April 29, 2016

TJs Tidbits

Greetings LMS Families,

We are settling into the new school year and starting week three of school. Students are more familiar with when and where their classes are and are forming connections with each other and their teachers. 

In addition to attending classes, students have spent the past couple of weeks becoming acclimated to the routine of school and familiarizing themselves with classroom and school expectations. I am sharing a link to our 2019-2020 LMS Student Guidebook, which contains a wealth of information about our school program and expectations. Please take some time to review this information at home as a family to ensure both you and your student are familiar with its contents. A hard copy has or should be coming home very soon. 

For those who are new to LMS, I will send a LMS Family Update every other week either on Sunday or Monday morning. If there is pertinent information to share about upcoming school events during the off weeks, I will send a Parent Link with those reminders. 

We hope to see everyone this Wednesday at Meet the Teacher Night. More information about the event is shared below. 

That's all for now. See you soon!

NEW INFORMATION

MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT DETAILS 

Please plan to join us Wednesday, August 28, 2019 for Meet the Teacher Night. This will be an opportunity for you to follow your child’s schedule, meet their teachers, and see other parents of LMS students. Plan to arrive early, as parking is limited. Shuttle Service is recommended and provided from Conway Elementary School (9900 Conway Rd.) to the circle drive at LMS from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Please note the change in location from previous years.

We will begin the evening with a brief opening meeting in our Gym.  Parents will then be dismissed by grade level to locate their first class.  Time in each class will be 7 minutes. This short period of time does not allow for extended “Parent Conference” conversations.  Should you need to meet with a specific teacher or teachers, please call, email, or schedule an alternative time to meet.

Your child will be given a copy of their schedule to bring home on Tuesday, August 27. Please bring this schedule with you to follow during the evening.

Here is a link to the MTN schedule for your reference. We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday.

CITIZENSHIP GRADES

Teachers are beginning to enter academic and citizenship grades this year. As a parent, you have access to view these grades and assignments through the Parent Portal. A brief explanation of citizenship grades may be helpful as these grades are not calculated the same as academic grades.

There are four (4) citizenship grades and the citizenship grading curve is set up based on 25% for each of these grades

O - Outstanding 100%-75%

S - Satisfactory 75%-50%

I - Improvement Needed 50%-25%

U - Unsatisfactory 25%-0%

Most teachers assign a 0-3 grade for the week in citizenship, which would correspond to roughly one of the grades. As you can see, any percentage over a 50 would result in either a Satisfactory or Outstanding citizenship grade. Hopefully this helps as you view these grades. Should you have any questions, please contact your student’s teacher. 

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

LMS provides a range of social and academic activities for students. Activities start Tuesday, September 3 and run from 3:20-4:20 p.m. Transportation is provided for district residents via late bus. Some of the benefits of after school activities/programs include:  

• Low Student-to-Adult Ratio...students may get more personal attention such as tutoring/help with homework or an opportunity to get to know staff outside of class and build relationships around a common area of interest.
• Reliability...parents can feel good knowing their student will be in a consistent setting under adult supervision for an extended period of time (most often between 1-4 quarters of school).
• Transportation... activities most often start immediately at the end of the school day, thus eliminating the concern about getting the child to the program.
• Cost...activities are provided at little to no cost, which allows students to experiment with a variety of options  
• Social Interaction...students get to spend more time with friends and focus on non academic interactions at a time that is crucial to their developmental needs.
• Physical Activity...students get to step away from technology and social media and engage in structured, physical activities like sports.

According to a news report published in 2014 by the U.S. Census Bureau, fifty-seven percent of children between 6 and 17 years old participate in at least one after-school extracurricular activity. Our goal at LMS is to beat the national average. We've always told students, if you can think it and can find a teacher to sponsor it, we will try to make it happen. Many activities have come from student ideas. We are very fortunate to have a variety of activities at LMS and staff committed to using this time to build relationships and enrich our students' school experience.

Please consider having your student participate. A link to our clubs and activities will soon be shared with you and linked on our website. We strongly encourage families to sit down with your student to make selections in advance. 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.

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!

SIXTH GRADE CAMP 

Thank you to all parents who attended the camp meeting last Wednesday. For those unable to attend, you can find out more information about camp by visiting:

https://sites.google.com/a/ladueschools.net/biernbaum/6th-grade-camp

If you have not already registered for camp, please click on the link below to complete the Camp Registration Form. Ensure that you choose the session your child was assigned. If you don't have this list, please contact Mr. Biernbaum to find out which session your child is assigned. Part of this form requires the selection of choice activities during camp, so it will be necessary to have your child's input in this process. 

https://tinyurl.com/y56hulax

EARLY DISMISSALS

Please try to always call ahead to Danna Anderson 983-5513 or email at danderson@ladueschools.net for early dismissals. We will deliver a note to your child to ensure he/she is down in the office and ready to go when you arrive. This process allows the student to leave the classroom without the disruption of a phone call into the classroom.  We get very busy at the end of the day in the front office so it is extremely important that parents call ahead for late afternoon dismissals and try to limit them as much as possible. 

