Welcome to Lake Elementary
2022-2023
Lake Elementary School
Email: Lhoynes@mentorschools.org
Website: lake.mentorschools.net
Location: 7625 Pinehurst Drive, Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH, USA
Phone: 440-257-5953
Twitter: @LakeElemMOL
A Message from Mrs. Hoynes
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! I hope you all had an enjoyable, relaxing summer. In just a few short weeks, we will welcome our students back into the building. I hope that this newsletter will provide you with the important information you'll need to know in order to begin a new school year, whether you're new or a returning family. My staff joins me in the excitement to be back for another school year, in what we hope to be a more "typical" school experience. We also look forward to welcoming all of our new families. We hope that you will find that Lake Elementary is a very special place where our staff and parents work closely together to ensure that our students are engaged in a high-quality, positive learning experience. It is an honor and privilege to begin my fifth year as Lake Elementary's principal and I'm committed to continuing to help make Lake Elementary an exceptional learning community for our students. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to an amazing school year ahead!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Laurie Hoynes
Principal
Kindergarten Orientation:
Kindergarten Orientation will be Wednesday, August 10. Students with the last name A-L will attend from 9:00-10:00 AM and students with the last name M-Z will attend from 10:30-11:30 AM. Students and parents should both attend so that parents can hear information about Lake and get a tour of the building, while the students get to participate in fun, learning activities with the teachers. There will also be a bus available if your child would like to take a short ride at the end of orientation.
Class Assignments:
Students' teacher assignments will be posted online via the Parent Portal on Friday, August 12 at 4:00 PM.
Bus Assignments:
Bus assignments will be available under the Transportation tab on August 16 at 4:00 PM.
Class Information/Presentations:
Tuesday, August 16 teachers will send an email to parents with information about their class. This will substitute a presentation during Meet the Teacher Night/Supply Drop-Off.
Meet the Teacher Night/Supply Drop-Off:
On Thursday, August 18, families of students with the last name A-L will attend from 5:30-6:15 PM and last names M-Z will attend from 6:15-7:00 PM. During this time, families will visit their child(ren)'s classrooms to meet the teacher, drop off school supplies, and ask any questions they may have from the information that was sent on August 16. This is a brief meet and greet so families should have plenty of time to visit classrooms of multiple children per family. There will also be the following stations set up around the school as optional stops for families:
- Seesaw and Schoology technology platform support
- REMIND communication support
- Parent Portal support
- Free-Reduced Lunch application & End 68 Hours of Hunger pick-up
- PTA & Parent Involvement information
- Car rider sign-up (this can also be done by clicking on the link in this newsletter)
- Clinic/Medical questions/information
- We Care
- House system shirt order forms and information
- Title Reading information
- Girl Scouts
- Additional school supplies compliments of Victory Lane and Subaru
We hope that you will end your evening by enjoying an ice cream treat at the Dairy Queen on Lakeshore Blvd. between 6:00-9:00 PM! Proceeds support Lake Elementary PTA.
First Day of School for Grades 1-5:
The first day of school for students in grades 1-5 will be Tuesday, August 23.
Kindergarten Screening Appointments:
During Meet the Teacher, kindergarten parents will sign up for a screening appointment. Screening appointments will be held on August 23, 24, or 25.
Kindergarten Staggered Start:
Students with last names A-L will attend school on August 26 & 30 and last names M-Z will attend on August 29 & 31. All kindergarteners will attend beginning September 1.
Labor Day:
There is no school on Monday, September 5 due to Labor Day.
Additional Activities:
Friday, August 26 - House color day for grades 1-5
Friday, September 2 & 9 - Mentor Spirit Days
Wednesday, September 7 - Boosterthon Fun Run Fundraiser Kick Off (information comes home)
September 7-16 - Boosterthon Fundraiser (more information to come)
Friday, September 16 - Fun Run!
Staff Updates
Mrs. Andrews, 2nd Grade Teacher
Mrs. Andrews returns to Lake after teaching MSO for the last 2 years.
Mrs. O'Brien, 3rd Grade Teacher
Congratulations to Miss Turk, now Mrs. O'Brien, as she was married over the summer!
Miss Barthol, Intervention Specialist
Miss Barthol returns to Lake as a full time intervention specialist for grades K-3.
Mr. Dugas, 4th Grade Teacher
Mr. Dugas moves from 2nd grade to 4th grade.
