Week of December 18

Winter break is just around the corner.  School is in session Monday and Tuesday of this week and then we are out for two weeks.  We wish you a happy holiday season with your families and friends.  are we are looking forward to our students returning on Wednesday, January 3rd rested and ready to be their best in 2018. The winter break marks the approximate halfway point of the school year.  As we move into the dark days of winter, we have to be purposeful in our efforts to maintain focus and continue to challenge ourselves to be better every day.  Thank you for all of your efforts to have your students in school and prepared to learn every day.  We know it's not easy, and we appreciate it.

If you have not had the opportunity to complete the school quality survey, please take the time to do so.  You can also access the survey through this link or on the LMS and District homepages. This data helps us identify areas we are doing well in as well as areas for improvement.  Your feedback is important to us.  Responses are anonymous and your answers will help guide our improvement as a school and a district.

There will not be Scout Learning Lab after school on Tuesday, December 19th due to winter break.  There will not be a late bus on the 19th, so all students should go home directly after school.  Scout Learning Lab will resume it's normal schedule on Wednesday, January 3rd. We ask that all students either get on the bus or are picked up promptly after school on the 19th as many staff are traveling out of town and will not be available after school to supervise students.

Happy Holidays!

Upcoming Events

• December 20-January 2        No school-winter break
• January 15                             No school-professional development
• January 19                             End of the first semester

Week of December 4th

It seems winter has finally arrived in Laramie.  Please allow extra travel time so that you can get your student to school safely.  Also, please encourage students to dress for the Wyoming weather.  Sometimes fashion and appropriate dress are at odds, but it's always possible for a bus to get stuck or some other delay to occur, and students in shorts or appropriate coats may find themselves getting quite cold.  Also, please arrange for your student to exit the school as soon as possible after school.  If you are not able to pick your student up until 3:30 or 4:00, that means they are at the school, unsupervised for 30 minutes to an hour.  If students are not staying for Scout Learning Lab or for another activity, they need to exit the building by 3:15 at the latest. If you are unable to pick your student up by that time, please make arrangements for alternative transportation, such as the bus, or for a different after school plan.

Please take the time to complete the school quality survey you received via email.  You can also access the survey through this link or on the LMS and District homepages. This data helps us identify areas we are doing well in as well as areas for improvement.  Your feedback is important to us.  Responses are anonymous and your answers will help guide our improvement as a school and a district.

There will not be Scout Learning Lab after school on Tuesday, December 5th.  We have a staff meeting so staff will not be available to assist students.  There will not be a late bus on the 5th, so all students should go home directly after school.  Scout Learning Lab will resume it's normal schedule on Wednesday, December 6th.

The winter dance is Friday, December 8th from 3-5 pm in the LMS gym.  All LMS students in good standing (not serving ISS or OSS on the 8th) are encouraged to attend.  Admission is $4 and concessions are available.  Dances are a great opportunity to celebrate and build community.  Please encourage your student to attend.  If you would like to chaperone, please contact Kevin at 721-4430.

You can nominate an LMS teacher for the Kiwanis Outstanding Teacher Award.  Nomination forms are available in the main office.  We have many outstanding teachers in the LMS community.  Please consider nominating one of them.

The December PTO meeting is Monday, December 4th at 5:30 pm in the LMS cafeteria.  Please bundle up and join us.  The PTO is very active in supporting a variety of programming at LMS.  We are always looking for new faces at our meetings.  I hope to see you at 5:30 on the 4th.

Upcoming Events

• December 4                          PTO meeting
• December 5                          No SLL-staff meeting 
• December 8                          Winter dance
• December 20-January 2        No school-winter break

Week of November 27th

It's great to have the students back in the building.  Our halls are so empty without them.  I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving break and is ready to make the push until the end of the year.  Let's finish 2017 strong and roar into 2018.

Along those lines, our attendance goal for the year is 95%.  Last year, our overall attendance was 93%.  We can do better than that, but we need your help.  Whenever possible please schedule appointments, family trips, and other commitments outside of scheduled school days/times.  To put 95% attendance into perspective, we have 175 school days.   A student can miss 9 days and still have 95%attendance.  This does not include any absences for school related reasons such as activities.  There is no replacement for first time instruction, so when a student is absent it impacts their learning.  We understand that at times absences are unavoidable, but please do everything you can to have your student in school, on time, every day.

The next dance will be from 3:00-5:00 on Friday, December 8th.  All LMS students in good standing are encouraged to attend.  Dances are held in the main gym and admission is $4.  Concessions are available during the dance.  Celebrations such as dances are a great time to build community and have fun.  Please encourage your student to attend.  If you have any questions regarding the winter dance, please contact Mr. O'Dea in the main office.

