Lake Grove Elementary

Dear Lake Grove Families,

Thank you to those of you who helped our sustainability efforts with walking and rolling to school this week. One of our goals is to incorporate sustainability focus in meaningful ways throughout our school and curriculum, and we appreciate your support. Some of our fifth graders have been presenting in all classrooms this month promoting our recycling program. You can see photos of our students practicing leadership and advocacy below.

This month I have had the pleasure of collaborating with each of our staff members about their professional goals for the year and it has been inspiring. We have an incredible staff, dedicated to improving in their craft. From reading groups methods building positive climate and culture in our classrooms and beyond, our teachers and staff are implementing improvements that will benefit your children in myriad ways. Lake Grove is a great place to work and learn.

If you can't find what you need to know here, please feel free to email or call our office with questions.

Be kind,

Principal Jennie Knapp

Welcome to Jade McIntosh (new)

Parent-Teacher Conferences (new)

High School Sports Spectator Guidelines (new)

Unity Day (new)

Picture Retakes (new)

Upcoming School Costume Guidelines (repeated)

Technology Information and Device Protection Program (repeated)

Social Emotional Learning (repeated)

State Assessment Score Reports (repeated)

****New Application for School Volunteers (repeated) ****

News from the District Nurses (repeated)

Lake Dance Game Day Workshop (repeated)

Booktique Read Aloud Information (repeated)

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month (updated)

Safe Oregon (repeated)

Save the Date (updated)

PTA News (updated)

Jade McIntosh started in the front office on Monday and immediately made a wonderful first impression on parents and staff . Those who have had the opportunity to meet and talk with her already have recognized her competence and warmth. She will be a great addition to our Lake Grove team! Be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her when you call or stop by the office.

Parent-Teacher conferences will take place on October 27 and October 28. If you haven't yet signed up, please check for the email from your child's teacher with a sign-up genius link. There will be no school for students on either day. If you cannot make it in person to your conference, teachers are happy to connect with you over Zoom. All conferences will need to be on October 27 and 28.

As our school communities continue to come together in support of our LOHS teams this school year, we are always striving to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our students, families and guests. As we head into the final weeks of the fall sports season, we are implementing the following spectator guidelines for our remaining home contests:

1. All elementary and middle school students attending our high school contests must be accompanied by an adult. Those not accompanied by an adult will not be admitted.

2. Spectator footballs and other similar items will not be allowed into contests.

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support. Go Lakers!

In recognition of National Bully Prevention Month, we will be celebrating UNITY DAY on Wednesday, October 19th! Please join our school community by wearing ORANGE next Wednesday to come together in one giant message uniting Lake Grove, our school district and our nation. This visible message supporting kindness, acceptance and inclusion demonstrates that we believe no child should ever experience bullying. Thank you for your support!

School picture retakes are available in the morning of November 4th at Lake Grove. All students who were not at Lake Grove for picture day will get their picture taken on the 4th. If you aren't happy with your child's pictures and want them to get a retake, they will need to bring back any original pictures you ordered and give them to the photographer during the retake. More information is available at Dorian's website.

Students may share their creativity by dressing up on Monday October 31. As I'm starting to hear some excited costume conversations, I thought it best to share the guidelines for school now.

School appropriate costumes mean that students will be able to participate in recess and all regular classroom activities. Costumes could include masks per our Covid protocols, but no other face coverings (full masks, eye masks, sunglasses, or facepaint). Costumes may not include any weapons of any sort (this include lightsabers or other swords, etc.) Fake blood is also not allowed.

In order for students to use school district software or any technology resources (devices, digital textbooks, etc.), there are three actions that need to be completed at the beginning of each school year:

1. A parent or guardian must provide consent for each student to use District software and resources
2. A Parent/Guardian and each Student must agree to the Acceptable Use Policy
3. Families must choose to enroll or decline participation in the Device Damage and Loss Protection Program ($20 annual fee per student).

Please find the consent forms and optional (BUT STRONGLY ENCOURAGED) protection program information on the district and school websites.

Dear Lake Grove Families,

This month we are talking about Responsibility.

One way to define Responsibility is “taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.”

Taking action can mean doing the right thing or completing the tasks you have been assigned. Understanding the impact of our choices means that our actions matter. Positive and responsible actions can help people and irresponsible actions can hurt others.

Responsibility is one of the three traits we will focus on throughout the year that encourages students to “Be Strong”. Throughout our school, Lake Grove students will be developing skills like focusing, organizing, and goal-setting.

Have some fun connecting as a family this month while practicing Responsibility. Here are three “PurposeFull Pursuits” for you to complete together. How many can you do this month?

Pursuit #1: As a family, think of ways in which you might make someone’s life a little easier by helping a neighbor or family friend with one of their responsibilities. Could you help someone with their garbage or recycling? Could you carry things in from the grocery store? Could you invite someone over for a meal or a show?

