LMS Newsletter September 2013

Transcription

1 LMS Newsletter September 2013 Michael Richards, Principal l Georgianna Kichura, Assistant Principal Welcome back students and parents of our LMS Community! We are so glad that you are back and enthusiastic to begin the new year. The last three days of school have been so exciting as we reunited with our neighborhood and school friends; even better we met new ones to expand our circle of friends. As we begin this new year there are some changes that have occurred at LMS regarding security and communication. We will now be sending most correspondence via or telephone messages. It is already obvious that there are many who have not updated their Genesis/Parent Resource Profiles. We are able to reach you electronically via text message, or phone message but only if we have your correct contact information. Please sign in and update your profile. If you do not remember your password or other information, contact Jaime Velez at JVelez@mtsd.us. He will be able to help you with your profile. Parent Resources/ Genesis and Agenda Books: Going forward please know that grades and assignments are available on Genesis. Students are instructed to write their assignments in their agenda books as this is an excellent way to begin to develop personal accountability and time management. MAP scores and report cards are also accessible there as well. Doors: Entry into our building will require that each person: identify themselves, the purpose of their visit and possibly a display of identification. Please know that the safety of all of our students is a primary concern. Due to our new safety procedures, please know that the doors are locked each morning and will remain locked. If you have a child in any aftercare or after school program, please make sure to have the cell/phone number of the supervisor in charge so that you can call and be let in to get your child. No one will be manning the doors after 4:15pm. Arrival and Dismissal: Students riding the bus should enter through the back doors. Students who are driven to school should enter through the front door. Although this is probably a safe place to be early in the morning, students

2 should not enter the building before 8:00am. Dismissal is at 2:55 from class, however students will not be outside until 3:05. They will need to collect their items to go home. Back to School Nights: September 25 for fifth grade & September 26 for sixth grade at 6:30pm to 9:00 pm. Both nights will begin in our cafeteria at 6:30 and you will have an opportunity to travel through your child s schedule and meet most of the teachers whom they have contact with now. The PTO will be there with Spirit Wear as well as locker shelves. The Scholastic Book Fair will also be going on so make sure to stop by the Media Center. Please check out this link to learn more about the Book Fair. ylms Please remember this is not a good time to have a teacher/parent conference. Our teachers are more than happy to speak with you at any time. You may reach out to them or your child s school counselor via to set up a phone conversation or meeting. Soldier Boxes Former LMS student, Alicia Cunniff is doing her Gold Award Service project here at our school. She is collecting the following items which will be sent to men and women serving in the military in the Middle East. If you would like to make a donation please bring your donations to school no later than Wednesday, September 18. Requested Items: Batteries: (AA, AAA, C & 9 Volt ) Beef Jerky / Slim Jims Instant Drink Mixes (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light) Protein Powders / Protein Bars / Cliff Bars Gum / Hard Candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags) NUTS: Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (salted preferred) Baby wipes (travel size) Liquid Hand Sanitizer (travel size) Body Wash, Liquid Soap, Facial Cleanser Shampoo /Conditioner (travel size) Deodorant (travel size) Razors (disposable: "Intuition" or "Mach 3" type) Lip balm / Chap Stick / Carmex / Blistex Sunblock, SPF 45, Zinc, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel Toothpaste & Toothbrushes & Dental Floss

3 Picture Day October 7 and 8: A finalized schedule will be on line. Measurement of Academic Performance (MAP) testing: Your child s teacher will advise them of when they are testing. We require some flexibility with the schedule as there are times when interruptions may delay or change the date and time. MAP tests your child s ability based on the Core Curriculum Standards for their grade both above and below. It is an adaptive test that adjusts to how your child answers the questions. The Fall scores are used as a baseline for our teachers and has no weight with regard to placement. For more information about MAP please go to: Scores for the Fall Testing will be available online late in November. Respect Week: October 7-11 in 2013 During this week we will be doing a variety of in-school activities to promote and demonstrate Respect. We will also be having small group meetings by teams to discuss HIB (Harassment Intimidation and Bullying) so that the students are all aware of the differences between bullying and conflict. These meetings will actually begin earlier for fifth grade. After school activities: Late Busses and After School Help Days: Beginning September 17 th, late busses will be available for students who stay with a teacher and need to be bussed home. Students may only stay after on: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In the event of a conflict teachers may cancel afterschool help, and it will be announced. The children will be expected to call home from a school phone to advise you of a change in plans. Please know that after school activities must be in a supervised environment. Each teacher stays one day a week for extra help days, and students may also stay in the Media Center to work on homework. Students may not stay after school without a parent to decorate a locker for birthdays or just hang out.

4 MathCounts MathCounts is a national math enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every US state and territory. The advisor for MathCounts is Ms. Annie Yip. MathCounts is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students. MathCounts is open to 6th graders who enjoy math and like to solve math problems and puzzles and meet other students with this common interest. If you decide you want to try out for the competition, you should plan to attend the meetings on a regular basis. Please sign up and find the calendar of meetings on Ms. Yip s webpage in the upcoming weeks. MathCounts Club begins in Fall and ends in March. Meetings will be held in the Media Center. Please see the Co-curricular tab on our website for more information. Interact Interact is a community service organization for fifth and sixth grade students. The advisor of Interact is Ms. Jen Rangnow. We work on projects that will help make our local and broader world a better place. The next meeting will be Wednesday, September 18 in C4. Please see the website before attending this meeting. It can be found on the Co-curricular tab on our website for more information. R.A.P.P. Club with Ms. Erickson RAPP, which stands for Rising Above Peer-Pressure, is a LMS club open to students in the 5 th and 6 th grades. The club meets on Thursdays two times per month. Members learn to identify various forms of negative peer-pressure and build strategies against it. In addition, students learn public speaking skills and gain self-confidence. At the end of the year, the students make a presentation to their peers in a character education assembly on peer pressure. For more information, please go to Ms. Erickson s website. Our first meeting will be on Thursday October 17 th at 3pm in room C-9. Please see the Cocurricular tab on our website for more information.

5 Sports Spectacular Description: After school is made for action, and action is what you will get if you come out to play in our Sports Spectacular. We will spend time outdoors and indoors playing a variety of games such as kickball, whiffleball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, and capture the flag. We will also practice yoga and discuss game strategies to improve our visualization techniques. After all, improving in sports requires mental concentration as well as physical ability. We welcome students of all ability levels and will seek to challenge you no matter what your current athletic strengths and weaknesses may be. So get off the couch, stop complaining there is nothing to do, and come play with us! Please see the Co-curricular tab on our website for more information. How to Join: Fifth and Sixth grade students should sign up in the gym on the days before the Thursday that Sports Spectacular meets, to ensure that we don t get more students than we can handle. Those students must then plan to stay after school on the Thursday they signed up for. Good sportsmanship and character are essential. So sign up today and make plans to stay. The books of the Year at LMS These two novels were introduced to our incoming students this past summer and will continue to be a topic of conversation during the school year. Some classes have adopted them as team read aloud but the essence of the identification of these two books has to do with enhancing our student s at home library. If you have not yet read these books yet; please take a look. I know you and your entire family will enjoy these amazing stories. Mr. Richards The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and out of my mind by Sharon M. Draper "Read It, Talk It Book Club" The "Read It, Talk It Book Club" is a student-directed, teacher guided after-school book club for fifth and sixth grade students. We discuss literature and make connections to other texts and to real life. Please see the Co-curricular tab on our website for more information.

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