LTES Families:

I cannot believe that this week marks the end of the first advisory! I want to thank all families for helping to start this year out in the right direction. Yesterday, I met with our Instructional Superintendent, Mr. Hughes and the Chief of Schools, Dr. Alexander, both of whom mentioned the positive trajectory of LTES and the excitement continuing to build across DCPS for our school, particularly with the Blue Ribbon status. This is all due to our great staff and community support.

PlayGround Update:
We submitted all feedback to DGS regarding improvements to the initial playground design. At this point, we are just waiting on a start date - hopefully soon!

LTES Community Thanksgiving and Blue Ribbon Celebration:
On Friday, November 18th from 5:30–7:15 pm, we will be hosting our first LTES Community Thanksgiving. Dinner will be provided by the PTO for all in attendance! To kick-start this event, we will first recognize the staff and families that have put in incredible amounts of hard work over the past years to make us a Blue Ribbon School. The PTO and teachers will be reaching out with more specifics as we get closer to the date, but please mark your calendar.
 
Parent Teacher Conferences:
It has been great to see so many families around the school over the past few weeks completing parent-teacher conferences. We firmly believe that a child can only reach his or her full potential when the family and school are collaborating at high levels. As we have somewhat changed the schedule for these conferences, please let your homeroom teacher know whether you prefer the increased time slots spread out as opposed to the traditional one-day conference day. We can always modify for the next advisory. If a conference has not been scheduled, please reach out to your teacher as soon as possible.
 
Impact Aide Forms:
Your child was sent home with an impact aide form last week. These forms finalize enrollment numbers for us and determine funding for the rest of the school year.  It is critical that all families complete the forms and get them back to us as soon as possible. 

After-School Update:
We are working to now improve some logistics with After-School, particularly with increasing the coverage outdoors and decreasing the wait time for parents during pick-up. We appreciate your patience as we continue to refine.
 
Upcoming Events:

• 11/4 – Parent Teacher Conference Day – No School for Students
• 11/11 – Veteran’s Day – No School for Students
• 11/17 – PTO Meeting
•  11/18 – PTO-Community Thanksgiving (more info to follow!)

Also, thanks to all that made it to our costume parade last week; it is always great to see our community come together.

Please reach out with any questions and/or feedback.

Sincerely,
A. Smith

LTES Families:
 
I hope that everyone is continuing to have a great school year.  We have been busy the last few weeks with trips to the Kennedy Center, National Museum of African-American History, Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, ECE visit to Cox Farms, K visit to Stribling Orchard and more.  I am personally excited about the breadth of experiences we are bringing to our students and the high levels of student-centered instruction in the classrooms.  You continued support is appreciated - please the updates below:
 
PlayGround Update:
As of today, the hope is that the playground construction will begin over the next few weeks and be completed prior to January 2017.  This Thursday, we have a meeting with the playground contractors and DGS to begin reviewing equipment options for our new playground.  Please keep an eye out for the plans in the parent center so that we can receive more community input.
 
Parent Teacher Conferences:
The first Parent-Teacher Conference Day will occur Friday, November 4th. In hopes of making these conferences more practical and productive, some teachers are beginning to schedule them as soon as this week. While times still can be made available on the 4th, our hope is that by creating a larger window, with more time slots spread out, we can see more families in a more efficient setting.  This will be a teacher-by-teacher choice, so please look for further scheduling information from your homeroom teacher.
 
Impact Aide Forms:
Your child will be sent home with an impact aide form this week. These forms finalize enrollment numbers for us and determine funding for the rest of the school year.  It is critical that all families complete the forms and get them back to us as soon as possible.  Thank you for your support with this.

Upcoming Events:

• 10/20 – PTO Meeting – please join!
• 10/27 – Fall costume parade
• 10/28 – Professional Development Day – No school for students
• 11/18 – PTO-Community Thanksgiving (more info to follow!

​Please reach out with any questions and/or feedback. 

