Weekly Newsletter 11/25/24 - Thanksgiving Week

Happy Sunday, parents and guardians. Here is our weekly newsletter for the week beginning 11/25/24 (Thanksgiving Week):

No Tutoring This Week: There will be no tutoring this week, due to the holiday. Tutoring will resume the week of December 9th.

Short Week: We will only have school on Monday and Tuesday of this week. There will be no school Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

STPC's: Please be advised that sign-ups for Student-Parent-Teacher-Conferences have started. Please use the following link to sign-up for a slot that both you and your child can attend. Again, it is required that I meet with ALL parents and students. If you are unable to meet in-person, I can arrange a phone conversation. If this is necessary, please add a good number to reach you at to your sign-up slot. Conferences occur the week we return from break (December 2nd-5th). The link for conferences can be found at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EABAE2BA1FCC52-53339706-studentparenttea#/ 

Curriculum: Due to the holiday and short week, we will not be covering any NEW foundational material. We will return to our regular instruction on Monday, December 2nd.

Free Dress This Week: This week, we will have free dress for ALL students on Monday AND Tuesday. If your child would like to dress down, they are free to do so this week.

Homework: As this is a short week and we will not have any tests this week, there will NOT be any homework packets. Homework packets will resume December 2nd. Enjoy the holiday!

Grades: Report cards went home on Friday with ALL students (we had perfect attendance on Friday. Yay!!). Please be sure you collect the report card from your child. As such, there will be no update to grades this Monday.

Crocs/Slides/House Shoes: Please remember, crocs, slides, and house shoes are not allowed at Laurus. This is a safety issue. All shoes must have an enclosed heel. Please remember that students may not wear these types of shoes.

Honors Assembly: Students who will be the recipient of an honors award at the honors ceremony were sent home with an invitation providing the time and date of the assembly. Please join us if you are interested in attending and seeing your child receive their award(s).

Pie Pie Pie: We are in need of pie for our PIE day on Tuesday. Please send in a store bought sweet potato or pumpkin pie with your child this week. 

Tuesday Holiday Party: We will be having our Thanksgiving holiday party this Tuesday from 2:00-2:30 pm. If you would like to send in treats with your child for the party, please feel free to do so on this day. There are 33 students in the class.

Voice of the Parent Survey: NHA is running their "Voice of the Parent Survey" from November 25th-December 6th. Please take the time to fill out this survey, as this is how we receive more funding. This is your opportunity to express your feelings about our curriculum and staff. This is also an opportunity to give me a Shout-Out for my hard work in teaching, should you feel I deserve it. All of the high-ups look at this survey, so please take the time to do it. It is greatly appreciated!

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Monday, November 25 - Friday, December 6  - Voice of the Parent Survey Begins; 

Monday, November 25 - Trimester 2 Begins; Free Dress Down; HONORS ASSEMBLIES Gr. K-2 8:10 am; Gr. 3-5 9:00 am; Gr. 6-8 9:50 am.  Candy Sale Incentive Party - Afternoon

Tuesday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Feast & PIE DAY; Free Dress Down; Teachers eat with their class as a family during lunch. Staff Party RSVP Due to Ms. Adams

Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Monday, December 2 - BR/NJHS Apps Passed Out; Moral Focus Assemblies K-5 8:15 am;  6-8 1:35 pm

Monday - Friday, December 2-6 - Voice of the Parent Continues (Ends on 12/6); Parent Teacher Conference Week; BOOK FAIR WEEK; 

Wednesday, December 4 - Half Day for Parent Teacher Conferences 

Wednesday, December 11 - K-3 Music Concert 4:30 pm

Thursday, December 12 - 4-8 Music Concert 5:30 pm

Friday, December 13 - BR/NJHS Apps Due

Monday - Friday, December 16 - 20 - Holiday Spirit Week $ 6.00/wk or $ 2.00/day

Monday - Grade Level Pick Day (more info to come)

Tuesday - Red & Green Day

Wednesday - Ugly Sweater Day

Thursday - Holiday Character or White/Gold Day

Friday - Pajama (Appropriate for School) Day

Friday, December 20 - Half Day; December Birthday Celebrations; Holiday Parties; Progress Reports; Last Day of School 

December 21, 2024 - January 5, 2025 - Winter Holiday Break

Monday, January 6, 2025 - School Resumes

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a wonderful Sunday and I will see everyone tomorrow! Go Lions!

-Ms. Winter

Weekly Newsletter 11/18/24 - Week 12

Happy Sunday, parents are guardians! Here is our Weekly Newsletter for the week beginning 11/18/24 (Week 12):

Tutoring: Tutoring continues this week on Monday and Tuesday from 3:30-4:30 pm. Dismissal is at 4:30 pm sharp. *Please note-there will NOT be tutoring next week, November 25th and 26th*

Report Cards- Gradebook closed on Friday. Grades will have their final update by Monday at 8 am. Report cards will go home with students on Friday, November 22nd. Please be sure to collect this from them!

$2.00 Dress Down on Friday (11/22/24): This Friday, we will have a $2 dress down. Please be sure to send your child in with $2 if you would like them to participate. 

Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences: I have created the sign up sheet for our conferences. Please be sure to sign up for a slot that both you AND your child can attend. It is a requirement that I meet with ALL students and parents, so this meeting is mandatory. These meetings are ten minutes long. I will use a timer to be respectful of everyone's time. Meeting time slots are on a first-come-first-served basis. Please find the meeting link below:

Student-Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Up Link

Curriculum: In ELA, students will work on determining the main idea of a story and finding details that support the main idea. In math, students will continue to work on the addition and subtraction of decimals. In social studies, students will continue to learn about the colonization of the "New World" and the impacts this had on Indigenous Americans, Africans, and Europeans. For science, students will begin their exploration of the properties of matter. Please be sure students are on-time and present EVERY day to ensure their success with this material. It is also crucial that students are present the ENTIRE school day, as our lessons continue up until dismissal. Student Attendance Matters for success!

Voice of the Parent Survey: NHA is running their "Voice of the Parent Survey" from November 25th-December 6th. Please take the time to fill out this survey, as this is how we receive more funding. This is your opportunity to express your feelings about our curriculum and staff. This is also an opportunity to give me a Shout-Out for my hard work in teaching, should you feel I deserve it. All of the high-ups look at this survey, so please take the time to do it. It is greatly appreciated!

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Friday, November 22 - End of Trimester 1; Report Cards Home; Dress Down $2.00; November Birthday Celebration Day 2:00-2:30

Monday, November 25 - Friday, December 6  - Voice of the Parent Survey Begins

Monday, November 25 - Trimester 2 Begins; Free Dress Down; HONORS ASSEMBLIES Gr. K-2 8:10 am; Gr. 3-5 9:00 am; Gr. 6-8 9:50 am.

Tuesday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Feast & PIE DAY; Free Dress Down; Teachers eat with their class as a family during lunch.

Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Monday - Friday, December 2-6 - Voice of the Parent Continues (Ends on 12/6); Parent Teacher Conference Week; BOOK FAIR WEEK

Wednesday, December 4 - Half Day for Parent Teacher Conferences.  

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a wonderful Sunday and I will see everyone tomorrow! Go Lions!

-Ms. Winter

Weekly Newsletter 11/11/24 - Week 11

Happy Sunday, parents and guardians. Here is our weekly newsletter for the week beginning 11/11/24 (week 11):

Progress Report Week: This weekend is a Progress Report weekend. Please be sure to check your students grades via the Parent Portal. Updated grades are available every Monday by 8 am. Please be aware our trimester ENDS this Friday, November 15th. Gradebook closes on this date. That means, after Friday, I cannot accept ANY late or missing assignments. I am unable to edit or add grades after this date. Please be sure your child has submitted any and all missing assignments. Report cards will go home with students on Friday, November 22nd. 

Birthday Shout-Outs: Happy November birthday to Dimoni Reece (Nov 5th), Robert Houston (Nov 12th), Alana Kendrick (Nov 21st), Emanuel Hayden (Nov 21st), and Lynne Moore (Nov 30th)! We will be celebrating ALL of our November birthdays on November 22nd. Parents are welcome to send in treats on their child's birthday and/or on our birthday celebration date. Please keep in mind we have a nut allergy in the classroom. There are 33 students in the class.

Math Game Night: This Wednesday, November 13th, is our math game night! It runs from 4-5 pm in the gym. Please be sure to come by! The first few families will receive a free math game!

Curriculum: This week in ELA students will work with conjunctions in grammar. They will also begin drafting their informative papers. This paper requires students to read several articles, gather important information from these articles, then compile the information they gathered in an informative essay. Students will use citations from the articles to support their writing. In math, students will be working with decimals. They will be adding and subtracting decimals as well as multiplying and dividing decimals by 10. In social studies, students will explore reasons for European colonization and identify push and pull factors that caused nations and individuals to set their sights on the Americas. They will read about the collision of three worlds and begin to consider the consequences of exploration and colonization for Africans, Europeans, and Indigenous peoples. In science, students will finish this scope on the exploration of matter. They have discovered that matter is everywhere and is made up of particles too small to be seen! 

Tutoring: Tutoring continues this week on Monday and Tuesday. It runs from 3:30-4:30 pm with pick-up occurring at 4:30 pm sharp. We will not have tutoring the week of Thanksgiving break.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Parent-Teacher conferences will be occurring very differently this year. Per our DSQ, these conferences are to be Student-Led. That being said, I will have to meet with ALL parents AND students IN-PERSON. At the meeting, you will receive your child's NEWA scores as well as Interim I and AIMSWEB scores. The student will lead the discussion about their academic performance. Again, this is new to Laurus this year and I was not anticipating nor aware of these changes. I apologize for the conflicting information, as I was just made aware of these changes this week. I appreciate your understanding. I will still be posting a sign-up sheet for Student-Parent-Teacher conferences, so please be sure to sign up for a slot that both you and your child can attend.

