LAF Update
October 19
Dates to Know
- 22 - Mini Marathon 3:15 p.m.
- 22 - Book Fair Family Night Out 3:15 - 8:00 p.m.
- 23 - Mini Marathon Raindate
- 26 - Pizza Parlor Day
- 31 - Halloween Parade 1:50 p.m.
November:
- 7 - Early dismissal for students - 12:45 (Lunch will not be served).
- 8 - No School - NJEA Convention
- 9 - No School - NJEA Convention
- 14 - Picture Retakes
- 15 - King Arthur Assembly
- 21 - Early dismissal staff and students - 12:45 (Lunch will not be served),
- 22 - No School - Happy Thanksgiving
- 23 - No School
- 29 - PTO Meeting - Guest Speaker Stacy Winters, K- 12 Math Supervisor.
Halloween Parade & Costume Guidelines
All accessories should be left at home due the fact that many of these items are often left behind.
Costumes cannot promote the use of drugs, alcohol or weapons of any kind.
No pretend “prop” weapons such as water pistols, knives or swords.
Costumes may not be offensive or inappropriate in any way.
Students choosing to wear costumes must be able to sit at their desk without distracting others and participate fully in all class activities.
Social Emotional Learning Update
As part of our character lessons, the classes are currently reading the book Two by Kathryn Otoshi. This book, like Otoshi’s Zero and One, stars numbers One and Two. Two is best friends with One—or was, until Three comes between them. As the story continues, readers begin to develop an understanding that taking sides is not the way to go. After reading this book, we are asking students to develop a growth mindset for making friends and keeping friends by including and respecting others.
We are also continuing to teach the students about how parts of the brain work better when you are calm. We have introduced three parts of the brain which need to be balanced in order to work effectively. Ask your child about the amygdala today. I think you will be pleased to hear about the work they are doing each day to keep the amygdala calm to ensure they are ready to learn and ready to choose kind.
Homework Update
Math Update:
As a reminder, the math worksheet requirement is to only complete the one side. The students can work on the back side for an extra challenge. It is important to know that sometimes the content on the back has not been introduced in class yet. Therefore, if your child is finding it difficult to complete some of the problems on the back of the paper it may be that the information has not been taught. Therefore if you notice that your child is becoming frustrated at any time especially when working on the back of the page, please have your child stop, make a note on the paper, and touch base with the teacher the next day. If your child does not have a worksheet assigned, they should be working on math digitally by signing onto Splashmath.
You can take a closer look at the Pearson platform and view past assignments and tests by following the steps below. Your child will be able to help you navigate the website.
Student will need to log onto Google Platform using school account
Go to the 9 dot waffle at the top right hand side of the Google page.
Select Pearson Easy Bridge
Choose classes
Choose the completed tab
Click the assignments/test you would like to view
English Language Arts Update:
As your children are reading for homework here are some questions to help you talk about books.
Before your child reads a book, ask:
- Why did you select this book?
- What makes you think this book is going to be interesting?
- What do you think the book is going to be about?
- Does this book remind you of anything else you’ve already read or seen?
- What kind of characters do you think will be in the book?
- What do you think is going to happen?
While your child is reading a book, try asking:
- Will you catch me up on the story? What’s happened so far?
- What do you think will happen next?
- If you were that character, what would you have done differently in that situation?
- If the main character in that story lived next door, would you be friends?
- What does the place look like in your head as you read? Would you want to visit there?
- Did you learn any new words or facts so far?
After your child has finished a book, ask questions like:
- What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
- Who was your favorite character? Why?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned from the book?
- Why do you think the author wrote this book?
- Would you have ended the book differently? Did it end the way you thought it would?
- Did the problem of the book’s plot get solved?
- If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be?
Some @ home study tips:
- Create a designated study space. Does your child have their own desk or workspace in an area of your home that is conducive to focused studying?
- Use the agenda to plan. Time management is an incredibly important aspect of effective study skills. Prepare for important tests by helping your child to create a schedule for reviewing the material in the days leading up to the test. Write everything right in the school agenda.
- Practice for tests/quiz. Simply reviewing content before a test isn’t necessarily the best method to ensure your child is prepared for an upcoming test. Instead, encourage them to try more interactive approaches, like completing practice tests or using flashcards. Asking your child to review questions and having them provide short essay-style explanations aloud can also be a great strategy to make sure they truly understand the material.
- Avoid cramming. Studying a little bit of a subject every day is much better for long-term retention than studying for a longer period of time on a single day. Help your student structure a study schedule that will allow them to space out their practice on different subjects—as little as 10 minutes of practice a day can help!
- Avoid distraction. Teach your child how to put their computer away and turn off all other devices which will serve as a form of distraction. Multi-tasking also takes away from learning, so encourage your child to focus on a single subject for a sustained period of time before moving onto another subject.
Excerpts from http://blog.edmentum.com
LAF Book Fair
Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for your Lafayette kids reading level. Children will go twice to the fair during school hours: once to preview the books and write a wish list and the second time to buy.
Book Fair dates: Friday, October 19th – 1:00 PM -3:30 PM
Monday, October 22nd -- 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Join us after the Mini Marathon: Mexican Spice Food Truck and ice cream will be available on the playground
Tuesday, October 23rd -- 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday, October 24th -- 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday, October 25th -- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Please go to our school's homepage http://www.scholastic.com/bf/lafayetteelementaryschool14 to visit our online Book Fair starting October 14th and to set up eWallet. We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair! Remember, all purchases benefit our school.