April 29, 2016

TJs Tidbits

Greetings LMS Families,

I hope everyone had a restful weekend. I could not wait to share how AMAZING our “I am LMS Day” was on Friday! Our students and staff spent the day celebrating differences and learning how every one of us can make LMS a more inclusive place.

We were fortunate to have Miss Missouri deliver a very powerful speech about the struggles she had as a student with being different from everyone else and how she triumphed by being her true self and becoming comfortable in her own skin. She also spoke about the importance of being kind to others because we never know what someone is going through inside.

Our Variety Show was quite entertaining and provided a glimpse of the exceptional talent that we have at LMS. Acts included: singing, Tae Kwon Do, Indian and Modern Dance, instrumental performances, and much more.

While in class meeting groups, students created “I am From” poems, watched videos and had discussion about stereotypes, and ate lunch with students from other grade levels.

It was truly a powerful day for us all and I enjoyed every minute of it. For me, the highlight was observing the Diversity Student Leaders teach their peers and the staff a lesson on micro-aggressions. This group of 50 leaders have made personal commitments to educating others on diversity, equity, and inclusion and modeling behaviors that promote acceptance for all. They participated in several training experiences to prepare for the day and created powerpoint presentations for their peers that were wonderful!  I could not be more proud of them. I was literally holding back the tears when I discovered how seriously they took this task.

Please take a minute to ask your student about his/her experience on Friday. We hope everyone enjoyed the day and left school inspired. Please also take a peek at some of the pics from the day that are attached to the Parent Link email.

Thank you to the LMS Diversity Cadre for planning this day and special appreciation to Roger Scherck, Beth Heuermann, Janey Worthington, Mary LoBosco, Paul Turney, Melshonda Lowe-Dobbins, Leah Alrutz, Rachel Perkowski, and Sarah Schwartz for the special contributions that they made towards the day.

NEW INFORMATION

FILL THE BARREL FUNDRAISER

Just a reminder that our district wide Fill the Barrel event is starting soon! It will go from Monday, 3/5 through Thursday, 3/15.  Barrels are currently at our building and Operation Food Search is collecting the food regularly. A flyer describing acceptable food donations is attached to the Parent Link email that was sent. Character Council will be sponsoring this fundraiser.

STUDENT RECOGNITION

SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERS

Ladue Middle School students, Eileen Suarez and Abby Soldwish-Zoole, were the first and second place winners of the art contest for 2018 Educating for Change Conference put on by the St Louis Educators for Social Justice held Sat, Feb 24. Eileen gave a Speech about her art piece that brought a standing ovation from the audience of over 300 people! Her words were inspiring and solidified why “I am LMS” Day is so important.

CONGRATULATIONS MAX YANG!

Max Yang (7th) has qualified to compete in the state level competition of the National Geographic Bee.  The Missouri State Bee will be held on Friday, April 6, 2018.  This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 30th year. School Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion. School champions then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete in the State Bees.

SCIENCE BOWL HONORS

Congratulations to the LMS Science Bowl teams.  All three teams did very well at their competition at Washington University.  The "A" team took second place overall in a nail bitter final round. It was the most exciting final round we have witnessed ever and congratulations go out to the all the Science Bowl participants: Aditya Kondepudi, Samuel Chen, Anthony Wang, Max Yang, Yuvan Chali,

Arya Bhushan, Will Bender, Allen You, Richie Jiang, Nicole Li, Abheek Dhawan, Aditya Jain,

Aric Wang, Rohan Suri, Kevin Tang.

MATHCOUNTS WINNERS  

160 of the best middle-school math students in the state competed at Saturday’s 2018 State MathCounts competition in Columbia. Ladue Middle School sent seven students to the event, all of whom finished in the top 26. That alone is remarkable. But you should also know that in the overall competition, no other school in the state cracked the Top 5, because all those positions were taken by Ladue students: 1st Place- Will Bender, 2nd Place- Anthony Wang, 3rd Place- Nicole Li, 4th Place- Sam Chen,5th Place- Iris Zhou, 16th Place- Richie Jiang, 26th Place- Aditya Kondepudi.

In the head-to-head, single-elimination Countdown Round, Ladue students placed in the following order (remember this is in competition with all other state contestants): 1st Place- Sam Chen,  2nd Place- Anthony Wang, 3rd- Will Bender, 4th- Nicole Li

Teams also competed at the state competition, and the four person Ladue team placed first.  The members of the team were: Will Bender, Sam Chen, Richie Jiang, and Nicole Li.

