Lafayette ES Family Newsletter

Dear Lafayette Team,

Congratulations to the families of all of our multilingual students- your child has completed their ACCESS testing! They certainly made us proud. If you see Mr. Goldman, Mr. Howard, and Ms. Dunleavy, give them a high five and wish them luck as they take our Boys Basketball team to the Championship at Deal MS tonight! Scrolling below, you will find photos that celebrate the continued ways our art teachers innovate and partner to showcase our students' talents.

Thank you to all of the families who participated in our recognition of Black History Month across many avenues: door-decorating, the Passport to Peace morning walkthrough, the Community Meeting, having meaningful conversations at home. It was a community celebration! It was so impactful, that a parent shared a photo of one of our doors with Senator Cory Booker who shared a heartfelt note for our students, in response. Please enjoy!

This is one example of the many benefits we have being located in our nation's capitol. At times, we also experience change in policies differently than others in our country. At Lafayette, we hope to be a safe space to support one another through challenging times. If your family is in need of supports from the school, please be reminded that we have a Kindness Closet where you can access resources like food, warm clothing, household items for free, as needed, without questions being asked. Our Mental Health Team is also available to support students in processing any changes they experience or information they may hear adults discussing and support adults in learning about resources that may be of assistance to them. For example, fedsupport.dc.gov is a dedicated website for former federal employees offering guidance on unemployment compensation, career support, and DC government job opportunities. If you ever have questions about how we can support, email lafayette.dcps@k12.dc.gov, call the main office, or stop by to ask a friendly face!

Monday- Day 2

Tuesday- Day 3

Wednesday- Day 4

Thursday- Day 5

Friday- Day 6

In partnership,

Katie Prall, Principal

Lafayette Elementary School

The Lafayette Student Council is organizing a raffle to raise money for those that have been affected by the LA wildfires! We will be donating all funds that are raised to Baby2Baby which is an organization that gives back to children and families in need.

We will be holding an online raffle from Monday, March 3 to Thursday, March 6. Any dollar donation will earn one entry to the raffle, with one entry per person. Winners will be announced Friday!There will be 5 student winners who will receive a punch card for 3 free seat days during lunch. In addition to student winners, 2 staff winners will also be selected and will receive a covered duty by Ms. Dunleavy or Mr. Lookner.

Please be on the lookout for a communication from your child's teacher to sign up for a Spring parent teacher conference. PTC day, set by the DCPS calendar, is Thursday, March 13. Families will have the choice between a virtual or in-person option.

Did you know that every child has to be re-enrolled in school every year? This process opens on Friday, March 28, 2025. You will be able to complete the process online (here) on or after March, 28! Proof of DC residency is required annually, if it is helpful to gather those documents now. Re-enrollment is important because it allows us to plan proactively and strategically, with the goal of keeping class sizes low while meeting our enrollment target.

At any time, if you know that your child will NOT be returning to Lafayette next year, that information is also useful and can be shared by filling out this form. This form does NOT withdraw a student and is not binding, but it will indicate to our team that your family will not benefit from being on our list of folks who receive regular reminders to re-enroll.

Once a month, families are invited to join us in the library from 8:00-8:30am for a coffee before school to hear a brief update on a topic of interest (no powerpoints!) before we open it up to questions and dialogue with families. We will have staff available to supervise your children. Feel free to save the dates for the remainder of the year, shared below and in the graphic!

• March 12
• April 9
• May 14
• June 11

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.

• March- Friday the 28th
• April- Friday the 11th * updated for CAPE*
• May- Friday the 30th
• June- Tuesday the 17th

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!

●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.