Thompson schools honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
This year was Dr. King's 84th birthday celebration. And although he is no longer with us in body, the power of his inspiration and deeply held beliefs lives on. His legacy continues to create valuable educational opportunities for our youth. Below are just a few of the activities that were produced in our schools in honor of the special day:
Loveland High
Spanish students from IB Spanish teacher Genie Rys' class read parts of MLK's speech in Spanish and completed some reading comprehension and writing activities based on the vocabulary and grammar in the speech.
Cottonwood Elementary
The school held a Peanut Butter Drive the week of Jan 22. The goal was to collect as many jars of peanut butter as possible to give to the House of Neighborly Service in Loveland for distribution to families in food baskets. This was a service project in honor of MLK's “Day of Service” to the community, which was on January 21st.
Coyote Ridge Elementary
After reading some books about Dr. King, kindergarten students wrote about which trait he showed and why. Students also worked on an art project to go along with their writing.
Garfield Elementary
The school created a display for the bulletin board in the children's area at the Loveland Library, featuring a variety of lessons using Arts Integration.
Stansberry Elementary
Stansberry first-graders completed some reading lessons on Dr. King, focusing on peaceful solutions to problems. Other classes worked on reading and writing prompts surrounding the theme of "How will you keep Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream alive?"
Lincoln Elementary
Students have been studying Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the music classes. They learned that he spoke out for peace and freedom and that he believed in peaceful ways of protesting unfair treatment. Students also took a brief quiz on his life through a reflection writing of their own dreams for society
Namaqua Elementary
Kindergarten students completed “read alouds” and a variety of other activities designed to emphasize Dr. King’s powerful message.
Van Buren Elementary
In honor of MLK Jr., students created a timeline of Dr. King's life and recorded significant events that happened to him. They also created doves to hang in the classroom with the powerful words that they brainstormed: peace, love, equality, dream, leader, friendship and respect.
TEF Educator Award to feature King Buick GMC car leases
A Thompson Education Foundation and King Buick GMC partnership honors Thompson School District educators in that "new car smell" kind of way this year. Thompson Education Foundation will hold its fifth annual “Educators Appreciation Breakfast” on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 8am at Embassy Suites Loveland. During the breakfast, the winners of the Educator of the Year awards will be announced.
The Educator of the Year awards recognize outstanding Thompson School District staff members for excellence in education through their ability to empower, challenge, and inspire. Thompson Education Foundation will honor these educators with the following 2013 categories:
- 2013 Elementary Teacher of the Year (pre-kindergarten - fifth grade)
- 2013 Secondary Teacher of the Year (sixth grade - twelfth grade)
- 2013 Principal of the Year
- 2013 Classified Employee of the Year
- 2013 Administrative, Professional, or Technical Employee of the Year
- NEW THIS YEAR! Educator of the Year (to be chosen from among all the nominations)
King Buick GMC believes in education and the work that teachers do every day in the classroom. The company feels the best way to give back to the community is through education support; building strong programs that will produce a highly trained workforce that can increase innovation and energy for American manufacturing. To honor Thompson School District educators, King GMC will provide a 60-day lease on a new automobile to each of the category winners and a 24-month lease to 2013's new category, Educator of the Year. This notable sponsorship brings a new level of significance and excitement to the annual awards.
Nominations for Thompson School District Educators of the Year were received from co-workers, parents and community members. The Educator of the Year Selection Committee criteria include a candidate's dedication to their work, a high level of skill, and the ability to inspire those they interact with in the course of their work.
In addition to the Educator of the Year announcements, the March 8 breakfast will feature presentations from Thompson Education Foundations' 2012 Creativity Grant recipients. Creativity Grants are one of the many ways that TEF supports the students and staff in the Thompson School District. Creativity Grants provide up to $1,000 for educators to implement unique learning experiences for students. Through the Educator of the Year breakfast, previous grant winners are able to demonstrate to the community the inspiring ways that they have used their grants to motivate students to learn. Reservations for this event opened on January 28th.
Links of Love for healing
Melanie Litt of Ponderosa Elementary School, who received a kidney transplant in December due to kidney disease, was presented a check in the amount of $3,400 to assist with the expenses. To raise the money, students and staff at Ponderosa created a project called "Links of Love." Paper chain links were sold for $1 and then displayed in the school's main stairway. Fifty percent of the money will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation to aid in the research of kidney disease.