As the top 4 math contestants in the state, Will Bender, Anthony Wang, Nicole Li, and Sam Chen will represent the state of Missouri at the National MathCounts competition in Washington, D.C. in May.

LMS VARIETY SHOW PARTICIPANTS

We had an AMAZING Variety Show on Friday. It takes a lot of courage to get on stage and perform in front of your peers. Let's congratulate the following students who shared their many talents with us:

Lucas Von Allen, Vinnie Goebel, and Alison Nieder

Emmy Nance and Rachel Addison

Kennedy Alexander

Lily Warenberg

Kayliah Motes

Emily Yang

Tamara Munoz

Bryson Liang

Brooke McDonald

Pooja Shanmugasundaram

Chloe Mcdonnell

Erika Macguire and Sophie Guilbeau

Katie Marks and Varsha Arun

Lauren Galloway and Kourtney Player

Akshara Sriram  

Alexis Monsey

Paris Drummer  

Maddi Kelley and Rory Lustburg

Julia De la Paz

Xenyi Chen

Gil Weiss and Katie Marks

DIVERSITY STUDENT LEADERS

Congratulations to the LMS Diversity Student Leaders who presented lessons on micro-aggressions during "I am LMS" Day on Friday. We are so very proud of these students for sharing their knowledge with us. The list of leaders is below:

Graham LaBonte, Sam Arbeit, Laura Armbruster, Sam Baker, Arya Bhushan, Nyeal Biedenstein, Bram Carr, Sydney Collinger, Maya Cote, Dylan Cox, Mate Daus, Sam Deutsch, Aidan Dougan, Nyla Edwards, Saba Fajors, Tanvi Genti, Fiona Hayreh, Tyler Hofer, Sophia Hwang, Alyssa Jackson, Avi Kamath, Zahra Khan, Sam Loiterstein, Mauriah Lovejoy, Maurkel Lovejoy, Sahana Madala, Scarlette Maier, Noah Marut, Kayleigh McDonald, Charlye Mitchell, David Morgenzstern, Krista Moseley, Armony Nichols, Sydney Patterson, Arens Tyller, Ava Purcell, Esme Roberts, Josh Rosen, Kade Seabaugh, Alyson Smith, Kacy Spratt, Tony Stientjes, Carter Ta, Braylon Taylor, Nahome Tewelde, Joan Tobias, Sofia Tripp, Ryan Tung, Brennen West, Mila Winkelmann, Daniel Xu, and Danielle Zhang

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
DIVERSITY CADRE PRESENTS: GIRL RISING

On Tuesday, March 6, LMS diversity cadre will be screening the film Girl Rising from 2:30-4:30 in the cafeteria.  This documentary tells the stories of girls from different parts of the world facing obstacles to getting an education.  Their stories offer hope and inspiration. By getting an education, they're able to break barriers and create change.  Permission slips will be available from your child's social studies teachers, and attendance is limited to the first 20 students from each grade who sign up.  The screening will be followed by a discussion in small groups, and parents are welcome to attend. Here's a closer look at the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdMNwhnAOrk

SPRING CONFERENCE REMINDER

LMS Student-Led Portfolio Conferences are Wednesday, March 14 from 4pm to 8pm and and Thursday, March 15 from 1pm to 7pm. Spots are still available! Please click here to get more information and to sign up if you have not. The online signs ups close on Friday, March 9.

If you have any questions or need assistance signing up, please call Mrs. Mary LoBosco at (314) 983-5512

MATH PLACEMENT AND ACCELERATION UPDATE

Math Acceleration and Placement Information is now available on the LMS website under the curriculum tab (click here to view). A small number of LMS students may be developmentally prepared to accelerate through a grade level math course. Math acceleration is defined as being enrolled in a course that is one or more grade levels above. Math 6 Extension and Math 7 Extension are not accelerated courses and require no special testing. Students who want to enroll in math courses on the accelerated pathway must demonstrate mastery on a math skills inventory in order to qualify.  Acceleration testing dates for summer 2018 are June 5 and July 31. No other dates are available for testing, so please plan accordingly.  If you have questions regarding the information above or the math acceleration document, please contact Mrs. Sarah Schwartz, Assistant Principal and liaison to the math department, at saschwartz@ladueschools.net

Enjoy your week!

