August 16, 2014
Good
afternoon. I hope you are enjoying this
rainy Saturday.
We
seem to have had a good start to the school year, thanks to you, your kids, and
our staff. The 6th graders
went through a day of orientation activities on Wednesday and seemed to handle
it well. Staff members were “on call”
all day to help all students find their classrooms, provide help with lockers,
and answer questions that came up.
I
will assume that issues with bus routes and arrival/departure times will be
sorted out soon. We have had a few late-arriving
morning buses, with no penalty to students in terms of tardies. We have also had some buses arrive on campus
in the afternoon later than normal. Once
we get routes ironed out, we should be dismissing buses in about 7 minutes
after dismissal.
CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS
Thank
you to Jodi Blucher and Jodi Minkler (Co-Presidents) and members of the LMSPA
Executive Board for hosting our first Parent Coffee this morning in the
Cafeteria. The turnout was much larger
than in years past, which is a great indicator of our overall level of parent
involvement and support here. We are
blessed to have the support of an outstanding Parent Association.
Thank
you, as well, to everyone who has made a right turn onto Clayton Road in the
mornings. This may seem like a minor
item, but it makes a HUGE difference in getting cars out of the lot in a timely
manner.
CALENDAR ITEMS
Monday,
8/18
Parent/Guardian Technology Agreement and Student User Agreement
forms due
to the Office
Wednesday,
8/20
Meet The Teacher Night,
6:30 – 8:30 pm (see below)
Tuesday,
8/26
After School Activities
begin (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Wednesday,
8/27
School Picture Day (see below)
6th Grade Camp
Parent meeting, 7 – 8 pm (see below)
Monday,
9/1
Labor Day: NO SCHOOL
Tuesday,
9/2
SRI Reading assessments;
Grades 7 and 8
Wednesday,
9/3
SRI Reading assessments;
Grade 6
Monday,
9/8
Discovery Education (DE)
assessments; through Thursday, 9/11
Block Day schedules
Friday,
9/12
Early Release day; 12:40
pm
Monday,
9/15
6th Grade Camp
Session 1; through Wednesday, 9/17
Wednesday,
9/17
6th Grade Camp
Session 2; through Friday, 9/19
Wednesday,
9/24
Fundraiser Kickoff
assemblies; Periods 1, 2, 3
Friday,
9/26
Fundraiser Postcard turn
in; during Lunch periods
Thursday,
10/2
Fundraiser Turn In day 1;
during Lunch periods
7th Grade
Party; 3:10 – 4:10 pm
Friday,
10/3
Ram Award Pizza day; during
Lunch periods
CORRECTION/ADDITION(S)
NEW ITEMS
School Pictures
Picture
packets should be distributed to your children today to bring home for your
information. Picture day is scheduled
for Wednesday, August 27. If you wish to
order a picture packet, there are two choices:
·
Have your child return the completed picture form back to school, with
payment, on August 27. When their class
or group is called to the Gym, they can give this directly to the
photographers.
All
students, regardless of whether you wish to purchase a packet or not, should be
photographed on August 27 for two reasons: yearbook and updated our student
database system. For those students who
are absent on August 27, or have problems with their photo from that day, a
Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8.
6th Grade Camp Information
Information about 6th grade camp will be sent home this evening
(Friday). Paperwork can be turned in to your
child's 8th period teacher anytime, but no later than August 29.
Additional camp information and copies of what is sent home today can
also be found on the middle school website at:
http://www.ladue.k12.mo.us/lms/ExtraStuff/6thGradeCamp.html
Meet The Teacher Night
Meet The Teacher Night is Wednesday, August 20, from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Student schedules will be going home on Tuesday.
Please bring this schedule with you on Wednesday evening
as you will be following your child's schedule during the program. More
information about the evening can be found at:
http://www.ladue.k12.mo.us/lms/pdfs/MeetTheTeacherNightFlyer2014.pdf
Due to limited parking on our campus, a
shuttle bus will be available and will be running between Ladue Chapel (9450
Clayton Road) and LMS from 6 – 9 pm.
Spring Break Opportunity
Visit
Costa Rica during Spring Break! There will be an informational meeting for 8th
grade Spanish students and parents interested in going to Costa Rica during
Spring Break on Thursday,
August 28 at 6pm in the
library. This information is the same that was given during the informational
meeting last year. Parents are invited to accompany their children, but it is
not required. The deadline for signing up is November 1. If you have any questions or cannot attend, please
email Sarah Schwartz (8th grade AP) at saschwartz@ladueschools.net or call 983-5529.
