April 29, 2016

TJs Tidbits

Greetings LMS Families, 

I hope everyone is doing well and was able to get out today. Being cooped up in the house for two straight days started off fun, but eventually got to be a bit much. There are only so many things to do with a seven year old who is SUPER BUSY. I was able to refine my NERF basketball, Pop the Pig, and Uno skills, so it was worth it in the end I guess (smile). My hubby celebrated his 50th bday today. We had to cancel his party on Saturday, but were able to celebrate as a family today, which was an added bonus. 

Friday was quite the adventure. Our team had to make very quick plans for the school day when we learned that we would be dismissing early. Fortunately, the day ran smoothly. Students and staff made it to school safely. We followed an Early Release schedule with a few extra minutes added to seventh period. The choir field trip continued as planned and everyone made it home. Thank you for your flexibility and patience. 

On Thursday, Mr. Biernbaum and I wavered back and forth about calling off the Ski Trip. Looks like we made the right decision. You can imagine the angst of not getting that one right. I was certainly dreading having to face over 400 middle schoolers had we not had inclement weather. There is no way I would have shown my face on Monday. We canceled, but the good news is Mr. Biernbaum had already planned a make up day in March. 

I'm a little sad that our Science Olympiad Team was unable to compete this weekend. They were headed to Columbia on Saturday and had to call off their trip. I can imagine how frustrating it was to not be able to show off all of that knowledge and preparation. We're not at all worried though because our team is fierce. We will come back strong. Good luck Team LMS! 

Dad's Club Trivia Night was also canceled this weekend, which was a bummer. Our Middle School Team won last year. We were geared up and ready for a repeat victory.  

I've shared just a few things that had to be canceled this weekend. I am certain there are many more events and activities both school related and personal that families had to put on hold and will need to be rescheduled in the upcoming weeks due to the weather. One thing we all know is there's no messing with Mother Nature. When she calls, she calls. I don't know about you, but I choose safety over anything. So glad that we are safe and sound and able to get back at it tomorrow. 

Have a blessed week! 

NEW INFORMATION

NAME CORRECTION

Last week I misspelled Abby Heintz's (6th Grade) name. Abby was recognized by Flocabulary for the rap that she created and was featured on a Shout Out Week in Rap segment which aired on 1/11. My apologies for this error.

REGISTRATION NIGHT & ELECTIVE FAIR

Please join us on Wednesday, January 30 for our Registration Night and Elective Fair. There will be a middle school overview program for incoming 6th grade parents with a concurrent Elective Fair for 7th and 8th grade parents. The incoming 6th grade parents will have the opportunity to visit the Elective Fair after the program. The evening begins at 6:00 pm and more details are available in the flyer that was attached to the Parent Link.

NATIONAL SCHOOL OF CHARACTER VISIT

LMS' five-year designation as a National School of Character expires at the end of this school year.  In December, we applied to be a Missouri School of Character, the first step toward national recognition. We will hear back on that application later this winter.

As part of this process, LMS will be visited by representatives from CharacterPlus this Wednesday, January 16th, from 8:30-10:00 a.m.  We are asking all students and staff to show spirit by wearing something Ladue that day - blue and white or some LMS shirt (camp, team, Ski Club, etc.  

Students, parents, and staff members will meet with the visitors on that day to talk about our school and the many ways that we promote excellent citizenship and positive qualities of character.  We hope to be selected as a state school of character, but in any case the process allows us to review what we do to help students grow in academics and ethics.

NJHS FUNDRAISER

The LMS National Junior Honor Society is excited to be raising money for the needs of students at the Nahed Chapman New American Academy, a school right here in St. Louis that helps children who are refugees and recent immigrants.  Many of these students are coming from war zones in the Middle East in Africa and all of them are learning English at this unique school. NJHS will be collecting money for Nahed Chapman New American Academy before school from January 14-18, and the money will be donated to the school so they can provide for any emergency winter needs their students might have.  Each grade will compete against the others to see who can raise the most money next week, and the grade that wins will get extra recess. We will also have a pajama and professional sports team attire day next Friday, January 18, in which students can donate a dollar or more to wear pajamas or a jersey or hat for their favorite sports team.