A final reminder regarding slime, play-doh, and other nuisance items, please ask your student to keep these items at home. They are distracting to the learning environment and can be quite messy.  It's all about time, place, and manner.  There's nothing wrong with these things if you are OK with having them in your home, they just don't belong in school.  If students choose to bring them to school, they will be confiscated.

Upcoming Events

• December 4                          PTO meeting 
• December 8                          Winter dance
• December 20-January 2        No school-winter break

Week of November 20th

A short instructional week lies ahead as we prepare for the Thanksgiving Break.  Travel safely as you reunite with family and friends.  I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with your students as part of a positive, rigorous, student-centered school.  My family and I love Laramie and couldn't be happier to be here. 

A big thank you to everyone that attended bingo night last week.  We had around 200 people in attendance.  A special thanks to Mr. Miller and the student leadership team for all of their hard work making bingo night happen.  They are planning another family night with an escape room theme for later in the year.  Keep an eye on the school calendar so you don't miss it!

There will be no Scout Learning Lab Tuesday, November 21st.  All students not participating in activities should go home directly after school on the 21st.  There will be no late bus. Scout Learning Lab will resume on its normal schedule on Monday, November 27th.

Slime in all of its forms has become an issue at LMS.  It's distracting, messy, and tends to leave a sticky film on tables and desks.  Slime will no longer be welcome beginning on Monday, November 27th. Any slime in the building on, or after, the 27th will be confiscated and not returned.  Slime can be fun to make and play with.  Unfortunately, the sheer volume of slime we are seeing in school has surpassed what can be tolerated and is impacting student learning and building cleanliness.  Please encourage your students to leave their slime at home.

Enjoy the break.  Stay safe and warm.  Thank you for your continued support as we work together to make Laramie Middle School the best middle school in Wyoming.

Upcoming Events

• November 20              Football banquet
• November 20              Fall sports night
• November 22-24         No school-Thanksgiving
• December 4                 PTO meeting 
• December 8                 Winter dance
• December 20-Jan 2      No school-winter break

Week of November 13

Please join us for a fun night of bingo this Wednesday, November 15th from 7:00-8:15 pm in the LMS cafeteria.  The Student Leadership Team (SLT) is hosting a series of family nights as part of our sources of strength programming to build community and provide opportunities for families and students to connect with the school.  There is no cost to attend and there will be popcorn for everybody and prizes for the winners.

There will be no Scout Learning Lab on Wednesday, November 15th.  Staff have a meeting after school on Wednesday so they are not available to assist students.  There will be no late bus on Wednesday and all students not involved in activities should go home directly after school.  SLL will resume it's normal schedule on Thursday, November 16th.

There will be a potluck banquet for all Youth, LMS and LHS football players on Monday, November 20th at 6:00 pm in high school commons area.  6th graders should bring and dessert or side dish and 7th and 8th graders should bring a main dish to share.  All students who participated in youth, middle school, or high school football and their families are encouraged to attend.  If you have any questions, please contact Coach Reed 721-4420.

Thanksgiving is coming next week and we are all looking forward to the opportunity to relax with loved ones and express gratitude for the good things in our lives.  We will not have school Wednesday, November 22nd through Friday, November 24th.  Classes will resume at on Monday, November 27th.  Please enjoy the holiday with your students, families, and friends.  We ask that if at all possible, you do not leave early for Thanksgiving vacation.  Attendance is crucial to student success and when students leave early or return late from scheduled breaks, it impacts their learning.  If you have any questions regarding your student's attendance, please contact Mr. Stender or Mrs. Anfinson in the attendance office.

Upcoming Events

• November 15              Family bingo night
• November 20              Football banquet
• November 20              Fall sports night
• November 22-24         No School-Thanksgiving
• December 4                 PTO meeting 

Week of November 6

We are into November and moving strongly forward.  We finished up the bulk of WYTOPP interim testing last week. These results will serve as a baseline data point allow us to measure student progress throughout the year.  We have a bit of a goofy schedule again this week due to tomorrow's professional development.  We have an odd schedule today, no school tomorrow, and an even schedule on Wednesday so this week will go odd, no school, even, all, all.

Student government is currently hosting an Thanksgiving Food Drive.  The food drive is set up as a grade level competition where the winning grade will earn a cookie party.  All donations are collected in room 205 before school. The food drive runs through November 10th.  All donations support the Laramie Interfatih-Good Samaritan food bank.  If you have questions about the food drive, or would like to make a donation, please contact Mr. Miller.

