In The Laidlaw Loop
Weekly Newsletter: August 19, 2022
Dear Laidlaw Families,
It has been a busy week at Laidlaw. Just as you all have (hopefully!) been enjoying a final week of the summer sunshine, things have been bustling here as we prepare to welcome students next week. Our 12 new staff members completed their new teacher orientation this week and learned all things D101 while working closely with their mentor teachers. Returning staff members have been hard at work getting their rooms ready and meeting with their team members as they prepare the first week's lessons. And, our amazing custodial team has been diligently cleaning Laidlaw from top to bottom to ready the building for the first day of school. On a personal note, I really loved getting to meet so many families this week at the principal meet & greets and at forms and fees drop off. Thank you to those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to welcome me personally. I find myself repeating the same phrase over and over again, but I genuinely mean it: It is going to be a fantastic school year.
Another exciting happening this past week was the completion of our Laidlaw courtyard beautification project. A huge shout-out to our PTO for overseeing this transformation. The courtyard is ready for student outdoor learning experiences, garden club fun, and staff luncheons. What a treat to have some nature right in the middle of Laidlaw.
Supply Drop Off (Tuesday August 23)
updates from district office
Hopefully, everyone had the opportunity to read last week's message from Dr. Barnhart, as it contained some important information about the following topics:
District 101 Covid expectations/protocols
District 101 school safety improvements/changes
A message from Dr. Coffey detailing our new SEL curricular rollout (also available here)
Re-establishing "Respectful, Responsible and Safe" (RRS) behavior within the learning environment
And several more!
Please find the link to his message HERE
Spotlight information about our upcoming rollout of our new Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum is available; please take a few moments to read through Dr. Coffey’s overview, as it is a great resource to unpack all things SEL, to understand what it is and what it is not, and to gain some understanding of the power and impact of these lessons for your children, coming up soon!
Bell Schedule
Exciting news: We are returning to our pre-pandemic bell schedule. Please carefully review the schedule below.
Regular School Hours
8:40a.m – 11:40 a.m. and 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. (Grades 1-5)
8:40a.m – 11:40 a.m. (Kindergarten AM)
12:30p.m – 3:30 p.m. (Kindergarten PM)
Bell Schedule
8:30 a.m.--bell to line up
8:35 a.m.--bell to enter school
8:40 a.m.--tardy bell
11:40 a.m.--morning dismissal bell
12:25 p.m--bell to line up and enter school
12:30 p.m--Tardy Bell
3:30 p.m.--Afternoon Dismissal Bell
School Supplies
Lunch/Recess (ACTION REQUIRED)
We will resume our pre-pandemic lunch structure this year. Students who choose to stay at Laidlaw for lunch will eat between 11:40 am-12:25 pm; part of this time will be spent eating in the gym, and part will be spent playing during lunch recess. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade will eat first; 4th and 5th will eat second. As in a "regular" school year, families have the choice to have their student(s) come home for lunch (11:40-12:25). Very Important: Please click here to complete a quick Google Form to let us know your lunch plans. We are currently missing forms for 100 students. This form will not “lock” you into a permanent choice, as we understand plans can always change, but it does give us a starting point for developing accurate lunch attendance records. Forms were due last week. If you have not completed it yet, please do so ASAP.
Lunch Volunteers Needed
Laidlaw is looking for recess volunteers to support at lunch. As we did last year, we will be setting up a weekly schedule and pairing parent volunteers with grade levels during recess. The time commitment is 11:40-12:25, and we are looking for a weekly commitment (for example every Tuesday, or every Monday/Friday). One option that worked well last year for some parents was to split a day with another parent. Volunteering in our lunch room is a fantastic way to connect with the school community. Please contact Emily Haight (ehaight@d101.org.) if you are interested!
Arrival & Dismissal
Please review the map attached below that outlines the procedures for drop off in the morning and pick up in the afternoon. It is important that even on the first day of school, everyone abides by these expectations. Thank you in advance for helping arrival/dismissal run smoothly.
Just a reminder that the bell to line up for school rings at 8:30am, with students entering the building at 8:35am. Staff supervision will not begin until 8:25am, so please be mindful of this as you drop children at school or they walk to school on their own. When students arrive at school, they should report directly to their designated doors and line-up. They should not play at the park, unless it is before 8:25am and they are with a parent or caregiver. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and in making sure everyone’s day starts out safely!
Bus Information
Right At School (Before & After School Care)
Snack Update
As has been the practice for the past few years, students will not have a snack during the school day. Students have fared well without this component of their day. They should plan to eat a big breakfast and lunch, and are still welcome/encouraged to bring a water bottle to school each day.
School Safety
As you likely noted in Dr. Barnhart’s message yesterday and in the weeks leading to this school year, all things physical safety has been top-of-mind for our Administrative Team and our staff as we ramp up for the start of the year. We have done a thorough and mindful deep-dive into our existing practices and procedures, with the express intent to establish our clear locus of control within our schools while simultaneously balancing the need for our schools to feel simple, safe, and comfortable for all.
Some of the shifts to our practices that you will likely note include:
Entrances: You will notice clear signage on all external doors indicating that ALL visitors (any person who is not a current Laidlaw student or active staff member with a key) MUST enter and check in through the main office. Even if your child spots YOU knocking at the Laidlaw doorway, we will explicitly teach all students and reinforce with our staff the need to point to the signage, point to the main office, and NOT open any external doors, even for known/trusted adults, unless they are staff members.
Staff Identification: All District 101 staff members will now wear lanyards, clearly indicating for students, staff, and all that they are registered members of our D101 staff and thus able to enter/exit buildings and supervise students. All visitors (including parent volunteers in classrooms, in the library, etc.) will need to wear our new visitor lanyards at all times within the building.
Visitor Procedures: We are thrilled to welcome our parent volunteers, outside presenters/assemblies, etc. back into our building and classrooms! All visitors will be required to enter through the main office, check in with our Administrative Assistant (Mrs. Walker), and trade their government-issued ID card (Driver’s License) for a “Visitor” lanyard; they will be required to check out again, as well, to return the lanyard and retrieve their ID. This will serve as a visual marker of safety and purpose for any adults not within our D101 staff, so that our students, staff, and community have a clear understanding that any “other” adults are safe and authorized to be within our space.
Visitor Purpose and Destination: We will also ask that visitors to the building remain only in the spaces for which their entry is authorized, without wandering through the building or entering any additional spaces. This will help all of us understand the purpose, role, and need for our volunteers, and to maintain safe entry/exit procedures for all “other” adults.
While we recognize that many of these systems and procedural shifts may feel unnecessary within our small, closely-knit community, we also recognize that these are simple, effective shifts to maintain safety and security within our community. We appreciate your support, solidarity, and grace as we do all that we can to effectively impact safety and to ensure that we all feel safe and secure within our school. Thank you!
Indian Guide Information
Elementary School Handbook
Important Dates
Tuesday, August 23 (2:30-3:30PM): Supply Drop off and Meet the Teacher
Wednesday, August 24: 1st Full Day of School
Friday, August 26: Ice Cream Social (5:30-7:00)
Tuesday, September 6: LL Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30pm)
Thursday, September 22: Picture Day