Penguin Press News
The Week of May 20th
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BAME
Dear Laurel Park Families,
We are excited to be nearing our upcoming Family Fun Night event on Friday, May 31st. We hope that many of you will come support the PTA silent auction, participate in family games, and engage with our school community! Please consider volunteering for this event:
- If you have any questions about volunteering please email Natalie O'Dell at neodell11@gmail.com
- Family Fun Night Volunteer Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b4fa8a62ba5f49-family1
Our students are truly enjoying the beautiful spring weather. While we love having our students outdoors, please help us keep students safe by reviewing these helpful reminders at home:
- Speak with your child about the importance of avoiding eating any wild berries and honeysuckle on the playground. Although our teachers closely supervise students during outdoor activities, we believe frontloading the dangers of eating nature's unidentified goodies will go a long way.
- Apply sunscreen prior to the start of the school day.
- Send in hats or sunglasses to be worn at recess, if needed.
- Remember that students are allowed to bring water bottles to class and can refill them throughout the day.
- Dress your child in layers in case the day starts out chilly and quickly becomes warmer throughout the day.
- Family Fun Night: May 31st
- Track 1 Step Up Day (not a parent event): June 3rd - 12:00 - 12:30 pm
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
Track 1 EOGs Starts this Week!
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!
Technology Class Update for 2019-20
We are innovating at Laurel Park, reimagining our Technology Class into a S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Enhanced Class for all grade levels!
I am starting to gather things for STEM, if you have small boxes from Kleenex, cereal boxes, cardboard food containers, small personal cereal boxes, any random art supplies like wooden dowels, beads, string, yarn, glue for small glue gun, buttons, straws, anything round like water bottle tops, paper towel rolls, tp rolls, or really anything that is small, clean, and usable.
If you think, "I wonder if Ms. Trent can use this?", the answer is yes. I will have plastic containers near both doors for any donations. My plan is to have a wall of supplies and building projects in progress by next year. Also, I have a wish-list on the homepage of my website: www.mstrent.weebly.com for specific things and it's updated on a regular basis.
Thank you!
Ms. Trent
LPES Technology Teacher
Update from Lucky's Library....
Lucky’s Library is wrapping another great year. We circulated over 30,000 items to students, an increase of nearly 10,000 from the previous year!
Thank you to the many parent volunteers that came in and helped with inventory!!! It allowed us to finish in just a day and a half. As we wrap up the year, please keep these final due dates in mind:
Track 1 – all books to be returned by May 29th
Tracks 2,3,4 – all books to be returned by June 21st
Thank you,
Mrs. LeSueur
LPES Media Coordinator
Art Newsletter - May 2019
Hello LPES Families,
I want to extend a huge thank you to all my students and families who spoiled me during teacher appreciation week. Between the cards, gifts, and hugs, I felt like a queen! I also appreciate the donations of items on my wish list that were given to me during last week also! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you so much!
It has been a very busy past couple weeks for me personally, and this is a tough newsletter for me to write. As some of you may know, I have a first grade daughter, Allie, and an incoming Kindergarten son, Myles. As you may also know, last year all specialists were required to go to 11 month calendars. Therefore, I have not been on the same track out schedule as my own children, and this has presented some personal and family challenges. On an exciting note, I want to share that I have accepted a traditional art teaching position at Penny Road Elementary school, which will make my family and career life easier hopefully. Plus, it is less than 10 minutes from my own home!
I truly will miss all of my students here at Laurel Park Elementary, which has been my loving home for the past few years. I want to extend a thank you to every parent and student for all your support and love of the arts, participation in ARTsonia.com (which will remain accessible to you), and friendships that have grown from our collaboration together. I hope to keep in touch and see all of my students around town as they grow up! Mrs. Bame, Mr. Nixon, and the specialist team and I are working together to make sure that the new art teacher at LPES is fabulous, and will take great care of your children.
Current projects include:
- Kindergarten- These classes are making a clay pinch pot, and will soon be learning about the work of Vincent Van Gogh.
- First grade- These classes are making “Rainbow Cake” drawings and learning about the color spectrum, ROY G. BIV. Next, they will be learning how to draw and shade geometric shapes.
- Second grade- These classes will be starting a self-portrait. During this project they will be drawing, designing, and adding some accessories to embellish themselves.
- Third grade- These classes are learning about the how mandalas are made and used in different cultures. Radial symmetry is being encouraged, and they are turning out to be gorgeous!
- Fourth grade- These classes are having fun with an oil pastel transfer drawing. After they finish their drawing, they will be painting it with watercolors for a very cool effect.
- Fifth grade- These classes currently weaving on a circular loom with yarn. Some are finishing and are quite excited to bring their weaving home.
My last day is June 28th - I will miss you all!
Artfully Yours,
Mrs. Laura Binnick
Artfully Yours,
Mrs. Laura Binnick
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
- Please sign up to volunteer at the link below. Thank you!
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