The Lackamas Lightning Strike
Home of the Lightning... Learn Lead Succeed
May 2021
LACKAMAS ELEMENTARY
Shauna Perez, Principal
Phone: (360) 894-6000
Fax: (360) 894-6002
Email: shauna_perez@ycs.wednet.edu
Website: https://www.ycs.wednet.edu/Domain/92
Location: 16240 Bald Hill Road Southeast, Yelm, WA, USA
Phone: 360-894-6000
Facebook: Facebook.com/YCSnews
Twitter: @lackamas
Message from the Principal
We are excited to have some of the traditional spring celebrations coming back in the final weeks of school.
Our 5th-grade students have invested 6 years of learning and grown so much from the time they started in kindergarten with us. School is a 13-year journey for most students it is so important to celebrate each step students make to graduation.
There are fewer than 30 instructional days left in the school year. Teachers are making every minute count by making strong connections with students, focusing on the highest leverage learning goals, and administering ongoing formative assessments/progress monitoring to move learning forward at a rapid pace! We are excited to watch our students grow in the last quarter of the year.
We have so much to celebrate because of your support and collaboration with us to keep accelerating student learning.
Upcoming Important Dates
April 19th - May 14th
- PTO Charleston Wrap Fundraiser
May 3rd-7th
- Staff Appreciation Week
May 10th - June16th
- Alphabet Countdown to the end of the year
May 26th 6:00-7:00
- LAP Family Night on Zoom
May 28th
- No School, Snow Make-Up Day
May 31st
- No School, Memorial Day
June 8th
- Field Day
June 10th
- Class Picture Day - masks required
June 16th
- 1/2 Day - Last Day of School, out at 12:05pm
May 3rd - 7th Staff Appreciation
We are so thankful for our Lackamas Staff! It is our bus drivers, kitchen staff, recess supervisors, Special Education Team, Specialists, Custodians, Para Educators, Office Staff, Counselors, and our Classroom Teachers that continue to love, support, and educate our children.
We will celebrate our staff on May 3rd - 7th. Please partner with us by writing a kind email or helping your child create a special picture or write a kind letter.
Thanks in advance for partnering alongside our PTO, Prairie Christian Center, and Admin on May 3rd - 7th to celebrate our very special team of educators!
New Students and Incoming Kinder Registration for 21-22 is Open
To be admitted to kindergarten for the fall of 2021, your child must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2021.
Current families with a Family Access account: register online by logging in to your Family Access account.
New families: register online by completing the New Student Enrollment: Account Request
Need Assistance: Watch YouTube Video Tutorial
In-Person is 4 Days a Week!
April 22: K-2, 6, 9, 12
May 6: 3-5, 7-8, 10-11
We have worked to re-arrange classroom furniture to accommodate students. Breakfasts are no longer served at school, but will be sent home the previous day to be eaten at home. If you have any questions about bus routes and times, please check our website .
Class Picture Day, June 10th
Alphabet Countdown
Lackamas Volunteer of the Year
We are pleased to honor Karla Wiesner as our Volunteer of the Year. She knocks herself out to be present and visible. She continues to find new ways to help our PTO budget and activities. Karla has regularly dropped off positive motivation for our entire building and put treats for every student in their monthly meet and beep bags to encourage them to keep learning. As our PTO President, she has lead in an inclusive and inviting way, welcoming new PTO members and families to Lackamas. We are so fortunate to have her positive energy supporting our kids, staff, and community. Congratulations, Karla!!!
Lackamas Yearbooks
Lackamas will be doing a digital yearbook this year. Many thanks to our volunteers from PTO for helping organize this. We will send you a link to this yearbook in June and you will be able to print a copy at home if you are interested. Spring school pictures will be included. If you have photos of your own children you would like to send in for possible inclusion in the yearbook please email them to lackamaspto@outlook.com, however, we can only accept pictures of your own children.
Update on Yelm Virtual Academy
The results of the elementary family survey were reviewed last week. Unfortunately, we do not have the projected enrollment necessary to launch YVA next year. Fewer than 20 families district-wide signed up for the program, and this falls far below the enrollment threshold required to move forward. We will follow up with the families who desired this option via telephone and hope they will choose to attend our schools in person next year.
If you would still prefer a virtual option next year, please refer to the OSPI Approved Online Schools and School Programs page. This page provides a comprehensive list of approved virtual school options available in our state.
Update on State SBA Testing for 3rd - 5th grade students
WA State Spring Testing Update Grades 3-8 and 10
Superintendent of Public Schools, Chris Reykdal made the announcement last week that students in WA State will not participate in the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) given to grades 3-8 and 10 or the Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) given to grades 5, 8 and 11 this spring as the US Department of Education did not look favorably on the state’s testing waiver request. Instead, students will participate next fall. He made the determination that students would be better served engaging in learning activities given the move to more in-person instruction across the state and that locally determined assessment tools would be more informative to the instructional process. This means that students will likely be participating in two different state testing windows next year, both fall and spring. Any testing done in fall would be related to the previous year’s content. There are two state assessments that were not moved, the English Learner Progress Assessment (ELPA) and the WA-AIM. If your student is participating in either of these assessments you would already have received communication from your school about this.
