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In Focus

Superintendent Dr. Marc Schaffer provides regular updates about district events and programs that are “In Focus.”

Strong Family and Community Engagement Is a Key to Student Success

Greetings Thompson School District Community,

Welcome to March!

Strong family and community connections play a big role in the success of our students and are a top priority for TSD staff. With that in mind, we have increased our efforts to strengthen relationships, improve communication and identify and remove barriers for schools, staff, students and families. We are committed to providing flexible options for family and community engagement as well as pathways for families to request and receive support in these challenging times.

In response to the increasing challenges faced by TSD families this year, one of our biggest celebrations in the area of family and community engagement has been the opening of the TSD Family Center, located at the Early Childhood Center at Stansberry. The center is a welcoming and inclusive place where families can access technology, connect with district and community resources, participate in family workshops, visit the lending library or food and basic needs pantries, and receive support from friendly, bilingual district staff. Family Center staff can assist you in person, online or by telephone and we invite you to contact them today; call 970-613-6808, e-mail family-center@thompsonschools.org or schedule an appointment on their website.

With the support of TSD’s Family and Community Engagement team, schools across the district have also offered a variety of virtual engagement opportunities for families and other stakeholder groups to stay connected, such as online family events, community forums and district/school accountability teams. Perhaps you have joined in an evening of family fun through an online family engagement night at your child’s school, attended a virtual parent/teacher conference or participated in a virtual forum, such as our first-ever Spanish-Language Community Forum this fall. At TSD, we are committed to offering flexible, inclusive and supportive opportunities that meet the needs of each TSD family.

We are also very proud of the partnerships we have developed within our community to support TSD families. One shining example is our long-standing collaboration with Loveland Rotary KidsPak, which provided 165,000 meals to TSD families in 2020. KidsPak, in collaboration with TSD schools, provided 19,000 weekend food bags to TSD students in 2018-19, and nearly 27,000 in 2019-20. We anticipate that number has grown again this year and are so pleased to partner with them in support of TSD families in need. This year, the KidsPak team also provided nearly 300 holiday meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

To continue to learn and grow in the area of family engagement, all TSD licensed educators participate in specially designed staff development. These opportunities are focused on the important ways educators set the conditions for families to engage with schools and student learning, as well as research-based strategies to improve equitable communication and interaction with families, both in-person and online. This past November, we also launched the Thompson Climate and Culture Survey. The results of this is helping us to better understand and support the needs of every TSD family. We truly appreciate your input and want you to know that we hear you! About 27% of TSD families responded to the survey. Here are a few highlights from the results:

  • 85% of TSD families responded favorably that they would recommend their child’s school or the district to a friend or colleague for their child.
  • 73% of TSD families noted the district’s commitment to strong, ongoing two-way communication pathways for each TSD student and family.
  • 68% of TSD families said they feel welcome, valued and respected at schools and in the district.
  • All survey groups (students, families, staff, and community) rated school safety and the school/district climate favorably, as well as relationships between staff, students and leaders.
  • Responses from students showed they would like support in improving their emotional regulation, perseverance and their sense of belonging at their schools. Families, meanwhile, indicated there is room for improvement in hiring, developing and retaining high-quality staff, establishing and maintaining community partnerships, and ongoing improvements to our physical facilities.

As we approach Spring Break, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of our district. By working together, we will ultimately serve the important needs of our number one priority — our students!

Regards,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Working Together to Support the “Whole Child”

Greetings Thompson Community,

February brings Valentine’s Day and with it, a chance to show people how much we care about them. In TSD, we care deeply about each of our students and strive for each student to be healthy, safe, engaged, connected, supported and included. One way we support these goals is through social emotional learning and mental health support for our students. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of our efforts to support your child’s development in these areas as well as how parents and guardians can be involved.

TSD educators teach core social emotional skills, such as self-awareness, self-management, relationship-building, social awareness and responsible decision-making. All of our students benefit from growing their skills in these areas; these skills are critical to success in friendships, extracurricular interests, college, jobs and more. In addition, by growing our students’ social emotional skills, we can sometimes reduce their need for more intensive mental health support. Educators at all levels incorporate this learning into their teaching; elementary students may learn how to make and keep friends, while middle school students learn about healthy eating and activity and high schoolers
learn about setting and achieving their future career goals. Every day, TSD educators help their students grow their social emotional skills and help them prepare for future success.

TSD educators also understand the importance of creating a sense of belonging for each student and for each student to have a strong positive relationship with at least one caring adult. When students feel a sense of connectedness and belonging, we can increase engagement, participation, achievement and even graduation rates, as well as many other positive outcomes. Our staff look for creative ways to do this, including Connection Sessions (dedicated time during the school day to connect with students), clubs, extracurricular activities and a wide variety of learning opportunities that align with students’ interests and needs. Our educators are always looking for ways to make the school day
fun and recognize each student for their unique talents and achievements.

Sometimes students may need a bit more support; all students have access to our incredible school counselors and social workers. They can work with students to help with everything from understanding and regulating their emotions to dealing with anxiety, loss or family changes. Staff can provide crisis support and also have community connections to refer students and families to outside providers as needed.

We also have a wonderful team of district-wide social emotional and mental health specialists who provide students and staff with all levels of support, including suicide prevention and bullying prevention education, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support), restorative practices, positive school climate and culture efforts, mental health assistance and more. We are also lucky to be part of a community that offers amazing wrap-around support services, from local therapists to award-winning organizations such as Hearts and Horses.

How can parents and guardians get involved? Please reach out to the staff at your child’s school if you feel they could use more social emotional or mental health support in order to be successful in school. Not sure where to start? We all have a very simple tool in our toolkit; the very best thing any of us can do to support a child’s social emotional and mental health is to just listen. Connect with them, appreciate their unique self and take joy in the person they are growing into. An added benefit of slowing down for a few minutes to listen to your child is that it gives you another opportunity to notice changes in your child’s affect, attitudes, mood and behavior and realize you may need to refer them to the school counselor, social worker or a private therapist for additional support. You are not in this alone – Your child’s school staff are here to partner with you to help navigate the path to student success!

Thank you for all you do to support your child and our schools. Supporting the whole child takes the whole community and we could not do it without you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Enhancing Technology for 2021 and Beyond

Greetings Thompson Community:

I hope you’re having a wonderful start to 2021. As we kick off the new year, I wanted to provide you with an update on our efforts to improve technology for our academic programs, as well as the administrative and business work of the district.

In the first quarter of last year, we finalized the technology subsection of our Strive 2025 Strategic Plan. While the pandemic did cause us to alter some of our plans, it also provided impetus and funding to accelerate many other areas to support all students in both remote and in-person learning environments.

We’ve made huge strides in the replacement of obsolete equipment and in the completion of systems upgrades and staff training. Our district’s technology division, Innovative Technology Services (ITS), has concentrated their efforts on upgrading our network and improving access to staff and student devices, as well as making sure that those devices have the software necessary to reach their full potential. In remote learning situations, we are also assisting families in getting connected to the Internet through the option that best fits their circumstances.

Last year, our ITS team finished phase one of rebuilding the infrastructure for all school networks. Now we are seeing the full benefit of this, as we doubled our bandwidth capacity last spring in all schools. Also part of our infrastructure modernization is the installation of new phones and intercoms as well as bell and clock systems. All middle and high schools are now operating with the new systems and we are now focusing on replacing the systems in elementary schools.

Providing all of our students with access to effective devices is our most challenging technology project. When students have the access they need, they can use technology without rationing, reserving labs or trying to make old malfunctioning devices work. Three types of student devices are available to schools, including two types of Chromebooks and the new iPad 7. Thanks to new government stimulus funding, we are on-track to deploy a Chromebook or iPad to every student in the district by the end of the school year.

The main obstacle to our plan is the ability of factories to fulfill our orders while other schools around the world simultaneously order devices. By the end of this month, 22 TSD schools will be designated as “Ubiquitous Technology Access” (UTA) schools, which means that all of their students can access district-provided technology whenever it’s needed. As new orders come in, we are focusing attention on the remaining schools that don’t have one-to-one student devices. When a school becomes a UTA campus, their older technology is collected in a swap for their standardized devices. The old devices are then retired or they are refurbished and redeployed elsewhere.

As you can see, we are deeply committed to ensuring that our technology meets the academic and infrastructure needs of our district. As we begin 2021, we will continue to modernize our infrastructure and improve student access to technology and the Internet.

As always, thank you for your incredible support of our students and staff. I wish you the best as we embark on our new year.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

We Have Much To Celebrate During This Challenging Year

Greetings Thompson School District Community,

It is hard to believe that we have reached the midpoint of our school year–a year that has certainly been like none other. Much of what we read and see in social media or on the news has been fairly deflating and depressing. While I do not want to dismiss or minimize the difficulties that our students, families and communities are currently facing, I am choosing to focus this letter on the many positives and bright spots of the year. I submit this entry in the spirit of hope, optimism and a sense that we do have a lot to recognize and celebrate at a time where we should be looking for as much positivity as we can.

