Lake Grove Elementary

Dear Lake Grove Families,

March definitely came in like a lion this week! Let's hope that next week brings some calmer weather as we head toward spring.

As we launch women's history month at Lake Grove, students participated in a school-wide read of Malala's Magic Pencil, by Malala Yousafzai. During their library time this week, Ms. Hahn read and talked about the book with all our students. Many teachers built on this foundation with additional classroom discussions. I've included a short video interview with the author below that you and your children might enjoy watching together.

Be well,

Principal Jennie Knapp

Please participate in the Family Survey linked here ytsurvey.org/losdfamily22, which is now open for you to complete. It is helpful to me to hear what we're doing well at Lake Grove, as well as how we can improve.

As part of LOSD’s efforts to create a culture of belonging and to achieve equitable academic outcomes, we will once again administer the Youth Truth survey to all staff, parents, and students in grades 3-12.

The YouthTruth survey is confidential, and responses from children and parents will be held in the strictest confidence. We encourage everyone to participate. This will be an important piece of information for administrators to improve our students' experiences at school.

Elementary students in grades 3-5 will also complete the survey between February 28 and March 25. This is a vital opportunity for students to provide feedback and help guide the school’s improvement plan. The survey will take 15-30 minutes to complete and will be offered during school hours.

*Please note that parents may opt their child out of the survey if they would like. Click here for the opt-out form.

This month through our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, we will be introducing the character trait of HONESTY. As a school community, we will be examining how HONESTY looks, sounds, and feels. During our lessons, we will be referencing this definition:

HONESTY: Living truthfully in your words, actions and thoughts.

HONESTY is not about just telling the truth. It is about living a life that is thoughtful and clear about what we believe is good and just. It’s about making sure what we think is kind and worthwhile also lines up with what we say and what we do. In March, we will talk about the cost of dishonesty and what it does to our body and mind. Further, we will connect how HONESTY and KINDNESS are closely related traits.

We have opportunities throughout each day where we can either choose to be truthful, or choose to be untruthful through either our words, actions, or thoughts. As we learn about the importance of HONESTY, we will also understand that being truthful isn’t always the easy choice, but it’s always the right (expected) choice. Students will learn about integrity and the importance of being honest with themselves. This month we will have challenging, but rewarding conversations and as always, we appreciate your partnership with us.

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

K-2 HONESTY Parent Letter (English) K-2 HONESTIDAD para familias (En Español )

3-5 HONESTY Parent Letter (English) 3-5 HONESTIDAD para familias (En Español )

LOSD is planning boundary changes to balance enrollment at Lake Grove and Oak Creek to ensure students have adequate spaces and resources for equitable educational experiences. The Elementary Boundary Review Committee, charged with determining how the boundary lines are redrawn, has arrived at its recommendation.

Boundary "Option Pink" was selected by the committee, informed by input and feedback from our learning community. The committee's recommendations, which will include special considerations for rising 5th graders and suggestions for supporting those impacted by the transition, will be presented to the School Board at the meeting on Monday, March 7. Anticipate the School Board taking action on the recommendations at its public session on Monday, April 11.

Information about the boundary review process, including a map of Option Pink, is available on the district homepage Trending Topics, Elementary Boundary Review 2022.

We are delighted to be able to welcome volunteers back to Lake Grove, and look forward to seeing more of you in the building in the coming weeks!

In order to be eligible to volunteer at Lake Grove, please complete the following steps:

• Review and acknowledge LG Volunteers Statement of Knowledge and Understanding - LOSD District Policies
• Send/show proof of vaccination to Annika Nicholas at nicholaa@loswego.k12.or.us.

• Complete Background Check through school Raptor system - if you have not already completed this, bring your driver's license or passport with you on your first day volunteering and we'll get you registered in the office.

Any questions? Please contact the office at 503-534-2357.

Have you ever thought about working here at Lake Grove Elementary School? Do you know someone who might be a good fit? We have positions posted and are looking for wonderful people to join our team!

See the postings for more details, and feel free to contact the office with any questions 503-534-2357.

We celebrate National School Breakfast Week during March 7-11 by encouraging families to participate in our school breakfast program. Having a breakfast meal is the perfect way to help jump-start a morning. We offer whole grain products, fresh fruit, 100% fruit juice, and milk each day. Elementary students can participate by taking home a grab-and-go breakfast. A nutritious breakfast ensures students are fueled for learning every school day!

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.

If you need to pick your child up early for an appointment, please be sure to bring your ID in to the office to sign them out.

3/3 Early Release

3/10 Early Release

3/15 PTA General Meeting (Zoom, 7pm)

3/17 Early Release

3/19-3/27 Spring Break - No school

4/1 Half Day (11am release)

4/7 & 4/8 No School - Elementary Conferences

COMING UP MARCH 5: DINING FOR DOLLARS AT CHIPOTLE

Lake Grove will earn a portion of sales at Chipotle in Centerpointe on Saturday, March 5 from 4-8 p.m. When ordering online, use code X27Y3E4 or show the flyer in the store.

CONGRATULATIONS OBOB PARTICIPANTS! ELITE EIGHT NAMED

Students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades were invited to participate in Oregon Battle of the Books, a statewide reading motivation and comprehension program run by teacher volunteers alongside our PTA volunteers. What is OBOB? It’s like 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. OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students.

