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From the Principal
Lynn Main
It is time to get your calendars out as we race and I mean race to the end of this school year. When people talk about how busy they are during the winter holiday season I know they have never taught in a school. Thanksgiving to New Year's might seem like a challenge but May and June in an elementary school are pretty close to crazy.
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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.
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Mark Your Calendar
May 5-9
Teacher Appreciation Week
May 7 (Wednesday)
Walk & Bike to School Day
May 8 (Thursday) Arts Night I May 12 (Monday) Essay Night at the Book Fair, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
May 14 (Wednesday)
DC Theater Cafe
May 15 (Thursday)
DC Theater Cafe
HSA General Meeting
May 22 (Thursday Arts Night II
See full school calendar
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From the HSA
Gayle Moseley & Hope Scheller, co-presidents
Saturday was an amazing day at Lafayette! The sun was shining, the kids were smiling and just like magic, delicious baked goods and salads appeared and then Abracadabra! . . . they were gone! The Spring Fair once again brought out the entire community to enjoy the beautiful weather and all the fun of our annual fair. Thank you so much to the event chairs, Barbara Noguera, Marilyn Kitzes, Julie Maner and Julie Waterman for all of your hard work. These ladies have been working on this event since February! Many thanks also go to all the category chairs and the many parent volunteers who made the day possible - you are all fabulous! With the Spring Fair behind us, there's still some big stuff coming up in May . . . Walk & Bike to School Day is Wednesday (see article below for details). Help ease congestion and pollution while doing something fun and good for you! Let's see how many of you can take the challenge to walk or ride your bike to school tomorrow! Arts Night I & II - The first of two Arts Nights is this Thursday, May 8th featuring the artwork and talent of our youngest students in pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st Grade. The second Arts Night is Thursday, May 22nd featuring the artwork and talent of our holder students in 2nd through 5th Grade. HSA General Meeting - Next Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. ALL parents are invited to attend this important meeting where we will vote for next year's HSA Board members and LSAT parent representatives (please see the list of candidates and their statements below). Also at this meeting the HSA will present its draft budget for next school year. Please come to the meeting and give us your thoughts about where your money is spent. We rely heavily on you to raise these funds, so it is only fair that your thoughts are included during this very important meeting. A large portion of our budget goes to paying for our unique mindfulness program taught by Peace Teacher Linda Ryden and we would like to know how valuable this program is to you and your family. Based on comments received during and after Thursday's meeting, the draft budget may be revised, with the final budget presented for approval at our final General Meeting of the year on June 5th to be accepted as the operating budget for the 2014-2015 school year. Have a great week! Gayle & Hope See HSA board members
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HSA Nominations for Board Positions
2014-15 
The following parents are running for the HSA Board. The election will be held on May 15 at the general HSA meeting. Please click here to read their bios and statements.
Co-President: Laura Lindsley
1st Vice President: Kristin Willsey
2nd Vice President: Marek Gootman, Nadia Gold-Moritz
Co -Treasurer: Josh Gordon
Ways and Means (2 positions): Shannon Behm, Chris Lisi-Frillici
Membership: Jenny Backus
Volunteer Coordinator: Eileen Dombo
Early Childhood: Eve Bennet
Environment: Keith Jones
Hospitality (2 positions): Sarah Rabasco, Lisa Mitchell
Outreach/Tours: Jen Lanoff
Communications: Stacy Beck
Community Representatives: Joseph Nelson, Mark Friedman
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Meet and Greet HSA Board Nominees
 Meet and Greet postponed to next Tuesday - not tonight! Please join parents next Tuesday May 13, 6:30-7:30 p.m., and meet the HSA Board Candidates. Come meet the candidates in the school cafetorium. Refreshments will be served. Any questions please feel free to contact Phoebe Millon [email protected] or 202-380-8924 See you next Tuesday. Cheers! |
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Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) Elections for 2014-2015
The Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) is a group of elected and appointed members that exists for every DCPS school. The team consists of parents, teachers, non-instructional school staff and a community member to advise the Principal on matters that promote high expectations and high achievement for all students. These teams were initially established to serve in an advisory capacity to the Principal for the purpose of improving student outcomes.
We have six wonderful parents who have decided to run for the four Local School Advisory Team representative positions: Kerrie Bouker, Eden Burgess, Jared Cohen, Laura Dunleavy Nelms, Vonda J. Orders and Laura Phinizy. Please read through their statements in preparation for the election at our next General Meeting on Thursday, May 15.