I open with a proverbial standing ovation for all of our TSD students, from our youngest preschoolers to our mighty seniors. We are proud of you! Your resilience, tenacity and perseverance has been awe-inspiring and impressive. Our students continue to learn, grow and develop both academically and socially, while deftly navigating the complexities of toggling in and out of in-person instruction, learning remotely via technology and interacting with their teachers and peers via online platforms and virtual meeting rooms. Teaching and learning has never looked more different and our 21st century students are taking this in stride, helping us as a system to innovate, improve, and use technology in a way that continues to foster learning, growth and development. Our students continue to sing, dance, play music, act, play sports, debate, lead through student council, do art and even participate in physical education. While this school year is different in almost every way, our students still find pieces of normalcy while also engaging in traditional pastimes and experiences that define what school is all about. We are proud of our students for stepping out front and taking advantage of their school experiences in new and adaptive ways.

To our teachers and all TSD staff, I also extend admiration, gratitude and respect. For all of us as a system, this is completely uncharted territory. Instead of being intimidated by the problems and challenges, our staff has stepped in to engage, innovate and produce in order to serve our students and our system in the most meaningful and tangible ways. From last spring to the present day, our TSD staff continues to be fully engaged and giving of themselves to ensure that their efforts contribute to what needs to get done in order to serve this district and our community. I want everyone reading this letter to know that our staff cares and delivers! I do not think you will find 2,100 more caring, giving and steadfastly dedicated professionals than those working for TSD. Thank you, TSD staff, for being difference-makers and for persevering during the most remarkable of times.

Our parents, guardians and caregivers are heroes as well and we gratefully acknowledge their support and sacrifice. At a time when careers and household duties are balanced with creating and supporting learning environments for our students when they learn remotely, we recognize that our parents and guardians have become important partners during this very unique and complex school year. One key reason our students, especially our youngest, are able to enjoy measures of success, is due to our parents and guardians providing supportive learning environments, assisting with the troubleshooting of technology needs, keeping students focused and engaged and supporting the teachers and schools in teaching and learning practices. These efforts are tangible and significant. We give thanks and appreciation to our families and caregivers for your willingness to support your students in their journey this year. You are also making a difference!

Finally, our community has stepped up in real, significant and important ways. From providing daycare and volunteering hours to support our children in school, to providing food, clothing and other vital basic supplies and necessities to our many families in need, our TSD community is second-to-none. As a collective, our community embraces the needs of our students and families seven days a week. From fire relief support to providing meals and weekly food distribution, our non-profit partners, business community, churches, local governments and private citizens provide hope, care, love and assistance to those in need. Despite the turmoil and volatility in the world around us, our community protects and insulates the most vulnerable by selflessly giving, providing and supporting. This must be acknowledged and honored. We are so very fortunate to call this community “home.”

So as we close the year and head into 2021, let us take a moment to recognize and celebrate what is good and right in our school district and in our community. This has not been a perfect year, but this also has not been a year of failure or defeat. I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season as well as a happy new year. Thank you for playing an important role in our success. There is much more greatness ahead!

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

An Update on the District Impact from COVID-19

Dear Thompson Community:

I hope you are doing well during this early Fall season. I want to provide you with an update on how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our school district.

As you know, the pandemic has provided school districts with an opportunity to carefully examine how we are instructing students and how we can do that work in an environment where being in-person with students and staff is not always possible. I am proud of all of the work that we’ve invested in our remote-learning and Thompson Connect Online programs. Together with our in-person attendance options, the programs offer families an ability to choose an academic pathway that works best for them. While transitions have certainly not been perfect, there has been consistent and measurable improvement as the school year has proceeded. We will continue to refine and improve our programs, with added and updated technology, as we move forward. Recently, we rolled out a survey to our families asking them to register their choice for the upcoming second semester.

At the county level, there has been a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 cases throughout the community. A few of these cases have directly impacted our schools, which has forced some of our students and staff to enter isolation or precautionary quarantine to help keep people safe. Our district website contains a COVID-19 page that tracks this process, which allows our community to see how the virus is affecting our schools. The number of isolations and quarantines in our district has risen in recent weeks. However, we are encouraged that the number of people who are testing positive for the virus while in that process is extremely low. This tells us that the system is working well overall and that it will continue to be a valuable prevention tool as we move through the school year.

When students and staff members go into isolation or quarantine, it often creates a need for substitute staff to assist within the buildings. Teachers are usually able to continue with their duties remotely. However, there is also often a need for an on-site staff member to be physically present in the classes during their time away. Our district team has taken numerous steps to increase the number of substitute staff in the system and at this time, we have been able to fulfill the need as it arises. We are mindful that depending on how the pandemic continues to affect our community, it may create a growing stress on our substitute pool. At this time, we are comfortable with how it is being utilized and we will continue to monitor it as we move forward.

Larimer County has created a data dashboard that provides the public with the latest COVID-19 tracking information. It is a useful web page to monitor, as it provides important details on how the virus is impacting our community as a whole. It is important to note that Thompson School District, just like other school districts in Colorado, operates on a completely separate system of guidance that assists us with the management of our buildings. Because of this, while the county’s data dashboard is a great way to monitor how the virus is affecting the community overall, it is not necessarily indicative of how prevalent the virus is within our school community. We will continue to partner with our team at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment to monitor our current protocols and identify other options that can enhance student and staff safety.

This is certainly an extraordinarily challenging time and I realize that it has a large impact on all of our students, families and staff. If you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to assist, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

A New Campus… A New Opportunity for Students

Dear Thompson Community:

These past few weeks within the district have been especially busy. After beginning the school year with fully remote classes, students are now beginning to return to our schools in a staggered fashion for in-person instruction. The classrooms and hallways have students in them once again and it has been wonderful to welcome them back after a long time away from our campuses. Navigating the pandemic has been a huge challenge for our families, staff and community, and we are so thankful for the patience and support that we continue to receive.

Thompson Career Campus

One of the milestone events for our district is the opening of the new Ferguson High School and Thompson Career Campus in Loveland. This project afforded us with a perfect opportunity to transform the recently closed Van Buren Elementary School into a new campus that now houses a wonderful new learning environment for our Ferguson High School students and an extension of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) options that we are able to offer our high school students. Each of the other high schools in our district will continue to offer robust CTE programs to our students. The new Thompson Career Campus truly is an extension of the amazing programming that we can offer.

In particular, the campus will offer the following options for students. Each one consists of a two-year pathway that is spread across four semesters of study.

Construction Skilled Trades Pathway

The Construction Skilled Trades pathway will prepare students in the industry-focused areas of electrical, plumbing, construction, HVAC and more.

Health Sciences Pathway

Students in the Health Sciences pathway will learn to work as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in a variety of health care environments to include long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, hospitals and home health care facilities. Students will also have the opportunity to explore the Medical Assisting career field.

Information Technology Pathway

Students in the Information Technology pathway will obtain skills in new, cutting edge Information Technology fields and will have the ability to earn a variety of industry-focused IT certifications.

Manufacturing and Design Pathway

Students in the Manufacturing and Design pathway will learn to use lathes, drill presses, milling machines and CNC routers. They will also receive extensive training in advanced processes, including computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) programming.

The pathways offered at the Thompson Career Campus are the result of careful consideration of feedback from our families, local businesses and community members. We truly believe that these programs — as well as the options we offer throughout the high schools — are excellent opportunities for our students to explore potential careers and take significant steps that will benefit them after high school. On Monday, October 26, we will be hosting a virtual celebration of the campus opening as well as in-person tours for community members who would like to take a look.

The new site would not be possible without the tremendous support of our voters through the 2018 bond ballot measure as well as our sponsors and business partners who have helped us to bring the project to life. On behalf of the thousands of students who now have a new high school to study in and a new career campus in which to expand their horizons, we thank you so much for your support.

Regards,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

We’re Excited for the Staggered Return to In-Person Learning

Dear Thompson Community,

As you have likely heard, Thompson School District will welcome students back to in-person learning in a staggered fashion beginning this Monday, September 28. This is an important step for many of our families and we are excited to see our students in the buildings again as we move through the process over the next few weeks.

Our current pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for our students, our families and our staff. As a community, we have sacrificed and we have adjusted our daily lives. Since March, our students have not been in school for in-person instruction. I know the collective toll this has taken on our students, our staff and our community has been extraordinary. And, while I wish I could say that things will start to get back to normal soon, this is simply not the case. The pandemic will continue, at least for the foreseeable future, and we must continue to be agile and adaptable.

Please know that as a school district, we will continue to partner with our families to persevere and serve our students. For us, there is nothing more important. To that end, I want to take a moment to share with you our plan to return our students to an in-person learning structure.

