Penguin Press News
August 23, 2021
A Message from Principal Bame
Dear Laurel Park Families,
Welcome back to Track 3 and happy vacation to Track 2!
As you know, traditional calendar students returned to school today. With the impact of traditional calendar routes and a shortage of drivers (100 driver positions are unfilled county wide) we experienced significant bus arrival and departure delays. Laurel Park does not have any control over transportation. We work collaboratively with the transportation department, but we do not supervise or lead any part of the transportation process. We continue to be very thankful for the amazing drivers that are assigned to our school.
As a staff, we will do everything we can to ensure a smooth transition to and from school each day, which includes an internal plan to keep kids safe, hydrated, and entertained as best as we can. Our amazing staff will work together to supervise later afternoons. We appreciate your continued support!
A few notes:
- Today was the first day of school for traditional. We are very hopeful that as drivers learn their new routes, we will settle into a sustainable bus departure schedule.
- If you decide to change your transportation to walker, carpool, or after care, please make sure to notify your teacher. Carpoolers will need to pick up a tag from our main office between the hours of 10:00 and 3:00. AM carpoolers do NOT need a tag for drop off.
- If you have not downloaded the Here Comes the Bus Application, you can find the directions HERE.
- Transportation Customer Service Website
Interested in Receiving Text Message Updates?
To opt-in to receive text messages, simply text YES to the number 67587.
Although we do not receive notifications indicating when a bus will arrive to our campus, we will text families when later buses have arrived/ departed.
Kind Regards,
Principal Raleigh G. Bame
What is coming up?
- Monday, August 23rd - Welcome back track 3 - Track 2 out
- Thursday, August 26th - PTA Board Meeting
- Tuesday, August 31st - Spirit Night at Alpaca
- Wednesday, September 8th - Tracks 3 & 4 Picture Day
- Thursday, September 9th - LEARN event for tracks 3 & 4 - NOW VIRTUAL PLATFORM
Upcoming Spirit Events:
AUGUST:
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
ALPACA Peruvian Charcoal Chicken
1107 Pine Plaza Dr, Apex, NC 27523
3pm - 8pm
OCTOBER:
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Board and Brush Creative Studio
1485 Kelly Road, Apex NC 27502
6pm - 9pm
Click on the Link Below to Access LEARN Event Presentations
Student Council Welcome and Update!
Hometown Heroes
In honor of September 11th, Student Council will be sending treats to our local heroes. If you are interested in donating, we would like you to send in candy, chips, popcorn, drinks or any other pre-packaged treats. Please make sure these items are store bought and in snack sizes, so they can be eaten on the go. In addition to sending food donations, we have created an Amazon Wish List. You may purchase items directly through this link and they will be mailed directly to Mrs. Tolp and Mrs. Link at LPES. We would like donations by 9/10. Treat drop off locations will be at the front entrance and at the bus loop entrance. Students may also drop off treats in Mrs. Tolp’s room, number 2411, or Ms. Mallard’s, number 1407. Student Council will be dividing treats, so they can be picked up or delivered to our Hometown Heroes, such as local police, fire department, EMT, etc. If you have any questions, please contact Rosemary Link at rlink@wcpss.net or Nicole Tolp at ntolp@wcpss.net.
Music Notes from Mrs. Sonstroem
Quarter 1 Music Curriculum
5th grade: Meter, rhythm, singing, world music
4th grade: Rhythm and poetry (collaboration with 4th grade regular ed.), singing, melody
3rd grade: Rhythm, meter, ostinatos, voices, musical alphabet, melody
2nd grade: Strong and weak beats, meter in 2, 3, and 4, science of sound (collaboration with 2nd grade regular ed.)
1st grade: Beat, rhythm, changing meters
K: "Music is a Treasure," steady beat, 4 voices, rhythm
5th Grade AIG Reminders
Dear 5th Grade LPES Families,
It's that time of year when we accept Academically and Intellectually Gifted nominations from classroom teachers and parents! This is a time that we ask you to really reflect and determine if higher-level differentiation is needed for your student in Mathematics and/or Language Arts. If you are unsure, please talk with your student's classroom teacher or last year's classroom teacher to determine if AIG Testing, may be needed to meet the needs of your student.
AIG Nomination Process
When a student is nominated, the AIG teachers will send home an AIG Testing Consent form and an AIG Parent Observational List. Please complete these forms and return them back to the AIG team as soon as possible. The AIG teachers will go to your student's current and last year classroom teacher to interview the teacher about your student's performance in the classroom, ask for unit assessments, enrichment opportunities, and classroom samples. The classroom teachers will complete a teacher AIG Observational Checklist and a Gifted Rating Scale. The AIG teacher will also pull formal data such as your student's ISIP data, COGAT and IOWA scores, EOG scores and Report Card grades. All of the above data is collected for each AIG candidate and presented to the Laurel Park Elementary's School Based Committee for Gifted Education (LPES SBCGE) for review. The LPES SBCGE will review the above data and decide whether the AIG candidate should be tested for AIG consideration. If a student is being considered, they will be given the COGAT and IOWA tests on the below dates:
Fall AIG Nomination Window
Track 1 - Beginning of school year - August 13th
Tracks 2 - 4 - Beginning of school year - September 10th
Fall AIG Testing Window
Track 1 - August 23rd - September 1st
Tracks 2 - 4 - September 20th - 29th
If you should have any questions about the AIG program or the process, please feel free to email Amy Stone at astone@wcpss.net.
PTA Updates - August 2021
PTA Volunteers Needed - Click BELOW
Positivity Project Resource for Families
P2 for Families is an easy and effective way for families to discuss the importance of character strengths and positive relationships. It is differentiated for grades Pre-K – 2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each character strength follows a 1-1-3 model: 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions to drive conversations around character at home.
Please choose your child’s grade level found at the link below:
Do you know your child's email address?
Want more answers to tech questions?
Go to Students and click on Remote Learning Resources and FAQ on the Laurel Park Website.
Parent and Student Tech Guides (WCPSS)
Grocery Store Rewards Cards
Laurel Park Elementary School
Website: wcpss.net/laurelparkes
Location: Laurel Park Elementary School, Laura Duncan Road, Apex, NC, USA
Phone: 919.290.2333
Twitter: @LaurelParkElem