Week of March 30

Welcome to the second week of school closure due to COVID-19.  We have been working hard preparing to serve our students and families virtually.  As you heard from Dr. Yennie yesterday, all ACSD1 schools are now closed through Friday, April 17th.  This week students should focus on completing any missing or late work from the 3rd quarter and working on the posted extension and enrichment activities.  Please review your student's progress in PowerSchool.  Teachers will be reaching out via email and are available during office hours from 1:00-3:30 today if your student has work that needs to be completed. 

As we move into the virtual learning environment, your students will be receiving content and instruction primarily through Canvas and Schoology.  The Student leadership team put out a great video last week that showed students how to access Canvas through Classlink.  Families can also sign up as an observer to monitor student's progress and activities in Canvas.  Our friends at LHS prepared these instructions and this video to assist families in signing up. 

Many people have been asking how students can retrieve materials from the school.  Band instruments were handed out last Friday and Saturday.  If your student left an orchestra instrument at the school, please contact Mr. Ryan if you have not been in contact already.  At this time, access to the building to retrieve materials from lockers is not possible.  We realize that many students have materials in their lockers that they need.  However, at this time the risks associated with building access outweigh the benefits.  In the event of a long term building closure we will develop a plan to get students' materials back to families.  If you have questions about building access, please email me. 

In addition to the enrichment and extension activities teachers have created for their classes, teachers have created other resources for students and families during the closure.  Ms. Meyers, 8th grade math teacher, created these helpful hints to stay busy when working from home.  Our school psychologist, Mrs. Grimes, had been creating videos on mindfulness. Finally, check out the video below from Mr. Townsend, 7th grade social studies teacher, on how to work out from home.

Upcoming Events

• March 30          Enrichment and extension opportunities available
• March 30          Teacher office hours begin
• April 1               ACSD1 School Board meeting 

Week of March 23

It is a very unique time in our country's history. Please know that the staff of Laramie Middle School, and all of ACSD1, remains committed to supporting students and families.  Our school is currently closed through April 6th.  In the interim, teachers are working on a variety of activities to keep students as engaged in learning as possible.

Beginning today, LMS teachers will be contacting the families of students in their Scouts for Scouts (S4S) advisory classes. You may receive a call from a restricted or unknown number as a result of this.  Many teachers are using an app called Google Voice to make calls.  The purpose of this call is to make contact with families and check in.  We miss our students and wish we were all in school.  Teachers are working to make virtual extension activities available online to students starting next week.  Students should log into Canvas and Schoology on Monday to see what activities are available.  These and other other applications can easily be accessed through Classlink which is found at the bottom of the ACSD1 web page.  Students should also check their school emails periodically.

At the present time, students should work on any missing or late assignments from the third quarter. Please have your students log into PowerSchool if they're not sure if they have any missing work.  Teachers will reach out to families regarding missing work next week as well. If you have questions for teachers, they will be holding virtual office hours starting on Monday.  LMS teachers will be actively responding to email from 1:00-3:30 on Monday and Wednesday and 8:30-12:00 on Tuesday and Thursday.  Although it can be challenging, we encourage families to maintain a structured routine at home where students get up, eat breakfast, etc. at predictable times.

Thank you for your continued support.  Interacting with students virtually is not an ideal scenario, but it is our reality for now. The district will be sending out a survey on Friday to assess families' needs in the event schools are closed after the 6th.  Please be on the lookout for this and take a few moments to complete it.

Upcoming Events

• March 23          S4S teachers begin contacting families
• March 27          District technology survey
• March 30          Enrichment and extension opportunities available
• March               Teacher office hours begin

Week of March 9

It's Spirit Week at LMS.  Students and staff are dressing up all week to show their school spirit.  The themes for each day are as follows:

• Monday: Cozy comfy day
• Tuesday: Twin day
• Wednesday: Vacation day
• Thursday: Sports team/movie day
• Friday: School spirit day 

Scout Cup points will be awarded daily to the grade with the highest participation.  Part of Spirit Week is family pizza and trivia night on Wednesday from 6:00-7:30.  Attendees will be treated to delicious pizza as they test their wits against each other in a variety of trivia games.  There is no cost to attend.  Please view the video message from the Student Leadership Team below for more information.

As you can see from the picture below the lost and found is overflowing.  We will encourage students to clam their belongings throughout the week and will clean out the lost and found over spring break.  Please ask your student to check for their missing items this week before they are gone forever. 

Many students are being checked out between 2:30 and 3:00.  While we understand this may be unavoidable at times, it is very challenging to call a large number of students to the office during 8th hour.  We ask that you do your best to allow students to stay in class until the end of the day, or if they must be checked out during 8th hour, communicate with your student in advance so they come to the office at the appropriate time on their own.  

It's going to be a fun, exciting, and productive week.  If your student is missing work, please help them take advantage of Scout Learning Lab after school this week so they can go into the break all caught up.  There is no Scout Learning Lab or late bus on Friday. Thank you for your support in continuing to make LMS a great place for students, families, and staff. 

Upcoming Events:

●        March 9-14                         Spirit week

●        March 11                             Family night

●        March 13                             No SLL or late bus

●        March 16-20                       Spring break

●        March 27                             Spring dance