First, please understand that this decision was carefully considered and was made after much deliberation and planning. When we decided earlier this summer to follow the guidance of our local health officials and delay our return to in-person instruction, we knew it would have a heavy impact on our families. Likewise, we knew it was important to our families that students return to in-person learning as soon as possible. We believe that doing so in a staggered fashion will allow our students to acclimate smoothly in an environment that will look and feel different to them when they arrive.

Our school staff and Operations team have worked hard to prepare our buildings in the best manner possible – setting up classrooms, designing programs, establishing enhanced safety and health protocols and more – all to help ensure the safety of our students and staff. We have shared important information at both the district and school levels to help our families prepare and to know what to expect when they arrive on campus. If you have not yet reviewed the district’s “Return to Learn” plan, which is available on our district website, I highly encourage you to do so. It contains a lot of valuable details and will provide answers to many of your questions.

Once our staggered return to in-person learning is complete, our elementary students will be attending school in our buildings five-days a week. For our middle and high school families, a hybrid system consisting of two days each week in school and three days of remote learning will help us to provide a safer physical environment in our buildings, while also allowing for valuable in-person time for students.

As excited as we are that students are returning to our buildings, we are also mindful that the pandemic is still with us. We have taken many steps to mitigate risks to help keep everyone safe. But it will take all of us – working together as a team – to make the biggest difference possible. All of our health and safety guidelines that we follow will meet or exceed the recommendations called for by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Department of Education. These safety guidelines include, but are not limited to, social distancing of our students within our buildings and on our campuses, mask-wearing requirements for all students and staff, enhanced air filtration systems in all of our buildings and strict cleaning and disinfection protocols. From our buses to our cafeterias, to our classrooms, gymnasiums, auditoriums and playgrounds, safety is our primary focus as we work to create the safest environments for our students and staff.

We will need to continue to be adaptive and agile. This pandemic does not follow a traditional calendar, nor does it adhere to conventional planning or timelines. We must be flexible. While we will always put forward our very best efforts to ensure that health and safety guidelines are followed and adhered to, please know that we will continue to have difficult days and months ahead. You have our commitment that we will remain focused on providing quality educational programming with the uncompromising commitment to focus on each of our students and their needs.

Above all, thank you so much for your support, continued patience and for guiding us with your thoughts and suggestions. We still have many challenges facing us as we move forward, yet I am confident we will emerge on the other side better and stronger than ever before.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

We’re Prepared and Excited for the Upcoming School Year

Greetings Thompson Community,

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year, which officially kicks off on August 31 and September 1. The past five months have certainly been very challenging for our community as we all work together to navigate the realities of the pandemic that is before us. The beginning of this new school year will surely look and feel different. Nevertheless, we are very excited to welcome our students and families back into the district and to move forward with providing the excellent education that each of our students deserves.

This past March when the decision was made to pause in-person instruction in our schools in order to help ensure safety for our families and staff, our team members immediately began planning for the upcoming school year. We asked specific questions of our families about their concerns and their desires for what they would like to experience. We also worked with community members and local partners to evaluate our options. Above all, we approached this planning process from a place of doing everything possible to ensure that we can provide a first-rate academic experience for each of our students in a manner that is safe and that also allows flexibility during this unique time.

The need to remain flexible has been a key requirement for us over the past several months. While there are many things that are in our complete control, there are many more that are not. Our community has worked very hard to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and we feel that it’s important that our district continues to partner in the effort to help ensure the health of our community.

A few weeks ago, upon advice from our partners at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, we made the difficult decision to suspend in-person instruction in our schools through Friday, October 16. This delay will assist the county as they work to increase the efficiency of local COVID-19 testing, which is important in their ability to effectively contact-trace the disease in the community. Our teachers and administrators have worked hard to prepare for this remote-only portion of our school year to ensure that our students will participate in a rich academic environment that allows them to quickly and easily transition back into an in-person model once county officials deem that it is appropriate to do so. At the same time, we are very proud of the newly designed 100% on-line model that we have developed to serve our families who wish to access high quality instructional programs prepared specifically for a fully on-line learning environment. This new on-line model is rigorous and also ensures that there is accountability in important areas such as student participation, teacher interaction, lessons and grading.

The safety and health of our students and staff is the most important part of our design for the upcoming school year. Specific measures have been implemented in each of our schools and district buildings to help ensure that students and staff are able to go about their school day in a manner that will maximize safety. These adjustments include the use of facial coverings, safety equipment in classrooms, cleaning supplies, changes in the way people will move throughout the buildings and much more. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming our students back to our schools and I assure you that we will do so as soon as we are able to in accordance with advice from our county partners.

Above all, I want to say “thank you” for your amazing support and patience over the past several months. We know that none of this has been easy for our students, families and staff. One thing that this pandemic has reinforced is just how important our schools and the structure of a school day are for thousands of families within our community. We will continue to do every single thing that we can to ensure success for each of our students and look forward to partnering with the community along the way. Stay safe – I wish all of you the best.

Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

“Back to School” Information for the 2020-2021 School Year

Dear Thompson Community:

As the summer moves along, district staff are continuing to finalize plans for the return of students for the 2020-2021 school year. In our previous communication last month, we announced that staff members were working closely with local health officials to develop a plan that would allow for a full return to in-person instruction this fall. We are pleased to report that the process is progressing quickly and effectively. Several of our plans have already received approval and we continue to work with officials on other key items that will help ensure safety for students and staff. Here is an update on what has been finalized so far, as well as what we are still working on.

What to Expect at Schools and District Buildings

Academics

  • Families will have the option to select from a full in-person or a full online instructional model for students. A survey will be sent to families by July 17 asking for their plans for in-person or online instruction.
  • Courses and content for both in-person and online instruction will provide students with the knowledge and skills to meet grade-level content standards, expectations and graduation requirements. Students will receive grades and feedback on progress toward meeting the class expectations in both in-person and online.
  • We are currently evaluating school and classroom schedules to adhere to physical distancing guidelines and other safety considerations. More information will be provided in our next update this month.

Physical Safety

  • There will be requirements in place regarding the use of face coverings for staff and students. The extent of these requirements are still being developed by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. We will share the department’s guidance once it has been established.
  • A symptom-checking process will be in place for both students and staff. We are currently evaluating the protocol and will have more information later this month.
  • Daily disinfection of high-use areas throughout the building will occur, including multiple daily restroom disinfections.
  • We are partnering with county officials on a process for contact-tracing as needed.
  • Physical distancing will be in place in corridors and common areas. Schools will use one-way traffic patterns and markers to identify proper social distancing where applicable.
  • Additional handwashing and sanitation stations will be placed in schools as needed to promote handwashing and sanitation.
  • To help minimize the number of people on campus, school volunteers will not be allowed to work in district buildings.
  • Students will go directly into the building after drop-off, eliminating the need for parking and walking a student inside.
  • Students will be encouraged to bring their own water bottles, as drinking fountains will be shut off per county orders.

Classrooms

  • Desks will be placed as far apart as possible and oriented so that they are all facing the front of the room.
  • Disinfection supplies will be provided in each room.
  • The sharing of supplies is not encouraged. If supplies (such as laptop computers) are shared, disinfection will need to take place between use.
  • Personal items will remain at the desk with the student. Phones and other personal devices will not be allowed to be shared.
  • Furniture in the classrooms (such as soft fabrics) that cannot be disinfected will be removed.

Outdoor Guidelines

  • Recess will be limited to outdoor activities within the same school cohorts.
  • Due to safety precautions, the use of playground equipment will not be accessible at the beginning of the school year.

Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast and lunch meals will be available. Although cafeterias will be closed, items will be available to eat outside or in the classrooms.

Transportation

  • A survey was sent out to families who utilized transportation services to schools this past year. If you received this survey, please complete it so that we can get an accurate count of what our ridership numbers will be. Depending on our number of riders and the strict orders from our county and state health agency partners, we may not be able to accommodate transportation for all eligible riders.
  • Space-available riders will not be granted access until all eligible riders are accounted for.
  • Face coverings will be required for all riders.
  • All busses will undergo a daily disinfection process.

Social-Emotional Behavior Support

  • The district is utilizing federal CARES Act resources to provide additional staff to support students and staff in the transition back to school.
  • Staff will receive training prior to the start of the school year on safety protocols as well as social, emotional, and behavioral supports.
  • If you are having problems arranging reliable access to the internet, please call the district’s ITS Help Desk for consultation. The Help Desk is open to all families and staff for technical support. If you need assistance, please call 970-613-7777. Staff members are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

For the latest information on the upcoming reopening of schools, please visit thompsonschools.org/covid-19. Details will continue to be posted on that website as they are finalized.

Our next update on the process will be shared on July 23. At that time, we expect that we will be able to communicate finalized plans to you on what you will experience on our campuses at the beginning of the school year. An on-line community forum is also being scheduled for Thursday, July 30, which will provide an opportunity for families and community members to receive additional information and get answers to questions that they may have. Additional details will be announced soon.

