Penguin Press News
The Week of April 2nd
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BAME
Dear Penguin Families,
Happy Spring to all! As we embark on the last quarter of our school year, please consider joining in with our school on several upcoming events/ opportunities:
- NO MORE SNOW MAKE-UP DAYS - please remove April 7th and 14th from your calendars.
- FAMILY SURVEY - Panorama Education is partnering with Wake County to survey all parents on Family Engagement. This is an exciting opportunity for parents to let their voices be heard! Wake county is trying very hard to overcome barriers to family engagement and support schools in their quest to create positive relationships with families. As a school, we would like to know more about what we can do to positively support your child(ren)'s educational experience. Be on the lookout for an electronic survey that will be sent to your most up to date email on file. The due date for this survey is May 4, 2018.
- AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH - We invite your families to join our school in helping to spread awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder. You will find a very child friendly video that explains how ALL people process the world around them and how our differences make us special. (see video below - "Amazing Things Happen!")
- A MONTH OF KINDNESS - We want our children/students to be kind every day of their lives. However, showing kindness first starts with being aware of how our actions affect others. Today in your child's Monday Folder, please look for the yellow Kindness Calendar. This volunteer opportunity, while not mandatory, is a wonderful chance for students to practice giving to others. At the very end of April, students will share their favorite kindness act by writing their experience on a paper leaf. These leafs will be made into kindness trees throughout the hallways of our school.
- NATIONAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE WEEK is April 16th -20th. We are inviting all Laurel Park families to participate. Our school has chosen to write letters to active service members/ veterans/ community helpers, and make paper placemats/ cards for Meals on Wheels and local retirement communities. In addition, our student council will be collecting school supplies for WCPSS students who are in need. Supplies can be brought into school and dropped off in our Media Center. Items that are requested include:
Instructional Items - Elementary
backpack (no roller backpacks)
marble notebooks
notebook paper, wide ruled
pocket folders
glue sticks
scissors
Headphones (optional)
pencil pouch (not boxes!)
erasers (includes pencil cap)
crayons (including twistable)
colored pencils (twistable)
Thank you for supporting our school. Have a wonderful week ahead!
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Raleigh Bame
#cultivating learning/ growing minds
#LPESWAKE
Meet Ms. LeSeuer, our new Media Coordinator
Need Books?
April is National School Library Month! Have you seen our school library? Thanks to the generosity of our PTA, we have brand new furniture to go along with our awesome collection of books. We would love to see our parents stop by and check out the new furniture AND check out some library books. You are welcome to check out as many books as you need. We do not charge overdue fines so feel free to take books out over track-out! Stop by between the hours of 8:30 – 9:15; and 3:40-4:15 and ask for Mrs. LeSueur or Mrs. Ash.
Thoughts? Questions?
While Ms. Sonstroem is out for maternity leave...
Please meet our long term sub for music beginning April 23rd:
Kim Demery
March 2018 Bio
Born and raised in New York, I studied piano at an early age and always enjoyed
participating in chorus and playing in orchestra and band throughout Middle School, High School and College. I am a multi-talented music educator, author and speaker who received my music education degree from Northwestern University.
After relocating to North Carolina, I worked in Wake County Public Schools for 10 years as a K-5 general music teacher and also a choral music director in middle school.
Previously, as Director of Programming for Kidznotes, I set the pace for curriculum development, teacher recruitment, training, instruction and program evaluation. During my tenure, I expanded the footprint and reach of orchestral and choral music programming in Wake and Durham County Public Schools. I led a program evaluation team, discovering compelling evidence, that substantiated the positive impact learning and performing music has on cognitive and social emotional development in children.
As a featured presenter and speaker for the North Carolina Symphony education
program, my work with students has been featured at the North
Carolina Music Educator's Conference and on UNC-TV's "Carolina Now".
I plan is to use my varied experience and solid teaching philosophy to benefit the
Laurel Park Elementary School Community. My goal is to equip students with the tools to become life-long lovers of music and the arts, as they seek to become leaders in their school and community.
I live in Cary with my husband, Kenny and when we are not teaching or
photographing events, we enjoy traveling, spending time with family and attending concerts.
