The Lawrence Elementary School
The Lawrence School is a candidate school* for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme and pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.**
*Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit
www.ibo.org **Mission Statement from the IB The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
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
It's time for Kindergarten Registration!
Click on the following 2 documents for important information about upcoming registration, family events, and general information about Kindergarten and our school:
Kindergarten Information, Registration, and Events 2022.pdf
Kindergarten orientation 2022.pdf
Newsletter for April 2022
Lawrence School has submitted our application for authorization to become an IB World School. We will be hosting a visit in late spring and we are looking for parents who might be interested in being interviewed on ZOOM regarding their children’s experiences.
We are excited to share that we have purchased resources for inquiry and exploration in our school's outdoor environment such as water and sand tables, a science station, weather instruments, an increased garden and composting space, outdoor literacy and numeracy stations, and geocaching resources.
We have started partnering with local community members such as the Mohegan Tribe, Wesleyan University, Wesleyan Publishing House, and the City of Middletown Recycling Center. Our students continue to build their capacity to take action on their learning as they take part in our units of inquiry and are developing and demonstrating the Learner Profile attributes: Caring, Communicators, Thinkers, Inquirers, Reflective, Principled, Risk-Takers, Open-Minded, Knowledgeable, and Balanced.
Parent Conferences: WOW, over 95% of all families participated in our school conferences either by phone, zoom, or in person! If you want to examine one piece of data that shows the strength of a school community, this high percent is one of the most important! Our families and community clearly value education and supporting their children and our teachers.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR FAMILIES & TEACHERS FOR BEING CARING PARTNERS IN HELPING EVERY CHILD SUCCEED!
Attention 5th Grade Families:
Beman Middle School will be hosting a virtual Open House on Thursday, April 28th at 7:00 pm. Ray Byron, the Principal of Beman Middle School; Ralph D’Amato, the School Counseling Department Head; and Nancy Bajek-Curran, the 6th grade School Counselor, will be in attendance. This Open House is to prepare families and students for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Please use the zoom link below to log onto the open house. You may reach out to Nancy if you have any questions. Nancy’s email is [email protected].
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mpsct.zoom.us/j/93956622347?pwd=T0FRRDJDQkIwaWJSOVhyK1YyYzJmdz09
or log onto zoom.us
Meeting ID: 939 5662 2347
Passcode: 415734
Developing a Love for Reading
Lawrence School has been a very busy place this spring. Please join me in celebrating all of our volunteers, families, and teachers who participated in our Read Across America activities in March. A committee of parents and teachers worked together to create some fun activities to promote reading. Our goal is for students to find joy in pleasure reading, so thank you to everyone who participated. Special thanks to Parent Kristin Piraneo for creating fun Kahoots based on reading for students K-5. Huge thanks to all of the families who helped organize our Book Fair. PTA President Stacey Mendes led the organization of this fun week-long event.
One School, One Book: Every student was given a copy of Strictly No Elephants. Each year, as a community at Lawrence School, we select one book to all read, enjoy, and reflect upon. The text selected typically reflects some of our Learner Profile Attributes that we emphasize as a school seeking IB accreditation. Our goal is for all Lawrence students to have a shared learning experience. Enjoy!
Daily Attendance is important. Our goal is ON TIME, EVERY DAY, ALL DAY!
- Please do not forget to call the school when you are keeping your child home or you know your child will be late to school for an appointment. The best number to call is 860-632-2158. You can leave a message on the voicemail.
- In addition to calling your child absent, a hand-written note from the parent to excuse the absence is also required. The note can be given to your child to bring to school when he/she returns and can be given to the classroom teacher. Thank you for your support in writing these absence notes.
- Letters are being mailed to families in April if your child has an excess of unexcused absences or general absences. The State Dept. of Education requires schools to send out these letters as a reminder of the importance of attendance. If you find any errors in your child’s attendance summary, please contact the Lawrence School office.
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH CREATIVE FAMILY PROJECTS
Below are some creative activities for you and your families around EARTH DAY! Enjoy and take pictures of what you have done. You can share them with your child’s teachers on Class Dojo.
ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITY
- Nature Exploration: Go around your yard and neighborhood and collect as many different types of nature as you can find (leaves, twigs, grass, etc). Try and find examples that represent different shapes (triangles, squares), textures (smooth, rough), and patterns.
- Nature Posters: Take one piece of construction paper and some glue and stick the items you found on your nature exploration onto the paper. Try and be creative as you move the items around the paper. You can make a pattern or arrange the items to make a shape.
- Turn Trash into Art: Take a look around your house for recyclable materials. After you collect a bunch of objects, use glue or tape to connect the objects in order to make something. You can make an animal, flower, or person, or try to make something very tall. Try to turn your trash or recyclables into something creative and wonderful.
- Making Collages: once you collect a lot of recyclable materials, peel off or cut off the food labels or pictures on the recyclable boxes or bottles. Use all of these words, designs, and pictures to create a collage.
- Growing your own Garden: Start your own garden and watch the flowers/veggies grow.
- Turn Seeds into Art: use extra seeds you may have at home as art. You can take construction paper and make a design. Using glue, you can attach the seeds to the paper in any shape or design you wish. The 3-D element of the seeds will add a lot of creativity to your designs. Acorns are also a great substitute.
Learner Profile Attribute of the Month: Open-Minded
Helping students understand the perspectives and opinions of others is our goal. When we talk about being open-minded, it is not just in relation to other people. We also want students to be open to new learning, possibilities, and activities. There are many benefits to teaching perspectives and helping students to view their lives with an open mind. Open-mindedness gives students the ability to:
- understand new ideas and experiences to broaden their minds and challenge their thinking
- be eager to learn new things and build on existing knowledge, even if it challenges existing views
- be honest, understanding they don’t know everything and can admit it
- become active listeners
- become effective collaborators while working with classmates and teachers
- handle constructive feedback, understanding they learn from their mistakes.
- listen to and consider the perspectives of others before making a decision
Being Open-Minded also connects to our Recent Lessons on Solving Conflicts
Now that students have learned about the Mood Meter (recognizing their own emotions) and the Meta-Moment (learning strategies to stay calm once triggered and to self-regulate their reactions), students will be learning to solve conflicts with The Blueprint.
Students will be guided to reflect on not only how they feel during a conflict, but to now try to understand the other person’s feelings as well. Examples of the questions we use to help students with learning about different perspectives are below. You can definitely use these questions at home too.
Your Child Other Child or Person
How did you feel? How do you think __________ felt?
What caused your feelings? What caused __________’s feelings?
How did you express those feelings? How did _____ express his/her feelings?
What can you do now to solve the problem? How can ____ help solve the problem?
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
April 6 Kindergarten Information Night (see links on website for
Slideshow and Important Registration Information)
April 9-17 School Vacation
April 11 Free Breakfast & Lunch for Children for the Week (see below)
April 19 Impact Martial Arts Club starts After School for K-1 students
April 21 School Governance Council at 5:00 pm
April 21 Grade 5 Students visit Beman Middle School during school day
April 22 Earth Day
April 28 Spring Picture Day
April 28 Grade 5 Parent Night – zoom meeting about Beman Middle School
April 30 Clothing and Food Drive at Lawrence School
10 am – Noon
Support the Amazing Grace Food Pantry and our community
Please contact Parent Sarah Turner with questions
[email protected]
Grab & Go Meals During April Break
On April 11, 2022, from 10am- 12pm, Middletown Public Schools will host three free grab-and-go meal sites, providing five days worth of breakfast and lunch items at the following locations:
1. Spencer School (front entrance)
2. Beman Middle School (main entrance on Wilderman's Way)
3. Macdonough School (Playground Entrance)
If you are unable to pick meals up on April 11, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, please contact MPS Food Service Manager Randall Mel at [email protected] or 860-704-4518.
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:
- We foster students’ emotional intelligence because we believe social-emotional learning is key to the development of the whole child.
- 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.
- 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.
- We engage learners by purposefully planning lessons that encourage inquiry and critical thinking, value student interest, and promote collaboration and discourse among all students.
- 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.
- 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.