Week of November 4

Our schedule this week is a little outside of the norm.  On Tuesday, November 5th students do not have school due to professional development.  Wednesday, November 6th is an 'even' day and Thursday, November 7th, is an 'odd' day.  Friday, November 8th, is an 'all' day.  We always have S4S on block days, so students will have S4S this Wednesday and Thursday.

The student leadership team is organizing a canned food drive the week of  November 11th-15th.  Students who wish to participate should bring nonperishable items to Mr. Miller's room during the week of the 11th. The grade that brings in the most food items will be rewarded with  pizza at lunch.

The district recently sent out a link to all families to complete the 2019 School Climate and Satisfaction Survey.  If you did not receive the link, it can be found on the front page of the District website.  Please take the time to complete the survey.  It provides us with valuable feedback at the school and District level.  This feedback allows us to identify areas of celebration and areas of growth.  Please contact Kevin at 721-4430 if you have any questions regarding the school climate and satisfaction survey.  We look forward to your feedback.

Upcoming Events

• 11/5:              No school-professional development 
• 11/11-11/15   LMS food drive 
• 11/27-29        No school- Thanksgiving
• 12/6               Winter dance
• 12/18             Family night
• 12/23             Winter break begins

Week of October 28

Halloween is approaching quickly and many students would like to show their spooky spirit by wearing a costume to school.  This is something that has been done in the past and we will continue this year.  In order to accommodate learning, costumes must meet a few conditions.

Costumes must adhere to the district dress code.  Weapons, gore, face paint, and masks are prohibited.  Students must be able to participate in classroom activities and not disrupt the learning of others.  For example, a giant inflatable T-Rex costume makes it hard to sit and for others to see.  Students may have to change for certain classes such as PE and industrial arts.  We are looking forward to a safe and festive Halloween at LMS. If your student has any specific questions regarding their costume, please direct them to one of the principals.  

Also, this week is the cut off for late and missing work from the first part of the school year.  If your student has any late or missing assignments they need to be in by the end of the week in order to receive credit. Extra help is available during Scout Learning Lab after school daily and this Saturday from 8-11.  

The weather has turned colder in typical Wyoming fashion.  If the windchill is above zero, we will allow students to go outside during lunch.  Many middle school students continue to dress for the summer during the winter.  Please encourage your student to dress for the weather.  I know they often feel that they are only walking from the bus to the school, but buses break down, schools lose power, things happen.  Shorts and sandals certainly look cool, but they are not the best in an emergency situation. 

Upcoming Events

• 11/5:            No school-professional development 
• 11/27-29      No school- Thanksgiving
• 12/23           Winter break begins

Week of October 21

Tonight, is our first family night of the year as the Student Leadership Team is hosting Family Bingo Night from 6:30-7:45 in the LMS cafeteria.  All LMS families and students are encouraged to attend.  There is no cost and prizes will be awarded.  Please join us for fun, games, and popcorn at bingo night!

Fall conferences and our first incentive day of the year are also this week. On Wednesday, students are to report to their S4S teachers first thing as we are having an incentive day.  The criteria for the incentive  are grades and tardies.  If students are earning a D or an F, they will have time to receive support to improve their academic standing.  Students who have excessive tardies will also receive support during the incentive time  to help them make it to class on time.  Students who earned the incentive will report to the gym for a movie.  Concessions will be available. At the end of the day, all students will report to the gym for a pep rally. Celebration is an important part of our school culture and we are looking forward to all of these activities on Wednesday. Students will be dismissed at 11:23 on Wednesday to give teachers time to prepare for conferences.

Fall conferences will be held on Wednesday and Thursday.   On Wednesday, conferences begin at 3:30 and go until 7:30.  Conferences on Thursday go from 8:00-7:00.  Please use this link to sign up for individual conferences with your student's teachers.  Conferences are 10 minutes in length. There is no school on Friday, October 25th. The LMS PTO is providing meals for teachers during conferences.  Please use this link or this link to sign up to help them out.

Hopefully we will see all of you at bingo night and conferences.  Please remember there is no school for students on Thursday or Friday.  There will be no Scout Learning Lab or late bus on Wednesday due to conferences and there is no Saturday Scout Learning Lab on the 26th.

Upcoming Events

• 10/21: Family night 
• 10/23: Fall conferences-students dismissed at 11:23
• 10/24: Fall conferences-no school for students 
• 10/25: No school
• 11/5:   No school-professional development 

Week of October 14

The LMS blog is back after a bit of a hiatus due to technical difficulties.  Six week grade reports were mailed out last week.  If you did not receive one, please contact the school at 721-4430 to make sure we have your correct address.  We mail home grade reports periodically to keep families informed of their students progress and to share other information.  In today's highly electronic world, it was discussed at the latest PTO meeting that  this might not be the most efficient way to share information.  Please click on this link to complete a short survey about how you would like to receive information.

Fall conferences are next Wednesday and Thursday.  Students will be dismissed at 11:23 on Wednesday, the 23rd, to give teachers time to prepare for conferences.  On Wednesday, conferences begin at 3:30 and go until 7:30.  Conferences on Thursday go from 8:00-7:00.  Please use this link to sign up for individual conferences with your student's teachers.  Conferences are 10 minutes in length. There is no school on Friday, October 25th. The LMS PTO is providing meals for teachers during conferences.  Please use this link or this link to sign up to help them out.

