January 11, 2014
1/11/14
Happy Saturday.
This has been an interesting
week. Is it possible to fit any more
weather-related scenarios into a seven-day period? Possibly a July-like day with high humidity
or maybe a dust storm?
Thanks for all your patience
and cooperation this week, primarily with the days closed, traffic issues and
the cancellation at noon yesterday of the Ski Trip.
CALENDAR ITEMS
Sunday, January
12
Harrison Wright
Eagle Scout Project Collection; LMS Parking Lot, Noon – 4:00 pm (see below)
Wednesday, January 15
Parent meeting regarding scheduling for 9th
grade (next year); LHWHS Performing Arts Center, 7:00 pm (rescheduled from
January 8 – see below)
Thursday,
January 16
8th
Grade Parents to Lunch and Meeting; 12:14 pm
High School
Curriculum Night; LHWHS Performing Arts Center, 6:00 – 8:00 pm (see below)
LMS Geography Bee;
2:30 – 4:00 pm
Friday, January
17
Early Release Day;
12:40 pm
Monday, January 20
Dr. King Holiday, no school
Thursday, January 23
7th Grade Parents
to Lunch and meeting; 11:15 am
Friday, January 24
6th Grade Parents
to Lunch and meeting; 10:30 am
Hidden Valley Ski Trip; 3:00
– 9:30 pm
Thursday, January 30
Club and organization group
pictures (for yearbook)
Friday, January 31
Hidden Valley Ski Trip; 3:00
– 9:30 pm
Monday, February 3
Discovery Education testing
(through Thursday, February 6)
Friday, February 7
Science Olympiad to Illinois
Invitational
Hidden Valley Ski Trip; 3:00
– 9:30 pm
Friday, February 14
No School; Professional
Development for Staff
Monday, February 17
No School; Presidents’ Day
Tuesday, February 18
Patriot Team field trip to
Springfield, IL
Thursday, February 20
Trailblazer Team field trip
to Springfield, IL
Friday, February 21
Hidden Valley Ski Trip; 3:00
– 9:30 pm
Thursday, February 27
Pioneer Team field trip to
Springfield, IL
Friday, February 28
Hidden Valley Ski Trip; 3:00
– 9:30 pm (make up day)
CONGRATULATIONS
CORRECTION(S)
NEW ITEMS
8th Grade Parents to
Lunch/Meeting
You are
invited to the 8th grade parent lunch and meeting on Thursday, January 16.
Lunch is from 12:14-12:44 and parents are welcome to come and eat with their
children. The parent meeting will be in the library and will start at 12:45 and
go about an hour. The focus of this meeting will be the high school transition.
Several high school staff members will speak, including Mike Tarpey (assistant
principal), Brian Garner (Activities Director) and teachers from the Excel
program. We hope to see you there!
LMS Character Council Hat Day
The Character Council will
sponsor a “Socks for the Homeless” Hat Day on January 17. Students and staff can donate 50 cents or
bring a pair of tube socks to school and wear a hat all day! Collections will be taken before school on
that day by the Cafeteria and in the Welcome Center Lobby. Donations of money and socks will be provided
on Monday, January 20 to area homeless shelters.
LMS Lunchtime Parent Lecture Series
The following lectures
are sponsored by the LMSPA. It’s
information that will make you a better parent!
Bring a bag lunch, or just bring yourself, your curiosity, and your
desire to learn from the best and the brightest. Note: All of our speakers will begin promptly
at noon and end promptly at 1 pm to respect the time of our busy parents.
Communication
Without Conflict – How to Get More than Grunts, Groans and Eye Rolls
Wednesday,
February 15; 12-1 pm; LMS Library
Join Debbie
Granick for an engaging, humorous, and solution-packed lunch hour that will
give you new tools and tricks for enhancing communication with your tweens and
teen.
You will:
·
Learn
causes of communication breakdown.
·
Reduce
friction in common “high conflict” situations.
·
Discuss
tips for talking about sensitive issues like drinking, peer relationships,
sexual situations and more.
·
Get
proven strategies for engaging your child in conversation and enhancing your
relationship.
Debbie Granick is a Licensed Clinical
Social Worker and RN. She has worked
previously at MoBap and as a Counselor at MICDS. She helps teems, adults, and families to
create positive change. She is currently
in private practice in Clayton.
Advocating
For Your Child – Why, When, and How
Wednesday,
February 12; 12-1 pm; LMS Library
As parents it
is natural for us to help and support our children, yet we may be denying them
the ability to advocate for themselves.
Why is that we advocate for our children? When should we take the lead in the
advocating process and when should we follow?
How can we help and support our children without being too
emotional? Learning how to step in and
out and really listen to our children can help both parents and their children
navigate the world.
Peggy Fiala, M. Ed., LPC is in private
practice. She focuses on adolescent
counseling specifically around school issues (academic, social, and emotional
transition and adjustment). She also is
a Parent Coach and educational consultant.