The next  PTO meeting is Wednesday, November 8th at 5:30 pm in the LMS cafeteria.  We will be discussing the potential purchase of a new water fountain, fundraising, and other community building efforts.  All LMS families are encouraged to attend and participate.

Upcoming Events

• November 7                No school-professional development 
• November 8                PTO meeting 
• November 15              Family bingo night
• November 22-24         No School-Thanksgiving

Week of October 30th

Thank you to everyone that attended fall conferences last week.  It was great seeing everyone and hearing about what is working well and what we can improve on.  If you were not able to meet with all of your student's teachers last week and would like to do so, please don't hesitate to contact them to schedule a time to get together.  We are always happy to meet with families and we would love to hear from you.

We are completing the fall WYTOPP interim assessment in ELA and math this week.  This is an online assessment offered by the State of Wyoming.  The fall assessment serves as a baseline for students so we can measure their growth between now and the spring assessment.   The fall assessment replaces MAP and the spring assessment replaces PAWS, so we are not taking more tests, we are just taking different tests.  In order to accommodate testing we had to modify our schedule this week.  We are following and even, odd, even, odd, all schedule this week.  This creates 90 minute blocks for testing during which most students will be able to finish their tests.  You can learn more about WYTOPP on the DOE's assessment webpage.

Halloween is tomorrow and we are excited to celebrate at LMS. Students will be allowed to wear costumes to school as long as the costumes meet certain criteria.  We must be able to identify students, so masks and excessive face paint are not permitted.  Costumes need to be free of excessive gore and simulated weapons, such as swords, are not allowed.  Costumes need to be school appropriate and not inhibit the learning of the student wearing it or those around them.  If you have any specific questions regarding costumes, please have your students contact me during their lunch or send me an email.

The PTO meeting scheduled for Wednesday, November 1st has been moved to Wednesday, November 8th.  The PTO meets at 5:30 in the LMS cafeteria. All LMS families are cordially invited to participate.  Please contact PTO President Nancy Bartholemew if you have any questions or just join us on the 8th.

Final gentle reminder, all families need to complete infosnap every school year.  If you have not done so, please take care of that immediately.  It's challenging for us to connect with families if we don't have the appropriate contact information.  Also, if your student's immunizations are not current, they will not be allowed to attend school beginning on Monday, November 6th.  Please contact Mrs. Woodhouse if you need assistance with your student's immunizations.

Upcoming Events

• October 30                  WYTOPP  interim testing begins
• November 7                No school-professional development 
• November 8                PTO meeting 
• November 15              Family bingo night
• November 22-24         No School-Thanksgiving

Week of October 23rd

The highlight of this week is certainly going to be fall conferences. All families are encouraged to attend conferences on Wednesday from 3:30-7:30 and Thursday from 8:00-7:00.  All LMS teachers will be available in their classrooms to meeting with students and their families.  You can make an appointment to visit with your student's teachers by using this link.  If you are unable to meet with your student's teachers during conferences, please contact them to schedule another time to get together.  Two-way communication is an important part of a successful school community.  Conferences are not only a time for you to discuss your student's progress with their teachers, but also a great opportunity to give us feedback on what is working well and what we can do better.

Halloween is approaching fast.  Students will be allowed to wear costumes to school on the 31st as long as the costumes meet certain criteria.  We must be able to identify students, so masks and excessive face paint are not permitted.  Costumes need to be free of excessive gore and simulated weapons, such as swords, are not allowed.  Costumes need to be school appropriate and not inhibit the learning of the student wearing it or those around them.  If you have any specific questions regarding costumes, please have your students contact me during their lunch or send me an email.

We will have different schedules the weeks of October 30th and November 6th.  Students will be taking the WYTOPP interim assessment the week of the 30th and we need 4 block days to complete this.  The schedule that week will be even, odd, even, odd, all.  We have communicated with the high school regarding this and developed accommodations for students and staff that go to the high school during the day. There is  professional development on Tuesday, November 7th.  Our schedule will be odd, no school, even, all, all the week beginning on November 6th.  I apologize in advance for any confusion these schedule changes may cause.  When necessary things such as professional development and testing occur, we have to modify our standard operating procedure in order to accommodate.

Along the lines of schedules, there are four Fridays that the elementary schools have early release and the middle school has a full day.  The first one was last Friday.  The remaining dates are January 12th, March 23rd, and May 25th.  Please mark these dates on your calendar.  I know there are many families that have students in both elementary and middle school, so this can be confusing.  We will also send out a reminder the week of January 12th.

