It is time for our Winter iReady diagnostic assessment. Students will be testing in the areas of math and reading. i-Ready is a program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform and tailor instruction to accelerate growth. This is the second of three i-Ready assessments we give each year, and results will be mailed home to parents in February.

Like the fall assessment, students will be given time at home to complete the assessment. We will be running a special schedule (linked here) from January 19th to 22nd. Teachers will be available for three of the four days to answer questions during the designated testing time. However, students are welcome to work at their own pace at home and we will ask students to devote some time on Wednesday afternoon to make progress on the assessments independently. Given that students completed the assessments in the fall, they should be comfortable navigating the assessments.

The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. We appreciate your support and encouragement for your student to ensure that we gather accurate information about what they already know and what we can help them learn. Here is a step-by-step checklist that can help with supporting your student at home. We appreciate your partnership.

Please contact Jennie Knapp, Assistant Principal, at knappj@loswego.k12.or.us if you have any questions.

On Wednesday, January 6th, teachers delivered Character Strong Lesson #13: Circles of Care. We hope that you and your student enjoyed it and learned something from it. Our next lesson is titled, “Common Ground''. “Common Ground” explores the idea that understanding similarities and differences with those around us helps develop tools and skills in patience and understanding.

If you would like to read more please consider this book:

Jamil Zaki. (2019). The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World. https://www.amazon.com/War-Kindness-Building-Empathy-Fractured/dp/0451499247 (BOOK)

We hope you all have a good week,

Your LMS Counseling Team

School Counselors:

Callie Charon (6th) charonc@loswego.k12.or.us

Monica Binder (7th) binderkm@loswego.k12.or.us

Marcy Watts (8th) wattsm@loswego.k12.or.us

Request to meet with your counselor:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeA3BW-V4q4MgTfYQlJ61yMNYWV5zozfj6QEtehRNjdxJ6Sew/viewform

If your child ever needs support after school hours, there are many other resources available including the 24-Hour Clackamas County Crisis and Support Line at 503-655-8585 and https://oregonyouthline.org/

It is time again for our after school clubs to start. We hope to have several fun options for students to choose from. Research shows that kids who are involved and connected to school activities outside of class do better in class. In the past, our clubs have included Robotics, Arts & Crafts, Dungeons & Dragons, Queer Straight Alliance, Anime, Card Game Club, Jr. Thespians and more! If there isn't a club that matches a student's interest, they can start one by filling out our Club Application. See the details and descriptions below for how to join. If you’d like to start a new club, click this link for the form to propose one and some ideas on how it might work.

We’ve launched affinity groups for our BIPOC students! Affinity groups “allow students who share an identity—usually a marginalized identity—to gather & talk in a safe space about issues related to that identity.” Ms. Easterly and Ms. Minson are advisors for this group. Students can contact them with questions.

Warm up Tuesday and Thursday mornings with a cozy cup and visit with friends and classmates. This is a great place to connect, share a smile and help start your day!

Contact Melissa Evers to get the zoom link

eversm@loswego.k12.or.us

Tues. and Thurs. 8:30 - 9 am

In the military history club we would talk about all the warfare events that have happened from the Romans and Greeks to Iraq. We will go into depth with each major battle like the Battle of the Bulge. We will spend time learning about the wars you have never heard about like the Spanish Revolution. Tactics, weapons, tanks, aircraft, strategy, positions and comparing modern and old technology.

Join us from 1-2pm on Wednesdays

If Interested email Dario to join and get the zoom link!

Our advisor is Adam Yip, an infantry veteran of the US Army.

We welcome everyone!

Hey middle schoolers! You may have heard of Lakeridge’s wonderful drama program, but have you heard of our lovely Jr. Thespian troupe? Jr. Thespians are a non-profit organization. It’s a chapter of the Educational Theatre Association which sponsors the International Thespian Society. It’s our mission to not only do theatre, but promote, strengthen, and advocate for theatre arts in our community. Short answer, we encourage theatre in our community and have fun doing it! If you’d like to join our troupe, come to our meetings which are every Tuesday at 8:10 am. You can find the meeting link in our google classroom: st2cgps.

Hope to see you soon!!

-Your Jr. Thespian Officers

Math Club meets from 11:45 to 12:45 each Tuesday. Come and join your fellow students to solve interesting math problems and play some math games! Students of all grades and abilities from LMS are welcome. Our MathCounts competition team will be formed from students in the Math Club, so if you're interested in math competition, this is the club for you. Send an email to Mrs. Goehler(goehlers@loswego.k12.or.us) if you want to join in and she will send you the link for the Zoom Meeting! Our Google Classroom join code is: xalrnpd. Come join the fun!

The Culinary Adventures Club will occur on Tuesdays from 12-1. Come learn what good, healthy food is. You’ll also learn how to cook and bake better. You’ll need access to your kitchen and some ingredients, while on Zoom. Email Ms. Charon to request an invitation to the zoom link.

Meeting Times: 12-1

Days: Tues and Friday

Specific Criteria: Need to have access to a computer/laptop/other gaming device, have access to group games (examples Among Us, Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox) and Zoom

What Season: All year

What do you want your members to get out of it:

To make new friends during the pandemic since we all can’t be together socializing at school

To join email: heathermarie0519@yahoo.com your name to get the zoom link.

Key Goals:

• Help new students like me meet new people and feel more comfortable, confident and part of a group

• To help students learn in a fun way team building skills

• To give students a chance to practice being kind, taking turns and being respectful to others in a group environment

• To teach patience and listening to each other

• To give students a chance of building creativity skills

• Science research shows that video games help the brain with memory and growth

Requests for resident fee waivers or fee reductions, except for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), will be processed using the attached form. Please complete the form and submit it to the department or school which collects the applicable fee or fees.

UPDATE: Meals are FREE for ALL Children Through June 2021

Due to new flexibility from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), LOSD is providing FREE packaged breakfasts and lunches for ALL children who wish to participate in the Grab & Go meal service. Free meals have been extended from December 2020 through June 2021 to all children ages 1 to 18, even if they are not enrolled in LOSD. One meal kit per child. Face covering required at pick up.

While it is not currently essential to complete either the USDA or Oregon Expanded Income application, we encourage families that might be eligible to do so at your earliest opportunity. You can fill out the application online. Go to: https://www.ode.state.or.us/apps/frlapp

Current Grab & Go Distribution Schedule

Lake Grove Mon* & Thurs** 11:00 AM-12:00 PM

River Grove Mon* & Thurs** 11:00 AM-12:00 PM

LOHS Mon* & Thurs** 11:45 AM-12:45 PM

LHS Mon* & Thurs** 11:45 AM- 12:45 PM

*Mondays will provide 3 days of meals

**Thursdays will provide 4 days of meals

Information regarding meal services is changing rapidly.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

1/6/21