Penguin Press News
Noticias de Penguin Press ~ 11/29/21
A Message from Principal Bame
Dear Laurel Park Families,
As we venture into the winter season, many parents and students look to show appreciation and gratitude for the teachers and staff who serve their children every day. In addition to expressing gratitude, families also want to celebrate the mid-way point of the school year by sending in goodies to the classroom. Before moving forward with any celebratory plans, we kindly ask that you follow our health and safety policy outlined in our Laurel Park Parent Handbook:
Parties are not to be held during school hours for students. Having flowers or balloons delivered to the school is disruptive to the learning environment so please have these items delivered at home. Due to food allergies and dietary restrictions, foods are not permitted for birthday celebrations. A wonderful alternative for recognizing birthdays/holiday celebrations is to contact the teacher and ask for ideas for the classroom or donate a favorite book to the classroom library. ** healthy snacks may be provided with teacher permission **
Additional Notes for Staff Appreciation:
Teacher/Staff gifts can certainly involve food, but the food must be made from a commercial kitchen.
Teachers/Staff cannot accept tokens of appreciation in the form of CASH or checks.
Most LPE teachers have classroom wish lists if you would like to contribute to the classroom.
Staff profiles and LPE Staff Favorites also provide additional gift ideas, if needed. Note: not all staff members responded to the Staff Favorites survey we sent.
What is coming up?
- November 30th - Student Council Meeting at 8:45 am
- December 2nd - PTA Board Meeting at 5:30 pm
- December 3rd - PTA Sponsored lunch for staff, Tracks 3/4 Interim Reports
- December 8th - Prospective family tour 4:30 - 5:00 pm
- December 23rd - 31st - Winter Break
- January 17th - no school MLK, Jr. Holiday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A medida que nos adentramos en la temporada de invierno, muchos padres y estudiantes buscan mostrar aprecio y gratitud por los maestros y el personal que atienden a sus hijos todos los días. Además de expresar gratitud, las familias también quieren celebrar el punto medio del año escolar enviando golosinas al salón de clases. Antes de seguir adelante con cualquier plan de celebración, le pedimos amablemente que siga nuestra política de salud y seguridad descrita en nuestro Manual para padres de Laurel Park:
Notas adicionales para el reconocimiento del personal:
- Los obsequios para maestros / personal ciertamente pueden involucrar comida, pero la comida debe prepararse en una cocina comercial.
- Los maestros / personal no pueden aceptar muestras de agradecimiento en forma de EFECTIVO o cheques.
- La mayoría de los profesores de LPE tienen listas de deseos en el aula si le gustaría contribuir al aula.
- Los perfiles del personal y los favoritos del personal de LPE también brindan ideas de obsequios adicionales, si es necesario. Nota: no todos los miembros del personal respondieron a la encuesta de favoritos del personal que enviamos.
¿Qué viene?
- 30 de noviembre - Reunión del consejo estudiantil a las 8:45 am
- 2 de diciembre - Reunión de la junta de la PTA a las 5:30 pm
- 3 de diciembre: almuerzo patrocinado por la PTA para el personal, pistas 3/4 informes provisionales
- 8 de diciembre - Tour familiar en perspectiva 4:30 - 5:00 pm
- 23 - 31 de diciembre - Vacaciones de invierno
- 17 de enero - no hay clases MLK, Jr. feriado
Let's Stay Healthy, Laurel Park!
**** We are in need of plastic cup donations for student use. Donations can be delivered to our main office. Thank you so much!
We appreciate your focus on safety protocols to help limit the spread of COVID-19 at Laurel Park. Returning from Thanksgiving break, we want to remain vigilant in our collective effort to keep our campus and community safe.
We must continue practicing the 3 Ws:
Wear a face covering.
Wait apart to maintain social distancing.
Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer if water and soap aren’t available.
Please remember that WCPSS guidelines require your child to stay home if they are sick or have symptoms of illness. If your child or someone in your household is exposed or diagnosed with COVID-19, stay home and notify Ms. Lovett (clovett@wcpss.net) as soon as possible for further guidance. For information about the district’s return to school procedures, view wcpss.net/WhenToReturn.