Two of our NJHS officers, Alyssa Jackson and Mahith Samarathunga, put together a short video about this school and our fundraiser. Please take a few minutes to view the video to gain an understanding of why there is a need for this effort:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cREdXWfv-Rb34Q6Qv_WGX1mhoLTqtgqR/view?usp=sharing

YEARBOOK PURCHASE DEADLINE

The deadline to order a 2018-2019 Yearbook is Friday, January 25. This is the LAST DAY to guarantee that your student will get a yearbook. Quantities after this date are not guaranteed.  Go to www.yearbookordercenter.com (order #8647) to place your order today.  Not sure if you've already bought? Go to the website above and click "Find Existing Order."

SNOW DAY INFO

Wondering what to do on a snow or late start day? Click here: SNOW DAY FLYER

LMSPA INFO 

PARENTS LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES- Sponsored by the LMSPA

Lunch and Learn is an opportunity for parents/guardians to bring their own nut-free lunch to eat while listening to a presentation that hopefully offers beneficial information. The LMSPA invites all parents and guardians to attend. Let’s work together to help our children develop those organizational skills we all strive to achieve.

JENNY HOFFMAN-Recognizing Anxiety and Helping Your Child Cope-1/17 (noon) LMS Library

This presentation will help you identify common signs and symptoms of anxiety in your child and learn ways to help your child cope with this anxiety. In this lunch and learn presentation designed for ADULTS ONLY, practical strategies and mindfulness exercises will be presented. Additionally, resources within the school district and community will be explored. Jenny Hoffman is a therapist in private practice and a Professor at Washington University and Maryville University.Questions: stephaniewalker221@yahoo.com  We hope to see you there!

ARE YOU GETTING OUR EMAIL BLASTS AND NEWSLETTERS?

If not, visit our website: www.mylmspa.com. Under COMMUNICATION you will find the Register for Eblast Newsletter tab. Enter your information in order to receive important information and timely reminders throughout the year. You don’t need to do this if you already receive eblasts.

LMSPA BUZZ BOOK

This year, the Ladue Middle School Parent Association is providing a password-protected PDF of the Buzz Book to all LMS families. There will be a limited number of hard copies printed and available in the front office of LMS after Thanksgiving break.  Download the Buzz Book by clicking HERE and using the password: LMS1819BUZZbook

*Note on removing password protection: if you download the Buzz Book and select PRINT, but instead
of printing you choose the option to SAVE AS PDF, then you can download it without a password and
it will be saved on your computer that way—so that you don’t have to enter the password every time
you open it. Questions? Email Jocelyn and tinkerfun@gmail.com.

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):

   

           Wed. 2/6, 6:30-8 pm

           Tues. 3/5, 12-1:30 pm

           Wed. 4/3, 6:30-8 pm

           Tues. 5/7 (closed meeting for Exec Board only) 12-2 pm

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

The LMSPA Executive Board:

Co-Presidents: Marissa Rosen, Jocelyn Fundoukos

Treasurers: Aletta Martin, Laura Whalen

Secretary: Reann Ratterman

PDC Reps: Jill Settler, Becky Marbarger

6th Grade VPs- Lorie Keller, Catherine Hamlin

7th Grade VPs- Becca Dauska,Melissa Garza

8th Grade VPs- Stephanie Walker, Trish Saleeby

Fundraising VP- Julie Stappenbeck, Co-chair Denise Christen

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion VP- Lolita Flinn

Electronic Communications-  Audra Harrold

Website Coordinator- Jodi Blucher, Co-chair Lisa Hirshberg 

DISTRICT INFO  

BOARD BRIEFS

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

CALENDAR (Items in red are new)

1/14-1/18 NWEA Testing (Math)

1/16-8th Parents to Lunch

1/17-LMSPA Lunch & Learn (11:30 LMS Library)

1/17- Geography Bee (LMS Cafe)

1/18- ER Day 12:40 Dismissal

1/21-MLK Day (No School)

1/22-1/25- NWEA Testing (Sci)

1/22-Spelling Bee (3:15pm)

1/22-Ladue Parent Advisory Council Mtg (7 p.m.)

