Dear Laurel Families,
It is hard to believe that it is August and we will all be back to school in just a few weeks. Our Summer Program was a huge success! Summer students learned so much in the 5 weeks that they attended. Parents have raved about the confidence their children gained in just this short amount of time. It is such a tribute to Dr. McKay and our Summer Program teachers who provided such excellent programming despite a heat wave and our campus undergoing quite a bit of construction. I am celebrating their expertise and wishing them all a sincere thanks and a restful remainder of the summer vacation.
During these relaxing and energizing summer months, our faculty has continued researching and honing teaching practices in the areas of Executive Functioning Skills, Comprehension, Writing Skills, and Competency Based Education, in order to provide even more expert instruction for our students this year. We are eager to share our new knowledge and evidence-based practices with our students and families this fall.
In preparation for September, we have been ordering books, furniture, and supplies for all our new and returning students. Wait until you see the new daily planners we have for the students! Time management can be a challenge for students who have dyslexia. These planners, along with our supportive teachers and the focus of our curriculum, will encourage and develop strong executive functioning skills for all of our students starting day one.
This summer I have been sending out the updates to our Laurel Parent/Student Handbook to provide you with the opportunity to review and discuss policies with your children before school starts. Please review our updated
Attendance Policy
with your child. As you know, our Laurel students need consistent and regular instruction. Frequent absences can interrupt student learning and also be a detriment to classroom routines. If you have any obstacles in the way of your child’s attendance at school, please be in touch.
Also please read and review our updated
Dress Code
.
Note that dress code items do not need to be purchased at Lands’ End, but please use the
approved checklist items
as a guide for what is allowed to be worn at school. Lands’ End now has our new logo available, which can be embroidered onto select items. Students may continue to wear items with the original Laurel logo as well. At Back to School night on September 25, we will have gently used clothing items available. If you have Laurel dress code clothing that your child has outgrown and you’d like to pass them along to another Laurel student, please bring your clean items to Alison in the Main Office.
Exciting news! Laurel School now has its own
online school store
! Please visit
https://apparelnow.com/laurel-school-of-princeton-apparel
for Laurel sweatshirts, t-shirts, backpacks, and more! You can customize the front and/or back with our new logos. More items will be added to the store regularly and the profits all come back to Laurel School. We are very excited to see our families (there are adult sizes too!) showing their Laurel spirit on campus and around town. The available items that are not part of the dress code can be worn on select Fridays and other special school days.
Finally today, here is a list of supplies that students need for the start of the school year:
- 2 double pocket folders
- 1 ½ inch binder
- 6 Pencils
- 1 Box colored pencils
- 4 Boxes of Tissues (to be shared in class all year)
- 3 large glue sticks
- 1 pair of scissors
- 3 containers of disinfectant wipes (to be shared in class all year)
- Reusable water bottle*
*All of us at Laurel must do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environment. We will no longer be providing plastic water bottles for students. Each bottle leaks harmful chemicals into our environment along the way as it decomposes. Studies show that the toxins in decomposing bottles of water leach into our environment and can cause a variety of health issues. A report by
Euromonitor International
finds that 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute and that only 7% of them are actually recycled. Please send your child with a reusable water bottle that can be refilled using the sink or water fountains during the school day.
Other suggested items to bring on the first day of school:
- A seasonal appropriate change of clothes, in case of emergencies. Please note that students arriving to school out of dress code will be asked to change into appropriate clothing. If students do not have their own, they will be required to change into items we have on hand.
- A spare pair of sneakers to ensure preparedness for gym
- An umbrella in case of inclement weather
- A pair of boots
More information about the start of the school year will be coming soon! If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child’s year ahead, please give me a call.
Enjoy these remaining summer days!
Dee
P.S. All Notes from Dee and important links and forms can be found on the website under
For Current Families
.
