REMINDERS

Don't forget that there is no school on Monday, September 3 in observation of Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend!

Upper School parents: Please be sure to sign and turn in the acknowledgment page from your Family Handbook to the main office.

Upper School Students: Mrs. Mattes in the Admission office is looking for student ambassadors. Do you have good leadership skills and like meeting new people? Are you willing to let a new student shadow you throughout the day? See Mrs. Mattes for more info.

Save the Date: College Planning Night for sophomores, juniors and seniors is on Monday, September 10. See next week's Loop for more details.

Upper School Pizza Lunch: Upper School students are able to order pizza for lunch on Fridays.  Money is due every Wednesday, and proceeds benefit Student Council.

High School Student Council News: The Student Council weekly pancake breakfasts will start on Friday, August 31. Pancakes can be purchased from the Life Skills kitchen area for $1, or buy two pancakes and get a free juice!  Parents are welcome, too!

Go, Lions! The High School soccer team is currently 1-1. Please come out and support the Lions on September 6 as they play Cleveland Heritage on our home field! 

JOIN THE "CHANGE GANG"!

August 31, 2007

Upper School Curriculum Nights: Thank you to all the parents who attended our Upper School Curriculum Nights last week. Information packets are being mailed home to those families who were unable to attend. Please watch your mail and feel free to call with any questions or concerns you may have.

Dismissal: Many thanks to all of our Lower School drivers who have helped ease our dismissal traffic flow by arriving between 3-3:15 pm. For Upper School, we remind you that the circular drive is only to be used by private transportation services and school buses. Carpool and car drivers are asked to circle the parking lot and line up around the perimeter. Thank you for your cooperation!

Lower School "VIP" Fundraiser: The "Very Involved Parent" Association of the Lower School will be holding their annual fundraiser starting on Thursday, September 6. Items available for purchase include gift wrap, gifts, candy and more. Students will be sent home with packets. Proceeds support different Lower School activities throughout the year including field trips, picnics and other special events.

FREE Adult Technology Courses: The Technology Department is pleased to provide adult technology classes this school year. The next class is on Thursday, September 12, and offers an overview of Classroll, our online grade book for Upper School. To see a detailed schedule of all classes, please log on to the Lawrence VIP website at www.lawrencevip.org (under the category "Parent Resources") or click here for a pdf version.  Classes are open to adults including parents, relatives and community members.

Classroll: Upper School parents should be aware that login user names and passwords for Classroll, the online grading system in the Upper School, were mailed home to new parents only this week. Passwords for returning parents were not changed. If you have misplaced your login/password, please contact Sally Garza.

Lower School Curriculum Night: Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 20, for Lower School Curriculum Night, from 7-8:30 pm. This is an opportunity to walk through your child's schedule and hear an overview of the classes your child will be taking this year. Adults only, please.

Athletic Boosters Club: The first meeting of the Upper School Athletic Boosters Club is on Wednesday, 9/5 at 6:30 pm in the Upper School library. (Please note that this is a change from the original date of 9/4.) This is a great parent-run organization which supports all of our athletic teams and athletes. We would love to see you there!

Senior Photos: Although it is barely September, it is already time to think about senior yearbook photos!  Seniors are not required to use an outside professional studio for senior photos. We are happy to include seniors in the yearbook using a school picture that will be taken later this fall. For those interested in using an outside studio, Miss Rinas has provided a list of studios that might be helpful. You can access this list on the www.lawrencevip.org website. Thank you, Miss Rinas!

Eighth Grade Parent Meeting: There will be a meeting for all 8th grade parents on Wednesday, September 12, to discuss strategies for making the transition between middle school and high school. There will be two meetings to choose from: 8-9 am, or 2:30-3:30 pm.

New Teacher Welcome: In addition to the new staff announcements found in last week's Lawrence Loop, we would also like to welcome Ms. Brenda Cahlik to the middle school teaching staff. Welcome!

Middle School Class Trips: Informational packets for middle school class trips were distributed during Curriculum Night last Monday. If you were unable to attend, we will be mailing your packet home soon. 7th graders will visit Chicago on October 18-19, and 8th graders will visit Washington, DC on October 17-19. Deposits are due by September 6.

Lower School Word of the Month: The Lower School word of the month for September is "self-awareness." As part of the students' exploration of this word, they will attend an assembly on bullying at 9:30 am on September 17.

Upper School Store: The Upper School Store is open Monday through Friday before school from 8:05 am - 8:25 am, and right after school at 3:20 pm. Pick up your Lawrence t-shirt, hat or other school spirit item today! Also, the school sweatshirt sale is going on now. Pick up an order form from advisory or from the school store. Orders must be in by Monday, September 17.

I would like to use this space each week to open and engage the Lawrence community in what I think is an important dialouge about who our students are and how Lawrence can play a part in their future.  I welcome thoughts and reactions.  I expect that what we think about and write about here will evoke feelings and thoughts, and provoke reactions - all great opportunities to share.

Last week I talked about the challenges we face in changing how we understand and talk about our students and our work on their behalf.  I wrote that I hoped the Lawrence community one day soon will talk about 'differences' - not 'disabilities' - when we talk about our students' learning.  I believe this shift in thinking and vocabulary is important. I have a few questions which I hope will expose my thinking about this.

First: Is it accurate for us to characterize or define a child by one aspect of his or her personality or performance?  We rarely suffer this fate as adults. School places an unfair burden on children because they must perform in every discipline equally well, while as adults we can choose the activities in which we will engage and those from which we will run! Generally I like to do the things I enjoy and am good at, like gardening and cycling, and I avoid auto mechanics, electrical work, and anything to do with ladders! 

Second: Don't we now know that the very aspects of a child's performance that create problems and obstacles in school, may serve well later in life?  Schools skew the value of a child's performance by measuring success based on memory, speed, and language skills. But later in life, we find that collaboration, creativity, problem solving, and visual/spatial skills may actually be more highly prized in the marketplace.

Finally, I would ask: Does success in school guarantee success in life after school is over?  I fear we discourage and defeat some children early in the game because we have convinced ourselves that competitiveness in school will somehow guarantee success in life. Many highly successful - even famously competitive - individuals in many different walks of life now talk openly about the difficulties they encountered learning in school.

So what is most important to remember when we think about how we view our children, and our work at Lawrence School?  I would offer three words - acceptance, affirmation, and accountability. Our students need acceptance for who they are and how they approach learning.  They need our (and their) affirmation that they and all people have challenges and strengths, affinities and disinclinations that make up who they are as unique individuals. They need accountability - opportunities to acquire and use skills, concepts and knowledge from an informed and caring faculty in a supportive and challenging program.

I would ask one more question:  Is what our kids at Lawrence need, any different than what any child needs in any school? Have a great Labor Day Weekend!