In The Laidlaw Loop
Family Update- January 19, 2024
We are grateful for everyone's flexibility this week as we all banned together to ensure our students' safety while prioritizing their learning during the bitter cold days. It truly takes a village.
Next week is jam packed with school-wide events! Read on below for details on our Erin's Law Assemblies, Camp Leopard Session 3, and our PTO- sponsored Learning Fair!
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 (makeups next week)
If your child missed MAP testing this week due to an absences, they will be pulled to make it up at some point next week.
Camp Leopard Session 3
We are very excited to move forward with Camp Leopard Session 3 next week! We think this will be a great time to praise students for what a fantastic job they have done improving hallway and lunchroom expectations so far this year! Yet, it will also give us the chance to review what it means to display respect to staff, students, and school property. As a part of our session we will read the book What If Everybody Did That? This book talks about what if everybody broke the rules? This will help lead up into small discussion groups led by teachers and staff members.
Laidlaw Loot All School Reward: Jan/Feb
Our current Laidlaw Loot incentive is a whole school reward. Students can earn BLUE loot starting now through Friday, February 16th. They can deposit their BLUE loots into the bins by the front office and vote on which all school reward they would most like to see win:
1. Build a fort and bring a flashlight day
2. Themed playlist at lunch and dress up day (ie: 80s playlist and wear your favorite 80s gear)
3. Crazy Hat & Hair Day (baseball caps allowed)
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!
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
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)
Monday, February 19th and Tuesday, February 20th: NO SCHOOL (President's Day & Teacher Inservice)
Laidlaw PTO Information
Laidlaw Learning Fair - Tuesday, January 23rd
TODAY, Friday January 19th is the last day to sign-up!
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)
For detailed information click here.
For google sign-up form click here.
Volunteers Needed for Fun Lunch Friday, January 26th
Click here to sign-up for your child’s classroom.
Crumbl cookie Fundraiser and Valentine’s Day Sweet Treat order details coming next week in the PTO newsletter! Cookies delivered at dismissal Tuesday, February 13th!
Upcoming PTO Events
Tuesday, January 23 - Learning Fair, 6:30pm
Friday, January 26 - Fun Lunch
Friday, February 9 - All Abilities Fair
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 including:
-Music Makers Spring Signup