Early Release, Nov. 2 

Next Friday, Nov. 2 is an early release day for all students due to staff training which will take place that afternoon. Please make the necessary arrangements to have your child picked up at noon on that day. We thank you in advance for your cooperation!

The Installation of Lou Salza as the Head of Lawrence School will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20th at 10:00 a.m at the Upper School campus. All are welcome! Please RSVP to Jayne Eiben via e-mail or x 3107. 

Help Needed 

We are looking for parents who are able to provide refreshments for the reception following Lou Salza's Installation. Please contact Jayne Eiben via e-mail or x 3107 or return the attached sign up sheet to homeroom teachers if you're able to provide something for this event. Thank you!

Animal Assembly

This week, Lower School students enjoyed learning about animals native to Ohio and beyond. They were able to see a live opossum, skunk, owls, peregrine falcon (see photo above), and even a snake! Thank you to the Museum of Natural History for this wonderful presentation.

Lower School Field Trip:

The Lower School will travel to Mapleside Apple Farm on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Students must bring a disposable lunch (no cans or glass bottles) to eat at the orchard. This is a dress down day; be sure that your child is dressed for the weather as it may be chilly and/or muddy. It is supposed to rain over the weekend which means conditions will likely be muddy. Old jeans and boots/old shoes are highly recommended!

Photo: Upper School Students of the Month:  Michael P., Tim Y., Taylor P. and Natalie T. Great job, students!

Miss Sally Garza has created a guide for Upper School parents on how to use Classroll. You can download the form here or contact Miss Garza via e-mail or at x2140 to request a copy.

Music Lessons Available:

Mr. Mark MacLagan, MFA and Upper School music teacher, is offering private instrumental lessons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for $15 per half hour. Call 440-526-0003 ext. 2427 to schedule!

Athletics Gold Cards 

Attention soccer team families: All unsold Gold Cards are past due. Please return unsold cards to Mr. Messer ASAP or you will be invoiced for the dollar value of any missing cards. Thank you for your cooperation!

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.

Website Update

Please note that our VIP website, www.lawrencevip.org, will be down for routine maintenance for at least 6-8 hours from midnight on Oct. 26 to noon on Oct. 27. We apologize for any inconvenience and that you for your patience. 

October 26, 2007

Upper School Conferences: Parent-Teacher Conferences take place next Monday and Tuesday, October 29-30 from 3:30-7:00 pm. There are no pre-scheduled conference times; parents will be able to sign up the night of the conference to meet with individual teachers. Gently worn uniforms will be displayed and available for purchase during these times: on Monday from 3:30-5:30 and on Tuesday from 3:30-4:30. 

Lower School Conferences: Parent/Teacher Conferences take place November 5 - 9. If you have not yet scheduled a conference with your child's homeroom teacher, please contact him/her as soon as possible to set up an appointment.

Picture Day: Lower School school pictures were sent home on Friday, Oct. 19.  Retake day is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 5.  Students who wish to have their pictures retaken must bring in their picture packet intact.  Students who were absent on the original picture day will be photographed on Dec. 5. 

Red Ribbon Week: Students on both campuses observed Red Ribbon Week;the largest drug prevention program in the nation. Students wore ribbons, placed ribbons on door knobs, and tied them to car antennas as a symbol of their commitment to stay drug-free. In addition, at the Upper School, Molly K and Chris A performed a skit on facts and myths about alcohol use, and students on both campuses were encouraged to wear red on Friday as another symbol of their commitment to lead a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Lower School Fundraiser: Kathryn Beich fundraiser items were sent home this week with students.  Please check your order for accuracy as soon as possible. If you have missing or damaged items, please refer to the instructions included in your package on how to claim a refund or exchange. Payment for items is due at this time; checks can be made payable to Lawrence School.

Trick or Treat for UNICEF: The Spanish Club is asking Upper School students to trick or treat for UNICEF. Students are encouraged to collect with a group, or ask parents to collect in their workplace. This project qualifies for community service hours, and the goal is to raise $500. See Senorita Hedrick for an orange collection box and a letter explaining the project.

Upper School Field Trips: Students in 7th grade will participate in a Lolly the Trolley Maps Tour on Friday, Oct. 26. Please bring money to purchase lunch at the Tower City food court. Students in 8th grade will go on a "Cleveland Rocks" field trip in the Lake Metroparks on Tuesday, Oct. 30. These students will need to bring a disposable sack lunch to eat at Ledges Shelter. 9th graders will participate in a Lolly the Trolley Bridge Tour on Wednesday, Oct. 31. No special lunch requirements needed. Detailed letters were sent home on each of these trips or, for more information contact Mrs. Tracy Pedaline at x2124.

