Lutherville Lab Report
What's gone down & what's coming up at the leopards' lair.
September 1, 2023
It was a wonderful first week at the Lab! How wonderful to be reconnected with the joy, creativity, and kindness that our students bring into the building -- captured in this week's pictures. Our students also have a great sense of humor and I've enjoyed sharing their jokes with their schoolmates each morning on the announcements -- keep them coming!
This week we focused on connecting as class families, establishing routines and expectations, and getting engaged in learning. One of the ideas we've worked with students to establish is our "ROAR" Code of Conduct. Teachers discussed what these terms mean in various locations across a students day: Respectful, On-Task, Achieving, Responsible.
Our students also did a great job in the cafeteria learning new routines for waste disposal. As a staff, we learned some things we need to tweak to make the process more stream-lined, but on the whole students did a great job.
Kindergarten and 1st graders learned to bring their trays to the waste station, put unopened cafe items in the share bin, dump their tray, and stack it. Second and third graders did that and also poured out liquids to be able to recycle containers. Fourth and fifth graders did all of that and composted their food waste. We are already seeing impact! We went from 9-10 large bags of trash per day from the cafeteria to only 2-3 each day this week. Fantastic work, Leopards!
A reminder that we are off on Monday for Labor Day. We look forward to seeing our students again on Tuesday. Lunch menus can be found here: https://bcps.nutrislice.com/
Calendar Reminders:
9/4: No school, Labor Day
9/7: Baskin Robbins Night! More information below
9/12: Back to School Night! Mark your calendars! More information below
9/15: No School, Professional Development Day
In partnership,
-Mr. McComb
Welcome Receptions Students & Families New to Lutherville Lab This Year 1st-5th Grade Only Please RSVP
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and our School Counselor, Mrs. Ilene Kiewe, invite students who are new to Lutherville Lab this year and entering grades 1st-5th plus their families to meet one another, learn key information about Lutherville Lab and ask questions as the school year gets underway.
Families may choose between two sessions which will both be held in the library.
-Tues Sept 5th from 5:30-6:00 pm
Or
- Tues Sept 12th from 4:45-5:15 pm (just before Back-to-School Night which begins at 5:30 pm)
To RSVP please click here.
New ELA Curriculum -- HMH Into Reading!
You can learn more about the curriculum through this short video.
One of the resources is the Family Room that will help you gain an understanding of ELA instruction. A flyer about Family Room is attached.
The Family Room is divided into three sections:
• Getting Started includes general tips on how to navigate Ed.
• Program Support includes resources and strategies of what your child will be learning in class and suggestions for how you can support your child at home.
• Shareables provides quick tips about the challenges that many parents experience, like getting their children to talk about their learning
Parents and Guardians can access Family Room through your child's account. Logged into the student's Chromebook, open a Chrome browser and click on BCPS Links and then "Apps Portal." Select the "HMH Ed Into Reading" icon. Then, on the top right corner the child's initial will appear and clicking there will bring a link to Family Room.
BCPS COVID Policy Updates
BCPS has published updates to COVID policy for the 2023-2024 school year available here. Key updates and guidance are below.
Staying home when sick: Students and staff are strongly encouraged to stay home when sick and to consult with a healthcare provider about whether they should be tested for COVID, flu, or other diseases.
· Follow healthcare provider guidelines for return to school: The CDC recommends that persons who test positive for COVID stay home for 5 days after symptoms begin, and may return after 5 days if symptoms have improved. Persons recovering from COVID are advised to wear a mask for another 5 days.
· Reporting infections: Parents are encouraged to alert the school nurse if their child tests positive for COVID. Staff are also encouraged to alert the school nurse of positive tests. (Staff no longer need to report cases to OHSCOVID.)
· Monitoring trends: School nurses will monitor trends in COVID cases in their schools and will report any suspected outbreaks to the Office of Health Services.
· Resources: School nurses will have test kits to distribute, upon request, to students and staff who have COVID symptoms. School nurses will also maintain a supply of masks for use with students or staff who become sick during the school day and are in the process of going home, and for students who have returned after COVID infection whose face masks have become soiled.