PTO Spring Fundraiser and Prizes
Attendance for Hybrid In-Person
We are so excited to see our students more as we transition to in-person 4 days a week! The end of the school year is fast approaching and we want to encourage our students to finish strong. Remember to call the attendance line and leave a message if your student will be absent, 360-894-6012. Wednesdays continue as remote days and attendance will be taken.
Mr. Sturgill's 5th grade class won the "March Madness, Off the Court, Class Attendance Competition" with 98% attendance. See picture below from their virtual party with Mrs. Wendy.
New Food Resource
Covid Testing Site for YCS Students
The testing site is open daily (M-F) from 10am – 12pm in the district office parking lot. If an enrolled student needs to be tested, they can drive up. We highly recommend they pre-register to make the experience quicker and prevent personal information being shared in a public space.
Here is the student registration link, if you need it. This video may also help prepare you for the experience.
Parent or Guardian Scholarships for U of A
The University of Arizona Scholarship is available to any parent or guardian of a child attending a school in the NEU network. Lackamas is an NEU school. It covers full tuition and technology fees for any University of Arizona Global Campus undergraduate degree. For more information check scholarships being offered by U of A
Applications will open on April 1st, closing on June 30th.
Transfers & Nonresident Requests for 21-22
If you live outside the Lackamas attendance area, now is the time to renew your Transfer Request for the 2021-2022 school year. Please check out "Within District Transfer" and "Nonresident Choice Transfer Request" for more information.
Anchored Families - Supporting Your Child's Emotional Well-Being
We will be drawing for a family dinner night at the end of April for families who have taken this course. Sign up today each module is an entry into the drawing. Sending Mrs. Perez a review is an extra bonus ticket for the drawing. shauna_perez@ycs.wednet.edu.
YCS Employment Opportunities
Virtual 5K to Help Feed Kids in Our Community
Digital Flyer Board
Community organizations can upload flyers into Peachjar, and parents will receive digital flyers regarding school and community resources through email. All flyers will be available at any time on the Yelm Community Schools digital flyer board. You can manage your account preferences by logging into your account using the login information provided in the email.
PARENTS: Opt in for Text Messages - Text YES to 67587
Tech Help Desk
Frequently Asked Questions
Contacting the Office
Office is open 7:00am - 3:15pm
If you need to stop by the school please come between 7:30am-3:00pm, pull up out front of the main building and honk. You are also welcome to knock on the front door and we will be happy to help you there as well. Social Distancing Required
New school hours: 8:00am - 2:30pm
PTO Recycling Programs to raise funds for Lackamas
Lackamas is going GREEN! The PTO has chosen a couple recycling programs for the school to participate in.
When: Recycle drop off will be on Wednesday's during lunch pick-up 11:30-1pm and at the monthly Meet and Beeps.
Terracycle.com
A recycling program that awards points per pound of recycling materials that turn into a money donation to the school once enough points are collected. We will begin by recycling juice pouches, Bunch O Balloons products and packaging, and Febreeze cartridges and packaging. Will continue all year!
Trex.com - The Plastic Recycling Challenge
- Lackamas has collected and recycled 32 lbs of plastic bags
- Winners are announced on Earth Day
Crayon recycling
Done specifically through the PTO. We will be turning all the crayons into something new to give back to students. We are accepting all kinds of crayons, broken and whole.
Amazon Smile Program
RAISE MONEY WHILE SHOPPING
Amazon Smile - an automatic way to support Lackamas Elementary
- You will need to select Lackamas PTO as your charity, ID 9215319235
- With every eligible purchase, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price. Be sure to bookmark it! http://smile.amazon.com
- News Flash!!! - Amazon Smile is now available in the Amazon shopping app for Android users!
- In the latest version of the app, go to View Settings and select Amazon Smile. Follow the in-app instructions to complete the process.
Questions? Email LackamasPTO@outlook.com
Box Tops Made Easy!
BOX TOPS MADE EASY!
Download the ALL-NEW Box Tops app
- HOW IT WORKS - BUY BOX TOPS PRODUCTS!
- SCAN YOUR RECEIPT - Tap the scan button and snap a photo of your receipt within 14 days of purchase.
- WHAT ABOUT BOX TOPS STILL ON PACKAGES??
- You can still clip them and send them to school!
- Physical Box Top clips are being phased out of production.
- Send any unexpired clipped Box Tops to school with your student or drop it in the PTO box just outside the office.
- EVERY BOX TOP HELPS! - EARN CASH FOR YOUR SCHOOL!
- Lackamas has earned $200 so far this year! Can you help us double it?
Questions? Email LackamasPTO@outlook.com
THANK YOU TO OUR YCS BUSINESS PARTNERS!
Nondiscrimination Statement
Yelm Community Schools does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or use of a trained guide dog or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights: Greg Davis, 360-458-1900, greg_davis@ycs.wednet.edu; 504 Coordinator: Shannon Powell, 360-458-6124, shannon_powell@ycs.wednet.edu; Title IX Coordinator: Lisa Cadero-Smith, 360-458-6120, lisa_cadero-smith@ycs.wednet.edu; Address: 107 First St. N., PO Box 476, Yelm, WA 98597