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Monday and Tuesday, November 11th and 12th - Tutoring 3:30-4:30 pm

Wednesday, November 13 - Lock Down - PM; Math Night 4:00-5:00 pm

Friday, November 15 - Gradebook closes. Last day for grades to be entered into Gradebook for Report Cards.  Interim 1 Celebration 1:45-2:30

Friday, November 22 - End of Trimester 1; Report Cards Home; Dress Down $2.00; November Birthday Celebration Day 2:00-2:30

Monday, November 25 - Friday, December 6  - Voice of the Parent Survey Begins

Monday, November 25 - Trimester 2 Begins; Free Dress Down; HONORS ASSEMBLIES Gr. K-2 8:10 am; Gr. 3-5 9:00 am; Gr. 6-8 9:50 am.

Tuesday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Feast & PIE DAY; Free Dress Down

Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Monday - Friday, December 2-6 - Voice of the Parent Continues (Ends on 12/6); Parent Teacher Conference Week

Wednesday, December 4 - Half Day for Parent Teacher Conferences.  PTC's run from 12:00-3:00 pm on this Half Day.  

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a wonderful Sunday and I will see everyone tomorrow! Go Lions!

-Ms. Winter

Weekly Newsletter 11/4/24 - Week 10

Happy Sunday, parents and guardians! Here is our weekly newsletter for the week beginning November 4th, 2024 (Week 10):

Tutoring: Tutoring continues this week on Monday and Tuesday from 3:30-4:30 pm. Pick-up is at 4:30 pm sharp. 

$2 Dress Down on Friday: Friday, November 8th we will have a $2 dress down day. If your child would like to dress down, please be sure to send them in with $2. 

Grades: Grades are updated and available every Monday at 8 am. Please be sure to check your child's grades often. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out via the School Connect app.

Homework: Homework packets will resume this week. They will go home on Monday and be due on Friday. Please be sure your child is completing ALL of the homework packet, as this is the BIGGEST reason students are missing out on full points. I cannot give full-credit for incomplete work. These packets are supplemental and help the class prepare for our weekly tests and practice our weekly lessons. It is important students are doing/completing these packets.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Unfortunately, I am prohibited from beginning my parent-teacher conferences until December 2nd this year. That being said, I will be posting a sign-up sheet within the next week or two for PTC's. They will run December 2nd through December 5th. Please be sure to sign up for a time slot. We can meet via phone call if you prefer. I will need you to enter a number you would like to be contacted at on the sign-up form if you would prefer this option.

Curriculum: Our first set of interims are officially behind us! The students gave a GREAT effort on these tests and I am VERY proud of them! This week in ELA, students will begin collecting information to write their first informative paper. We will also continue to explore the colonization of America and the battles of the first American colonists. In social studies, students will explore reasons for European colonization and identify push and pull factors that caused nations and individuals to set their sights on the Americas. They will read about the collision of three worlds and begin to consider the consequences of exploration and colonization for Africans, Europeans, and Indigenous peoples. For math, students will continue to work with fractions, diving deeper into LCM's and LCD's. They will also begin working with whole numbers and decimals. In science, we will begin exploring the different states and properties of matter. Students will discover that matter is everywhere! As we are back into the full swing of curriculum, it is important that students are present EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. This is new foundational material that will begin to set us up for Interim 2 and MSTEP. Please ensure your child is present and on-time daily. Student Attendance Matters!!

Gleaner's Food Drive: This is the FINAL week of our Gleaner's Food Drive. The first grade to FILL their box will receive a PIZZA PARTY! Let's FILL OUR BOX! The 5th Grade is collecting Soups, Stews, and Chili. Please be sure to send in these donations to help us reach our goal! I believe in us!!

Important Dates (Mark Your Calendar):

Monday, November 4 - Moral Focus Assembly K-5 8:15-8:30, 6-8 2:15-2:45; Boys basketball try-outs after school.

Tuesday, November 5 - Election Day!  Make your vote count!

Friday, November 8- Progress Report Friday; $ 2.00 Dress Down; Gleaners Last Day for Donations

Wednesday, November 13 - Lock Down - PM; Math Night 4:00-5:00 pm

Friday, November 15 - Gradebook closes. Last day for grades to be entered into Gradebook for Report Cards.

Friday, November 22 - End of Trimester 1; Report Cards Home; Dress Down $2.00

Monday, November 25 - Friday, December 6  - Voice of the Parent Survey Begins

Monday, November 25 - Trimester 2 Begins; Free Dress Down; HONORS ASSEMBLIES Gr. K-2 8:10 am; Gr. 3-5 9:00 am; Gr. 6-8 9:50 am.

Tuesday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Feast & PIE DAY; Free Dress Down

Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Monday - Friday, December 2-6 - Voice of the Parent Continues (Ends on 12/6); Parent Teacher Conference Week

Wednesday, December 4 - Half Day for Parent Teacher Conferences.  PTC's run from 12:00-3:00 pm on this Half Day. 

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to see how your child is doing during the school day/week. I am here for all of you, as well! Also, as always, thank you for your continued support from home. It makes all the difference in the classroom. Have a wonderful Sunday and I will see everyone tomorrow! Go Lions!

-Ms. Winter