Laura MacArthur Family Eagle Update
Family Newsletter - September 25, 2019
Welcome to Laura MacArthur Elementary!
Welcome Back to the 19-20 school year!
What a great start to the school year! It's great to see all of our students back in the classrooms learning and growing. Thank you families for your part in helping make our students days successful.
The Eagle Update Newsletter is something that I will share with all families once a month in a Wednesday folder.. The electronic version will be shared on our social media pages and on our school webpage. We are also going to try and put all important school information on LIGHT BLUE paper to help you sift through our information easier. Our goal is to share important building information and to highlight our school and progress throughout the school year.
Wednesday Folders will include many important items that may be of interest to you or your child.
Please feel free to contact me or Nikki Kovach at Nichole.Kovach@isd709.org if you have any questions or suggestions about Laura MacArthur.
Thank you!
Jim Erickson
Principal
School Communication
Face to Face
Stop into the office and schedule an appointment or see if I'm available,
Voice to Voice
- Give me a call x2197
Newsletter or Email, Website/Social Media
- Google Calendar including conference room.
- Weekly email updates on Sundays
- Electronic Eagle Update to Staff - 2x per month
- Wednesday Folders-Information sent home with students
- Eagle Update to families
- School Website (https://www.isd709.org/laura-macarthur/index)
- Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LauraMacEaglesRewardSchool/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/@JamesWErickson)
- Class Dojo
If you are planning to pick up your child after school and have not notified the school, please try to inform the school by 1:00 so that we have enough time to inform the teacher. The end of the day can become quite busy and we don't want to miss an important message like end of the day transportation.
Please let us know if there are other ways you would like to see our building communicate.
Free/Reduced Lunch Forms
Please continue complete and submit your free/reduced lunch forms.
Please use this link to apply online: www.paypams.com/onlineapp
You may also apply using hard copy forms - pick them up in the office or use this link to download them: www.isd709.org/departments/child-nutrition/free-and-reduced-price-meals
Thanks for your help with our Free/Reduced price lunch process.
Student Pick up/Drop Off
PICK-UP/DROP-OFF
Because of the lack of parking spaces in the front lot, families have been parking on both sides of the one way driveway to drop off children. This parking condition creates blind spots for our children walking to and from the building entrance.
To remedy this situation, I would like to ask the following to ensure our children travel to and from the building as safely as possible:
MORNING DROP-OFF
The circle drive in front of the building is a ONE WAY, starting from Central Ave and exiting on Central Place.
Please do not park on the left side of the driveway as you enter. There are No Parking signs on that side of the drive for reminders, and also indicated with solid yellow curbs.
If you have to double park on the right side (cut out side), please limit the time to 5 minutes.
Please do not block the main entrance walkway indicated by the yellow cross walk lines.
Exit the driveway with caution.
We will help instruct students to walk the sidewalks rather than walking across the drive.
If you choose to park on Central Ave, please use the crosswalk where available. Our safety patrol will be happy to assist.
Please do not park on the crosswalk near Central Ave.
Parking in handicap spaces, tags are required.
Please do not drop off children in the bus loading zone on Central Ave. This is indicated by the curb cut out and the yellow stripes on the road.
AFTERNOON - BUSES ONLY
Please do not park vehicles in the bus loading zone on Central Ave or in the front circle drive from 2-2:45. These two areas are for buses only. We appreciate your attention to these matters as we strive to provide a safe environment for our students.
SIGNING INTO THE BUILDING
Stop into the main office and sign into the building. Pick up a visitor pass.
Once the visitor receives a visitor pass (new adhesive passes to be used for the 19-20 SY), staff will allow the visitor into the rest of the building.
When visitors exit the building, they are asked to sign out of the office, and exit the office.
If you are signing a student into the building, please let the office know the reason why they are late.
School Safety Update
Thank you for your support of our ALICE/Lockdown Drill on Friday. Things went very well.
Reminders for everyone
Offsite Rally Points in Emergency Situations
In the event that Laura MacArthur Elementary needs to evacuate the building and move to a rally point, our primary rally point located at Stella Maris Academy-St. James School. For those students or staff not able to evacuate and that need additional assistance, they will be able to remain in the building with staff supervision. Safety plans for students that need additional assistance need to be created by staff and we will monitor throughout the school year. Once at a rally point, connecting families and students would then take place.
Laura MacArthur Evacuation Sites (Family Reunification points)
- 1st Site Facility - St. James School - 715 North 57th Ave West, Duluth, MN 55807
- 2nd Site Facility - Denfeld High School - 401 N 44th Ave W, Duluth MN, 55807
Further safety information will be shared with our school community throughout the school year.
LOST & FOUND!
Thank you.
Backpack Food Program
The Backpack program is getting ready to start. Thank-you for your continued support to feed hungry kids through the Backpack program! Our goal is distribute healthy, nutritious food free to students in need. Backpack bags will be given out once a week. Wednesday (Pre-K - 2nd grade) and Thursday( 3rd-5th). Food bags will be placed in student's backpacks by Mr. Harris or a volunteer. Students are expected to take food home by Friday of every week. Sign up forms for family will be in Wednesday packets/folder. Please return forms to Mr. Harris. All families have to sign up even, if they were part of the program last year. please contact me with any question or concerns.
