April 29, 2016

TJs Tidbits

Greetings LMS Families,

All of the preparation is done and the time has finally arrived. Our LMS team is ready to open school doors and classrooms to approximately 1000 AMAZING students tomorrow. We hope they are as excited to return as we are. Our goal is to make the first day of school memorable for each student that enters and to continue to generate that same level of enthusiasm for coming to school every day that follows. I want to take this time to share the core beliefs that will drive every thing that I do as the leader of Ladue Middle School:

• All students can learn and deserve a quality education
• Race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, home life, and background should not prevent a child from reaching his or her potential
• Students learn best in a mutually respectful and safe environment from those who challenge, inspire, and establish relationships with them
• Students are inspired to learn when they play an active role in the learning process and see themselves reflected in the curriculum and the school
• Students thrive when there is a strong partnership between home and school
• When all members of the school community feel valued, have shared vision, and are working towards a common goal, learning occurs at the highest level

It is my hope that LMS families will continuously see evidence of these values and beliefs through my words and actions and through the experiences that your student has during his/her time with us. I look forward to serving and working in partnership with you. I'll see you tomorrow!

NEW INFORMATION

ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL

We encourage parents to allow students to ride the bus to school tomorrow. Those who do not ride the bus should be dropped off at 7:30 or later as we do not have supervision until 7:30. If you are dropping off, please follow our drop off procedures which are communicated at the bottom of my update as this will ensure student and staff safety upon arrival to school. When students enter the building, they will be directed to the cafeteria until sent to their grade level areas. 6th grade will be in the multipurpose room, 7th will be on the boys side of the gym, and 8th will be on the girls side of the gym. This will be the expectation for the remainder of the school year. 

BUS INFO

The first day of school is just around the corner and bus routes for the 2019-20 school year are now available! To find out more information about your bus route, you may access the Ladue School District website. Once you're on the home page, go to “for Parents > Bus Information” in the navigation at the top of the page. You will find links to the routes for all schools in the right column, as well as contact information should you have any questions or concerns.

STUDENT SCHEDULES 

Most students received a schedule in the mail or picked one up at Community Night on 8/9. If your student does not have a schedule and has up to date immunizations, he/she may pick up a schedule tomorrow morning in one of the following areas:

6th Grade- Multipurpose Room

7th Grade -Gym (boys side)

8th Grade -Gym (girls side)

After we release students to class, schedules will be in the lobby at the table. Students who DO NOT have up to date immunizations will not receive their schedule and will need to be picked up by a parent/guardian. 

LOCKERS 

Students who still need to get into a locker, should look for their locker number at the top of their schedule, find their locker, place supplies and belongings inside the locker, remove the locker sheet, write the locker combination on back, and return the sheet to their first period teacher. If someone's things are already in the locker, students should notify their first period teacher. We are already aware of a few errors and will work to get matters taken care of as quickly as possible. Students will not be allowed to their lockers until 8:00 a.m.

I sent a message earlier today asking parents to please share your student's locker combination with us using the Google Form. Here is that link again for those who missed the message:  Locker Combination Form. It will only take a few minutes. This electronic form will help with locker information that may be difficult to read and will serve as a back up plan for students who don't remember their locker combinations on Tuesday. It is also another option for families who may have forgotten to leave their card with us on Friday. 

PLANNERS

We will issue planners to students on the first day of school through Core Classes. Planners are labeled with student name and team. 

CHROMEBOOKS/TECHTOTES

Students will be receiving their Chromebook in the first few days of school.  6th grade students will pick up and return their Chromebook through 8th period Middle Schools Skills Class. 7th grade students will pick up and return their Chromebook through 1st period classes. 8th grade will pick up and return their Chromebook through 8th period classes. These devices will remain at school. Students will receive a technology tote to carry their device from class to class. The tech tote should also remain at school. We strongly suggest that students use this tote ONLY for their Chromebook and headphones/earbuds. Adding additional books, binders, etc. to the tote may damage the device.

CLASS MEETINGS

Class meetings are small, multiage classes that meet approximately once every three weeks throughout the school year on Thursdays. On class meeting days, students will start the day in class meeting groups and will attend all of their classes for a shortened amount time. Nearly all staff members will be assigned to a class meeting group including counselors and administrators. Many families have inquired about the purpose of class meetings. The benefits of class meeting are many. We believe that class meetings will enhance LMS school culture by:

...fostering a greater sense of belonging in our students

...building connections between students and staff from all grade levels and content areas

...providing ongoing discussions about character education, diversity, and bullying prevention

The first class meeting will be held on Wednesday, 8/14.