Cultural Arts Programs - Spring 2018
April 5
Bright Star Touring Theatre
k-2 show: Upcycled Cinderella
This imaginative production brings to life the story of Cinderella in a way that will surprise and delight audiences. The wacky duo, Dustmop and Binny, “accidentally” stumble upon an audience and decide to put on a play with what they have before them. Using household items, recycled objects and physical comedy, the performers create hilarious characters, inventive settings and lively scenes. Packed with character education lessons, Upcycled Cinderella will activate the imagination and encourage young audiences to use teamwork, friendship and creativity in their every day lives.
3-5 show: Write On! A Literacy Adventure
Jack loves stories, but there’s one problem – he just can’t write any! Luckily, with the help of his teacher, Mrs. Billingsworth, and a few surprise ghosts, Jack finds out how to tap into his imagination to create incredible stories. This show about literacy is high energy, fun and hilarious!
**These assemblies are made possible through PTA fund raising and a grant from United Arts Council. Thank you to everyone who has supported the PTA financially. As with all of our Cultural Arts events, tracked out students and their parents may attend these assemblies.
May 14
Living Rhythms
Captivating drums! High-energy dancing! Non-stop student participation! Living Rhythms performances are an educational, transformative and exciting exploration of the drumming and dance of West Africa. The show begins with an attention-grabbing surprise entrance by our artists, and students are on the edge of their seats right from the beginning! With continual opportunities to sing and clap along, students enjoy learning about the rhythms and songs that represent traditions of several African ethnic groups. They then learn about dances that historically accompany the musical selections. Strong emphasis is placed on the traditional West African values of respect, community, and teamwork. The performance broadens students' understanding of our increasingly interdependent world, and encourages them to embrace a life of empowerment and critical thinking. The show culminates with a surprise teacher participation twist - fun and exciting for staff and students alike!
**This assembly is made possible through PTA fund raising and a grant from United Arts Council. Thank you to everyone who has supported the PTA financially. As with all of our Cultural Arts events, tracked out students and their parents may attend the assembly.
Lufkin Road Middle School Open House for Rising 6th
We will be having a New Student Open House at Lufkin Road Middle School on Thursday, April 19th at 6pm. This will be an opportunity for parents and students to ask questions and tour the school prior to the start of the 2018-2019 school year. Please pass this information on to any families who will be joining us at Lufkin next year, and direct them to our school's website for more information.
Counselors' Corner
This month, we are registering our 5th graders for middle school! Our 5th grade teachers have already completed recommendations for math and ELA placements. These recommendations are based on data collected from previous EOG scores and other objective data measures. Our tracks 2, 3, and 4 students have already completed their elective selection with us, and we are now working with track 1. It is a joy for us to see how excited the students are about choosing their classes for 6th grade!
In mid-April, 5th grade parents will receive a verification sheet that lists all of the recommended courses and elective choices for their student. Please review the placement choices, sign, and return the form to your child's teacher. We will send these to the appropriate middle school in early May. If you have any questions, or would like to make changes to your child's registration, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to continuing to work with you as your child transitions to middle school!
Tracks 1 & 2
Caren MacEntee
Tracks 3 & 4
Ashley Waddell
Remember to Purchase a 2017-2018 Yearbook!
Grocery Store Rewards Cards
Box Tops for Education Initiative!
How to Help Our School
Want a quick and easy way to help your school earn money?
From linking your grocery store cards to shopping online, here are some simple everyday things you can do to help raise money for our school.
Link your Kroger Card:
Sign in (or create an account) and then link your Kroger Plus Card to Laurel Park (# 86113)
www.kroger.com/communityrewards
Link your Harris Teeter Card:
- Link or Relink your VIC card to Laurel Park Elementary School. You can do this in store or with the link below.
- Don’t forget ALL VIC cards will need to be RE-LINKED each school year.
- https://www.harristeeter.com/together-in-education
Publix:
Coming soon
Clip Box Tops:
Simply cut box top labels off of participating brands and send them into your child`s classroom. It is that easy.
For each Box Top, our school earns 10 cents.
Shop AmazonSmiles:
Shop AmazonSmile and indicate Laurel Park Elementary PTA. The school will receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchase. You can find a direct link on the PTA website.
We love that we can now follow the PTA on Twitter! You should follow too!
Check it out @lpes_pta.