Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
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Family Update - 6.27.22

6/27/2022

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Dear parents and community members,  
What a year. It has truly been a year like no other. Students started the year with excitement and trepidation. While some came back last year, things were different this time. This year, they were in classrooms with teachers and peers. The schedule was ‘normal’ and many of us hoped for a ‘normal’ year. One of the things we learned is to let go of the ‘should’ and ‘normal’ from our vocabularies and began to embrace the ‘is’.  

I know there are still questions about what next year will look like with COVID protocols. Right now, I am not sure and we will share updates as we receive them. We have learned so much from this year and we are already preparing for robust learning and recommitting ourselves to rebuilding our community to become even stronger for students. 

We have some staff who are leaving us this year and we want to recognize their service to our students: 

-Mrs. Francis is leaving to pursue other interests and will remain a deep part of this community and a voice for students who need us the most. I am personally going to miss her presence and advocacy, as well as her fierce love for our students. We wish her the best on her next adventures! 
-Mrs. Sanon-Dixon will be leaving to pursue her doctoral studies. We wish her the best!  
-Mrs. Quash is also leaving to pursue further interests and to be with her young family. 
-Mr. Jones is heading back home to support his family and start new ventures. 
-Mr. Neuhaus is leaving to support the work of DCPS and students with low-incidence disabilities in central office. We hope to continue working with him in his new role. 
-Ms. Isaacs is leaving to complete her studies to pursue her dream of becoming an art teacher. We support her and know she will do amazing things! 
-Ms. Burton and Mrs. Smith are leaving us this year. They will be sorely missed.
We are sad that we won’t see these educators everyday, but they are forever a part of our community. With change, we also have exciting news: 
-Ms. A Henderson will become a teacher in our ECE CES classroom. This is a self-contained classroom and Ms. A is going to be amazing! 
-Ms. Andrews (Ms. Monet) will join the Kindergarten team! 
-Mrs. Corbin-Johnson will also be joining the Kindergarten team. She is studying a literacy intervention program (LETRS) and wants to use her deep knowledge to support students and teachers in early literacy work. 
-Mrs. Giovanni will return and join our incredible 4th grade team. 
-Mr. Wallace will be new to us and will join the special education team in our K-2 self-contained classroom. 
-Mrs. Henderson-Parker will join us as our new part-time social worker.  
-Ms. McCandies will be joining our team as our director of specialized instruction. This role will support our special education program and will be our central point of contact for parents and teachers for questions about specialized instruction.  

-There are other new staff members completing their certifications. As soon as we know they are through the DCPS process, we will send updates.  

We also want to announce our new LSAT and PTO members for the upcoming school year. I know with parent support and collaboration; we will fulfill our mission. Members are: 
2022-2023 Parent Reps for LSAT: 
Cierra Clarke-Days 
Caleb Ward 
Cate Brandon 
Laura Delaney 
 
2022-2024 PTO Executive Board Members: 
President: Beth O’Connor 
Vice President 1: Heather Martin 
Vice President 2: Angelle Baugh 
Secretary: Kathleen Grealish 
Treasurer: Sarah Lane (returning) 
Assistant Treasurer: Angeline Spain 
 
I am so grateful to be part of this vibrant, diverse, and caring community. I am so excited to return next year and work with parents, teachers, and students to ensure our children have the kind of educational experiences that allow them to fulfill their potentials and ensure their options are limitless.  
We are around this summer. If you have questions or comments, please reach out so we can connect. Be on the lookout for class placements in the next few weeks.