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It's Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
 Please join us in celebrating the amazing people who make Lafayette such a special place. Each year, one of the best things the H S A gets to do is organize a special week in May for us all to recognize, honor and thank the incredibly hardworking staff and teachers of Lafayette Elementary School and this is our week to do that! Our teachers and staff are not only the pride of this community but are the pride of this city as well. Their hard work, drive to succeed, and dedication to our kids is the reason why Lafayette is consistently ranked at the top of every list when it comes to great schools. Now it is time to thank them and we need your help. Each day this week we have organized a special treat for the team but we need you and your children to make it extra special. Starting on Tuesday May 6, we will have special thank you signs in the Great Hall and along the Pre-K Hallway that we would like the students to sign and send along their own special messages of thanks. Please encourage your child to stop by and sign their name. We also are asking every student to bring a flower to school on Thursday May 8 for their teacher for Flower Day. We just need one flower per child and we will provide the vases. Just have your children bring their flower to their classroom or to the staff member they want to recognize. Of course special personal messages of thanks and appreciation are also welcome. Below is a full schedule of what we have planned. And there is more to come as the year winds down. Stay tuned for more details at the end of the week with some great suggestions about how PARENTS can help thank our teachers too. Monday May 5 - Surprise Pizza Lunch for Staff and Teachers We surprised our great Lafayette staff this AM with a special pizza lunch from Potomac Pizza. Tuesday May 6 -Sign the Thank Cards in the Great Hall & Listen For the Special Morning Announcement For Our Teachers. Wednesday May 7 - Hot Breakfast from the Broad Branch Market Tracy and the amazing team at Broad bBanch Market are cooking up some delicious treats to help our teachers and staff start off the day on the right foot. Thursday May 8 - Bring a Flower to your teacher. Please have your child bring a flower for their teacher and or favorite staff member. We will have vases in every room in the school. Friday May 9 -Special Staff Relaxation Room We are turning the teachers lounge into a special relaxation room on Friday, complete with chair messages. Thanks for your support of Teacher Appreciation Week and thanks to our amazing team of teachers, administrators and staff here at Lafayette. The H S A Hospitality Committee and all the members of the H S A and LSAT. |
Arts Night I
 Arts Night 1 - Thursday, May 8 6:00-8:00 p.m. - Step Team, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, Beginner Band, Advanced Band, Guitar Ensemble. Arts Night is a wonderful evening of our children's art. Each child has a piece of artwork hung in the school, as well as a performance on stage. Below is the schedule for Arts Night I. 6:00 Step Team 6:10 Pre-Kindergarten songs: Good Ol' Happy Song, Little Spider, Spring Has Sprung, Cuculi 6:20 Kindergarten songs: Storm Dance, Put Your Finger in the Air, One Green Jellybean 6:30 1st Grade songs: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, The Music of Your Voice (poem) 6:50 Beginner Band songs: Chorales 1 & 3, Good King Wenceslas 7:05 Advanced Band songs: Regal March, Batman Theme, Creatures in the Attic 7:30 Guitar Ensemble songs: Selections to be determined
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School Essay Contest Winners
Celebrate at Essay Night at the Book Fair, May 12 from 6:45-7:45 p.m. Judging for Lafayette's Annual Essay Contest is complete and the results for 2014 have been tallied. Congratulations to all first, second and third place winners in grades 3-5 who are listed below. Please show your support for these talented young writers by joining the teachers of the Reading/Library Committee in celebrating Essay Night at the Book Fair on Monday, May 12. The event will be held in the Great Hall from 6:45-7:45 p.m. First place winners will read their entries, and all winners will receive prizes and award certificates. Shop the school's book fair, too. (Exact times for shopping before and after Essay Night festivities TBA by Ms. Perlin).    |
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Fourth Grade Battle of the Books
photos by: Jordan Engel and Nicky Cassol-Pawson
First Place: Cool Cats of 2014
Second Place: BOB's Brilliant Brains
Third Place: Book Bears
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Bike to School Day is Tomorrow!
