backpacks soon. Light refreshments and a fun chance to get together with friends between 7 and 9 pm.
Maxima’s – Are you aware that anytime you make a purchase and mention Thompson School, a percentage of your purchase goes to us? More on the My School program here.More on the My School program here.
Looking for stocking stuffers? Teachers, coaches or babysitter’s gifts? Buy an Arlington Community Card.
The Amazon Associate Program brought in $1,160 between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day last year. That is money that we earn when YOU go about your regular Amazon shopping after clicking the Amazon banner on the Thompson PTO website.
Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards is a fundraising program that earns us hundreds of dollars a year, and cost you nothing! To participate, just add Thompson’s school ID number (#07331) to your Stop & Shop rewards card through their website.
Once Thompson is added to your card, all you have to do is scan your Stop & Shop card when you are checking out. Tell your family and friends to follow these directions too! Thanks for your support!
Highlight
Thompson News & Events
Thompson Drama Project
Hello Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade parents, It’s time to sign up for the Thompson Drama Project. Our three wonderful directors, Maf, Gaggi, and Ziza, will be back for another year! Our 3 plays will begin rehearsals the week of January 8. Auditions will be on Thursday Jan 4th and Friday Jan 5th after school in the Music Room. All actors who audition will receive a part – the auditions are for casting purposes. To sign your child up for an audition slot – click here. Prior to the audition, you must fill out a registration form for your child – click here. Please be sure to read the Ground Rules – click here. Mark your calendars – performances will be April 5th and 6th! Please let us know if you have any questions at thompsondramaproject1@gmail.com.
Lise White and Karen Roth LoRusso
📖 December 11 – 15 is Literacy Week at Thompson! 📖
The Book Fair
We are excited to work with the Book Rack again for this year’s Book Fair. During the school day, students will be able to browse and fill out wish lists. Sale hours will be held after school on the following days:
- Monday: 2:30 – 3:30 pm
- Tuesday: 11:30 – 3:30 pm (due to parent-teacher conferences)
5:30 – 8:00 pm (also Literacy Night) - Wednesday: 2:30- 3:30 pm
- Thursday: 2:30 – 3:30 pm
5:30 – 8:00 pm (due to parent-teacher conferences) - Friday: 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Community Card Update
Family Sales concluded on Friday December 8th. Please remember to turn in all of your earnings + any unsold cards THIS WEEK to: Ashley Lorenz, Gaggi DeStefanis, Shannon LeMay Finn, or Vicki Rose. Not to worry if you weren’t able to sell all (or any) cards. We will continue to market the card via social media and posters around town, while supplies last.
On that note, we still only have a few hundred cards left for sale. As always, tell folks to get them while they last! Cards can be purchased anytime at The Book Rack, Menotomy Beer and Wine, or www.arlingtoncommunitycard.org.
@ArlCommCard
Follow us at @ArlCommCard on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and like/comment on any posts that inspire you. Follow us at @ArlCommCard on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and like/comment on any posts that inspire you.
Any questions? Contact ashley.e.lorenz@gmail.com
Literacy Night – December 12th
Literacy Night will showcase graphic novels created by Thompson students. This project is open to all grades and abilities. Your child can partner up with a friend, or be author and illustrator of a story they’re longing to tell. The drawings can be monochromatic or in color, the comics can be in the form of booklets or pamphlets. The only rule is to run with it and have fun! The deadline for submissions is December 8th at the latest. Please drop off at the front office. Each child will receive 1 raffle ticket for their submission.
For activity details, learn more here.
Arlington EATS
Join us at the table for our next Community Dinner on December 14!
When we say please join us at the table, we mean just that. No matter your circumstances, you are part of our community and we TRULY want to share a meal with you. If you are hesitant to join us because you are not currently experiencing financial hardship, consider offsetting the cost of your meal with a small donation to Arlington EATS. But whether you choose to donate or not, you ARE welcome and we would love to have you with us.
Join us at the table:
To get food assistance: info@arlington-eats.org
To learn more: www.arlington-eats.org
To donate: www.arlington-eats.org/giving/
To volunteer: www.arlington-eats.org/volunteer/
To follow along: www.facebook.com/Arlington.EATS
To contact: sarah@arlington-eats.org
Spirit Wear Update
Thank you for making Thompson’s 2nd Spirit Wear sale such a big success! We received 195 orders, which is more than we expected. More notably, we received $1088 in Sponsorship! With these generous donations, the PTO was able to meet the needs of every single student who requested financial assistance, which still left us with a surplus of $346. This money will be earmarked for other school events, such as the upcoming Book Fair, and used specifically to provide financial assistance for those families in need.
