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