LT Families:

I hope everyone had a nice February break and reenergized us for the spring push ahead (even if snow is expected tomorrow).  We hope to see everyone at Pancakes and Literacy on Thursday March, 8th and as a reminder, next Friday, March 8th is a Parent Teacher Conference day, so there is no school for students.  Please see the updates below regarding other happenings at LTES:

​Pancakes and Literacy Night – Please join us for the 8th annual Pancakes and Literacy Event, Thursday, March 7th from 5:45 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.  Pancakes & Literacy Night brings our community together for the irresistible pulls of breakfast (for dinner!), books and literacy activities.  This year come join in on the Ludlow Taylor will turn into “Camp Read Smore.”  Next week, you’ll be able to pick up your ticket for the whole family in the school's front lobby! On the ticket there will be a designated time to come and enjoy dinner and literacy activities. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering to help at the event, please contact Katie Clark at events@ludlowtaylor.org or visit https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/pancakes--literacy-night.html.  

Summer School Information –  Registration opens March 11th for summer school for any family that might be interested. Ludlow-Taylor will not be a site this year, but our students will be assigned to a school in the area.  For further information please visit: https://dcps.dc.gov/service/summer-learning#3-5​

2019-2020 School Budget: A huge thank you to our Local School Advisory Team that supported Principal Smith and AP Addison over the last month in developing our budget for next school year, including: Ms. Gordon, Ms. Henderson, Ms. Penn, Ms. Ford, Coach Smith, Mr. Phillips, Kyle Evans, Tracy Perrin, Karen Fligger, Katie Clark and Lauren McDermott.  DCPS will take the next few weeks to finalize what we submit at the end of this week, and from there we will hold a community meeting to review refinements for next year.  We are excited about a few possible additions!

Building Updates: Over the past few months, we have been working with the DCPS facilities team and with the Department of General Services to accommodate our growing student enrollment.  Through these meetings, we have determined that renovations can be made within the building, to avoid adding mobile classrooms to our field, such as converting our book room and a few office spaces into classrooms.  By choosing this route, we are also able to use most of the mobile classroom funds (roughly one million dollars), to put towards renovating our multipurpose room. 

Special Guest – During our Black History Month celebration, Ludlow-Taylor is hosting children’s author Glen Mourning as a speaker on March 1st. Glen is the author of a kids series called “Crunchy Life” as well as “Care More than Us: The Young People’s Guide to Success”. Glen is also hosting an Author Meet and Greet on Saturday March 23rd at Walls of Books (3325 Georgia Ave NW) from 12-3pm.

Student/VIP Spring Fling Dance – In years past we have had two separate nights for family member/student dance/date nights, but are planning to move to one dance for all students at Sherwood Recreation Center (640 10th St NE, Washington, DC 20002) or Ludlow-Taylor Elementary (depending on availability), planned for Friday, March 29th .  For this evening, each Ludlow-Taylor student can bring one Very Important Person (family member) – music, light snacks, and deserts will be provided for a $10 donation.  This event will replace the two previously scheduled dances

PTO Updates:
1.     We Love Our Teachers: Thanks to everyone that helped decorate our “We Love our Teachers Board!”

2.     Spring Auction Meeting: The next Auction Committee meeting is Monday, March 4th at 8 pm at Duffy’s Irish Pub. It’s not too late to join and we would love to have you as we head into the last two months. The auction date is April 27th, and it is the biggest fundraiser of the year. 

3.     Grants Success: Congratulations to all our Members of the Grants Committee who have successfully secured the following grants for our school: $3950 from Lowe's to support to finalization of our outdoor classroom; $2500 from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation (CHCF) for Foodprints; $2500 from CHCF for our Fountas & Pinnell LLI Program; $1000 from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C for chrome books; and $350 mini grant from CHCF for lunch time book clubs. If you are interested in assisting the Grants Committee as they start their applications process for the second half of the school year, please contact Rachel Turow at grants@ludlowtaylor.org.

4.     Outdoor Classroom: With the warm weather quickly approaching, we are working to complete our new outdoor classroom.  If you are interested in assisting with that project, please contact Brian Clark and Melanie Knapp at grounds@ludlowtaylor.org.

Upcoming Events: Visit https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/calendar.html to see all upcoming events.

• March 7th – Pancakes and Literacy
• March 8th – Parent Teacher Conference Day
• March 29th (tentative) – LT Family Spring Fling
• April 27th – Taste of the Arts Auction

Thank you all for your continued commitment to Ludlow-Taylor ES!