Thank you as always for your continued support. We hope you are having an enjoyable summer.

Regards,
Thompson School District

An Important Update on Plans for the 2020-2021 School Year

Greetings Thompson Community:

We hope that these early weeks of the summer season find you healthy, safe and happy. The past few months have certainly been very challenging for all of us and we greatly appreciate all that you have done to support our students and district family.

As promised, I am writing today to provide you with an update on our planning for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. First, I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts through the recent survey opportunities that were made available. The feedback that you provided has been instrumental for us as we continue to plan for our return to school. Among the results, approximately 91% of our families indicated that they would be comfortable sending their students back to school with appropriate health and safety precautions in place. In general, the comments that were submitted were distributed across three main concerns: having a safe environment for school communities, the importance of getting our students back into a physical school setting and a focus on how the district’s virtual learning process can be further improved.

We firmly believe that students are the most successful when they are able to receive in-person instruction. Each of our staff members is dedicated to providing a great education in a caring and nurturing environment.

Because of this, our district team is focusing its efforts on a plan that will allow our students to fully return to our schools and campuses this fall.

We are working closely with county health professionals to do all that we can to make this a reality and to ensure that we have the organizational structure and safety precautions in place that will allow this to happen. Our staff is also working to ensure that we will have on-line educational opportunities in place in order to provide maximum flexibility and options for our families. Please know that we need to balance public safety and education. We will make decisions as new guidance comes out and new state and county orders are issued. We recognize that when in-person instruction was closed down at the state level this past spring, it placed a huge burden on our families. Students learn best when they are at school and that is why we are working hard to restore a full return for the upcoming school year.

Of course, one of the things that our community learned this past spring is that situations can change quickly. Because of this, we are also putting plans into place that will allow the district to be flexible with how we educate our students if for some reason we are forced to adapt once again. The safety of our students, families, staff and community is always our number-one priority and every decision that we make will be grounded in that dedication. I assure you that we will always work to ensure that students are able to be at school and on campus as much as possible.

Please note that the school experience is going to look and feel different for our students and families when they return. Physical distancing measures, restrictions to entrances and exits and other items will likely need to be in place in order for us to manage the campuses properly.

Next month, I will reach out once again with an update on our work. At that time, we plan to have further details on what the return to school will look like. We are also planning on holding at least one community forum prior to the start of the school year to provide you with an opportunity to ask questions directly to members of my senior leadership team. It is important to us that we are not only transparent and timely in our communication, but also responsive to answering your questions and providing as much clarity around our planning. These continue to be very uncertain and complex times and we want to serve as a partner with our community as we navigate our current realities. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by replying to this e-mail. Your support during these challenging times has been steadfast and inspiring. Thank you for all that you continue to do for our entire district community.

Regards,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

A Letter To The Community From Superintendent Schaffer

Dear Thompson School District Community,

There are moments in history that demand careful reflection; I believe that we are living in one right now. I have struggled to find words to express my own grief and anger as my heart aches for all who may have seen a reflection of their own life experience in some of the recent events that are playing out in our nation. I cannot help but think about the experiences of our Black and Brown students, staff and families in particular who have experienced injustices and indignities simply because of the color of their skin. While I personally have not had to endure nor fear the violent injustices at the root of these tragedies, as the Superintendent of a diverse school district, I am struck by this moment and I commit to ensure the safety, support and access for each of our students in the Thompson School District.

To all of our students, staff and families, I want you to know that the entire Thompson community stands with you against racial injustice and violence. Our current strategic plan, “Strive 2025,” was developed in collaboration with members of our TSD community. If you have not yet reviewed the details of the plan, I encourage you to do so. We continue to believe that it is our responsibility to provide a safe learning environment free from discrimination. Our responsibility to our children–each child–is to guarantee a safe and high-quality education and to fight on their behalf for the respect and just treatment that they deserve. Through policy and practice, TSD commits to creating a safe environment for each student, fostering inclusive and supportive school cultures and encouraging our students to show empathy and compassion.

Here are some resources that you may find useful as you engage in conversations with your children:

As your superintendent, I am committed to promoting equity and racial justice and I realize that we still have a long way to go. Our shared commitment to supporting each student, staff member and family will help to strengthen our community. I call upon all of us to join in our work to continue to make Thompson School District a destination school district by committing to equity and racial justice in our schools and broader community.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Update to the Community – May 22, 2020

Greetings, Thompson Community:

We have officially arrived at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year. We are immensely proud of our students, families and staff members for their perseverance, dedication and support during these challenging times. Our community as a whole worked very hard together to overcome many obstacles. Thank you for all that you do – We hope that you have a pleasant summer!

Below are some final notes as we move into the summer weeks. As always, if you have any questions or if we can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via e-mail at info@thompsonschools.org.

Thank you,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Thompson School District Announces Summer Food Distribution Schedule

To further support students, Thompson School District will continue to provide drive-through food distribution during the upcoming summer weeks. Distribution will occur on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from June 1 to July 31.

Food will be distributed from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Please note that the program will be closed the week of June 29 to July 3. All district students are welcome to attend at any of the sites.

Distribution Locations

  • Berthoud High School (850 Spartan Avenue – Berthoud)
  • Bill Reed Middle School (370 W. 4th Street – Loveland)
  • Conrad Ball Middle School (2660 Monroe Avenue – Loveland)
  • Walt Clark Middle School (2605 Carlisle Drive – Loveland)

Food Items Distributed On-Site

  • 1 hot lunch entree along with cold side items for that day
  • 1 additional grab-and-go lunch for the following day
  • 2 grab-and-go breakfast meals

Loveland Rotary Club “KidsPak” Weekend Food Packs

The Loveland Rotary Club’s KidsPak program will be at the above locations each Friday from June 1 to July 31 (closed from June 29 to July 3) from 11 AM to 12 PM to distribute food for the weekend. The KidsPak food bags will also be available Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Loveland Public Library (300 N Adams Avenue).

All district students are welcome to attend at any of the sites.

Information will also be available soon regarding food distribution schedules for the Food Bank for Larimer County.

TSD Learns! – Online Enrichment Activities

Enrichment and supplemental online resources for students are available throughout the summer for students and families to access.

Survey to Families Regarding Plans for 2020-2021

A survey will go out to families by Wednesday, May 27, to gather information to assist the district in planning for the 2020-2021 school year.

Thompson School District continues to work closely with state and local officials and at this time, we believe that a final decision on the educational model for the upcoming school year will be announced in the middle of July.

We greatly appreciate your feedback and thank you for your support.

Turn-in of Technology Checked Out to Students

Any students not returning to TSD next school year are required to turn in any Chromebooks or iPads checked out from the district. Tuesday, May 26th from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM is the last day to complete this process. All other students may keep their device for home use throughout the summer. The turn-in location is at Mary Blair Elementary School (860 E 29th St, Loveland). Please check-in the charger, cord and device all at once.

Update to the Community – May 15, 2020

Greetings, Thompson Community:

Please see below for this week’s notes from around the district.

Thank you,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Building Access To Retrieve Items

Front entrance of Berthoud Elementary School

Schools are continuing to follow plans and schedules that allow district families and staff members to retrieve personal items from district buildings. A master list of the school schedule is located on the district website. Please note that due to guidance from county health officials, this process needs to be carefully structured to ensure that we are completing it in a manner that best protects visitors. The schedule for visits is specifically planned. If you have questions or are in need of additional details, please reach out to your school’s leadership team. This period of time is also the designated opportunity for students to check district property back in on-site.

“TSD Learning at Home” Survey Closes
Sunday, May 17, at 11:59 PM

Two elementary students read book together at round table

A short survey was sent to families this past Monday, May 11. The purpose of the survey is to gather information about student and family experiences during the “TSD Learning at Home” period. The information that is provided will greatly assist staff in their planning efforts for the fall. The survey closes Sunday, May 17, at 11:59 PM.

2020-2021 District Federal Education Improvement Plan

Screenshot of Proposed district improvement plan

Each year, Thompson School District examines the needs of our schools and then allocates federal funds for future improvement efforts. This process is done through the Consolidated Federal Application, which requires school districts to provide descriptions of the activities that they will implement.

Please take a few minutes to submit your feedback on how we can continue to improve the achievement of each of our students. All comments remain anonymous. The district reviews all submissions and uses them to shape each year’s application. To submit your feedback, please click HERE.

“Summer of Music” and STEMS Summer Programs Cancelled

STEMS Summer Camp banner graphic

After extensive consideration and evaluation, Thompson School District has made the difficult decision to cancel this summer’s STEMS program and the TSD “Summer of Music” program. The decision was made due to restrictions on in-person instruction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both programs are inherent hands-on experiences and unfortunately, a virtual option will not provide the level of quality that we demand for our students. We apologize for any inconvenience this decision will have and look forward to welcoming students to other exciting programming options next summer.

Update to the Community – May 8, 2020

Greetings, Thompson Community:

Please see my letter below as well as some other notes from around the district.

