Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving Break is from Wednesday, Nov. 21 through Friday, Nov. 23. Enjoy
your holiday!
Fishing Day
Due to inclement weather, Fishing Day at the Upper School scheduled for today, Friday, 11/9, is canceled. We will announce new opportunities
in the spring, once the weather warms up!
Market Day
Don't forget - today (Friday 11/9 at noon) is the last day to place your
online order at www.marketday.com. Pick up is at the Lower School on
Wednesday, Nov. 14.
Root Candles
The Upper School Root Candle pick-up date is on Thursday, Nov. 15 in the 9/10
project room.
Photo:
Lower School
students and families enjoyed some social time while ice skating last weekend in Strongsville. Pictured above from left: Alexandria L., Elena B. and
Julia I.
Lower School Food Drive
The
annual
Food Drive for Lower School will take place November 12- December 7.
Students will be collecting non-perishable food items to benefit local
families
in need. Flyers with more information are being sent home today (Friday).
Lower School Fundraiser
Payment for items purchased through the Lower School Kathryn Beich fundraiser
is now due. Please send in your payment as soon as possible, and make checks payable to Lawrence School.
Lower School Lockdown Drill
Lower School students did a fantastic job practicing their lockdown drill
this week. Great job, students!
Photo: The 2007 Cross Country Team has their last race on Thursday,
Nov. 22. Join the team for the annual Turkey Trot
in
downtown Cleveland!
Soccer Uniforms
All soccer players must turn in uniforms ASAP. Thank
you!
School Pictures
Picture
retake day for both campuses is on Wednesday,
Dec. 5. Students who wish to have their pictures retaken must bring
in their current picture packet intact. Students who were absent on the
original picture day will also have pictures taken on Dec. 5. Dress
code is
mandatory.
SAT/ACT Testing
The
next
SAT test will be administered on Saturday, Dec.
1. The deadline to sign
up is
Oct. 30. The next ACT test will be administered
on Saturday,
Dec. 8. The deadline for registration is Nov. 2. For questions, see Mrs.
Mattes in the
guidance office.
Middle School Olympics
Middle School students competed in their annual Greek Olympic Games this past
week. Students were assigned to teams representing Corinth, Athens, Sparta, Megara, or Argos, then competed in games of physical, mental and artistic
skill.
This exercise not only taught lessons in Greek history, but also explored
issues of competition as students had to fight against other city-states and work as a team to win the top spot (congratulations, Corinth!). At the
end of the exercise, students wrote reflection papers, and discussed the pride they felt in working as a team. They also discussed the difficulty of
getting along with others in their city-states, which related back to an article they read in Time magazine the previous week.
Get in "The Loop"
If
you are reading this newsletter on a black and white piece of paper,
you are missing out! Did you know we can deliver a full-color version
of the Loop right to your in-box each week? To sign up, e-mail cbaker@lawrence.pvt.k12.oh.us with your
request. We will send to grandparents, relatives and friends, too!
Access the School Calendar
Online:
The Lawrence School calendar for
both Lower and Upper School is
available online here
(or you can access it directly from our home page).
The calendar contains dates of interest including: conferences,
vacations, athletics schedules, extracurricular schedules, events, and
grading period
information.
www.lawrencevip.org
The parent-run VIP (Very Involved Parent) website allows parents to communicate with each other about carpooling, school
uniforms, and other school activities and events. You must be a member
to view content and reply to messages. Signing up is easy; simply go to
the "Register" link and sign up using your first initial and last name.
As soon as your account is approved, you will be able to view all
content.
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November 9,
2007
Lower School Parent Coffee: Lower
School parents are invited to join us for coffee and conversation on Wednesday, Nov. 14, from
8:15-9:30 am. Mrs. Hedy Laverdiere will share information on computer
safety. Topics include social networking sites, e-mail, instant
messaging, chat rooms, and how to keep track of how long your child is
spending on the computer as well as what they are browsing. Please RSVP
to Mrs. Pat Feith
(x1124) by Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Benefit Auction Meeting:
Those
interested learning more about this year's Benefit Auction are invited to the
Lower
School on Tuesday, Nov. 13,
at 1:30 pm. We'll finish in time for dismissal at both campuses. Please RSVP to Jayne Eiben via e-mail or at x3107. All are welcome!
Come Celebrate!
Families and friends are invited to attend the Installation of Lou Salza as the Head of Lawrence School on
Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 10 a.m at the Upper School campus. This ceremony will be attended by students, staff, trustees, parents, families and friends.
All are welcome! Please RSVP to Jayne Eiben via e-mail or x
3107.
Save the Date: The third annual Night at the Races, sponsored by the Athletic Booster Club,
is on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Upper School. For a donation of
$25.00 per person, you can enjoy
dinner, beverages and all the excitement and suspense of a thrilling night at
the track! Details and info on how to purchase tickets coming soon.
Life Savers Parent Support Group:
The "Life Savers" parent support group meets quarterly to discuss social and
emotional issues of students in grades 7-12. Join us on
Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 7-8:30 pm in the theater, when a guest from
SPEA (Suicide
Prevention Education Alliance) will speak about recognizing adolescent
depression. Although Life Savers is usually specific to the Upper School grades, this particular session is open to all parents in all grade levels.
Please RSVP to Mr. Jason Culp via e-mail or
at x2115.
Coffee Talk with the LDA:
The Learning Disabilities Association is hosting a coffee and dessert reception for parents of students with specific learning disabilities, on
Monday, Nov. 19 at 7 pm. Guests will exchange ideas and suggestions as they help the LDA build their Parent Network group. The session takes
place at the LDA offices, on 4800 East 131st Street, Suite B, in Garfield Heights. To RSVP
or for more information, please contact Wendy from LDA via e-mail or at
216-581-4549.