Pursuit #2: Review Responsibility as a family! Responsibility is taking action and understanding how our choices affect others. Choose one household chore (or more!) that requires multiple steps. Then have each member of the family select one step to complete to help get the job done. Maybe it is washing the dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the living room, or unloading the groceries. Whatever it is, see who can be the quickest or most effective at their task.

Pursuit #3: Family meeting story prompts

● A time I (or someone else) showed responsibility was _____.

● An act of responsibility that changed/challenged me was _____.

Thank you for partnership and support of our Social Emotional Learning. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I can be reached at postw@loswego.k12.or.us or 503-534-2357.

Sincerely,

Wendy Post

Lake Grove Counselor/Social Worker

LOSD now delivers students’ state assessment results online through ParentVUE rather than mailing paper. This is in keeping with the district’s strategic goal of sustainability and mirrors how we deliver report cards. If your child participated in the State Assessments as a third-fifth grader last spring, your child’s 2021-22 assessment reports are now available on your ParentVUE Documents page. As you review your student’s English Language Arts, math, and science scores, please keep in mind:

• An achievement level of 3 or 4 is considered to be on track for the student’s grade level.

• Scores on state assessments are only one measure of a student’s academic progress. We use these scores in conjunction with classroom work and other daily, weekly, monthly, and term assessments to understand your student’s strengths and areas for improvement.

If you have forgotten your ParentVUE password, go to the login page, click "I am a Parent," then click "Forgot Password." If you are unsure whether you have a ParentVUE account or need assistance, please contact your student’s school.

For the safety of children, volunteers are required to have an approved background check when volunteering in schools.

To help streamline compliance with state and school board policies, which require that all volunteers have background checks and knowledge of other board policies -- as well as state-mandated proof of vaccination (or a qualified exemption) -- we are introducing a new all-in-one volunteer application and approval process through ou Raptor Visitor Management System.

Submitting an online application initiates the background check process. Once submitted, applicants will receive an email upon approval of your background check and you will be given access through the onsite Raptor System at all schools. Please allow up to three weeks to process your approval.

Volunteers need to submit only one application for volunteering in all LOSD schools. Applications need to be submitted annually to capture changes in background checks, policies, and/or vaccination requirements.

Volunteer Application for LOSD

Thank you for applying promptly, and for your service to our students and schools. We are grateful for our volunteers.

Hello LOSD Families! As we return to community gathering, we are seeing some cases of Lice and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Please review the links below for more information on how to prevent, identify and treat either. Please see your medical professional for diagnosis, treatment and more information. Also, it is very important for you to bring your students medications to school if they may be needed during school hours.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease - CDC Lice Information for Parents Contact your District Nurse

October 14, 2022, Professional Day

10:00 am - 1:00 pm, Check-In at 9:30 am

Lake Oswego High School Gymnasium

$60 if you pre-register, $65 at the door

Open to ALL Youth, Pre-K through 8th Grade

* Youth Workshop t-shirt for each registered dancer

* Showcase performance 10/14 - parents & friends welcome

* Football game halftime performance with Laker Dancers 10/14

* Laker Dance spirit items available for purchase

Register today! Click HERE

We can’t wait to dance with you!

For questions or assistance with registration, contact Whitney - whitney.woolf@gmail.com or 503-784-9054

What are the signs of Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a common condition that affects the way the brain processes written and spoken language. It can be associated with trouble reading, but it also can affect writing, spelling and even speaking. Many children have one or two of these issues on occasion. But kids with dyslexia have several of these issues, and they don’t go away.

Here are some signs to look for:

Preschool, Kindergarten, & First Grade:

Difficulties:

• Difficulty learning (and remembering) the names of letters in the alphabet

• Seems unable to recognize letters in his/her own name

• Mispronounces familiar words; persistent “baby talk”

• Trouble learning common nursery rhymes

• Doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat

• A family history of reading and/or spelling difficulties (dyslexia often runs in families)

• Reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters on the page—will say “puppy” instead of the written word “dog” on a page with a picture of a dog

• Does not understand that words come apart

• Cannot sound out even simple words like cat, map, nap

• Does not associate letters with sounds, such as the letter b with the “b” sound

• Complains about how hard reading is; “disappears” when it is time to read

• A history of reading problems in parents or siblings

Strengths

• Curiosity

• Great imagination

• Ability to figure things out; gets the gist of things

• Eager embrace of new ideas

• A good understanding of new concepts

• Surprising maturity

• A larger vocabulary than typical for age group

• Enjoys solving puzzles

• Talent for building models

• Excellent comprehension of stories read or told to him

Second Grade through High School:

Reading

• Very slow in acquiring reading skills. Reading is slow and awkward

• Trouble reading unfamiliar words, often making wild guesses because cannot sound out the word