Sincerely,

Principal Smith

​LT Families:
 
Thank you for braving it with us through the cold weather of the past few weeks!  Hopefully the majority of indoor recess is behind us as we slowly start to transition towards spring.  Also, as a reminder, the week of February 18th will be the added mid-winter break week for students and school staff. 
 
Building Updates: Over the past few months, we have been working with the DCPS facilities team and with the Department of General Services to accommodate our growing student enrollment.  Through these meetings, we have determined that renovations can be made within the building, to avoid adding mobile classrooms to our field, such as converting our book room and a few office spaces into classrooms.  By choosing this route, we are also able to use most of the mobile classroom funds (roughly one million dollars), to put towards renovating our multipurpose room. 
 
With these changes, we will still be holding a community feedback session, but it has been moved to Tuesday, February 26th in our multipurpose room at 6:15 p.m. For any facilities specific questions, please reach out to the project lead, Amanda Ou, at Amanda.Ou@dc.gov. 
 
Key Events Modifications:

• Student/VIP Spring Fling Dance – In years past we have had two separate nights for family member/student dance/date nights, but are planning to move to one dance for all students at Sherwood Recreation Center (640 10th St NE, Washington, DC 20002) or Ludlow-Taylor Elementary (depending on availability), planned for Friday, March 29th .  For this evening, each Ludlow-Taylor student can bring one Very Important Person (family member) – music, light snacks, and deserts will be provided for a $10 donation.  This event will replace the two previously scheduled dances
• Pancakes and Literacy has been moved to Thursday, March 7th (the night after the original night it was scheduled)
• LT Summer Expansion Community Meeting: Tuesday, February 26th – , 6:15 – 7:15 p.m.

 
PTO Updates:
1.     We Love Our Teachers: From Monday thru Wednesday morning of next week we will have hearts in our front lobby to be filled out by students and parents to show our teachers how much we love them.  Please make sure to fill one out so the staff at Ludlow-Taylor knows just how much they are valued and the difference they make every day in our students' lives. If you are able to assist with the tables in the morning, please contact Meaghan Jones at meaghan_9@hotmail.com.
 
2.     Open Houses and Tours: On Tuesday, February 12th from 6:30-7:30 pm, Ludlow-Taylor will be hosting an open house for prospective students. Additionally, in March, we will be hosting another open house on March 12th from 6:30-7:30 pm and a school tour on March 27th from 9:15-9:45 am.  We are in need of parents who would be willing to act as tour guides. Tour routes, school information, etc. will all be provided.If you are able to help out at any of the tours/open houses, please contact Lauren McDermott at pto@ludlowtaylor.org.
 
3.     Childcare at Next Week's Community Meeting: The PTO will be providing childcare at the community meeting on the evening of February 13th.
 
4.     Spring Auction Meeting: The next Auction Committee meeting is Monday, March 4th at 8 pm at Duffy’s Irish Pub. It’s not too late to join and we would love to have you as we head into the last two months. The auction date is April 27th, and it is the biggest fundraiser of the year. 
 
5.     Pancakes and Literacy: Since 2012, the Ludlow-Taylor PTO has sponsored an annual Pancakes & Literacy Night. Pancakes & Literacy Night brings our community together for the irresistible pulls of breakfast for dinner and books.  This year come join in on the fun on Thursday, March 7th as Ludlow Taylor turns into “Camp Read Smore.” Each year, Ludlow-Taylor teachers, families, and Capitol Hill community members engage in reading in new and fun ways.  The week before the event you’ll be able to pick up your ticket for the whole family in the school's front lobby! On the ticket there will be a designated time to come and enjoy dinner and literacy activities. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering to help at the event, please contact Katie Clark at events@ludlowtaylor.org.
 
6.     Grants Success: Congratulations to all our Members of the Grants Committee who have successfully secured the following grants for our school: $3950 from Lowe's to support to finalization of our outdoor classroom; $2500 from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation (CHCF) for Foodprints; $2500 from CHCF for our Fountas & Pinnell LLI Program; $1000 from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C for chrome books; and $350 mini grant from CHCF for lunch time book clubs. If you are interested in assisting the Grants Committee as they start their applications process for the second half of the school year, please contact Rachel Turow at grants@ludlowtaylor.org.
 
7.     Outdoor Classroom: With the warm weather quickly approaching, we are working to complete our new outdoor classroom.  If you are interested in assisting with that project, please contact Brian Clark and Melanie Knapp at grounds@ludlowtaylor.org.
 
