Thursday, October 21st, 2020, Volume 15 Issue 64
October and November Happenings!
PRINCIPAL Katie May
It’s hard to believe that we are two-thirds of the way through October already! This means that the end of the month is almost upon us, and next Friday, October 30, is when we celebrate a special Thurgood Marshall tradition: Book-o-Ween.
To make this holiday inclusive to all, our focus is on reading and not on Halloween. We celebrate by asking students and staff to come to school dressed as their favorite book character. You might want to start talking to your child now about their favorite books and what character they would like to be. We do ask that students stick to costumes that are not violent and do not include weapons. While we are not “at” school, each class is hard at work building community and it is important that we not let our fun traditions slide. If you need help coming up with some ideas, you need only google “book-themed costumes.” Here is a link to some: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/g22127013/book-character-costumes/
Another important annual event that is coming up is our Book Fair! Although we cannot have an in-person book fair as we usually do in November, our innovative Friends of Thurgood Marshall group have partnered with Scholastic Books to bring you a virtual book fair that will run November 16- 29.
We appreciate Lesley Jones coordinating this! You can browse through books on-line, make your selections and have them delivered to your home. Proceeds from the book fair will go towards the library and allow us to continue purchasing books for your children!
Conferences are also happening in November on Saturday Nov. 21, Monday, Nov. 23 and Tues. Nov. 24. There will be no school on Nov. 25-27 in recognition of the Thanksgiving Holiday. This year, we are trying something new that we hope will make signing up for conferences easier for you! We have moved our scheduling to the Sign-up Genius platform so that you are able to choose a date and time that works for you and your family. As you schedule, if you are lucky enough to have the flexibility of a job that allows you to conference on Monday or Tuesday, please try to save the Saturday conference times for those who may not be able to meet during the course of their workday. Here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f4dafa62eaafe3-november . Be sure to click the orange box in the upper right-hand corner that says “Show more sign ups” which will give you a drop-down menu to choose your child’s teacher.
Each year, families who can are given the opportunity to help collect “Thanksgiving in a bag” for families who may need more help around the holidays. We fill a bag with elements to make a great holiday dinner along with a grocery gift card for perishable items. Last year, my daughter and I shopped together for our bags and really enjoyed being able to contribute in this way. This year, our goal as a school is to provide at least 50 bags for our community. Thank you to Jen Gotanda for heading this effort up again this year, along with support from Trina Wright (who also champions our Tutu’s Pantry). Teamwork makes the dream work!
I’m excited to let you know that the district has invested in Talking Points, an app that helps us quickly and easily communicate with families in the language of their choice! For example, I can text a family in English whose home language is Spanish, and my text will show up to them in Spanish. They can text me back in Spanish and it will show up for me in English. It’s a great way for teachers to send a quick reminder to their whole class, too! Just wanted to let you know that you may start to see more messages coming to you in that way. You can choose to download the app for more functionality, but it’s not a requirement to be able to get the messages.
And on the note of communication, just a reminder that Ms. Lorow and I are keeping Admin office hours so that you can pop in to talk to us about questions or concerns that you have. Our hours are Mondays from 3-4 PM (Join Microsoft Teams Meeting) or Thursdays from 8-9 AM (Join Microsoft Teams Meeting).
Dear Thurgood Marshall Families,
Welcome to a new and unique school year at Thurgood Marshall! This school year will look very different than years past but the Friends of Thurgood Marshall (FTME) are still supporting our children in every way they can.
Our Autumn Challenge is beginning. Our annual goal is $61,000 this year. It is critical that FTME raises enough to fulfill our budget to continue to fund our librarian, remote learning supplies, classroom grants, enrichment activities, and so much more. This year is very different than years past, but the needs of our community continue. Our staff and community are putting in an amazing effort to meet the challenges of this year but this year, more than ever, we need your help. FTME will spend $150 per student this year. Every donation, of any amount, will help our students. You will have a direct and positive impact on programs and resources that help all our children have the best possible school experience. At Thurgood Marshall Elementary, there are no auctions or fundraising sales. Instead you will hear from us several times over the year, asking you for a gift. You can give anytime online at www.tmlink.org. Don’t forget to pay for remote learning/classroom supplies (pay what and if you can!) Link here. Give today by:
Writing a check payable to Friends of Thurgood Marshall and mailing it to the school
Donating by credit card - link here.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Thurgood Marshall Annual Giving Fund.If you have any questions, please contact us at giving@tmlink.org.
TM Library Checkout Days
First and Third Wednesdays
October 21st
November 4th
November 18th
December 2nd
December 16th
January 6th
January 20th
February 3rd
February 24th
March 10th
March 24th
April 7th
April 21
May 5th
May 19th
June 2nd will be the last checkout. All books must be turned in by June 16
(Last day of school is June 18)
Reminder: You can turn library books in ANY day at our lunch site between 11:15 and 1:15 AM.
Calendar
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27th 6:30pm General Meeting for Friends of Thurgood Marshall Elementary Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5063553578?pwd=juJNMq_IXTn4o87roxowwpugvrPS4A Meeting ID: 506 355 3578 Passcode: 2qdCNf ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30th Book-o-ween ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11th Veteran’s Day – No School ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 21st, 23rd/24th Fall Parent Conferences 8:00am - 3:30pm ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NOVEMBER 25th - 27th Thanksgiving Break –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Scholastic Book Fair is back!
While the Fair will be exclusively held online this year, we still plan on making it a fun and joyous experience for our kids.
The Online Fair will include features such as Thurgood Marshall’s own online store, games for kids, virtual store walk-throughs and more.
Remember, every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly (25% back in rewards!).
Fair Dates: November 16th - November 29th , 2020
We can’t wait to “see” you at the Fair!
