| From Principal Lynn Main
Dinosaurs! By far the biggest and best science topic of all in the primary grades at Lafayette. Just say the word and each and every child starts to regale you with information about the meanest, the biggest and the most unusual dinosaur that ever lived. A book about dinosaurs is to be read, read and read again as more dinosaur trivia is added to what is already known. >>read more
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Mark Your Calendar
February 29 (Wednesday)
Jump Rope for Heart
March 5 (Monday)
Lafayette Potomac Pizza Night, 4-9 p.m.
March 9 (Friday)
-"Bid for Bears" Online Auction Kick-Off Party, 7-11 p.m.
Speaker, sex-talk expert Deborah Roffman, 7 p.m.
March 18 (Sunday)
Last day of Online Auction
March 23 (Friday)
No school; Professional Development Day
See full school calendar |
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From the HSA
Dan Aladjem & Jenny Murray, co-presidents
We often write about questions in this column. I'm happy to finally provide an answer (albeit limited) to one of the most frequently asked questions: when is Lafayette going to be renovated? Answer: any day now. Almost literally. As plans develop, the school and the HSA will provide more details. Here's the basic plan: to alleviate some of the pressing crowding and noise issues right away, we'll be getting more trailers (or as DCPS calls them, demountables) this summer. Ok, boo-hiss, yeah I know. The good news is that these are new and improved. (Take a look at these pictures of the new trailers at Powell.) There's a hallway inside, a restroom (maybe 2), and in all likelihood a covered walkway. We're not yet certain exactly where they'll go. The most obvious place is of course on the greentop, but that's yet to be decided since there are pros and cons to the greentop. The other good news is that they'll only be around for a short time. This fall, we'll begin planning the modernization/renovation of Lafayette. During the summer of 2013, the current classroom spaces will be fully modernized (that means walls people and new technology and more reliable heating and cooling and all sorts of other good things). Then during the 2013-14 school year, we'll see an addition to Lafayette built. Where it goes, what it looks like, etc., is, as you'd expect, one big question mark right now. That's what the planning process slated to begin this fall will address. So just keep those questions coming. We'll answer them. Eventually. -Dan
See HSA board members
Join the HSA
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| Girls Basketball Captures City Title!
Congratulations to Coach Jackson and the entire girls basketball team for their amazing victory over rivals Murch Mustangs last night. Fans gathered in the Deal Middle School gym to witness the Bears win the DCIAA Elementary School Girls City Basketball Championship game by a final score of 19-16. Fifth grader Ana Fischer was named the game's MVP. Huge congratulations to the whole team and heartfelt thanks to Coach Jackson and Coach Hoover -- what an amazing first season!
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Jump Rope for Heart
Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 29
Pre-K & K: 12:00-1:15pm
Grades 1-5: 3:15-5:30pm
Jump Rope for Heart is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 29. Pre-K, K and 1st grade will be jumping away from 12:00 -1:15. Our older children will be getting their hearts pumping from 3:15-5:30. All activities will take place in the gym. Only children who have already turned in permission slips will be able to participate. Afterschool participants should be picked up at 5:30 by the gym.
All participants should wear comfortable clothes and sneakers. No personal items will be allowed in the gym. We will be very crowded and it will not be safe to have spectators. Please only come into the gym if you have volunteered. We could use more volunteers. Shoot me an email today if you can help.
Jump Rope for Heart is a great activity to teach our children the importance of community service and the importance of being moderately to vigorously active every day for 60 minutes. Thank you to the Lafayette community for embracing these two ideals. Let's do what we can to keep our children moving and continue to reach out to others in need.
Pledges are not due until March 9th. When finished collecting please place funds in the JRFH envelope, fill it out completely, and then put in the JRFH box in the Great Hall. If you do collect pledges please try to convert any cash in to a check. This makes the process more manageable. All checks should be made out to the "American Heart Association".
Collecting pledges has never been easier. Just register online at www.americanheart.org/jump. Click on Washington DC, and then find Lafayette and you're ready to register. If you have any questions please see Ms. Perll or Ms. McClure ( [email protected]) And thank you for your incredible support of this event. Ms. McClure
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BIDS FOR BEARS AUCTION: Your Questions Answered!
