Penguin Press News
April 19, 2021
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BAME
Dear LPE Families,
With only a few weeks left in April, we are busy planning for the 2021-22 school year. Please know that we are awaiting further information on Virtual Academy details in order to finalize our staffing plans, schedules for the 2021-22 school year, and classroom placements. A few dates have been determined for your spring planning:
- Kindergarten Orientation will be held for rising Kindergarten families on May 26th at 5:30 pm. This will be a live, virtual presentation that we will record for families that may not be available to attend.
- Our Penguin Newcomers Orientation (rising 1st - 5th) will be on June 7th at 5:30 pm. This will be a live, virtual presentation that we will record for families that may not be available to attend.
- Virtual Academy - 5th Grade Moving Up Carpool Ceremony: Friday, June 18th (12:30 - 1:30 pm)
- In Person - 5th Grade Moving Up Carpool Ceremony: Monday, June 21st (12:30 - 1:20 pm)
A few important reminders:
- Dogs are not allowed on our direct campus. We are happy for you to walk your dog along Laura Duncan and wait for your child near the street, but please do not cross over to Penguin Point or the front entrance of the school with a pet. We love animals but we have many students who are scared or have allergies. Thank you!
- Please do not park in visitors parking unless you have a reason to visit the front office. We have noticed parents parking to pick up their children in these spaces. We hope that all of our families follow the appropriate protocols for dropping off and picking up.
- While we encourage families to play outside as much as possible, please do not bring children to campus to play on structures or walk the grounds during school hours.
Virtual Academy 2021-22
WCPSS will share updates on the Virtual Academy program for next school year. We are hoping those updates will be shared within the next few days. Please be on the lookout for direct communication from the county.
Track Change Requests/ Track Assignments for New Students
- Disclaimer: At this time we are planning for a multi-track year round schedule for the 2021-22 school year. However, please be aware that track changes will be considered only after we understand the impact of our Virtual Academy enrollment.
- All students who were in attendance during the 2019-2020 school year are still assigned to the track they were on prior to this school year. If your child is new to LPES this school year and you need to know your assigned track for 2021-22, please contact Mrs. Murray (Data Manager) at emurray3@wcpss.net
- LAST WEEK: If you would like to request a track change, please complete this form by April 23, 2021 and submit to the front office (by mail, by email to emurray3@wcpss.net, via carpool drop off).
Did you know?
Every Penguin Press Newsletter is available on our LPE Website under News. If you want to refer back to information throughout the year, this is a great place to find it!
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Raleigh Bame, Principal
- April 21st - Asynchronous/Remote Learning Day* (live morning meeting)
- April 23rd: 3rd Quarter Report Cards issued
- April 27th: PTA Spirit Night at the Burrito Shak
- May 5th - Asynchronous/ Remote Learning Day* (live morning meeting)
- May 19th - Asynchronous/Remote Learning Day* (live morning meeting)
- May 26th - Asynchronous/ Remote Learning Day* (live morning meeting)
- May 31st - Holiday
- June 21st - Last Day of School
PE & Kids Heart Challenge Update
Dear Laurel Park Families,
I hope you all are staying safe and healthy and enjoying the nice weather. I just wanted to give you an update on what we are doing in Physical Education and thank you and your children for thinking of others during these difficult times. The families of Laurel Park never stop amazing me. I want to let you know that your efforts helped our school raise $9,334.83 during our Kids Heart Challenge this year. I am in the process this week of ordering the thank you gifts for all the students that participated and collected donations. These gifts should be here sometime in late May. The students that are in person at school will be given their gifts when they arrive and those student in virtual academy will be contacted and we will set up a time for pick up. Thank you all for the donations. We will not be accepting any more donations this year.
We have been working on fitness and jump roping skills the past nine weeks and we will finish up our school year working on kicking skills and fun activities and games that can be done at home or at school. I look forward to having a fun and safe last two months of school.
Lastly, I just want to thank all the parents and students for all their hard work this year and I hope that we have all grown and have a better understanding and acceptance for each other.
Thank you again,
Mark Edwards
Mrs. Sonstroem's Music Notes April 2021
Quarter 4 Music Curriculum
5th grade: Commercial project/digital portfolio
4th grade: Rap project/digital portfolio
3rd grade: Recorders/woodwinds/music reading
2nd grade: Notes and rests/instruments of the orchestra
1st grade: Lines and spaces of the treble clef/pitch/notes and rests/strings and percussion
K: Pitch (high and low), singing, instrument families
Quaver SEL Song of the Month: Save the Planet.🌍
Don't forget to login to Quaver Music via WakeID Portal to see all featured lessons and activities for the year! Fun and creative musical opportunities await.
Mrs. Benner's Art Updates - April 2021
Hi families and friends,
Our school is participating in a creative fundraiser with Art to Remember that allows you to purchase keepsake products customized with your child’s art. There are over 60 products and many are less than $15. These make great gifts and a percentage of every purchase goes right back to our school. Click on the link below and enter your child’s name to search for your child’s artwork. Then, have fun shopping!
https://arttoremember.com/school/6lcx88
Thank you for supporting our school!
Mrs. Benner
State Testing Update for Virtual Students
State leaders have determined that we will administer End of Grade (EOG) testing to our 3-5 students this school year. While we are early in the process, we are tentatively planning to utilize WCPSS scheduled Asynchronous days in May to test our Virtual Academy (VA) students whose families wish to participate. All 3-5 grade VA students would take their reading EOG on Wednesday, May 19th. All 3-5 Grade students would participate in the math EOG on Wednesday, May 26th. Using Asynchronous days will help our school community manage classroom availability for testing and provide Virtual Academy students an opportunity to participate in the test while fewer students are in the building.
Fifth grade VA students are also required by the state to take the Science EOG. The date of that test administration has not been determined, but it will follow the reading and math exams. We do not anticipate having an asynchronous day in June for the exam, so it is likely that VA students would join in person students to take the science exam.
Virtual Academy families, please complete the survey provided to share your intentions about whether your child will participate in testing. WCPSS does plan to offer transportation to eligible bus riding students. Please use the survey to help us determine how many of our students require yellow bus transportation. If you have more than one child at Laurel Park, please complete the survey for each student.
Students on Plan A that are currently attending school daily, will also take the appropriate grade level EOGs at the end of May or early June. This will provide all LPES students regardless of learning platform an academically equitable opportunity to participate in the EOG. We will provide further updates when the testing schedule is complete. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Barabasz, Assistant Principal at abarabasz@wcpss.net or at 919-290-2333. Thank you for your continued support through this unprecedented school year.
DON'T FORGET TO ORDER A YEARBOOK!
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