1/24-7th Parents to Lunch

1/24-NJHS Field Trip

1/25-6th Parents to Lunch

1/25- Chili Supper LHWHS

1/30- LMS Registration Night/Elective Fair (moved from 1/23)

1/30- M&M Club Field Trip (after school)

2/1- LMS Ski Trip# 3

2/4-2/8 Counselor Appreciation Week

2/5- Choir Field Trip

2/6- LMSPA Mtg. 6:30 p.m.

2/7- NAEP Testing (Selected 8th Grade Students)

2/8- Ski Trip #4

2/15- PD Day (No School for Students)

2/18-President's Day- (No School for Students)

3/11-Diversity Student Leaders Training (Periods 2 and 3)

==========================================================================

REPEATED INFORMATION- (The information below is a review of information already communicated. No need to read if you read my last update)

SECOND ROUND OF NWEA TESTING

Please note that the next round of NWEA testing will occur on the following dates: ELA - Week of 1/7/19, Math - Week of 1/14/19, Science - Week of 1/21/19. Please encourage students to get plenty of rest and to come to school.   

3RD QUARTER AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Please check out our after school activity list for this quarter. Activities start again on 1/8. We have several new additions which include: Calligraphy Club, Disney Literature Club, Green Team, History Bee, Middle School Milers, and Table Tennis. Click on this link for more specific information: LMS After School Activities 3rd Quarter.

LADUE COMMUNITY CHILI SUPPER 1/25

The Ladue Community Chili Supper is on Friday, January 25th from 5 - 7 PM.  This event is sponsored by the LHWHS Parent Association and Dads Club with help from the district Character Ed committee.  The high school girls basketball teams will be playing that evening. This is such a great community building event and we want all the students and parents in the district to feel welcome. A flyer was shared in the Parent Link.

INDIVIDUAL HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR VISITS

The high school counselors will meet individually with students on January 29, 30 and 31. During this time, they will review the completed registration forms and enter their choices into the computer so their schedule may be built in the spring. Students who have IEPs will be accompanied by their case managers during this appointment, and their parents will be invited to a transition meeting later in the spring to ensure they are enrolled in classes that will meet their needs at the high school. If you have any questions, feel free to email Roger Scherck (rscherck@ladueschools.net) or Sarah Schwartz (saschwartz@ladueschools.net).

EIGHTH GRADE PARTY PIZZA FUNDRAISER

Thanks to all the ski club families who bought pizza to support the 8th grade party on Friday! We will continue to sell pizza after each ski trip, and now will offer a pre-order opportunity if you want to order and pay in advance. Students (and parents) may purchase slices of pizza and water for $4 when the buses arrive to LMS. A flyer with more information was shared last week through Parent Link.

HEADPHONES

Headphones were placed on our school supply list for this year. Many students have reported to their teachers that they have lost or broken their headphones. For your convenience, students may purchase a new set of headphones from the AP office for $3.

EARLY PICK UPS/DISMISSALS

Parents/Guardians, we understand that there will be circumstances when you will have to pick your child up early from school.  We urge you to please call ahead or email our attendance secretary, Danna Anderson, so that she can get a note to your child ahead of time.  This process helps you by having your child in the office waiting for your arrival and this procedure also helps us avoid continuously calling into classrooms and disrupting teachers while they are instructing our students. Limiting early dismissals at the end of the day after 2:45 p.m. is extremely important. Our teachers and students are learning in our classrooms until the bell rings at 3:10. The constant early dismissals occurring at the end of the day has been very disruptive. Unless it is an emergency, please help us by following the normal dismissal procedures of carpool for bus riders at the end of the day.  We appreciate your efforts in helping us make learning a top priority here at LMS. Our attendance secretary is Danna Anderson. Her contact information is below: danderson@ladueschools.net or 314-993-3900.