Thank you.

Greetings Thompson School District Students, Families, Staff and Community,

As the 2019-2020 school year comes to a close, we can certainly acknowledge that this was one for the history books. It was a year that started off with great promise, hope and optimism, and I feel that it concludes in the same way. We witnessed a dramatic shift in our traditional method of educating students and replaced it with a completely new reality that catapulted us into a virtual and online teaching and learning process. This new system was met with challenges as well as innovation. In adversity and strife, we often find heroic and selfless acts that transcend the political and social fabric of our world. What I choose to focus on in these closing moments of the school year is a district community that pulled together and rallied to make the very best out of a complex and unfamiliar situation.

To our graduating seniors – Congratulations! You were cruising down the home stretch of this school year and the finish line came upon you much quicker than expected. Sports seasons, concerts, plays, proms and other school memories were cut off and cut short. These cannot be replaced, and I am deeply saddened by that. Nevertheless, you have accomplished much in your school careers, have made many positive memories, have enjoyed numerous successes and have definitely left your mark on your schools, your classmates and the district. These amazing memories are still intact and they will stay with you well into your adulthood. On balance, you have experienced far more than you have lost during your educational career and you will continue to make memories as you venture off to your future. What you leave behind is a community of family, friends and citizens who care deeply about you. While we cannot replace the loss of rites of passage that high school seniors have enjoyed for generations, please know that your community is standing by you as you move on to the next important chapter in your life. We wish you the very best and give you a standing ovation in salute of your tenacity, grit and perseverance as you move onward. We know you will do great things in this world. We are counting on you, and you have our unconditional support.

To all of our students returning next year, you have earned a much-deserved summer break. This year was not easy for you either, but you have also demonstrated the ability to adapt in a time when things were not easy or certain. Enjoy your time away from your studies and from school. We will be working very hard over the summer to prepare for your return. There is a tremendous amount of planning and preparation to do as our uncertain times will continue for awhile. We do this work to support you and to prepare you for your future. Our entire district staff—all 2,100 of us—are here because of you, and we will do what it takes to support you in your educational growth and development. I hope you can find the time to have some fun and relax this summer. You have earned it!

To our incredible staff – Thank You! This was not an easy end of the year for you and you gave so much of yourself to provide for our students and our district. You are extraordinary and very talented. Above all, you care about the students and the TSD community. You stepped up when we needed you the most and you continue to serve with valor and with professionalism.

Thompson School District is committed to a continuous improvement cycle. Like students, we learn, grow and adapt, and we will continue to keep our focus on our students and on our community. I wish you the very best and thank you for your unwavering support. I commit to you that we will continue to forge into the 2020-2021 school year with grace and distinction.

Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Community Forum To Be Held on Monday, May 18

Thompson School District will host a virtual community forum on Monday, May 18, at 6:00 PM. The forum will be an opportunity for students, families, staff and community members to learn more about what the district has been working on as the 2019-2020 school year begins to come to a close, as well as current planning efforts that are underway. The forum will be streamed live on the district’s YouTube channel (“Thompson School District”). In order to help ensure an efficient on-line experience for all, visitors to the forum will submit their questions ahead of time. To submit your question or feedback, please complete the form that is located HERE. The forum will be recorded and a copy of it will be placed on the district’s YouTube channel soon after it’s completion. We hope you will join us!

“TSD @ Home Learning” Survey

A short survey will be sent to families this coming Monday, May 11. The purpose of the survey is to gather information about student and family experiences during the “TSD @ Home Learning” period. The information that is provided will greatly assist staff in their planning efforts for the fall.

Turn-in of Technology Checked Out to Students

Only seniors and students leaving the district for the 2020-2021 school year are required to turn their device back in to the district by the end of the school year. All other students may keep their device for home use throughout the summer. Every Tuesday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm during the month of May, Mary Blair Elementary School (860 E 29th St, Loveland) will be open for turn-in of devices checked out to seniors and students not returning to school for the 2020-2021 school year.

For seniors and non-returning students, please wait for a Tuesday in May after you no longer need the device for school work before you turn it in. Students may check-in the device without a parent, but they will need a student ID or other valid form of identification. Please check-in the charger, cord and device all at once. Mountain View High School students should not come to Mary Blair Elementary School for turn-in. They will have their own designated days at MVHS on May 20-21.

TSD Building Closures Extended Until July 1

TSD staff members continue to partner regularly with our local health officials regarding the latest impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In coordination with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, TSD has extended the closure of all buildings in the district until July 1. This includes all in-person activities and events that are scheduled inside or outside of facilities. Thank you very much for your patience and support as we navigate these challenging times.

Food Distribution Is Still Available

As a reminder, Thompson School District, KidsPak and the Food Bank for Larimer County are continuing to provide emergency food distribution for TSD students throughout the week. For more information and to view the schedule, please click HERE.

Update to the Community – May 1, 2020

Greetings, Thompson Community:

Please see below for this week’s important notes from around the district.

Thank you,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Process for Submitting “Public Comment” at Board of Education Meetings

The next TSD Board of Education meeting will be held this Wednesday, May 6, at 6:00 PM. The virtual meeting will be streamed live on the district’s YouTube page. Due to the current virtual meeting structure of all Board of Education meetings, the Board recently adopted a temporary adjustment to the process that will be in place for public comment during the meetings.

Beginning at 7 a.m. and concluding at 3 p.m. on the day of the scheduled regular Board meeting, the community member may call (970) 613-6776, state his or her full name, address and the topic of their message. Please provide a method of contact, such as a phone number or email address, at the conclusion of the message. The community member shall then record a message not to exceed three (3) minutes in length. A speaker may only record one message for consideration to be played at the next scheduled regular Board Meeting.

The nature and subject matter of recorded messages shall comply with the requirements of Board Policy BEDH and the Board’s public participation statement, including the following:

  • Speakers are responsible for their own speech
  • Speakers’ remarks should be suitable for an audience that includes kindergarten through twelfth grade students
  • Profanity, yelling, fighting words, defamatory or abusive remarks or derogatory language is out of order and shall not be tolerated.

The Secretary to the Board of Education will review all saved recorded messages to verify compliance with Policy BEDH and these procedures. The Secretary to the Board of Education will cut any recorded message that unreasonably exceeds the allotted three (3) minutes at the most logical break in the speaker’s message. Recorded messages that otherwise do not conform to the requirements of Policy BEDH and these procedures will be disregarded and deleted and the Secretary will notify the speaker of such. Only pre-recorded voice messages saved to the mailbox associated with the telephone number stated above prior to the expiration of the deadline established will be played during the time reserved for brief comments and questions from the public at the next scheduled regular Board meeting.

National “Teacher Appreciation Week” Begins Monday

May 4 – May 8 has been designated as 2020 National Teacher Appreciation Week. The commemorative week was created as an opportunity for students, families and community members to recognize educational professionals for their service and dedication. As part of the celebration this year, Thompson School District is inviting students and family members to submit a photo of a favorite teacher, along with a brief description of why that teaching professional means so much to them. To submit your photo and description, please email it to the following address: info@thompsonschools.org. Send your entry soon! A select number of the photos and stories that are submitted will be shared next week on the district’s Facebook page and Twitter account (@ThompsonR2J). We hope you will join us in thanking the teachers in your life who make a positive difference every day.

Ferguson High School and Thompson Career Center Update

Construction is proceeding well at the new Ferguson High School and Thompson Career Center campus. In a recently created video segment, JHL Constructors superintendent Rod Riddle provided some information on the project and also talked about safety features that have been put into place during the construction process.

Turn-In of Technology Checked Out to Students

Only seniors and students leaving the district for the 2020-2021 school year are required to turn their device back in to the district by the end of the school year. All other students may keep their device for home use throughout the summer. Every Tuesday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm during the month of May, Mary Blair Elementary School (860 E 29th St, Loveland) will be open for turn-in of devices checked out to seniors and students not returning to school for the 2020-2021 school year. About 30% of students received a district-issued device to supplement their technology at home for online learning. Most will get to keep the device to continue their learning.

For seniors and non-returning students, please wait for a Tuesday in May after you no longer need the device for school work before you turn it in. Students may check-in the device without a parent, but they will need a student ID or other valid form of identification. Please check-in the charger, cord and device all at once. Mountain View High School students should not come to Mary Blair Elementary School for turn-in. They will have their own days for the process at MVHS on May 20-21.

Update to the Community – April 24, 2020

Greetings Thompson School District Community,

The concluding weeks of the 2019-2020 school year are upon us and it is hard to believe that a year that started off in many ways very typical, is concluding in the most unique and nontraditional of ways. However, despite these complex times, our district continues to persevere, thrive and serve students and the community in an uncompromisingly distinguished way. Our commitment to students is unwavering and we will continue to pursue excellence in education and educational opportunities to the very last day of this school year.