Upcoming Events

• October 25-26             Fall conferences
• October 27                  No school-fall conferences
• October 30                  WYTOPP  interim testing begins
• November 1                PTO meeting 
• November 7                No school-professional development 

Week of October 16th

Fall conferences are approaching quickly.  Teachers will be available to meet with students on Wednesday, October 25th from 3:30-7:30 and on Thursday, October 26th from 8:00-7:00.  Please visit this website to schedule conferences with your student's teachers.  Conferences are a great time to connect with teachers and discuss your student's progress.  They are also a chance for you to provide us with feedback on your student's middle school experience.  Ideally you will meet with all of your student's teachers during conferences.  Two-way communication is a crucial component of an effective school. Please take the time to join us during fall conferences.  If you are unable to attend conferences, please contact your student's teachers to schedule another time to meet.

All students who attend public school in Wyoming are required to be vaccinated or complete the waiver process through the State.  As part of these requirements, students need to get the TDAP booster prior to the beginning of their 7th grade year.  If your student is not current on their vaccinations, please take care of this immediately.  Students must be properly vaccinated, or have the proper waiver completed, prior to Monday, November 6th or they will not be allowed to attend classes at LMS.  For more information on vaccination requirements and/or the waiver process, please visit the Wyoming Department of Health website.  You can also contact Mrs. Woodhouse, the LMS, nurse, with any questions regarding vaccination requirements.

In addition to being up to date on vaccinations, all families need to complete infosnap once per school year to ensure that your contact information is up to date.  School Messenger, Schoology, and other applications, pull student information directly from PowerSchool.  It is crucial that we have updated contact and other demographic information on file so that we can communicate effectively with families regarding their students' educational progress and in the unlikely event of an emergency, we can get in touch with a student's families.  If you have not updated infosnap this year, please do so.  You can come into the LMS office to do this or you can do it online.

Upcoming Events

• October 17                  LMS intermediate orchestra concert (LHS auditorium)
• October 25-26             Fall conferences
• October 27                  No school-fall conferences
• October 30                  WYTOPP  interim testing begins
• November 1                PTO meeting 

Week of October 9th

It's a chilly start to another great week at Laramie Middle School.  As winter weather becomes more of a constant companion, please allow for more travel time in the mornings so you can arrive to school safely and encourage your students to dress appropriately for the weather. 

Conferences are coming up on October 25th and 26th.  We cordially invite all LMS families and students to attend.  Conferences run from 3:30-7:30 on the 25th and 8:00-7:00 on the 26th.  There is no school on Thursday the 26th or Friday the 27th.  Please go to this link to schedule appointments with your student's teachers.  Ideally you would visit with all of your student's teachers.  Counseling and administrative staff will be available as well.  If you are unable to connect with your student's teachers during conferences, please put your name and contact information on the sheet outside their classrooms and they will get in touch with you to schedule another time to get together.

Congratulations to the 8th graders on winning the September tardy contest.  Each month the grade with the lowest percentage of students with a one or more tardies receives a prize.  The 8th grade was victorious with 16% followed by 6th grade with 22.6% and 7th grade with 23%.  Students are working hard to win the October contest.  Thank you for having your student in school every day and encouraging them to be on time. 

Halloween is approaching and based on what is out in the stores, it must be tomorrow.  If students would like to wear a costume on the 31^st they are welcome to do so with a few conditions.  All costumes must be school appropriate and not interfere with learning.  Excessive gore, faux weapons, and costumes that violate the dress code are not allowed.  We need to be able to identify students, so masks and excessive face paint are also prohibited. Finally, students need to be able to participate in their regular learning activities, so any costumes that inhibit movement, obstruct views, and impact learning in any way, should be saved for Tuesday night.  

Upcoming Events:
●        October 9                            Girls' basketball and wrestling practice begins
●        October 10                          Choir concert in the LMS cafeteria
●        October 25-26                     Fall conferences
●        October 27                          No school-fall conferences
●        November 1                        PTO Meeting

Week of October 2nd

Picture retakes are Tuesday, October 3rd.  All students who missed picture day, will have their picture taken on Monday.  If your student had their picture taken, and would like to have a retake, they need to bring their complete picture packet with them on Tuesday.  Pictures can be ordered online at www.mylifetouch.com.  Our picture day ID is CG217395Y1.