 Over the past week, we've received a number of questions concerning the Bids for Bears fundraising auction and the kick-off party on Friday, March 9. Here are the answers to the queries most frequently received:
Who can bid on the items? Bidding is open to all! One of the biggest benefits of having everything online is that bidding is not limited to those attending the auction party. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors to place their bids!Do I need to register on the auction site before viewing what's available? No. Anyone can browse the site now without setting up an I.D. for bidding (or "creating a record," as the website refers to it). Go to www.lafayettehsa.org and click on "Online Auction: Bids for Bears" to see all the fabulous auction items in the online catalog.
Once the auction goes live on March 9, anyone who wants to bid must create a record on the site and input a credit card number. We have an account set up with IATS (International Automated Transactions Service) to securely process the credit card transactions. No one involved in the auction ever sees the credit card numbers; everything is processed through IATS.
How do I bid once the auction gets started? There will be a bid button on each item page once the auction is launched. There will also be a minimum bid set for each item. The bid raises will also be predetermined, so you do not need to put in the amount of your bid raise; the system does it for you. For instance, if you are bidding on Ms. Baldwin's Class Creation, the opening bid is $75 and each additional bid might mean an increase of $10. No one will see what you're bidding on, but you will receive an automatically generated e-mail if you've been outbid. You can bid on as many items as you like simultaneously. So bid early and often!
What is the "Best of Live! Online Raffle"? How do I buy tickets? The "Best of Live! Online Raffle" tickets will be on sale Wednesday, February 29 - Friday, March 2 before and after school, or until sold out. These tickets usually sell out fast, so don't wait to buy yours! 50 tickets will be available at $100 each. The winning ticket allows you to pick YOUR CHOICE of any of the twelve Live! Online items, which include: an Orlando Parks Getaways; the Lafayette Wine Cellar; a NYC trip to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart; the always popular Meal-A-Week; Guess Who's Coming WITH Dinner, and much more. Check out the online catalog for a full description of all the wonderful Live! Online items.
What's the story with the Kick-Off Party? The Kick-Off party on Friday, March 9 is for parents, teachers and staff. The purpose of the party, other than to get together with fellow parents, teacher and staff for an evening of fun, is to highlight the auction in general and some of the items available in particular. For instance, all the Class Creations will be on display at the party. There will also be computer stations set up if you'd like to start bidding on something, or if you'd like to sign up for a party. Be sure to have a look at the "Parent Parties" on the auction website - these are events primarily open only to Lafayette parents and they typically fill up quickly. We will also be highlighting the items in Live! Online at the party and holding the Best of Live! Online Raffle drawing.
AUCTION KICK-OFF PARTY: BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY! As mentioned in last week's Tuesday Bulletin, tickets are now on sale for the Auction Kick-Off Party on Friday, March 9! Purchase them for $25 each on the Lafayette website. And don't wait-while tickets will be available at the door, they'll cost $35 (credit cards only).
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| Who Deserves a Shout Out?
 Let's recognize those who do so much to make Lafayette the remarkable school it is! Know of a parent in our Lafayette community who deserves recognition? Someone who's shown their Lafayette Bear pride in a unique or noteworthy way? We'd love to hear your suggestions for any Lafayette parents we can highlight on the school website, www.lafayettehsa.org. Please send your recommendations to Lisa Resch at [email protected].
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Lafayette Potomac Pizza Night
Monday, March 5, 4-9 p.m.
 Please come join us at Potomac Pizza in Chevy Chase Center for some great food, good company and most importantly to help the Lafayette HSA raise money! Please either dine in or carry out with us and we will donate 20% of your proceeds back to them! Tell your server or cashier that you're here to support the Lafayette and they'll add you to the totals.
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Calling all Lafayette Students!
Design the 2012 Spring Fair T-Shirt
Theme: Lafayette Luau
Submissions Due: March 9, 2012 Put your colorful designs in Ms. McLaughlin's box. Design should reflect the theme and include the date of the fair: May 5, 2012. Please write your name on the back of your design. |
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Deborah Roffman on Talking to Young Children About Sex: Getting It Right from the Start
Wednesday, March 14, 7 p.m.