Certainly conferences are a great opportunity for us to share information with families, but it is also a great time for you to share information with us and to ask questions.  How does my student interact with the other students in class?  How does what my student is doing in class relate to their lives outside of school and their future studies?  What can we do at home to support our student's learning?  What soft skills can my student improve on?  Here are some things that would be helpful for you to know about my student.  These are all great talking points for a successful conference.  We hope to see you all next week.

Halloween is approaching and many students would like to know if they can wear costumes on the 31st. The short answer is yes with some conditions. Costumes may not distract or prevent learning.  For example, wearing a giant inflatable t-rex costume makes is hard to sit in a desk or for those behind you to see.  Students in PE or industrial arts need to be able to safely participate in those classes and may have to change out of their costumes.  Costumes must comply with the District dress code.  Masks, face paint, gore, and weapons (yes even light sabers) are not allowed.

Upcoming Events

• 10/21: Family night 
• 10/23: Fall conferences-students dismissed at 11:23
• 10/24: Fall conferences-no school for students 
• 10/25: No school-conferences
• 11/5: No school-professional development 

Week of September 23

We are starting off our sixth week of school already!  It's hard to believe how fast the time is going.  Students do not have classes today due to professional development.  We are learning about computational thinking and how it relates to all subject areas.  We hope to see all of our students and families at Laramie High School from 6:00-7:00 for the Ignite My Future family night.  Students of all ages and their families are encouraged to attend.

Picture retakes are on Tuesday, October 1st.  All students who wish to have their pictures retaken should bring their pictures to exchange for new ones at no additional charge.  Pictures will be arriving this week. Student who missed the original picture day will have their pictures taken on the 1st.  You can order pictures by going to mylifetouch.com.  Our picture day ID is CG219392Y0. 

Math Counts, the LMS competitive math team, begins practice on Tuesday the 24th.  Practice runs from 3:15-4:15 and all LMS students are eligible to participate.  Our team has been very successful over the last few years (State Champs!).  We encourage interested math-letes to report to the cafeteria after school on Tuesday.

If you're reading this blog, you're probably already up to speed with what's happening at LMS.  But just in class, I'd like to encourage you  to follow the LMS and LMS PTO Facebook pages.

Upcoming Events

• 9/23:   Ignite My Future family night
• 10/1:   Picture retakes 
• 10/21: Family night 
• 10/23: Fall conferences 
• 10/25: No school 

Week of September 16

There is no school for students next Monday, September 23rd due to professional development.  LMS staff will be engaged in a day of learning with Discovery Education and TATA Consultancy called Ignite My Future.  Families are invited and encouraged to attend the Ignite My Future family night from 6:00-7:30 at Laramie High School next Monday.  During these 90 minutes of hands-on family activities you will learn, innovate, and explore. There are free resources for families to encourage real-world problem solving at home, and folks will have the chance to interact with drones, robots, and other interactive experiences.  We hope everyone will have a chance to attend the Ignite My Future family night.

One of things students really enjoy about middle school are the a la carte options at lunch. Students can purchase a variety of items such as ice cream, chips, and cookies in addition to their lunch.  As you can imagine, these items are quite popular.  Students can bring in cash for a la carte or use the money in their lunch account. We encourage families to monitor their students' lunch accounts to make sure that that are comfortable with the amount of money being spent on extra items.  Students can't get a negative balance by purchasing a la carte items, but they can spend down their account faster than anticipated.  No a la carte items are included with a student's lunch. Please keep an eye on your student's account balance through Powerschool. 

Learning another language is fun and a valuable skill.  The district is offering free Spanish classes to anyone who is interested.  Please use this link to find out more information.

Upcoming Events

• 9/20:   Vaccination deadline
• 9/23:   No school-professional development
• 9/23:   Ignite My Future family night
• 10/1:   Picture retakes 
• 10/21: Family night 
• 10/23: Fall conferences 

Week of September 9

Last week was an amazing one concluding with our first dance on Friday.  It was the best attended dance in recent memory and the students did an amazing job.  Special thanks to Mr. Miller and the Student Leadership Team for organizing the dance and to all of our chaperones.  A picture of the rocking dance action is below. Please keep an eye on the LMS events calendar for upcoming dances and let me know if you'd like to chaperone.  The mountain bikes we received through the Outride grant also arrived last week.  Please see the picture of our bikes below.  Our PE teachers are excited to integrate these awesome bikes into their classes.  

At LMS our fundamental purpose is student learning.   In support of our purpose, the Scout Learning Lab (SLL) is available 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.  Please click on the link above to learn more about SLL and to see this year's dates for Saturday SLL. 

Unfortunately vaping is a problem facing our young people.  Nicotine is highly addictive and many see vaping as a safe alternative to cigarettes.  Vaping devices are intentionally designed to look like innocent materials such as flash drives and pens.  The exhaled vapor is harder to detect than traditional cigarettes and the flavored juices make vaping accessible to students.  Please talk to your student about vaping and be on the look out for devices.  It's unsafe, illegal, and dangerous.  Here is a link to some recent articles on the dangers of vaping. 

Upcoming Events

• 9/9:     September PTO meeting 
• 9/20:   Vaccination deadline
• 9/23:   No school-professional development
• 10/1:   Picture retakes 
• 10/21: Family night 
• 10/23: Fall conferences