Back in the olden days, like the 50's and 60's, the Sunday night television ritual in my family consisted of watching the Ed Sullivan Show. On our one black-and-white TV,( my parents finally got color when I went off to college), a wide range of human entertainment was on display for our enjoyment. Always a classical artist or two. When was the last time you saw an opera diva on national TV, except for pledge week on PBS?

Please Read:

DCPS Attendance Protocol

1) The Office of Youth Engagement now identifies students who accrue 10 unexcused absences as "chronically truant."

2) Students must be referred to court once they have reached 15 unexcused absences.

3) Students must be at school 80% of the entire school day in order to be considered "present".

Reminder

The only excusable reasons for a student's late arrival and/or absence from school are:

Illness or medical cause (a doctor's note is needed for 5 or more absences)
Medical or dental appointment
Death in the student's immediate family
Summoned to attend in judicial proceeding
Religious holiday
Lawful exclusion or expulsion from school
Failure of DC to provide transportation
Emergency or circumstances approved by LEA

In order to be acknowledged as "excused" the student must provide a note to the attendance counselor (written or electronically) from the parent and/or guardian citing at least one of the reasons listed above.

If you have any questions please contact the office and ask to speak to Ms. Bright, or email her.

Mark Your Calendar

December 12 (Thursday)

HSA Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

December 19 (Thursday)

Winter holiday parties

December 23 (Monday)

No School - Winter Break

January 7 (Tuesday)

School Resumes

January 16 (Thursday)

HSA Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

January 20 (Monday)

No School - MLK Day

See full school calendar

From the HSA

Gayle Moseley & Hope Scheller, co-presidents

If your kids are like mine, they are counting the days until the break. Ten more days after today!

A heartfelt thanks goes out to Laura Scalzo for once again organizing and planning this year's Coats & Cocktails Event last Friday evening. Also, thank you Jennifer & Jason Bertsch for opening your lovely home to everyone. Many Lafayette families contributed to and helped sponsor this annual event so that families at Bruce Monroe and Neval Thomas Elementary Schools in DC will have proper coats (and hats and scarves and gloves and boots) to stay warm this winter. The Principal and Assistant Principal of Neval Thomas were there and so eloquently expressed their genuine appreciation for the outreach from the Lafayette community - a tradition we hope to continue for many years to come.

DCPS is beginning to plan the next fiscal year. In an effort to be more transparent and offer opportunity for public input, they are seeking your feedback to understand what matters to you. They are particularly interested in your thoughts on the following three priorities:

Continuing to improve the 40 lowest performing schools.
Improving middle schools for families and students.
Making sure DCPS students love their schools.

More information about the process and a survey can be found on the DCPS website.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey at the bottom of the web page, particularly with regard to your thoughts on improving the middle schools in the city as that is the next step for most of us here at Lafayette.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

-- Gayle & Hope

See HSA board members

Join the HSA

Spelling Bee Update

How Often Should I Attend Practice?

Spelling bee practice is in its second week, and the 30+ fourth and fifth graders who have signed up are being joined by third graders who won their classroom spelling bees for the right toparticipate. A question we often get asked is: How many days should I attend practice?

The best answer is as often as you can, but at least two or three times a week. We know that there are many conflicting activities during lunch/recess that vie for a student's time. While many gifted spellers may need less practice than other students, most of us do need to learn/review words in a systematic way. Some students work with parents on the word lists at home, but some rely only on the school practices. In the end, it is usually a combination of home and school support that produces the school's spelling bee winners.

All word lists, study tips, and website suggestions for additional study are online . So, forgetting to bring home a word list is NOT a reason to lose precious study time during the winter break.

Good Luck, spellers!

Buy a WLES Shout Out

Have a custom message read to your child during the morning announcements. It is a great way to say "Happy Birthday," "Good Luck" or just send a fun message to your child at the beginning of the school day. Print and fill out this form, place it and a payment of $15 (checks made out to Lafayette HSA) in the WLES Shout Out box in the Great Hall. Announcements and payment must be received at least seven days prior to the announcement date. Please contact Eden Burgess for more information.

Community
Community Notices

Girls Empowerment Group

Wilson Senior Rosie Cohen (daughter of Peace teacher Linda Ryden) will be offering a free, 8-week program for 5th grade girls starting in February. "Girl Sense" will focus on media literacy, feminism, friendship, and self-empowerment. Workshops will include group discussion, videos, and role-playing. We'll meet from 3:30-4:30 in The Oasis (on Team 3) on Tuesdays or Thursdays (depending on what day works for more people). If you think your daughter might be interested or if you'd like more information please contact Rosie at

Lost: Boys' Bright Yellow Gap Winter Jacket

My son, Gabriel Satin (Ms. Jensen's class), said his jacket "disappeared" during recess (along with hat and gloves). If you've seen, kindly return it to his class or call Marilyn Kitzes at 917-676-4461. His name is written inside. Thanks!

Unique Opportunity to See Deborah Roffman, Acclaimed Author and Sex Educator

You have the chance to sign up for an intimate seminar with acclaimed author and sex educator, Debbie Roffman. You may recognize her name as she spoke a few years ago at Lafayette Elementary School to a huge crowd. She's a fabulous speaker and so informative and approachable.

You can read more about her and her accolades here. This is a unique opportunity as it's a small group setting with lots of Q&A. You can sign up on Eventbrite, but note that space is limited to the first 25 sign ups.

HoopEd and A Long Summer are teaming up this winter to bring you the Beginner Ballers Instructional League. We will meet Saturday mornings to work on skills such as dribbling, shooting, catching, passing, pivoting and defense PLUS controlled game play.

Kids will learn the basics and have fun in a low pressure environment! An hour of jam packed activities developing basketball skills, friendships and memories!

Boys and Girls are Welcome!

Our Lady of Lourdes (Bethesda): Grades K-4th

Saturdays, December 14 - March 8

(12 WEEKS - NO CLASS DECEMBER 28)

www.hoopeducation.com to REGISTER!

Join the DC Youth Orchestra Program for music classes and ensemble rehearsals this Spring at Eastern High School on Capitol Hill. Most classes and rehearsals are on Saturdays, but some beginning classes are offered on Tuesday evenings. Students at all levels and from the entire DC/MD/VA area are welcome. Students who already play an instrument need to schedule an audition to determine the appropriate class and ensemble. The Spring semester begins on January 25 (the Youth Orchestra and Junior Orchestra begin January 18). The last day to register is January 18. For more information and to register go to www.dcyop.org

Thank You Lafayette Sponsors!

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

Learn more about becoming a Lafayette sponsor.

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