Miss Kucharski, 4th Grade Teacher
Miss Kucharski returns to Lake after teaching MSO for the last 2 years.
Mrs. Burger, 5th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Burger moves from 3rd grade to 5th grade.
Mrs. Soros, Intervention Specialist Long-Term Substitute
Mrs. Soros joins us for the first grading period as Mrs. Aylward's long-term substitute in structured language.
Miss Stack
Miss Stack joins the intervention team as a reading intervention teacher.
Mrs. Tibaldi, Health Technician
Mrs. Tibaldi replaces Mr. K in the clinic as our new Health Technician.
School Supply Lists
If you need assistance with school supplies, please contact Mrs. Kidd at s.kidd@mentorschools.org or by calling the main office, 440-257-5953.
School Hours
Students' Day: 8:45 AM - 2:55 PM
Breakfast: 8:25 - 8:50 AM
Arrival: 8:35 AM
Tardy Bell: 8:45 AM
Morning announcements: 8:45 AM
Afternoon announcements: 2:50 PM
Car Rider dismissal: 2:55 PM
Bus Dismissal: 2:55 PM
Walker Dismissal: 3:05 PM
Note that these times are approximate and revolve around the bus routes.
Attendance
Arrival Process
All AM car riders will get dropped off at the back entrance off of Salida Rd. The doors open for students purchasing breakfast beginning at 8:25 AM. The doors open for all other car drop offs from 8:35-8:45 AM.
All AM bus riders will be dropped off at the front entrance off of Pinehurst Dr. These students will also have time to purchase a breakfast if they choose to.
Walkers arriving before 8:35 for breakfast should enter through the back entrance off of Salida Rd.
Students should be in the building by 8:45 AM as the front and back doors will be unsupervised and locked beginning at that time. If you are bringing your child to school after 8:45 AM, you must park in the front lot off of Pinehurst Dr. and sign your child in at the office where the secretary will note the reason for the tardy.
Dismissal Process
If you are making changes to your child's dismissal process for the day, please call the office as early as possible to ensure that the information can be communicated to the teacher. Dismissal will begin at 2:55 PM with car riders. If you will be picking your child up regularly from school, please complete the Car Rider Request Form linked so that we can provide you and your child with the proper car rider tags. Tags will be handed out during the first week of school. You can also visit the office during Meet the Teacher Night if you need assistance or to request a car tag.
Bus riders will be picked up at the front of the building off of Pinehurst Dr. We ask that parents are not parking and/or walking through the front parking lot during dismissal to ensure safety for all. In the event that buses are running behind schedule, an email will be sent to all families notifying parents of the late arrival home. Please note that the transportation department or Lake main office must be contacted if you are requesting for your child to ride the bus home with a friend, which is different from their assigned dismissal process. In this situation a bus pass would need to be issued to inform the driver of the change.
Walkers/Bike riders will be dismissed out the front doors after the final bus has departed, or around 3:05 PM. Parents are not permitted to pick students up in a vehicle in the front parking lot. Parents that are walking to meet students can wait on foot/bike near the bike racks for the students to exit the building. If your child is on Safety Patrol and is picked up by a parent after their duty, they should be picked up at the back lot. All walkers/bike rider will be directed to go straight home following dismissal. If students wish to remain at school to play on the playground, they must be accompanied by an adult. The West playground is closed for We Care use until 6:00 PM. There are times that the We Care program also uses the East playground in which they have the first right to this space as well during We Care hours.
Please be patient throughout the first week of school as the dismissal process typically takes longer as bus drivers get acclimated to their routes and take more time to confirm all riders are present.
We Care
Please refer to the information available through the Mentorschools.net website, go to About Our District to We Care Program tab. Here you will find We Care program information, expectations, and information about how to register, payments, etc. Your child is not able to attend We Care until the online registration AND payments are received. As of Friday, August 5, there is a hold on new registrations due to staffing shortages. Please contact Mrs. Sharon Blanock at 440-255-1230 or blanock@mentorschools.org with questions.
Food Service
Paid Meals:
Please note that breakfast and lunch is NO LONGER FREE OF CHARGE for all students as it was the last two school years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to be eligible for free or reduced meals, you must complete a Free and Reduced lunch application and be determined eligible. You can complete this application online through the Parent Portal (fastest turn around) or complete a paper application that can be found in the Lake Elementary main office. We will have applications available at Meet the Teacher Night/Supply Drop-Off.
