In The Laidlaw Loop
Family Update- March 15, 2024
Yesterday's St. Baldrick's assembly was nothing short of amazing. 17 (!!) of our brave Laidlaw students volunteered to have their heads shaved in support of childhood cancer research. In addition to the excitement of the head shaving, our students were entertained by an authentic Irish bagpiper as well as the Trinity Irish Dancers. Most notably, our Laidlaw school community raised over $20,000 in support of childhood cancer research. And, Mrs. Glabus's class raised the most money from the "change jar" and won a picnic in the pavillion after Spring break with me.
Thank you to all of our amazing PTO volunteers for their work and support to make Thursday's event come to life.
Enjoy the weekend,
Renee
Congrats Laidlaw Musicians
Congratulations to the following Laidlaw musicians who participated in the LT high school solo or ensemble festival last week.
LAIDLAW
Cecilia McDonald, flute solo
Cecilia McDonald with older brother, flute/saxophone duet
Maggie Stroka, flute solo
Sebastian Martinez, clarinet solo
Landon Schierle, clarinet solo
Landon Schierle, Liam Francis- clarinet/trumpet duet
Liam Francis- trumpet solo
Bodie Ketterling, alto saxophone solo
Jacob Roepke, baritone solo
Kieran Joyce, snare drum solo
Noah Kendall, bell solo
Elle McCarthy, violin solo
Lucy Sykes, violin solo
Norah Kroc, viola solo
Arrival in the Morning
With the warm temps approaching we kindly ask that students do not arrive earlier than 8:25AM. Recently, students have been coming out to the black top or lining up in front of school as early as 8:05AM. We DO NOT have adult supervision outside until 8:25AM. Thank you for your attention and consideration to this.
Bringing student items to school
Recently, we have had a very high surge in the amount of items being dropped off to our front office staff throughout the school day to give to students who "left it at home." If your student left a necessary item at home that they need to learn (ie: eyeglasses or their school lunch), we completely support a mid-day drop off. If your student asks you to drop off items that are truly not necessary for their learning for that day (ie: a water bottle---we will happily provide your student a cup to use for the day), we kindly ask that parents refrain from bringing so many items during the day to our front office to give out. It causes a lot of unnecessary classroom interruptions and additional hallway traffic that is not necessary. THANK YOU for your help in allowing us to provide an environment conducive to distraction- free learning.
WS-OTSC Circle of Friendship Party
Register NOW for the Annual WS-OTSC Circle of Friendship Party. Details HERE
Who:
All D101 and Off the Street Club students, Grades K-5
Where:
The Corral - LTHS South Campus, 4940 Willow Springs Road
When:
Saturday, April 27th, 12:30-3:30 PM
Why:
The Circle of Friendship Party is an afternoon of brotherhood between D101 and OTSC kids. WS students will pair up with a buddy from OTSC to form a new friendship while enjoying games, DJ Maximus, pizza, cotton candy and more!
Learn more about the event and REGISTER HERE!
We are also in need of volunteers to make this event run smoothly - please register using the links below:
Adult Volunteers Register HERE
High School Volunteers Register HERE
Junior High Volunteer Register HERE
Last but not least, we are collecting donations for Off the Street Club's Camp Closet. OTSC has a summer camp located in Wheaton, IL, and most kids do not have the means to arrive at camp with the essentials (think sheets, swim suits, sunscreen, etc.). Therefore, the club hosts a “Camp Closet” where the kids can go shop for items needed for camp.
CLICK HERE for the OTSC Camp Closet Amazon Wish list.
5 Essentials Survey
Dear Laidlaw Families,
Teachers, parents, and students across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey: Organizing Schools for Improvement. This survey was designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about Laidlaw.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago, on behalf of the Illinois School Board of Education. This survey identifies five indicators that can lead to important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. The five indicators that effect school success are:
* Effective Leaders *Collaborative Teachers
* Involved Families *Supportive Environments
* Ambitious Instruction
Research has shown that schools strong on these indicators, the “5Essentials” are 10 times more likely to improve student learning.
Your participation in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will help us understand the conditions at Laidlaw and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted now through March 29 . To access the survey, please visit: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/
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
3/23-4/1: Spring Break Vacation (no school). School resumes on Tuesday, April 2
4/4: IAR testing begins (3rd-5th grade)
4/18: Spring Open House/Celebration of Learning- 6:30PM
Laidlaw PTO Information
Laidlaw Plant and Flower Sale is Here!
Click the link below or use the QR code to order your spring flowers online now via PayPal or Venmo!
https://form.jotform.com/240355479255159
Orders are due by March 22nd.
Pick up date is Tuesday, May 7th at the Laidlaw Park Pavilion (after 10 AM), just in time for Mother’s Day! Home delivery is also available this year.
Any questions? Want to Volunteer on May 7th? Please contact LLFlowerSale@gmail.com
All proceeds benefit Laidlaw Elementary via the PTO
Laidlaw Run Club (Grades 2nd-5th)
Run Club will be Wednesdays from 3:30-4:45 pm each week from 4/10-5/22 at Sereda Park and our focus will be to introduce running and fitness to kids and prepare them for the Western Springs Tower Trot (kid's 1K race or 5K race). Volunteer Parents will walk kids from Laidlaw at the end of School over to Sereda Park and pick up will be at Sereda Park (a permission slip will follow). We will be collecting $5 per child to provide them with a running bracelet/key chain to add a charm for every day they come. Money can be sent via Venmo to @Kate-DeProsperis or dropped off at 4057 Western Ave. Click here to register!
Register NOW for the Annual WS-OTSC Circle of Friendship Party
Who: All D101 and Off the Street Club students, Grades K-5
Where: The Corral - LTHS South Campus, 4940 Willow Springs Road
When: Saturday, April 27th, 12:30-3:30 PM
Why: The Circle of Friendship Party is an afternoon of brotherhood between D101 and OTSC kids. WS students will pair up with a buddy from OTSC to form a new friendship while enjoying games, DJ Maximus, pizza, cotton candy and more!
Learn more about the event and REGISTER HERE!
We are also in need of volunteers to make this event run smoothly - please register using the links below:
Adult Volunteers Register HERE
High School Volunteers Register HERE
Junior High Volunteer Register HERE
Last but not least, we are collecting donations for Off the Street Club's Camp Closet. OTSC has a summer camp located in Wheaton, IL, and most kids do not have the means to arrive at camp with the essentials (think sheets, swim suits, sunscreen, etc.). Therefore, the club hosts a “Camp Closet” where the kids can go shop for items needed for camp.
CLICK HERE for the OTSC Camp Closet Amazon Wish list.
Please contact Laura Reepmeyer with any questions regarding OTSC: laura.reepmeyer@ppmamerica.com
Word From WSFEE
In less than 36 hours we completely “Sold Out” to our Casino Night event!
If you missed your chance to get tickets please join our waitlist here or go to wsfee.org events page.
A huge “Thank You” to everyone that bought tickets!!!
Stay tuned for more WSFEE updates! Coming soon.
Western Springs Community Happenings
Please click here for a current list of Western Springs community happenings and offerings!