Le Journal
AL News & Updates
12 May 2023
Possible Schedule Changes for 23-24
Dear AL Community,

As you are aware, finding and retaining effective teachers is a top concern for every school district. Some districts have even adopted a 4-day week to boost their teacher recruitment. At Académie Lafayette, our priority is improving teachers' working conditions without negatively impacting student learning. 

To that end, we are currently exploring the possibility of implementing a late start on Wednesdays next school year. School would start with a one-hour delay on Wednesdays. This would allow our teachers to meet during the school day instead of after school hours, therefore reducing the number of long school days for our staff. Dismissal times would not change. We do not expect student learning to be impacted as the student school day at Académie Lafayette is already 30 minutes longer than at most public school districts. 

The Conseil d'Ecole and the Board of Directors have been involved in this discussion. At this time, we do not know whether or not morning childcare will be offered, but can confirm that bus service will run with a delay. A final decision will be made in June and more information will be shared with our community. 

Thank you for your understanding and support. 

Elimane Mbengue
Head of School
Upcoming Events
May 18
Cherry 3rd-5th Orchestra Concert, Oak Auditorium, 6:30 pm

May 22
Cherry Journée Culturelle

May 23
Oak Journée Culturelle

May 25
8th Grade Graduation, Scottish Rite Temple, 6 pm

May 26
Last Day for Students,
Field Day

May 30
Oak New K & 1st Parent Orientation, 6 pm

May 31
Cherry New K & 1st Parent Orientation, 6 pm

June 5
Summer School Starts for enrolled students

June 19
NO SCHOOL

July 3-4
NO SCHOOL

July 7
Last Day of Summer School
From the Cherry Principal
THANK YOU PARENTS! We have definitely felt the love at the Cherry campus for Teacher Appreciation Week. We are so grateful for the food, cards, gifts and donations that made the week special for the entire staff. A special shout out to room parents, PTO, Atreyee Sims, and Katie Kroeger for their time and help.
Oak & Cherry Journées Culturelles Information
We are getting ready for our annual Journées Culturelles (Culture Day) at Oak and Cherry. We will have singing, dancing, instrumental performances, and spoken word. This is a student event, as unfortunately we do not have room for parents to attend the performance. To kick off the performances, we will have a Parade of Nations for students to wear traditional clothing representing their family heritage.
Click here for the Cherry Parade of Nations sign-up. Plan to send their outfit, costume, etc. with your student(s) on the 22.
Click here for the Oak Parade of Nations sign-up. Plan to send their outfit, costume, etc. with your student(s) on the 23.
Table of Contents
  • Cherry 3rd-5th Concert
  • Call for Designs: GreenAL Oak Logo Contest
  • Cherry Plant Watering Help 
  • Help Needed for Field Days
  • The Effects of the Pandemic on Learning and Our Students at AL: Takeaways
  • Chromebooks Take-Back Event
  • AL in the Community
  • 8th Grade Graduation Pictures
  • Become a Host Family in the Fall
  • 23-24 School Supplies
  • Job Openings
  • Communication
  • Ads:
  • Janet Howard Piano Studio
  • Franck's Real Estate Corner
AL Insights
Cherry 3rd-5th Concert
Cherry 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be having their music concert on Thursday, May 18 at 6:30pm in the Oak auditorium (6903 Oak Street). Students should report to Oak in uniform at 6:15 pm, where they will be directed to assigned classrooms and parents can proceed to the auditorium. We expect a full house! Merci!
Call for Designs: GreenAL Oak Logo Contest
GreenAL is a parent-led committee and a student club (coming soon!) with the goal of empowering everyone at AL to adopt sustainable practices. GreenAL needs a logo! Students are at the heart of our efforts, and we would love to incorporate your young & eco-minded designer's ideas. We will select the top three, and our parent graphic designer will do his magic to spin one of them into a logo!

To participate, please drop off your drawing in one of two ways by 4 pm, Monday, May 22:
1) Drop off the drawing on paper in a box at the Oak entrance. Please make sure to put the student's name and grade on the back.
2) Email the drawing to Saori Lewis (kawasumisaori@gmail.com). Please indicate the student's name and grade.
Cherry Plant Watering Help
Our Cherry parent volunteers have done an outstanding job beautifying our campus. We have additional plants and flowers that have been recently planted to enhance the natural beauty of our school.

As the weather gets warmer, we need your help to ensure that these plants thrive and remain healthy. We are requesting parents to assist us in watering the plants outside by the Cherry entrance. To make it easier, we have installed a water hose next to the entrance, and the water key is available at the front office.

