The Lawrence Elementary School

Follow us on Twitter @MpsLawrence!   

The Lawrence School Twitter feed 
https://twitter.com/MpsLawrence?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw


Click here for more information on our IB Candidate School:

The Lawrence School Primary Years Programme

Principal’s Corner for November 2021

November is my favorite month of the year! It is a time to think about all of the people and things that we are thankful for in our lives. I know that I am thankful to be able to work in a school with such a loving community, dedicated staff, and wonderful families and children. Showing our appreciation to others is a positive theme that will be reinforced throughout many of the activities here at school.

Our school community has shown the care we have for others by our recent food drive.  Thank you to our families and staff who participated in the stuffing collection! We collected over 250 boxes of stuffing to support the Amazing Grace Food Pantry. Thank you for making a difference in people’s lives.

Our PTO also organized a Clothing and Food Drive on November 13. The abundant donations from many of our families was heart-warming. We filled an entire SUV with food. Thank you to the Middletown Fire Department for coming to the event and motivating our students to attend. This collection truly showed how caring and generous everyone is here in Middletown.  

It is exciting to announce that over 200 food donations from Trunk or Treat were delivered to the Amazing Grace Food Pantry. They were very grateful for the donation from Lawrence School. 

Parent Conferences are fast approaching! That means that children will be receiving their first report cards soon! On Wednesday, December 1; Thursday, December 2; and Friday, December 3, parent conferences will be held for kindergarten and grades 1- 5 so families can see the progress their children have made. We will have early dismissal each of those days; children will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m. for Parent Pick Up and around 1:00 pm for students who ride the bus. Lunch will be served.

• All conferences typically occur in the afternoon after the children are dismissed. If you are unable to attend a conference on the suggested dates and times, your child’s teacher will work with you to arrange another date and time that is more convenient for you. Conferences can be held on zoom or in-person at Lawrence School.

   

  Please communicate with your child’s teacher on Class Dojo or through email to indicate your top 2 choices for your VIRTUAL or IN-PERSON PARENT CONFERENCE.

I want to strongly encourage every Lawrence School family to attend the parent conferences. This is the perfect opportunity to talk to the teachers about your concerns, questions, or your goals for your children. The teachers can share tips on how to help your children at home with homework, reading, and math. It is also important for your children to share their goals with you. Your children’s reflections will be a part of the conference.  

I-Ready Data and Description: All families in grades 2-5 should have received data related to their child’s paths and focus on our personalized learning platform, I-Ready. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher.                  

BOOK FAIR RETURNS! Our book fair will return Nov. 29 – Dec. 3. Please see the flyers and handouts in the Tuesday folder for more information.

                                          IB update for November

Our new Learner Profile Attribute for this month is Thinkers.  Students will learn ways to improve critical thinking and problem solving skills, will continue focusing on our meta-moments to think about our emotions and ways to react, and also thinking about how our words and actions can affect others. Emphasizing curiosity and creativity will be central to the current units.                                             

Social-Emotional Strategies: A focus for us is to help students recognize their feelings and to help them learn strategies to self-regulate and respond appropriately to triggers. Communicating their feelings in a constructive way is emphasized, and the Meta-Moment is shared with students. We discuss that all of us – every student in the school, every teacher, every parent – we all have triggers, something that may get us angry or upset. Learning to recognize our triggers and the triggers of others helps us with our emotional responses. Taking the time to stop and think about the best way to respond to a peer or adult when one is triggered is emphasized.

Please use the meta-moment and mood meter language at home to reinforce SEL strategies.

                                         Ski club is back! 

Looking for something to do this winter? Join us on the slopes of Powder Ridge. Ski club will run for 6 weeks starting on January 7, 2022. There are different packages to choose from. Please see the below chart for prices.  If you would like to join your child on the slopes, you can purchase a six week package as well! This is not a school sponsored activity and you will need to provide transportation to Powder Ridge. If you have any questions, or would like to sign up for ski club, please contact me at either kbysiewicz@gmail.com or 860-604-1020. 

               ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES UPDATES

This is a friendly reminder about the importance of hand-writing an absence note for your children if they miss school for any reason. In order for the absence to be excused or verified, the office needs a written note within 10 days of the student’s absence. Thank you for your help with this. 

VISION:

The Lawrence School is an inclusive community that supports and values the academic, social, physical, and emotional development of every student through an engaging and relevant transdisciplinary curriculum that fosters students as collaborators, communicators, thinkers, and global citizens.

MISSION STATEMENTS:

1. We foster students’ emotional intelligence because we believe social-emotional learning is key to the development of the whole child.

    

2. We cultivate a growth mindset among students, families, and staff because we believe in the value and importance of perseverance, varied learning dispositions, risk-taking, goal setting, and reflection.

    

3. We foster a safe and welcoming environment that promotes a mutually-supportive school community of empathetic and collaborative individuals who are globally responsible, curious, and action-oriented.

    

4. We engage learners by purposefully planning lessons that encourage inquiry and critical thinking, value student interest, and promote collaboration and discourse among all students.

    

5. We value a balanced and comprehensive arts and physical education program that enhances the core curriculum and allows students to explore, experience, and appreciate world cultures and language experiences while encouraging creativity, curiosity, and healthy movement.

    

6. We provide rigorous challenges so students take ownership of their learning as they use reasoning and thinking skills and academic risk-taking in order to develop creativity, perseverance, and recognition of their role in the global environment.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

The Middletown Board of Education is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, marital status, civil union, military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or past or present physical or mental disability in any of its education programs, activities, or employment policies.  All educational programs and offerings, including vocational education and extracurricular activities, subscribe to this policy. Marco Gaylord, Director of District Operations, has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the district non-discrimination policies and may be reached at 311 Hunting Hill Avenue, Middletown, CT  06457; phone (860) 638-1485.