July 25, 2016

Vol. 2, Issue 6

Dear Lakeside Community,

     Please join me in welcoming Ms. Kajsa Nelson, our new 5th grade teacher. The name may be familiar to most of you. She has been a paraprofessional for the last year in TK/K with Mrs. Wingfield's class and is a Lakeside alum. She is excited to bring her energy and passion for learning to our 5th graders.

     Now that we have hired a 5th grade teacher, the grade level assignments for the upcoming school year are:

    

     Our teacher assignments were based on student needs, teaching experience and teacher input. As was shared last month, we will have two combination classes - 1/2 and 2/3. Students in 2nd grade will be assigned to one of the two classes in a manner that balances both classes. Students in the 1/2 class will not be doing 1st grade level work, and those in the 2/3 will not be doing 3rd grade level work. 2nd graders will be working on 2nd grade curriculum with 2nd grade expectations.

      HERE is an article that was published years ago about combination classes and has the most recent research included. Please understand that we will not be taking parent requests for placement in one class or another. Our staff will be working collaboratively to place students where we can best meet their needs. Many considerations go into these placements and we will balance classes up until the start of school. We will share class assignments for the two combination classes by Tuesday evening, August 16th, which is consistent with past practice here in Lakeside and will allow us to balance those last minute enrollments and drops of students. 

     As we start planning for the new school year, we will be hosting many "Campus Beautification Days" and have other events where we will rely on volunteers to help us work through recent significant budget cuts. A special thank you to parent Robin Horton who will take over leading volunteers in "The Garden" including organizing volunteers, water schedules, and overseeing our campus beautification events. I've been meeting with parents Michael Gull and Jeremiah Njoroge, who lead our Technology Committee. They will be recruiting parent volunteers to help with classroom technology time. There will be many many opportunities for our families to help support our school and community. 

     Enjoy your week!

Check out some of our Summer Work