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IMPORTANT DATES
  • 11/8 14th annual TMS French Film Festival @ 5:30PM
  • 11/11 Veteran's Day Holiday
  • 11/13 Thurston PTA Meeting 9AM in library
  • 11/20 Wheel day! Use your skateboards, scooters, roller skates in P.E. class! (any items with wheels that are not electric or battery/gas powered and no bikes)
  • 11/27 -11/29 Thanksgiving Break
This Friday, Nov. 8th  is the 14th annual TMS French Film Festival. It's a family-friendly event for the whole community. There is a French Café from 5:30-6:30 p.m. where we will sell Croque Monsieur sandwiches (vegetarian option available), freshly made French crêpes, French limonade, chocolate croissants, macarons, and bon bons. All items are between $1-$5. Come for the food, but stay for the film!  

This year's film is "Le Petit Nicolas" ("Little Nicolas") and it is a comedy about the adventures of young Nicolas and his hilarious group of friends. The film is about 80 minutes in length and it is a free viewing. Come one, come all to the annual TMS French Film Festival! We hope to see you there.
Thank you to last week's Ball Room volunteers:
Kami Swanson and Sarah Gardner

Thank you to our 10/31 & 11/1 Super Hike Volunteers:
Lourdes de Quillien, Teresa Lawsky, Kari Menter, Steven Sinay, Faith Mills, Lori Werstein, Stacie Meierhoefer, Frank Mead, Magalena Zucca, Mandy Sloan McDow, Meg Weidner, Sarah Langdon Lee, Jimmy Azadian

HUGE THANK YOU to James Azadian Sports Swap Chair and everyone who volunteered at Sports Swap!
Melissa Vermilya, Mark Pugh, Lisa Barreth, Tamara Hlava, Jennifer Mullin, Andrea Heins, Monette Laws, Emily Rolfing, Jessica Walker, Sharon Rose, Kara Taylor, Kelly Osborne, Ronda Caringella, Celine Macmillan, Maggie Kruse, Sandra R Johnson, Monika, Joy Zembruski, and everyone who volunteered that wasn't on the online signup!
Ball Room Sign Up

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.

You can sign up for a weekly, monthly, or one time experience. It takes less than one hour of your time. Questions? Contact Ball Room Chair Leslie Heard HERE
SignUp For Super Hike!

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.
Meet the Thurston Team

This week we are pleased to highlight:

Sarah Schaeffer

Teacher - 6th Grade Language Arts
Thurston Middle School

Birthday: August 14


Tell us little about yourself. 
I was born and raised in San Diego and am the youngest of five. I love having a big family, and now three out of five of us live in Orange County (within fifteen minutes of each other), and we spend a ton of time together. 

Growing up in San Diego, we were always Chargers and Padres fans and went to games often. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, and I attended San Diego State University where I earned a bachelor's degree, teaching credential, and master's degree...Go Aztecs!

My husband and I met in high school, although we didn't begin dating until years later, and we were married in San Diego on November 15, 2014. We have traveled to many places together, but our greatest adventure has been having our twins, Olivia and Gavin, who were born on July 27, 2018. We now enjoy spending time together as a family with our dog, Murphy.

Tell us the best advice you have for students.
My best advice for students is to be kind to each other. Surround yourself with good friends who lift you up and hold you and themselves to a high standard. This will help you become the best version of yourself. I am still extremely close with several of my friends from middle school, and I love that we have that history together and can look back at some of our most awkward memories together and laugh!

What fictional place would you most like to go?
Hogwarts!!! 

What are some small things that make your day better?
There are so many small things that can have a hugely positive impact on my day! Talking on the phone to a friend or family member on my drive to or from work always puts me in a good mood. Having time in the morning to make breakfast and drink at least a cup of coffee while it's still hot, walking on the beach trail in San Clemente, roaming the aisles at Target...these are all things that bring me great joy!

What songs have you completely memorized?
There are several songs that I  think  I have memorized, but, as it turns out, I often have the lyrics completely incorrect. My husband loves to correct me, but I usually like my lyrics better, so I just stick with them! I love music, and listen to pretty much all genres, from country to rap to pop. I especially love musicals, so I can pretty much sing every song from  The Greatest Showman  and  Wicked  soundtracks.

How different was your life one year ago?
My life was so insanely different a year ago than it is today! B.T. (before twins) I slept a full eight hours a night, my schedule wasn't dictated by naps or feedings, and I had so much more time to do whatever it was that I wanted to do! But I absolutely love being a mom and wouldn't change one thing about my life now!

What pets did you have while you were growing up?
I have always had dogs. When I was younger, we had shelties. My first dog's name was Rudolph and my second dog's name was Woody. Now I am a proud dogmom to Murphy, a crazy yellow lab who just turned three last month, but he still acts like a puppy. 

Thank you Sarah for participating in our Thurston Team interview!
Hi there,

Imagine your student comes home with a "D" on her exam. She never told you she was struggling in the class and you're frustrated that she let it get to this point. So you decide to send the teacher this email to request a meeting: 

"Jenna just informed us that she received a ‘D’ on her last exam. We were shocked and very disappointed. Jenna is an excellent student and she has never received anything but top grades. We need to meet with you immediately to discuss what can be done to rectify this situation." 

You're not necessarily assigning blame or being critical; you're just being a concerned parent. But the teacher receiving the email could read it as if you’re somehow blaming her for your kid's grade.

Since email has become a preferred communication tool with parents and teachers, here are a few Collegewise guidelines to using it wisely:  

1. Use email as a tool to foster a relationship before you need something.  

If your student likes a class, drop the teacher an email and mention that "Jason just can't stop talking about how much he's enjoying your history class." If a teacher stays after school to help your student, email the teacher and thank her. Everyone likes to be acknowledged when they do a good job. And as long as you're sincere, you'll have built some history together if you need to email for a less positive reason in the future.

2. Be human, and be nice.

Just stating the facts can actually come off as cold and impersonal. Negative emotions will also be distorted and exaggerated in the mind of the reader. So be a real person, and be nice.   

Imagine how a teacher would react differently in the above scenario if she received this email: 

"Jenna just informed us of that she received a 'D' on her midterm. My husband and I are both chemists, so we're probably not as compassionate with our child as we should be when it comes to her struggles with the periodic table. But we want to do the right thing and would appreciate any guidance you could give us on how we can help her. Would it be possible to meet with you at your convenience?" 

That's a message written by a real–and nice–human being.  

3. Don't forget to use email as a tool of thanks, too.

Here's where email can be a great communication tool. Sending a quick, sincere thank-you note is easy and effective. Look what you can accomplish in just four sentences: 

"I just wanted to thank you for meeting with us last week. Jenna came out of the meeting encouraged about her opportunity to improve her grade, and we felt so fortunate that she has a teacher who's willing to meet with panicked parents like us. I can't tell you how much we appreciate it. Thank you again, and have a great weekend."

If you received that email, wouldn’t you be even more willing to help that family in the future?

Cheers,
Collegewise
Winter Flag Football Sign Ups

Laguna Beach Youth Football is partnering with NFL Flag Football to bring our kids the best experience here in Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach Youth Football has been working with Laguna Beach High School for the past year in order to give our community a great football program starting at the youth level and all the way up through High school. We are the new feeder program for the LBHS. Registration for our Winter Flag Football League is now open!

Please see flyer and go to the website: www.lagunabeachyouthfootball.com to register your child and or volunteer as a coach, assistant coach, team manager or official.
Thank you to our Kindness Challenge Sponsors!
Thurston School : (949) 497-7765
Durham Bus: (949) 376-0376
www.thurstonmiddleschoolpta.org