Hello Eagle Families!

I hope everyone had an opportunity to enjoy your fall break! Don't forget that we still have two more days left of break. Eagles are off on Monday, November 4 & Tuesday, November 5. Also don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 5, if you have not yet had a chance.

Thank you so much to our families that helped our Eagles with their costumes for our Vocabulary Parade or made donations for our Early Childhood Trick-or-Treating and classroom parties! We had a blast

We appreciate all that you have done to encourage your Eagles to use kind words, keep their hands to themselves, follow staff directions, and put forth their best effort in class! As a reminder, we have weekly and monthly incentives to support and encourage students to make good, safe choices all week!

Early Dismissal Reminder: When you are coming up to school to pick up a student early, please buzz the front door. We will either have you wait on the front porch and come and check your ID to verify you as a family member/emergency contact or buzz you into the office to check your ID. We will then bring your Eagle to you. No student will be released without verifying your ID and ensuring the person is on your Eagle's emergency contact list. I noticed many portals have fewer or no emergency contacts than they did last year. Please check your portal and confirm your emergency contacts.

Please make sure to complete enrollment in Infinite Campus for your students, if you have not yet. This will ensure they will be able to start on time on the first day of school. Please see the link below to visit our school’s parent portal, along with instructions for completing online verification. Our office is currently open and running for any families that need some assistance with verification or preparing for the upcoming school year.

Check out our newsletter which includes our staff and school information, including the school supply list, family handbook, and a calendar of upcoming events.

It is going to be an amazing school year!

See you soon!

Amanda Eye

Principal

The District will begin having quarterly District Safety Committee Meetings, as mandated by School Board Policy 1058.4. This will be an opportunity to identify and discuss safety concerns and work on solutions. The hopeful outcome will be safer, more inclusive school environments districtwide. The purpose of these committees is not just to comply with policy but to serve as a "Morale Meter" to gauge and improve the safety and security of our schools.

Each committee will focus on addressing the data from the DESE Culture and Climate Survey, particularly the responses to the following safety-related statements:

a. I feel safe at my school.
b. I have been concerned about my physical safety at school.
c. If I report unsafe or dangerous behavior, I can be sure the problem will be taken care of.
d. I feel safe when entering or leaving my school building.

We will have four (4) District Safety Committees, one representing each school level:

· Primary School Committee (Pre-K to 2nd grade schools)

· Intermediate School Committee (3rd to 5th grade schools)

· Middle School Committee (6th to 8th grade schools)

· High School Committee (9th to 12th grade schools)

Each committee will consist of:

· At least one administrator from each school

· At least one teacher from each school (except MHS, MNHS, CK, FMS will nominate two teachers)

· A parent group president or leader from each school

· A school district bus driver

· At least one FFSD Safety & Security Officer

· Any additional district-level employees assigned per the Superintendent

Meetings:

Meetings will be held each quarter, with the first meetings scheduled for the week of October 14, 2024.

Thank you to each of our families who were able to make it to our Family Advisory Meeting last Tuesday evening! I am including the presentation for the meeting below. Our meeting notes are on the last two slides.

To register for the 2024-25 school year, please read the information on the link below for our enrollment process and the documents needed.

All families (existing and new) must upload residency documents for the 24-25 school year. Existing families must reupload their residency information.

Students will not be able to start on the first day of school if the enrollment process has not been completed in Infinite Campus.

Once you are logged in and your student's account is active, please know that any information you see related to classroom teacher could be displayed incorrectly. Classroom teacher information will not be solidified until the week of Meet the Teacher.

Only uniforms may be worn to school, unless on an administrator-approved school spirit or incentive day.

Tops

• Collared Shirts (Short or Long-Sleeved): White, blue, black, gray, or red shirts with collars, such as a polo, oxford, or dress shirt (no logos required)

• Sweaters: White, blue, black, gray, or red cardigans, vests, fleeces, quarter-zips, crewneck sweatshirts, or blazers.

• Clothing should have no more than a small (half-dollar-sized) logo (no graphics)

• No hoodies, jean jackets, coats, or head coverings will be able to be worn in the building.

