February 28, 2014
Good afternoon
and Happy Friday.
I greatly appreciate the
very nice comments and emails following the School Board’s decision this past
Monday evening. I am very honored to be
able to serve as principal of LMS in the coming year. Thank you.
As a personal aside, if you
have entered our offices this week and observed a sign with my picture on it
posted on various secretaries’ desks, I am NOT
really such a big deal around here. That
has been an ongoing, inside joke (re: the movie “Anchorman”) since the beginning
of the school year. Our office staff has
done an admirable job of keeping me in check.
CALENDAR ITEMS
Tuesday, March 4
Statewide Tornado Siren Testing/Drill for
LMS; 1:30 pm
Vocal Concert, Grades 5 – 12; 7:00 pm;
LHWHS
Wednesday, March 5
Jazz Band Concert, Grades 7 – 8; 7:00 pm;
LHWHS
Friday, March 7
I Am LMS Day activities
Early Dismissal; 12:40 pm
Tuesday, March 11
LMSPA Meeting; 1:00 pm
Wednesday, March 12
Parent Teacher Conferences
(full day for students); Begin at 3:40 pm
Dinner
breaks are as follows: Elective teachers @ 4:20, Team teachers
@ 5:00
Thursday, March 13
End of Quarter 3
Parent Teacher Conferences
(early release day for students at 12:40 pm); Begin at 1:20 pm
Dinner breaks
are as follows: Elective teachers @ 3:40, Team teachers @
4:20
Friday, March 14
No School
Monday, March 17 through
Friday, March 21
No School: Spring Break
Tuesday, April 1
SRI Reading testing; Grade
7; regular schedule
Wednesday, April 2
SRI Reading testing; Grades
6 and 8; regular schedule
Thursday, April 3
LMS Spring Play; 4:30 – 6:00
pm; LHWHS
Friday, April 4
LMS Spring Play; 7:00 – 8:30
pm; LHWHS
Monday, April 7 through
Thursday, April 10
MAP Testing
Tuesday, April 8
LMSPA Meeting; 1:00 pm
Friday, April 11
Science Olympiad; State
Competition at University of Missouri
Thursday, April 17
Percussion Concert; Grades 6
– 12; 7:00 – 8:30 pm; LHWHS
Friday, April 18
Early Release Day; 12:40 pm
(Professional Development)
CONGRATULATIONS
and THANKS
CORRECTION(S)
In a
Blackboard Connect email earlier this week regarding a late afternoon bus, I
incorrectly stated that the Admin Center was having trouble getting a message
out to riders of that particular bus. As
a result, I sent out a message to all homes/parents due to time
constraints. The trouble with the
program actually occurred with the bus company.
To my knowledge, the program for messages through the bus company is now
operational.
NEW ITEMS
LMS Service Project
The “Fill the
Bus” Food Drive is scheduled for March 5 through 12. We will be collecting canned and nonperishable goods all
next week in the Gym or Cafeteria before 1st period, depending on your
student’s grade level. “Caps for a
Cause” will accompany this effort on March 7.
Students may wear a hat on Friday for fifty cents. Food and money
will be donated to local food pantries.
I Am LMS Day
Our spring I Am
LMS Day will occur on March 7. Students
will participate in diversity activities during their elective classes,
including student-led presentations and conversations about cultural, racial,
and religious differences.
Young Card Makers Needed
To Create A Smile
If you have
a 9-15 year old who would be interested in sharing a smile, this may be a good
opportunity. BJC Hospice is providing times for younger helpers to get
together for a "card making party." The project is part of the
campaign named "Samantha's Gift," an ongoing mission to provide
comfort items to the older BJC Hospice patients. Young people will
have a chance to meet others and to learn the joy of volunteering, while
having fun at this easy project.
The cards
will be taken by our BJC Hospice staff to terminally ill patients still at home
or those who are in nursing homes. Hospice employees and volunteers
continually report how receiving a bright, happy card does make a difference
to patients and their families.
The creation
is easy. The gathering is fun. The time can be documented as volunteering for a
cause for any volunteer hours that students may need.(2 service hours per
session)
Parties are
offered on: Saturday, April 12; Sunday,
April 20; Sunday, May 4; Saturday, May 17; Saturday, June 7; Sunday, June 22; Saturday,
July 12; Sunday, July 20; and Sunday, August 10. Hours: 3:00p.m.-5:30p.m.
Location:
BJC Home Care Services 1935 Beltway Dr. Overland, MO. 63114 (we are at I-170
and Page). All kids must be pre-register
by emailing Marsha Shanker, Coordinator of "Samantha's Gift" at marsha.shanker@sbcglobal.net
Space is
limited, so check your calenders to find available times and get your child
booked sooner than later!
