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From Principal Lynn Main
 If you took a survey of the students at Lafayette asking them what the best time of the school day is, I think quite a few would tell you lunch and recess. >> Read More |
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Mark Your Calendar
October 3 (Wednesday)
Walk to School Day
LSAT Meeting
October 8 (Monday)
No School: Columbus Day
October 11 (Thursday)
HSA Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
October 17 (Wednesday)
HSA Open Chat, 8:45 a.m.
October 19 (Friday)
No School: Professional Development Day
October 22 (Monday)
No School: Conference Day
October 23 (Tuesday)
Picture Day
October 27 (Saturday) Fall Festival, 3-5:30 p.m.
October 31 (Wednesday)Halloween Parade, 1:30 p.m. See full school calendar
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From the HSA
Jenny Murray & Gayle Moseley, co-presidents
What a great turnout at last week's HSA General Meeting! For those of you who were there, we know it was long, but we had so many things to share and discuss. We really appreciate the participation and loved seeing some new faces in the crowd. One topic that was discussed that we're particularly happy about is the landscaping that's about to take place in front of the school. Lafayette was in desperate need of some curb appeal and now it's going to happen.
Fall is definitely upon us - my back yard is constantly covered in acorns, no matter how many times we sweep the patio! There's a little nip in the air in the mornings now and my daughters are already planning their Halloween costumes! Happy October!
Gayle
See HSA board members
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HSA Survey Results
 You may recall that the HSA did a survey last spring to understand how we might better meet the needs of the parent body. We learned parents' preferred method of communication (Tuesday Bulletin), which HSA activities are most important to you (Tuesday Bulletin and the Family Directory were at the top), what you use most on the website (calendar), and much more. Thank you to all the parents who took the time to participate - we are trying to put this information to good use to improve how the HSA operates.
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Fall Festival 2012: A Harry Potter Experience!
Saturday, October 27
3:00 - 5:30 p.m.
This year's Festival will magically turn our beloved Lafayette into Hogwarts for a day! We'll have Harry Potter games and crafts, a Hogwarts Haunted House, a Potion Station for our little wizards and witches, and much, much more. Come in costume, enjoy the moon bounces, Bake Sale, Pie Bake-Off, and other treats.
Following the festival, stick around for a special screening of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the Cafetorium at 5:30 p.m.
Kids Passes will be available at the HSA website soon.
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!
We rely on parent volunteers for a successful Festival. It's a great way to support Lafayette, meet other members of the community, and help put on a great event. We are still in search of parents to shadow this year's Chairs, with an eye toward taking the reins in future year(s). Step right up and learn the ropes!
The Fall Festival is also looking for a couple of Captains to oversee 1) our Movie Night and 2) the carnival games. We will solicit volunteers to staff these events, Captains will be asked to manage preparation, set-up, and run the event on October 27.
Room parents will be notifying each class of other volunteer opportunities this week. In the meantime, please contact our Festival chairs to offer whatever help you might provide: Brendan O'Brien ([email protected]) and Annie Bennett ([email protected]).
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Morning Drop-off on Northampton
 As you may know, Lafayette offers a curb-side drop-off on Northampton St, in front of the blue doors. Mr. Catapano (also known as Mr. C) has been opening car doors every morning, usually assisted by either Mr. McCoy or Mrs. Main. This is a very quick and convenient way for you to drop your child at school without having to park and walk them in. In order for the drop-off lane to work effectively, we ask that you please follow these guidelines:
- Have your child sitting on the passenger side of the car. This allows your child to easily and safely exit the car onto the sidewalk (instead of the street!).
- Please pull all the way forward, just past the blue doors, so that there is room for cars to line up behind you while your child is being let out of the car.
- Please do not get out of your car to assist your child. If your child needs help, Mr. C will assist.
- Once your child has exited the car, please pull forward and continue down Northampton so that the cars behind you can pull up and don't have to go around you. Remember to look to your left and behind you before pulling forward to make sure other cars aren't passing by.
Thank you for helping us make our drop off safe and efficient for everyone!
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Walk/Bike To School Day is Tomorrow!
Please join your friends and neighbors for a fun walk or bike ride to school tomorrow! The event will go on rain or shine, and there will be prizes for all students who participate! This year we will be having "walking school buses" to help include those students who may live too far to walk or who otherwise wouldn't be able to participate. You can drop your children off by 8:15 at the corner of 32nd and Tennyson Sts. NW or at the corner of McKinley and 30th Sts. NW to walk up to school with parent chaperones. Your children can also join up with either "bus" along its route to the school. A map of the routes is available here. If you have any questions about the walking buses or the event, please contact Katie Burke at [email protected].