Students interested in wrestling or girls' basketball should attend an informational meeting with their family on Monday, October 2nd at 5:30 pm in the LMS cafeteria.  Wrestling is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.  Girls' basketball is open to 7th and 8th grade students.  All students must have an athletic physical, infosnap, and code of conduct form on file in order to practice or compete.  This only needs to be done once per school year, so if your student participated in volleyball, football, or cross country, they do not need another physical to wrestle or play basketball.  Practice for both activities begins Monday, October 9th.

The STEM club will have it's first meeting of the year on Thursday, October 5th from 7:15 am to 7:45 am in Mr. Miller's room. Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades can join the STEM club.  They will meet once per week and will work on robotics and game programming.   If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Burkhart or Mr. Miller.

As a staff, we are focusing on incorporating high leverage practices into our daily instruction.  These  practices are recognized by educational researchers as improving student achievement through more effective instruction.  We have great teachers at LMS and we are always striving to improve our practice in support of student learning.  A few examples of the high leverage practices are: greeting students positively, tasks that require and foster collaborative work, modeling thinking aloud, providing oral and written feedback to students, and using questions that provoke and allow students to share their thinking.   Your student may have mentioned they've seen an administrator in many of their classes this year.  We are conducting frequent classroom walk-throughs to support teachers in using the high leverage practices.  We are committed to excellence at LMS and this work supports our quest for continuous improvement.

Upcoming Events:

●        October 2                            Girls's basketball and wrestling informational meeting

●        October 3                            Picture retakes

●        October 5                            PTO meeting

●        October 9                            Girls' basketball and wrestling practice begins

●        October 25-26                     Fall conferences

●        October 27                          No school-fall conferences 

Week of September 25th

It's Spirit Week at LMS in support of homecoming.  We are having a serious of dress-up days to boost school spirit and to support our teams.  The schedule for Spirit Week is as follows:

• Monday: No School-Professional Development
• Tuesday: Class Color Day
• 6th Grade-Yellow
• 7th Grade-Red
• 8th Grade-Blue
• Wednesday: Black Out for the LMS football team
• Thursday: White Out for the LMS volleyball team, Hat Day for a $1 donation
• Friday: Plainsmen Pride 

Celebration is an important part of our school culture and Spirit Week provides an opportunity to have fun and build community.  It's going to be a great week of learning and celebrating our pride in our school.  

During professional development on Monday, we discussed grading norms.  Grades are an important tool for communicating learning progress.  In order to communicate learning effectively, grading practices needs to be consistent across classrooms, grades, and subject areas.  Currently, all staff are weighting grades in the following way: 70% of the grade is based on activities that assess a student's mastery of standard, 20% of a student's grade is based on a student's progression toward mastery of standards, and 10% of a student's grade is based on practice, exposure, and engagement of standards.

In layman's terms that means 70% of a students grade is based on assessments, 20% on classroom activities, and 10% on homework.  That's an oversimplification, but provides the basic idea. Some teacher are weighting using total points others are using the settings in Powerschool.  The outcome is the same with both methodologies.  The reason for weighting is to make grades more reflective of what students know, understand, and can do.  Just like we don't judge the success of our favorite sports teams on how well they practice, we don't want to base too much of a students grade on practice and activities leading up to the game, or final demonstration of learning. 

Upcoming Events:

• September 25 No school-professional development
• October 2 Girls' basketball and wrestling informational meeting
• October 3 Picture retakes
• October 5 PTO meeting
• October 25-26 Fall conferences
• October 27 No school-fall conferences

Week of September 18

At LMS our fundamental purpose is student learning.   In support of our purpose, the Scout Learning Lab (SLL) has been developed to provide the time and support for students to complete work deficiencies and to gain understanding of the necessary concepts required for mastery of content.   

A deficiency might include, but is not limited to, incomplete or failed assignments, projects, or any assigned task important to the learning process.  SLL will be available before school, after school, during lunch, and on designated Saturday mornings.  We are committed to partnering with parents and students to ensure academic excellence.  If you have any questions or would like to request a time to meet about your child’s progress, please contact 307-721-4430.  The levels of support included in the SLL structure are outlined below.   

Optional Scout Learning Lab: before school 7:30-8:00 a.m. M-F in the teacher’s classroom and after school Monday-Friday from 3:00-3:30 in teachers’ classrooms.  Students may also choose to attend Saturday sessions. 

Required SLL: 

Based on habitual deficiencies and/or failure to effectively utilize optional SLL, students will be assigned to following: 

Lunch SLL: Teachers may assign lunch SLL to address learning deficiencies. Students are to retrieve their lunch and report to the appropriate classroom.  Students should go to the front of the lunch line.  If students complete their missing work satisfactorily prior to the end of their lunch period, they will be dismissed.    

