TJs Tidbits
Greetings LMS Families,
It's hard to believe that we are approaching the holiday season. November is a special time at LMS. It's when we get to do a great act of service by collecting cans for families in need and it's also when we have our annual Turkey Trot race. Both of these events are a huge part of who we are and have been traditions for MANY years. Please consider supporting and encouraging your student to participate in both.
NEW INFORMATION
PARENT ENGAGEMENT MEETING NOVEMBER 13
The LMS Administrative Team is sponsoring a new series of Parent Engagement Meetings. The goal of these meetings is to educate families on school initiatives, programming/curriculum changes, as well as provide opportunities for dialogue and sharing of feedback that our LMS Team can use to inform our practice and get better. The first meeting will be held on Monday, November 13 at 6:00 p.m. and will last for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. The topic will be "Cultivating the Home/School Partnership." We hope to see you there.
LMSPA MEETING THIS WEEK
The LMSPA is meeting is this Wednesday, November 15, 2017 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at LMS (room TBD). We hope you can join us!
LMS CANNED FOOD DRIVE
The LMS Canned Food Drive starts on Monday, November 13 and will run through Tuesday, November 21. Our school is the single largest donor to Gateway 180, one of the largest homeless shelter/food pantries in the area. There are a variety of incentives, including T-Shirts for the winning class at each grade. In addition, every student who brings in 100 cans or more will be entered into a drawing to smash a whipped cream pie into the face of a teacher or administrator. Our school goal is 20, 000 cans or the cash equivalent. Please support us as we give to those who are in need.
LMS TURKEY TROT
November 21st will be the 20th annual running of the Ladue Middle School Turkey Trot. Students will run a one mile race with their grade level peers. The top 10 students who identify male and top 10 students who identify female in each grade level will win a commemorative Turkey Trot shirt and the winning male and female at each grade level will take home a special trophy. Families are encouraged to come and run with your student or watch and cheer on all the runners.
Race times for the trot are:
7th Grade: 8:44-9:22
8th Grade: 11:35-12:13
6th Grade: 1:54-2:32
CANCELLATION OF AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ON 11/21
We will cancel ALL activities and detention on 11/21 to allow students and staff to get an early start on their Thanksgiving Break. Please plan accordingly.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
DISTRICT APPROVED SNACK LIST
Below is a link to the Board approved Healthy Snack Guidelines and Snack List for the 2017-18 school year. It is also posted on the district's website. All things that are served to students during the school day prior to 4:30 p.m. must follow these guidelines effective immediately. This includes parties/social events and recognition ceremonies.
INFINITE CAMPUS MOBILE APP-We are excited about how the mobile app puts the power of Infinite Campus into the palm of your hands! Many things that you need as a partner with us in your student's education are available there (grades, missing assignments, etc.). Please use the mobile app to keep tabs on your student throughout the year. To assure the mobile app is fast and responsive, not all data from the portal is pushed to your phone. Some items can only be seen through the full parent portal on a Web browser. An example is a comment a teacher may make on a score your student receives. These comments must be viewed through the Web browser portal and are not visible in the mobile app.
SCHNUCKS BAGS FOR MY CAUSE-From now until the end of the month, every $2.99 reusable Schnucks Giving Bag sold at the Schnucks store location(s):8867 Ladue Rd., St. Louis MO will generate a $1.00 donation during the month of November to support Ladue Middle School! The Schnucks Giving bags with the message “Giving is in the Bag”can be found on the dedicated reusable bag rack. Please pass this exciting news on to your friends and family. The more people who learn about the program and purchase the Schnucks Giving bag during the month of November the more money we will raise! Questions?? Please visit the Schnucks - Bags 4 My Cause program website at schnucks.bags4mycause.com If everyone (staff and families) purchase just ONE bag, we will receive a donation of close to $1200.00. Thank you so much for your continued support of LMS!
EARLY PICK UPS
We are having an inordinate amount of early pick ups during the last period of the day, particularly the last 10 minutes of school. If at all possible, we ask families to allow students to finish out the school day in class. If a student has an appointment that is unavoidable, please make every effort to email or call the front office (Danna Anderson-983-5513 or danderson@ladueschools.net) ahead of time. Calling into our classrooms multiple times a day especially in the afternoon interrupts instructional time. If you call ahead, the front office will get a slip to your student to leave class and head to the Welcome Center at the specified time. We realize that emergencies do arise, however if you know ahead of time that you need to pick up your child, this small request makes a huge difference for the teachers and students that are in class. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and understanding that our uninterrupted learning time is very valuable.
