It is auction week at Lafayette and everywhere you look you can see all the hard work that has been taking place for the last few months. As you enter the school building through the Broad Branch Road doors, the glass display cabinets are filled with class creations from prekindergarten, kindergarten and third grade. Down in the art room the fifth graders are hard at work sewing their long flying geese strips into their quilt top that will be part of the live auction. My quilt is hanging up outside the clinic. All week long there will be a buzz throughout the building as people come in and out checking various locations to make sure the decorations, caterers and display areas are ready for the big night. Friday after school will start the decorating and soon Lafayette will be transformed into a tropical paradise befitting the theme Havana Nights.

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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

March 18 (Tuesday)

Lafayette Enrichment Program Spring Enrollment Opens

March 20 (Thursday)

HSA Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

March 21 (Friday)

Kindergarten Plays, 1:00 p.m.

March 21 (Friday)

Music & Arts in Our Schools, 2:30 p.m.

March 22 (Saturday)

Auction Party, 7:00 p.m.

See full school calendar

From the HSA

Gayle Moseley & Hope Scheller, co-presidents

As I write this, we are awaiting several more inches of snow. I am optimistic that our children will not miss any more school this year and we will soon be enjoying green grass and pink cherry blossoms. That being said, the kids still need to make up for lost time. Pre-K and 5^th grade graduation dates have not changed, but please be sure to mark your calendars as the following dates are now full school days: Friday, March 28; Monday, June 2; Thursday, June 19; and Friday, June 20 (the last day of school).

You should have received your invitation in the mail to the Havana Nights Gala and Casino Night. The party is this Saturday at Lafayette beginning at 7pm. You may purchase your tickets online in advance for $60/person; please consider the option to sponsor a staff member so they can join in the fun. Tickets will be available at the door for $75/person. There will be some fantastic items up for bidding at the party, but while you are waiting for Saturday to arrive, the online auction has already begun! Please take a look at all the offerings and remember, the money you spend goes directly to Lafayette and pays for things our students are utilizing this school year.

The Principal Selection Committee met for the first time a couple of weeks ago. At the moment, the parents and staff on the committee are meeting separately to discuss the important qualities each are looking for in a new Principal. They are developing a list of questions that will be asked during interviews with the prospective candidates and these questions will need to be approved by DCPS. We are still hoping the interviews will take place in the first half of April. We will keep you posted.

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the DC Department of General Services (DGS) put out a Request for Proposal for architects to bid on the opportunity to be the architect for the upcoming modernization of Lafayette. In preparation of those proposals, which are due March 20, 20+ interested architects toured the school last week. Once the proposals are in, DGS has predicted an architect will be selected by the end of April. The School Improvement Team (comprised of school staff, parents and community members) is meeting for the first time this week to introduce themselves to one another and to go over what to expect in the coming months once the architect is chosen and on into the modernization throughout the next two years. Just as with the Principal selection process, we will keep you posted as new information becomes available. A community meeting will be scheduled in the near future and we'll let you know the specifics once they are known.

Have a great week and we hope to see ALL OF YOU at the Havana Nights Gala on Saturday night!

--Hope & Gayle

See HSA board members

Havana Nights

This Saturday is the biggest party of the year!

Saturday, March 22^nd: open bar, casino, live music, and of course the live auction. Be there...or be square! Buy your tickets now, and take advantage of the $60 presale price! Presale tickets are only available until midnight Thursday, March 20^th; tickets at the door will be $75. Each ticket includes your auction reservation, as well as a $500 voucher to gamble in the casino. To purchase your tickets sign in to Maestro (it's easy to create a new account if you haven't signed in before), and click on the "Tickets" or "RSVP" tab. From there make a selection from the drop down menu and follow the prompts. Tickets at the door will be $75. Each ticket includes your auction reservation, as well as a $500 voucher to gamble in the casino.

While buying your tickets, we hope you'll consider the option to "Sponsor a Teacher" for $25, or "Sponsor a Teacher and Guest" for $50. We love our teachers and staff, and since they do so much for our kids, we give them complimentary tickets to the event. So, we hope you'll help us cover the cost of these tickets.

Check Out the Online Auction: The online auction started last Friday, and will be open until March 23^rd.

Sponsorship/Cash Donations: We can always use cash donations/sponsors. Your donation goes a long way to making this event amazing. Go here for ways to donate cash.

Volunteers: There is still time to sign up to help with decorations on Friday, March 21st, 5-10pm, and to help the evening of the party. Please email us at [email protected] and let us know.

Thank you!

Havana Nights Auction Team

Lafayette Enrichment Update

The Spring Session of the Lafayette Enrichment Program starts on April 22nd! Registration begins next Tuesday, March 25th. Visit our registration site to enroll. The spring Lafayette Enrichment Program (LEP) can be found on the school website in two navigation areas: "For Parents" and "Student Life." Read about changes, browse the new class brochure (paper copy comes home this week), and look at the class calendar.