After school SLL: from 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday in the assigning teacher’s classroom.  Students will be assigned to after school SLL, based on habitual deficiencies.  Late buses are available and depart the school at approximately 4:00.  Students riding the late bus will continue to work in the cafeteria from 3:30-4:00. 

Saturday SLL: from 8:00-11:00 on select Saturdays.  Extended opportunity for students who have habitual deficiencies that have not been corrected during other times.  Students will be assigned by classroom teachers, in consultation with administrative team, to Saturday SLL.   

• For students who have continued deficiencies even after extensive use of SLL.  

• If students complete the outstanding deficiencies prior to the scheduled Saturday SLL, they will not be required to attend.  When students complete their deficiencies, they will be excused with parental consent. 

Note:  If students willfully refuse to engage in SLL in a meaningful way, we will respond with a required meeting involving the student, parent(s), teaching team, guidance, and administration to develop a plan.

We have also tweaked the procedures for students who wish to purchase a la carte items during lunch. Students will positive lunch balances will be able to use those funds to purchase a la carte items. Students with negative balances will not be able to charge a la carte items, but will be able to purchase a la carte with cash.  No student will be denied a lunch based on the status of their lunch account. 

Upcoming Events

• September 25       No School-Professional Development
• October 3              Picture Retakes
• October 5              PTO Meeting
• October 25-26       Fall Conferences 

Week of September 11

I'd like to begin this week's blog post by recognizing our students for their exemplary behavior at the dance on Friday.  We had approximately 400 students attend the dance and they were awesome.   Our students are truly a credit to themselves, their families, and their school.

Many LMS students choose to bring a device (BYOD: Bring Your Own Device) to school to access Schoology and other education related applications.  Others would like to, but are unsure of what specifications, requirements, or capabilities a device should have to be effective in our learning environment.  The technology department has put together these guidelines to assist students and families in choosing a device to meet their needs.  Students and families also need to be aware of the responsible use guidelines. Please remember, students are not required to have a personal device at Laramie Middle School.  If students do not bring a personal device, one will be provided for those learning activities that require one.  Here are the basic recommendations for personal devices:
     • A display of 10” or larger
     • System RAM of 2GB or more (for Mac, Windows, Chrome Book or Android devices)
     • System storage of 16GB or more (for Mac, Tablet or Windows devices)
     • Wireless connectivity supporting the 802.11n or 802.11ac standards
     • Directly connected keyboard (Wireless keyboards can be problematic in group settings)
     • Device operating system of Windows 10, Chrome OS, Android, or Mac OSX

The Laramie Middle School PTO is currently seeking new members and additional support.  Please review this information from PTO President, Nancy Bartholomew:

Are you looking for a way to support your school, teachers, and students? Do you want to wear our school colors at your child’s sporting events? PTO is selling school apparel so you can do just that. It is a great way to help support our PTO. The money we raise goes into programs and activities throughout the school year that support our school, teachers, and students.

We would love to have you join us at our next meeting on October 5, 2017, at 5:30 p.m. in the LMS Cafeteria. We will be discussing the meals we will provide the teachers at our next meeting and a link to the sign up sheet will be available in next month’s newsletter. If you would like to help provide food for our Parent Teacher Conferences on October 25 and 26, please let us know. Follow our activities on Facebook at LMS PTO (fb.me/laramiemiddleschoolpto). For more information please email Nancy Bartholomew at bartholomewnancy2@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events

• September 25        No School-Professional Development
• October 3              Picture Retakes
• October 5              PTO Meeting

Week of September 4th

The State of Wyoming has released school performance reports for all Wyoming schools.  School performance rating are based on our PAWS scores from last Spring.  There are four performance levels: exceeding expectations, meeting expectations, partially meeting expectations, and not meeting expectations.  Overall, Laramie Middle School earned a ranking of meeting expectations.  This rating is based on our performance on four indicators: growth, equity, achievement, and participation rate. Growth is the amount students improve on PAWS year to year, equity is the amount of growth for traditionally lower performing groups of students, achievement is percent of students earning PAWS scores of proficient or advanced in reading, math, and science, and the required participation rate is 95% or above.

LMS meet the targets or expectations in growth, achievement, and participation.  We earned a ranking of below targets in equity.  This means that LMS students who are members of traditionally lower performing groups did not do as well as their peers across the state.  We are going to examine this data in more detail to determine how we can not only support these students, but all LMS students, more effectively.