Watch out for your Spirit Wear orders in the next week or two. Again, thank you all for your participation!
If you have any questions please reach out to Judy Hu (hudyju@gmail.com) or Melissa Crowley (melish26@yahoo.com), your Spirit Co-Chairs.
Arabiqa
Thompson students got a taste of Arabic music on Friday when Karim Nagi came to present his Arabiqa program. Karim demonstrated several instruments, including the duff (Arabic round drum), riqq (Arabic tambourine), buzuk (Arabic guitar), segat (Arabic brass castanets), and the darbuka (Arabic goblet drum). Students in grades 3-5 also got to see (and try to dance) some Arabic dances! A number of students at Thompson have families that hail from the Arabic world, and we are glad everyone had a chance to learn more about their culture.
Additional Media
- https://twitter.com/ThompsonK102/status/936712699966242816
- https://twitter.com/ThompsonK102/status/936708967941763073
Community
Flu Vaccination Clinic
Arlington Board of Health will be holding a flu clinic for Arlington residents on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Arlington Senior Center located at 27 Maple Street. Both children and adults will have the opportunity to be vaccinated. Participants must being their insurance cards with them. Residents that do not have insurance will still be able to be vaccinated. If you have any questions please contact Jessica Kerr, Public Health Nurse, at 781-316-3140.
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.
Book Fair & Literacy Night (Dec. 11th-15th)
Have just a short amount of time to give? Sign-Up for a shift at the Book Fair or help out on Literacy Night (Dec. 12th)
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f49adad2aa0f49-thompson6
Amazon Coordinator
The PTO needs someone to help promote the PTO/Amazon fundraising link. Thompson School earns 4-10% back on purchases made through the Thompson/Amazon page but shoppers must use the link on the PTO website.
Interested in helping get the word out?
Contact: Kate Murphy at thompsonschoolvolunteers@gmail.com
Winter Parent’s Party – Jan 27th
Interested in helping with planning the Winter Parent’s Party?
The party is moving venues this year, and as always there are many tasks (both large and small) that the planning committee needs help with, from running errands for supplies in the weeks approaching to helping set up on the day of the event.
Contact: Kate Murphy at thompsonschoolvolunteers@gmail.com
Calling All Science Enthusiasts: Science Explo March 17th
Are you a professional in a scientific field or just a lover of all things science related? We need volunteers to set up and run interactive tables at the Explo in March! Let us know if you’re interested. Contact: Yael Beals at yael.beals@gmail.com.
Help Throughout the Year
To check all current volunteer opportunities: http://tinyurl.com/ThompsonPTOVolunteers
Connect with Us
THOMPSON PTO BOARD
Nandana Mewada, Co-President (Mom to Eshaan, 3rd)
Diana Trudell, Co-President (Mom to Matilda, 4rd and Joaquin, 1st)
Yael Beals, Vice-President (Mom to Annabella, 2nd)
Carolyn Schneyer, Co-Treasurer (Mom to Leah, 4th)
Sara Wilkinson, Co-Treasurer (Mom to Ezra, 4th, and Amelia, 1st)
Emily Gauthier, Co-Secretary (Mom to Sophia, 5th)
Fiona Ehring, Co-Secretary (Mom to Emma, 4th and Elise, K)
Danielle Gottesman, Communications Chair (Mom to Oliver, 3rd, and Penny, 1st)
Melissa Crowley, Spirit and Appreciation Co-Chair (Mom to Joseph, 1st)
Judy Hu, Spirit & Appreciation Co-Chair (Mom to Sofia, 1st)
Sarah Gupta, Room-Parent Chair (Mom to Norah, 3rd, and Meena, 1st)
Juliet Moir, Fundraising Chair (Mom to Jack, 5th, and Eva, 2nd)
Maf Terry, Enrichment Co-Chair (Mom to John, 5th)
Tonja Bishop, Enrichment Co-Chair (Mom to Ellen, 2nd and Neil, K)
Ashley Lorenz, Community Card Chair (Mom to Oliver, 5th, Melanie, 3rd, and Peter, K)
Gaggi DeStefanis, Community Card Chair (Mom to Sofia, 3rd)
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.
Every year, the Thompson Elementary School Community helps make the holidays brighter for several area families in need. Please consider purchasing one of the items displayed in the main lobby and returning it to Vicki Rose by December 15. Only new items, please, nothing used. Please include a gift receipt, if possible. Items should be returned unwrapped or in gift bags with the Holiday Help Program tag attached. For more expensive items, it is recommended that you share the purchase among several people.