NoteBusters begins this Thursday March 20^th. HoopEd begins March 25^th Questions? Email Hope Scheller at [email protected]. You may still register at the LEP registration site, and you can enroll on the HoopED website.

Jump Rope for Heart
Donations Due

Margie McClure, Physical Education Teacher

A big thank you to everyone who collected donations for the American Heart Association. Our JRFH event raised $20,841.50! I'm always amazed at the generosity and spirit of the Lafayette community. Fantastic work everyone.

If you did not get a chance to turn in your pledges yet, please do so ASAP. Envelopes with your child's name and class code can be put in Ms. McClure's mail box. Again, thank you for another successful Jump Rope for Heart.

From the Math Center

Erin Betz and Edith Stanton

On Friday, March 14 we celebrated Pi Day with our annual Pi Recitation contest. We had a record number of first graders demonstrate their memorization skills and a fifth grader won overall. The winners are as

1^st Grade: Amalia Kenny (24 digits)

2^nd Grade: Matthew Burris (40 digits)

3^rd Grade: Aaron Gorman (20 digits)

4^th Grade: Jonah Frumkin (136 digits)

5^th Grade: Andy Burris (240 digits)

We are so proud of all the mathematicians who participated and congratulations to the winners!

March Madness Comes to Lafayette!

All basketball games begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Gym.

March 25: Lafayette Students vs. Lafayette Staff

March 26: Lafayette Alumni vs. Lafayette Girls & Boys Teams

March 27: Lafayette Parents vs. Lafayette Staff & Friends

If you wish to play, please see Coach Hover or Coach Jackson.

Spring Fair T-Shirt Contest

Lafayette Spring Fair

T-Shirt Contest

Theme: ABRACADABRA!

T-shirt should also say

"LAFAYETTE 2014 SPRING FAIR"

Color Designs Due March 28

Name on back ... put in Ms. McLaughlin's box

Reminder: Use of Lafayette Directory

The HSA hopes you all find the Lafayette Directory a valuable resource for making play dates and confirming homework assignments, etc. It probably rests in a prominent place in your home. That being said, the personal information in the directory shouldn't be used for leveraging business opportunities or raising money. It's come to our attention that enterprising Lafayette alums have been sending emails asking for funding for school trips. If you receive an email from a stranger (even a Lafayette alum) asking for money to fund projects, please use your personal discretion, but know that Lafayette does not support these types of solicitations.

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

Attention Fifth Grade Parents! The Navigators Career and College Exploration Group begins March 21. Facilitated by counseling interns Jordan Albrite and Lenore Hoover under the supervision of Ms. Diesner, the Navigators group allows fifth graders to use structured activities and group discussion to clarify and explore their skills and interests, and connect these assets to school-based learning and future planning. The group will meet for 30 minutes during the lunch hour, twice weekly for four weeks. Interested students and parents may contact Ms. Albrite ([email protected]) or Ms. Hoover ([email protected]) for more information and a permission slip.

Wilson Crew Plant Sale. The annual Wilson Crew Plant Sale has begun! Get ready for spring and support Wilson Crew at the same time. We are selling beautiful flowering annual plants, herbs and hanging baskets. Every purchase will support Wilson Crew which receives no funding from DCPS.Go to www.wilsoncrew.org to see the great selection. Place your order and a Wilson rower will deliver it to your house starting May 4-5. When you make a purchase, please do not forget to select your favorite Wilson rower so that they receive credit. We have lots of Lafayette siblings and graduates on the team. Take your pick and help them meet their fundraising requirement! Orders are due Wednesday, April 2nd. Questions? Contact Jane Meroney or Anne Morin.

Lafayette Tennis. There are still lots of spaces still open for Afterschool Tennis as of 3/16/14. Check www.LafayetteTennis.org for latest availability or call Paul Rosenbaum at 202-441-0925. Lafayette Lunchtime Tennis starts March 31. Sign up today!

HoopEd AfterSchool Classes Start Next Week! Our AfterSchool classes are set up to allow each child the opportunity to interact freely with their peers and the class instructor. No previous experience is necessary for a child to enroll in a HoopEd AfterSchool class, just come to have fun! Visit www.hoopeducation.com

After School Basketball - Grades K-2, Tuesdays March 25 - June 3, 3:20-4:20pm
After School Basketball - Grades 3-5, Wednesdays March 26 - June 4, 3:20-4:20pm
After School Body Movement & Ball Skills - Grades K-2, Thursdays March 27 - June 5, 3:20-4:20pm

Babysitter needed. We and one other family are looking for a responsible adult to drive two sixth grade boys home after school or sports from Alice Deal middle school on Nebraska Avenue. Approximately four afternoons per week needed. Some time with homework help and dog walking possibly involved too. Approximately $120-150 per week. Please contact Stephanie Miller at 202-458-5815.

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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