As we head into these closing weeks, plans are already underway for contemplating what the start of the next school year might look like. We recognize that we are faced with many unanswered questions and uncertainties. But that will not stop us from planning and preparing for this upcoming school year. Just as school has looked very different for us this year, I am convinced that school will continue to look very different next year. I want our community to be prepared for this.

The need for the health and safety of our students, staff and community will continue to transcend all decision making. We will continue to partner with and rely on our county health professionals and our state government for direction and guidance around how we will launch our 2020-2021 school year. The district leadership team is busily engaged in planning for contingencies and potential realities around teaching and learning. Building-level staff are part of the process to address the unique needs of the diverse learners in our system. We are developing plans that will range from traditional in-person learning to complete virtual learning, and for a hybrid model that blends in-person with virtual learning opportunities. This planning will take time and we are committed to keeping our community informed throughout the spring and summer months. Opportunities for feedback and input will be available as plans are more fully developed.

We recognize that we want to be able to resume “normal” operations with a return to in-person instruction. We know that our students want to play sports, perform in plays, sing in choir, participate in extracurricular activities, go to recess on our playgrounds, interact with friends and simply be in school. This is what school is all about — teaching, learning, social interaction and experiences, Our system is built on the foundation that human interaction is necessary and vital. We are hopeful that this day will return sooner rather than later. Until then, we will continue to develop our programs and instructional delivery models that will serve our students while also protecting their health, safety and welfare. I know this is very frustrating for all of us. But I am hopeful that as a community, you will stand in solidarity with us as we navigate these complex times. We are working hard and will be tenacious in our pursuit to serve each and every student.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Summer School Registration Now Open!

Summer school opportunities are now available for students in English Language Arts and Mathematics for grades K-12, as well as credit recovery in other content areas for high school students. Link2Learning is an online format that will be hosted four days a week (Monday through Thursday) from June 1 – 25. It is free of charge for TSD students. Registration, which is now available, will close on May 1.

Building Access To Retrieve Items

Schools are currently making plans and building schedules that will allow district families and staff members to retrieve personal items from district buildings. Due to guidance from county health officials, this process will need to be carefully structured to ensure that we are completing it in a manner that best protects visitors. Schools will be releasing more information about the individualized plans in the near future. This will also be the designated time for students to check district property back in on-site.

National Teacher Appreciation Week

May 4 – May 8 has been designated as 2020 National Teacher Appreciation Week. The commemorative week was created as an opportunity for students, families and community members to recognize educational professionals for their service and dedication. As part of the celebration this year, Thompson School District is inviting students and family members to submit a photo of a favorite teacher, along with a brief description of why that teaching professional means so much to them. To submit your photo and description, please email it to the following address: info@thompsonschools.org. Send your entry soon! A select number of the photos and stories that are submitted will be shared that week on the district’s Facebook page and Twitter account (@ThompsonR2J). We hope you will join us in thanking the teachers in your life who make a positive difference every day.

Student Access to Technology and Internet

April 28th is the last day for student device checkout at Mary Blair Elementary School. If you have problems accessing the internet, there are five alternatives:

  • Comcast has offered two months of free internet to low income families who qualify. CenturyLink has a similar offer. After the free months, it is $9.95 per month.
  • You can also try using a free Xfinity Hotspot near you.
  • ​You can park your car in six of our parking lots that have been lit up with WiFi. They are the Loveland High School east side parking lot (920 W 29th St, Loveland), Berthoud High School parking lot (850 Spartan Ave, Berthoud), TSD Admin Building south parking lot (800 S. Taft Ave. Loveland), Monroe Elementary School (1500 Monroe Ave, Loveland), Laurene Edmondson Elementary School (307 W 49th St, Loveland), or Big Thompson Elementary School parking lot (7702 US-34, Loveland). We have extended WiFi into the parking lots so that you can use it without leaving your vehicle. Use the “TSD” for district devices or “GUEST” Wifi for all other devices. Your student’s Google account will work on the TSD WiFi on a TSD device. There is no password required for the GUEST WiFi.
  • ​Use a cell phone as a hotspot. Many cell phone providers are offering free data plans and hotspots for students.
  • The Thompson Education Foundation is funding the initial set up costs of cell phone provider hotspots of up to $40 for families to pay for equipment and set up charges. Contact the ITS Help Desk for more information.

Update to the Community – April 17, 2020

Greetings, Thompson Community:

Please see the important notes below from around the district.

Thank you for your support,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Riverview PK-8 School Update

Construction is moving steadily for the new Riverview PK-8 School in the Thompson River Ranch subdivision. The campus is on-track for completion for the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year and will have a capacity of approximately 1,000 students. A webcam has been posted at the construction site, which is a great way to get a visual update on the progress.

Graduation Ceremonies

Last week, the district completed a survey process of high school seniors and their families to receive their feedback on 2020 graduation ceremony preferences. The results indicated that the in-person graduation ceremony was overwhelmingly the first choice with 85.2% support. The other two options that were available in the survey (virtual or “other”) split the remaining 14.8% almost equally. In anticipation of the possibility that the survey would come back with a strong desire to hold an in-person ceremony at a later date, Thompson School District staff contacted The Ranch to see if there were any dates available to hold the ceremony in the summer. We have secured the Budweiser Events Center for Saturday, July 18 to hold four graduation ceremonies, one each for Berthoud, Loveland, Mountain View and Thompson Valley high schools. Ferguson High School will host their in-person ceremony on Friday, July 17 at the Mountain View High School campus. In the event the Budweiser Events Center is used for emergency medical use or is otherwise unavailable, the contingency plan will be to hold the ceremonies at one of the district stadiums. It is important to note that both of these options are conditional on the status of social gathering requirements from the county and the State of Colorado. We thank you for your continued support as we work to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the Class of 2020.

Coming Soon – Summer School Information – Link2Learning

Summer school opportunities will be made available for students in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12 as well as credit recovery in other content areas for high school students. Link2Learning will be an online format running four days a week (M-Th) from June 1 – 25. It will be free of charge to students. Details about the program and registration links will be sent to all families in the near future.

Emergency Food Distribution Service

This week, Thompson School District launched an extension of its emergency food distribution program that utilizes school buses to deliver much-needed food and academic support to families who are otherwise unable to access other locations for the service. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please send an e-mail to info@thompsonschools.org.

TSD Learning@Home Web Page

Information about expectations for learning at home and tips for supporting students in online learning are available on the TSD Learning At Home page.

Update to the Community – April 10, 2020

Greetings TSD Families and Community!

As we wrap up the first week of teacher-guided learning opportunities for all students, I hope the connections back to school have been rich and meaningful. This week was intentionally built to reconnect students with teachers and check to see if students have access needed to the online platforms and delivery. It has also provided an opportunity to identify which students do not have access so that we can address the needs of students and families. Staff report that it’s been wonderful to hear or see their students!

With the closure of in-person instruction for the remainder of the year, we know there are questions about what this means for learning and reporting of learning. We are committed to providing educational opportunities for students to be ready for the next grade. The sections below provide a high-level overview in key topic areas with links to additional detail where appropriate.

Instructional Expectations

  • The TSD @ Home Learning Plan will continue to provide at least three lessons for each grade level, content area and course as were previously communicated. This will occur as students and teachers are ready to move forward with new learning. At the very latest, new content will be delivered beginning April 21; your child may have noticed this has already started.
  • The amount of time per task will be developmentally appropriate, with time on devices being less for early childhood and primary students than intermediate or secondary students.
  • The district website includes resources to support students and families for social, emotional or behavioral well-being.

Feedback/Grading

  • TSD @ Home focuses on student learning, not grades. Feedback from educators to students will continue to be an emphasis.
  • Feedback to students will be in two areas: demonstration of progress toward learning outcomes and demonstration of effort. Teachers will provide feedback through the learning management system (Google Classroom, Seesaw, Schoology) and through a new task in the Infinite Campus gradebook for secondary students.
  • End-of-year report cards for elementary students will provide progress reports as reported during February conferences, along with engagement and progress with at-home learning through the remainder of the school year.
  • End-of-year letter grades will be reported for middle and high school students with the final grade being the grade as of March 16. All students will have the opportunity to submit late or missing assignments that were due prior to March 16 to improve their grade in a class. They will also be allowed to re-submit evidence of attainment of skills, content and knowledge that pertain to the assignments prior to March 16. These may be a result of new learning that ties back to previous content. Grade point averages (GPA) will be calculated at the end of the year based on the grade earned during the second semester.
  • All students will be promoted to the next grade level unless a discussion about retention has been held between families, teachers and principals.

Summer School

  • TSD will provide a summer school opportunity called TSD Link2Learning for students in English language arts and mathematics.
  • TSD Link2Learning will be online and will be free of charge to students and families.
  • The dates for this opportunity will be held in June 2020.
  • Details on the program and registration information will be sent in early May.