Do you wonder what information about sexuality is age-appropriate for your elementary school children? Are you nervous about starting the discussion or are you seeking information about what topics to cover at what age? Please join us on Wednesday, March 14 at
7 p.m. in the Lafayette auditorium for a discussion about raising sexually healthy children.
Our speaker will be Deborah Roffman, a distinguished educator, author, consultant and leader in the field of sex education. Ms. Roffman is known for her wise, warm and practical advice. She is the author of two well-regarded books: Sex and Sensibility: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense about Sex, and But How Did I Get in There in the First Place?: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking to Young Children about Sex.
>> read more
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Sign Up for the NoteBUSTERS Singing Group Now!
 It's going to be so fun -- songs from the movie "Grease" and "Footloose" all rolled into one -- culminating in a performance at Deal Middle School's new auditorium on May 20. NoteBUSTERS is an after school vocal music experience open to children at Lafayette in grades 1 through 5. NoteBUSTERS teaches children to have fun through singing and to enjoy performing in front of a live audience. The children have weekly opportunities to gain confidence by standing up in front of their peers to sing by themselves or in small groups.
NoteBUSTERS will meet at Lafayette on Thursdays after shcool (3:15) in the music room beginning March 8. Pick up is at 4:00. Please visit www.notebusters.org to register your child for noteBUSTERS. The fee is $100 per child for the spring session. (Fees may be reduced or waived for financial burden at principal discretion.) For additional information please email [email protected].
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Shop at Politics & Prose, Eat at Terasol and Comet Pizza to Support Wilson High School!
Plan to shop and eat March 3 & 4
Come shop at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Saturday and Sunday, March 3 & 4 to help raise important funds for the Wilson PTSA. Politics & Prose will donate 20 percent of all book sales to the PTSA if you tell the cashier that you're a Wilson supporter. In addition, teacher and library "wish lists" will be available at the Wilson table, across from the children's section.
Afterward, dine at nearby Comet Pizza or Terasol Restaurant, identify yourself as a Wilson supporter, and the restaurant will donate a portion of your tab to the school. Please urge your friends and neighbors to shop and eat in support of Wilson! |
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HSA Nominations
Parents: The HSA is accepting nominations for open Offices for next school year and hope you will consider whether you want to join this important group of volunteer parents. The following officers for Fall 2012 are needed: Co-President, Co-Vice President, Co-Treasurer, Ways and Means, and Hospitality. You do not have to have attended HSA meetings or even actively participated as a parent volunteer in the past. The HSA simply needs committed and creative parents who would like to help lead Lafayette in coming years. For questions about these Offices or to express interest, contact on of the members of the nominating committee: Jennifer Gootman ([email protected]), Eileen Dombo ([email protected]), Jay Younger ([email protected]), or Rani Haigler ([email protected]).
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| Arts Integration Update
Jackie Snowden
 One of the things I miss by not having my own classroom is working directly with students so I have been very excited to go into my colleagues' classrooms and share in the arts integration (AI) strategies being used. Ms. Baker's Pre K class and I learned more about how to use the Actor's Toolbox as Ms. Diesner had already introduced it to them. Read more.
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| Track Season Underway
Robert Thurston, track coach
This week marks the beginning of the 2012 Spring Track and Field Season, with practices on Monday through Thursday after school this week and continuing through the City Championship on May 16. Track events include individual races from the 100 m dash through the 1600 m run, along with hurdle and relay events. Field events are the long, triple, and high jumps, and the shot put. More information and the necessary forms are available from Mr. Thurston at Lafayette or electronically at [email protected]. We are looking forward to another great season!
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| Girls on the Run Registration
We are currently registering girls (in 3rd-5th grades) for the 2012 Spring GOTR team, which starts the week of March 5th. To learn more about GOTR and read the parents FAQ, visit: http://gotrdc.org/our-program/. We have three coaches lined up and have room for up to 30 girls in the program. The group will be meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3:30-5:00 p.m., beginning on March 6th. The coaches will be bringing everyone up to speed on the GOTR curriculum, but you can get an overview here: http://gotrdc.org/our-program/subpage-for-about/girls-on-the-run. Deadline for registration is 3:30pm on Friday, March 2nd. Please fill out an application and put it with your check in the box marked "GOTR" on top of the grey HSA filing cabinet in the Great Hall. Any questions e-mail Marc Ciagne or call 202-701-0069.
