Mrs. Thompson

HERE WE GO!  Our First Grade 2023-2024 learning adventure begins!  

My name is Christy Thompson, and I will be your child’s first-grade teacher!  I am so excited and proud to be a part of the Kenwood community!  

This is going to be a fantastic year and I can’t wait to learn all about your child!  

                                          Contact Information

                             The best way to contact me is via email.
                              christy.thompson@mpls.k12.mn.us

                                                  Supplies

This is a list of school supplies that we would like you to provide for your child for the school year. We encourage you to re-use as many of last year’s supplies as possible. If you are able to send some extras, we would greatly appreciate it! Please bring school supplies to Open House on Aug. 31.

? sturdy regular-size backpack (no wheels or tote bar) – a backpack is a must!

? pencil box

? Crayola washable thin markers

? Crayola washable thick markers

? eraser (plain)

? scissors

? 2-24-packs of Crayola crayons

? 2 wide-ruled notebooks (no perforated pages)

? 2 folders (solid colors only)

? 1 ream of white copy paper

? facial tissue (large box)

? Last names A-L: “Clorox/Lysol” wipes and Expo thin dry erase markers

? Last names M-Z: one ream multi-colored cardstock paper and one bottle of hand sanitizer

                                        Daily Schedule

             Specialist Schedule (1st Trimester through December 3)
                                          Monday           PE
                                          Tuesday          Media
                                          Wednesday   Art
                                          Thursday        Music
                                          Friday              PE

                           About Me 

This is my 33rd year teaching and my 15th year at Kenwood! 

I was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and moved to MN when I was in preschool.  I grew up in Roseville and after college, lived all over the Twin Cities.  I have lived in Richfield for 25 years.

I graduated from Augsburg College with degrees in Elementary Education and Psychology.  I received my MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas.  I've taught High-Five, kindergarten, and first grade in both Minneapolis Schools and out in Mound. 

Before becoming a licensed teacher I worked in many daycares and early childhood centers and was a before/after school supervisor in Minnetonka, working mainly with 3rd and 4th graders.  I have also worked in urgent care, in retail, and was a pharmacy technician for 4 years. 

I have an amazing family.  I'm married and have two adult daughters.   We have 1 dog named Lexi.  She is 9 years old but still acts like a puppy.  

When I get a few minutes of my own, I like to read mysteries and go for walks.  

I am looking forward to a fantastic year with the wonderful and energetic students in 138! 

If for some reason we need to go to Distance Learning, our Google Meet code will be:

                            thompson138 (type in Google Meet)

                                             OR

                                https://meet.google.com/lookup/thompson138

                                Technology Information: 

Google Meets: You will want to be on Chrome and go to Google Meet.  This is where we will have our live lessons.  (please make sure it is logged in under your child’s name and not yourself or a sibling)

Clever: This is the main app where you will be getting to our literacy and math programs. 

Seesaw: We will be doing many activities on this program. Students will be able to record their voice, video, write, draw, or take a picture to submit their work. It can be found by going into the Clever app.

Things you can do before distance learning starts: Find a quiet place that can be considered your working place every day. Make sure you keep all of your school materials near your space. Make sure your iPad is charged. Practice finding the Clever and Seesaw app on your iPad. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1chBEzYNIop7qJJlVqrujQ_ode7HG7m4BhXKmA1YUpBU/edit   (info on logging into Clever and Seesaw) https://source.mpls.k12.mn.us/clever-students-families (video on logging in)

Find a safe place to keep your child’s email address and login information.  Make sure it is kept in a place where your child can get to it easily, in case they get logged out or need it for a new program we are using.  You may also want to keep it in another place in case your child’s copy gets lost. Familiarize yourself with where you can find tech help: https://source.mpls.k12.mn.us/support-for-your-students

(I will do my very best to help, but my expertise is more in teaching than solving tech problems.  The first place to look will be this site.  If that doesn’t work and I can’t help, I will get in touch with our tech experts.)

Helpful hint: Last year, I noticed students who had headphones on were able to focus much more than students who didn’t.   This was especially true of kids with siblings hearing each other’s online lessons or who had younger kids just being kids around them.

I understand this is a LOT of information!  If you have any questions, PLEASE feel free to email me.  I typically return emails within a few hours, but for sure within 24 hours.

It's going to be a great year!

Christy Thompson