April 29, 2016

TJs Tidbits

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers and to those who are serving in a motherly way to students and children who need special love and care. I hope that you felt loved and appreciated yesterday.

Last week was certainly lots of fun with the Citizenship Honor Ceremonies, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Nurse Appreciation Day. Our LMSPA put together a week of fun for the staff packaged in a baseball theme. Special thanks to Ms. Suzanne Epstein-Lang  and Ms. Anne Leidenfrost  for coordinating and organizing everything. They did a fantastic job! The highlight of the week was learning that LMS was named a National School of Character. What an accomplishment! I am so proud of our school community. We were able to make the announcement during the Citizenship Ceremonies, which made it even more special. 

Just a couple more weeks and it is summer break! We will be closing out the year with End of Year Trips and our Farewell Assembly for our 8th Graders. It will be bittersweet saying goodbye to them. It seems like they just arrived.

As a head’s up, be on the lookout for a survey coming your way. I hope that you take the time to complete the survey as it will provide meaningful feedback for the school and for me.  I can’t believe my second year is winding down. It’s been a blast and I look forward to many more years. 

Have a blessed week! 

NEW INFO

EIGHTH GRADE PARTY DETAILS/WAIVER 

By now, 8th Grade Parents/Guardians should have received your invitation to the 8th Grade Year-End Party sponsored by the Ladue Middle School Parent Association on Saturday, May 18th from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. at the Middle School.  There will also be a pre-party sponsored by the LMSPA that begins at 6:30 p.m.  In order for your student to attend this fun event, he/she must have a Permission Slip and Liability Waiver on file by Wednesday, May 15th.  Students who do not have a completed Permission Slip and Liability Waiver on file by that date will not be admitted to the party. There will be no exceptions. We have several options for you to complete the Permission Slip and Liability Waiver.  The fastest and easiest way is to simply complete it online. The electronic version can be found by following this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KV7SBNY

In order for the electronic waiver to be complete, a few conditions must be met:

• You must answer every question --- even one skipped response will invalidate the waiver.
• You must affix your electronic signature to the waiver by typing your full name in the electronic signature box at the bottom.
• You must hit “DONE” at the end of the form to submit the form to us.

If you prefer, you can simply print the attached Permission Slip and Liability Waiver and return it to the LMS Office by Wednesday, May 15th.  We will also have printed copies available in the LMS Office. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Pesce at thepesces@sbcglobal.net.

LIBRARY SUMMER READING

Please encourage your child to check out books from the LMS Library for summer reading! Any student who will be returning to Ladue Schools in August may borrow up to 10 books for the summer. Although we don't have our own summer reading program, we encourage students to sign up for the St. Louis County summer reading program (or any other public library summer reading program they have access to over the summer). Students who bring in a completion certificate from any summer reading program get to select a free brand new hard cover book to keep. The library website has all the details for anyone who is interested here: http://laduemslibrary.weebly.com/summer-reading.html

LAST DAY FOR LATE BUSES

Please mark your calendars. The last day for After School Activities and Late Buses is May 16.  

LMSPA FUNDS FOR EXCELLENCE

Parents should have received information about the LMSPA's biggest fundraiser, Spring Funds for Excellence. 8th grade families have the opportunity to support the 8th Grade Legacy Gift. We hope you will consider making a contribution. Any amount is appreciated. On behalf of all LMS families, the LMSPA will distribute thank you notes along with a gift card using a portion of the funds raised to all teachers and staff in the school. Please refer to the letter and contribution form that was mailed to your home recently, or visit the LMSPA's website to make your donation online.

LMSPA INFO

Click on the link for the most recent: LMSPA Newsletter

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):

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)

5/14- HS Graduation Walk at LMS 2:30 p.m. or later

5/14-Ladue Parent Advisory Council Mtg 7 p.m.

5/15-5th Grade Visits LMS 9 a.m.

5/15- FGC Visits to LMS 

5/16- FGC Visit to LMS 

5/18-8th Grade Party

5/21-8th Grade Boat Races

5/22-8th Grade Six Flags Trip

5/23-8th Grade Farewell Assembly

5/23-Early Release Day 12:40 Dismissal

5/23-End of 4th Quarter

5/23-Last Day for Students

5/24-Last day for Teachers/Records Day

5/27-Memorial Day (Schools Closed)

5/30-5/31-National Science Olympiad Competition

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

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

ACTIVITY RESTRICTIONS FROM PE

Students who will be requiring activity restrictions of any kind from PE will need a physician’s note specifying limitations. This includes, but is not limited to, injury, allergies, prolonged brace wearing due to specific conditions, etc. Parents request for activity restriction will be honored for two days, after the two days a physician’s note is required. Please have Dr.’s note faxed/brought in to the nurse. Thank you for your cooperation! Should you have any questions, please contact School Nurse, Jennifer Tucker at 314-983-5530 or email at jtucker@ladueschools.net

EIGHTH GRADE REMINDERS

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, here are a few important dates and information about activities that are coming up. Most of these dates have already been shared in the last two months of grade level happenings, but we are sharing again to make sure that everyone has all of the information.