​Enjoy your summer!  
​

Principal Miller and Assistant Principal Ejechi  
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Family Update 3.27.22

3/27/2022

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Dear LTES Parents, caregivers, and community members,  

Well, spring has sprung in DC. The wild weather and ‘cherry blossom snow’ (those petals that are falling to the ground) are sure signs that we have reached the end of winter. Cherry blossoms are at peak viewing (which also brings the start of tourist season in DC). If you missed the festival this past weekend, have no fear, blooms are peaking through April 17. Here is more information about our unique gifts: https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/ 
Panorama Survey 
You should have received the 2022 Panorama survey from DCPS. So far, 35 families have filled it out. Your feedback is a gift to us and our work. One of our school goals this year is to determine if students are feeling more prepared in school and for future goals. The information from the survey will help guide our work and the ways we support students. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and gift us with insight to improve our practice.  ​

Enrollment 
Returning families, we are accepting completed re-enrollment packets! Get started early and submit your completed forms to Mrs. White, Mrs. Thompson or to Ms. Scholfield. Our school budget is based on our projected enrollment numbers. The earlier we know families and students are returning, the earlier we can make plans for next year. On April 23rd, we will have an enrollment event at school during the day. A flyer for this event is coming soon. Thank you for supporting the school in this way! 


COVID News 
We continue to engage in asymptomatic testing of students. Last week, we did not have any positive cases reported from testing or within the community. If your student tests positive from an at-home test, report results the same day to https://dcpsreopenstrong.com/testing/ so we may track results, establish close contacts, and determine the length of a quarantine for individuals or for a class. Thank you for continuing to report positive COVID cases! 


Beginning next week, we will only conduct asymptomatic testing on Wednesday mornings. This is a change from our previous twice-a-week testing. We are still required to test at least 20% of eligible students. Students who have opted out of testing or who have had COVID in the last 90 days are not part of testing.  


Pancakes and Literacy! 
Please join us virtually as I make my famous blueberry pancakes for our annual Pancakes and Literacy night! Beginning at 6:30, join me for pancake making and teachers for reading some wonderful books. It is an honor to be part of this tradition.  


Looking forward to a joyful, productive week! 
Principal Miller (interim) 
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Family Update 3.13.21

3/13/2022

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Good afternoon LTES Families and Community! 
I kind of love a good snow in March. It is an incredible reminder that we are but part of the eco-system and we must recognize that our existence should be in harmony with nature. Then, spring comes and reminds us of the joy and affirmations we can find in the natural world! I hope you are making plans to get outside and experience some of that reflection and joy being in nature provides.  
If you need more reminders of how important it is to spend time outside, please read this article form the American Psychological Association about the benefits of being outside. In Washington, DC we are blessed to have over 3,000 cherry blossom trees lining the tidal basin. It is a great place to get out for a walk (when it isn’t 26 degrees!). The National Arboretum has incredible spaces. I particularly love the bonsai garden. The National Zoo is always a great trip – and the kids are so tired at the end from walking up hill!  

There are important updates to COVID policies in DCPS. Please read carefully below. To ensure our incredible teachers can focus on teaching and social and emotional development, if you have questions about the policy, please feel free to email Ms. Ejechi or me. 

What does this mean?  
Beginning Wednesday, students, staff, and visitors will have the option of not wearing masks in the building. I know that when masks went optional 2 weeks ago, it felt very emotional for some staff, students, and families. After 2-years of conditioning ourselves to wear masks for safety-sake, it felt some way to know that they could be taken off. Being able to take masks off outside seemed like a reasonable risk. We know that particle diffuse quickly outside and there is minimal risk of exposure if we are outside.  

The changes in mask guidance indoors are in line with CDC guidance and DC Health policies. I acknowledge that this will be a big change for some students, staff, and families. We must also acknowledge that this policy and others may change in response to any changes in COVID numbers in the school or in the community.  
This also means that families will be able to exercise choice for their students. I encourage families to have the conversation at home with their child. We will do our best to respect your decisions.  

What We Know 
Currently, students, staff, and visitors have the option of taking off masks at recess.  

As of 3/16, the mask policy indoors will also be optional. This means that students, staff, and visitors are no longer required to wear a mask, except for a few exceptions. If you or a student are immunocompromised, masks should continue to be worn.  

As of this week, the pre-k Test to Return pilot will also be optional. Pre-K, Kindergarten, and students in our amazing self-contained classrooms will continue to take tests home, though they will no longer be mandatory.  You may still upload results to the https://dcpsreopenstrong.com/testing/ web site.  

We will continue with weekly asymptomatic testing and will continue to test at least 20% of our students. Families will be notified if there is a positive case from this weekly testing. 

