November 1, 2007
From the Principal…
Dear Families,
Can you believe it?! We are ending the first quarter of the school year! Wow! The first two months of school flew by! At this time, Parent-Teacher conferences are being scheduled with your child’s classroom teacher. This is a great time to hear about your child’s progress and to build a strong teacher-parent partnership. Working together, you and the teacher can help your child have a successful school year.
The LER website is at a point that I would LOVE for you to visit it! There are lots of pictures on it …and lots of information too! Please go to www.msad11.org click on Laura Richards School and take a look. You need to use the LER Navigation menu on the left to make it easier for you to “get around” on the site. Drop down menu items will appear when you click on the items. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for how to make it better. I really hope you enjoy it!
As always if you ever have a question, concern, or suggestion, please stop by and chat or call me at 582-3612.
Yours in the service of children,
Mrs. Moody, Principal
Upcoming Events
November
6th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
6th: GEPTA meeting, 6:00 @ LER
12th: No school - Veterans Day observed
13th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
13th: LER Parent-Teacher conferences,4:00 - 7:00
15th: Scholastic Book Fair begins
20th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
21st - 23rd: No school for students
27th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
28th: Picture re-take day
December
1st: LER Holiday Craft Fair, 9:00 - 2:00
4th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
11th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
19th: Early Release Day, students dismissed at 12:30
18th: Walking School Bus @ 7:55
Be sure to check out the exciting changes and new features on the LER website!
No School
Please note there is no school on Monday, November 12th in observance of Veteran’s Day
Have you scheduled your parent-teacher conference yet?
Parent-Teacher conferences will take place from 4:00 - 7:00 on November 13th . Your child’s teacher will be contacting you soon to set up an appointment. This is a great time to meet with your child’s teacher, to hear about how your child is progressing at school, and to build a strong home-school connection.
Please contact your child’s teacher by calling the school at 582-3612.
Time to “Fall Back”
Remember to set your clocks back and change the batteries in your smoke alarms this weekend!
The School Store is Back!
The school store will be open in the office on Monday and Wednesday mornings before school. Small items such as pencils, grippers, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and pencil cases are available.
We also have LER Lion T-shirts in children’s sizes available for sale.
GEPTA News
Our next meeting will be November 6th at 6:00 pm at LER.
The Scholastic Book-Fair is coming to LER and River View School. If you would are able to help during various day or evening hours, please email geptanews@gmail.com
Lost & Found
We have a large blue and white cooler in the LER office that was left behind at Octoberfest.
Also, please check our Lost & Found table in the lobby during conferences in case your child has misplaced anything!
Visit these Craft Fairs...
Class of 2008
4th Annual Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, November 3rd
9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Gardiner Area High School Cafeteria
Crafts, Bake Sale, Concession
Admission Donation $1.00
Proceeds will benefit
Project Graduation
LER Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, December 1st
9:00 am to 2:00 pm
at Laura Richards School
Proceeds benefit LER students
To rent a table, or for more information on either of these events please contact Valerie Hanscom at 582-8182 or evakghanscom@msn.com
Tardiness and Dismissals
If your arrives after 8:25 he or she is considered tardy. If your child is signed out before 2:55 it is considered a dismissal. All tardiness and dismissals are part of your child’s permanent attendance records. It is important for children to be present for the entire school day as it does impact their learning.
SmileSafe Kids Cards
The SmileSafe Kids Program, one of the nation’s largest child safety initiatives, is a partnership between LifeTouch, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and thousands of schools nationwide. All students who were photographed on picture day are receiving a complimentary pair of SmileSafe Kids Safety ID cards which came home this week with your student. For more information, please visit www.smilesafekids.com.
Box Tops for Education
The results are in, and our LER family raised $237.50 during the BoxTop fundraiser for October. Soon we will have enough money raised to invite a special person to visit our school. Keep up the good work!
Have you filled the turkey sheet that came home with your student for this month’s contest? Each Box Top for Education symbol is worth 10 cents to our school. Students are encouraged to fill as many sheets as they can, and return completed sheets to the collection box in each classroom. Each grade level classroom collecting the most Box Tops each month will win a prize!
Star Students
Each week, we recognize a Star Student from each classroom. Each teacher chooses a student who has demonstrated the character skill of the month. Each Star Students receives a certificate, a special pencil, and has his or her picture taken for our Star Student bulletin board in the lobby. Stop by and check it out! October’s skill was respect. November’s skill is positive attitude. Congratulations to all of our Star Students!
Head Lice
There have been a few cases of head lice found at LER.