 Rain or shine, hop on your bike, scooter, tricycle or just put on your sneakers and walk to school! If you want to ride with a big crew, join the bike train. The train will be departing from the corner of Utah Ave. and 32nd St. NW at 8:15. We'd prefer that parents join their children on the train if they might need assistance en route, though walking is fine. We'll have prize tables set up in front of and behind the school with Clif Bars (donated by Clif) and stickers for anyone who participated. Let's beat Key Elementary for participation and win that golden bicycle! If you can help with the train or the prize tables, please let Katie Burke know at [email protected]. See you in the morning!
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Girls on the Run
 Empower the next generation of girls to run this city. Join us for the Girls on the Run - DC Community 5K, presented by TIC Summer Camp, on Saturday, May 17. You'll be supporting both the girls in the Lafayette GOTR program and your community. It's a fun run and runners / walkers of all ages can participate. Register at: https://www.raceplanner.com/register/Index/girls_on_the_run_dc_spring_2014_5k
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Mindfulness Report
 Exciting News!!! Lafayette's Peace of Mind program will be featured on Fox 5 news on May 13th! Last week we were visited by Fox reporter Laura Evans who interviewed Ms. Ryden and several students about the benefits of mindfulness. She also sat in on Peace Class. She seemed so excited about what we are doing here at Lafayette and impressed by how well our students were able to articulate what mindfulness means to them. We'll keep you posted as soon as we find out the time and we'll post a link to the segment here when we get it. Are you interested in practicing mindfulness at home with your child? We have gotten requests from parents who would like to share their child's mindfulness experience at home. I hear all the time from the kids about how they are using their mindfulness skills to help them at home, from dealing with conflicts with siblings, dealing with disappointments, overcoming fears, concentrating during sports, etc. There are many ways that you can help them practice these skills at home. You might even decide to start practicing yourself! If you are interested in attending a short workshop on practicing mindfulness at home please let me know. - Ms. Ryden( [email protected]) |
 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.
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Community Notices
Bethesda Soccer Camp. This is a recreational and developmental soccer camp. Many players and teams find the progression from recreational programs to travel (NCSL/WAGS) a significant challenge. This camp aims to prepare players who are interested in joining these leagues in the future. The emphasis is on player skill development, as well as gaining experience by playing small sided scrimmages. Campers also play other age appropriate soccer related games and activities that help develop skills in a fun setting. The Washington Episcopal School has a brand new turf field, grass field and gym to play futsal in. The campus is ideal for a terrific soccer camp. Camp is directed by Aron Gyorgy, and staffed by current and former college level players that have a successful history working with youth soccer players.
For all the details and registration go to the camps website. Group discounts available.
www.bethesdasoccercamp.com
June 16 - August 8, 2014
Washington Episcopal School (5600 Little Falls Parkway, Bethesda, MD 20816)
Co-ed ages 5-14.
First Touch Soccer
2014 Spring/Summer Programs
Dates: May 2
June 2
June 16-20
June 23-27
June 30-July 3
August 11-15
August 18-22
August 25-29
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (half day)
9:30 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 week (All day)
$160/player/all week (Half day)
$60/player (All day)
$40/player (Half day)
Details
-All skill levels and abilities.
-Focus on dribbling, passing, receiving, controlling, first touch and shooting.
-Use multiple formats of small-side games to apply skills.
-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 at:
www.FirstTouchSoccer.org
or
202.256.2558
The DC Youth Futbol Club (DCYFC) is forming competitive U10 through U13 boys' soccer teams to compete in a local league for Fall 2014. Established in 2011, DCYFC conducts training on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Upper NW DC using an Academy-style approach focusing on skill development and game understanding. DCYFC also plays intra-club scrimmages on Sundays from 3:00pm to 6:00pm throughout the spring. Tryouts for the competitive teams will be conducted from 6:30pm - 8:00pm on Tuesday, May 6, 13, 20 and 27 at the Palisades Recreation Center turf field. You will also be required to complete a "Skills Evaluation Process" conducted by MSI, Inc. Please visit www.DCYouthFutbolClub.org for more information or email to [email protected].
The Wizard of Oz!
Bring the whole family to see Alice Deal Middle School's stage production of The Wizard of Oz!
Thursday and Friday, May 8th and 9th at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 10th at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets available at the door
Students $5 / Adults $10
Alice Deal Middle School Auditorium
3815 Fort Drive
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Thank You Lafayette Sponsors!
These organizations support Lafayette through a generous annual donation- please support them!
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Make a Submission
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