We will also continue with entry screening. The Ask, Ask, Look protocol should be reviewed by families at home before sending their student to school as well as at entry to school.  

For outdoor events, there is no limit on the number of participants. Teachers and the PTO will be in contact for any upcoming events. 
Implications for Contact Tracing 
All students in a class will continue to be considered close contacts. If a positive case is reported in a class either through asymptomatic testing or parent/caregiver reporting, all students will get a notice of close contact. Students who are fully vaccinated or who have had COVID in the last 90-days will have the option to return to school.  

Physical distance at school and in class is still required.  

In pre-k, if there is a positive case in a class, students who return are required to wear masks for 10-days after the date of exposure.  
Quarantine 
Beginning 3/16, if a positive case is reported in a class, there will be changes to quarantine times. For students/staff who test positive and have no or mild symptoms, they will be required to quarantine for 5 days. They may test on day 5. If it is negative, they may return on day 6. If it is positive, they will quarantine for the full 10-days, or until cleared by a medical professional. If symptoms are severe, students/staff must quarantine and may return 24-hours after being fever free without the use of fever reducing medicines. Please adhere to the quarantine times and protocols listed in letters of close contact. 

All students and staff who have been positive must now report a negative rapid test to the DC Reopen Strong site. The Reopen Strong site will serve as the main source to track cases of COVID. Any positive cases will still be reported to DC Health for follow up from them. 

Families have been so helpful and thoughtful in keeping our community safe throughout the pandemic. We still strongly believe that vaccines are one of the most important tools against disease. We also believe that masks, when worn correctly, provide extra protection from exposure. With the change in policy, mask use is a personal and family choice. If you wish to discuss the implications of this change in policy, again, please reach out to me.  

Have a wonderful evening,
Principal Miller (interim)
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Family Update 1-17-2022

1/17/2022

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Happy MLK, Jr. Day!

In thinking about the incredible legacy he left, I think about his ruminations on education. A favorite quote from him for me is, “The purpose of education, therefore, is to educate everyone to think critically and to think intensively.” We can work on facts and skills, but the ability to think critically about those facts, our and other’s choices, should be a goal. I see our teachers working with our students every day to help them become critical thinkers.
 
I want to personally thank everyone for the kind birthday wishes and birthday treats. It is truly humbling to be part of this incredible community. Taking your time to think of me in the midst of everything we are dealing with was a huge gift. I can’t thank you all enough. 
With all of this winter weather, I have taken up knitting again (even though I should be studying). My daughter is the kind of child who needs to go outside, so we will put on our snow pants and go for a walk. If you are looking for winter activities, here is a list you could look through to keep everyone occupied https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/50-essential-winter-activities/#gallery/50-essential-winter-activities-for-the-whole-family/slide-21  
COVID NEWS 
This past week we had 2 days of asymptomatic testing, on Wednesday and Thursday. From this, we had 2 positive cases. All families and staff were notified of their close contact status. If students are fully vaccinated, they may remain in school. We always suggest that you test on the day you find out your child is a close contact regardless of vaccination status. You should test 3-5 days after the exposure to determine if your child is positive from the exposure. If you are testing at home and results come back positive, please notify the school as soon as possible so we may do contact tracing at school if needed. 
Pre-K testing starts this week. For the next month, pre-k 3 and pre-k 4 families are required to administer either a rapid antigen test or a PCR test the day before students return and uploaded on the day before students return to https://dcpsreopenstrong.com/testing/. Testing is vital for our youngest learners because they are not eligible for the vaccination. This testing will continue for the next month.  
Tests will be sent home to all pre-k and kindergarten students. While our kindergarten or other students in other grades are not required to test, we highly encourage families to administer the tests from school and to upload results. The more information we have about the spread of COVID, the better we can protect our students, staff, and community.  
We have received generous donations of KN95 and KF94 masks for our students! We are grateful to the PTO and those families who have been able to help supply these masks. While there is no requirement that students wear these masks, there is some evidence that they are more effective with the new omicron variant. Surgical masks are still available at school for students as well.  
Important Dates 
Our first girls basketball game is on Friday, January 21st! Good luck and have fun in your first game! 
Wednesday, January 26 is a workday for teachers and staff. No school for students 
February break is from Monday, February 21 through Friday, February 25.  
Mark your calendars for the next Parent-Teacher Conference Day on Thursday, March 10. The following day, Friday, March 11, is a workday for teachers and no school for students.  
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,  
Principal Miller (interim) 
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Family Update 12.14.2021

