Livingston Avenue School Community
December 9, 2024
Dear LAS Families,
Good morning! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We have completed the first trimester of the school year. The students were rewarded for their hard work with a surprise schoolwide viewing of Inside Out 2! I hope they enjoyed it.
With the holidays upon us please do not forget to send in a holiday card or family picture for our main office bulletin board. You can mail one in or send a printed copy with your child. With the excitement of the season, please do encourage your child(ren) to try their best to focus and make good choices for the next two weeks leading up to winter break.
Finally, be on the lookout for club information coming out. We have a number of clubs that will begin in January. These are both after school and during lunchtime. Ms. McDonald shared the opportunity to apply for the Student Liaison Club and (new this year) an LAS Newspaper Club last Friday on your child's class Google Classroom.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Cari Lopez
Principal
Upcoming Dates
- December 12, 2024 - Kindness Families
- December 16, 2024 - LAS PTA Holiday Boutique
- December 17, 2024 - LAS Winter Concert - 5:30pm - 7:00pm - Doors open at 5:00pm
- 5:30pm Blue Band
- 6:30pm 4th & 5th Grade Chorus
- 7:30pm Orchestra
- December 20, 2024 - Single Session Students & Staff - Dismissal at 12:25pm
- December 23, 2024 - January 1, 2025 - Winter Recess for Students/Staff
LAS 2024-2025 Educator Of The Year & Educational Specialist of the Year!
We are so proud to announce that:
Our LAS 2024-2025 Educator Of The Year is Barbara Radigan!
Our LAS 2024 - 2025 Educational Specialist of The Year is Carol Vitacco!
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Radigan and Mrs. Vitacco.
If you would like to send them a personal congratulatory message, you can email Mrs. Radigan at radigan@cranfordschools.org and Mrs. Vitacco at vitacco@cranfordschools.org.
LOST AND FOUND - DO ANY OF THESE BELONG TO YOUR STUDENT?
Please let us know if anything belongs to your student and we will send home!
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Please CLICK HERE to see the December SEL Flyer from our School Counselor, Mrs. Grace Rivetti
LAS PTA Holiday Boutique - Monday, December 16, 2024
It's time to get ready for the LAS Holiday Boutique - one of the school's most anticipated events of the year! This year's boutique will be on Monday, December 16th.
The Holiday Boutique is a store, set up by the PTA in the school gymnasium, where students shop for items for their loved ones. Items range in price from $1-$6 and are provided by generous donations from you, the families and friends of LAS!
Please consider donating now - it's a fun and easy way to help the LAS PTA raise funds, and the kids absolutely love shopping at the boutique!
There are 3 ways to donate to this year's boutique:
1. Venmo monetary donations to @Elizabeth-Mazza-1 (make sure the "turn on for purchases" button is OFF. You can also download and print this form to make a cash or check donation. With this money, items will be purchased by our gift coordinators to sell at the boutique. Please send monetary donations asap.
2. Purchase items off our Amazon Holiday Boutique Wishlist. These items will be directly shipped to our gift coordinators to sort and price. Please make sure your items ship by 12/4.
3. Use our Sign Up Genius to purchase items yourself, and then drop your donations in bins by the school's entrance. If you want to purchase items not on our list, make sure you are buying in quantities of 60 so we have enough for every class. Please drop your items off by 12/6.
A Sign Up Genius to volunteer at the boutique will be emailed to everyone the week before. Thank you so much for your support!
If you have any questions, please email Liz Mazza, who is running the boutique, at mazzaliz@yahoo.com.
A MESSAGE FROM LIFETOUCH PHOTOS - STUDENT RETAKE PHOTOS ARE READY!
Dear parents,
Retake images and data from Picture Day for Livingston Avenue Elementary School are now available on the Lifetouch Portal.
To download the images and data:
- Log in to the Lifetouch Portal.
- Go to Image & Data Management.
- Select the retake information you want to view and download.
- Click the Download button.
If you have questions or need assistance, contact your Lifetouch representative or call the local Lifetouch office. You can also contact Lifetouch Technical Support at 1-800-598-2466 or lnssfieldops@lifetouch.com.
CHS Building Bridges Registration Open
Cranford High School Building Bridges program is currently open for registration. This program offers an opportunity for students in Kindergarten through 4th grade to meet students from across the Cranford Public Schools district in a friendly and welcoming environment under the guidance of a high school Building Bridges ambassador. Each monthly meeting, students will meet and work on activities from crafting, sports activities, supporting CHS athletics and free play. Registration for the entire year is $20 per child. Register your child here: https://form.jotform.com/232148382532050
Reporting Absences at LAS
If you are reporting your student absent or arriving late to school:
- Please call the attendance line at 908-956-6280
If you will be picking up your student early for a Dr. Appt, etc.:
- Please send an email to your student's teacher, Nurse Damm and Mrs. La Shure to advise the date & time of the early pickup, as well as the reason (Dr. Appt, Family Vacation, etc.). Please also indicate if your student will be returning after the appt., or leaving for the day
- Nurse Damm's email: damm@cranfordschools.org
- Mrs. La Shure's email: lashure@cranfordschools.org
Thank you!
