So it all boils down to this. An entire year's work at Lafayette will be measured and evaluated by how our 3rd -5th grade students do on the DC Comprehensive Assessment System the weeks of March 31st and April 7th .

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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 25 (Tuesday)

Lafayette Enrichment Program Spring Enrollment Opens

March Madness: Lafayette Students vs. Staff, 4:30 p.m.

March 26 (Wednesday)

March Madness: Lafayette Alumni vs. Girls & Boys, 4:30 p.m.

March 27 (Thursday)

March Madness: Lafayette Parents vs. Staff & Friends, 4:30 p.m.

March 28 (Friday)

Kindergarten Plays, 9:30 a.m.

March 31 (Monday)

DC-CAS Testing Begins

April 3 (Thursday)

General HSA Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

See full school calendar

From the HSA

Gayle Moseley & Hope Scheller, co-presidents

This weekend was a whirlwind. The school was transformed from an ordinary school into the "Havana Club" in preparation for our annual auction party on Saturday Night. The auction party is always a good time and this one was no exception! A BIG thank you to Brooke Evans and Jen Younger for putting together one fabulous night in Havana. Thanks to our auctioneer Craig Sechler- it wouldn't be near as much fun without you. Without Ryan Wallace, the lighting and amazing flower hula hoops would have taken days, not hours-thank you. Music can make any event. Thank you to Mr. Holmes & Mr. Steele for opening up the evening, and to Full-Blown Hysterics for closing out the evening. Last, but not least, thank you to our check-in crew. We couldn't have done it without you. The auction was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who participated, both online and at the party.

Registration for the Spring Session of the Lafayette Enrichment Programs (LEP) begins today. Please see the article below for more details.

March Madness comes to Lafayette this week! Parents, staff, alumni and students are taking on one another during the week. Come out and join in, or cheer everyone on from the sidelines. Details about March Madness can be found in the article below.

Have a great week!

--Hope & Gayle

See HSA board members

Registration for the Lafayette Enrichment Program is now open!

The Spring Session starts on April 22nd.
Visit our registration site and enroll today.

The new 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, and look at the class calendar.

Questions? Email Hope Scheller at [email protected] .

March Madness Comes to Lafayette!

All basketball games begin at 4:30 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.

Diabetes Walk for the Cure
Chris Cockrell

We are excited to share that our school will be hosting a JDRF Kids Walk to Cure Diabetes! JDRF is the leading organization focused on type 1 diabetes research, and they do an amazing job of outreach to educate the public about this disease.

We will kick off our Walk for the Cure with an exciting and informative assembly on Wednesday, and distribution of packets for fundraising. Be sure to watch out for these packets in your child's backpack!

Our efforts will then culminate in a school-wide walk at school the afternoon of April 9.

Throughout the 2 week fundraiser, kids will learn facts about diabetes, and how important fitness and nutrition are in keeping yourself healthy.

Thank you in advance for helping us support JDRF with finding a cure!

The attached letter will go home with each student.

Teaching Peace
Linda Ryden

Today I had a visit from a Lafayette graduate who is now in 9th grade at Wilson. He came by, he said, to apologize to me. He hugged me and said, "Ms. Ryden, I'm sorry for all the **** I gave you in Peace class!" I laughed because what I remembered about him was that he was a skeptic who found Peace class a little too "touchy-feely" for his taste. But then he said, "You know, I never appreciated what I was learning in Peace class at the time, but all through middle school I found that I was using the stuff you taught me all the time. I guess I had to get a little more mature to realize it." He talked about thinking about other people's feelings, understanding his own, and using the conflict resolution skills he learned at Lafayette. Hearing a story like this obviously warms my heart because as teachers we never know whether or not we are really having an impact on a child. It's a good reminder that we really don't know what is going on in a child's mind and we never know if the seeds we plant when they are young are going to grow and flower. It's good to know that sometimes those flowers can bloom in the most unlikely places!

If you would like to find out more about what your child is experiencing in Peace Class come to our event, "Mindfulness and Your Child" on Thursday April 3 at 7:00 p.m. (right after the HSA general meeting). Feel free to contact me for more information at [email protected].

School Improvement

The School Improvement Team has started meeting. On March 12, over 20 architects and engineers toured Lafayette asking questions about the school and its programs. They will be submitting their responses to the Department of General Services by the first of April. After the architectural firm is selected, community meetings will be scheduled to gather information from both the school as well as the larger Chevy Chase area. These meetings should start around the first of May.

There will be NO changes to the Lafayette school site or to Lafayette Park this summer. All planned activities will go forward as already scheduled.

2014-2015 School Calendar
calendar august

The calendar for the 2014-15 school year is now posted on the DCPS school website
at http://dcps.dc.gov/portal/site/DCPS. School starts next year on August 25.

Lost & Found

The lost and found (back in the corner on the way to the music room) will be emptied and all items donated to charity over spring break. Please check before then to see what items might belong to you! Thanks.

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

Exciting Author at Barstons Child's Play! Students are invited to attend an exciting author event at Barstons Child's Play! New York Times bestselling author, Wendy Mass, will be visiting our Arlington location (4510 Lee Highway) on Wed. April 2, at 4:00 p.m. and our Washington DC location on Thurs., April 3 at 4:00 p.m.

