February 6, 2015

By Anonymous -

Good afternoon.  I hope your week has gone well.

My apologies for the traffic tie up this morning.  Members of the National Junior Honor Society requested permission to collect spare change from parents in morning car pool to support their Pennies for Patients fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I thought this was a wonderful idea.  Our students are so great about supporting worthy causes and initiating service activities.  My problem was approving this for today, when we had a larger number of cars than normal for a Ski Trip Friday.  I have made a “note to self” to keep this in mind for the future.

CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS

Best wishes and safe travels to the members of the LMS Science Olympiad team and coaches as they travel to Illinois this afternoon to compete in the Grayslake Invitational on Saturday.

Thank you, once again, to our outstanding Counselors (Beth Mothersbaugh, Janey Worthington and Roger Scherck).  We celebrated School Counselor Week this morning during our weekly Principal-Counselor meeting.

CALENDAR ITEMS


Monday, 2/9
Hoops For Heart (PE)
Tuesday, 2/10
LMSPA meeting; 1 – 3 pm
6th Grade Party; 3:10 pm
Wednesday, 2/11
NAEP Testing; selected 8th grade students; Library & 105
Thursday, 2/12
I AM LMS Day
Friday, 2/13
District Professional Development day (No School for students)
Saturday, 2/14
VALENTINE’S DAY

Monday, 2/16
No School; Presidents Day
Friday, 2/20
Hidden Valley Ski Trip

Friday, 2/27
Hidden Valley Ski Trip (makeup date)

Thursday, 3/5
End of After School Activities for Quarter 3 (3/10 Activities at the option of sponsors)
Friday, 3/6
Early Release Day; 12:40 pm

CORRECTIONS/ADDITIONS

NEW ITEMS

LMSPA Nominations For 2015-2016
The Parent Association is beginning to plan for 2015-16.  If you would like to nominate yourself or another person for a position on the LMSPA Executive Board, please print out and complete a nomination form and return it to the LMS Welcome Center by Friday, March 6th.  Paper copies are also available in the LMS Welcome Center.  Board position descriptions are also included on the Nomination Form, which can be accessed through the LMSPA website at
http://mylmspa.com/online-forms/

Pennies for Patients
National Junior Honor Society is participating in Pennies for Patients, a nationwide fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This fundraiser is in memory of Michael Reifsteck, former NJHS President who died of leukemia in June 2012. Our goal is to raise $2,000. 
On Friday, students will receive penny boxes to take home. We are encouraging students to place the box in a central location of the house and have family members place their spare change in the box over the next two weeks. The boxes will be returned to school on Friday, February 20th. 
On Monday-Wednesday (February 9-11) movies will be shown during each grade level lunch. For a suggested donation of $5 students can view the movie and receive soda and chips. Tickets are sold in the main lobby before school. 
Sixth grade -  “Frozen” in Mrs. Reber's room. 
Seventh grade – “Finding Nemo” in Mrs. Crabtree's room.
Eighth grade – “Princess Bride” in Mrs. Lambie's room. 

National Junior Honor Society Application Workshop
Applications were mailed at the end of January to any 7th or 8th grader with a 3.8 cumulative GPA or above and six or more O's in first semester. For any 7th or 8th grader that received a NJHS application and would like to apply, there is an optional workshop during 7th and 8th grade lunch on Wednesday, February 11th. 8th graders will meet in Mrs. Lambie's room (133) and 7th graders will meet in Mrs. Crabtree's room (220).  We will explain how the applications are scored and answer any questions about the application. This workshop is for students only. 

LMSPA/California Pizza Kitchen
LMSPA is holding a “California Pizza Kitchen Dine to Donate Week Long Event.”
From Monday, February 9 through Monday, February 16 treat yourself to a meal out and contribute to the LMSPA at the same time.  Simply bring in the LMSPA flyer, present it to your server, and California Pizza Kitchen in Creve Coeur will donate 20% of your check to the LMSPA.   Qualifying purchases include dine-in, take-out, catering or beverages.  A PDF of the flyer is attached to the LMS Principal Update email sent through Blackboard Connect.  Please share with your friends and family!  The LMSPA uses all funds raised to support the education and community of LMS students, staff, parents/guardians. Thank you and ENJOY!