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Lafayette's "Run Across the Whole Country" Team Makes Great Strides
Sponsors Lauren Shapiro and Bob Thurston
There is a new and exciting activity at Lafayette, open to 2nd through 5th graders: we are running laps around the Lafayette track from 12:00 to 12:15 daily. Participants keep track of their distance by collecting "lap sticks", then "kilometer sticks" in various denominations. We are tallying up all the kilometers we run and then using the distance to "run across the country". After one week we have logged 340 kilometers (about 212 miles) and we are already in Morgantown, West Virginia!
Every day so far we have lots more runners than the day before, so we have been pretty much swamped as we try to keep the system going. This is a good problem to have, but all the same we would love to have some volunteers to help us out. We will be recruiting 4th and 5th graders to serve as "lap captains" but we need some grownups also. If we get enough folks involved we may be able to extend this to some of the younger children and possibly extend the times when kids can do it.
Some staff members are going to help out by walking or running laps. We hope all of the students will join us before long! Walking instead of running is fine also.
Beginning this week we will be displaying our progress on a large map in the great hall-look for it there!
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Lafayette Invitational Cross Country Meet
Coaches R. Thurston, A. Powell, and J. Catapano
The first meet of the season for our cross-country runners is the Lafayette Meet, to be held this Thursday, October 4, at Colmar Manor Park. This park is just a little ways outside the District Line off of Bladensburg Road (just beyond Fort Lincoln cemetery). Events begin at 3:30 p.m. with the elementary boys, followed shortly by elementary girls.
We invite folks who would like to come to cheer on our Lafayette runners. Also we are in need of volunteers to help us with the running and the management of the race. Please contact the school to let us know if you can help out in some way.
Go Lafayette!
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Check out the Re-organized Lost & Found
 Lafayette's Lost & Found (located near the library entrance between the front desk and the hallway to the music room) is already brimming with found sweatshirts, sweaters, baseball gloves, lunch boxes, water bottles and a pair of brand new pink and purple girls rain boots.
A reminder to please:
- Put your child's first and last name on clothing and personal items
- Check out the newly organized Lost & Found with a clothes rack that should make it easier to reunite lost items with their owners
- If you find something (especially if it's wet), please bring it to the Lost & Found and hang it up.
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 What's Happening in Front of the School?
You may have noticed some activity on the bank in front of the school last week. We are happy to report that DCPS is addressing the erosion problems at the front of the school on the bank around the school sign, as well as on the hillside under the pine trees next to the trailers. They will be doing extensive plantings to control the erosion in these areas and add some much needed greenery to these muddy slopes. We have asked whether the project might be expanded to address the muddy areas in front of the 1st and 2nd grade entrances at the front of the school - we are waiting to hear back on that request. They hope to finish work by late October or early November, weather permitting. |
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Want to Be a Hero?
Lafayette is looking for a few good businesses (or individuals) to join the ranks of the Lafayette Sponsors who provide invaluable financial support to our school. Supporting Lafayette as a Sponsor is a great way to increase your business' exposure to the hundreds of families that make up the Lafayette community, and to support all the great programs and activities carried out by the Home and School Association. Annual Sponsors get daily recognition all year long with their name and logo on the home page of the HSA's website, recognition in the Tuesday Bulletin that gets emailed to 500+ families every week, and in promotional materials for each of our main fundraising events.
We offer three levels of sponsorship to suit every budget. Your contribution is tax deductible and makes a world of difference to the kids at Lafayette! If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Shannon Behm.
Learn more and sign up!
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Community Notices
Piano instruction. Experienced piano teacher has openings for private students ages 7 and older in Silver Spring studio. Please contact Leah Kocsis at [email protected].
Tutor available. Does your child need a little extra help? Do you want your child challenged? Edie Stanton is happy to help with your reading, writing, handwriting, and math needs. E-mail her at [email protected] to set up a meeting to discuss your child's needs.
Donate new and gently used Halloween costumes. Guy (3rd grade), Maya (Kindergarten) and Amalia (Kindergarten) Kenny are collecting costumes over the next two weeks to be used by homelesschildren so that they have something fun to wear when they go out to trick or treat. There will be large donation boxes with bright orange signs both in the Great Hall at Lafayette Elementary and at Broad Branch Market. Your costume donation will help the children that participate in the Homeless Children's Playtime Project. HCPP will distribute the new and gently used costumes to homeless children living in shelters and temporary housing. If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Knoll at (202) 441-2301
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Thank You Lafayette Sponsors!
These organizations support Lafayette through a generous annual donation- please support them!
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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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