Vine from last week

https://vine.co/v/MIxQu01FELY

Math Stations on June 12th 

Sorry it just finally uploaded now! 

Tuesday 6/17

We had a special guest today!  Madison's grandfather from Arizona!   He told us all about his childhood- growing up on a farm, fishing, raising animals, and what school was like in a small room shared with multiple grades.  The kids had so many questions!  What a fun treat for all of us!

Pop: game day!!

https://vine.co/v/MIx2zmFpHIz

Monday

Field Day!  What a fun day! Thanks to all of the volunteers from our class. 

Pop: choice time! 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of the great Dads from Room 108!  I loved hearing all of the reasons why your kids love you so much.  Enjoy this perfect weather on your day! :)

Parent Forum

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Bill Shea Memorial Library-Thompson School

7:30pm-8:30pm

“Kids Just Being Kids or Time to Intervene?

Conflict Between Children in the Classroom and on the Playground”

Presenter:  Dr. Douglas Katz, Psychologist

Douglas Katz has worked as a psychologist in New York City and Boston for the past 14 years.  He received his Ph.D. from Fordham University in the Bronx, NY, and he currently maintains a private practice in downtown Boston and works as the Clinical Coordinator at the Arlington Youth Counseling Center.  His interests include self-psychology, the integration of Buddhist principles into psychotherapy, the treatment of anxiety disorders, and addressing the problem of bullying in schools and homes.

In this presentation, Dr. Katz will lead a discussion of the most common types of conflict, such as name-calling, social exclusion, and physical aggression, seen among children.  Special attention will be paid to assisting parents in distinguishing between the types of conflict that are safe, and even helpful, for their children to navigate on their own, and those requiring adult intervention.

Upcoming events

I can't believe we only have 6 days of school left!  

See the schedule below for all of our fun end of the year events.  

Please take a look at home and see if you have any classroom or library books to return.

Have a great weekend,

Nicole 

Monday, June 16

Field Day 8:45-11:00

Bring a water bottle, towel, and change of clothes.

Wear red, white or green.

Bring a bagged lunch, unless if you signed up for a school bagged lunch.

Tuesday, June 17

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. – PTO Meeting

Wednesday, June 18

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Presentation by Doug Katz

                                “Kids Just Being Kids or Time to Intervene?

                                 Conflict Between Children in the Classroom and on 

                                  the Playground”

Friday, June 20

Fun Afternoon 1:00-2:00

Families are welcome to attend.

afternoon treat donations & volunteers

Monday, June 23

Last Day of School Year

8:15-8:45 Family Breakfast, All family members are invited. 

breakfast donations

11:30 a.m. – Dismissal, No lunch served.

Report Cards and next grades generic supply list go home with students.

Wed.-Fri.

Planting Video: Vine







The students are editing their informational books.

Wednesday: Cup Day! Thursday: ABC Day! Friday: Oobleck Day!

Arlington EATS

Dear fellow-Thompson families,

Did you know…

• that 11% of students in Arlington qualify to receive free and reduced price breakfast and lunch meals during the school year?
• that the number of Thompson students receiving free and reduced price breakfast and lunch is over 2 ½ times the town-wide number?   
• that during the 10 weeks of summer vacation, qualifying families need to replace 100 meals for each of their children who are typically provided free or reduced price breakfast and lunch ?
that summer is one of barest times of year for food pantries?   While the food pantry may be overflowing at Thanksgiving, the shelves remain lean during the summer.  

There are many people in our community working on these issues (stop me on the playground and ask me to describe the lengths that Vicki Rose goes to for all of our children), but with all the goodwill and generosity of Arlington camps, an Interfaith Church Coalition, community groups and individuals, we still don’t have a clear idea how we are going to make sure children in Arlington have enough to eat this summer.   So, we’re putting the word out and hoping that you can help.  

