Tuesday Bulletin
Lafayette Elementary Home and School Association 
Suzanne Stokes Vieth, editor March 12, 2013
In This Issue
From the HSA
HSA Budget Discussion
Auction Thanks
Citywide Spelling Bee
From the Art Room
Counselor's Corner
Technology Update
School Boundary Letter
Community Notices
Lafayette Sponsors
Make a Submission
Join Our Mailing List
Quick Links...
 Principal 
Lynn Main  
Lynn Main

March is Arts in the Schools Month and the students at Lafayette take some time on Friday afternoons to celebrate the musical accomplishments of their fellow classmates. Mrs. Porter spends January and February identifying our student performers. They do a tryout in their music class where they are the Star Performers of the Day. Those who want to play for the school are given their date and their big day arrives. In front of 400-500 students they take the stage in the Great Hall and do their best.

 Read More

Mark Your Calendar  

March 13 (Wednesday)
Internet Safety Discussion, 7 p.m.

March 14 (Thursday)
HSA Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

March 20 (Wednesday)
HSA Open Chat, 8:45 a.m.
Potomac Pizza Night, 4-9 p.m.
Parent Discussion: HSA Budget, 7:30 p.m. (NEW: see below)

March 21 (Thursday)
Counselor/Parent Pick-Up Group, 2:15 p.m

March 28 (Thursday)
March Madness Basketball Game, 4 p.m.

March 29 (Friday)
Early Dismissal, 12:15 p.m.
  
April 8 (Monday)
School Resumes
  
April 10 (Wednesday)
LSAT Meeting, 7:45 a.m.


 See full school calendar 

From the HSA 

Jenny Murray & Gayle Moseley, co-presidents 
  
Wow! What a fantastic party the Casino Royale Auction was on Saturday night! Thanks to so many of you for coming out for a good time and to support Lafayette. The food and drinks were delish, Karen Gray's lovely voice was so welcoming upon everyone's arrival, the live auction was definitely entertaining with Craig Sechler at the mike, as was the gambling and dancing. And thank you "Princess" for helping us get our groove on once again. It was nice to see so many teachers and staff mixing it up with the parents.

Hope Scheller and Julie Raley cannot be thanked enough for all their hard work planning and organizing the auction this year. Shannon Behm also played a major role preparing for Saturday night's party - an amazing feat it is to make us almost forget we're in our kids' school! To all the category co-chairs and countless parent volunteers who solicited and gathered and organized and created and decorated and gave of themselves to help put together Lafayette's biggest fundraiser. The HSA truly appreciates your dedication and to that end we thank you all.

If you think you might like to be more involved in the efforts of the HSA, please reach out to the Nominating Committee (info below) and they can give you more information about the different board positions to see if there's a role you might like to take on next school year.

- Gayle & Jenny

 
Looking for a Few Good Men and Women

Now that we've dug into our pockets to help make the Auction a success, here is an important opportunity to support Lafayette that costs nothing. The Lafayette Home and School Association (HSA) is looking for candidates for the 2013-2014 Board of Directors. This is the team that runs the parent association and coordinates its many activities to support students, parents, teachers and administrators at Lafayette. More than a dozen positions are open, with a wide range of duties. This is a great way to connect with other parents, help make tangible improvements at Lafayette, and make your voice heard on important school issues. Board members will be elected this spring, to serve for the 2013-14 school year. Keep an eye out for more detailed information soon and if you are interested and want to hear more, contact Liz Wieser 
or Holly Idelson.
  

See HSA board members 

Parent Discussion:

Next Year's HSA Budget

 

Next Wednesday, March 20 at 7:30 pm, we invite all parents to an informal discussion to talk about next year's HSA budget. We will begin our budget planning process in April, so we would like to get your input in advance.

 

This is your opportunity to give us your thoughts about any changes you'd like to see in how HSA money is spent at the school. If you can't make it to the meeting, please feel free email Jenny Murray or Gayle Moseley with your thoughts. Hope to see you there!   

From the Auction Co-Chairs

Hope Scheller and Julie Raley

 

We would like to thank everyone for coming out to the Casino Royale auction party on Saturday night. We both truly appreciate your support and generosity! Thank you to all of our volunteers--the party would not have happened without you. A big thank you to Karen Gray and her band for the awesome music at the beginning of the night, which really set the tone for a fabulous evening! Thank you to Craig Sechler for bringing in the money and making Live fun! And to Princess--thank you for closing out the party as only you can!

 

Hope & Julie

Citywide Spelling Bee Buzz 

Kathy Echave, Reading Specialist 

 

The auction wasn't the only big event involving Lafayette this week. The Washington Informer city-wide spelling bee taped at NBC-4 studios showcased the spelling talents of fourth grader Linnea Byrne-Kvalsvik. In February, Linnea won the Cluster bee earningSpelling Bee  the right to participate in the city-wide competition. She represented Lafayette well, correctly spelling her way through five grueling rounds against some really tough opponents. Linnea was the last fourth grader to go down in what turned out to be a battle of some middle school spelling bee veterans.

