In The Laidlaw Loop
Family Update- January 12, 2024
Happy Snow Day AND LONG weekend! I hope everyone stayed safe & warm today. It was great to be back into the swing of things at Laidlaw this week. By mid-morning on Monday, it was as if winter break never happened. Our staff & students quickly settled right back into their routines of learning. For me, a huge highlight of this week was "yoga with the Principal" yesterday. I had a blast pushing into all of Thursday's PE classes as we kicked off January's student ownership attribute focus: being reflective. Please note: due to today's snow day, the remaining classrooms will have their YWTP day on Friday, January 26th. I've placed some pictures below of the reflective fun from Thursday.
As a friendly reminder, we have no school on Monday in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When we resume school on Tuesday, grades 2-5 will being their winter NWEA Map Testing. Details about MAP testing (including the schedule) can be found below.
Happy Friday,
Renee
Kindergarten Registration 2024-25
While it is hard to believe, it's time to start talking about our 2024-25 Kindergarten Registration! If you have a child who will be entering Kindergarten in the fall, please plan to attend ONE of the virtual informational sessions on TUESDAY January 30th (9AM or 7PM). Additionally, please complete information found on THIS LINK so I can keep you informed of the important Kindergarten registration dates and upcoming events. If you know of someone who is new to D101 and will have a Kindergarten student enrolling in the fall, please feel free to pass this information along to them as well.
Erin's Law Presentation- 1/23
Dear D101 Elementary Families:
Erin’s Law, House Bill 6193, was signed by Governor Pat Quinn in Illinois on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum. Erin’s Law has now been passed in over 37 states. In response to the state mandate of educating students about Erin’s Law, D101 will be hosting a presentation for 1st - 4th grade students called Be Seen and Heard © - a prevention oriented child sexual abuse program. This curriculum, developed by Victor Pacini from Childhood Victories, Inc, is designed to create an age-appropriate, safe and engaging environment where students will learn about the difference between safe and unsafe touch, the difference between safe and unsafe secrets, and the importance of speaking up to trusted adults.
Members of our D101 administration team have seen the presentation first-hand, and D101 is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Childhood Victories, Inc. to present our students with this important, state mandated, safety information.
Safety information pertaining to Erin’s Law will be presented to our 5th grade students as part of their Candor Health Presentation.
Laidlaw will be hosting two different student presentations: one for 1st & 2nd graders and another one for 3rd & 4th graders. The date and time of the presentations will be as follows:
1/23: 1:45-2:15 (grades 1-2)
1/23: 2:30-3:00 (grades 3-4)
Parents are invited to attend a special, virtual information meeting to preview the concepts of the Be Seen and Heard © curriculum prior to the schools holding the presentations. A Be Seen and Heard© presenter will be available after for a Q/A session at this time. The virtual parent session is at 7PM on January 16th. The link for this presentation is:
Topic: Western Springs SD Parent Night
Time: Jan 16, 2024 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87580186964
Meeting ID: 875 8018 6964
Should you wish to opt your child out of this presentation, please let your building Principal know by Friday, January 19th.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to Renee Epstein.
Winter Map Testing (2nd-5th grade)
Believe it or not, winter NWEA MAP testing is just around the corner. Students in grades 2nd-5th will take their MAP test the week of January 16th. Makeup testing will occur the following week. Below is a detailed schedule of the testing dates and times. Further, if you are interested in learning more about NWEA MAP, please click here.
Camp Leopard Session 3
Mrs. Dolan and I look forward to students in grades 1st-5th participating in Camp Leopard Session 3 when we return from winter break. We have worked incredibly hard this year to ensure our Laidlaw students know what it means to display The Laidlaw Way. When our students display their very best Laidlaw way, it means that they are being safe, respectful, and responsible in the school setting. During the fall, our students participated in Camp Leopard Sessions 1 & 2 which overviewed how students can display their very best Laidlaw Way in our school hallways, the lunch room, during transitions, at recess, and in our bathrooms. We will reinforce these reminders once again after winter break with students. We will be using a small group format this time around as well as the book What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javornick.
All Abilities Fair 2024
Laidlaw will be holding it's 3rd annual All Abilities Fair on Friday, February 9 and need volunteers to help make that happen. They are looking for parents to help lead morning or afternoon stations. The morning sessions will be from 8:45AM – 11:30AM, while the afternoon ones will be from 12:45PM – 3:15PM. Each class in grades 1st through 5th will be given a 30-minute time slot to attend the fair and participate in the various stations. The tentative schedule is for grades 1 – 3 to attend in the morning and grades 4-5 after lunch. Schedules are still being created though so that is subject to change.
We are looking forward to another successful fair and helping our Laidlaw leopards learn even more about understanding differences and embracing inclusion!