EIGHTH GRADE SPORTS 

It's nearly time for fall sports (girls volleyball and co-ed cross country) to begin! All sports are FREE, NO CUT and ALL PLAY. We provide uniforms and transportation to away games. Practices are from 3:20-4:20 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and games/meets are right after school as well. The season runs from early September to late October.

If you student is interested in participating, he/she needs to do the following:

1. Sign Up

2. Fill out the forms and have them turned in by the first practice (Tuesday, September 3). Hard copies are available in the Welcome Center.

3. Come to practice on the first day. NOTE- Students will not be able to participate unless ALL forms are turned in. They must have a physical on file. Physicals are valid for two years (730 days). If you have any questions, please contact Coach Theodosiou at jtheodosiou@ladueschools.net or Sarah Schwartz at saschwartz@ladueschools.net.

EIGHTH GRADE PARTY FUNDRAISING- Saturday, 9/14 (10a.m-3p.m)

At LMS we have a tradition that brings all of our 8th grade students together to celebrate and commemorate their time together, the 8th Grade Party. Mark your calendars: this year the party is scheduled for May 2, 2020.  A committee of parents partner with our 8th grade students to raise money for the party which covers food, entertainment, and activities so that all 330 of our graduating students can join in the fun.

It is important that our students participate in raising funds for the party as it gives them a sense of ownership which makes the evening even more special...seeing some of their hard work pay off as they celebrate with their classmates.The first opportunity for student involvement in fundraising for the 8th grade party is the annual car wash which is being held at LMS on Saturday, September 14th from 10am-3pm.  Please click here and sign up your student (and, if possible, yourself) for a time slot to help run a successful event. Thank you for encouraging your student(s) to serve LMS and our community!

Questions? Contact Becca Dauska, becca_dauska@yahoo.com

PE UNIFORM SHIRT (FROM PE TEACHERS)

If your student placed an order with the PE staff and/or doesn’t have a blue PE shirt, the shirts were delivered on Friday.  Please have your child bring payment to school on Monday or Tuesday to purchase a shirt(s) for PE. As a reminder, the cost for the cotton shirt is $7.50 and for the dri-fit shirt is $9.50."

LMS ZIP LINE TRIPS

Our LMS zip line experience is a go!  Mr. Biernbaum will be reaching out soon to families to let you know the dates and specific information that you will need.  Trips will begin in mid September.  Thank you to those who completed the google form.  Nearly 400 families replied saying they were interested in signing up their student (s) to participate.

LEF ‘DUE RUN

The one-mile fun run will be on the campus of the High School  using the new McKenna Plaza and track. It’s fun for all ages! Runners will run through the Briarwood Subdivision adjacent to the high school, the campus of the HS, and new track as part of the course.

We hope to see LMS families there! Click here for the flyer: LEF DUE RUN FLYER

ANNUAL UPDATE

It’s that time of the year again for the Annual Update—when all district families are required to update student information and make any needed changes to their contact information online through Infinite Campus.  

If you are a family new to Ladue for this upcoming year and already completed online registration in order to enroll your child(ren), you do not need to complete this update. All existing students must have this information updated before the Annual Update window closes on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. We require this update in order to have accurate contact information for parents and guardians as well as up-to-date medical information about your child. The Annual Update also contains the Consent to Treat, which allows the school nurse to treat your child in the health room.

One parent or guardian in the student’s primary household is required to complete the Annual Update online. You will not be able to log in to the portal using your student’s credentials to complete this process; the parent or guardian completing the Annual Update will need his or her own parent portal account.

If you have not yet created a parent portal account, you may request one by filling out the Parent Portal Request form. If you need assistance, please email us at campus@ladueschools.net or call 314-983-5318.

The deadline to update your information in Infinite Campus is Sept. 12, 2019. Click here to view a short video tutorial which explains more about how to complete each step.

Although the Infinite Campus app is available on phones and tablets, this process is best completed on a desktop or laptop computer. If you do not have access to a computer at home or work, you can complete this update at the public library or go to your child's school where there is a dedicated laptop for parents to use in the office to complete this process.

Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 314-983-5318.

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.

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 Guidebook, which is sent home with all students and 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. 

BEFORE SCHOOL LOCATIONS 

When students enter the building at 7:30 a.m., 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. 

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.

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. 

BUS INFO

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.

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, 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 (new additions in red) 

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

9/3-9/6      NWEA Testing (Math)

9/5            Class Mtg.
9/9-9/13    NWEA Testing (ELA)
9/10          Hairspray Musical Auditions
9/12          Hairspray Callbacks (If needed) 

9/14  8th Grade Car Wash Fundraiser (10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.)

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)

CHROMEBOOKS/TECHTOTES

Students have now received their Chromebooks. 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 also received 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

That's all for now!

Dr. T-J 

Principal, Ladue Middle School