LAF Update
September 6
Drop Off, Pick Up, & Parking
As a reminder:
- There is absolutely NO parent access to the LAF Driveway beginning at 8:15 in the morning. The only cars pulling in the LAF circle at that time are staff vehicles. You have full access to the high school circle in the morning.
- There is absolutely NO parent access to the LAF Driveway beginning at 3:00 in the afternoon for drop off. In the afternoon, parents have full access to the high school parking lot and circle.
- Do not park in the parking spots that are labeled with numbers. The numbered spots are for staff only. In the event that you can not find an unnumbered parking spot, you can park on the grass.
Click here to review the proper procedures and if you are still unclear of how the drop-off and pick up work, please contact the office or me directly.
Back to school Night
Join us on September 12th at 7:00 p.m. for Back to School Night.
As you know our parking is at a minimum on this night so plan to arrive early. When you arrive early you are welcome to explore the building, check-in with the Related Arts Teachers, the PTO, and other school organizations.
The back doors will be open for families walking the Dellwood Path. Please consider walking, taking a bike or carpooling to this event. When attending any event at LAF, obey the parking signs and do not park on both sides of any street. Our events will be interrupted by the police department if this occurs. Thank you.
child to ensure they understand their rights and responsibilities. Your child also has a copy of the Code of Conduct in their Chatham email account.
Most of our conflicts on the playground occur when some students are following the rules and other students are not following the rules.
Dates to Know
September:
12 ~ Picture Day
12 ~ Back to School Night - 7:00pm
16 ~ Mini-Marathon Practice 3:15- 4 pm
19 ~ PTO Meeting - 9:15 am in Cafeteria (Speaker: Cheryl Russo)
20 ~ Family Picnic & Movie Night - Arrival 6:30 pm, Movie starts at 7:15 pm
23 ~Mini-Marathon Practice 3:15-4 pm
30 ~Rosh Hashanah - School Closed
October:
1 ~ Mini-Marathon Practice 3:15-4 pm
7~ Mini-Marathon Practice 3:15-4 pm
9 ~ Yom Kippur - No School
14 ~ No School for Student: In-Service Day for Teachers
15 ~ Mini-Marathon Practice 3:15-4 pm
21 - 25 ~ Book Fair
21 ~ Mini Marathon 3:30pm
22 ~ Rain Date for Mini-Marathon
25 ~ Hickory Tree Pizza Day
31 ~ Halloween Parade - 1:50pm
Summer Thank Yous
An overdue BIG thank you for our summer volunteers hard work and new ideas. We are truly grateful for the time and effort these teams dedicated this summer to the LAF PTO!
- 4th & 5th Grade Coordinators organized Room Parents and key communications for back to school night – Becky Doran, Megan Furst, Laura Ferchak, Dawn Davison, Christine Zukowski. THANKS also to those who volunteered as Room Parents!
- Hospitality team created a luncheon on 8/27 for over 100 staff members as they returned to school – Katie Bealer & Tiffany Levato
- Library Coordinators arranged for parents to help Mrs Cifrodella in our LMC (Library Media Center) – Rebecca Henwood & Dawn Glynn
- Mini Marathon Team added some new fun to this student favorite – Sharon Piskadlo & Tiffany Levato
- Pizza Day worked with to organize monthly pizza delivery to the cafeteria – Jen Schuck
- School Supplies Coordinators got those amazing supply boxes ready to go for our children (no standing in lines waiting to buy anything!!) – Dawn Davison & Marilyn Edwards
- Spirit Wear Team added new and exciting items such as sweatshirt blankets, CAMOFLAGUE and OMBRE tee-shirts and more! Thanks to Erin Burgo, Kerin Christel, Christine Elia, Lenore Brady
- Volunteer Signup Coordinators have been hard at work getting our volunteer links up and running – Karen Bruzzo & Nicole Stratemeier
- Welcoming Committee created an information packet and hosted a welcome coffee for families new to Chatham and LAF – Annamarie McGannon, Tiffany Levato, Renee Hughes-Suh
Lastly, BIG thanks to Principal Cheryl Russo, Vice Principal Marco Freyre and LAF front office Jill Citron and Lisa McHugh for all your help coordinating our efforts this summer and to ALL OUR PARENTS who volunteer their time and make time for our special events!
PTO Reminders
Our success is dependent on help from our parents. There are many different ways to
help and we encourage you to stay connected. Please click here to review all of the beginning of the year PTO information:
- PTO Website: www.chathampto.com to access PTO information, volunteer opportunities, meeting dates, PTO dues, and General Fund.
