Dear Lake Grove Families,

This week I was invited into our third-grade classrooms to read The Empty Pot, by Demi as part of the unit of instruction where students learn to identify the theme, or author's message, in a story. The third graders impressed me with their ability to identify themes and to make connections to other stories and think of ways to apply the themes of honesty, bravery, and perseverance to their own lives. This is just one example of how we are thoughtfully using books as windows and mirrors to help students' see themselves and/or learn about other cultures while working towards the grade-level learning goals. I've linked the a read-aloud of the book below in case you want to enjoy it as a family at home.

Be well,

Principal Jennie Knapp

Lake Grove will have an optional Friendship Day celebration on February 14th that may include an afternoon classroom activity with a Valentine card exchange. Students may bring their cards to exchange on Monday, February 14th. These cards should NOT contain any edible items, but may include small trinkets/games/toys. Please remember that students should bring in enough cards for each classmate or none at all. Look for any more specific guidance and list of student names from your classroom teachers.

If your student would like to participate, but purchasing valentines presents a hardship, please contact Wendy Post at postw@loswego.k12.or.us.

This February, we look forward to investing our time and hearts on the character trait of K I N D N E S S in our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, classrooms, and school.

The definition students will be learning this month is KINDNESS: the choice to act with words, gifts, or actions to bring appreciation, positivity, and encouragement to others and yourself.

Kindness is not only a feeling, but a choice we get to make every day to bring good things into our lives and the world. Those good things can look like more than kind words: Kindness is given through our actions, encouragement, attitude, and gifts. We will spend time thinking about how to be kind to ourselves, our environment, our school, and to one another. We will get to experience meaningful words through compliments and feel the joy that comes from showing appreciation and acts of service to others.

We will also be focusing attention on cultivating our relationships with each other. Lake Grove students will be participating in a schoolwide community building activity sharing how we sprinkle kindness in our school community. Please be on the lookout for information regarding our Kindness Spirit Week, February 22-25th.

Here are links for extension activities to explore KINDNESS further as a family:

K-2 KINDNESS Family Letter (English) 3-5 KINDNESS Family Letter (English)

K-2 AMABILIDAD para Familias (En Español) 3-5 AMABILIDAD para Familias (En Español)

Thank you for contacting our district nurses with your COVID-19 related concerns. Our nurses are responding to each inquiry in the order that they are received. Due to the high volume of calls and emails they are experiencing, please expect a delayed response of up to 24 hours.

If you are emailing regarding a positive COVID-19 case or exposure, please keep your student home until you receive a response.

If your student has tested positive for COVID-19, please email the nurse for your student’s school the following information and a nurse will get back to you as soon as possible:

• Student’s First and Last Name

• School

• Date symptoms started, if any symptoms

• Date tested positive and where the test was taken

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Lake Grove School Nurse: Lisa McBee mcbeel@loswego.k12.or.us

It is that time of year when LOJ starts to work with students and parents to prepare their schedules for the next school year. Forecasting is the process where students choose their elective courses for next year. 5th grade students will be meeting with Carrie Trullinger, their counselor next year at LOJ, to forecast for their schedule. She will also be hosting a parent night, via zoom, to talk about LOJ and provide information on the forecasting process. Listed below are the dates of the parent night and when she will be coming to our school to talk with our 5th graders.

5th Grade Parent Night: February 1st 7:00-8:00 Zoom Link

Counselor meets with 5th grade students at Lake Grove: Feb. 2nd

LOJ looks forward to meeting with you and getting to know your student!

The Lake Oswego School District uses a standards-based report card for students in elementary schools. This report card measures a child’s progress toward proficiency or mastery of the priority standards in Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking, and Math.

This approach provides the means for communicating a child’s learning in more specific terms. Standards-based reporting articulates clear end-of-year grade-level standards for each subject. Using the scale below, teachers will communicate where a child resides on a learning continuum by indicating the student’s progress toward mastery of each identified grade-level standard.