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY PICK UP
For safety reasons, if picking up your student from an after school activity prior to the 4:15 bell, please stop by the Welcome Center so that he/she can be checked out of the building. Once you notify the office that you are here to pick up your student, the Activity Coordinator will have the student sent down ASAP. We appreciate your assistance with this as it helps us tremendously with attendance monitoring and reporting.
SEVENTH GRADE MEMPHIS TRIP
The dates for the Memphis trip are March 8-9 and the cost per family is $210.00. More information will be shared later. If you are interested in serving as a chaperone, please contact Mr. Brian Beracha at bberacha@ladueschools.net. PLEASE NOTE: Parents who chaperone will have to pay the fees to attend the trip. Parents may also have to get a background check per district guidelines.
The dates for the Memphis trip are March 8-9 and the cost per family is $210.00. More information will be shared later. If you are interested in serving as a chaperone, please contact Mr. Brian Beracha at bberacha@ladueschools.net. PLEASE NOTE: Parents who chaperone will have to pay the fees to attend the trip. Parents may also have to get a background check per district guidelines.
BOARD BRIEFS
BUILDING EXPECTATIONS REMINDERS
BEFORE SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS
For safety reasons, when students arrive to school at 7:30 in the morning, we ask that they enter the building at 7:30 and remain in the lobby until dismissed to their grade level assigned area at 7:50 (Cafe-6th, Boys' side of the gym-7th, girls' side of the gym-8th). Students should NOT go to their lockers or other areas of the building unless prearranged with a staff member. While in their assigned grade level area, students should sit and remain seated until the supervisor dismisses them to class.
AFTERNOON DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
BREAKFAST PROCEDURES
We are fortunate to serve breakfast in the mornings for LMS students. Students wanting to purchase breakfast should report to the cafeteria immediately upon arrival to school (do not go to lockers or class first). If arriving before 8:02, regular breakfast will be provided. Students arriving after 8:02, will be served “grab and go” items. Breakfast is not considered “social time.” Students participating in the breakfast program are expected to eat as quickly as possible and head to class.
ELECTRONICS AT SCHOOL
Please remind your student that electronics, including cell phones, headphones/earbuds, speakers, etc. should remain out of sight for the duration of the school day from 8:10-3:10. This includes lunch. If these items are seen, they will be confiscated as noted in our LMS Student Handbook. We strongly encourage families not to send personal technology devices to school unless requested by the classroom teacher for educational purposes. Note: If there is an urgent message that your child needs to have, please contact the office and we will get the message delivered as soon as possible. Thank you for your help with this matter.
Please remind your student that electronics, including cell phones, headphones/earbuds, speakers, etc. should remain out of sight for the duration of the school day from 8:10-3:10. This includes lunch. If these items are seen, they will be confiscated as noted in our LMS Student Handbook. We strongly encourage families not to send personal technology devices to school unless requested by the classroom teacher for educational purposes. Note: If there is an urgent message that your child needs to have, please contact the office and we will get the message delivered as soon as possible. Thank you for your help with this matter.
FRONT CIRCLE PARKING AND CROSSWALK
Over the summer, we made some changes to our front circle. The changes were made to provide better access to our building for individuals with disabilities and to help alleviate the congestion in the morning especially on Conway Road. This will only work if families park and walk in. For the safety of our students and families, we ask that families no longer pull over to let students out of the car in the morning or afternoon or pull into a parking spot to let them out. The only time the crosswalk should be used in the morning is if a parent needs to come into the building with their student(s). Thank you for helping keep our community safe.
USE OF HIGH DOWNS LANE AND THE BANK PARKING LOT
We have been asked to remind families not to drive around the Admin Center and go in or out of High Downs Lane (the lane on the east side of the MS) during morning drop off or afternoon pick up. This is very dangerous and can lead to accidents and collisions with residents and employees who work at the Admin Center. We also have students walkers and athletes utilizing that area. Along the same lines, please do not park at the bank and let your student out on Conway Road. We understand the challenges that come as a result of the morning and afternoon rush. Again, your student’s safety, along with the other 1000 students in attendance, is our number-one priority. We appreciate your assistance in reinforcing this critical message.