Graduation Ceremony

  • Seniors of the Class of 2020 and their families are completing a survey through Friday, April 10.
  • Data from the survey so far reflects a strong desire to hold an in-person ceremony at a later date.
  • Staff will communicate next steps with students, families and the community next week after analysis of the survey and determining options for an in-person ceremony.

Building Access

We have been working closely with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment to develop a plan for building access. The latest data from county officials indicates that the peak risk of the virus is projected to affect our community in late April to early May.

  • With this in mind, the district has set the weeks of May 11 and May 18 to tentatively allow students to pick up personal property, including technology, band and sporting equipment and any other extracurricular materials, and to return district property. This will ultimately be determined on guidance from the county and state.
  • Building principals will communicate with families the schedule for student access. They will be building the schedule in accordance with guidelines from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.

Thank you for your continued support,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Update to The Community – March 27, 2020

Dear Thompson Community,

Thank you for all of your patience and understanding during this trying time for our school district. We recognize that this is a very difficult and challenging time for our students and our community. As a District, we are committed to partnering with you to help navigate some of the uncertainties as it pertains to the education of your child(ren). As you are aware, on March 18, Governor Polis issued an Executive Order directing all schools to suspend in-person instruction through April 17, 2020 in order to limit the spread of Coronavirus 2019. At this time, it is not clear if this suspension of in-person instruction will extend beyond this date.

As a result, changes will be necessary for some important educational functions, such as the number of teacher-pupil instructional hours, special education and graduation requirements.

Waivers for instructional hours

The Colorado Department of Education has waived the minimum number of school days and teacher-pupil instruction hours normally required under state law. Instead, districts must make every effort to provide alternative learning opportunities during this time.

For Thompson School District, this means that we are not expected to extend the school year or start early next year to make up for lost in-person instructional time.

As a result of the possibility of an extended period of disruption of in-person instruction, we will transition to continuous learning through a combination of online and student-led/project-based learning. We are working with our schools to determine what continuous learning will look like for our school community. 

Services to students with special needs

Our schools will make every effort to provide appropriate special education and related services for students with disabilities. We have been given some flexibility on how to provide these services. So we are thinking about other ways to meet the needs of students with disabilities based on the nature of a student’s disability and individual needs of the student.

To support students with identified IEP-related services, we will work with our schools to determine whether it is appropriate to provide alternative services or delay services in coordination with students’ parents and IEP teams. We may also determine whether we can make up for a gap in access to the curriculum or delay in services with additional opportunities in the future.

Graduation considerations

Graduation requirements across Colorado are locally determined by school districts and charter schools. This means that we have flexibility to adjust requirements for the class of 2020 based on this unprecedented time of disruption to our schools. At this time we have not yet determined what, if any, adjustments will be made to our school district’s requirements. Recommendations will be proposed to our Board of Education for consideration at a board meeting this spring. We are also looking into alternative options to in-person graduation ceremonies for the end of the school year. We want to ensure that our students and families still have a way to mark this important occasion. More information on this, as well as other scheduled events and programs, will be released in the coming weeks.

Thanks again for your support during these difficult times.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Update To The Community – March 20, 2020

Dear Thompson Community:

If this were the conclusion of any typical spring break, students and staff would be gearing up to return to school next week. Students would resume learning, playgrounds would be filled with happy children, our sports teams would be preparing for their spring season and on and on. But this has not been a typical spring break and we are not gearing up to return to school next week.

Instead, we are faced with challenging times that are riddled with lots of questions and uncertainties. I know this has been a tough time for our entire community. The current reality is extraordinary and unprecedented. I am so very proud of our entire staff team who have begun to adjust and shift their work tasks to continue to serve our students and community. I am also very proud of our students and families who have shown an extraordinary resiliency to adjust to an ever-shifting and complex reality that, for now, has become our new “normal”.

As an organization, we will adjust, be agile and will confront these challenges. Please know that as a TSD team, we are currently developing short, medium and long-range plans and structures to support our students to best meet their educational needs. We are launching an academic website to temporarily provide enrichment and extension activities for students at each of our grade levels. We will be working to further develop these opportunities for students as we shift learning from a general website to a more personalized approach that connects students to their home schools and classroom teachers. This opportunity is in development and will take several weeks to deploy. But we are working hard to make it a reality. Please CLICK HERE to visit the “TSD Learns” web site.

We are also mindful that students and families will have questions around class and grade-level completion for this school year, graduation expectations, transition activities for the upcoming school year, testing and assessment, open enrollment, as well as a myriad of other topics and needs. I ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate the need to provide you with this information. For now, we are most focused on the health and safety of our students, staff and community. Please understand that school and work will look different. It will need to, as we do not have access to our buildings as well as the conventional methods that we have utilized to deliver instruction and services.

Our commitment is to continue to provide you with timely, accurate and frequent information. Our staff stands ready to serve our students and our community. But we will need the time and space to work within our new and ever-changing paradigm.

None of our success at Thompson School District would be possible without the tremendous support of our entire community. Thank you again for all that you do each and every day.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Emergency Food Distribution Program for Students

Beginning this Monday, March 23, Thompson School District will launch an emergency food distribution program to benefit students throughout the district. In addition, the Loveland Rotary Club’s KidsPak program will begin an effort soon afterward to provide additional support to our community.

The Food Bank for Larimer County is also planning daily meal distributions at Lincoln, Monroe and Winona elementary schools in Loveland. Please see their website here for more details on relevant dates and times. 

Building Care

Thompson School District is working with guidance from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment to ensure our buildings are disinfected and safe. The district is in the process of disinfecting all buildings and allowing proper time for them to sit idle to ensure we have a safe environment. Buildings will continue to be unavailable for events and community rental while the district is closed.

Assisting Children During Uncertain Times

During uncertain times, predictability and structure can help young people feel safe and cared for. While this article focuses on preschool and early childhood, the ideas of creating structure and routine are important for all of us.

As you build a routine and structure at home, you might consider incorporating one of these Daily Literacy Challenges! Alter the activities depending on the age and grade of your child(ren)!

TSD’s Focus on Equity Will Help Expand Opportunities

Greetings Thompson School District Students, Families, Staff and Community:

Embedded within the core tenets of our Strive 2025 Strategic Plan is the notion of Equity and equitable practices. In fact, we explicitly call this out in Focus Area #2 — Inclusive and Supportive Culture. While there are a myriad of definitions for what Equity means, personally, I see Equity as the insistence and requirement that each student receives what they need to be successful. Some might refer to this as “Justice.” Others may view this as “Equality.” But at the end of the day, Equity is really about creating a safe and supportive environment where each of our students has access, opportunity and necessary supports within all environments to achieve their full potential. It may be easy to say, well… of course… we should want this for all of our students here in Thompson School District. The reality is, however, that many of our students face challenges and roadblocks that create barriers for achieving this ideal. These barriers manifest themselves in a large array of factors including race, ethnicity, culture, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, socioeconomics, sexuality, mental health and physical health.

Arguably, most of our students probably face at least one or more of these barriers that might prevent them from truly realizing their full potential and abilities. The net effect of these barriers manifests itself in different experiences and outcomes among our student population including: variability in graduation rates, student achievement disparities, variability in participation in extra and cocurricular activities, disproportionality within attendance and discipline data, and on, and on, and on. As a system and as a community, it is important to recognize this, call it out for what it is, and then take deliberate and specific action to begin to disrupt any and all of these barriers and disparities that stand in the way of helping each and every one of our students thrive and persevere in our system.

TSD is committed to taking this on, and we are doing more than just talking about it. In the coming months, the Board of Education will be asked to adopt an Equity Policy that represents these tenets and beliefs. Much has gone into the development of this policy including robust input from staff, students, parents and community members. We have also drawn from our student data, surveys, perception data and focus groups to help guide our policy recommendation. The district has created a director-level position that focuses on Equity within the district. We are embarking on a professional development plan for our 2,100 staff members to address Equity within our system and create systems and processes for directly confronting and creating equitable teaching and learning environments. We are also committed to engaging our community and community partners to join with us not only to learn about our initiatives, but to purposefully work with the community to promote these practices and environments within our schools and our communities.

As your superintendent, I know that this is important and necessary work; I am not afraid to take it on. By insisting on making Equity a priority in TSD, we will recommit to ensuring the best possible education for EACH of our students. This shared commitment and underlying belief will help our students and staff, and will also help to strengthen our community. I call upon all of us to join in our work to continue to make Thompson School District a destination school district.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent of Schools
Thompson School District

The Big Decision of Calling a “Snow Day”

Greetings Thompson School District Students, Families, Staff and Community:

While I consider myself a servant leader who makes all decisions in the best interest of students, families, staff and the community, occasionally I find myself challenged when I make decisions that may not be popular. A big challenge of almost every superintendent is when he or she is faced with the daunting decision of whether or not to call a snow day or even a late start to the school day. While I seek the “win/win,” I may fall short when I make the ultimate decision around snow days.