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES-  After School Activities have begun. Activities run from 3:20-4:20 p.m. Transportation is provided for district residents via late bus. Students may attend most activities on a drop in basis. The choice is theirs. Please consider having your student participate. Click on the 2018-2019 After School Activities Link  for more information. In addition to the link on our school website, the list will be posted in the lobby.  

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY PICK UP

For safety reasons, if picking up your student from an after school activity prior to the 4:20 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 will be 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.

TECH TOTES

Please help us by reminding your student that the ONLY items that should be placed inside the Tech Totes are technology (Chromebooks) and technology accessories (earbuds). Students should not place any other items (books, writing utensils, clothing, food, etc) inside. Please also remind students that their tech totes should remain at school and should not be taken home. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

PLANNER AND TECH TOTE REPLACEMENTS

Planners- If students need a new planner (lost, damaged, etc.), they should see their school counselor in the Welcome Center  to get a new one. Tech Totes- If students need a new tech tote (lost, damaged, etc.), they may get a replacement from the AP office (see  Ms. LoBosco). Both items are $5 to replace.

TRANSPORTATION  

Late Service

Late buses are provided on Tuesday and Thursday, with buses leaving LMS between 4:30– 4:40 p.m.
Five buses provide transportation for the entire district. Students may be assigned to a different bus that
what they ride at 3:10.

Bus Pass

A bus pass (click on the underlined link above) is required at those times when students must ride a
bus not covering their usual route. In order for your request to be considered, this form must be
completed and returned to Danna Anderson in the Welcome Center 24 hours prior to the requested
change. Bus passes may not be available on all routes if there is concern about having available space.
PLEASE NOTE: Bus passes will no longer be allowed on the following buses due to capacity
concerns: LMS 1, LMS 2, LMS 3, LMS 5, LMS 9 and LMS 12.

BUILDING EXPECTATIONS REMINDERS

Please take a minute to review the building expectations and procedures that are listed below. It is my hope that by sharing expectations in my 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. These expectations are also in our LMS Student Handbook, which will be sent home with ALL students the first week of school and is posted on our school website. ISTRONGLY encourage families to read the handbook. We will cover key items at school, but the follow up should occur at home. This way both students AND parents/guardians have a solid understanding. Here is a link: LMS Student Handbook 2018-2019

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS

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 click here: Afternoon Dismissal Procedures and review what 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. Parents, please DO NOT circumvent these expectations. It creates major safety issues and puts students in a situation where they are not complying with school expectations. Should you have a special circumstance, please contact your child's grade level principal so an accommodation can be made. 

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. 

Technology devices are not allowed in restrooms or locker rooms. Students should not use the Internet or other digital communication devices to create disrespectful or harassing messages, take pictures or videos or make recordings of others without permission, or send or post materials that threaten or raise concerns about violence against others. All of these activities will be considered a violation of our school district's code of conduct which can be found on pages 30-33 of our Student Handbook, which will be sent home with each student the first week of school.

We strongly encourage families not to send personal technology devices to school unless requested by the classroom teacher for educational purposes. These requests will be minimal now that students have Chromebooks. It is our recommendation that technology devices technology devices brought to school are stored in a locked locker during school hours. 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.

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.

PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS as we want to avoid students having to sit outside in extreme hot and cold weather conditions. 

More specific information about traffic patterns for dropping off and picking up has been provided in earlier updates and below. Please take time to review these procedures as well, which are noted in the REPEATED INFORMATION section of this update, especially if you are dropping off on Monday. MAPS are also provided for those who need a visual. Parents, please DO NOT circumvent these expectations. It creates major safety issues and puts students in a situation where they are not complying with school expectations. Should you have a special circumstance, please contact your child's grade level principal so that an accommodation can be made.

TRAFFIC REMINDERS (Returning families: Please note afternoon dismissal change)

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 2018-2019 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.  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 at 3:20, while students who are picked up by car and those that walk will be held in the classroom (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 classroom 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 in 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 are tempted to cut 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. 

That’s all for now. Take Care! 

Dr. T-J

Principal, Ladue Middle School