Cranford Assessment Memo
Please CLICK HERE for the Cranford Assessment Memo from Dr. Brian Heinman.
LAS PTA INFORMATION
Please consider joining the PTA!!! Your membership matters!
Please note: in order to volunteer for any school or PTA event, you MUST be a member of the PTA
Membership Options:
Individual- $20
Family - $35
Blue - 2 individual memberships plus a $40 donation to the PTA
Gold - 2 individual memberships plus an $60 donation to the PTA
LAS Pride - 2 individual membership plus $15 donation to the PTA
Please commit to making this year the best year for our kids!
Link:
LAS Lunch Information
Free or Reduced Lunch
Cranford Public School district offers healthy meals each school day. Lunch costs are 5.00 for students. If you feel your family is in need of financial aid for student lunch, please review the information below regarding Free or Reduced Lunch. If you would like to apply for consideration, please send completed application(s) with the required income verification to your child's teacher in an envelope addressed to the LAS Main Office / Attention: Mrs. La Shure.
Free and Reduced Lunch Letter 24-25
Free and Reduced Lunch Instructions
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Lunch Ordering
Lunch & Recess Information
We will continue with a one hour lunch at LAS with half the students eating while the other half goes out for recess. Then we switch. For the first trimester, fifth grade will be eating first with half of third grade. Fourth grade will be at recess first with half of third grade. Our lunch runs from 11:40-12:40 daily. You are welcome to send in lunch with your child or order through Pomptonian.
You can find directions for ordering here.
Please note, you need to order by midnight the night prior to ensure your child has lunch. There is no option to buy with cash on the day of.
Also, we are unable to reheat lunches, so plan accordingly.
Indoor Recess- The PTA provided board games and activities for the students to play with on inclement weather days. Your child can bring in a book, coloring book, activity book or board game to use during this time. No personal devices are allowed to be used during this time. Cellphones and Smart Watches are expected to be off and away once inside the building. Please talk to your child about this expectation.
Arrival and Dismissal Locations at LAS
Arrival and Dismissal-
Doors Open 8:25
Instruction Begins 8:40
Dismissal 2:45
4th and 5th Grade Parents**
Your child will enter and exit through the Staff Parking Lot/Library Door (by the Mindfulness Garden)
3rd Grade Parents**
Your child will enter and exit through the Denman Avenue Door.
The parking lot behind Livingston Avenue School is for Staff Only. Please do not park in the lot. Livingston is a one way street where you can pull over and let your child out to walk into their designated door. We have staff at both entrances to assist them. If you do wish to park and walk your child, please park along Livingston Avenue and cross at one of the crosswalks. Your cooperation is appreciated so we can keep all safe.
Elves OFF The Shelf - CHS Class of 2026 Fundraiser
The CHS Class of 2026 Elves are back! The Elf Off the Shelf Fundraiser is a fun way to kick off the holiday season.
Our Junior Elves will come to your home and read a letter from their elf/elves or Santa. Our delivery dates are 12/16, 12/17, 12/18 or 12/19. We can also just deliver without disturbing your house or leave if you are not home as a surprise!
Each elfing includes a letter, a candy cane bouquet for each child and some holiday activities.
Sign up for elfing using this link and follow the instructions for remittance: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E44A8AE22A2FC1-53536577-elves
Lacrosse Registration
Registration is currently open for Spring Lacrosse with the Cranford Lacrosse Club! Teams are currently forming now for Grades 1st-8th grade for Boys and Girls. Registration closes on December 31st and spaces are limited so don't delay! Register here: https://cranfordlacrosse.sportngin.com/register/form/804994711
Cranford Night Out at the Pru Center - December 10, 2025
The Class of 2025 is hosting a "Cranford Night Out" at the Prudential Center for an NJ Devils Game on December 10th that we would like to extend to the community. Tickets are available to purchase until Monday, December 9th, and the price has just dropped to $40.00 per ticket!
Please CLICK HERE for the flyer with all the information!
Best,
Carly Phillips and Emma Hooks
2024-2025 SEL Calendar
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. The article linked in the PDF discusses "Raising Caring Children" with themes of kindness, respect and mindfulness. Our students engaged with the Week of Respect, Peace Week, Safe Schools Week and Red Ribbon Week this month, reinforcing those concepts, and our Full Value Principles of "Be Safe" and "Care for Self and Others."
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SEL Tips
https://casel.org/blog/3-back-to-school-sel-tips-for-families/
Please CLICK HERE for the Cranford School District Social Emotional Learning Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year
New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) - NJSLA score report forms were mailed home today. These reports are for students in grades 4-8.
State Assessments and Standardized Assessments - Please click here for information regarding the anticipated administration of state assessments and standardized assessments that will be given during the 2024-2025 school year.
Cranford Fund for Education Excellence (CFEE) - Please click the link to watch a short video about the CFEE CFEE BTS Night Video.mp4
CRANFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB FAIR!
Metro Girls In Gear Flyer
Please CLICK HERE for the Metro Girls in Gear flyer