Lake Grove Elementary

Dear Lake Grove Families,

Happy October! It's hard to believe that we have already completed one tenth of the school year! Your children are eagerly building positive relationships while they learning more independence along with new academic skills. I am so proud of our staff who work tirelessly to ensure your children are safe, happy, and learning all day every day. I'm also proud of you. You've been working hard to support your children too and it shows!

I am confident that the students are coming home very tired. Socializing respectfully and sustaining focus and attention for a full day of learning for the first time, or after a long break from full days of school can be simultaneously energizing and exhausting. Hopefully you're able to support an early bedtime routine so they they can start their days here fully rested.

I also want to thank you for working with us to promote September's character traits of respect and courage. This month we will build upon those foundational skills with a focus on empathy.

Be well,

Principal Knapp

Dear Lake Grove Families,

This month, we are talking about the social-emotional skill of EMPATHY. During our SEL time, we will be referencing the following definition:

EMPATHY: the ability to understand and connect to the feelings of another.

EMPATHY is a crucial skill for being in a community with others and a powerful skill to develop in personal and professional relationships. We are focusing on a few key components of EMPATHY: knowing how we feel (and having the language to describe those feelings), understanding what others are feeling, and listening to others well so we can connect in more meaningful ways.

We will reflect on powerful images which will inspire conversations about emotions, connection, and friendship. We will learn about incredible people and what they have to say about EMPATHY. Most importantly, we will celebrate what makes us different and learn about the amazing things that bring us together.

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. For your reference, here are links for extension activities you may wish to explore further as a family:

K-2 Empathy Parent Letter (English) K-2 Empathy Parent Letter (En Español )

3-5 Empathy Parent Letter (English) 3-5 Empathy Parent Letter (En Español )

We have been considering many different options on how to connect with our parents/guardians in a way that suits most everyone. Lake Grove's Back to School Night 2021 will be hosted via Zoom, Wednesday, October 13 at 6pm. You will receive a Zoom link from your child’s teacher. During Back to School Night, you will be able to view a short video from me with messages from all of the groups you would typically hear from in the gymnasium (followed by the classroom teacher's presentation). A second session will occur at 6:30pm for parents with multiple children.

If you have children at other schools, please note that each school may do Back to School Night a little differently this year. Schools will be considering the best options for the community when their nights are near.

Thank you for your understanding as we make decisions to minimize the potential for exposure in our schools with the need to connect with our community.

It's Fall in Oregon, and the rain is here - probably to stay for a while! In order to minimize risk, we will continue to have recess and eat lunch outside as often as possible (under covered areas).

We experienced our first very rainy days this week and have plans in place for students to eat either outdoors or indoors, spaced 6' apart in. That said, please plan for rain by having your students wear appropriate rain gear (jackets, rain boots or waterproof shoes). Please do not send students with umbrellas.

In order to ensure equitable opportunities, all second and third-grade students will be assessed this fall using the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to screen for intellectual ability and eligibility for Talented and Gifted (TAG) support. This 60-minute in-classroom assessment measures reasoning and problem-solving skills in three different areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Each area is designed to evaluate specific reasoning skills that strongly correlate to academic success. The district’s testing window for the CogAT screener will be October 11 through November 12.

If your child will be absent, please email your student's teacher and copy the office at lgattendance@loswego.k12.or.us. Please list the date your child will be absent and any illness symptoms. You may also call us at 503-534-2357, or leave a voicemail on the 24-hour attendance line at 503-534-2299.

• We have assigned seating on our buses to limit the number of students who would need to quarantine in the unfortunate event of a positive case on a bus. Thank you for reminding your children of our bus expectations (stay seated in your assigned seat, wear a mask, and use quiet, kind words)
• Parents if you are coming in person to pick up your students, we need to keep the deck open for students and staff. Please stay off the covered sidewalk by the front doors. You are welcome to wait in the coned off parking spaces along the gym or the parking spaces along the school closest to Douglas Way.
• No pets on campus when students are present.

10/8 - Professional Day - No School

10/12 - LOSD School Advisory Committee Meeting

10/13 - Back to School Night

10/28-29 No School - Conferences

11/5 School Portrait Make Up Day

SEEKING A VOLUNTEER TO LEAD CULTURE TRAVEL

Grovers will travel (virtually!) to a faraway land this school year and learn about the art, food and culture of another country. Which country? That’s up to you! The world is our oyster as this enrichment program is just in the planning stages. The Culture Travel enrichment program needs your expertise on other countries and cultures. Please contact us to learn more about this program and find out how you can help students learn about the world. Email lakegrovepta@gmail.com to help out.

YEARBOOK CLUB FOR FIFTH GRADERS!

Fifth graders are invited to join the Yearbook Club, sponsored by the Lake Grove PTA. Plenty of activities need contributors—fifth grade students are welcome to try one or many:

• run the cover contest
• choose the theme
• take photos
• design the 5th grade profiles
• collect information from classmates
• create pages and photo layout…and more!

Yearbook Club will be hosted on Zoom from 5-6 p.m. on most Mondays through spring break. The first Yearbook Club started last week and continues on Monday, October 5. Sign up by sending an email to 2122LGEYearbook@gmail.com. If you have a conflict this Fall due to sports or other commitments, and want to join later in the school year, please let us know by email.

Paw Patrol Coming Soon

Paw Patrol is a fun way to spread school spirit by posting Cougar “Paw” signs on the lawns of your fellow Grovers. Once signs are placed, it becomes the family's turn to pass the Paw on to the next family along with an option to make a small donation to our wonderful school. This year we will be holding this fun program in mid-October in order to continue our back-to-school excitement throughout the Fall! More information coming soon on the PTA Facebook page, in upcoming newsletters and in your student’s Friday folder.

Coca-Cola Gives Back

If you drink Coca-Cola products, then you can support our Lake Grove students with every sip! Sign up for the ‘Coca-Cola Give’ program and the Coca-Cola Corporation donates money to our school through codes on caps and scans of cans. It’s so easy and these cents add up to real dollars for our PTA! Visit https://us.coca-cola.com/give/ to learn more and create an account:

• Scan or enter product codes from your favorite participating Coca-Cola beverages.
• New sip & scan™ icons on Coca-Cola packaging make it easy to participate.

Be sure to choose Lake Grove Elementary School!

Use AmazonSmile and our PTA receives a donation

Donate to the PTA with every Amazon purchase when you activate AmazonSmile! AmazonSmile is a program that donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon to a charity of your choice. The donation will be made at no extra cost to you and takes seconds to set up via your Amazon app. Find step-by-step instructions here or a quick video here quick video here. It has never been easier to donate to the PTA...at no cost to you!

Box Tops Earn Money for our school

Box Tops has moved digital! Please support our school by donating with the Box Tops app. All you need is your phone! Download the Box Tops app, shop as you normally would, then use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit our school’s earnings online. For questions about the Box Tops program, email lakegrovepta@gmail.com.

Box Tops Earn Money for our school

Box Tops has moved digital! Please support our school by donating with the Box Tops app. All you need is your phone! Download the Box Tops app, shop as you normally would, then use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit our school’s earnings online. For questions about the Box Tops program, email lakegrovepta@gmail.com.

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

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