Dear Thompson Community,
Seasons Greetings! It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through the school year. These past several months in Thompson School District have featured terrific achievements by our students and staff, both in and out of the classroom. As we prepare to say goodbye to 2024, I want to take a few minutes to spotlight some key accomplishments from the past year, and look forward to the new and bright future we have here in TSD.
Celebrations
As we announced earlier, Thompson School District is celebrating its highest rating since 2016 on the Colorado District Performance Framework, which was when the state began using this tool to rate school districts. TSD achieved many gains in student growth and achievement across the district, with four of our schools receiving a performance rating at or above 74 points—some of the highest ratings for schools in the state. In addition, the number of schools that received the highly desirable “Performance” rating increased this year to 24 schools, up from 19 last year.
Our graduation rate in the district continues to climb, with a 2023 rate of 91.1%. The rate has increased each year for the past six years and has grown 11% in that time.
2024 was a remarkable year for our students on the fields of competition, including state championships in football, volleyball, cross country, and girls’ flag football.
This week, we were honored to partner with The Matthews House as they hosted a grand opening ceremony for The Landing, northern Colorado’s new regional youth shelter. The new facility will address the immediate needs of unaccompanied youth, including care to support their mental health, assistance to help them stay in school and graduate, and enrichment activities to build a more inclusive community.
At the end of this month, Turner Middle School instructor Jessica May will wrap up her reign as the 2024 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Jessica has done a remarkable job representing TSD and the world of education on the state and national stages.
Looking Ahead
A special “thank you” goes out to all in the community who supported the district’s bond and special levy ballot items and evaluation processes. The Board of Education is considering several options moving forward, and additional information will be communicated soon.
Next fall, we will launch a new student career pathway at our Thompson Career Campus. The Emergency Medical Technician pathway will provide students with an amazing opportunity to study and train to become EMTs and job-ready. Construction on the new pathway space at the campus is starting soon.
Planning is underway for our upcoming summer school session, which will provide students with fantastic educational opportunities during the summer weeks. We will release additional details on this year’s class schedule in the coming weeks.
We are excited to announce that we are piloting a new curriculum for literacy during the second semester in grades K-5. The district has established a Literacy Task Force to represent each student group and all grade levels to look for the best literacy curriculum for our elementary students. This group has been created to provide transparency in the adoption process and to ensure that all voices are heard and represented throughout each part of the planning. More details on this exciting work will be released soon.
As you can see, as exciting as 2024 was, 2025 is shaping up to be yet another transformative year here in Thompson School District. Of course, the district’s success would not be possible without the support we receive each day from our entire community. Thank you for all that you continue to do for our students and families! I wish you all the best this holiday season as we enter the New Year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District