Before going into private practice, she worked for 32 years at John
Burroughs School as a teacher, middle school principal and counselor.
Parenting,
how it changes as they grow!
Wednesday,
February 19; 12-1 pm; LMS Library
Come hear
national speaker MJ Corcoran introduce the three main parenting stages, along
with tips on how to get the most out of your relationship with your teen. If you are sick of reminding, coaxing or
simply being responsible for your teen’s life, join MJ in a lively discussion
on how to be more coach-like for a winning relationship with your teen.
MJ Corcoran is a National Speaker,
Certified Parenting Coach and M. Ed. strategist.
Stepping Off the Hamster
Wheel – Tools for Frenzied Families
Wednesday, February 26;
12-1; LMS Library
Feel like there’s never
enough time to do it all? Jill Farmer
will give you tools for unraveling the business in your lives. Learn how to replace the craziness in your
house with some calm. Tips for
overscheduled parents and middle schoolers.
Jill Farmer is the Author of “There’s Not Enough Time
. . . and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves” and is a Master Certified Life Coach
and speaker.
RainScape Rebates Program
Landowners in nineteen
participating municipalities, including residents, schools, churches and
businesses are eligible to take part in a RainScape Rebates Program. This voluntary program financially assists
landowners in and near the Deer Creek Watershed wishing to landscape their
yards to improve storm water management.
Rebates of up to $2,000 are available, and the application deadline is
February 12, 2014. Visit www.deercreekalliance.org to learn
more. In addition, for a limited time,
Missouri Botanical Garden is offering a RainScaping Prize Drawing. Go to www.mobot.org/rainscaping by
February 11, 2014 for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate for Shaw Nature
Reserve’s Spring Wildflower Market in May or one of five other rainscaping
prizes valued at #350 to $1,000.
The RainScape Rebates program is funded by
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation, Great
Rivers Greenway, Missouri Department of Conservation, participating
municipalities, and US EPA Region 7 through the Missouri Department of natural
Resources (subgrant number G11-NPS-15), under Section 319 of the Clean Water
Act.
UPDATED ITEMS
REPEAT ITEMS
Eagle Scout Project
One of our 8th
graders, Harrison Wright, is organizing a donation drive for gently used
clothing, books and toys as his Eagle Scout Project. This drive will benefit the St. Louis Crisis
Nursery, which is committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and
provides emergency intervention, respite care and support to families in
crisis. The drive is scheduled to take
place on the LMS parking lot on January 12, from noon to 4 pm. For more information, please contact Harrison
at:
or visit
8th Grade scheduling for
High School
The parent
meeting originally scheduled for this evening to discuss scheduling for current
8th graders at LHWHS next year has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January
15. It will still occur at the LHWHS
Performing Arts Center, beginning at 7:00 pm.
8th grade
parents and students are invited to the Curriculum Fair (Jan 16), but the
evening is primarily for current high school students and their parents.
Ladue Education Foundation Request
The Ladue
Education Foundation (LEF) is conducting our Annual Giving Campaign. This is an
important part of our ongoing efforts to advance the excellence of the Ladue
School District by expanding opportunities for extraordinary student success.
As you may know, the programs funded by the LEF focus on advancing the
educational success of all students, in all schools, in all grades, with all
ability levels. These
programs help build a stronger district, stronger community and provide the
foundation for a stronger and better future for our children. Thanks for your help!
Click here to
visit our website to learn more about the Ladue Education Foundation
....and click here to make a tax-deductible
donation. Your donation can be in honor or memory of someone special. A favorite teacher is
just one example!
Chili and Basketball
The LHWHS Dads Club and
Parent Association are sponsoring the district’s annual “Chili Supper and
Basketball!” on Friday, January 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the High School
Cafeteria. All Elementary, Middle School
and High School families are encouraged to attend. Tickets ($6.00 per person) will include 1)
Chili and BBQ dinner; 2) Entrance to the Ladue Girls JV and Varsity Basketball
games; and 3) Activities, Face Painting and Fun. Wear your Blue and White! Please RSVP to Audey Mack (Committee Chair)
by January 13 at aemack@swbell.net or 314-997-5039. A flier with a
reservation form can be found on Peach Jar.
Ski Trip Fridays/Morning Traffic
Ski Trip dates are: January
10, 24 and 31; February 7, 21 and 28 (make up day if needed).
I would suggest the
following for Ski Trip mornings:
1. Try to make every effort to drop your student off
before our buses arrive (typically at about 7:55 am).
2. If possible, deliver your child’s ski gear to the
main office/lobby during the school day (after 8:15 am and before 2:30 pm).
We will make the best of
it. Please be patient and please
continue to make those right-hand turns onto Clayton Road. This helps a great deal.
Winter Weather information
The link to
Winter Weather information on the LMS website can be found at http://www.ladue.k12.mo.us/lms/pdfs/2013WinterWeatherFlyer.pdf
I hope you have the chance
to enjoy the warmer/better weather this weekend.
Greg