Breakfast:
Breakfast will be $2.00 with a reduced cost of $0.30. Students eating breakfast will report directly to the cafeteria upon arrival beginning at 8:25 AM. Breakfast will be available until 8:50 AM.
Lunch:
Students will have a 20 minute lunch period following recess. The cost of lunch is $3.25 with a reduced cost of $0.40. Lunch menus can be accessed online at www.mentorschools.net and click on Lunch Menus. Our elementary schools will continue to have a prepay only system through the Parent Portal to help increase the efficiency of our food service program. Parents not using this online payment system may submit cash or checks in advance to the office or to your child's teacher, however, cash will not be accepted in the cafeteria. If your child is bringing a packed lunch from home, please make sure his/her lunch box is labeled in the event that it gets misplaced.
Recess
Annual Update & Parent Portal
It is REQUIRED that parents/guardians complete the Annual Update promptly. The parent portal can be accessed through the Mentor Schools website, www.mentorschools.net, under the Parent tab. Students will not be permitted to attend field trips until the Annual Update is completed. Thank you for your attention to this.
Student Devices
Mentor Schools continues to provide all students with a device to support learning. Students in grades K-3 are issued iPads and students in grades 4-5 are issued chromebooks. It is the responsibility of the student and family to ensure that the the device gets brought back to school each day, fully charged and ready for use. It is critical that the devices are kept in a safe place at home, and are used appropriately, as they do belong to the school. Mistreatment of these devices can result in disciplinary action and/or fees. Please refrain from allowing your child to add stickers and other adhesives to the devices. Teachers will continue to work closely with the students to help increase their responsibility and independence with the care of these devices as well as to ensure access to all learning platforms. Throughout the year, technology support is available by emailing:
If you'd like assistance or have questions about your child's device, there will be teachers available in the library during Meet the Teacher Night to help.
Communications
Lake Elementary House System
The staff at Lake works hard to create a Respectful, Responsible, Dynamic school. All school and class rules are centered around:
Being Respectful
Being Responsible
Being Safe
Being Kind
Lake Elementary uses the house system, modeled after the well-known Ron Clark Academy. Every staff member and student is a part of one of the four houses: Amistad, Reveur, Altruismo, Isibindi. Students’ academic and behavioral accomplishments are rewarded throughout the year with house points that collectively count toward his/her house. We have monthly assemblies, quarterly house huddles, chants, hand signals, and so much more! Why do we do this? It is a community-building initiative that promotes a culture of belonging, engagement, motivation, and healthy competition. Students learn how to be team players and how to contribute their efforts toward a group. Most importantly, it is fun!
If you would like to order a house shirt for your child, please fill out the google form linked HERE and turn in the money to the main office. We accept cash or checks payable to Lake Elementary. All new students will be spinning the wheel and joining a house during the first two weeks of school, so please wait to order once you know which house your child is in!
PTA & Volunteers
We love our PTA and volunteers and need your help! We are so happy to be able to have families back in the building more regularly. Lake Elementary’s PTA offers several programs throughout the year both during the day and in the evenings. We hope you will join us in making these programs successful for our students, families and community. Click HERE to join Memberhub and Lake PTA. You can also keep up to date on the latest news and fundraising events by following us on Twitter and liking our Facebook page. All volunteers must be background checked. This can be done at the Mentor Board of Education Building (door 1) on M/W/F from 11:30 AM-4:30. Photo ID is required and you will need to provide your social security number. No appointment is necessary. Please complete this early if you plan to volunteer this school year as it takes time to be cleared.
The first BIG event is our Cardinal Fun Run that will take place on September 16. The fundraiser will kick off on September 8, when family and friends from around the globe can support our school by giving pledges toward the number of laps your student will run on the day of the Fun Run. Information will be going home with all students on September 8. We are again looking for community sponsors to help make the event possible. If your business would like to make a donation as a sponsor, please view this FUN RUN SPONSOR LETTER for more information.
If you're interested in joining PTA, go to lakeelempta.memberhub.com to sign up. Please email lakeelempta7625@gmail.com if you have any questions! Also, don't forget to bring your family to Dairy Queen on Lakeshore Blvd. after Meet the Teacher Night where proceeds will benefit the Lake PTA.
Twitter: @LakeElemPTA
Facebook: Lake Elementary PTA
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Cardinal Closet
Mentor Schools offers free clothing items, shoes, personal care items, school supplies, and more to all families in need across the district. Click HERE for more information about this district-wide program.