Lafayette ES Family Newsletter

Dear Lafayette Families,

Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope you and your family had a restful and joyful winter break. We are so excited to see all of our students back at school and ready to dive into a new year filled with learning, growth, and more adventures!

I trust that many of you were able to enjoy the beautiful snow, whether it was through outdoor play or cozying up inside with a warm drink. It’s always wonderful to see our community embrace the winter season, and I hope you made some lasting memories with your loved ones. Please note that the 6 day schedule will continue uninterrupted by the snow day, so the next day school is in session will be Day 6 (rather than a Day 1). We will continue to follow all DCPS policies on when school schedules are adjusted due to weather, or other factors, and will communicate information to you when that information is available.

As we begin 2025, we look forward to an exciting and engaging semester. Our teachers have been working hard to prepare meaningful lessons and activities that will spark curiosity and inspire creativity in every student. There are so many opportunities ahead for our students to explore new ideas, strengthen their skills, and grow both academically and personally, so we hope you will make every effort for them to attend school every day!

We thank you for your continued support and partnership in making Lafayette Elementary a welcoming and inclusive place for all of our families. Here's to a wonderful new year ahead!

In partnership,

Katie Prall, Principal

Lafayette Elementary School

We are excited that our SAMM Wall of Fame has been installed in the cafeteria and features our first student leaders. These students were selected by their peers and/or teachers for going above and beyond to exemplify our school expectations of SAMM in the month of December. Each monthly community meeting will recognize one student from each homeroom and their photo will be featured for the month ahead.

As a reminder, families are always invited to our community meetings and we hope you will be able to join us to celebrate our students for Speaking, Acting, and Moving Mindfully. We continue to thank the HSA for their fundraising efforts that helped make this installation possible!

Please find the dates for the upcoming Community Meetings for the rest of the school year! Based on the positive feedback, we will continue having the Upper School (grades 3-5) meetings at 8:45am (ending by 9:15am). The Lower School (grades PK-2) will begin promptly at 9:35am (ending by 10:05am). Community meetings include 1) Shared Learning 2) Shared Celebration 3) SAMM Wall of Fame 4) News and Announcements.

• January- Friday the 31st
• February- Friday the 28th
• March- Friday the 28th
• April- Friday the 25th
• May- Friday the 30th
• June- Tuesday the 17th

This year, we will use the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s in-class “Spelling Quiz” to hold our Lafayette Elementary School homeroom spelling bee the week we return from Winter Break.

• The two students from each homeroom with the highest scores will move on to compete at the school level.
• These students will be given a schedule for study clinics during SEE Time to occur between January 2 through January 21.
• This year, our school-level competition will be administered via an in-person Spelling Bee on January 22, 2024.
• Our school champion will then move on to represent Lafayette Elementary School in the next level of the DC regional spelling bee program, which also may include online tests in lieu of in-person spelling bee events.

Please reach out to Mr. Mentzer (joseph.mentzer@k12.dc.gov) if you have any questions about our school spelling bee program.

We want to make sure everyone has access to the information shared in the Family Newsletter! By clicking on the email you receive, it will open it in your web browser. From there. There are multiple accessibility options listed at the top for you to choose from. This includes automatic translation into over 130 languages!

• Saturday, March, 22, 2025 - 10:00 - 12:00 noon
• Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 26, 2025 - 10:00 - 12:00 noon
• Wednesday, May 21, 2025 - 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, May 31, 2025 - 10:00 -12:00 noon

May 3, 2025 7 PM to 10 PM

All proceeds will support the Lafayette HSA. Adult only event. More details coming soon. Thank you to Auction Headline Sponsors Donovan Wye Mandle and Julie Roberts Home Team!

Drum roll, please…! Thanks to everyone who participated in Bear Fund Week last week, we exceeded last year’s year-to-date revenue, with more than $132,000 dollars raised from more than 330 families! We are so proud to be part of this generous community who is committed to supporting Lafayette’s students and teachers.

●Please notify the school every time your student is absent by emailing Lafayette.dcps@k12.dc.gov

●Excuse notes must be emailed to Lafayette.dcps@k12.dc.gov within 5 school days after the student’s return to school for the absence to be excused. (Classroom teachers cannot excuse absences.)

●Additional documentation is required for 5 or more consecutive absences.