12/14/2021

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Good afternoon LTES parents and community! We have been having so much fun at school lately. The Holiday festival was amazing! The work from Ms. Hannah, Mr. Levy, multiple staff and families, and our students, made for an incredible community experience this past Saturday. Some families liked the event so much, they asked for more outdoor activities. We are working on ways to do this, once the weather warms up a bit. 
I am currently working on a Sign-Up Genius form for parents who may be interested in volunteering for recess duty in the New Year. This service would allow teachers time for planning, collaborating, and responding to the increased demands of this school year. Thank you in advance for considering volunteering and supporting LTES in this role. More information will be coming soon for sign-ups. 
Please remember we have a Parent Listening Session coming this Wednesday, 12/15 from 6-7. The Zoom link is on the web site. This session will feature myself and Instructional Superintendent Albert-Garvey to check in with the community. We hope you can make it. Your feedback and collaboration are vital to the success of our program and how we support the community.
Winter Break is fast approaching (next Wednesday is our last day before the break until January 3rd, 2022). The weather is getting colder, and we have SO MANY coats that have been left at school. Please check in at drop off to see if we have your child’s coat. If you still have your original winter coat, label it with your child’s name, along with hats, gloves and anything else that you want to come home. 
Have a wonderful evening and a wonderful week! 

Principal Penelope Miller
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Family Update 11.8.2021

11/8/2021

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Greeting Parents and Community Members,  
I hope you are able to take advantage of the cooler temps and are getting out for some fall fun. With masking and the availability of COVID and flu vaccines, I hope you are feeling a return to normalcy. This weekend, my family went to Butler’s Orchard to pick apples. I am always grateful for the extra apples that I didn’t have to work for!  

  • This week we have the vaccination clinic organized by the PTO! If you were not able to get a spot, the PTO has shared information about other clinics and spots in the area. The information session was so helpful. If you are seeking more information about the vaccine, I suggest you speak with your pediatrician.  
  • One of the themes I have heard since my arrival is: How is LT testing students in the weekly COVID testing and how can we expand testing to more students? Our testing times are arranged by the ShieldT3 testing partners and given to schools. Our testing time is from 1:30 – 3:00. This is not a great amount of time for the saliva-based testing. Up until this week, we tested once a week. Our testing percentage has been between 10-8%. Our goal is 20% or greater. This would enable us to identify potential cases much earlier.  
  • Starting the week of November 8 (this coming week), we will be testing students from 1:30-3:00 Mondays and Wednesdays, per a new testing schedule given to us by ShieldT3. We will be testing students in grades pre-k 3 through 5th grades. I am grateful for the extra day. This will mean we can test greater numbers of students. We will also be testing whole classes to reach the 20% number. We will alternate testing whole primary and upper grade classes. Again, our rationale is to increase numbers. This is not an indication of other cases I the classes. I hope our rationale will help parents feel at ease with this practice. If you have questions about how we are administering the COVID testing, please feel free to reach out.  


Upcoming Dates:  
Thursday, November 11 – Veteran's Day (no school for students, staff, administration) 
Wednesday, November 24 –Friday, November 26 – Thanksgiving break (no school for students, staff, administration) 
Monday, November 29 – Monday, December 6 - Hannukah 

I just want to remind parents we have our first open forum this week. It will be virtual to allow for ease of participation. The format is question and answer and is informal. I’m hoping to learn more about the LT community and how we can partner for greater collaboration to the benefit for our students.  
November 10 – Parents New to School 
November 17 – Parent’s Hopes and Dreams 
December 1 – How does this new math work, anyway?  
December 8 – How do I support my student with reading?  
December 15 – How is our (the school’s) communication? 
Zoom Link: Penelope Miller is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 


Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. 
Weekly: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZEld-Cvrz8vGNcVVZLGq0wRCG0jpDTGTPX3/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGtpjsjHdWRtRuERpwMGoigXe3zmClYjY1eqinfLwdCMhTEFcUSOKJbJP_k 
Join Zoom Meeting 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85809714523?pwd=SmVkT3Z4TFVHSklQQlN3V2xYR0tQdz09 
Meeting ID: 858 0971 4523 
Passcode: dSTTF8 
 
Warmest regards,  
Penelope Miller
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Family Update 10.31.21

10/31/2021

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Thank you, parents!  

I want to say a sincere thank you to all the parents who have found me to say hello in my new role as principal. This has been quite a week to join the Ludlow Taylor community and it has been a chance to see the joy this community embraces. Students came in with great pride this past week with their spirit gear and their costumes this past Friday. The Fall Festival was a great break from our regular routines and a chance to reconnect with friends and community. Thank you to the PTO for their organization of the pumpkin patch! If we couldn’t go to the pumpkin patch, it was brought to us! 

In my short time, it has become very clear that this community values Ludlow Taylor and what we do for students. Our teachers are so dedicated to your children. Parents are asking for ways to do even more, and I have a big request: please consider helping the school by applying for your substitute teaching license or your instructional aide license. As you may or may not know, there is a shortage of these positions across the city. Many schools are struggling to fill these vital roles. Ludlow Taylor also needs consistent people in these roles who share our values. If you are looking for an important way to help the school, here is the information for instructional aides. Here is the information for substitute teachers. I want to thank you for considering helping Ludlow Taylor in this important way.  

IMPORTANT – the LT absence email is not working at the moment. If your child will be absent, please email Ms. Brittney Thompson at brittney.cloyd@k12.dc.gov. If the absence is related to COVID exposure, please email Ms. Penelope Miller at penelope.miller@k12.dc.gov until further notice. Thank you for your cooperation with this.  

DCPS Information 
Tuesday, November 2 is a non-instructional day for students and teachers 
Friday, November 5th is a non-instructional day for professional development and records keeping for teachers 

Provide Feedback on the Proposed DCPS Calendars: 
Click Here to Review and Provide Feedback 

Parent University
Join us November 16 at 5:30pm for the next installment of DCPS Parent University discussing our social emotional wellbeing and mental health RSVP at bit.ly/dcpsparentursvp 

Parent listening sessions 
I will begin a series of parent listening sessions on November 10, from 6-7 pm via Zoom. Your input and feedback is vital to our functioning as a community. These sessions are open and the format will be question and answer. The dates and topics will be: 
November 10 – Parents New to School 
November 17 – Parent’s Hopes and Dreams 
December 1 – How does this new math work, anyway?  
December 8 – How do I support my student with reading?  
December 15 – How is our (the school’s) communication? 
Zoom Link: Penelope Miller is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 
 
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
 
Weekly: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZEld-Cvrz8vGNcVVZLGq0wRCG0jpDTGTPX3/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGtpjsjHdWRtRuERpwMGoigXe3zmClYjY1eqinfLwdCMhTEFcUSOKJbJP_k
 


Join Zoom Meeting 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85809714523?pwd=SmVkT3Z4TFVHSklQQlN3V2xYR0tQdz09 
Meeting ID: 858 0971 4523 
Passcode: dSTTF8 
 
Thank you again for your support,  
Penelope Miller ​
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Principal Update 10.14.2021

10/14/2021

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Dear Ludlow Families -
 
I want to personally thank everyone in our community and the PTO for the wedding well wishes, cards, and words of affirmations/encouragement about marriage over the last two weeks.  It has been a joyous experience and last Saturday was nothing short of amazing.  My favorite gift was a book the students created for me, which had me laughing for much of the weekend as I shared it with my family.  Their words and drawings were the sweetest.  It lets me know they pay attention to you as caring parents/adults in their lives.  They watch you!  
 
