O c t o b e r 1 0 t h 2 0 1 7

Thompson Times

I hope everyone had a relaxing and festive Thanksgiving long weekend, full of gratitude and family time. We had a great Terry Fox Run last week. The clouds disappeared, and the rains held up just in time for our run in the sun. The Orange treats afterward were much appreciated. A big thank you goes out to one of our community partners, SaveOn Foods, for donating the oranges.

We are now hitting our stride with class routines, and there are many events and activities happening at Thompson. This Newsletter will showcase some of those events, and act as a reminder of things on the horizon.

Thompson Tiger Wear - We have an updated logo!Stay tuned for a notice coming to provide details on how to order our school spirit wear. Students, staff and par-ents can show their school spirit by ordering a dry fit T-shirt or hoodie. We are hoping that every student will have a Thompson Tiger T-Shirt to wear. The school will also be purchasing new jerseys for our school’s sports teams so we look sharp competing in the community.

Thompson PAC Pumpkin Fundraiser – October 25th after schoolIn preparation of our Annual Pumpkin Carving event on October 31st, we have over 200 pumpkins that will be made available for students by donation. These pump-kins (one per student) will be available for pick up after school on October 25th. Parents are encouraged to come to the school on the 25th to take the pumpkins home. Not all students are big enough to carry a pumpkin home ;-) If you missed the pick up on the 25th, you can get them from our front hallway for the rest of the week.Prior to the October 31st Family Teams carving event in the gym, we ask that each student come back to school on October 31st with their pumpkin cleaned out, whereby they have carved open the pumpkin from the bottom (so we can put lights inside when we display them). A spe-cial shout out goes to the Jessica Chen Realty group for donating the pumpkins for this fun event.

Cross Country Running TeamWe have been training for the district cross country run by practicing at lunch time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on the Thompson school field. Students meet at the baseball diamond when they are dis-missed at 12:10, and we warm up and run together. This year, Thompson students will attend a district cross country run on October 25, at Spul’u’kwuks School. A memo with details about the cross country run has been sent home with the runners. We are grateful for Mrs. Mac-Caskill and Ms. Poon, our fleet of foot Cross Country running coaches.

Friday Morning Drop in at Thompson!Join us Friday mornings between 8:00am and 8:30amThe purpose of our program is to make sure that all students have ac-cess to healthy breakfast foods and to build our sense of community at Thompson. Student leaders in grade 6 and 7, under the supervision of staff, run the program. They set up at 7:45am, serve the food, help the younger students play games and clean up at the end. There are 30 stu-dents who are involved in the leadership part of our program and 12 of them sign up to help each week.

Students are to enter through the doors by the basketball courts and leave your backpacks in the hallway. Don’t go to your classroom. At drop in you can eat, have toast, fruit, juice, milk andhang out with your friends in the gym. Hope to see you there!

O c t o b e r 1 0 t h 2 0 1 7

Safety Announcement - Parking Lot ProtocolsDid you know that we have already had 3 parking lot fender benders in September? And that is with parent volunteers and student crossing guards directing traffic. Of course, these fender benders are unintentional acci-dents, and mistakes do happen sometimes, but when we are talking about student safety, we simply can’t have any mistakes. The main issue is the congestion of cars. When you are in your car, cursing the long line up and how long it takes to get a parking spot, you need to realize that “you and your car are part of the congestion problem.” My question to you (and mostly to the parents of older children who do not need to be dropped off at the school’s doorstep), is it necessary for you to enter the school parking lot? If you must drive your older child to school, students are very capable of walking 200m or more to the school (even in the rain!). As a help-ful option, please consider dropping your child off and picking them up at a pre-determined spot in the neighbourhood away from the school, so they can enjoy a brief walk in. We have also encouraged older students to ride their bikes to school (just like we did when we were kids). This strategy will leave parking lot use for parents of younger children who need to walk their children into the school. It will decrease the number of cars in our parking lot, and increase student safety.

To the right is a map that shows you how our parking lot is organized, and shows you where to park. Please make sure that you are honouring the signage, and stopping and/or parking in a spot that permits stopping or parking. We’re trying to keep student safety ahead of personal convenience.

Reminder: School supplies and the KEV systemThis is a gentle reminder for parents to pay school supplies and agenda fees online by October 13th. https://rich-mondsd38.schoolcashonline.com/ The payment system is called the KEV system that allows parents to pay for school items online. Our goal is for 100% parent participation on our KEV payment system. At the moment we have 90% participation…are you one of the 10% that still needs to sign up?

Preschoolers welcome to drop in to the Strongstart Program A reminder to families with little ones, that our Strongstart program is open. It is a free drop in program for parents/guardians with their preschooler/toddler to play, create, sing, read, and so much more. Please visit Ms. Jindy in room 10 to find out more.Dates and times:Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays from 9:30am-12:00pmTuesday from 11:45am-2:15pm

Thompson Volleyball UpdateMr. Badyal and Mr. Stokes, our enthusiastic volleyball coaches are very impressed with their players’ abilities, work ethic, and school spirit. Here is their schedule:Tuesday, October 10 (Home VS Spul)           Thursday, October 12 (@ Spul’u’kwuks) Monday, October 16 (Home VS Brighouse)Thursday, October 26 (@ McKay)Wednesday, November 1 (Home VS Quilchena)Thursday, November 2 (Home VS Blair)Tuesday, November 7 @ Quilchena)Wednesday, November 8 (@Blair)Wednesday, November 15   City Centre Classic Tournament

Important Dates:October 11 Photo DayOctober 13 Pizza DayOctober 17 Grade 6 ImmunizationsOctober 18 PAC Meeting 9:00 a.m.October 18 Parent Teacher Conferences 1:45 p.m. dismissalOctober 19 Parent Teacher Conferences 1:45 p.m. dismissalOctober 20 Provincial Pro-D Day (no school for students)October 25 Pumpkins available for pick up after school (by donation)October 27 Hot lunch dayOctober 31 Halloween (pumpkin carving)

Thompson Elementary School 6211 Forsyth Crescent, Richmond BC. 604 668-6420

Early Warning Answering Machine: 604 668-6426 Website: thompson@sd38.bc.ca - Instagram: @thompsontigers - Twitter: @thomptiger1