Here is how you can support our kids through a program we have branded as Arlington EATS (Eat All Through Summer):

• $1 will provide a breakfast for a child
• $3 will provide a lunch for a child
• $20 will provide a child with two meals a day for a week
• $100 will provide a child with two meals a day for half the summer
• $200 will provide a child with two meals a day for the entire summer

Can you donate a dollar?  Can you donate more?  If so, there are several easy ways you can help:

• Drop your quarters and dollars in an Arlington EATS box at the Thompson front desk.  
• Write a check to “The Thompson Family Fund” (with ‘Arlington EATS’ in the memo line) and send it to school.
• Contribute with a credit card via PayPal right now by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ArlingtonEATS

And beyond donations, there are several other ways you can help.

• Forward this email or talk to your friends and neighbors about these issues.  Just because someone doesn’t have a child in the Arlington School System, doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in helping.  
• Volunteer your time at the Feast of the East festival THIS Saturday to fundraise for summer lunches and offer a fun craft for children.   Click here to sign up for a slot.
• Join our newly-founded group to work on these issues and more.  Our first goal is raising money for summer lunches but that is just the beginning.  Bring your time and your gifts and together, we can make a difference in our community.  

Email lauren.ledger@gmail.com if you’d like more information or want to learn about how you can get more involved.

Thank you!  Wishing you a fun, happy and healthy summer!

Lauren Ledger

Arlington EATS Committee

Vicki Rose: vrose@arlington.k12.ma.us

Kathy O'Rourke: shawnandkathy@verizon.net

Susan Stewart: sstewart@alum.mit.edu Lauren Ledger: lauren.ledger@gmail.com

Prevent the summer slide

http://www.laparent.com/step-up-summer-learning-seven-simple-ways-to-help-prevent-summer-slide/

Monday 6/9 ad Tuesday 6/10

The kids worked on a calendar of June…. One busy month!! :-)

For the last 10 days of school one balloon will be popped for a special surprise each day! The kids were screaming for joy when we popped the first balloon!!
Today was movie and popcorn.  A great way to end a hot day!  

We started a new unit of writing- Informational Writing.  A first for me teaching this new unit. The kids chose a topic they know a lot about. Once a child had five facts they knew about their topic, they were considered to be an expert and could begin to write their informational book.   They worked on this twice today.. They are SO interested in writing their books!

PTO Update

Thompson Family Picnic, June 12

All Thompson Families (current, incoming & alum) are invited to the Thompson Picnic on Thursday, June 12 from 5-8 PM in the Thompson Field. Bring a picnic (or pizza), blankets/chairs plus a side dish or salad to share. Utensils will be provided and drinks will be available for $1. For dessert there will be a giant make-your-own sundae station ($3) featuring Chilly Cow ice cream. We'll also have $1 carnival games including a moon bounce, cake walk and dunk tank (all can throw, grades 3 & up can take the plunge). We still need quite a few volunteers. Please consider donating a cake for the cake walk or an hour of your time at one of the stations. Sign up here. All fifth grade students are invited to help run the games and scoop ice cream. Sign your 5th grader up here. Please contact Andrea with any questions.

Field Day, June 13

Our fabulous gym teacher Christine Brayfield, is busy planning an exciting day of sports and games for our kids. Classes will compete in events such as relay race, tug-o-war, sponge race, etc. Grades K-2 will participate from 8:45-11:00 and grades 3-5 from 11:45-2:00. All kids will have lunch from 11:00-11:45. Ms. Brayfield needs 3 parents per class/per shift to help with the event. This is a fun one to help with so sign up here. Take both shifts if you can! 

The Community Card Needs YOU!

Did you know that the Arlington Community Card is Thompson's most important fundraiser, bringing in more than one-third of our PTO funds? Now in its 6th year, these discount cards, which we launch at Town Day in September, have become a must-have for people who frequent local businesses and restaurants. The Community Card Committee is having its first meeting very soon and needs some new members to help with all aspects of the card launch: registration, marketing, sales and PR. To join the committee of for more details, please contact Gaggi. 

