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