Click here to sign up for watering the plants. Your participation is much appreciated, and your time and effort will help ensure that our campus remains beautiful and welcoming for everyone. Thank you for your continued support.
Help Needed for Field Days
AL Cherry and Armour field days need volunteers to make the last day of school (May 26) a success! Click here to help at Armour. Click here to help at Cherry.
The Effects of the Pandemic on Learning and Our Students at AL: Takeaways
Here are the key takeaways from the presentation "The Effects of the Pandemic on Learning and Our Students at Académie Lafayette":
  • The school is seeing a lack of fine motor skills in young children, a lack of perseverance in older children, and an increase in anxiety across grade levels. School attendance has suffered.
  • Child self-regulation is a pre-requisite for learning. Caregiver modeling of self-regulation can powerfully promote child self-regulation.
  • Children need: good night sleep, be outside (more extracurriculars are not better), less screen time, eat well, lots of praise, and consequences need to be reinforced at home.
  • All misbehavior is communication. Many don’t have the vocabulary to express what is going on.
  • Students are encouraged to attend summer school to help catch up.
  • Weave education into everyday life. Cooking is great - reinforces reading and math skills.
  • Need to be more supportive of our teachers. Seek to understand first instead of confronting.  Best way to support teachers is to have a good morning routine and start with positivity.  
  • Lastly, as well stated by Yassi Armer-Shabazz (10th Grade): “Know we aren’t going to catch up in a year or two. Allow for that and help us learn. Understand your child and how they work.”
Click here for a video and here for additional resources.
Chromebooks Take-Back Event
Mark your calendars! We are updating our procedures for student Chromebooks. Beginning this year, we will collect all Chromebooks for inventory and maintenance at the end of each school year. All k-8 students with a school-issued Chromebook must return it to the school on May 22 or May 23, 2023 (this is a date change). Please send the Chromebook and its charger with your child to school on one of those days, and put a sticker with your child’s name and grade level on the device and charger if you can.

There will be a fee of $200 for the computer and $15 for the charger if not returned. If there are any issues with your child’s Chromebook, please notify the teacher about the damage. This information will help us with repairs and maintenance.
AL in the Community
Congratulations to board member Michele Markham on being named an Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winner. “To be named an Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winner in recognition of your success in business and community leadership is a once-in-a-lifetime honor. Michele was selected from among hundreds of nominees worldwide. We’re looking forward to shining a spotlight on her, along with other extraordinary women entrepreneurs at the conference,” says Monica Smiley, CEO and publisher of Enterprising Women. Click here to read more.
8th Grade Graduation Pictures
Click here to pre-order graduation pictures. Please use code FM421921. If you prefer to wait until after graduation to order, the same code will allow you to view the gallery once the pictures have been processed. Click here to view the flyer.
Become a Host Family in the Fall
Attention all families! Have you ever considered hosting an intern in your home? Well, now is the perfect time to become a host family in the fall! Our interns are handpicked university students from French-speaking countries who are eager to spend a year working in the classrooms of our youngest students. We meticulously review their resumes and references, and we interview them at length to ensure they are the perfect fit for our school.

But that's not all! Our interns fill out a detailed questionnaire about the host family experience, ensuring that they are perfectly matched with your family. As a host family, you'll have the chance to open your home and welcome an intern for a semester or for a year. You'll provide them with a private bedroom and meals when you are together as a family, while the school provides a generous monthly stipend to the intern and a monthly grocery of $100 to you, the host family. For more information please take a look at the FAQ and the Experience videos made by this year’s interns!

Hosting an intern is not only a great opportunity for your family to experience Francophone culture and language firsthand, but it's also an excellent way for your children to practice speaking French at home. Plus, your family will have someone special to visit when you travel to France in the future.

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! If you're interested in learning more about hosting an intern, please contact Maaria Riaz at 816-819-0017 or mriaz@academielafayette.org. Don't delay, become a host family today!
23-24 School Supplies
Each spring, the PTO coordinates a school supply sale. Kits are created based on our teachers’ supply lists and are available for parents to order in advance. Parents receive an early bird discount when they purchase through Yubbler in the spring. The PTO receives a portion of the proceeds as well as a credit for our social workers to use! The supplies will be delivered to your home.

Click here to view the lists and to purchase your school supplies. You do not have to buy the whole kit.
Communication
  • Changing emails? Phone number? Let us know at communication@academielafayette.org.
  • Looking to build your community? Get going today by joining our private Facebook group. You will need to answer the security questions.
  • Click here to find the required parent notifications.
  • Sign up to receive school text messages by texting "Y" or "Yes" to 67587.
Ads
Janet Howard Piano Studio
Janet Howard maintains an established, successful piano studio in SouthPlaza/Brookside, offering in person and virtual private piano lessons. An active member of KCMTA and Kansas City Federated Music Teachers organizations, Janet teaches piano at all levels and ages (children through adults). She is currently accepting new students. For more information, contact by phone at 816.550.5433 or jhpiano3@gmail.com. Check out the Janet Howard Piano Studio page on Facebook!
Armour MS & ALIHS
201 E. Armour Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64111
816-800-8771
Cherry K-5
3421 Cherry St
Kansas City, MO 64111
816-888-7400
Oak K-5
6903 Oak St
Kansas City, MO 64113
816-361-7735