Special Education:
I do not think it comes as any suprise that our special education department has had some struggles this school year with staffing and support and I have discussed this with a few families.  I just want you to hear from me, our special education students mean the world to us and we are working feverishly to provide consistency and structure to these classrooms with the help of additional LT staff as well as district support.  I have been a frequent visitor/sub in one of our self-contained classes and what a joy it is to see school through their eyes.  We want to welcome a new addition to our team, Coordinator Mable Sweeny, as she will be guiding the team moving forward.  We look forward to getting to know her more in the coming weeks.
 
Foodprints:
Our Foodprints program will begin this month with students visiting our outdoor garden on a pre-determined schedule.  Please see a below from their leader.  We are so excited to continue this learning partnership.
 
Move Night:
We look forward to seeing you tomorrow on the fields!
 
COVID Testing Sites:You have many options listed at this website: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/testing.  In addition, here are a few more:

  • https://curative.com/
  • http://samedayhealth.com/ 
  • https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing/covid-assessment 
Upcoming Key Dates (No School for Students):
November 2
November 5
November 11
November 24-26 Thanksgiving Holiday
 
Best,
 
Dr. Rachel Williams-Lacey
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MESSAGE FROM FOODPRINTS:  

Dear Ludlow-Taylor Families,

We are so happy to share that FoodPrints is ready to start classes at Ludlow-Taylor in October! FoodPrints is a food education program that incorporates gardening, cooking, and nutrition into lessons that connect to DCPS units of study and national standards at every grade level. We have partnerships with 19 DCPS elementary schools, and value our partnership with Ludlow Taylor so much.

This year, Melissa Klein (Ms. Melissa) will be taking over as Lead FoodPrints Teacher at Ludlow. Ms. Hannah will continue to support FoodPrints at Ludlow through Ms. Melissa’s transition and through the school year.

---- Hello from Ms. Melissa: I look forward to meeting everyone as we begin the FoodPrints program this October. After the challenges of the past school year, I hope the garden will be a place for children to connect joyfully with the natural world. I also welcome hearing about everyone's family food traditions and finding ways to share them. While you are playing on the playground or heading to the field for practice, feel free to walk through and explore your school's beautiful garden - it is a space for all of us to share and enjoy.

A little bit about me: My background as an educator includes two decades in schools and community programs, working with a range of learners - from preschoolers to women transitioning from incarceration. I’m a DCPS graduate and current parent. I love using storytelling, puppetry and art to enrich learning and build community.

---- For FoodPrints this year, we plan to see each class about once a month, for 60 minutes. Currently, we will be doing outdoor, garden-based lessons without the cooking component due to COVID-19.

Please check in with Ms. Melissa if you are interested in volunteering with your student’s class and/or in the garden! Looking forward to the year ahead, Ms. Melissa - melissa@freshfarm.org.
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Principal Update 10.01.21

10/1/2021

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Happy Friday Ludlow Families!  Fall is upon us and I know you are all thinking about pumpkin decorating and Halloween costumes already.  October is sure to be a fun month for our community.
Here are the updates for this week:
Custodian Appreciation:
We want to shout out our amazing custodial team, Mr. Brown, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Benson, and Mr. Blake. I know they were very surprised to see the banner created this morning for them at the front of our school.  These guys have been working overtime during the pandemic to keep our school clean and safe.  This is all in addition to their regular duties and coming off of a summer renovation project.  Please make sure to thank them if you see them around campus. 
Welcome Back and Transition:
We want to welcome Mrs. Roman back to her second grade class.  She has been out enjoying her new baby while Mr. Walker has stepped in.  We know the students will be excited to see her return, but sad to see Mr. Walker move up.  We appreciate Mr. Walker filling in during her absence.  We look forward to his transition on October 12th to Mrs. Francis’s 4th grade class for a few weeks. We are so thankful for our long term substitute teaching staff. They truly are our family.
PTO Meeting:
Thanks to all of our families who attended our first virtual PTO meeting this week via Zoom.  It was great to see so many new and familiar faces on the call and hearing about all the wonderful things our parents are planning for our school community this year.  We appreciate all of our parent volunteers and the time commitments they make to enhance our school.