Grade 8 Dance
The LMS 8th
Grade Dance is scheduled for Friday, May 2, from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. Please
see the attached flier on the Blackboard Connect email for more information.
LMSPA Cotillion
The LMSPA is
sponsoring a LMS Cotillion on Wednesday evenings beginning March 26 through May
14. Please
see the attached flier on the Blackboard Connect email for more information.
UPDATED ITEMS
REPEAT ITEMS
Laduette Dance Team
Attention
all 8th grade dancers! The Laduette Dance Team clinics will be held
Monday and Tuesday, March 3rd and 4th, from 4-6pm with tryouts on Wednesday,
March 5th beginning at 4pm. Both the clinics and tryouts will be held at
the LHWHS Ramming Gymnasium. If you did
not attend the meeting and would like to try out you can email laduettes@gmail.com to get an informational
packet. We hope to see you there!
Lunchtime Lecture Date Change
Due to the
snow day on February 5, Debbie Granick's presentation Communication Without Conflict – How to
Get More than Grunts, Groans and Eye Rolls has been moved to Wednesday, March 5th from 12-1pm in the LMS Library.
Parent
Conferences/Quarter 3 Grade Cards
In past years,
the end of Quarter 3 has occurred prior to spring Parent Conferences. This has allowed us to post and finalize
grades, print grade cards, and distribute these directly to parents who were
able to attend Parent Conferences (thereby cutting down on mailings). Those report cards that were not picked up
were then mailed the following week.
This year’s calendar
does not give us that option. The end of
Quarter 3 falls on the second day of spring Parent Conferences. As a result, we will not be able to post and
finalize Quarter 3 grades until the end of the day on Monday, March 24. Once grades are posted, we will need to print
grade cards and prepare all of them for mailing. We hope to get them out by Wednesday of that
week.
Parent
Teacher Conferences (Sign Up ASAP)
Spring
Portfolio Conferences are scheduled for 3/12 (3:40-7:20 p.m.) and 3/13
(1:20-6:40 p.m.) Information was sent home in Friday Folders with students and
is also posted on our school website.
Sign ups are
online and can be accessed through the following website: http://www.myconferencetime.com/laduems.
Please sign
up ASAP as appointments fill up fast. The deadline for signing up is March 7, 2014.
To ensure
your conference runs smoothly here are a few reminders:
1.
Plan to be at conferences for at least an hour. You will meet with
core teachers for a total of 20 minutes. The other time will be spent meeting
with the elective and/or off team teachers. Plan to arrive on time. If
you arrive late, we may not be able to accommodate you.
2. Upon
arrival, please stop at the table in the lobby to pick up a Conference Room
Location sheet. This will help you know where you are going.
3. Note
dinner times and plan accordingly. Teachers will have a 40 minute dinner break
both evenings. When elective teachers are at dinner team teachers are
conferencing and when team teachers are at dinner elective teachers are
conferencing. Dinner breaks are as follows:
Wed. 3/12
-Elective @ 4:20, Team @ 5:00
Thurs. 3/13
-Elective @ 3:40, Team @ 4:20
LMSPA Nominations for
2014-2015
The Ladue
Middle School Parent Association is beginning to plan for the 2014-15 school
year. If you would like to nominate yourself or another person for a
position on the LMSPA Executive Board, please print out and complete the attached
Nomination Form and return it to the LMS Welcome Center by Monday, March 24th.
Used Sports Equipment
Swap.
A service project from
Girls on Track will occur on March 29 in the LMS Gym from Noon to 3:30 pm. Please see the attached flier for more
details. For questions, contact Lisa
Witzofsky at blwitz@charter.net
Please see the attached flier on the
Blackboard Connect email for more information.
La'Due It 5K
On Sunday, March 30,
2014
Ladue walks, runs, and cares!
This event is brought to you by the
Ladue Schools Physical Education Department and District Wellness Committee.
Proceeds will support Due Care, an organization which provides financial
assistance to district families and students in need. Bring your old
shoes to donate to Shoeman Water Projects, helping bring clean water to
communities around the world. A T-shirt is guaranteed with
pre-registration by March 15th. To pre-register, go to: www.ladueschools.net
MAP Testing
Please note
that MAP testing will be held on Monday, April 7 through Thursday, April
10. If possible, please try to avoid
scheduling doctor appointments or other time away from school during this
period for your children. We would
appreciate it very much.
LMSPA eBlasts
If you are
not currently receiving LMSPA email news blasts but would like to, please click
on the following link to subscribe:
Board Briefs
Information
regarding Ladue Board of Education meetings and work sessions can be found on boardbriefs.blogspot.com
I hope you have a great
weekend. According to weather forecasts,
we may have an interesting Sunday and possibly Monday with the chance of ice
and snow. If you are traveling, please
take care.
Greg