  
A change to the local rules this year allowed two former city-wide winners to compete. In the past, city-wide winners were prevented from ever competing again. That change gave Donovan Rolle, an eighth grader at Howard University Mathematics and Science Middle school and the city's 2011 spelling bee winner, a chance to show his spelling prowess. And show it he did. Donovan won first place and will represent Washington, DC in the National Spelling Bee which will be held in Prince George's County in May. Donovan's winning word? B-l-a-n-q-u-e-t-t-e, meaning a stew of light meat or seafood in white sauce.
  
In an interesting twist over last year  when all the finalists were girls, this year's competition had an all-male final four. Taking second place behind Donovan was Deal seventh grader Alex Togneri-Jones, the 2012 spLinnea Byrne-Kvalsvikelling bee city champ who will certainly be one of the peop le to beat next year. In a tie for third place were Deal seventh grader Justin Atwood and Washington Latin seventh grader, Eric Wright, also likely favorites to make it to next year's city-wide competition.
  
To see Linnea and all the spelling action be sure to watch NBC-4 on April 21 at noon. By the way the word that stumped Linnea was t-r-a-t-t-o-r-i-a, meaning a small Italian restaurant. Next year, Lafayette's own spelling bee committee will be sure to stress the food words!   
From the Art Room

Laurie McLaughlin, Art Teacher Grades 1-5


 
Calling all ARCHITECTS! The third grade is in the middle of our architecture unit and would love to have an architect come share their tools, plans, job description and more with our third graders. I have a parent willing to come into Ms. Yedwab's class on Monday, but still need someone for Ms. Powell's class on Tuesday morning at 9:00- 9:45 March 19 or 26. I also need a parent who would be willing to share with Rogall and Jensen on Friday March 15 or 22 at 9-9:45 and at 10:00-10:45. Please send me an e-mail if you can help with either or both of these times: [email protected].

Spring 2013 Art Intern
I am delighted to introduce Jennifer George, our new student teacher in art. Ms. George comes to us from George Washington University and brings her talents to our Lafayette community for the next eight weeks!


Finally, remember the SPRING FAIR T-SHIRT CONTEST. The theme this year is "Cirque de Lafayette!" Students interested in working on a design should draw their idea on 8 � X 11 paper (computer printer paper is fine) using no more than 5 colors. Include the theme "Cirque de Lafayette" in your design and submit your finished designs to Ms. McLaughlin by March 15. Fourth and fifth grade students are also welcome to work on their designs at Open Art during the noon hour each day.


March Counselor's Corner

Jillian Diesner, School Counselor

 

Please plan to attend our discussion on Internet Safety, which will take place on Wednesday (tomorrow!) at 7pm here at Lafayette. Representatives from iKeepSafe will be on hand to teach us more about internet safety and how we can make sure our kids stay safe online. Check out the flyer, and I hope to see you on Wednesday evening!

 

In other news, our Pennies for Patients fundraiser began yesterday, and each child should have brought home their penny collection boxes with a letter explaining the event. We are asking that they bring their boxes back each Friday so we can total each class amounts. The 3-week fundraiser will end on Friday, March 29. The two classes that raise the most money will win a pizza party, and any class that raises at least $100 will earn a class pennant. Our overall goal is to raise $3000 for this worthwhile cause, so please dig through your couch cushions, car seats, and pockets and get rid of that pesky change!

  

Our character education word for March is DETERMINATION. For the lower grades, each child is naming a goal he or she wants to achieve. The list of goals is posted in the classrooms, and the students are going to show determination by working on their goal as much as possible this month. Some examples of goals kids have set are learning to ride a bike without training wheels, do a cartwheel, tying shoelaces, reading a chapter book, and doing the monkey bars backwards! So, if your child comes home and tells you he has to practice a particular activity, you'll know he's trying to show determination!

 

Finally, I invite all of you to check out the long-awaited, much-anticipated Lafayette Oasis Blog:http://lafayetteoasis.blogspot.com

Here you will find information on what's happening in the Oasis, as well as summaries from our recent Parent Pick-Up group discussions. Many thanks to my wonderful intern, Kathryn Moore, for setting our blog up and showing us how to use it! For those of you who haven't yet met Kathryn, here is her bio:

 

Kathryn Moore is from West Chester, Pennsylvania and has been living in DC for the past 3 years. She is currently a graduate student at GWU and will be completing her post-Master's certificate in School Counseling in May. She obtained her Master's degree in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland. Kathryn interned at School Without Walls High School in DC last semester and will be working here at Lafayette until May. She enjoys running, baking, and spending time with friends and family. Kathryn is very excited to join the Lafayette community!

Lafayette Technology Upgrade 

Nathan Wieand, Technology Coordinator

 

Lafayette is going to have an awesome school-wide technologMr. Weiandy upgrade! A great big thank you goes out to everyone who has helped makes this upgrade possible: Mr. and Mrs. Main, HSA co-presidents Jenny and Gayle, the Lafayette Technology Committee, and all of the members of the HSA. Thank you all so much!