COVID Testing:
This week we tested upwards of 60 plus students with a few staff, during asymptomatic testing.  All tests were negative!  This is proof our mitigation measures are working inside the building.  All of our positive cases this year have come from outside our school setting.  Next week, with students being out of school for three days, we ask that you remain vigilant about social distancing and mask wearing.  We know cases always tend to creep in an upwards trend after a long break.  You might be pleased to know myself, along with a few staff have already received the Pfizer COVID booster on our own, as it is now open to educators.  DCPS reported today, the asymptomatic testing positivity rate for the district is 0.6%. 

Nut Free:
This is just a friendly reminder Ludlow is a nut free school.  Please do not send anything in food related, that would compromise the health and safety of our staff and students, who suffer from severe allergies. 

Immunizations:
All student immunizations should be updated by October 12th.  If not, that is the official day a student will be unenrolled from a DCPS school.  Reminders have been sent home, but if you have any follow up questions or concerns, please call our nurse, Ms. Ursula. 

Key Date Reminders:
Students do not report to school October 7-11, 2021 due to the long holiday weekend.
October 6th-PTO Movie Night on the Fields
October 7th -Conference Day
October 8th-DCPS Professional Development Day for Staff
October 11-Holiday

Just a reminder, I will be out of the office beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 5th and return on Tuesday, October 12th at 7:30 a.m.  I will not have access to email or phone during this time.  Ms. Ejechi will be the administrator in charge in my absence.  Her email is Natalie.Ejechi@k12.dc.gov.  Feel free to call our school for any immediate needs. Anything related to COVID-19 will need to be directed to her as well. 


Have a restful weekend!   -Dr. Williams
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Back-to-School Night and other updates

9/19/2021

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​Hello Ludlow Families!  It is hard to believe we are almost to the month of October.  Thanks for your patience as we have navigated the first few weeks of school still operating with all the challenges a pandemic brings us.  Here are a few updates:
 
Back to School Night:
Please join us tomorrow, 9/20 as we host our Back to School Night virtually.  A link should be coming from your child’s teacher.  Our administration will begin at 5:30 with a few special guests and then we will send you off to learn from our educators.  Please see Zoom link here:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82308184116?pwd=cHdQamhXZGtBaWNxcnZHcit1d3Qrdz09
 
COVID Cases:
Last weekend we began to encounter our first few COVID cases after two weeks of school.  If your child is identified as a close contact, you will receive communication and guidance from administration.  Our three asymptomatic testing sessions (each Thursday afternoon) have provided all negative results for students.  The COVID cases we have been dealing with, have come from families or staff notifying us, not from our testing in house.
 
Outdoor Lunch and Parent Volunteers:
Our teachers have been directed to relay any items needed for outdoor lunch to our PTO President, Lauren McDermott.  Lauren will work on creating a master list of items needed and share with families.  If a grade level is in need of parent volunteers, they will communicate this directly with Lauren and a Google spreadsheet will be created for coverage.  Some grade levels are not in need of volunteers as teachers must always be part of the supervision plan.  Outdoor lunch is not required, but many teachers have expressed interest, so we wanted to move ahead with ideas for planning purposes. 
 
PTO Announcements:
Please see attached memo from our PTO.  Their first meeting will be held next week, at 7 p.m. virtually.  A Zoom link is forthcoming.
 
October Reminders/Looking Ahead:
This is a friendly reminder, students do not report to school on October 7-8.  October 7th is Parent/Teacher Conference Day, and these will be held virtually.  October 8th is a staff DCPS Professional Development Day.  Additionally, the following Monday 10/11 is a holiday.  Please note, I will be out of the office October 6-11 for my wedding out of state.  Ms. Ejechi will be your point of contact during that time. 
 
We look forward to a wonderful week of learning together and we hope to see you tomorrow night, virtually at 5:30!
 
-Dr. Rachel Williams, Principal
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    Penelope Miller, Principal

    Principal Miller will post parent updates regularly on this blog to keep families up-to-date on LTES happenings.

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