The standards-based reporting scale:

4: The student works consistently at an in-depth and complex level within or beyond the end of year standard*

3: The student meets the grade-level expectation of the standard

2: The student nearly meets the end of year standard

1: The student demonstrates limited proficiency on the end of year standard

Important notes about the scale:

● Reporting is based on the end-of-year grade-level expectation. Therefore, proficiency would not be expected in the middle of the school year.

● A “2” represents the expected target for the majority of the school year as this indicates the child is progressing with the standard as expected. A “3” will be given when the student completely meets the grade-level standard.

● Details of what is expected at mastery level can be found on the report card or on the list of assessed grade-level standards.

● A “1” may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher so parents will better understand their child’s learning journey.

*It is rare that a child will receive a “4” especially at the end of the first semester. A “4” score may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher to discuss ways he/she is meeting the child’s unique learning needs.

Behavior Learning Targets are approached differently than end-of-year standards. For more information about your child’s progress, please contact the classroom teacher.

Please be aware that cell phone or smart watch use is not permitted during the school day. If your student needs to make a phone call while they are at school, they may ask their teacher to come to the office and we will be more than happy to help them. Thank you for leaving these items at home or turned off and stowed in backpacks and for refraining from texting your children during school hours. We are more than happy to deliver messages if you call the office. 503-534-2357

Our teachers use the adopted Health Curriculum, The Great Body Shop, to teach the required Oregon Health Standards to our students. THE GREAT BODY SHOP is a comprehensive health education curriculum which is sequential, developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive, and medically accurate. The lessons align with Oregon’s Health Education Standards and are embedded with social-emotional learning. Watch your classroom teacher's newsletter for upcoming topics. If you would like to review the health curriculum, please contact the school office. More information, including an opt-out form if needed, can be found on the District website.

Have you ever thought about working here at Lake Grove Elementary School? 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.

Every year, Oregon students take assessments to meet federal requirements. The purpose of these assessments is to provide data that schools can use to ensure each and every child is on track and achieving learning goals.

State law requires us to inform you that a form is available from the State Department of Education that allows you to opt your child out of the math and English Language Arts assessments for the current school year. Should you wish to opt out your child, fill out the form and submit it to the main office at your child’s school. Please note the submission deadlines listed on the form. Meeting the deadline will help the school with planning and preparation. If you wish your child not to participate in the science assessment for grades 5, 8, and 11, submit this request in writing to the principal of your child's school.

If you have questions or want more information about state assessments, please contact your child’s principal or teacher(s).

Click here for opt-out form for Math and English Language Arts.

If your child has received their COVID-19 vaccinations and you would like to update their immunization record at school, please do so using this form. While not required at this time, this will be helpful information to have in the event of an exposure in a classroom or bus and could help prevent the need to quarantine. Thank you!

Registration for the 2022-23 school year (all grade levels) will begin January 19, 2022. This is for new students who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and for returning students who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year. Registration is online through ParentVUE. Parents do not need to register students for 2022-23 who are currently attending during the 2021- 22 school year. Information about registration, including Spanish Immersion, can be found here.

Are you interested in contributing to a dynamic volunteer organization dedicated to advancing our community's commitment to educational excellence?

Please consider applying for the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation is seeking parents/guardians, students and community residents to serve on its Board of Directors. Board members must demonstrate a commitment to the Foundation, the School District and the Lake Oswego community.

The term for new board members will begin July 2022. Board members commit to a two-year term and may serve up to three terms. Please click HERE to access the online application form. The application provides more information about being a board member.

Interested people should submit applications by Friday, March 4, 2022. The Nominating committee will review applications and conduct interviews in the March time frame. If you are unable to access the application, please contact woolfw@loswego.k12.or.us to receive a pdf version of the application.

Please label your student's coats and water bottles with their first and last name so we can return them before they get to our lost and found collection. If you have lost something at school, please take a look through the slides and submit a request for pickup. Please help by labeling all items. We will do our best to return labeled items directly to the student. See all items collected here.

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.

I Love Lake Oswego Clothing Closet has received an overwhelming amount of support and donation during the pandemic. We want to give back to our community and encourage our community to lean on us not for just hard times, but for up cycling, sustainability and for our environment. In the past the closet was just for students, and since the pandemic we have opened our doors to anyone within our community.