LMS SCHOOL MUSICAL INFO- HAIRSPRAY

Interested in performing in a school wide musical?  Auditions for Hairspray Jr. will be held on Sept. 10th after school in the choir/theatre room with call backs (if needed) on September 12th.  Your child will need to pick up a packet from Ms. Alrutz before hand that will have all the info you need for the audition. Any questions- Feel free to reach out at at lalrutz@ladueschools.net for more information!  Looking forward to another great year of song, dance, and fun!

PE UNIFORM SHIRT INFO

Our PE staff is apologetic for the confusion with the online orders that occurred at Community Night. If you ordered online, we found the rest of the product the latter part of Community Night in a different building in the district. The PE teachers will distribute the remaining PE attire to the students who did NOT receive their online order at Community Night, the first few days of school during their PE class. For parents who still need to purchase a shirt for their child, we will be asking students whether they have a PE shirt or not in the first week. If not, we will get their size and place an order after the first week of school. Once we receive this shipment of shirts, we will distribute the shirts with a payment. The price is $7.50 for a cotton shirt and $9.50 for a dry-fit shirt.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chad Anderson at canderson@ladueschools.net and he will be able to assist you.

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 in the near future and will be 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. 

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). Breakfast is not considered “social time.” Students participating in the breakfast program are expected to eat as quickly as possible and head to class. Students not meeting breakfast expectations may lose breakfast privileges.     

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 in our Student Handbook, which will be sent home with each student in the near future.

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 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 (3:10/3:20), 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 3:20-4:20.  Students who stay after for activities should be picked up at 4:20, 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.

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 2019-2020 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 3:10, 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. 

LMSPA INFO 

LMSPA MEETINGS 

The Ladue Middle School Parent Association 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): 

Thurs. 9/12, 9-10:30am
Wed. 10/2, 6:30-8 pm
Thurs. 11/14, 9-10:30am
Wed. 12/11, 6:30-8 pm
Thurs. 1/9, 9-10:30am
Wed. 2/5, 6:30-8 pm
Tues. 3/10, 9-10:30am 
Wed. 4/1, 6:30-8 pm
Thurs. 5/14 (closed meeting for Exec Board only) 9-11am            

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 

http://www.facebook.com/LadueMiddleSchoolParentAssociation/ 

and on Twitter @mylmspa 

LMSPA SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE 
If you are doing any additional shopping for school supplies this summer, please consider purchasing an extra binder or combination lock to donate when we return back to school. These items are always in demand and will be distributed to students who need them via the LMS counselors, Aundrea Johnson (6), Amy Balsavias (7) and Yvette Sykes (8). 

CALENDAR DATES 

8/13     First Day of School 

8/14     Class Mtg.

8/15     Class Mtg.

8/16     Class Mtg. 

8/16     LMSPA Sponsored Parent Coffee; 8:30 - 9:30 am (LMS Cafe) 

8/21     Sixth Grade Camp Parent Meeting; 7:00 pm 

8/28     Meet The Teacher Night; 6:30 - 8:30 pm

8/30     Early Release Day/PD Day; 12:40 Dismissal

9/2       No School (Labor Day) 

9/3       Start of After School Activities/Late Buses

9/16-9/18 6th Grade Camp Session I

9/18-9/20 6th Grade Camp Session II

9/24     School Picture Day (Absentee Only) 

9/27     PD Day- No School for Students 

BOARD BRIEFS

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

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

NURSE NOTES- IMMUNIZATIONS (8th Grade) 

Attention 8th grade parents. 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 doctor's office fax a copy to (314)-983-5965 or provide you a copy to drop off at the Welcome Center. If your child still needs to have these vaccines, now is the time to get an appointment!  PLEASE NOTE: Students who do not have up to date immunizations will not receive their schedules in the mail. We are also prohibited from allowing any 8th grade student from beginning classes until the necessary immunization information is provided. Please be sure to get that taken care of ASAP. Should you have any questions or concerns, contact Nurse Jenn Tucker at jtucker@ladueschools.net. 

MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT

Parents/Guardians please plan to attend Meet the Teacher Night on August 28 at 6:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity for you to follow your child’s schedule and meet the teachers. A general meeting will be held that evening with information about the LMSPA, Dad’s Club, Ladue Education Foundation, and much more. We hope you can join us. More info will be shared soon!

6TH GRADE CAMP MEETING

Please mark your calendars for August 21 for a parent meeting about Sixth Grade Camp at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school cafeteria.  Camp this year will be the week of September 16.  Students will either go to camp Monday – Wednesday of that week or Wednesday – Friday.  For more information about camp, please visit the camp website at: https://sites.google.com/a/ladueschools.net/biernbaum/6th-grade-camp

That's all for now!

Dr. T-J 

Principal, Ladue Middle School