• Has a tough time sounding out unfamiliar words

• Avoids reading out loud

• Gets tripped up by word problems in math

School and Life

• Trouble remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, random lists

• Struggles to finish tests on time

• Extreme difficulty learning a foreign language

• Poor spelling

• Messy handwriting

• Low self-esteem that may not be immediately visible

Speaking

• Searches for a specific word and ends up using vague language, such as “stuff” or “thing,” without naming the object

• Pauses, hesitates, and/or uses lots of “um’s” when speaking

• Confuses words that sound alike, such as saying “tornado” for “volcano,” substituting “lotion” for “ocean”

• Mispronunciation of long, unfamiliar or complicated words

• Seems to need extra time to respond to questions

Strengths

• Excellent thinking skills: conceptualization, reasoning, imagination, abstraction

• Learning that is accomplished best through meaning rather than rote memorization

• Ability to get the “big picture”

• A high level of understanding of what is read to him/her/they

• The ability to read and to understand at a high level overlearned (or highly practiced) words in a special area of interest

• Improvement as an area of interest becomes more specialized and focused—and a miniature vocabulary is developed that allows for reading in that subject area

• A surprisingly sophisticated listening vocabulary

• Excels in areas not dependent on reading, such as math, computers and visual arts, or in more conceptual (versus fact-driven) subjects, including philosophy, biology, social studies, neuroscience and creative writing

If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning, please contact the school principal and/or literacy specialist. Another great parent resource would be to contact your school’s Special Education Advisory Committee representative. Please see here to learn how to contact your school representative.

Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.

SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.

https://www.safeoregon.com/

(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)

9/28-10/31 Spirit Wear Fall Sale

10/14 - No School - Statewide Inservice Day

10/17-10/20 Scholastic Book Fair

10/18 - PTA General Meeting (in person at LG 7pm)

10/19 - Unity Day!

10/21 - No School - Conference Prep

10/27 - Parent Teacher Conferences - No School for Students

10/28 - Parent Teacher Conferences - No School for Students

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR POTENTIAL CULTURE TRAVEL TO IRAN

Great news! Several Lake Grove families who are familiar with Iranian culture have volunteered to organize Culture Travel to Iran, however in order to be successful, we need a few more volunteers who have a background with Iranian culture. Please contact Salumeh Loesch salumeh.loesch@gmail.com if you are familiar with Iranian culture and interested in helping organize culture travel this winter (events will take place during the week of February 13-17 but planning begins now). This program needs your help!

PTA GENERAL MEETING ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18 IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY

Join us for the PTA General meeting in the Lake Grove Library on October 18. Lake Grove families are welcome to participate in PTA meetings to learn more about our plans for the year in support of our mission to serve the students, teachers and staff at Lake Grove.

A Zoom option will be tested during the in-person meeting on October 18. To be part of the test, join the Zoom with this link https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75801023098?pwd=P8hf8NbRSQiwbgf37xHRBLLeTTWLeh.1 or Meeting ID: 758 0102 3098 and Passcode: 2imhN0. Questions? Contact lakegrovepta@gmail.com.

2000 FOOD ITEMS GATHERED DURING GIVING WEEK!

Cougars came together during Giving Week to bring non-perishable food items into school October 3-7. Wendy Post, Lake Grove Elementary School Counselor and manager of the Lake Grove Food Friends, gathers and donates this food to anyone in our community in need. Students collected more than 2000 food items and stocked the pantry shelves for Lake Grove Food Friends!

Also during Giving Week, families brought in new and gently used clothing items. The fifth grade leadership team helped collect, count and sort all of these donations. “Our Lake Grove community helped so many families with their generosity! Thank you!!” said Ms. Post.

THANK YOU FOR WALKING AND ROLLING LAST WEEK!

Lake Grove students participated in the Walk, Bike & Roll to School Challenge October 10-13. We had more than 60 bikes going to and from school this week, plus many more walkers and even a few scooters!

New pink Safe Routes to School signs are available for those in our community who live on school feeder streets. If you would like a “School routes are everywhere. Drive like it.” yard sign, contact Jessie O’Kane. Questions, comments or to coordinate a yard sign drop off: text Jessie O’Kane at 925-984-0095.

LAKE GROVE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR IS HERE!!

The fair will be held Monday, October 17 through Thursday, October 20 at the Lake Grove Elementary Library. Your child will be able to shop the Book Fair during school hours and there will be opportunities for parents to shop:

• Before school starting at 8 a.m. all week
• After school Monday, October 17 and Thursday, October 20 until 3:30pm

Our Book Fair offers eWallet, a safe and secure alternative to cash. Simply create a free account to add funds and/or invite family and friends to contribute so your child can select their own books. Any unused funds can be spent at The Scholastic Store Online or to fund a future eWallet.

