News from Lakeview Elementary 10/30/2015

Issue #83 October 30, 2015

PRINCIPAL'S CORNER

Dear Lakeview Families,

A few weeks ago my 1st grader, Ben, woke up saying that he did not feel great and wanted to stay home from school. Now, like many of you, getting everyone up and out the door on a school day is a delicate and carefully-orchestrated dash in the Thatcher household, and this morning was no different. We had to decide whether we should send Ben to school: Was he feeling crummy enough he would be unable to participate? Was he genuinely feeling unwell and contagious?

In having to make a decision on whether he was too sick to send to school we referred to the document How Sick is Too Sick? It gives concrete examples families can refer to when deciding whether or not their student needs to stay home due to illness. We found it helpful in making a decision that morning with Ben.

Now, we are still about a month out from when the flu season begins in earnest, but we are seeing an increase in absences due to illness. Every school day is vital, and as educators we want all of our students in class every day. If a student is not showing symptoms of being contagious and is feeling well enough to participate in class we hope you will send them, even if it requires some nudging and and encouragement that they can make it through the day not feeling 100%. On the other hand, if they are showing contagious symptoms (again, this is where How Sick Is Too Sick? is helpful) or are feeling so crummy that the chances of participation are quite low (persistent crying, extreme tiredness, etc.), it would probably be best for them to stay home.

We sympathize with the difficulty of making these decisions as a family, and know that choice is often being made in the midst of a busy morning. We are a team in this effort 1) to keep school a safe place by keeping contagious students and staff home while they heal and 2) encouraging students who are not contagious and can participate, even if they are not feeling 100%, to attend school each day.

Thanks,

Steve

Help Wanted

The Lakeview PTSA is looking for someone to lead this year's carnival. If you and or a team of you are interested in heading up this event, reach out to Special Events Chair, Susie McDonald at Susie.mcd@live.com. We have broken down the responsibilities into smaller categories; you can check out the options at this address: http://lakeviewptsa.org/ptsa-programs/family-fun-nights/carnival/

Please note that if we don't have a lead by holiday break, we will not have the carnival this year...and isn't life better with carnivals?!

We are also in need of someone to take on the role of Advocacy Chair--in a nutshell you would be helping Lakeview deal with the issue of overcrowding that is expected to become a bigger problem in the next few years. If you would like to find out more about the Advocacy Chair position, please contact Tana or Ivana at lakptsapresident@gmail.com.

To read more about these and other volunteer positions, you can check out volunteer section of the PTSA website.

Picture Retakes November 6

Mark your calendar the picture retakes are on Friday, November 6. Thanks!

After School Snacks

Lakeview has a free after school snack program to help our students who qualify for free/reduced lunch! If this is the case for your child, please remind them to stop by Ms. Ferries' and/or Mrs. Green's classrooms after school to get a snack.

Parents, please talk to your child if this program would be for them or not. We've had a lot of students get snacks who don't qualify for free/reduced lunch. We want to make sure we have enough snacks for those kids who really need them. Thanks for your help and support on this.

REFLECTIONS DEADLINE EXTENDED

We have extended the Reflections entry deadline to Monday, November 2nd, to give students the weekend to finish up their creations!

Entry forms are available through your teacher or in the magazine rack in the school lobby. Please click on the following link for more information. http://www.wastatepta.org/programs/reflections/

You can also click here for a short video with a catchy tune about the Reflections program this year.

LAKEVIEW SKI BUS REGISTRATION

IS NOW OPEN

Attention skiers and snowboarders: the Lakeview PTSA coordinates a snow sports program for 2nd through 5th grade skiers and snowboarders. Beginning in January, a chartered bus will load students at school at 2:15pm and take them up to the Summit at Snoqualmie pass for a 2 1/2 hour lesson. Students return to Lakeview around 7:30pm. The program runs for 6 weeks beginning on Wednesday, 1/6, 2016. (Sessions will be extended if weather forces cancelation of a class). Participation is on a first come, first served basis. For questions please e-mail the program coordinators: Frederieke Adriaanse or Jenny Carlson at lakptsaskibus@gmail.com!

The deadline for applications is Monday, 11/16, 2015 . For more information go the Ski Bus Page on the Lakeview PTSA website: http://lakeviewptsa.org/ptsa-programs/before-after-school-enrichment-2/ski-bus/ .

Not new to the program? Download the form (here) and return it to the school office.

Jog-a-thon Event Reaches Our Goal!

We are very excited to announce that the Stache' Dash Jog-a-thon was a huge success. Direct donations to date are $52,000 with an estimated $12,000 coming in from company matching. We appreciate all of the help from our community to support our PTSA and our students.

We will be holding our Jog-a-thon prize assembly next Friday, November 6 th at 2:45.

Shop Amazon? Give to Lakeview PTSA

Amazon donates a percentage of your online purchases to Lakeview PTSA when you use this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1136057, It's that easy! Bookmark it & share the page with family and friends! We appreciate the support!

Lakeview PTSA Facebook Page-Like Us!

Find everything you need to know about the Lakeview PTSA happenings. Check out our Facebook page to find and share information. Be sure to "like" Lakeview PTSA page to follow our news.

2015-2016 LWSD Calendar

Find the 2015-16 School District calendar here: http://www.lwsd.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Global/2015-16-District-Sheet-Calendar.pdf