UPDATED ITEMS

REPEAT ITEMS

Registration/Scheduling for next year
I currently have six staff members who anticipate retiring at the end of this school year.  There are typically changes in staffing that come unexpectedly, due to family situations and transfers.  With that being taken into account, I would like to shift emphasis from teacher or team requests for next year to more specific information about your child’s preferred learning styles, etc. on the registration form (not on additional notes or in emails). 
We will work with our Human Resources department soon to address our staffing for next year, but at this moment, I cannot in good faith guarantee teachers and team configurations at this time.

Girl Scout Community Take Action Projects
     One of our students has started a middle school kids book blog as part of her Silver Award project.  Book reviews will be posted each week, along with information about new books by favorite authors, author visits to the St. Louis area, and guest posts from other middle school kids.  There is a place on the blog to subscribe to updates by email.  Here's the link to the blog:
http://www.thereadingramsbookblog.blogspot.com/
     A second Take Action project is entitled “Kids Knitting It Forward.”  This project involves knitting items like baby socks, hats, and scarves for charities such as Newborns in Need of Eastern Missouri and HavenHouse St. Louis. Knitters of any age and skill level are welcome.  More information can be found at kidsknittingitforward@gmail.com and meeting dates/times can be accessed at http://kidsknittingitforward.blogspot.com/
Current 7th grade students/Immunizations for next year
Students entering 8th grade in the state of Missouri are required to receive the TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) immunization.  This is usually given by a doctor at age 11 or 12.  If your child has not received this immunization, please consult your physician.  If you have records showing that your child has received it, please provide them to the nurse's office.

MAP testing dates (these should be pretty firm)
6th Grade: April 27
7th Grade: April 30
8th Grade: April 22, 23, and 24

Guest Speaker/LHWHSPA
Join us in the Black Box Theater on February 9 from 7 - 8:30 pm.  The LHWHS Parent's Association will host an evening with Laura Huff, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Director, Eating Disorders Program, at the St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute.  She will present "Updates on Eating Disorders:  What we know about causes and treatment.  How to raise resilient teens who have a healthy relationship with food and their body.”   All parents are welcome since this is a topic that touches the lives of many:  male, female, and even the student athlete.  Invite a friend and join us.  Questions:  Elizabeth Cobin, cobin@att.net

8th Grade Video
An 8th grade video will be shown at the Semi-Formal on May 1 and at the Farewell Assembly on May 22.  The parents making it (Amy Walker, Amy Hobbs, Ben Schilders) need photos from elementary and middle school.  They may be uploaded to the site below, emailed to the address below or hard copies may be labeled and sent to Mrs. Worthington in the LMS Welcome Center.
To access the gallery and upload photos:
http://dropevent.com/gallery/lmsphotos
Please put your child’s name as the caption after upload.
To email photos:
lmsphotos@dropevent.com
Please put your child’s name in the subject line of the email.

Yearbooks On Sale 
Yearbooks are on sale now. 
Orders can be placed by going to www.yearbookordercenter.com
and entering #8647 to order (or there is a link under the Activities tab on the LMS webpage).  Phone orders can also be made by calling 1-866-287-3096.  Please email any questions to Sharrie Cognac, one of our yearbook sponsors.  She can be contacted at scognac@ladueschools.net

LMSPA eBlasts
If you are not currently receiving LMSPA email news blasts but would like to, please click on the following link to subscribe:
http://mylmspa.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8186aab01aeae3b063b04d395&id=3b63071451

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 get a chance to enjoy the warmer weather this weekend.

Take care,


Greg

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