“Weather” is an exact science, but weather forecasting and predicting is not. As a district, we rely on the forecasts and predictions of our weather services and bureaus to help inform our decisions around the potential impact of a snow event in our communities. There are many variables that play into the forecast. Suffice it to say, weather forecasting gives us guidance, but it may or may not be accurate. In addition, our district includes 362 square miles of land within five communities. Weather conditions can vary greatly from one location to the next. Ultimately, a deciding factor for us revolves around the navigability of our streets in order to get all students and staff from their home to school. Some rely on our school buses. Others get driven to school. Some drive themselves and others walk to school. All 16,000 of our students and all 2,100 of our employees have to traverse our streets and sidewalks in order to get from point A to point B. The other key factor is air temperature. How cold is it outside for our students to wait at bus stops and/or walk to school? A decision has to be made about how “safe” the streets and sidewalks are and how “safe” the air temperature may be. In the end, a decision is made. The decision is made in consultation with many agencies, local city and county officials, law enforcement and district staff. The decision is important and I always try to make the correct one.

I also want to share that closing schools has a huge impact on people. Obviously there is the educational impact of not having the opportunity to attend school to learn and participate in activities and events. For some of our students, there is the impact of not receiving breakfast and lunch—meals that they depend on due to food hardships. Economically, some of our hourly employees, such as our substitute teachers, depend on going to work for a paycheck. Then there is the potential family hardship. Oftentimes, families need to secure childcare and supervision because they do not have the ability to take off work and now their children are at home. While we may cancel school, work is not canceled for our parents and guardians. However, student and staff safety override these impacts, and know that it is ultimately the decision of a parent or guardian as to whether or not they send their children to school.

As a collective, we are all on the same TSD team, and I always have the interests and safety of students, staff and the community at my core. As we head into our “snowy” months, there may inevitably be decisions that need to be made with regards to the closing of school. I hope that this letter provides a bit more insight around snow days and some of the factors that are considered when making decisions.

Have an amazing February and thank you for your support of our incredible district.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

Technology Upgrades Are Moving TSD Forward

Greetings Thompson School District Students, Parents, Staff and Community:

Welcome to 2020 and Happy New Year!

This month, I would like to provide you with some details on our work updating and upgrading our technology infrastructure in TSD.

At this time last year, TSD was anticipating new funding to arrive so that we could begin to invest in many areas of need, including technology. For many years, budget challenges had hindered our progress. From classrooms to district offices, our technology had fallen far behind standards, especially in comparison to other school districts nearby.

What a difference new funding and a year of hard work makes! Now we’ve made progress in many areas to replace equipment, upgrade systems and train staff. Our district’s technology division, Innovative Technology Services (ITS), is modernizing network infrastructure, staff computers, classroom projection, student devices, printer/copier services, technical support, backup systems and cybersecurity.

TSD’s technology runs on top of its network infrastructure. In addition to the internet, other technology depends upon a robust network such as telecommunications, intercom/bell/clock systems and printers/copiers. ITS has finished phase one of rebuilding the infrastructure for all school networks. We will see the full benefit of this in phase two when we double our bandwidth later this semester. Also part of our infrastructure modernization is the installation of new phones and intercom/bell/clock systems. Modern infrastructure gives us the opportunity to do more with technology in the classroom to improve teaching and learning. This involves staff computers, classroom projection systems and student devices. TSD is now on a five-year standard for staff computer replacement. This means that all staff have a computer that is no older than five years. We have also made progress in classroom projection. ITS is replacing older systems with mirrored TV systems, with over 275 installed so far. These are large-screen TVs with the ability to wirelessly project up to four computers.

Providing our approximately 16,000 students with access to effective devices is our most challenging technology project. When students have the access they need, they can use technology without rationing, reserving labs or trying to make old malfunctioning devices work. Three types of student devices are available to schools, including two types of Chromebooks and the new iPad 7. By the end of this school year, we will have retired about 2,247 obsolete student devices and will have deployed about 5,730 new ones. Our fleet of devices is becoming more modern overall. We’ve also redeployed thousands of still useable student devices to other schools.

As I hope you can see, we are committed to ensuring that our technology meets the academic and infrastructure needs of our district. As we turn the calendar to a new year, we will continue to move forward in creating systems, infrastructure and technology that will support the demands of our future.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

By Investing In Our Students, We Invest In Our Future

Dear Thompson School District Students, Parents, Staff and Community Members,

From the moment our students enter Thompson School District, we work to ensure that each student is prepared to be college, career and community ready. We see our students as our future and we recognize that those who attend our classrooms today will be the same individuals who will serve within our communities tomorrow. Our students will become future doctors, engineers, musicians, artists, skilled laborers, educators, scientists, philanthropists, military officers, government officials, accountants and business leaders. It is so very important that we recognize that when we invest in our students, we are also investing in the future of our community and our society. The education and preparation of our youth is the most important and critical function of our school system and Thompson School District takes on this challenge with immense pride and commitment. This is why I entered the education profession twenty-six years ago and it is why I still continue to serve as an educator today—I believe that by investing in our students, we invest in our future. 

December marks the halfway point in our very busy school year and I could not be more proud of the successes and accomplishments we have seen to date. Since launching our new Strategic Plan last fall, Strive 2025, we have continued to work hard to ensure that we emerge as a premier destination district in the State of Colorado. Among the important highlights thus far in the school year:

  • New K-5 English/Language Arts Curriculum
  • New Middle School Math Curriculum
  • Pilot of new High School Math Curriculum
  • Continued focus on Social/Emotional support at each of our campuses, including full-time counselors at our elementary schools and a complete districtwide audit of current Social/Emotional Learning practices
  • Completion of Phase 1 of the Early Childhood Center at Stansberry
  • Groundbreaking and current construction of our new Thompson Career Campus (Career and Technical Education) and Ferguson High School, opening in the fall of 2020
  • Major renovation repair and building upgrades districtwide
  • Major upgrades in campus security, including construction of secure entries at our high schools
  • Over $2 million in technology upgrades—hardware, software and infrastructure

And this is just the halfway point in the school year! 

As we continue to invest in our district, please know that we are also investing in the future of our students. 

On behalf of our 2,100 district employees, our seven-member elected Board of Education and myself, thank you for your support and enthusiasm for Thompson School District. We rely on our community for your partnership and trust and we also know that we are doing important work to prepare our students for the future. Have a wonderful holiday season and we will see you in 2020!

Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District

The Power of a “Big-C” Community

Dear Thompson Community:

When I think about the strength and success of the Thompson School District, I immediately think about the word “Community” with a capital “C.” I use a capital letter to represent the all-inclusiveness of our entire Community that works together to ensure the support of our nearly 16,000 students, who depend on our Community to create a robust and effective school experience. For me, our Community is made up of our parents and guardians, our staff, our district residents and our local businesses.

Our parents and guardians are a necessary and important part of our Community. Parents and guardians help support our students by attending school events and special activities, staying engaged in the academic and social/emotional lives of students and showing an active interest in what students are doing each and every day at school. Parents and guardians serve as chaperones on school field trips, are members of PTA/PTO organizations and even volunteer their time at school for activities and events. Finally, parents and guardians serve on school and district committees to provide input and thinking around the important work we are doing in the district.

The Thompson School District staff team is made up of more than 2,100 professionals who are “all in” to help support our students before, during and after the school day. Our transportation staff and crossing guards help to ensure that students arrive and depart safely each day.  Our school personnel, including front office staff, food service workers, teachers, support staff, paraprofessionals, custodians and school administrators, create school environments that foster safety, a sense of belonging and a positive culture while also offering strong instructional and cocurricular programs. The behind-the-scenes staff members, from our Learning Services and Human Resources departments to Instructional Technology, Facilities, Communication and Business Services, also support our students and district by playing key roles in the daily operation of Thompson School District.

Our Community is made up of citizens within five cities and towns as well as unincorporated property in Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties. Nearly 75% of our Community does not have students who currently attend our schools. Yet, we depend on this large segment of our population to help support our schools and students through engagement and participation. Community members volunteer their time at our schools to help students as academic tutors and reading buddies as well as lend their expertise in areas of interest and talent. Community members also attend school concerts, plays, athletic competitions and other school-wide events which directly support and benefit our students.  Community members serve on school and district committees, share feedback with the schools and the district and remain engaged and interested in our work.

Finally, our business Community directly supports our students in so many important and tangible ways. For example, it has partnered directly with the district on our Career and Technical Education initiatives. Businesses also provide perspective, expertise, feedback and support when it comes to developing programs and facilities to support workforce readiness. Our businesses not only generously provide resources and time, they also invest in our students by hosting apprenticeship and internship experiences. We recognize that our business Community is a necessary and valuable part of our Thompson School District Community. 

Our Community partners provide extraordinary support to surround our students with the opportunity to be college, career and Community-ready, while also being invested in the success of our district. It truly takes a “big-C” Community to ensure the success of our district…and we thank you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District