Penguin Press News
The Week of May 6th
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BAME
Dear Laurel Park Families,
We are entering the busiest two months of the school year, closing the current school year while planning for our next school year. Please make sure you read through this newsletter for important dates, announcements, and information to help aid your families in transitioning to the next school year. As we get closer to July, we will provide families with continuous updates. I hope to see many of you at our Coffee with LPE Administration session tomorrow morning at 8:45 am in the Media Center.
Basic 2019-2020 Planning Updates:
Number of Classes Per Grade Level:
Kindergarten = 8 classes
1st Grade = 7 classes (single tracked on T3)
2nd Grade = 7 classes (single tracked on T3)
3rd Grade = 7 classes (single tracked on T3)
4th Grade = 6 classes (single tracked on T2 and T3)
5th Grade = 6 classes (single tracked on T2 and T3)
Planning Average Size for 2019-2020 Classes (Based on today's numbers)
Kindergarten = 19 students
- (Instructional Assistant per classroom)
1st Grade = 18 students
- (Instructional Assistant per two classrooms, 1 floating IA for the entire grade level - small group work only)
2nd Grade = 21 students
- (1 floating Instructional Assistant for the entire grade level - small group work only)
3rd Grade = 21 students
4th Grade = 26 students
- (T2 is sitting at 32. We are looking to balance classes with volunteer support)
5th Grade = 25 students
Highlighted Dates:
Teacher Appreciation Weeks:
Tracks 1, 2, 4 - Week of May 6th
Track 3 - Week of May 13th
- Track 1 Step Up Day (not a parent event): June 3rd - 12:00 - 12:30 pm
Family Fun Night: May 31st
Track 2, 3, 4: Step Up Day (not a parent event): June 28th - 12:00 - 12:30 pm
Rising Kindergarten Parent Orientation Night: May 8th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Rising Kindergarten Playdate: June 15th
Meet the Teacher for Tracks 1, 2, 3: Monday, July 8th (Times TBA soon)
Meet the Teacher for Track 4: Thursday, July 25th (Times TBA soon)
Thank you for supporting Laurel Park Elementary School!
Kind Regards,
Raleigh G. Bame
#LPESWAKE
#CultivatingLearning
#EquityMatters2Peak
#OtherPeopleMatter
Staff Friendship Event
Field Day for Tracks 1 and 2
NC Red for Ed Rally!
Have you heard about the Apex Public School Foundation?
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
We wanted to let you know that we will be recognizing this at Laurel Park the week of May 20-24. There will be a Bulletin Board in the lobby and we are asking everyone to wear GREEN on Friday May 24th in recognition of Mental Health Awareness.
We will also be having daily announcements in the morning to give students information on how they can be mentally healthy. As a student services staff, we want to make sure that the students in our school know that keeping themselves mentally healthy is as important as keeping ourselves physically healthy. We encourage you to talk with your children about their thoughts and feelings. Families serve as great support systems and can help children feel comfortable understanding and managing their feelings and emotions.
Below are some links with tips for parents on how discussing and dealing with mental health for your children. Please reach out to your LPE Student Support team if you need more resources!
5th Grade Moving Up Ceremonies Dates and Times
Track 2 & 3: June 27, 2019 at 1:30 PM
Track 4: June 27, 2019 at 9:30 AM
2019 Field Day Volunteers Needed!
Tracks 3 and 4:
June 6th (3rd - 5th: 10:00 - 11:30, K - 2nd: 1:00 - 2:30 pm)
- Rain date on June 7th, same times
****Sign up link for tracks 1 and 2 field day on May 2, 2019 only
Tracks 3 and 4 will be sent out in early May
Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) Nomination and Testing Information for the 2019 - 2020 School Year
Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) is the practice of assigning students to a higher grade level for a single subject, than is typical, given the student's age, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. SSA is an accelerative practice that allows students to show mastery of an elementary or middle school course.
Students must meet qualifying Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) criteria in grades K‐7 to take advanced academic content in Mathematics or English Language Arts. Nominated students for Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) will be assessed at their school, based upon their current grade level. Depending on their grade level and subject, this could include a multiple-choice test and/or a writing sample.
Students can be nominated for SSA by either their teacher or parents. Students are allowed to take one SSA test, either ELA or Math. Students must score an 80% or higher to pass the Math SSA test and an 85% or higher and a level 2 on the written ELA test. Schools are only allowed to take SSA nomination forms during the nomination window and all testing is to be completed on the testing windows. No exceptions will be made.
If you are interested in your students being tested for SSA, please complete, sign and return the SSA nomination form during the nomination window. If you should have any questions, about whether your student should be tested, please see your student's current classroom teacher. If you have questions about SSA and the process, please feel free to email anyone on the LPES AIG team.
Sincerely,
Amy Stone at astone@wcpss.net
Ann-Marie Taranto at ataranto@wcpss.net
Sandy Sandel at ssandel@wcpss.net. Thank you!
SSA Students Video Talking About SSA
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