Volunteer Support: If anyone is interested in volunteering, please visit our school support spreadsheet to see teachers who need help with various tasks. Contact them directly to work out a time to come in and help –https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IWJfYvE4GN6QTpg1wDDAZ2HJef-ahjG2k9T7kedloNk/edit?usp=sharing​**
 
LT Food Allergy Policy: Per our health and wellness policy, please help us in ensuring that LTES remains a nut-free school.  Over the past few weeks, we have had a few potentially dangerous scenarios that were luckily avoided as nuts were accidentally shared.  Please support us in the following key points of the policy:

• Nut-free policy extends to after-school and field trips
• Avoid the following foods we continue to see: granola bars, peanut-butter and jelly (field trips mostly), reeses pieces/peanut butter cups, almond packs
• For student birthdays, we have a monthly celebration with snacks for all kids coordinated through teachers at the end of the month.  Parents are more than welcome to send non-food items on the actual day of birthdays. 
• For those students missing peanut-butter and jelly, many families have found sunflower seed butter a great replacement for school lunches
• If any special accommodations are needed for students to eat specific nut-based products, please ensure that is cleared with the classroom teacher and principal

For any questions regarding this policy, please reach out to Principal Smith.
 
Upcoming Events: Visit https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/calendar.html to see all upcoming events.

• February 18 – 22 – February Break – no school for students
• February 26th – LT Summer Renovation Community Meeting, 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
• March 7th – Pancakes and Literacy
• March 8th – Parent Teacher Conference Day
• March 29th (tentative) – LT Family Spring Fling
• April 27th – Taste of the Arts Auction

 
Thank you all for your continued commitment to Ludlow-Taylor ES!
 
Sincerely,
 
Principal Smith

LT Families:
Thank you all for the support over the past couple weeks with many student days off; the good news is that there is a full week upon us!  Please see the updates below, with a few key announcements regarding support for families during the federal government shutdown and a couple key event dates that have been modified.

​Support for Families during the Federal Government Shutdown:

• Temporary Free Meals: DCPS families who are affected by the partial federal government shutdown or have experienced a recent change in income are encouraged to resubmit a Free and Reduced Meal application to determine eligibility for temporary free meals. Please contact food.dcps@dc.gov with any additional questions. 
• Temporary Afterschool Support: Please contact Mrs. Thomas directly at Brenda.Thomas@dc.gov for any family that might need support for afterschool fees for the months of January and February
• Community Resources: Please see the “resources” attachment for a variety of support throughout the DC area.

Key Events Modifications:

• Student/VIP Spring Fling Dance – In years past we have had two separate nights for family member/student dance/date nights, but are planning to move to one dance for all students at Sherwood Recreation Center (640 10th St NE, Washington, DC 20002), tentatively planned for Friday, March 29th.  For this evening, each Ludlow-Taylor student can bring one Very Important Person (family member) – music, light snacks, and deserts will be provided for a $10 donation.  This event will replace the two previously scheduled dances
• Pancakes and Literacy has been moved to Thursday, March 7th (the night after the original night it was scheduled)

Volunteer Support: If anyone is interested in volunteering, please visit our school support spreadsheet to see teachers who need help with various tasks. Contact them directly to work out a time to come in and help –https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IWJfYvE4GN6QTpg1wDDAZ2HJef-ahjG2k9T7kedloNk/edit?usp=sharing​**

Building Updates: Over the upcoming summer, we will be receiving mobile classrooms/trailers out on our field to accommodate our growing student enrollment.  In essence, we will need three extra classrooms over the next three years to ensure we have “three classrooms” per grade level.  For any facilities specific questions, please reach out to the project lead, Amanda Ou, at Amanda.Ou@dc.gov.  Furthermore, there will be a community feedback session on Wednesday, February 13th in our multipurpose room at 6:15 p.m.

LT Food Allergy Policy: Per our health and wellness policy, please help us in ensuring that LTES remains a nut-free school.  Over the past few weeks, we have had a few potentially dangerous scenarios that were luckily avoided as nuts were accidentally shared.  Please support us in the following key points of the policy:

• Nut-free policy extends to after-school and field trips
• Avoid the following foods we continue to see: granola bars, peanut-butter and jelly (field trips mostly), reeses pieces/peanut butter cups, almond packs
• For student birthdays, we have a monthly celebration with snacks for all kids coordinated through teachers at the end of the month.  Parents are more than welcome to send non-food items on the actual day of birthdays. 
• For those students missing peanut-butter and jelly, many families have found sunflower seed butter a great replacement for school lunches
• If any special accommodations are needed for students to eat specific nut-based products, please ensure that is cleared with the classroom teacher and principal

For any questions regarding this policy, please reach out to Principal Smith.

2019-2020 School Calendar – If interested, DCPS has opened a feedback form for various calendar options for the 2019-2020 school year at https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-calendars

Lost and Found – Our collection of lost and found items seem to be growing (please see if any items might belong to your family) in the front atrium.  We do our best to get coats/hats back to students, so please make sure that student names are in all coats!

Upcoming Events: Visit https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/calendar.html to see all upcoming events.

• Thursday, January 31st – Summer Camp Fair at JO Wilson Elementary (660 K St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA) , 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, February 13th – LT Summer Expansion Community Meeting, 6:15 – 7:15 p.m.
• February 18 – 22 – February Break – no school for students
• March 7th – Pancakes and Literacy
• March 29th (tentative) – LT Family Spring Fling at Sherwood Rec Center

Thank you all for your continued commitment to Ludlow-Taylor ES!

Sincerely,

Principal Smith

LT Families:
 
Thank you all to the great start to 2019 and for working with us though the snow and cold weather! Please see below for updates:

Volunteer Support – Attention furloughed workers, or those that are looking to volunteer around school! Have more time on your hands than you know what to do with? Would you like to put that energy to work? We could use you! Visit our school support spreadsheet to see teachers who need help with various tasks. Contact them directly to work out a time to come in and help. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IWJfYvE4GN6QTpg1wDDAZ2HJef-ahjG2k9T7kedloNk/edit?usp=sharing​**

Building Updates – Over the upcoming summer, we will be receiving mobile classrooms/trailers out on our field to accommodate our growing student enrollment.  In essence, we will need three extra classrooms over the next three years as we currently have “three classes” from PK3 – Grade 2,  and “two classes” from Grade 3 – Grade 5, which will grow to three classes in 3rd grade next year, and so onto 4th and 5th grade.  As a school community, we want to ensure that every student that gets a seat at Ludlow-Taylor has ample space through 5th grade, while also allowing for our early childhood and special education programs to continue.

The good news is that the classrooms themselves are state of the art, and they will be placed along the fence on the opposite side of the garden, not interfering with any portion of our playground or garden, while also allowing for the baseball field to be re-located and updated, moving home plate to the corner of Morris St. and 6th St.   This summer project is also currently slated to include an update to our multipurpose room, allowing for a cafeteria side and a physical education side.  For any facilities specific questions, please reach out to the project lead, Amanda Ou, at Amanda.Ou@dc.gov.  Furthermore, there will be a community feedback session on Wednesday, February 13th in our multipurpose room at 6:15 p.m.

LT Food Allergy Policy: Per our health and wellness policy, please help us in ensuring that LTES remains a nut-free school.  Over the past few weeks, we have had a few potentially dangerous scenarios that were luckily avoided as nuts were accidentally shared.  Please support us in the following key points of the policy:

• Nut-free policy extends to after-school and field trips
• Avoid the following foods we continue to see: granola bars, peanut-butter and jelly (field trips mostly), reeses pieces/peanut butter cups, almond packs
• For student birthdays, we have a monthly celebration with snacks for all kids coordinated through teachers at the end of the month.  Parents are more than welcome to send non-food items on the actual day of birthdays. 
• For those students missing peanut-butter and jelly, many families have found sunflower seed butter a great replacement for school lunches
• If any special accommodations are needed for students to eat specific nut-based products, please ensure that is cleared with the classroom teacher and principal

For any questions regarding this policy, please reach out to Principal Smith.

Lost and Found – Our collection of lost and found items seem to be growing (please see if any items might belong to your family) in the front atrium.  We do our best to get coats/hats back to students, so please make sure that student names are in all coats!

Recess/Morning Recess – Even with the snow, we will continue to go outside as long as temperatures are above freezing, so please be sure to send students in with hats, gloves and winter coats, as needed. The mornings have been on the colder side, but we have been able to get students out in the afternoons most nights this week.  If any winter apparel is needed, please let the main office or one of our social workers know (Ms. Parker or Ms. Thompkins), so that we can be sure every student is bundled up for colder temperatures.
 
Upcoming Events: Visit https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/calendar.html to see all upcoming events.

• Wednesday, January 2nd – first day of school back from break
• Monday, January 21st – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – no school
• Tuesday, January 22nd – ½ day records day, ½ day school based professional development – no school for students
• Wednesday, January 23rd – Professional Development Day – no school for students
• Thursday, January 31st – Summer Camp Fair at JO Wilson Elementary (660 K St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA)
•  , 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, February 13th – LT Summer Expansion Community Meeting, 6:15 – 7:15 p.m.

Thank you all for your continued commitment to Ludlow-Taylor ES!

Sincerely,

Principal Smith