Whenever a child is found to have live lice or viable nits (nits less than 1/2 inch away from the scalp) the child will need to go home for treatment. The child may return to school after being treated. Once you have treated your child you are encouraged to check his/her head every day for the next few weeks. It is helpful for all parents to check their children’s heads for lice off and on through out the year.
The treated child can be reinfested by lice, which were hiding in the seams of clothing, blankets or from brushes and combs. A thorough cleaning of these objects is necessary at the same time the child is treated. The backs of upholstered furniture, car seats, etc., should be thoroughly vacuumed
Remember, the best way to control this problem is for parents to examine their child’s head frequently for lice or nits (eggs), and if they find that their child has become infested, please call the school immediately so we are aware of the problem.
For more information on the prevention and/or treatment of head lice, please call your health care professional, our school nurse, or visit our website. There is a link under “School Nurse.” Thank you!
Early Release Days
Our next Early Release Day will be Wednesday, December 19th. Elementary school students are dismissed at 12:30. There is no Early Release Day during November.
Spare Clothing
It would be helpful for each student to have a complete change of clothing to be kept at school or in his/her backpack. It is sometimes not convenient for parents to bring clothing in if a child spills a snack, falls in a puddle, or needs extra clothing during the school day for any reason.
It’s time for Parent-Teacher Conferences
Here are some great tips on:
How To Make Parent-Teacher Conferences Work for Your Child
You've been asked to attend a regularly scheduled "report card" conference with your child's teacher. Or you've gotten a special note from your child's teacher asking to see you. In either case, you might be a little nervous.
Well, relax. Teachers don't want to put parents on the spot. They just like to meet with parents from time to time to discuss how to help students do their best in school.
All children learn in different ways. They have their own individual personalities, and their own listening and work habits. To help their students learn new knowledge and skills, teachers must know as much as they can about each child's likes and dislikes. No one knows more about these things than you, the parents. And no one has more influence over your children than you.
That's why teachers need your help to do a first-class job. Working together, you and the teacher can help your child have a successful school year.
Here Are Some Things To Keep in Mind
* Start the conference right: be there on time, and plan not to run over the amount of time that has been set aside, usually about 15-20 minutes.
* If you are a working parent who can't arrange to meet during regular hours, make this clear to the teacher and try to set up a time to meet that is good for both of you.
* The best conferences are those in which both teachers and parents stay calm and try hard to work together for one purpose and one purpose only: to help your child do well. Arguing, or blaming each other for problems your child is having, helps no one.
Getting Ready
Each teacher will probably come prepared with samples of your children's work and with ideas to help them do even better in school. You should get ready for each conference, too.
Talk to your children before the conference. Find out what they think are their best subjects, and what subjects they like the least. Find out why. Also, ask your children if there is anything they would like you to talk about with their teachers. Make sure your children don't worry about the meeting. Help them understand that you and their teacher(s) are meeting together in order to help them.
Before you go to the school, write notes to yourself about:
* things about your child's life at home, personality, problems, habits, and hobbies you feel it's important for the teacher to know
* your concerns about the school's programs or policies
* questions about your child's progress
* how you and the school can work together to help your child
If your spouse can't attend the conference with you, ask for his or her concerns and questions.
The Conference
Some good questions to ask are these:
* Is my child in different groups for different subjects? Why?
* How well does my child get along with others?
* What are my child's best and worst subjects?
* Is my child working up to his or her ability?
* Does my child participate in class discussions and activities?
* Has my child missed any classes other than ones I contacted the school about?
* Have you noticed any sudden changes in the way my child acts? For example, have you noticed any squinting, tiredness or moodiness that might be a sign of physical or other problems?
* What kinds of tests are being done? What do the tests tell about my child's progress?
* How does my child handle taking tests?
It's a good idea to ask your most important questions first, just in case time runs out before you and the teacher have a chance to discuss them all. Be sure to ask the teacher for specific suggestions on ways to help your child do better. This is the most important part of the meeting. It will become your action plan. If the teacher says something you don't quite understand, don't be shy about asking for an explanation. It's a good idea to end the conference by summing up decisions you've made together. If needed, ask to meet again.
After the Conference
Start immediately on the action plan you and the teacher worked out together. Discuss the plan with your child. Make sure he or she knows that you and the teacher care. To see if the action plan is working, watch your child's behavior and check your child's class work and homework.
Stay in regular touch with the teacher to discuss the progress your child is making. Meeting with your child's teachers should help build strong parent-teacher partnerships — partnerships that are needed if you and your child's teachers are to reach your common goal of helping your child get the best education possible.
Copyright © 1987 The National PTA, National Education Association of the United States, Stock No. 5174-2, Making Parent-Teacher Conferences Work for Your Child