1/27 Early Release Thursday

1/28 No school - Teacher Grading Day

2/3 Early Release Thursday

2/10 Early Release Thursday

2/11 Report cards available in ParentVue

2/14 Friendship Day at LG

2/17 Early Release Thursday

2/21 No school - Presidents' Day

HELP PLAN THE FIFTH GRADE CELEBRATION AND GRADUATION

Our fifth grade students are spending their last months as elementary school students and will soon become middle schoolers! The Lake Grove PTA organizes special recognition for fifth graders each year—whether it is a graduation ceremony or keepsake gifts to acknowledge their growth, a committee will be formed to honor this occasion. To join the committee, contact Lindsey Castrey, committee chair, at lindsey.castrey@gmail.com or 541-515-9897.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO “GIVE BACK” TO LAKE GROVE STUDENTS AND STAFF

Our PTA will soon kick off Cougar Day and its associated fundraising efforts!

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.

If you haven’t experienced a Cougar Day at Lake Grove, your kiddos are in for a treat! And if you have experienced Cougar Day in the past, then hold on tight because this year is different!

In April, Lake Grove students will participate in raising funds for their school through a “Cougar Day Jog-a-Thon,” planned for Friday, April 29. As in past years, in the weeks leading up to the event, students will ask for pledges from family, friends and our community. With each donation a student receives, they will be given a ticket to drop into a variety of jars to support the charity of their choice (similar to the “drop the bean in the jar” charity drive at New Seasons). The choice will also be given to families to simply make a donation (vs chasing pledges), and the student will still receive tickets to donate to their charity choice.

As Cougar Day approaches, we are hopeful that COVID considerations will allow parent volunteers and/or a parent cheering section at the jog-a-thon, however as with life these days, we will wait for the date to draw closer to make plans for in-person parent support.

In order to execute the jog-a-thon, there are several jobs available to help prepare and plan for this event.

We’ve broken down these jobs into easily manageable tasks that can be shared among multiple people. 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.
• Put together Cougar Day fundraising packets. This task will involve collating copies and stapling packets to get them ready to go home with our students. This could be an evening activity that even the kids could get involved in. Timeframe: late 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.
• Animal rescue (Project POOCH) https://pooch.org/
• Food insecurity (Hunger Fighters) https://www.hungerfightersoregon.org/
• Environmental (Willamette River Keepers) https://willamette-riverkeeper.org/

Fundraising questions? Contact lakegrovefundraising@gmail.com.

VISIT FILLS ON JANUARY 31 AND OUR SCHOOL RECEIVES SUPPORT

Ten percent of all sales at Fills on January 31 comes back to the Lake Grove PTA! Stop in for a breakfast sando, donut or burger for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Fills is a Lake Grove neighbor at 3955 Mercantile Drive in Mercato Grove and is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

COMING SOON: USED BOOK DRIVE

Have some books at home that your student has outgrown? Next month, volunteer Lasse Vestergaard will lead a used book drive in support of our teachers. Bring any books to Lake Grove February 14-16 and share the reading love! Teachers will “shop” for new books for their classrooms. Stockpile your donations between now and Valentine’s Day. Questions? Contact Lasse at lakegrovepta@gmail.com.

ART LITERACY RETURNS TO LAKE GROVE CLASSROOMS LATER THIS YEAR: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Art Literacy is a district-wide volunteer program that introduces students to different art principles, elements, and artistic techniques. All training, presentation materials, project information and supplies are provided by our PTA. This is a great opportunity to work with students in the classroom!

Key roles and responsibilities:

-Delivery of the Artist Overview presentation to the classroom

-Presentation and completion of the Hands-On Project in the classroom

-Mounting of artwork, creation of portfolios, and filing previous months’ artwork

Length of time required in the classroom:

-Presentation: 15 minutes

-Hands-on project: 30 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. A monthly training will be held to ensure all volunteers are prepared.

Please contact Kim MacKay at kimtamura@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering! The program will start when safety protocols allow.

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