If you're interested in helping, please reach out to Karen Weckman at keb424@hotmail.com for more details!
Gizmos/Smart Watches
With the holidays behind us and likely a new batch of devices on the wrists of our kiddos, we’d like to reiterate our plea for your partnership in managing these devices at school. Smart watches are allowed at school, as we know that they can be invaluable tools for communication with your child before and after school. However, during the school day (including lunch, line-ups, etc.) they may ONLY be used as a watch; texting, calling, and using other features is not allowed at school -- even when it is to communicate with parents. Using a smartwatch as a phone or communication device is disruptive, and we teach our kids to advocate for themselves by talking with their trusted adults at school when they need help -- not by texting/calling home.
If a student’s device is causing a disruption at school, we will take the following progressive steps:
For a first offense, the teacher will remind the student that devices are not to be used in the building
For a second offense, the teacher may take the device for the remainder of the day and contact home to ask for partnership in eliminating usage at school.
Repeat offenders will receive a reach out from me to problem-solve around the situation.
Sometimes, when devices are used in school, it is actually a parent who is the one calling or texting their child. Please don’t be that person. Please ONLY reach out to your child’s teacher or the main office if you need to get a message to your child. We will happily pass along any necessary information in a way that won’t disrupt the learning environment in the classroom.
I do hope that you understand these policies and approaches come from a place of care and concern for kids’ well-being and maintaining a healthy learning environment for everyone.
Nurse's Office Update
Please click here for an important update from the nurse's office.
Draw & Paint Art Enrichment Class SPRING registration
Interested in art enrichment on Tuesdays after school for the Spring? Click HERE for details and to register.
Sticky Fingers Cooking Class- SPRING
Please click HERE if you are interested in signing up for the SPRING session of Sticky Fingers, which begins in March.
Special Parent Presentation- January 25th
Join D101 for a special, PARENT presentation on January 25th at 6PM at LT High School. This is a free event and open to all D101 parents. Speaker Heather Tedesco will present: The Ten Essentials of Parenting workshop. Details HERE.
Right At School Opportunities
If you would like more information about the Right At School before and after care program, please see the included flyer or visit their website at https://rightatschool.com/.
2023-24 School Calendar
Please find the 2023-24 calendar HERE
Upcoming Dates
Monday, January 15th- no school (MLK day)
Tuesday, January 16th-January 19th- MAP testing (details above)
Tuesday, January 16th- PM virtual parent presentation for Erin's Law (details above)
Thursday, January 18th- Marla's Lunch (Ledo's Pizza)
Tuesday, January 23rd: Erin's Law Assemblies (details above)
Tuesday, January 23 - Learning Fair, 6:30PM
Wednesday, January 24th- Late Arrival day (students arrive at 10AM)
Friday, January 26 - Fun Lunch
Tuesday, February 6th- Spirit Day
Wednesday, February 7th- Early Dismissal Day for students
Friday, February 9- Laidlaw's All Abilities Fair (details above)
Laidlaw PTO Information
Laidlaw Learning Fair - Tuesday, January 23rd
ALL interested Laidlaw students are invited to participate to tell others about something that interests you. It can be about anything: history, art, music, science, math, language, one of your hobbies, a model you built, your favorite author, or one of your collections. Be creative! The most important part is to have fun learning and putting your presentation together. Then plan to share your knowledge on the night of the fair! It’s okay to work with your parents, other family members, or to partner with friends. Click here for more information!
Variety Show - February 15th
(Rehearsal on February 7th...during the day because of early dismissal)
We can't wait to see all the amazing performances from our Laidlaw students at this year's variety show! DJ Maximus will be there to emcee the show and get the party started! This year every student in 2nd-5th grades will have two options to participate...either a two minute group act or a one and a half minute solo act. Next week all the specific information on how to sign up will go out to the Laidlaw community. Contact Kelly Clifford at kellys1780@gmail.com for more info.
Thank you!
The Nabizada Family would like to extend their gratitude to all of the families that have supported them as they experience their first winter in the US. Click here for full letter.
Upcoming PTO Events
Tuesday, January 23 - Learning Fair, 6:30pm
Friday, January 26 - Fun Lunch
Thursday, February 15 - Variety Show
Word From WSFEE
SAVE THE DATE - WSFEE's Casino Night is coming April 27th at the Marriott Burr Ridge! Want to be part of the fun? Consider donating a silent auction item such as an experiences, sporting events or memorabilia, music tickets, or gift cards. Please reach out via contactus@wsfee.org or finance@wsfee.org. Visit wsfee.org or follow WSFEE on Instagram (@wsfee_d101) to hear about events, sponsorship, and donation opportunities.
Western Springs Community Happenings
Please click here for a list of Western Springs community happenings.