Thank you all for your continued dedication to keeping our community healthy while helping meet the needs of students.
Student Support - December Updates
To support our students’ social-emotional health, Student Support Staff have been visiting classrooms to teach the following lessons:
Second Step for Kindergarten: All kindergarten classes are receiving at least five of these lessons. Topics include growth mindset, goal setting, emotion management, empathy, kindness, and problem solving.
Funny Tummy Feelings for 1st & 2nd grades: All second grade classes are receiving this 2-part personal safety program. It will be taught to first grade in the winter/spring.
Coping Skills for 3rd, 4th & 5th grades: These 3-part lessons help students learn to identify and manage emotions in a healthy way, as well as resolve conflict that can cause unpleasant feelings.
Please contact the counselors if you have questions about these programs or need additional social-emotional support for your child.
Caren MacEntee, Counselor (Tracks 1 & 2), cmacentee@wcpss.net
Ashley Truskowski, Counselor (Tracks 3 & 4), atruskowski@wcpss.net
Dr. Amy Hawkins, School Psychologist, ahawkins@wcpss.net
Karen Rabins, School Social Worker, krabins@wcpss.net
Missing a Lunch Box or Coat?
Interested in Receiving Text Message Updates?
Interested in Receiving Text Message Updates?
Text YES to 67587 from the cell phone you wish to receive text messages on. You will receive the following confirmation message: You’re registered 4 SchoolMessenger notifications. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. schoolmessenger.com/txt
Important: The phone number must be associated with your student in PowerSchool to receive text messages from the school and the district.
Lufkin Road School Tours
December STEM Updates from Ms. Trent
We are doing the Hour of Code! It's officially Dec. 6 - 10, but I usually do it for several weeks. There are some great coding games at code.org (Sign in with Google) and https://hourofcode.com/us/learn. I usually do Code Monkey with the younger students. We will be using Scratch (Coding mixed with physical computing with the Makey Makey) with 3rd grade and CoSpaces (Coding mixed with Augmented Reality) for 4th and 5th grade. Ask Ms. Trent for usernames and passwords for Scratch and CoSpaces.
This is a great introduction to coding and can lead to a love of coding. This may even spark a career in coding! So join us at home for the Hour of Code!
Students who got their Chromebooks before the Chromebooks had a protective cover on it will be getting those protective covers this week or next week in STEM class. Just so you aren't surprised. It's not a new Chromebook, it's just a protective cover.
Sincerely,
Ms. Trent
STEM Teacher/ Tech Facilitator
Mrs. Benner's Art Update for December
It’s not too late! You can still order custom keepsakes featuring your child’s artwork. Go to https://arttoremember.com/school/6LCX88
CogAT Results for Tracks 3 and 4
2022 Prospective Family Tour Sign-up
December Student Council Updates
Laurel Park Food Drive
Laurel Park Student Council, in partnership with the Wake Relief Food Drive, will begin collecting non-perishable food items this week. We will be collecting through January 25th and look forward to great LPE community participation:
Canned items
Tuna
Chicken
Lunchmeat (Spam)
Corn
Peas
Green beans
Assorted vegetables
Soup or canned pasta
Assorted beans (black, kidney, garbanzo, etc.)
Fruit in juice
Pasta sauce (no glass please)
Additional Items of Need
Peanut Butter
Grits
Rice (no bags larger than 5 lbs. please)
Cereal (Cheerios, Corn Flakes, etc.)
Saltine Crackers
Mac & Cheese
Pasta (plain noodles, spaghetti, etc.)
Laundry detergent (pods preferred)
Soap
Toilet paper
Snacks for kids (anything individually wrapped that you would put in a lunchbox, the healthier the better)
PTA Updates and News
Do you know your child's email address?
Want more answers to tech questions?
Go to Students and click on Remote Learning Resources and FAQ on the Laurel Park Website.
Parent and Student Tech Guides (WCPSS)
Positivity Project Resource for Families
P2 for Families is an easy and effective way for families to discuss the importance of character strengths and positive relationships. It is differentiated for grades Pre-K – 2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each character strength follows a 1-1-3 model: 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions to drive conversations around character at home.
Please choose your child’s grade level found at the link below:
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