As a staff, we cannot wait to welcome our students and families back to school next week! Our kindergarten – 5th grade students will be joining us Monday, with our PreK3 and PreK4 students beginning Thursday, August 23rd. Attached to this email are two documents with further information as we begin the year: LT Food, Nutrition and Allergy Policy, along with the Parent Handbook – feel free to peruse at your own pace. Please see the announcements below as we prepare for Day 1!
Optional Teacher Meet and Greet: For students and families in K-5, that would like to meet their teachers prior to the first day of school, there will be an optional window to visit classrooms on Friday, August 17th, from 1:30 – 3:00. For students in PK3 and PK4, teacher home visits will take the place of this option.
Beautification Day: On Saturday, August 18th, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30a.m. we will be hosting a school beautification day – please join us to help clean-up the school grounds and to say hello to new and returning families to the LTES community! Please bring gardening gloves and shears if any extras are laying around the house.
School Lunch: Effective school year 2018- 2019, LTES is no longer operating within the Community Eligibility Provision, therefore, LTES will continue to provide free breakfast and afterschool meals, however, lunch will only remain free for families that qualify. We understand that this will be a change for many families, so we have worked with DCPS to ensure a grace period as we begin the school year.
We want emphasize the importance for all families to complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FARM) application at www.dcps.heartlandapps.com , as our designation could possibly change into next school year. However, for this year, all students that do not qualify, and wish to receive a lunch, will be charged $2.80 ((PK-5th Grade).
Lunch Payment: All payment for lunches is done electronically by paying with a credit or debit card at myschoolbucks.com, an online prepayment service. Funds are added and debited each time a student goes there the line. Please let the main office know if checks are a preferred payment method. We are encouraging families that will be paying to upload payment information as soon as possible, but there will be a grace period the first few weeks of school.
- The lunch menu for August can be found at https://dcps.dc.gov/publication/lunch-menu-elementary-school-lunch-sodexomagic
- Lunches do not need to be booked, just the day of, students can go through the line if they so choose. In PreK, students would tell their teachers/paras in the classroom
ECE Home Visits: Our teachers and paraprfoessionals in Grades PreK3 and PreK4 have begun reaching out to families to schedule home visits as quickly as possible over the next few weeks. While we try to get as many done as possible before the school year, visits can extend over the next few weeks if schedules do not line up.
Health and Wellness Policy: As part of the DCPS Health and Wellness Policy, we have modified our local policies to reflect the 2010 Healthy Schools Act, in particular celebrations for the 2018-2019 school year (LT policy is attached). As a reminder, we have also moved to a nut-free school, unless there is a specified accommodation approved by the homeroom teacher and principal to establish a “nut-zone.” A few more modifications to point out:
Birthday Parties:
- Birthday parties will be moved to monthly celebrations, the third Friday of every month, to celebrate the birthdays of all students from a particular month. During these celebrations, teachers will work with families to coordinate treats that comply with the LTES Food Allergy Policy, as well as activities for the class to celebrate. If requested by a family, cupcakes will be permitted on this particular date.
- On exact birthday dates, non-food items are permitted.
- With the addition of morning announcements, all student birthdays will be announced over the loud speaker, with summer birthdays spread throughout the last two weeks of school
Special Events: For designated school-wide events including: Halloween, Winter Holiday Celebrations, and Field Day, a limited number of treats will be made available that comply with the LTES Food Allergy Policy.
Grade-Level Celebrations: For all grade level celebrations (publishing parties, student work showcases, etc.), all provided or donated snacks are required to fall under the USDA health snacks guidelines (such as popcorn, fruit cups, pita chips, baked chips, etc.), comply with the LTES Food Allergy Policy, and/or include non-food items.
LT Calendar of Events: In hopes of spreading out community events, we have revised our major event calendar below (dates are subject to change, but we hope to stay as close as possible). To sync our school calendar to your phone or computer, please visit: https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/calendar.html
First Day of School Logistics: For students, in Kindergarten – 5th Grade, the first day of school is Monday, August 20th. For students in PreK3 and PreK4, the first day of school is Thursday, August 23rd. On both days, we will follow the same procedures:
- Doors will open at 8:05 a.m. (as they will everyday this year), and students/parents arriving at this time will report to the playground or cafeteria, weather depending.
- Beginning at 8:30 a.m., all students/families will report directly to student homerooms for a brief tour and introduction to the classroom and teacher. We are encouraging families to arrive around 8:30 a.m. and report directly to classrooms.
- Around 9:00 a.m., Principal Smith and AP Addison, will meet briefly with all parents in the cafeteria for a brief overview of the school year ahead of us.
- Breakfast will take place around 9:15 a.m. for students.
- Student dismissal will take place at 3:15 p.m., with doors opening at 3:05 p.m. for pick-up.
- After-school begins August 20th, for students that are already registered in K-5, and August 23rd for students in PreK3 and PreK4.
Please reach out with any questions (Andrew.Smith2@dc.gov)!
Sincerely,
Principal Smith