• Students may personalize their uniforms by adding school-appropriate hair accessories, socks, ties or ascots, pins or buttons, etc.

Bottoms

• Blue, black, or khaki pants (khaki material)

• Blue, black, or khaki shorts (khaki material)

• Blue, black, khaki, red plaid, or blue plaid jumpers, skirts, or skorts (with shorts or leggings underneath)

• Shorter bottom pieces should be the appropriate length for school (below fists with hands at side)

• Blue, black, gray, red, or white tights or leggings may be worn under jumpers or skirts. Leggings only may not be worn as bottoms

• No blue or colored jeans

Shoes

• Safe and appropriate shoes (closed-toed and closed-heeled shoes) must be worn at all times

• Shoes with laces are suggested for safety during PE & recess

• No crocs, slides, or bubble sandals

Clear Backpacks

• Clear backpacks are a requirement for all students

• Students may include in their clear bookbag a small non-clear pouch no larger than 5.5”x4”

• No other bag or purse is allowed at school

Uniform Sources, Online and/or Local

Families may purchase their uniforms at any location as long as the above expectations are followed. Below are several uniform retailers:

• Target

• Walmart

• Children’s Place

• Kohl’s

• French Toast

• TrayJays

Check out our handbook for important information regarding the school day, arrival and dismissal, and much more!

Students have access to free breakfast and lunch at Lee-Hamilton.

Students are not permitted to have the following items for breakfast or lunch:

• fast food items
• open container cups (like coffee)
• chips (must be part of a lunch, but can not be the only item they bring for lunch)
• soda
• drinks in glass containers

If a student brings these items they will be asked to keep them in their book bag or dispose of them.

Birthdays are special and we celebrate our Eagles with announcements and a small gift. For a variety of reasons, students will not be able to bring in food treats for their birthdays. Students should also not receive deliveries at school for their birthday, such as balloons. If any of these items come to school, they will be held in the office and returned home with the student or we will ask a family member to pick them up.

We hold our students to the highest expectations at Lee-Hamilton to help them prepare for success! We expect our students to Be Responsible, Safe, Cooperative, and Kind. We expect them to Persevere through school work and situations that are challenging. Our expectations are included in the matrix linked above for you to review with your Eagle, so they are prepared for a successful school year. We also will spend each morning meeting with your Eagle discussing these expectations and providing them with the strategies and skills to reach them.

Lee-Hamilton uses Standards-Based Learning to monitor student progress and growth. This allows both teacher and student to focus on a progression of learning and mastery of content. Below is a link to the District's Standards-Based Learning page, the Parent Guide, and an image of a proficiency scale. As a reminder, this means that you will not see letter grades (A,B,C) on progress/report cards, instead you will see standard scores of (1,2,3,4). Please know that these standard scores to not correlate to letter grades. It is normal for students to only be at a 1 or 2 at the beginning of the year with the goal of reaching a 3 by then end of the school year. It is extraordinary for a student to reach a 4, as it indicates mastery of standards beyond their current grade level.

Operation Food Search is teaming up with the St. Louis County libraries to provide after school meals and free activities to children Monday-Friday. Meals must be eaten on site and are available free of charge for children ages 5-18. No library card is required.

Participating Libraries:

Florissant Valley Branch Monday-Friday 3:45-4:45pm

Lewis & Clark Branch Monday-Friday 3:30-4:30pm

Prairie Commons Branch Monday-Friday 3:00-4:30pm

For Additional Resources, please complete the form below: https://forms.gle/GCPazGtBxcpwqTkF7

Our local libraries, the Ferguson Municipal Public Library and the St. Louis County Library, are great resources for a variety of activities and supports. Check out the links below for access to resources from our local libraries, including the ability to check out WiFi Hotspots and free online tutoring.

Email: leehamiltonprincipal@fergflor.org
Website: https://www.fergflor.org/lee-hamilton-elementary
Location: 401 Powell Avenue, Ferguson, MO, USA
Phone: 314-521-6755
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeHamiltonIntermediate
Twitter: @LHEaglesSoar