Join the PTO Board

Interested in getting more involved in the school and the PTO? Consider a position on the PTO board. We are looking for an interested and qualified parent to fill the new board position of Fundraising Coordinator. The Fundraising Coordinator will manage Thompson's ongoing fundraising programs such as Box Tops for Education, Target Red Card, Stop n Shop and Amazon programs, as well as seek out new opportunities (e.g. Wilson Farm Day; Whole Foods Day; local holiday shopping nights). 

Nomination Information
Any Thompson School parent, guardian or teacher at the school will be eligible to run for office. If more than one person is running for an office, a ballot vote of the school community shall be taken; majority rules. To nominate any individual, please submit his or her name, email address and phone number as well as the relevant Executive Officer position to any of the current board members byFriday, June 13. If no positions are competitive, members will be voted in at the next PTO meeting on Tuesday, June 17. 

Goodbye Kathy & Milagros!

The PTO Board says goodbye and a huge thanks to Kathy O'Rourke and Milagros Masini for their many years of involvement and leadership on the Thompson PTO, including as President and Vice-President during the challenging rebuild years. We'll miss you—there won't be quite as many laughs without the two of you! See you at Ottoson!

Enrichment Recap
The children of Thompson have enjoyed a wide-range of Enrichment Activities this year. Supporting enrichment programming is one of the primary functions of the PTO, and contributions funded science, arts, mathematics and literacy activities both in house and on the road. Grade level enrichment activities are drawn straight from the curriculum and serve to provide deeper, often hands-on, understanding of the topics children study in the classroom. 

A quick recap of 2013-2014 Enrichment Activities:
Kindergarten:
Kidstock Drama Workshop
New England Aquarium Tide Pools Alive!
Wingaersheek Beach Tidepool exploration

First Grade:
Science Discovery Museum
Franklin Park Zoo
Theatreworks USA performance of Charlotte’s Web

Second Grade:
Children’s Museum: Japan House and Suminigashi
Mass Audubon Habitat exploration of habitats

Third Grade:
Plimoth Plantation field trip
Jason Russell House Museum

Fourth Grade:
Lowell Mills
Harvard Museum of Natural History (rocks and minerals)
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Soft Circuits

Fifth Grade:
Museum of Science: States of Matter visiting program
Wingmasters Animal Adaptations program

School-wide:
Origamido
Author Visits: Greg Tang, George O’Connor, Eric Berlin

Please Support Your PTO 
It's not too late to submit your Spring Direct Donation. The funds we raise now support us as we start up the 2014-2015 school year. Any amount is sincerely appreciated and we mean this! Money raised through fundraising efforts and through direct donations from Thompson friends and families makes a direct difference in every child’s education by funding field trips, enrichment programs and special community events. Please make out checks to "Thompson PTO" with "direct donation" in the memo and drop at the front desk. 

Pottery Sale to Benefit the Arlington Food PantryThe girls from Thompson 3rd grade Brownie troop #66290 have created handmade, ceramic bowls as part of their participation in the Empty Bowls Project. Empty Bowls is an international organization that lends its name to any project using the ceramic arts for hunger relief (www.emptybowls.net). Bowls may be purchased for $15 during the Thompson Family Picnic from 5-7pm or until they are sold out. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Arlington Food Pantry.

Note from Nurse Tami
Please remember you must pick up your child's medication in the Health Office on June 23 our last day of school. This includes Epi-Pens, Inhalers and all types of Medications. Any medications not picked up must be disposed of according to state law. If your child will not be here on Monday the 23 you may pick up their medication on Friday the 20th of June.
If your child will be on medication next school year you will need to obtain new Doctor's orders and medication for the new school year 2014-2015. The new medications and Doctor's orders must be presented to me on the first day of school, no exceptions. Any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via phone or email. Happy summer everyone! 

Thompson & Hardy Community Art Project

Calling all Hardy and Thompson 5th graders! The mural on Marathon Street commemorating the history of the Boston Marathon is in the works and still needs painters. Sign up to help by contacting Stephanie Marlin-Curel.

