Last week we celebrated a very successful Dot Day on September 15th. We spent the day celebrating courage, creativity, and "making your mark" in the world. This day embodies all that teachers do every day with our students here at Lafayette. Thank you to Laurie, McLaughlin, Andrea Perll, and to all of our teachers, staff and students for making Dot Day (and every day) so special. Thank you also to the parents that helped hang the phenomenal artwork in the cafeteria. The building is really starting to feel more "lived in" and reflect the vibrant learning that occurs every day.

Aside from the fabulous new artwork, we are finding that the cafeteria is generating some buzz this fall. One term that I have heard through the grapevine that needs some clarification is "

silent lunch". Students are not expected to eat in silence. During lunch, we ask the kids to transition into the cafeteria (either from recess or from the classroom) by having 7 minutes of quiet lunch. We play music (instrumental only :-)) and the kids take the first seven minutes to focus on unpacking their lunches, calm a bit if they are coming in from the playground and generally settle everyone in.  After the 7 minutes, kids talk with one another. We find that this transition helps the students remember to eat (especially the younger ones). This is the same procedure the teachers used in the tent last year during lunch and they are using again this year.  We find it to be very effective in keeping the lunchroom positive, kids eating, and pleasant. The kids have been really patient as we work out the kinks of living in our new cafeteria. Currently, I am still working with DGS and DCPS to continue to find ways to mitigate the sound level of the space.

Click here to read more about our new food vendor, and the start of many of our favorite activities including running teams and clubs and our student publications.