MORNING DROP OFF/AFTERNOON PICK UP
For safety reasons, students should not be dropped off prior to 7:30 a.m. We do not have any adult supervision prior to 7:30 and our building is locked. Students who arrive prior to this time will have to remain outside. Parents/guardians of students consistently on campus in the mornings without supervision will be contacted by administration.
At the end of the school day (3:10), students should either ride the bus home, walk, get picked up, or participate in the TAS (Teens After School) Program. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, after school supervision is unavailable after 3:30 unless special arrangements have been made with a staff member to supervise in their classroom. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, after school activities are provided from 3:10-4:10. Students who stay after for activities should be picked up at 4:10, no later than 4:30. As in the morning, parents/guardians of students consistently on campus in the afternoons without supervision will be contacted by administration and may also be taken to TAS and charged a fee.
In previous years, we have been able to be a little more flexible with this. Unfortunately, we are unable to do so this year due to staffing. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS CHANGE as we would want to avoid having students sitting outside in extreme hot and cold weather conditions.
TRAFFIC REMINDERS
The following is a reminder to some, and new information for others, regarding our morning and afternoon traffic patterns and drop off/pick up procedures.
Our school day for 2017-2018 will be 8:10 am to 3:10 pm.
If you plan to transport your child to school by car in the morning:
- Please be aware that students cannot enter our building until 7:30 am when someone on duty to monitor the front doors and lobby.
- Students may be dropped off at the front of the building prior to bus arrival (they typically begin appearing around 7:45 am). Please follow the designated traffic flow arrows as you enter our campus from either Conway or Clayton roads.
- There will be staff members at locations 1, 2 and 3 to help with traffic flow and supervision. Please follow their directions.
- After buses begin arriving, car traffic will be routed to the rear of the building. The person at location 2 will notify drivers.
- Please proceed down the right-hand drive all the way to the Maintenance Building (end of fencing), then circle back to the rear of the building through the parking lot, staying to the right. Students will be dropped off at the designed area (ONLY along the sidewalk) and enter the building through the east back door to the Gym.
- Cars will then exit the campus using the lower drive (two-way traffic) onto Clayton Road. Please, please, (and please) turn right onto Clayton Road. A left-hand turn onto Clayton, at this time of morning, is potentially dangerous and causes a backup for cars attempting to exit our campus.
If you plan to pick up your child from school by car in the afternoon:
- Please be aware that buses begin lining up in our front Circle Drive around 2:45 pm. Cars parked in the Circle Drive have the very good chance of getting blocked in as more buses arrive. If you have the need to pick up your child before dismissal, I would highly suggest parking in one of the marked parking spaces in the lower drive.
- Cars will be directed to the back of our building to form a “carpool line” as indicated in the second photo. NOTICE: This year the carpool line will begin lining up backwards to previous years. Please drive all the way down the right drive to the Maintenance Building. If there are students on the parking lot (fenced in area), please wait at the gated entrance until students leave. Then, pull into the lot on the LEFT side and begin a line at the recycling bins (along the fence INSIDE the parking lot). When the line reaches the gate at the back, begin a new line just to the right of the existing line. This should keep the lower drive from backing up and blocking cars wanting to leave. A staff person will be located at area A to assist with this.
- At dismissal, students who rides buses will be dismissed first, while students who are picked up by car and those that walk will be held in the lobby (until about 3:20 pm).
- Please do not instruct your child to leave the lobby with bus riders and walk through our lots to meet you at your car. This is potentially dangerous as students do not always watch for traffic. It also puts the child in an awkward position as he/she is not following school rules and can be assigned a consequence for not doing so. If you need to pick your child up before buses leave, please notify your student’s grade level administrator and meet your child at the front of the building so that he/she is accompanied while walking through our parking lot. Students are NOT to exit through the doors near the Gym or in the 6th and 8th grade halls.
- Buses are typically loaded within 10 minutes of the 3:10 pm dismissal. Once buses are released, then the staff member at location A will signal cars to approach the front of the building. Students waiting in the lobby will then be released to be picked up by car. Most students are gone by 3:30 pm.