Ms. Mass will be promoting her new early chapter book series, Space Taxi. She is well known for her other works including A Mango-Shaped Space and Candymakers.

>> Download event flyer

Kids Elite Sports Camp. There's a new summer camp coming to Wilson High School's state-of-the-art facility this summer. Kids Elite Sports Camp operates under the direction of Coach D (Desmond Dunham), the head coach of Wilson's cross country and track programs and former coach at Roosevelt High School.

Kids Elite Sports Camp provides an array of recreational and competitive, individual and team sports with a focus on having fun and developing an active and healthy lifestyle. Coach D's coaching creates an atmosphere that encourages personal development (grit) in both the classroom and with athletics.

For more information, check out the website at www.kidselitesports.com.

Camp Local. Come gear up for summer fun at the Takoma Park Maryland Library with a special event on Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m., featuring local children's author and Lafayette mom Kitson Jazynka, author of "Nate's Story," the second book in the Boys Camp Book series. Jazynka will read from her book and take questions from the audience; boys and girls will create their own mini camp, complete with map, free mini-compass or treat, and even a new camp song. Copies of "Nate's Story" and "Zack's Story," the first books in the series, will be available for sale, courtesy of Politics & Prose Bookstore. The local founders of Boys Camp, Ann Hendrix-Jenkins and Valerie Tripp will be on hand to help. The mini-camp getaway is free and open to the public, and no purchase is required to attend. Click here for more information.

First Touch Soccer Spring Break Programs.

Dates:

March 24-28

April 7-11

April 14-18

Time:

9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (half day)

9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (all day)

Location:

Palisades Recreation Center Turf Field

(5200 Sherier Place NW DC)

Who:

Girls and Boys Ages 7 and Older

(Younger players on a case by case basis)

Cost:

$250/player (All day/All Week)

$160/player (Half day/All Week)

$60/player (One day)

$40/player (Half day)

Details:

Player/Coach ratio approximately 7:1.
Emphasis on skill development including dribbling, ball control, passing, shooting, small-side games and team work.
Great atmosphere.

Registration and further information www.FirstTouchSoccer.org or 202.256.2558.

Walking for a Cure! For the fifth year in a row my daughter and I are participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer here in DC, May 3 and 4. We will be walking 40 miles over 2 days to help fund breast cancer research and treatment here in the DC area. In order to walk, I need to raise $1800 and we'd love to raise even more for the cause! If you would like to donate, you can do so online at www.avonwalk.org/goto/MargaretQuinn or by dropping off a check made out to "Avon Walk for Breast Cancer" with Kia Ghamarian in Pre-K. Thank you to all the parents and teachers who have already donated - the support of the Lafayette community means so much to me. -- Margaret Quinn.

Lafayette Lunchtime Tennis Starts next week on March 31. The Lafayette Lunchtime Tennis program for 1st-5th graders will begin on March 31 and run for 10 weeks ending on June 13. The regular schedule for the Lunchtime Tennis program is as follows:

Monday - 3rd Graders
Tuesday - 2nd Graders
Wednesday - 1st Graders
Thursday - 4th Graders
Friday - 5th Graders (4th Graders doing band)

Schedules may shift during a week with days off because of DCPS or holidays. If your child is involved in other activities during lunchtime, they are welcome to shift their tennis playing time to a class one grade above or below their own.

The fee for the 10 weeks is $100. Grade schedules will be set for each class based on other activities such as band practices that take place during lunch recess. Children with a split lunch, play first from noon to 12:40 then eat at 12:40 during the 3rd shift of the lunch period. Students may take only one lunchtime tennis class per week. Those who want to play more tennis can sign up for the Lafayette Afterschool Tennis. You can go to www.LafayetteTennis.org to get a copy of the registration form or pick one up from the brochure rack in the Great Hall. It is a great way for school friends to enjoy a fun physical activity together during their lunch recess. You can always contact me with questions at [email protected] or 202 441-0925. .

Lafayette Adult Morning Tennis started two weeks ago but still has many slots open. It runs for another 12 weeks starting this week and runs through June 20th. The fee for the 12 weeks is $257. Classes are available for beginners and experienced players. Please go to www.LafayetteTennis.org to get a registration form and find out the weekly schedule by skill level. The website will also tell you how many slots are still available for each class. Call me with questions or to sign up at 202 441-0925 or email me at [email protected].

The Children's Art Studio, a local nonprofit, invites the children of Lafayette Elementary School to join us for After School Classes. Courses will introduce children to the techniques of collage, sculpture, printing, drawing and painting. Color theory, quality of line, composition, contour, tone and balance are ideas we will explore as we look at examples of art history and learn to make rewarding projects over the ten-week session. Tuesday is for PK and K. Wednesday is for First, Second and Third grade students. Thursday is a mixed age class held a little later in the day at 4:30. We hope your child will join us!

Please see our site for more information and to enroll: www.childrensartstudio.org

Book Sale on Saturday. Books of all kinds (including audio) plus CDs and DVDs and some jewelry will be sold Saturday, March 29, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW (corner of New Mexico). Proceeds will support United Methodist Women's projects that benefit women and children in need. Coffee and pastries will be available, and from 10 to 11:30 we'll have a story time circle/read-aloud for younger children. Ample free parking. Don't miss this chance to spruce up your library while contributing to a good cause. 202-966-3287 for more info.

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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