Admissions Open House: The Upper School admissions Open House originally scheduled for
Sunday, Nov. 4, was rescheduled to Monday, Nov. 12 at 6 pm. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing more about the Lawrence Upper School,
please invite them to RSVP to Jan Robinson at x1202.
Lower School International Banquet: Reminder
letters have been sent home regarding the upcoming International Banquet for Lower School
students, on Friday, Nov. 16. The banquet is a celebration of the differences in
our families, communities, country and world. Students will be invited to share
their understanding of these differences through art, music, activities, and by
providing a cultural dish to share for lunch. Please see the letter for more
information, or contact Mrs.
Jan Machniak via e-mail or x1122.
Athletic Booster Club 50/50 Raffle: 50/50
Raffle tickets are available from the athletics office, for $5
each. Tickets will be on sale until halftime at the first
basketball
game of the season, on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
Contact Mr. Ron
Messer at x2410 for questions or to purchase tickets. Proceeds benefit the Upper School athletic teams.
Items Needed for Drama Club: The drama
club is in need of clear, glass animal figurines for its upcoming production of The Glass Menagerie. If you would be
willing to donate figurines, please contact Mr. Jason Culp
via e-mail or at x2115. We will try to take good care of all items, but please do not donate anything you would not be
willing to ultimately part with should accidents occur. Thank you!
Lower School Fundraiser: Congratulations of Jack H. for being the top seller for the
Lower School VIP Kathryn Beich fundraiser. He sold over $1,800 in merchandise and will receive a $100 gift card from Target along with his other
prizes. Congrats also to Matt H. who is
our second place winner, selling over $560 in merchandise. Matt will receive a $50 gift card from Target
along with his prizes. Many thanks to all who participated. We sold over $13,000 in items, and the
profits will support events and activities for our students throughout the
school year.
Thank You, Parents! Many thanks to all our
families for making arrangements for early dismissal and pick-ups last Friday, Nov. 2. We so appreciate your promptness and cooperation! The
teachers enjoyed an afternoon of training, and are thankful for the opportunity to participate in this professional development
opportunity.
Upper School Pancake
Breakfasts: Don't
forget that Upper School students and parents are invited to breakfast
each Friday
morning before school in the Life Skills area. Student Council will be
selling pancakes for $1 each, including toppings. Buy two and get a
free
juice!
Middle School Presentation: Thank
you to parent Bridget Jankowski who worked with middle school students
last week on kinesthetic awareness. As a professional who works with
musicians on reducing pain and increasing proficiency through body
movement
awareness, Mrs. Jankowski helped students with posture, laptop
technique and the proper distribution of weight for heavy backpacks.
HEAD NOTES
From Head of School, Lou Salza
In last week's blog, I addressed how Lawrence prepares students for the
general education environment of public and private schools. It is not unusual for a student in the sixth or eighth grade who has been at Lawrence
for a few years to wonder if they could go to the same school an older sibling attends or question if it is time to try and succeed in a larger
school where their friends from home attend.
Over 70% of the students who attend Lawrence come from public and parochial schools. It is natural for these kids to wonder about - and want to try -
returning to the environments where they feel they truly belong.
Some of you who have been with Lawrence for a while have a child who maybe
feels they have outgrown the school, and wonders if there might be a better "fit" elsewhere. These questions can surface anxiety in parents who ask
what they should do - and if their child is truly ready for such a move.
When our children ask these questions, or consider the choices they have, parents have a great opportunity to enter into a frank discussion with
their kids about how well they know themselves as learners. Because all schools are transitional, we know we must come to this moment of truth at
some point - even if it is with a senior in high school. My hope is that when a child shows up at our door each September, that they have made
an
intelligent choice to be here.
Here are some questions to consider as you search with your children for whatever will be the next step in their educational journey - here or
elsewhere.
What goals have your children set once high school - or even college - is over? Do they have an ambition or an aspiration?
While the answers will likely come more easily to older high-schoolers, don't
let your younger children off the hook! Ask them to think about the things they love to do when they are not in school. Hobbies and activities
they enjoy may actually indicate strengths that point to career paths, or at least inclinations and affinities.
What strengths or talents have they recognized in themselves and developed? What still challenges them academically, socially and personally? How
well organized are they? Do they acknowledge when they are having difficulty? Can they access help and support services? Do they? Are they
successful here? What accounts for their current success? How much do they rely on the structure and support available from the Lawrence program
itself and from the Lawrence faculty? At what levels do they achieve on standardized measures of academic achievement such as the Woodcock-Johnson?
And the key question: How motivated are they to succeed?
Often, strong determination (and some knowledge of technology tools) can power kids over weak skill-development and low academic achievement
levels. Motivation often trumps skills as the determining factor in anyone's success. It is no different for our students. That willfulness or
stubbornness we complain about in our children when they are young and in school can become a strength as they get older and focus on goals they care
about.
I realize this can be difficult calculation. There are another set of questions we need to ask about the place our kids want to go... but that
is for another week! We all feel some anxiety about "next steps" when it comes to our kids. The fact is that there is never a "final
answer" as there is on TV game shows. There will always be some level of ambiguity and, of course, risk.
This is a life-long quest we are embarking on with our kids. Let's get them talking about the right questions and get them looking at real data
points when they consider these important points of departure in their lives.
When we listen carefully to our children's dreams, worries, hopes and fears, and when we are honest with ourselves about their and our concerns, we
hold both a mirror for them to study their reflection and a window through which they can glimpse a future day.
Did this week's Head Notes column inspire you, puzzle you, or otherwise
stir a response you would like to share? Let Lou know how you feel! He welcomes all comments and correspondence via e-mail
or phone (440-526-0003 x2102).
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