Athletic Booster Club Fundraiser: The Reverse Raffle dinner scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28, has been canceled. 50/50 Raffle tickets, however, are still available, at $5 each. Tickets will be on sale from now until halftime at the first basketball game of the season, on Dec. 4. If you previously purchased a $25 ticket for the reverse raffle, you now have five $5 for the 50/50 Raffle. Contact Mr. Ron Messer at x2410 for questions or to purchase a ticket. Proceeds benefit the Upper School athletic teams.

Learn MS Word Basics: The next class in the series of free adult technology courses is "MS Word Basics." This is an opportunity to learn the basic features of MS Word, including entering, formatting, inserting graphics, and using research tools and tables. It takes place on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 4-5:30 pm at the Lower School (Room 303). To see a detailed schedule of all classes, please click here. Classes are open to all adults including parents, relatives and community members.

Root Candle Sale - Upper School:  Root Candle orders and payment are due on Monday, Oct. 29. Please make checks payable to Lawrence School. Candles will arrive on Nov. 15. Incentives include:

• Sell 10 candles to be entered into a drawing for a free lunch
• Top sellers in each grade (7-12) will each receive $10 cash
• Overall top seller will receive $50 cash
  

Market Day: Market Day pies and desserts are a great addition to your holiday celebrations! They taste homemade, and selections range from fruit pies to cheesecakes. There are even "no sugar added" selections. This month, if you order four desserts, you receive a free insulated bag. Lawrence School will also receive additional profit on any desserts ordered this month. Order online at www.marketday.com or return order forms to the school by Thursday, Nov. 8. Pick up is on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

Living Room Chats with Lou Salza: If you have not yet had a chance to attend a Living Room Chat, there are two final opportunities to join the discussion, enjoy wine and cheese, and bring an interested friend! 

• Thursday, 11/1 - Hudson - home of Rosemary & Ray McKinney
• Wednesday, 11/28 - Chagrin Falls - home of Gwen & Todd McCuaig (co-hosted by Becky and Brad Borden)

For a complete list of events, click here. RSVP to Jayne Eiben via e-mail or at x3107.

Lower School Parent Coffee: The Lower School Parent Coffee is 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.

SAT/ACT Testing: The next SAT test will be administered on Saturday, Dec. 1 (Lawrence School is not a testing location but there are many testing locations across the area from which to choose). 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.

Cross Country Updates: Congratulations to the cross country runners, who continue to improve by leaps and bounds (pun intended) with each 5k race. Two students -- Will B. and Justin K. -- have even placed in the top three in their age group. The last two races for the season include the 5k Run for Shelter at Edgewater on Nov. 3 and the 5-mile Turkey Trot on Nov. 22 in downtown Cleveland. Come run or walk with us - all are welcome!

 HEAD NOTES

Recently, I have been thinking about language--how it is used by faculty and students, and how it is taught, practiced and learned. Language at school and at home is a huge topic and space does not permit a full consideration here. However, I would like to share some initial thoughts, and perhaps provoke some dialogue that may be important for us as a community of learners.  
 
When I was a graduate student (in another century!), I read an article authored by Courtney Cazden, then on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. One quote from the article has been pinned to my bulletin board since 1980: "Language possesses multiple problems for education because it is both curriculum content and learning environment - both the object of knowledge and the principal means through which other knowledge is acquired." (Courtney Cazden, Daedalus: 102 (135-148) 1973.)

This is a profound observation and gets to the heart of the challenge of teaching and learning at schools like Lawrence.

It is easy to miss the impact and importance of how language is used and processed because we are immersed in language all the time. Spoken language is elusive, and often leaves no record to parse and analyze as with written language. Yet language competence forms the foundation for all other learning - in science, math and social studies.
 
Some students have a more robust receptive vocabulary than expressive vocabulary, which creates a significant source of frustration when students know more than they are readily able to express. Language differences can take a toll in social as well as academic situations.
 
Anthony Bashir, Director of the Freshman Alternative Program at Emerson College in Boston, wrote in 1998 in a paper presented at the Learning Disabilities Network conference in Dedham, MA, that students in any grade need to be able to use language to: establish mutual focus; initiate, maintain, and terminate conversations; adapt to listener needs; express support to others; negotiate with others; and express feelings and beliefs.
 
These are the basic requirements of possessing listening and speaking skills that can determine both academic trajectory and social acceptance. Students who have language learning differences may have challenges that compromise or frustrate their attempts to communicate in these areas.  In class, these difficulties can easily be confused with behavior issues, and outside class students experience rejection by impatient peers.

Some things we can all do to raise the level of language competence at school and at home: