Inside this issue:

Gr. 5 Graduation 3

Spring Fun Run 4

Reading Counts 4

Super Lions 4

Counseling Corner 5

Medication Reminder 6

Cafeteria 6

Awards Assembly 6

Lost and Found 7

Menu 8

Dear Lafayette Families,

Each year, as I write the final newsletter, I reflect on how quickly each year seems to pass by and it reminds me how important it is to appreciate each day we have together. As a parent of two elementary school children, I see the excitement of the approaching summer at home and realize that many of our students are feeling the same. However, I will miss seeing your children over the summer months and I will especially miss watching them learn and grow with the help of our amazing faculty and staff. Through early June, students will continue to take SOL assessments and I want to thank our staff for their enhanced instruction, innovative strategies, ongoing support, and encouragement for all students this year. In addition, we appreciate all the parental support and your efforts at home to make this assessment process run smoothly. Our counseling department has been dili-gently working to make sure that the testing schedule and implementation is successful, which is an overwhelming undertaking that deserves recognition. Please join me in thanking them for all they do. The Grade 5 Graduation is quickly approaching and will take place on Wednesday, June 10 at 1:00 P.M. at James Monroe High School. I would like to express heartfelt congratulations to the fifth grade class who will proudly graduate on this day as Lafayette Lions and become Walker-Grant Tigers next year. During this exciting transition for students and parents, I want to encour-age all parents to stay actively involved in your children’s learning and set goals in advance for their success as middle school learners. We will miss all of our fifth grade students, but I am con-fident that our teachers and staff have worked hard to prepare them for the next step. Good luck to you all! I would like to take another moment to share my gratitude to all our teachers and staff for their tireless efforts with our students and their ongoing commitment to responding to the diverse needs of our school. I would also like to give special thanks to Mrs. Keffer and Mr. Pcsolinski, who are unwavering in their support, leadership, and teamwork. It is an honor to serve in a learn-ing community filled with outstanding professionals who strive to make a difference in the lives of our children. In closing, please be reminded that the last day of school is an early release day on Friday, June 12. Students will be dismissed at 12:45 P.M. As we depart for the summer months, it is my hope that students and families continue to read, make time to explore new ideas, and make learning a priority over the summer. Have a wonderful time together, best wishes and many smiles to you all. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions and/or concerns. Sincerely,

T. Matthew Terry

LUES Principal

Upcoming Events 6/8-Awards Assemblies 6/9-Field Day 6/10-Gr. 5 Graduation 6/10-Gr. 5 Farewell Party 6/11-Film Festival 6/11-Summer Rdg. Kickoff 6/12-End of Grading Pd. 6/12-Faculty Talent Show 6/12—Early Dismissal 6/12-Last Day of School

LAFAYETTE UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THREE LEARNING LANE

FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22401 (540) 310-0029-Fax—(540) 310-0671

JUNE 2015

Issue 10

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GRADE 3

It is almost summer, and the heat is up in third grade. Our testing season is off to a great start as students have completed their Reading SOL and Social Studies cumulative tests. We finished up our Science and Social Studies units on energy and Famous Americans. We have a lot of exciting end of the year events to look for-ward to. Please continue to review for the Math SOL Test on June 1 and 3 and Science cumulative test on June 8. It is almost time for flip flops and swimming season, but until then, we are going to ROCK the last of our tests! We hope everyone has a great summer. Remember to keep reading!

GRADE 4 The fourth grade teachers have been very proud of our students’ preparation for Virginia Studies Reading and Math SOL tests. Not only did we work to learn the material, most of our students learned new strate-gies to be successful on the SOL tests. After focusing our attention on Virginia Studies during the first half of the quarter, we will turn our atten-tion back to science. Our unit on static electricity will be hair-raising, followed by numerous experiments with current electricity. We will power our own lights, and then finish by running parallel and series circuits from batteries. Our math classes saw various teachers extending the year’s experiences with more hands-on activities to review all of the SOL’s taught this year. We ended the year by walking in the footsteps of our forefathers from the Revolutionary War and Civil War at Hanover Tavern. We felt what it was like to hear Patrick Henry talk with Martha, a slave, and see other characters from the past. Many of us wondered if they were real! It was a glorious but rainy day! Both the students and teachers enjoyed themselves. The ride home was quiet, as many were exhausted from the day’s activity. Be sure to have your student read over the summer and visit the local library. Students can also practice multiplication facts to keep sharp for September.

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GRADE 5 It is hard to believe that June has arrived already. We just finished taking the reading, math, and science SOL tests. As we finish the year out, we will have our Social Studies cumulative test to assess students’ knowledge in place of an SOL test. Our fifth graders are excited about all of the fun activities that we have planned for the end of the year. Graduation will be a memorable moment for family and friends, along with field day being a day filled with a bunch of fun! In order to continue on the road to success, please ensure that your child is reading and practicing their math facts daily. Don’t stress about being new to middle school. It will be a new and exciting experience! We wish you all the best of luck! Have a great summer! Your Fifth Grade Teachers: Cobb, Coccia, Earnest, Frye, Gorgon, Grabman, Janda, Jones, Keels, Mastrangelo,

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015 TIME: 1:00 P.M. WHERE: JAMES MONROE HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM NOTE: Each student will receive 3 tickets per family. Students will bring home their tickets on June 4.

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APRIL SUPER LIONS Congratulations to the following students for being chosen as Super Lions of the Month for April. Teachers on each grade level nominate one boy and one girl from each POD. Students are chosen on the following criteria:

Leadership Traits (leadership of self and others)

Citizenship (shows respect to self and others; assistance to others)

Academic Performance (consistently putting forth best effort)

Behavior (demonstration of positive behavior)

Super Lion must follow Olweus and R.O.A.R. guidelines Gr. 3 POD—Addair, B. Cobb, Corley, Fletcher, Gallentine, Semper, and Roberson –Stephanie Landaverde Rivas and George Garzon Martinez Gr. 3 POD—A. Flanagan, Balwanz, Collins, Herbert, Killion, Puig, Tims, and Tash—Nicole Deza and Julius Davis Gr. 4 POD—Horst, Hoosier, S. Flanagan, Zablotney, Sullivan, and Suggs—Isabel Tracey and Jonathan Duran Gr. 4 POD—Laskowski, Shelton, Swider, Griffin, Brady, Watts, and Finnerty—Heavenly Diego and Alexander Broughton Gr. 5 POD—Janda, Gorgon, Earnest, Grabman, and Coccia—Tay’Tianna Brown Baylor and Arlin Hanlon Gr. 5 POD—Swain, Keels, Mastrangelo, Wolfe, and Cobb—Amberly Ventura and Daniel Curry

SPRING FLING RUN! Congratulations to the following students for their accomplishments in the Spring Fling Run. They will be recognized at the

June 1 School Board Meeting: Grade 3 Boys—1st Place—Blake Morin, 2nd Place—Nathan Scharf, Grade 3 Girls—1st Place—

Cecilia Lucas—2nd Place—Aubree Van Wey, Grade 4 Boys—1st Place—Jack Bowles—2nd Place—William Payne, Grade 4

Girls—1st Place—Sarah Rigual—2nd Place—Keiko Huff, Grade 5 Boys –1st Place—Joe Hardy—2nd Place—Jayden Wil-

liams, 5th Grade Girls—1st Place Tie—Celie Constantine and Grace Maynard—2nd Place—Katie Fidler.

READING COUNTS Congratulations to the following top two winners in each grade level for the Reading Counts Program:

Grade 3—J.T. Sherman and Jin Huff

Grade 4—Flynn Jones and Annie McFarland

Grade 5—Noah Lucas and Evan Foresman

These students will be recognized at the June 1 School Board Meeting.

COUNSELING CORNER

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The Character Education of the Month for June is FORGIVENESS

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it”

Mark Twain

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do

that” Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Transition to Middle School Students will have many new challenges as they transition to middle school. They will often face more challenging work as they adjust to having a different teacher for each sub-ject. The lockers and changing classes seem to cause a great deal of concern as well as the need to be better organized and saying goodbye to recess. Along with these challenges, middle school stu-dents are able to participate in more extracurricular activities and will develop a new sense of freedom and independence. As we prepare our fifth grade students for their move to middle school, we want them to see this as a positive change. You can help ease your child’s anxieties by attending the available orientations be-fore school starts. Encourage your child to find activities and sports in which they can participate. Getting involved in clubs, sports, and activities will help ease the transition and will give your child a sense of belong-ing. Help your student make a plan for being better organized and get a small combination lock so they can practice using it. We are very proud of our fifth grade students. Walker-Grant Middle School is very lucky to be getting such a great group of students. Best of luck to you from your Guidance Counselors! Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: Students will be taking their end of year bullying survey. If you do not wish to have your child participate, please contact Mrs. Richards, School Guidance Counselor. You will be hearing more about our efforts to educate students and the community about bullying behaviors and pre-vention. We will kick off the OBPP Program again at the start of the 2015-2016 school year. Our effort will focus on bus behavior and teachers will continue holding classroom meetings. If you are interested in serving on the OBPP Committee for next year, please give Mrs. Richards a call at (540) 310-0029.

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MEDICATION REMINDER

If your child has medication(s) here at school, please remember to pick up any un used medication(s) at the end of the school year. We are not allowed to store medication(s) over the summer. Unused medica-tions that are not picked up will be destroyed per school policy. If your child is attending Summer Scholars at Hugh Mercer or Summer School here and will require their medication(s) during the summer, please contact the school nurse before the last day of school so arrange-ments can be made. If your child needs medication(s) for the 2015-2016 school year, a new doctor’s permission form is re-quired. Please contact your school nurse for any necessary medication forms. Medica- tion forms are also available on the school website www.cityschools.com Thank you for your assistance.

AWARDS ASSEMBLIES End of the Year Awards Assemblies will be held by grade level on Monday, June 8, in the cafetorium. Families will be notified by their child’s teacher if their child will be receiving an award by June 11. This award is meant to be a surprise and should be kept a secret until the Awards Assembly. Times are as follows:

GRADE 3 - 8:45 A.M. GRADE 4 - 9:45 P.M. GRADE 5 - 1:45 A.M.

The cafeteria hopes your child had a wonderful year. If your child has an existing negative balance in the cafete-ria, a notice will be sent home soon. Please be sure to address this issue, if needed before the end of the school year. Any existing monies left in the account will roll over to the next year. If your child is going to Walker-Grant Middle School, this balance will also roll over. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Joann Minor, cafeteria manager, at (540) 310-0029, extension 2489 or e-mail her at jminor@cityschools.com.

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504 ACCOMODATIONS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

If your child has any type of learning or physical problem, he/she may qualify for accommodations under 504 or special education services. Please call the Counseling Office if you have any questions or would like to refer your child for screening and possible assessment. No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall, solely by reason of his/her handicap, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: The Rights of Individuals with Handicaps Under Federal Law

IN THE MATTER OF NON-RESIDENT STUDENT ENROLLMENT

The Fredericksburg City Public School Division does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disabil-ity in its educational programs or activities. Any questions should be referred to Pam Steinkoenig, 200 Gunnery Road, Fredericks-burg, VA 22401 or by calling (540) 372-1127.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL LOST AND FOUND ARTICLES WILL BE DONATED TO THE SALVATION ARMY AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR! PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CHILD CHECKS THE LOST AND FOUND IF HE/SHE HAS LOST ANYTHING!

LION’S CALENDAR-JUNE

Monday, June 1 - School Board Meeting-7:30 P.M.—City Council Chambers

Tuesday, June 2 - PTA Meeting—6:30 P.M.—Library

Friday, June 5 - Twin Day

Monday, June 8 - Grade 3 Awards Assembly—8:45-9:45 A.M.

- Grade 4 Awards Assembly—9:45-10:45 A.M.

- Grade 5 Awards Assembly—1:45-2:45 P.M.

Tuesday, June 9 - Field Day

Wednesday, June 10- Grade 5 Graduation—1:00-2:00 P.M.

- Grade 5 Farewell Party—5:00-8:00 P.M.

Thursday, June 11 - Summer Reading Kick-Off-8:45, 9:30, and 10:15

- Film Festival—1:00 –3:00 P.M.

- Parent Advisory Comm. Mtg.-5:00 P.M.—Home Team Grill

Friday, June 12 - End of Grading Period

- Early Dismissal—12:45 P.M.

- Lafayette Lions Day—Black and Yellow Day

- Faculty Talent Show—9:00 A.M.

- Report Cards Sent Home