NURSE NOTES

Attention 7th grade parents. Immunization notifications will be mailed on January 23, 2018 to all students who still need the Meningitis and/or Tdap vaccine. All students entering the 8th grade are required to have a Meningitis and Tdap on file prior to the start of the school year.

Many students received these vaccines during their 6th grade year. Majority of the time parents get this notification simply because we don't have record of these shots on file. Please check with your physician to see if your student has had these immunizations. If so, simply have the office fax me a copy to (314)-983-5965. If your child still needs to have these vaccines, now is great time to get an appointment!

If you do not receive a notification letter, your child is up to date and good to go for 8th grade. Please don't hesitate to call/email me with any questions or concerns! Contact info is below:

Dani Bernholt RN, BSN

Ladue Middle School Nurse

Email: dbernholt@ladueschools.net

Nurse's Office: (314)-983-5965

Clinic Fax: (314)-983-5965

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.

BUILDING EXPECTATIONS REMINDERS

Please take a minute to review the building expectations and procedures that are listed below. It is my hope that by periodically sharing a few expectations in my Family Update, families will become aware and can work in partnership with us to establish an optimal learning environment and ensure the safety and well being of students while at school.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Did you know that there is a method to the madness for how we dismiss students at the end of the day? Please take a minute to review the Afternoon Dismissal Procedures that we will be sharing with students. It is extremely important that all students follow these procedures. Doing so allows us to get everyone (bus riders, carpool, and walkers) home safely and in a timely manner.

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.

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY CARPOOL

PLEASE NOTE: We are asking parents who pick up students from after school activities to please pull into a parking spot or pull over to the outer curb until your student comes outside at dismissal. This allows the curb nearest the school to remain open for bus arrival. We have to get five (5) late buses into our parking lot and parked. Buses are currently unable to pull into the circle drive to park because cars are stopped in the middle of the lot or parked right in front of the school. We thank you in advance for your assistance.

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.  

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.    

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. Link: Healthy Snack Guidelines and Snacks List

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

LMSPA INFO (FROM THE LMSPA NEWSLETTER

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.

It's super easy... click here!

LMSPA MEETINGS

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):

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

LEF UPDATES

INNOVATION CELEBRATION

Support STEM and other great initiatives for our schools! Did you know the LEF provides grants that benefit our school, as well as all the other schools in the district? For example, the STEM Activities Lending Library was made possible by the Ladue Education Foundation & Alumni Association’s Innovation Celebration, the spring fundraiser held at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in April 2017. The library allows teachers to augment their classroom teaching with activities, learning opportunities, and specialized equipment. The scalable activities support learning for students at every grade level, without the need for expensive building-specific equipment or extensive planning by teachers. You can support more great initiatives at INNOVATION CELEBRATION 2018!

The Ladue Education Foundation & Alumni Association (LEF) invites alumni, parents and the community to celebrate and support innovation in Ladue Schools at our annual spring gala, "Innovation Celebration" on Friday, April 13, 2018 from 6:30-11 p.m. at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center at 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO 63132

FEATURING:

              • Innovation Corridor, Highlighting Student Innovation

              • Entertainment by Los Hacienda Boys

              • Cocktails and Dinner by Butler's Pantry

              • Live Auction and Raffle

EMCEE: Jasmine Huda, Ladue School District alumna and KTVI anchor and reporter

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jonathan Losos, Ladue School District alumnus, Washington University biologist, author and leader of the new Living Earth Collaborative in St. Louis

TICKETS available at www.laduefoundation.org

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES available by contacting lef@ladueschools.net

BOARD BRIEFS  

Information regarding Ladue Board of Education meetings and work sessions can be found at http://boardbriefs.blogspot.com

CALENDAR ITEMS- (New Events in Red)

3/6  Diversity Cadre- Girl Rising Screening  (2:00-4:10 p.m.)

3/6 Beauty & Bias Field Trip

3/8-3/9 7th Grade Memphis Trip

3/12 Expanding Horizons in Math & Science

3/13 National French Test

3/14-3/15 Parent/Teacher Conferences

3/15 Early Release Day (12:40pm)

3/16-3/25 SPRING BREAK

4/2 SRI Testing ELA Classes

4/4 Fearless Focus Event 6-8p.m. For Ahkeem Screening

4/13 LEF Innovation Celebration - Danforth Plant Center

4/18 Choir Concert 7:00 p.m. LPAC

That’s all for now. Take Care!

Dr. T-J

Principal, Ladue Middle School