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Lafayette Tennis Programs Spring 2012
Paul Rosenbaum  Given the variety of activities that the kids have during lunchtime, I want to list the routine schedule for the Lafayette Lunchtime Tennis program: Monday - 3rd Graders Tuesday - 2nd Graders Wednesday - 1st Graders Thursday - 4th Graders (join 5th graders on Fri. if conflicts with band) Friday - 5th Graders (join 4th graders on Thurs. if conflicts with band) These days may move around because of weather, holidays, days off and grade level activities. The Lafayette Lunchtime Tennis program for 1st-5th graders will begin on March 26th and run for 10 weeks ending on June 8th with a week off during Spring Break April 2-9. The fee for the 10 weeks is $100. Children with a split lunch play first from noon to 12:20 then eat at 12:20 during the 3rd shift of the lunch period. Students may take only one lunchtime tennis class per week. Those who want to play more tennis can sign up for the Lafayette Afterschool Tennis. You can go to www.LafayetteTennis.org to get a copy of the registration form or pick one up from the brochure rack in the Great Hall. It is a great way for school friends to enjoy a fun physical activity together during their lunch recess. You can always contact me with questions at [email protected] or 202 441-0925. Lafayette Afterschool Tennis (LAT) runs for 11 weeks starting on March 26th and running through June 8th. The fee for the 11 weeks is $165. The program will be open to boys and girls age 5 through 15. Classes for younger players will be held at 3:30 and 4:30. Classes for teens will be held at 5:30. Please go to www.LafayetteTennis.org to get a registration form and find out the weekly schedule by age and skill level. The website will also tell you how many slots are still available for each class. Call me with questions or to sign up at 202-441-0925 or email me at [email protected]. |
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Shop at Politics & Prose, Eat at Terasol and Comet Pizza to Support Wilson!
Plan to shop and eat March 3 & 4
Come shop at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Saturday and Sunday, March 3 & 4 to help raise important funds for the Wilson PTSA. Politics & Prose will donate 20 percent of all book sales to the PTSA if you tell the cashier that you're a Wilson supporter. In addition, teacher and library "wish lists" will be available at the Wilson table, across from the children's section.
Afterward, dine at nearby Comet Pizza or Terasol Restaurant, identify yourself as a Wilson supporter, and the restaurant will donate a portion of your tab to the school. Please urge your friends and neighbors to shop and eat in support of Wilson!
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Community Notices
Join Cap City Little League for a Free Baseball Clinic designed for 5 & 6 year old boys and girls on March 11. See details.
Expert tutor can help students study more efficiently, reduce stress, and find more satisfaction in learning. Fifteen years of teaching (and tutoring) experience specializing in English, writing, history, and study skills. Frequently tutor younger students in reading, phonics, and math. Also tutor algebra I, geometry, and for SAT/PSAT. Experienced coach for AD/HD, LD, and G/T students. Combined MFA degree in literature/creative writing. Have worked since 2003 with DC and MCPS students in grades 2-12 at Lafayette, Wilson, Carderock Springs, Bannockburn, Burning Tree, Pyle, Whitman, B-CC, and Churchill, as well as privates Washington Waldorf, Maret, and McLean of Maryland, among others. Plenty of references available; will come to you. For more information, call Bill Jackson, 202-244-4911, or visit www.billjacksontutoring.com
House/Pet-Sitting Available. Lafayette grandparents coming to visit March 24-April 22 available to house sit any or all of those weeks, while spending time closer to their family. Happy to look after your plants, pets, etc. Contact: Lafayette mom Betsy Andersen, 202-258-8328.
Experienced Babysitter available Monday through Friday afternoons. Excellent references from neighborhood families. Please contact Zoraida or call (301) 335-0539.
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Thank You Lafayette Sponsors!
These organizations support Lafayette through a generous annual donation- please support them!
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| Make a Submission
Submissions for next week's issue should be emailed to [email protected]. Submissions are due by 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Submissions received after this time will be included in the following issue, unless instructed otherwise. Please keep submissions brief. Longer articles may be truncated at the editor's discretion, with a link to the full text.
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