If your student will ride a bus to and from school:
- Please make sure your student knows his/her assigned bus number.
- Bus riders will have a maximum of 10 minutes after the 3:10 pm dismissal to gather their belongings and exit the front of the building.
- Students must check the “bus board” located near the Circle Drive at the end of the sidewalk leading from the Main Lobby doors to determine the location of their assigned bus.
- Students should board the bus quickly, rather than loiter in the front of the building.
Bus passes:
A temporary bus pass may be used for a student to ride home on a different bus. Passes are available on the district website and the Welcome Center and must be completed and approved BEFORE the date of use. Drivers should be given a copy of the completed and approved bus pass as the student boards the bus.
Thanks for your patience with all of this. It is much easier to verbalize than to communicate in writing. Everyone typically gets the hang of this within the first fews days of school. Our goal is to get students delivered and picked up safely, while also trying to keep traffic flow moving.
STUDENTS/PARENTS CUTTING THROUGH PICARDY LANE
When school is in session a number of cars have been cutting through Picardy Lane (northeast corner of Conway/Warson) causing traffic to back up at this intersection. We are asking families for assistance as a courtesy to the residents in this neighborhood. Please do not use Picardy Lane as a cut through to get to the school in the mornings. We have been advised that there will be police presence in that neighborhood to deter those who use it as a means of avoiding the intersection at Warson and Conway Roads.
SPECIAL TREATS FROM CHARTWELLS
Our building policy does not allow consumption of food by others for safety reasons and to promote healthy living. Chartwells Food Service is offering treats for purchase to families that want to do something special for a birthday or other milestone. We appreciate Chartwells for providing alternative options to families that want to have celebrations at school during lunch shifts. Check out the flyer that is attached to this update.
LMSPA INFO (FROM THE LMSPA NEWSLETTER)
LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES
Please come join us in the LMS library on 11/14 from noon until 1:00 p.m. to hear from a representative of the St Louis County Prosecutor's Office. Our speaker will share information regarding legalities of our children using social media. Legal issues discussed will relate to cyberbullying, privacy, etc. What about a parent's responsibility when someone in their home uses their IP address inappropriately? What, if any, legal implications are related to allowing children to sign up for certain apps before they have reached the minimum age, i.e. Snapchat and age 13? The prosecutor's office will cover social medial safety and legal implications of various actions. Remember that you may bring a nut-free lunch to eat during the presentation.
LMSPA DUES
The LMSPA relies on your support to fund teacher grants, field trips, student parties, equipment and supplies, and much more! If you haven't paid your dues yet, you can drop off a check in the front office or pay online. Just click the link below and select LMSPA from the pull-down menu.
The LMSPA will have both day and evening meetings to accommodate varying schedules -- all are encouraged to attend! Meetings will be held on the following dates at LMS (room TBD):
Wed. November 15, 2017 from 7-8 p.m.
Tues. December 12, 2017 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Wed. January 10, 2018 from 7-8 p.m.
Tues. February 13, 2018 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Tues. March 13, 2018 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Wed. April 11, 2018 from 7-8 p.m.
Tues. May 8, 2018 from 12-2 p.m.
You can subscribe to email blasts from the Ladue Middle School Parent Association at http://www.mylmspa.com/eblast-newsletter/
The LMSPA can also be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LadueMiddleSchoolParentAssociation/ and on Twitter @mylmspa
CALENDAR ITEMS
11/13-11/20 Canned Food Drive
11/13 Pegasus Field Trip
11/13 LMS Parent Engagement Meeting 6:00 p.m.
11/14 ELL Pie Night
11/15 LMSPA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
11/16 Orion Field Trip
11/16 German Field Trip
11/16 M&M Club
11/20 7th Grade Field Trip World Religions
11/20 Phoenix Field Trip
11/21 Turkey Trot
11/22 - 24 Thanksgiving Break
12/4 - 5 NWEA Testing (Math)
12/6 6th Grade Orchestra Concert 7:00 p.m.
12/7 All Grades Band Concert 7:00 p.m.
12/8 ER Day 12:40 Dismissal
12/11-12/12 NWEA Testing (ELA)
12/21 ER Day 12:40 Dismissal/ End of 1st Semester
That’s all for now. Take Care!
Dr. T-J
Principal, Ladue Middle School