8th Grade
Sports
Is your 8th grader
interested in running cross country (co-ed) or playing volleyball (girls) this
fall? 8th grade sports are starting soon. Next week, students will have the
opportunity to sign up for fall sports during lunch. The sports program is a
free, no cut, all play program the focuses on positive sportsmanship and
character development. Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3:10-4:10.
There is a late bus available after practice. The first practice is Tuesday, September 2.
In order to participate, students must turn in required forms and have a
physical on file dated on or after February 1. The forms can be found here: http://teachersites.ladue.k12.mo.us/lms/jtheodosiou/8th_Grade_Sports/Welcome.html Paper copies are available in the office.
Forms can be turned in to the office or Coach Theodosiou. If you have
questions, please email Sarah Schwartz (saschwartz@ladueschools.net) or Coach Theodosiou (jtheodosiou@ladueschools.net).
UPDATED ITEMS
Fall Parent
Conferences
Parent Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, October 22 (3:50
to 7:30 pm) and Thursday, October 23 (1:20 to 6:40 pm).
Sign ups are now available online at:
http://www.myconferencetime.com/laduems
You may also the website by going to the LMS webpage using the
following link:
Prior to completing your sign up, please carefully review the
instructions that are provided. Do not
delay in signing up as appointment slots fill up very quickly.
REPEAT ITEMS
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Student Handbooks
As
previously communicated, teachers will review the Student Handbook with
students during the first days of school.
Please pay particular attention to the sections on Dress Code and Electronic
Devices. Hard copies of our Student
Handbook should be coming home with your kids no later than next Friday, August
22.
Electronic Devices
After
sending out previous information regarding our expectations and practices
regarding student possession and use of electronic devices, a parent inquiry
made up think about e-readers (Kindles and Nooks). The consensus of the staff and administration
is that student possession and use of e-readers is acceptable during the school
day (using the same parameters for use of traditional books). For those e-reader devices that have game
capability, it is stressed that they only be used for reading purposes during
approved class time.
Students
who wish to carry e-readers with them during the day should keep them in their
possession at all times. Please
understand that student possession of a personal electronic device at school is
at the parent’s discretion. The school
cannot be liable for damage or loss during personal use, improper/unapproved
use, or use by another student.
Lockers/Decorations
Historically, we have allowed students to decorate the outside
of their lockers. This year, we are
asking that the outside of lockers remain free of pictures, decorations,
stickers, etc. This will include
decorations placed on lockers by other students to celebrate birthdays. We are working on an alternative to allow
students to help their friends celebrate, possibly using notecards which can be
deposited into the locker interiors through vents in the locker door. Our goal is to keep lockers and hallways
clean and clutter-free, and we thank you for your cooperation on this.
Technology
Forms
Parent/Guardian Technology Agreement and Student User Agreement
forms will need to be completed by all 6th grade parents and students. These forms will be included in 7th
and 8th grade packets and will need to be completed if they do not
currently have one on file. Please
return these forms by Monday, August 18.
Contact Information
It is important for the
middle school to have the correct contact information, address, and phone
numbers for your child in case of an emergency. Address
changes must be done by contacting our registrar and providing appropriate
documentation. Please take a few minutes to make sure your
child’s contact information is correct by logging on to the Parent
Portal. If you have not signed up to access the Parent Portal,
please stop by the middle school with a picture ID and see our registrar, Ms.
Breidenbach. You can also update your information by contacting our
registrar, Ms. Breidenbach at 983-5511.
Phone
Routing System
We will be implementing a phone routing system here soon. Although it is great to be answered by a real
person, this comes as a result of the numerous calls we receive on our main
line during a normal school day. We have
worked to keep the number of options down to a minimum, to better meet your
needs and respect your time. Once
implemented, calls to the 993-3900 number will offer the following options:
·
Clinic
·
Attendance
·
Assistant Principals’ Office
·
Counselors
·
Registrar
·
All Others
If the extension you are attempting to reach is busy, my
understanding is that your call will be re-routed to our main Reception
desk. Should this line be busy, it will
go directly to our Receptionist’s voicemail.
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 and your families have a great weekend.
Best,
Greg