Friday, May 17 and Monday, May 20- As part of the science curriculum, students will be building cardboard boats during core periods. More information will come from science teachers closer to the activity.

Saturday, May 18-The 8th grade party is this date from 7:30-10pm. The pre-party with photo opportunities for students and parents will be at LMS starting at 6:30pm. An invitation will be sent to all students and families in a few weeks. This is a free, parent sponsored event. LMS disciplinary code applies. A letter was recently shared with more information about eligibility to attend.

Tuesday, May 21- Students will go to the high school pool to race their boats. Parents are invited to be spectators at this fun activity that occurs during the morning by team. Approximate race times are 9:30am (Pioneer team),10:00am (Patriot team) and 10:45am (Trailblazer team).

Wednesday, May 22-Students will start their day with a pancake breakfast (starting when school starts, and not before), sponsored by the LMS Dad’s Club, and then go to Six Flags for a field trip. A permission form and letter with information about disciplinary expectations was recently shared.

Thursday, May 23, 9:30 a.m.- At the Farewell Assembly on their last day of school, eighth grade students and their families are invited to celebrate their years at LMS. Every student will be recognized. Students are encouraged to go home with their parents or friends at the completion of the assembly and reception (approximately 11:00-11:30 a.m.) as there are no activities afterwards.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Sarah Schwartz (8th Grade Principal) at saschwartz@ladueschools.net. 

IMMUNIZATIONS 8th GRADE

Students who will be entering 8th grade are now required to have both a Meningitis and Tdap immunizations to meet the requirement of the Missouri School Immunization Law, Health and Safety Title 19 CSR 20-28.010 for the 2019-2020 academic year. It is mandatory for your child to have proof of these vaccinations prior to the first day of school. Ladue Middle School reserves the right to withhold your student’s schedule and team assignments for the school year until proof of immunizations are presented to the School Nurse. When immunizations are given please have physician’s office print out a current immunization record and turn into School Nurse as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation!

INCOMING SIXTH GRADE MATH PLACEMENT

Families of incoming sixth grade students should have received a letter with your student’s math placement information from Ladue Middle School last week. The letter includes your student’s math data, as well as our recommendation for class placement based on this data. If you would like to request a math course that is different from the school’s recommendation, you must fill out the form and return it to your child’s 5th grade teacher by April 5, 2019. This letter also includes information about math acceleration testing for students who are interested. You can find more information about math placement and acceleration on the LMS website on the curriculum tab. The link to sign up for acceleration testing is also there. Please note that Math 6 Extension is not an accelerated course for incoming 6th graders. If there are no changes to your student’s math placement, no action is required.

MATH ACCELERATION

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 level 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 show mastery of skills taught in the course which they would like to skip. The courses that students may attempt to test out of in order to accelerate are Math 6 Extension, Math 7 Extension, and Advanced Algebra. No acceleration testing is available for Advanced Geometry or any other high school course. Acceleration testing dates for Summer 2019 are June 5 and July 31. No other dates are available for testing so please plan accordingly.  More information, as well as directions on how to sign up, is available on the LMS website under the curriculum tab. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Sarah Schwartz, Assistant Principal and liaison to the math department, at saschwartz@ladueschools.net

EIGHTH GRADE IMMUNIZATIONS NEEDED

Students who will be entering 8th grade are now required to have both Meningitis and Tdap immunizations to meet the requirement of the Missouri School Immunization Law, Health and Safety Title 19 CSR 20-28.010 for the 2019-2020 academic year. It is mandatory for your child to have proof of these vaccinations prior to the first day of school. Many students received these vaccines during 6th grade. 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 doctor's office fax a copy to (314)-983-5965. If your child still needs to have these vaccines, now is great time to get an appointment!

LMS may withhold your student’s schedule and team assignment for the school year until proof of immunizations are presented to the School Nurse. When immunizations are given please have physician’s office print out a current immunization record and turn it into the nurses’ office. Should you have any questions, please contact Nurse Jenn Tucker, at 314-983-5530 or email jtucker@ladueschools.net

TARDY NOTIFICATIONS

In effort to keep families informed and work in partnership with the school, our Infinite campus system will begin to email notifications about tardies to class for students in the next week or so. You can always check Infinite Campus regularly to see list of tardies and absences for your child.  When students arrive late to class, it disrupts the learning process and they miss out on essential instructions given at the beginning of the lesson. We thank you in advance for assisting us by following up with your student at home. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher and/or grade level principal.

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.

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 than
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. I STRONGLY 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

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