At LMS, students are allowed to carry water bottles throughout the day in most classes.  Some individual classes may have restrictions regarding water bottles due to safety or logistical concerns (for example PE or industrial arts).  Students are not to carry drinks other than water throughout the day.  Students may bring something other than water to enjoy before school or during lunch, however that drink must not leave the tiled area of the school and must not go into any classrooms.  Also, students are strongly discouraged from bringing energy drinks of any kind to school Research has shown these types of drinks are especially unhealthy for young people and we discourage any students from bringing them to school.

The first dance of the school year is this Friday after school until 5:00 pm. All LMS students in good standing are encouraged to attended.  Dances are a great time to connect with classmates and have fun.  Admission is $4 and can be paid at the door.

Upcoming Events

• September 6          PTO Meeting
• September 8          Back to School Dance
• September 25        No School-Professional Development

Week of August 28

The energy in the building is palpable as we kick off the first full week of the 2017-18 school year. Our students and staff are ready to dig in and set the stage for a very successful semester and school year.  Thank you for your support in making the start of the year fantastic and we appreciate your continued support throughout the year by maintaining open communication, offering input, and having your student in school, one time, every day, ready to learn.

One of the things we accomplished during our recent professional development was creating a definition for our ideal school community.  As we cultivate and maintain a culture of respect and excellence at LMS, it's important the we are all on the same page when it comes to the school community we desire.  Staff members collaborated to develop a definition for our ideal school community.  The words in the picture below make up that definition.  The larger the word, the more times it showed up during the activity.  We will use this image as a visual clue to act in a way that supports a student-centered community with high expectations for all.

All LMS families are cordially invited to back to school night on Tuesday, August 29th from 5:30-7:00 pm.  At this time, you will be able to rotate through your student's schedule and learn about each of their classes and meet their teachers.  Due to space limitations in our classrooms, we ask that students do not attend.  Here is the schedule for Back to School night.

Tuesday, August 29th is also picture day at LMS.  Students were given packets in their planners when they picked up their schedules.  You can also order pictures online.   The picture day ID for ordering online is CG217395Y0. All students will have their pictures taken on Tuesday.

There have been some updates to the Food Service Meal Charge Policy.  Please review the information below and contact the school if you have any questions.

1. When a student’s balance reaches $0.00, no ala carte charges will be allowed, only regular breakfasts or lunches can be charged beyond $0.00.
2. If a child is properly on free or reduced status but has a negative balance they will continue to be served regular meals as normal. Letters from the food service office will continue to be sent in an attempt to collect the deficit balance.
3. Full Pay deficit accounts over $100 will be subject to being sent to collections. The collection process will start with a certified letter from the business manager to the parents indicating that they must set up a payment plan with the food service office within two weeks of the letter or their accounts will be sent to the collections agency.
4. If no payment plan is set up or if the parents fail to follow the payment plan, their account information will be sent to the collection agency for that organization to collect the balance.

Upcoming Events:

●        August 29                          Picture Day

●        August 29                          Back to School Night

●        September 4                      No school-Labor Day

●        September 8                      Back to school dance

                

Week of August 21

The time has finally come for students to return to Laramie Middle School.  This is one of the most exciting times of the year as students and staff reconnect and we dive into another school year.  We are looking forward to building on our past successes and finding ways to be an even more effective school in the coming year. Students have a half day on Thursday.  They will be dismissed at 11:30. Students will attend all of their classes for a shortened period on Thursday.  On Friday all students should report to their first period classes and will then rotate through a series of PBIS (positive behavioral intervention and support) lessons where they learn and review the expectations for all  areas of our school in support of building and maintaining a culture of respect and excellence at LMS.  It will be a fun day that will set students up for success for the rest of the year by giving them explicit expectations and support. 

Activities are in full swing as well.  Volleyball, cross country, and football have been practicing for over a week now and will have their first competitions soon.  If your student would like to participate in one of these activities, they can still join.  All students must have an athletic physical on file and a signed code of conduct in order to practice or compete.  Activities are an important part of the school community and I hope all students will participate in at least one each year.  More information related to activities can be found on our website. 

Picture day is Tuesday, August 29th.  All students received a picture packet in their planner when they picked up their schedules either during orientation or in the main office.  If your student has not picked up their schedule, please come by the main office between 8:00-3:00 before Thursday.   Pictures can also be ordered online at mylifetouch.com.  Our picture day ID is CG217395Y0.  