Forty-eight Grovers formed 11 teams to read 16 books between October and February. Eighteen students read 10 or more OBOB books since the competition began:

• All 16 books! Jamen & Lena Campbell, Tony Tu
• 15 books: Charlotte Grabavoy, Finn Kelly, Bennett Kim
• 14 books: Kimberly Hu, Parisa Loesch, Emily Parksion-Wu, Emma Courtney
• 13 books: Alice Zhang, Charlie LeBlanc, Riya Pai
• 11 books: Emma Jernstaal
• 10 books: Landon Hamer, Taim Chahin, Reagan Riggs, Georgia Johanson

Lake Grove teams began pool play competition in February by competing against each other and our bracket play began Thursday. At the end of our OBOB March Madness, one winning team from our school will go on to participate at local and regional levels of competition.

Congratulations to the Lake Grove Elite Eight!

The following teams moved on to a single-elimination bracket earlier this week.

• Team Green (4th grade) Michael Giannini, Parisa Loesch, Lena Campbell, Charlie LeBlanc
• Team Blue (4th grade) Sierra Moore, Savannah Moore, Kimberly Hu, Alice Zhang
• Team Purple (3rd grade) Gia Hill, Emma Courtney, Charlotte Grabavoy, Reagan Riggs
• Team Yellow (5th grade) Sophia Han, Riya Pai, Emily Parksion-Wu, Emma Jernestaal, Landon Hamer
• Team White (5th grade) Jamen Campbell, Ari Epstein, Bennett Kim, Ryder Lopez
• Team Orange (4th & 5th grade) Robert Gootee, Alex Tymoigne, Finn Kelly, Tony Tu
• Team Pink (3rd grade) Brooke Blommer, Karin Osada, Georgia Johanson, Makenna Heath
• Team Red (4th grade) Ellie Geddes, Abigail Kim, Alaina Yeo, Emmy Ullery

OBOB Reader Recommendations

OBOB participants ranked these four books at the top of their lists! Our PTA has purchased several copies of these books for our school library, so check them out on your next library visit:

1. The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle (8 votes)
2. The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas (5 votes)
3. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (5 votes)
4. Guts by Raina Telgemeier (4 votes)

MANAGE THE SPRING ONLINE BOOK FAIR AT LAKE GROVE

The PTA is looking for a volunteer with approximately 3 hours of time to donate to our school during March and April. By dedicating only 3 hours over the course of the next several weeks, you’ll partner with our previous Book Fair manager, Alexis Nicoli, and support our students by working with Scholastic to host our book fair this Spring. This is an easy volunteer post! To help, email us at lakegrovepta@gmail.com.

BECOME A BUSINESS SPONSOR AT LAKE GROVE

Sponsoring our Lake Grove PTA gives local businesses an opportunity to reach approximately 300-400 families through yearbook advertising, social media advertising and banner advertising on the school/field perimeter fencing, which faces the highly trafficked Boones Ferry Rd. Our PTA sponsors student enrichment programs like Art Literacy, Battle of the Books, Run Club, Culture Travel, book exchanges, field trips, classroom equipment and much more. To help us continue this work, review the business sponsor opportunities attached and join us!

ART LIT BEGINS!

Art Literacy is a completely volunteer run program that introduces elementary students to art principles, elements, and techniques. All training, presentation materials, projects and supplies are provided by our PTA. This Spring, students will learn about artists JMW Turner and Grant Wood. The first lessons began this week; thank you volunteers!

To sign up to participate in an art lit lesson in your student’s classroom, visit: Lake Grove Art Literacy: Lake Grove Art Lit Presentations (signupgenius.com) This is a great opportunity to work with students in the classroom! Note that more volunteers are needed in Parks on May 4.

Our first training session on Turner was offered earlier this month and a recording is available here: https://youtu.be/zcHJt72F3NU

Our second training session on Wood is scheduled for March 31 from 7-8:30pm in the Lake Grove Elementary library. Please sign up via this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084EADA922A1F85-lake2 The session will be recorded and available to watch after the presentation.

Length of time required in the classroom:

-Presentation: 15 minutes

-Hands-on project: 45 minutes

You will be paired with at least one other volunteer for your classroom and will work together to ensure that all key roles and responsibilities for your classroom are covered. Questions? Contact Kim MacKay at kimtamura@gmail.com.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO MAKE COUGAR DAY JOG-A-THON A SUCCESS

Fundraising is extremely important for enrichment programs at LGE. Contributions to our PTA help create completely volunteer-run programs like Art Literacy, Run Club, Oregon Battle of the Books and more. Donations also fund student events and celebrations like 5th grade graduation, as well as allow us to show our appreciation for the stellar teachers who help our students grow and thrive! Without funding from families and local businesses, and volunteers stepping up, our PTA could not offer this level of support.

On Friday, April 29, Lake Grove students will participate in raising funds for their school through a “Cougar Day Jog-a-Thon.” In order to execute the jog-a-thon, there are several jobs available to help prepare and plan for this event.

Sign up to manage one of these items!

Compile a list of local businesses that may be interested in advertising to our families, build the list in a table with contact information (a list of local businesses already captured from previous years is available as a starting point for this volunteer). Timeframe: now through February.

Contact local businesses mentioned above for potential business sponsorships. This could include dropping off flyers or sending emails and making phone calls. Timeframe: now through mid-March.

Organize the display area/jar/campaign to donate funds to local charities. This is a task for a creative person! Let’s get the kiddos excited about building community. Timeframe: early April.

Fundraising questions? Contact lakegrovefundraising@gmail.com.

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.)

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