Calendar of Events 

The list is getting shorter but still a few big events coming up...

• 6/12 Thompson BBQ
• 6/13 Field Day

• 6/19 Fifth Grade Luau
• 6/20 Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony & Brunch

Dates to Remember

• PTO Meeting: Tuesday, June 17, 7-9 pm

• Kindergarten Visiting Day: June 19

Don't Miss Out on PTO News
Join the Thompson Yahoo Group to receive all PTO-related emails.

Thompson has a Facebook page
Friend us for pictures and updates; search "Thompson School Arlington".

Share Your News
Do you have Thompson-related news you would like us to include in the next PTO Update? If so, please email Andrea.

Tuesday-Friday

Wow… This week flew by!  This might be the longest amount of time I haven't posted besides a vacation!  I'm pretty swamped with end of the year tasks..

The kids worked hard trying to finish-up things they started earlier this week or month… Some activities that many kids worked on were: Charlotte's Web journal, Book Review iMovie, shape packet, graphing packet, and much more… The kids are determined to finish all of their work, even with only 11 days left!  Keep an eye out for lots of finished work in folders.

There were 3 assessments (or as I say to the kids "check-ins")
Math- Story Problem & Place Value
Writing- Opinion Prompt

What an amazing turn out for our Author Celebration!  Thanks so much for coming to see all of the opinion pieces of work.

We are continuing our study of Mexico.  The kids looked at maps of the world and of North America and wrote "I notice.." sentences.  Mexican crafts were a big hit!  

We ended our week with a field trip to the Franklin Park Zoo!!  A big thank you to our chaperones- Lisa, Mae-ellen, Adrienne & Lauren.  We lucked out with perfect weather and all of the kids had a blast!

Hope to see many of you at the family picnic on Thursday evening! I know many of the kids really want to meet Daisy :) 

Monday 6/2

Can't believe it's June already!!

The kids are really good at tapping out the base word (We tried some really tricky words!) and then adding a suffix to the end of the word.  The suffixes we have learned are ed, ing, s and es.  

We tried the word bring and found out you can't add the ed suffix!

 

Soon we will be planting in the new flower beds outside.  Today we focused on seeds.

Help needed on Field Day!

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Field Day is coming on Friday, June 13. Our fabulous gym teacher Christine Brayfield has been busy planning a fun day filled with sports and games for our kids, including a relay race, tug-o-war, sponge race and other great events. Grades K-2 will participate from8:45-11:00 and grades 3-5 from 11:45-2:00. All kids will eat lunch from 11:00-11:45.

To make this day a success, Ms. Brayfield needs a handful of parent volunteers per classroom. We've set up sign ups into two shifts per grade but feel free to sign up for the whole time so you don't miss the action! Ms. Brayfield is also seeking a few parents to help run the sound system. 

Please sign up here to help with field day.

Thank you!

-Thompson PTO

Thompson Family Picnic- Next Thursday!

Dear Thompson Community:

All are invited to the Thompson Family Picnic on Thursday, June 12 from 5:00—8:00 p.m. Bring your own dinner and picnic blankets/chairs along with a side dish or salad to share. There will be make-you-own sundaes for dessert, a moon bounce, cake walk, plus a dunk tank! This event was originally planned as a BBQ on school grounds, but since the lawns are being reseeded, we're moving to Lussiano Field next to the school and making it a picnic (grills prohibited on fields). Here are the details:

• Bring your own picnic (or pizza), chairs & blankets
• Bring a side dish or salad to share
• Paper goods & utensils will be provided
• Water & lemonade for $1
• Make-your-own ice cream sundaes for $3
• Carnival games for $1: Cake Walk, Moon Bounce, Bean Bag Toss, Dunk Tank (all can throw; grades 3 & up can take the plunge)

We need lots of help! Please click here to sign up to volunteer for the event or to donate a cake for the cake walk.

Thank you and see you at the picnic!

—Thompson PTO