 

For those of you who haven't heard the details of the upgrade, please let me explain. The HSA has generously approved $75,000 in school-wide technology improvements. This will include an interactive white board or a document camera in every homeroom classroom as well as up to 7 computers with a locking cart to store and charge them in. The computers we have decided to purchase are called ChromeBooks and at about $240 apiece they still pack a lot of punch.

 

A ChromeBook is a simplified version of a laptop. It does not run standard applications like Microsoft Word, or Pages, but instead runs Google Apps and a Google Chrome Web Browser. There are apps for just about everything you can imagine and most of them are free. We have already set up Google Apps accounts for every student in the school and will be handing them out once the staff is trained and the equipment has arrived. One of the nicest features of the ChromeBooks is that if a student is working on something at school, they can go home, sign into their account and continue working on it from there. Basically, they have access to their files from any computer with Internet access. We are currently blocking the Gmail feature, but will consider using it in the future. We are also going to purchase math and reading site licenses for the teachers to use with their students in their classrooms.

 

In order to ensure we are integrating the new technology with fidelity we are implementing a school-wide professional development plan. This plan includes a bi-monthly study group focusing on the different pieces of technology, Team Geniuses who will act as technology points of contact on each team, in-house professional development from certified trainers, and staff observations and demonstration lessons. I too will be available to help with the implementation of the upgrade as much as possible.

 

We are all greatly looking forward to the upgrade and the impressive affects it will have on the way we teach our students. If you would like more information about the upgrade click here to view the presentation that was used at the HSA board and general meetings.

 

Please also see this handout, which more thoroughly explains what the HSA upgrade is funding and where various pieces of equipment will end up. Thank you again to everyone for your participation in and support of this effort. It will undoubtedly help us better prepare our students with relevant 21st century skills.  

School Boundary Letter

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to add your name to the letter in support of maintaining the Lafayette, Deal, Wilson feeder pattern. To do so, please visit please visit www.sites.google.com/site/lafayetteunited
-Community   
Community Notices

 

Spring NoteBUSTERS -- The Wizard of OZ meets the Wiz and it's WICKED!!!!
Yes, we've added some favorite tunes from WICKED (along with favorites from the Wizard of Oz and the WIZ) to the show this spring. NoteBUSTERS meets after school on Thursdays starting March 21 at Lafayette with the final grand performance on Sunday, June 2. Register now for this amazing after school program at www.notebusters.org.

 

Mad Science:  This spring, Mad Science will be offering Sensational Science. Students will earn many amazing aspects of heat and friction, magnetic magic and sonic sounds to name a few.

Details: Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30 pm from April 10 through May 29 and Fridays, 3:30-4:30 from April 12 through May 31. Registration is first come first served, so register now to secure your spot. Visit the Mad Science website to learn more and to register online at www.madscience.org/dc. For ages K-5. Registration deadline is Wednesday, March 27, 2013.

Cost: $129 for 8 weeks

Contact Laura Lindsley, [email protected], or Mia Diaz at 301-593-4777.  

  

Are you looking for a good book?  Then stop by the Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School PTSA Used Book Sale this weekend, March 16 (10 am to 4 pm) and March 17 (10 am to 3 pm). There will be thousands of books for sales - all under $3.00 - in every category including history, sports, health, politics, travel, cooking, home & garden, graphic novels, comic books, and a huge selection of recently published fiction & children's books. Stop by to see the multitudes of barely used children's books your children will love that won't break the bank! Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School is located at 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD  20814.

 

Tippi Toes Dance Classes after school

Winter/Spring Session (Rolling Admission)

Tippi Toes has been providing fun, energetic dance classes to

children for 14 years. We are excited to be providing this program

to Lafayette on Tuesday afternoons! For more info check out this flyer.

 

Expert tutor helps students find more satisfaction in learning. Fifteen years of teaching (and tutoring) experience specializing in English, writing, math, and study skills. Frequently tutor younger students in reading and phonics; also teach SAT prep classes. Experienced coach for AD/HD, LD, and G/T students. Combined MFA degree in literature/creative writing. Have worked since 2003 with students in grades 2-12 at Lafayette, Wilson, Burning Tree, Carderock Springs, Bannockburn, Pyle, Whitman, B-CC, and Churchill, among others. Plenty of references available. For more information, call Bill Jackson, 301-229-2602, or visit www.billjacksontutoring.com.  

   

I am looking for childcare for my easy going baby from May 13th through the end of the school year, during the school day only. He will be five and a half months old. Could be nanny share or a nanny whose charges are in school during the day. Am flexible about where. Details to be worked out with nanny and family. Please contact Dina Shapiro at [email protected].

 

Summer Patchwork Memory Pillow Camp
Have a collection of baby clothes or other favorite toddler clothes that you have been meaning to make into a keepsake? Have your child learn how to hand stitch, while making a patchwork pillow this summer! If you don't have clothes, your child can make a pillow out of his/her favorite colors to add to his/her bed! Camp weeks are June 24-28 or July 9-12. Email Edie Stanton if interested at [email protected]. Thanks!

Thank You Lafayette Sponsors!

 

These organizations support Lafayette through a generous annual donation- please support them!

 

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.