The mission of the Backpack Program is to help solve child hunger by providing nutritious and easy-to-prepare food to children to take home on weekends and school vacation when other resources are not available.Last year Laura MacArthur was 70 percent free or reduced lunch. We served over 100 families last year second in the district.
Bus Safety
Coming up in October, students will be practicing a bus evacuation. Students will load the bus in our parking lot and practicing evacuating the bus. Staff will be assisting with this process.
More to follow on this!
PEACEMAKER AWARD ASSEMBLIES!
Purpose: To recognize students that have demonstrated the following:
SOAR Acronym
Be Safe - To heal
On-Task - To teach and To transform
Act with Kindness - To make friends - To choose love over hate
Respectful - To fight injustice
Soaring Eagle - already soaring (traditional ‘Peacemaker”)
Rising Eagle - greatly improving (jumped two or more columns in two or more rows)
Teacher picks one student each month, non-gender specific, can pick one Soaring Eagles, one Rising Eagles, or one of both
Based on a rubric of expectations
Include specialists, each specialist picks two students (gr. K-2 and 3-5)
Schedule for October 4th, 2019
- Grades KG/1 - 8-9 AM
- Grades 2/3 - 9-10 AM
- Grades 4/5 - 10-11 AM
Future Peacemaker Dates
- Wednesday, November 6
- Friday, December 6
- Friday, January 3
- Friday, February 7
- Tuesday, March 10
- Wednesday, April 1
- Thursday, May 28
Laura MacArthur Eagles SOAR - Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
- Safe
- On Task
- Act with Kindness
- Respectful
Please ask your child about how we SOAR at school!
Mental Health Resources and Support for Students and Families
Please contact our school Social Workers at school 336-8900
Amanda Borling, Ext. 3020
Christine Ziegler, Ext. 3124
or the main office
CALLING ALL 2nd - 5TH GRADERS
Student Picture Day
Friday, Oct 11, 2019, 07:45 AM
Family/Teacher Conference Night
Tuesday, Oct 8, 2019, 03:00 PM
Laura MacArthur Elementary School, North Central Avenue, Duluth, MN, USA
Family/Teacher Conference Night
Thursday, Oct 10, 2019, 03:00 PM
Laura MacArthur Elementary School, North Central Avenue, Duluth, MN, USA
2019-2020 School Year
- 10/4: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 10/8: Family/Teacher Conference Night
- 10/9: PTA Meeting 5pm
- 10/10: Family/Teacher Conference Night
- 10/11: PICTURE DAY
- 10/17: NO SCHOOL
- 10/18: NO SCHOOL
- 10/28: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Staff Development Day
- 11/6: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 11/12: PICTURE RE-TAKE DAY
- 12/6: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 12/19: Holiday Music Program
- 12/23-Jan 1: NO SCHOOL-Winter Break
- 1/2: School Resumes
- 1/3: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 1/17: NO SCHOOL-Semester Break
- 1/20: NO SCHOOL-MLK Day
- 2/4: Family/Teacher Conference Night
- 2/6: Family/Teacher Conference Night
- 2/7: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 2/10-15: Prairie Fire Theater
- 2/14: Winter Activity Day
- 2/17-21: NO SCHOOL-Winter Recess
- 2/24-28: 5th Grade to STARBASE (2 Sections)
- 2/27: SPRING PICTURE DAY (For those interested)
- 3/2-6: I love to Read Week
- 3/3: Cultural Family Night
- 3/9-13: 5th Grade to STARBASE (1 Section)
- 3/10: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 3/20: Spring Fling Dance
- 3/24: MCA Kick-off Assembly
- 3/26-27: Kindergarten Roundup
- 4/1: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 4/6-10: NO SCHOOL-Spring Break
- 5/7: Grandparent/Special Friend Day
- 5/22: Field Day
- 5/28: Peace Maker Assemblies
- 6/3: 5th Grade Honors Assembly
- 6/4: End of the Year Picnic
- 6/5: Last Day of School for Students
Join the Movement and Like Laura MacArthur Elementary School on Facebook
Want to see what is happening at Laura MacArthur? Like the Laura MacArthur Elementary Facebook page to get updates, see photos and videos from around our school, and get connected with our PTA.
Join the movement and see what happens at Laura MacArthur on Twitter
Want to see what is happening at Laura MacArthur? Go to JamesWErickson on Twitter to get updates, see photos and videos from around our school, and get connected with our PTA
Jim Erickson, Principal
Email: James.Erickson@isd709.org
Website: www.isd709.org/laura-macarthur/index
Location: 720 North Central Avenue, Duluth, MN, USA
Phone: 218-336-8900
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LauraMacEaglesRewardSchool/
Twitter: @JamesWErickson