Welcome Back to School!  It is so good to see so many returning families, as well as our new La Entrada "Leopards"!

This new school year brings many new changes in our facility, including an expanded lunch area. Students have been enjoying our new lunch table area, a spacious area with enough tables to seat all students. Returning as our Lunch Duty Supervisors this year are: Mr. Chris Nichols, Mr. Joe Patane, Mr. Grayland Jones, Mr. Steve Presley, Mr. Antonio Dillon and Mr. Zerrette Powell. 

Please keep yourself informed by reviewing our La Entrada Website Google Calendar regularly. All important events are listed on this calendar.

Picture Days  

September 10, 2014 - for all 4th and 5th graders and 8th graders in 4th period Social Studies

September 11, 2014 - for all 6th through 8th graders

iClick Photographers will be handling our school photos this year. You will be emailed out information prior to Picture Day.  Pictures will be emailed out to parents and picture orders will be taken online and delivered to your home for a small delivery fee.

Digital TAT2 Parent Presentations  

September 15, 2014, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. in the MUR

October 12, 2014, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the MUR

This is our second year hosting Digital TAT2 Presentations that focus on "digital natives" and their "digital reputations", cyber bullying prevention and other related topics around the benefits and challenges parents and children face today as they live in a 24 hour digital media world. Classroom presentations and grade level assemblies will be between September 8th and October 10th.

First Middle School Dance

September 19, 2014, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.  This dance is open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who have demonstrated appropriate school behavior up to the day of the dance.  Below are our guidelines.  Parents are asked to please remember to call the office during the day or email Mrs. Dineen (sdineen@llesd.org) if your child purchased a ticket but will NOT be attending the dance. 

La Entrada Dance Guidelines

General Guidelines 

Middle School Dances are opportunities to learn how to socialize with peers in a safe and chaperoned environment.  Students are encouraged to dress up for this event and use their best manners, especially when being asked by another student to dance.  If a student has been courageous enough to ask another student to dance, it would be polite to thank them for the invite and accept to dance at least one dance.   No one feels good about being embarrassed when their request for a dance is denied.

Behavior Expectations

• Good manners are to be used at all times: "thank you", "please", or even "you look nice tonight!"
• No running is allowed and shoes must stay on during the whole night.
• The La Entrada Dress Code is to be followed at every dance.
• No cell phone usage during the dance.
• Students are to remain for the duration of the dance (7:00 - 9:30 p.m.), unless special arrangements have been made through the office ahead of time.
• If a student has decided to not attend the dance after purchasing their ticket, a parent must inform the Assistant Principal or the school office so we do not worry about "no shows".

Boundaries

• Students may be in the main hallway from Jensen Hall entrance up to the food table.
• Students may use the middle school restrooms. 
• Students are encouraged to hang out in the MUR if they want a break from the dance music.
• Areas Off Limits:  Lockers, Other Hallways, Blacktop, Parking Lot.
• No student may leave the campus at any time without being signed out.

Food

• Food/drink will only be allowed in the hallway - there is to be no food/drink in Jensen Hall.
• Food/drink is meant as a snack and not a meal.

Chaperones are mandatory at all dances

• Parents and staff chaperones are very important and make dances feasible.
• Chaperones are to sign up with our ASB Teacher, Mrs. Rianda (trianda@llesd.org) and asked to sign-in upon arrival in the Chaperone Binder located in the MUR.  Each dance has two shifts; 6:45 - 8:15 p.m. and 8:00 - 9:30 p.m.  Chaperone duties are outlined in the Chaperone Binder.
• Adult restrooms are located in the main office.  Feel free to walk through Mrs. Dineen's office to access the restroom.
• Chaperones are asked to pay close attention to our boundaries, the food tables (no over-eating), remind students there is no running, and oversee the game room in the MUR.

Safety Reminders

Bicycle Safety Tips

• Be predictable.  This means following the same rules of the road as car drivers do.   This includes obeying all stop signs, traffic signals, and other traffic laws.
• Ride on the right.  Please be sure to ride in the same direction as traffic.  Stay visible to traffic by not weaving in and out of parked cars.
• Wear your helmet and buckle it every time.
• Make eye contact with drivers.  This is particularly important at intersections and driveways.  Don't assume drivers see you.
• You always have the option of getting off your bike and becoming a pedestrian.  This may be the safest thing to do at busy intersections.  Remember that anytime you use a crosswalk, you are a pedestrian.  You must walk your bike in crosswalks.
• Do not carry things in your hands.  This includes iPods and cell phones.
• All bikes, skateboards and scooters are to be walked on the sidewalk both coming and going via Altschul Avenue.  This is a one-way street with many parents dropping off and picking up students so safety dictates that students walk on the sidewalk from the District Office's driveway up to the bike rack and visa versa.

Pedestrian Safety Tips

• Be alert: look for cars coming in all directions before crossing a street.  Also watch for cars backing out of driveways.  The drivers can't always see you.
• Don't assume drivers see you: make eye contact with drivers at intersections and driveways.
• Be predictable: follow the rules for crossing streets and intersections.  Wait until it is your turn.

Forgotten Lunches/Instruments/Homework 

• Forgotten lunches/instruments/homework can be dropped off in the front office.  Students are to check the office for their forgotten items, which will be stored on the shelf next to our communication boxes. Students are to check in the office either during a recess period or a passing period to pick up their items.  Instructional time will not be interrupted with classroom deliveries.
• Our Homework Policy, located on our website, clarifies the procedure for requesting homework when your child is sick.  Below is a copy of the script, for your convenience.
• Access to classrooms:  It is our policy to not have custodians unlock classrooms for any reason after school.  If your child has forgotten something in a classroom, they will need to wait until the next day to retrieve their item.  

Policy for Requesting Homework When Absent Due to Illness

When a child is at home sick, we believe that s/he should rest at home and get well so that s/he can return to school as soon as possible. We also recognize that once a child is on the mend but not quite well enough to return to school, the child may want some work to do at home. If you would like to request work that your child can do while s/he absent due to an illness, call or email Marja Rudge or Marie Stosz by 9:00 a.m. on the day you wish to pick up the work. Requests made after 9:00 a.m. will not be available on the same day.  Any work provided by a teacher will be in a box in the office after 3:00 p.m. If someone other than a parent or sibling is going to pick up the homework, please let Mrs. Rudge or Mrs. Stosz know when the request for homework is made. We feel these procedures will be more efficient for both parents and teachers - parents will not have to individually contact teachers, and teachers will get only one request a day from the office instead of many requests scattered throughout the day.  The highest priority is for the student to return to school healthy and able to participate in class. In order to not overburden a child with make-up work, teachers will only request make-up work that is necessary in order for the student to be able to continue to be successful in class.  The office phone number is 854-3962. Email: mrudge@llesd.org, mstosz@llesd.org.