- You can pay your PTO dues online and donate to our General Fund at https://squareup.com/store/lafpto.
- Facebook: “Like” us on Facebook.
- PTO Meetings: Our first PTO meeting, 9/19 at 9:15 AM in the cafeteria. Each meeting features a speaker or discussion about key areas of the curriculum and the school. LAF Principal, Cheryl Russo, will present at our first meeting.
Spirit Wear 2019
We've put together some new and unique styles for this year's sale, which can be viewed at http://www.thompsonsportinggoods.net/team-store/lafayette-school-19. The online store will remain open until 9/22. Samples of some items from the online store will be available at Back to School Night on September 12th, so please be sure and check out the spirit wear table in the front lobby. We will also o have some oversized Chatham sweatshirt blankets, classic cable knit beanies and fun ombre winter beanies available for sale all of which make great holiday gifts! Questions? lafspiritwear@gmail.com
Register for Mini Marathon on Community Pass
LAF Mini Marathon is just around the corner! This is a great opportunity for students entering and returning to Lafayette to get involved and meet new friends. Mini Marathon is a non-competitive, untimed 1.6-mile walk/jog/run. This event is open to all students regardless of athletic ability. The objectives of Mini Marathon are to set goals, follow through with a commitment, develop school spirit, and to have FUN!
Please click here to sign up on Community Pass.
NEW.... This year students will have the opportunity to gain a raffle ticket for each practice attended. These tickets can be used to enter to win a basket full of prizes on Race Day, October 21st! There will be multiple baskets filled with gift cards, spirit wear, and fun surprises to win! Students will also be provided with a nut-free healthy snack at the end of practice.
There are five scheduled practices that take place after school. Practice dates are September 16, 23; October 1, 7, 15. Practice is run by the LAF Physical Education teacher, Mr. Shellenhamer, and PTO volunteers. Practice begins immediately after school and ends at 4:00 pm. All participants will receive a tee-shirt and a medal for participating in the race on October 21st. (Rain Date, October 22nd). Please consider volunteering for a practice or Race Day. It’s a great way to get involved. Please click here to volunteer. Thank you for your support! If you have any questions you can contact Tiffany Levato (tifflev@me.com) or Sharon Piskadlo (spiskadlo@yahoo.com).
Hickory Tree Pizza Day Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to help pass out pizza during the Hickory Tree Pizza Days each month. It is a great opportunity to see your kids at school. Please sign up for ONE day to give everyone a chance to participate. Those on the waitlist may be contacted up to that morning to help. Here is the sign up link - LAF Pizza Day 2019-20
Library Volunteer Sign-Ups
Calling all book lovers!! The LAF Library team has another great year planned for our children. To make that happen they really need our help. Here’s what you can do:
- Volunteer for a regular library shift (2 hour shifts between 9:00am-3:00pm on either odd or even numbered days). Working in the library involves shelving books, checking books in/out and just helping Mrs. Cifrodella and the library staff as needed. It’s a great way to find out what the kids are learning at school, see what they are reading and occasionally get a glimpse of your child too!
- Shift: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., 1:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Day(s) of the week
- An odd or even numbered day (ex. every odd # Wednesday)
- Your child’s name
LAF Field Trips 2019
Thanks to the support of the PTO, Lafayette School will be going on the following field trips this school year. All of LAF School will visit the NJ Community Foodbank in Hillside, New Jersey in early 2020.
The fourth grade will take their first trip to Jeff Lake Camp in Stanhope, New Jersey in the middle of September. The counselors at Jeff Lake, Ms. Cindy Weiner, and all the LAF 4th grade staff will participate in team-building activities to support our Social-Emotional Curriculum and their transition to LAF. In the Spring, the 4th grade will visit the DaVinci Science Center to assist in enhancing our science curriculum.
We recently learned that the Buehler Space Center is no longer in business. As a result, we are looking into a new Fall trip for the 5th-grade students. In the spring, the 5th gradewill visit many of the Morristown Historical Parks to support the American Revolution unit of study.
When the LAF teachers select chaperones, it is done through a lottery system for fairness. A school nurse will attend all trips to ensure our students with medical needs are safe and cared for while out of the building.
Picture Day - 9/12
It's time to say cheese and capture those beginning of the school year smiles! LAF Picture Day will be held on September 12th. Photos will be scheduled throughout the day so please send your child to school ready for their photo. Information for ordering your photos will be sent home and can be completed online. Should your child be absent on the 12th or you decide you are not happy with the photos, we will be offering a retake day on November 14th.