Don’t forget about supporting our amazing teachers at Lake Grove by helping them build their classroom libraries. Check out your student’s teachers wish list basket at the Book Fair. If you are unable to visit the fair in person, teachers will be adding books to their wish lists online during the week of October 17 at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044EA9AE2CA6FD0-fall

If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. Shipping is free for book orders over $25. Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping: http://www.scholastic.com/bf/lakegroveelemschool. Questions about the Book Fair? Contact Christina Beatty at lakegrovepta@gmail.com

ART LIT IN CLASSROOMS HAS STARTED; SIGN UP TO HELP!

The Art Literacy team invites you into our elementary school classrooms for art education!

• Just visit this SignUp Genius and look for your student’s classroom, organized by teacher name. Simply add your name to the list.
• Next, watch the recording to learn more about our first artist, Bruegel. This video will help you teach our students about Pieter Bruegel the Elder, a Renaissance painter.
• Additional information about Bruegel is available at Breugel | Lake Oswego Art Literacy with the password volunteer4loartlit.
• Sign up for future Art Lit training sessions here
• Our next Art Lit training session is next week!
• Please join us on Thursday October 20 from 7-8:30pm in the Lake Grove Elementary library to learn about our second artist, Renoir!

If you are new to Art Lit and want to better understand the program before you volunteer, contact Kim MacKay (kimtamura@gmail.com) to hear about the benefits of this program for our students and learn how you can help support art education. We invite any new volunteers to attend your student’s first classroom session to observe and learn how Art Lit works at Lake Grove. Questions? Contact Kim MacKay (kimtamura@gmail.com).

FALL SPIRIT WEAR SALE; NEW OPTIONS AND DESIGNS!

Check out the new options for Lake Grove Spirit Wear and show your Cougar pride! Order forms will be coming home with students in October but if you want to get your order in, print and complete the attachment by October 31. Questions? Contact lakegrovepta@gmail.com.

THE BATTLE IS ON AND IT IS COMING TO LAKE GROVE ELEMENTARY!

All 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students, you are welcome to join Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) for the 2022-2023 school year! WHAT IS OBOB? It is a quiz show for reading books! Students read the OBOB books, discuss them, quiz each other on the contents, and then compete in teams to correctly answer questions based on the books. Lake Grove teams begin by competing against each other and can go on to participate at local, regional, and state levels of competition. OBOB's mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students.

To participate, students can make their own team of four students from their own grade level. Thus, the teams will include teams of students in 3rd grade, teams of students in 4th grade, and teams of students in 5th grade no matter which class. If students don’t have a team of four, they can contact PTA volunteers at lakegroveelementaryobob@gmail.com and they will help place students on a team. The practices will start in November and students will practice at least once a week with a teacher volunteer or a parent volunteer during lunch. All competitions will be held in person.

HOW DOES YOUR STUDENT SIGN UP? Families must submit their request for an individual student or team by October 28 via email to lakegroveelementaryobob@gmail.com

HOW DOES IT WORK? Teams read the 16 books listed for 3rd-5th grade listed here: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/2022-2023-obob-partial-title-list/

WHEN IS THE COMPETITION? The competition will be done during lunch in the second half of January to determine the top 8 teams and then those teams will move on to battle at Lake Grove on the weekend of February 11-12.

Once the program gets started, OBOB teams will practice at least once a week during lunch with a staff member and a parent volunteer and can practice outside of school with the help of parents. Practice questions and materials will be sent out once teams are established. Parents can come watch the competitions starting near the end of January and also volunteer to help run practices at lunch (sign-ups will be sent out closer to November). If you have questions, reach out to your student's teacher or the program volunteers: fourth grade teacher, Staci Laird; third grade teacher Alicia Yerxa; school librarian, Paula Hahn; and PTA volunteers, Erin Courtney and Binita Singh (via lakegroveelementaryobob@gmail.com).

PAW PATROL IS UNDER WAY!

Paw Patrol started on October 3 and is currently spreading school spirit in our community! You may see "Paw" signs in your neighborhood - or be the recipient of "Pawing"! Signs are posted in the lawns of fellow Grovers, and a Paw Kit sleeve with instructions is placed at the doorstep. Then it becomes that family's turn to pass the Paws along to the next family! If you need support in moving the signs, feel free to reach out to your Paw Patrol team at wilsonse24@yahoo.com. Post your Paw photos to the Lake Grove PTA Facebook page with the hashtag #LakeGroveCougars!

At Lake Grove, we are an inclusive school community fostering social, emotional, and academic growth for all students.

Principal: Jennie Knapp

Website: https://www.losdschools.org/lg
Location: 15777 Boones Ferry Road, Lake Oswego, OR, United States
Phone: 503-534-2357