Lower School Assembly

Lower School students will attend an assembly about bullying on Monday, September 17, at 9:30 am.

The Upper School Environmental Club is collecting used cell phones. For each phone collected, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo receives a $15 donation towards conservation programs. Our goal is to collect 50 phones. For questions, see Mrs. Joyce Freeman.

 NHS Sweatshirt Sale

The Upper School is holding its annual sweatshirt sale, and orders are due on Monday, September 17. Pick up an order form in the front office or see Mrs. Cheryl Cook for details. The Lower School will hold its sweatshirt sale later this month, so stay tuned!

September 14, 2007

Living Room Chats: Parents and friends of Lawrence are invited to attend one of several upcoming local "Living Room Chats" with new school Head, Lou Salza. The topic of each discussion will be "Great Minds Don't Think Alike: Supporting Students who live 'Outside the Box' in School."

Discussions, which include a wine and cheese reception, take place on weeknight evenings during October and November at the homes of Lawrence parents on the west side, east side and south side. For dates and locations, click here or visit www.lawrencevip.org and scroll down to the "Parent Resources" category. Detailed information will be mailed home next week or, for more information or to RSVP, contact Jayne Eiben at 440-526-0003 x3107.  Bring an interested friend - all are welcome!

Lower School Curriculum Night: Lower School parents are invited to join us on Thursday, September 20, for Lower School Curriculum Night. You may arrive between 6:45-7:00 to pick up your child's schedule. The presentation will begin promptly at 7 pm in your child's language class. This is an opportunity to walk through your child's schedule and hear an overview of the classes offered this year. Agendas will be sent home soon. No students, please.

Middle School Class Trips: Payment in full for the middle school class trips is due on Friday, October 5. If you have not already submitted a deposit, this must be turned in ASAP in order to reserve your child's place on the trip. If you have misplaced your agreement, click here or visit www.lawrencevip.org. 7th graders will visit Chicago on October 18-19, and 8th graders will visit Washington, DC on October 17-19.

Picture Day: Lower School Picture Day is Monday, September 24. Upper School Picture Day is Wednesday, September 26. Picture packets with order forms will be sent home the week of September 17.

Attention, High School students: If you would like to purchase an extra power adapter for your Lenovo tablet, you may purchase one from the Tech Office.  Checks can be made out to Lawrence School for $60.00. External optical mice are also available for $10.00.  For additional information, please contact Sally Garza via e-mail or 440-526-0003 x2140. 

FREE Adult Technology Courses: The Technology Department is pleased to provide adult technology classes this school year. The next class, "Surf the Net Like a Pro", offers tips on how to use internet search engines and databases to find the data you need. 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 all adults including parents, relatives and community members.

Lower School Emergency Drills: The Lower School will practice various emergency drills during the next month. These include fire, tornado and lockdown drills. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Dean of Students, Mr. Bill Musolf.

Upper School Classroll Notice: When accessing your child's Classroll record, you may notice that the category "Record Management" shows up as a class. This is not actually a class, but simply where we note if a student is missing important forms. If you see that your child is missing an "assignment" under "Record Management" it means we are missing forms. You can contact the main office to pick up blank forms.

Lower School "VIP" Fundraiser: The "Very Involved Parent" Association of the Lower School is currently holding their annual fundraiser. Items available for purchase include gift wrap, gifts, candy and more. If you did not receive or packet or need an extra, please contact Pat Feith at x1124. Proceeds support different Lower School activities throughout the year including field trips, picnics and other special events. Orders are due by Monday, September 24.

Upper School Athletics: Please support our fall athletics teams! See the online calendar for a schedule of varsity soccer, cross country and golf games and outings. This year, the cross country team is competing in local 5k and 5-mile races. Join them this Sunday, September 16, as they compete in the "Race with Grace" 5k  in Medina at 9 am (proceeds go to cancer related charities). Bring the entire family for entertainment, food and fun. Go, Lions!

One of the most enjoyable activities I indulge in as Lawrence's new head is simply taking the time each day to walk about and visit classrooms on each campus. Every visit allows me to understand the learning community that has been built at Lawrence over the years. My walks permit me time to watch, listen and learn. The dedication of our faculty and the engagement of our students is inspiring -- and great fun to witness.

This week, Brad Rogers visited Lawrence. Brad taught at Lawrence School for 13 years back in the '80s and was on the staff of the DePaul School when the school moved into the Wallings Road site from rented facilities. Brad is now the Head of School at Gow School for Boys in New York, one of the oldest most prestigious boarding schools in the US for boys with dyslexia. Brad and I met at the National Association of Independent Schools  Institute for New Heads and began our tenure as Heads at the same time in 1996 -- Brad headed the Odyssey School in Baltimore and I journeyed to Honolulu for the ASSETS School. We both now head our second school.

There are about two hundred such schools dedicated to students with learning differences in the United States; most are elementary schools.  Each school can tell a story of challenges overcome through the generosity and hard work of parents, faculty and friends. Many boast leaders in whose footsteps we walk and on whose shoulders we ride. Brad recalled teaching during the early days at Lawrence, his love for the school, the focus on students' needs, the generosity of trustees and benefactors like Mary Powell, and Jenifer and Bob Garfield, the dedication of the faculty, and the visionary leadership of Mimi Mayer.

Brad walked the Upper School campus with me on Tuesday afternoon, touring through each of the three communities, admiring the Garfield Theatre, the music room, science suite and the gym.  Brad and I are old enough to remember when the technology we used in our schools consisted of IBM Selectric typewriters and photocopying equipment, but young enough to understand how the assistive technology that Lawrence High School students carry with them every day in compact laptops helps level the academic playing field and, in Tom Friedman's words, "flatten the earth."

We talked about how the design of each learning community of 100 students in two grades was small enough to offer a family atmosphere, and large enough to provide choices for class groupings. By giving dedicated space to each age group in the Upper School, Lawrence fosters appropriate support for social growth and adaptation at each grade level.  The movement from the middle school community to the high school communities will mark a rite of passage toward academic and social maturity, resilience and self-advocacy. The design of classrooms around the commons encourages faculty and student interaction and eliminates the anonymous, long, locker-lined hallways we associate with the design of most high schools.

After our walk,  we joined Mr. Masa outside to watch our students play soccer on a gorgeous, sunny, late summer afternoon. Mr. Masa mentioned how awesome it was to see our students engaged in sports, playing on our own field, cheered on by family and friends. Our sports and activities are supported fundamentally by the very design of the school, and we now offer a growing array of activities: flag football, golf, video games and chess club, a student store, and others.

Brad and I agree that the Lawrence School represents an extraordinary commitment and a major opportunity to the entire Lawrence community.  The commitment is achieved by by offering innovative, personalized, research-based, educational programs for students who learn differently, from first through 12th grade.

The opportunity?  To expand our understanding of who our students are and who they will become, to expand our mission and vision for the school, and to "grow" up and  into our amazing, but "loose fitting"  school building, and lead elementary and secondary educational practice in northeast Ohio by example.

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).