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IMPORTANT DATES
  • 1/12 (Today, Sunday) 8am -12pm Laguna Beach High School Boys Soccer clothing and textile drive (see flyer below) This could also be a Kindness Challenge Act.
  • All of January Login to the Kindness Challenge fundraiser called "Raise Craze" and email friends, family and neighbors for donations.
  • 1/13 - 1/24 Kindness Challenge Act: Coin Drive for Pacific Marine Mammal Center
  • 1/15 WEB Wednesday (10 parent volunteers needed at lunch)
  • 1/17 Teacher & Staff Hospitality Breakfast (hot entrees needed)
  • 1/20 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Holiday (no school)
  • 1/23 Super Hike
  • 1/24 Super Hike
  • 2/8 Kindness Challenge ends (our goal was reduced to raise $33,000 thanks to all of our many sponsor donations). Please support the Kindness Challenge fundraiser. Thurston PTA does so much for our kids and Thurston school.
  • 2/17 - 2/21 Mid Winter Break (no school)
Hello Thurston families!

Principal Salberg is in need of 10 adult volunteers on Wednesday, January 15 from 12:15PM - 1:25PM to help with the lunchtime W.E.B. Wednesday (where everyone belongs) Cornhole event.

Students and staff will be paired up in teams and volunteers are needed to help keep score. It will take place outside in the courtyard and is such a fun way to get involved and volunteer your time!
How Can I Get a Kindness Challenge T-shirt?
Students that raise any amount of money for the Kindness Challenge will get a shirt. Shirts will be delivered to students twice a week starting Monday.

7th Grade model wearing a youth large. Students can swap out their shirt for a different size in the Thurston office.
A big thank you to our sponsors and thank you to The T-Shirt CO at Laguna Beach for doing our Kindness Challenge shirts. The shirts are mint green, 100% cotton and so soft! Thank you also to Thurston art teacher Ivy Leighton for designing the logo and Trisha Dearing for creating sponsorship logos design for the backs of the shirts.
Thurston PTA Kindness Challenge Act: Coin Drive for Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Students can donate any coins they have around the house to go to Pacific Marine Mammal Center. This will count as 1 act of kindness . All donations can be turned in at the Thurston office for PTA to collect starting Monday from 1/13 -1/24.
 The Thurston PTA Kindness Challenge is our biggest fundraiser of the year! We support, promote, manage, sponsor, and organize countless programs, including:
  • Academic Awards
  • Destination Imagination 
  • ASB & PALS
  • Student Leadership
  • 6th Gr. W.E.B. Days
  • Angels Family Night
  • Library support
  • Positive Postcards
  • Club Registration Fees
  • PTA Reflections Art Contest  
  • Wave Rider Day
  • Kindness Challenge
  • Campus Culture Signs
  • Book Swap
  • Assembly Support
  • Attendance Certificates  
  • New Student Support
  • P.E. Equipment Support
  • Blue & Gold Awards
  • PTA Beach Clean-up
  • After School Clubs Buses 
  • Teacher Grants
  • 8th Gr. Museum of Tolerance Field Trip
  • SMART Card Awards  
  • Thurston PTA College Scholarship 
  • Student Assistance
  • 6th Grade Million Word Readers
  • 6th Grade Oral History Project
  • Staff Appreciation Week
  • Smart Drawings & Supplies
  • 8th Grade Promotion
  • 7th & 8th Grade Passion Project Field Trip
  • 6th – 8th Grade Medals 
  • Smart Assemblies
  • Coffee Talk 
  • Fin the Shark Mascot
  • Gold Cards
  • United in Kindness
  • Sports Swap
It's time to spread some kindness!
Kindness Challenge Started
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Goal: $33,000
Amount raised: $2,010

Have your student login to their Kindness Challenge page (online platform is called Raise Craze and is secure) and enter email addresses to family and friends for donations. This is Thurston PTA's biggest fundraiser for the school year.

During this fundraiser, students ask friends and family for donations via the online Raise Craze platform while paying it forward serving others. What a great way for us to teach our students the importance of kindness and gratitude while raising much needed funds. Students will spend time serving, not selling! 

  • 480 students out of 692 created their Kindness Challenge webpage at kick-off in November.
  • Students used their school email address and password
  • Students selected 3 acts of kindness or created their own, but did not send out donation emails (as this fundraiser had not started yet).
  • Students can change or add their own Kindness acts to their webpage


  • To create an account go to: https://my.raisecraze.com/APGMNS5/



  • Our goal is to have 1,000 acts of Kindness and raise $33,000.
The picture below is from the online Thurston Kindness Challenge webpage. It's called "Raise Craze" and is secure. Please check it out or help create your child's fundraiser webpage and send those emails out.

Cash & check donations (made out to Thurston PTA and "Kindness Challenge" on check note) or cash envelope can be dropped off in the Thurston office. Please include your child's name, so they receive a t-shirt.
Thurston PTA Kindness Challenge Prizes

Every student can participate in the Kindness Challenge by completing Acts of Kindness (AOK) so we’re aiming for 100% participation. As a little encouragement, we do have some awesome opportunity drawing prizes for the students and Kindness Challenge t-shirts:

  • 20 Disneyland tickets (10 students will receive 2 tickets)
  • 5 (five) $70 gift cards to Ocean at Main Restaurant 
  • 2 Beach Brella (beach umbrellas value is $150 each)
  • 10 (ten) $20 gift cards to Catmosphere 
  • 1 Girls Night Out event at Roots the Beauty Underground ($1,250 value)
  • 1 (one) $50 gift card to Roots the Beauty Underground
  • Stabucks Gift Cards
  • Active Culture Gift Cards
  • World of Warcraft collectible figure donated by the Jensen Family 
  • Go Pro
  • Catch Surf board
  • Apple Airpods
  • Laguna Beach Monopoly Board Game
  • Giant 5 ft. teddy bear
  • and much more!
  • If we reach our $33,000 online goal we will have 2 school wide prizes for all the students (Pajama Day and Wheel Day the week before mid-winter break)

We are excited to see all of the ways our students choose to serve others! 
TMS Staff Hospitality Breakfast

Let's spread some kindness to our wonderful teachers and staff by providing a warm breakfast for their meeting on  Friday, January 17, 2020  (this is the 3rd out of 5 total breakfasts for the school year).

Drop off  hot entrees  at the front office by
7:20 am on  Friday, January 17.

All other items can be dropped off on Thursday, January 16 in the Thurston office.

Please sign up to bring something in the Sign Up link below.
We are in need of 5 hot entree items!

Thank you for your support!

Ball Room Sign Up
We have open slots this week.

A parent volunteer is needed at lunch time each day to check out balls.

The job entails showing up at the specified time, going to the Ball Room, pulling out the sign-out sheet for the balls, monitoring that
kids sign the balls out.

After 45 minutes and the end of lunch, the kids will return the balls, the parent volunteer puts the sign-out sheet away and the job is completed.
Super Hike!
January 23 & 24
Super Hike volunteers make a commitment to be at school during a specific time to accompany the students on their P.E. hike. The hike is always on a block day (Thursday/Friday) and usually takes place once a month.

It is a fun and invigorating opportunity to spend time with the kids and we are grateful for your desire to be a part of it.
Thurston School : (949) 497-7765
Durham Bus: (949) 376-0376
www.thurstonmiddleschoolpta.org