Sincerely,
 
A. Smith

​LTES Families:
 
I hope that everyone is continuing to have a great school year, as I continue to learn names (please remind me as needed!) and be impressed by the great staff and students here at Ludlow-Taylor. We have shifted our focus to analyzing beginning of year school data and moving towards more differentiated instruction while also continuing to build community within the classroom and across grade levels.
 
PlayGround Update:
At this time, we are still unsure of when the new playground construction will begin due to delays with contracts at DGS (Department of General Services).  I was told that contractors had submitted proposals, but have yet to hear if DGS accepted a proposal.  It is still possible that the project could be completed prior to 2017, but it most likely looks like the start date will be pushed back to the spring. 
 
LEAP:
A few parents have asked questions as to, “Why does my student get picked up by a specials teacher once a week?”  By having an extra “special” a week, this has allowed us to give students further enrichment, while also giving teachers an opportunity to participate in the new DCPS professional development cycles known as LEAP.  With LEAP, all teachers participate in a three-part weekly cycle with one of our great instructional coaches (Ms. Hemp and Ms. Toussaint) consisting of a 90-minute seminar, classroom observation and then a debrief/planning session.  We have already seen the results in classroom practice.
 
Upcoming Events:

• 10/10 – No School, Columbus Day
• 10/12 – K-3 Field Trip to the Kennedy Center (student will return by 12:15 p.m.)
• 10/12 – Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration (1:45 p.m.)
• 10/17 – Rescheduled ECE Field Trip
• 10/20 – PTO Meeting
• 11/18 – PTO-Community Thanksgiving (more info to follow!)

 
Thank you all for your continued support and a special thank you to those that joined for the “Walk to School Day” this morning from Lincoln Park. 
 
Please reach out with any questions and/or feedback. 

Sincerely,
 
A. Smith

LTES Families:
 
I hope that everyone is continuing to have a great school year as we gear up for the fall. Here at Ludlow-Taylor, we have transitioned away from beginning of the year routines and expectations into high-level instruction across all grade-levels. We have a great staff and it has been inspiring to see them interact and challenge your students on a daily basis. We have also excitedly added Mr. Kendall to our staff; he will be leading our computer/technology special while also providing tech support across the school. Please see the additional updates below.
 
Community Planting Day:
Please join us this Saturday, September 24 from 9:30 am–12:30 pm to see how the RiverSmart program transformed our outdoor space and to help plant our school garden. We will be joined by DOEE Director, Tommy Wells and DC Council Member, Charles Allen. 
 
Student Clubs/Enrichment:
Over the next two weeks, teachers in grades K-5 will be rolling out our new club initiative, that will be taking place every Friday. So far, in Grades 3-5, students will have the following options, with more to come for our K-2 students: Just Dance Club, Coding Club, Recycling Club, Reader's Theater, Zumba Kids, Travel Club andStudent Government. Keep an eye open for the various showcases in the winter to present our new learning!
 
PlayGround/HVAC Update:
We had an entire team from the Department of General Services (DGS) in school last Friday to assess the HVAC system and to plan for improvements.  We are hoping that temperatures will be better adjusted over the next few weeks. At this time, we are unsure of when the new playground construction will begin due to delays with contracts at the DGS. It is still possible that the project could be completed prior to 2017, but it most likely looks like the start date will be pushed back to the spring.
 
Dismissal:
There has been some confusion over the 2:45–3:10 time-slot in regards to student pick-up. During this time, per DCPS policy, we do not open school doors unless there is an emergency or necessary appointment. This policy exists so that we can account for all students prior to dismissal, maximize instructional time, and safely put our students on the busses. If there is ever a time when pick-up is needed during this time, please contact the main office prior to 2:30 (via phone call or note), or call immediately if there is an emergency.  We appreciate your support in keeping our students safe.
 
Please reach out with any questions and/or feedback. Thank you all for your continued support.

Sincerely, 
A. Smith