Back to school night is Tuesday, August 29th from 5:30-7:00.  All LMS  families are strongly encouraged to attend. Limited classroom size does not permit student attendance. During back to school night you will visit each of your student's classes following her/his schedule.  The periods will be 7 minutes in length with a 5 minute passing period. Each teacher will provide you with a brief overview of their course and will have time to answer a few questions.  We hope you will all join us on the 29th.

Upcoming Events

• August 24          First day of school
• August 29          Picture day
• August 29          Back to school night 
• September 4      No school-Labor Day
• September 8      First dance of the year 
• September 25    No school-professional development 

Week of August 14th

We have completed sixth grade orientation and the new student lunch for 7th and 8th graders new to LMS.  We had a great turnout and the Web Crew did a fantastic job.  Thank you to all the students and families who attended. A special shout out to Mr. Miller, Mrs. Theis, and Ms. Wood for leading the charge.  Mr. Stender and Mrs. Anfinson did a great job of leading the presentation for incoming students and families.  They really kept the crowd going as they shared a lot of useful information for the coming year.  All returning 7th and 8th graders can now pick up their schedules in the LMS main office.   If you have any questions or concerns related to the coming school year, please contact the office at 721-4430.

The LMS staff has been working hard preparing for the coming school year and laying out our scope of work as a professional learning community.  During 2017-18, we will continue to develop and refine our curricula, create and utilize common formative assessments, explore and utilize high leverage instructional practices, and develop and implement common grade norms.  That's a broad scope of work with a a lot of educational jargon, but what it really means is that as a school we are always looking for ways to serve students better.  We are thoughtful in our instructional design and delivery, we look at student data to determine what we can do better and how we can help students learn more effectively, and we truly believe that student learning is not optional.  We will do whatever it takes to help students be successful.  It's going to be an exciting ride and we ask for your input and support at every step of the way.

Students have a half day on the first day of classes next Thursday, August 24th.  They will be dismissed at 11:30.  Students will attend all of their classes for a shortened period on the first day.  On Friday, August 25th, all students should report to their first period classes and will then rotate through a series of PBIS (positive behavioral intervention and support) lessons where they learn and review the expectations for all  areas of our school and what is expected of them to build and maintain a culture of respect and excellence at LMS.  It will be a fun day that will set students up for success for the rest of the year by giving them explicit expectations and support.

Back to school night is Tuesday, August 29th from 5:30-7:00.  All LMS  families are strongly encouraged to attend. Limited classroom size does not permit student attendance. During back to school night you will visit each of your student's classes following her/his schedule.  The periods will be 7 minutes in length with a 5 minute passing period. Each teacher will provide you with a brief overview of their course and will have time to answer a few questions.  We hope you will all join us on the 29th.

Upcoming Events

• August 24         First day of school
• August 29         Picture day
• August 29         Back to school night 
• September 4      No school-Labor Day
• September 8      First dance of the year 
• September 25    No school-professional development 

Back to School 2017

The 2017-18 school year is finally here and we are excited to get started at Laramie Middle School. My name is Kevin O’Dea and I’m the new LMS principal.  I came to Laramie from Rawlins where I served as the middle school principal.  I have also worked as a middle school assistant principal and activities director, middle school and high school teacher, and in the non-profit and retail sectors.  My wife Kerry and I both attended the University of Wyoming and we have one son who will be in the first grade.  We couldn’t be more excited to be back in Laramie. 

Our theme for the school year is If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.  LMS is a great school by any measure, but we are never satisfied.  We will embrace new challenges as opportunities to become better.  We want to be better teachers, principals, coaches, and paraprofessionals than we were a year ago.   We want to develop better lessons and supports to improve student learning.

The students of LMS will be embracing this challenge as well.  Middle school is a time of tremendous physical, emotional, and intellectual development.  We desire that all LMS students will embrace the challenge to become better students, friends, athletes, artists, musicians, sons, and daughters and to embrace the struggle required to improve because if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.

As we continue the transition from Laramie Junior High School to Laramie Middle School, we will be examining how to best support middle school learners on their educational journey as they prepare for high school and beyond.  Families are an integral part of this process and our school community.  I ask that you engaged in open, two-way communication with the school as a whole and your student’s teachers and coaches.  Your input is needed to support our continued growth. 

Let’s work together to make the 2017-18 school year the best yet at LMS!

Upcoming Events

• August 14: Football, Cross Country, and Volleyball practice begin
• August 16: 6th grade orientation
• August 24: First day of school (early release) 
• August 29: Picture day
• August 29: Back to school night
• September 4: No School-Labor Day