Week of February 7

Randomly selected 8th grade students will be taking the NAEP test on Friday.  NAEP  stands for National Assessment of Educational Progress and is often referred to as the nation's report card.  NAEP is mandated by Congress and students in all 50 states participate.   The results are anonymous and students' grades are not affected. Selected students will either take a test in the morning or afternoon on Friday.  To learn more about NAEP, please visit this website. 

There is a registration night for swimming and track on Wednesday at 6:00 pm in the LMS cafeteria. Students interested in track or swimming and their families should attend.  Students in 7th and 8th grades can participate in track and students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades can participate in swimming.  Students must have a current athletic physical and signed code of conduct on file to practice or compete. Students planning to participate in swimming or track and their families should attend registration night. 

Staff from Laramie High School will meet with LMS 8th grade students during S4S on February 15th and 16th to discuss registration for next year.  LHS is hosting an informational meeting for all rising freshman and their families in the LHS theater on Tuesday, February 22nd at 6:00 pm.  There will be a presentation about the transition to high school and the opportunities to engage with faculty and explore the building.  Rising freshmen and their families should review the freshman registration card.  If you have questions, please contact Kimberly Dale at 721-4420 or kdale@acsd1.org. 

The LMS Student Leadership Team is planning an incentive day for Friday, February 18th.  All schools have an early release that day.  For the incentive day, students will report to S4S.  Students earning C's or higher in all of their classes will participate in enrichment in the morning and students that need help will work on missing assignments.  All students will end the day at a pep rally before being released at 11:23 for the long weekend.

Upcoming Events 

• February 9                Swimming and track registration night 
• February 13              NAEP testing
• February 18              Incentive day 
• February 18              Early release for students and staff
• February 21              No school 
• February 22              Rising freshmen informational night at LHS 

Week of January 31

It's already February and the love of learning is in the air as our students are working diligently to start the semester on the right foot.  As we dig into the semester, please monitor your student's progress.  It's better for learning and easier to stay current on grades and assignments as opposed to trying to dig out of a hole later in the semester.  Teachers are available after school in Scout Learning Lab to help students who are behind and we have a late bus every day of the week.  

We are excited to recognize students who earned a place on the honor roll this Thursday from 7:00-7:45 in our gym.  Our student leadership team has planned a fun evening with prizes and celebration.  Students who earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher will be recognized.  Students' GPAs are on their report cards which were mailed out last week.  Please watch the video below for more information on honor roll recognition night this Thursday. 

Scout Studio is an after school opportunity for students to practice their art skills and express their creatively.  It is held Monday-Thursday from 3:05-4:00 in Mr. Reitzel's room.  Interested students should stop by and see Mr. Reitzel for more information and to sign up. 

Upcoming Events 

• February 3                Prevention needs assessment 
• February 3                Honor roll family night
• February 9                Swimming and track registration night 
• February 13              NAEP testing
• February 18              Early release for students and staff
• February 21              No school 

Week of January 24

As many of you may have noticed, some nefarious characters appear to have hacked our email system and are trying to get you to buy them Apple gift cards.  While our wonderful attendance administrative assistant, Mrs. Woelk, probably has a niece and her niece would most certainly enjoy Apple gift cards (I mean who wouldn't?), I promise you that we will never ask you to buy anything for us.  I apologize for the inconvenience and spam in your inboxes.  Our technology department is aware of the situation and is taking steps to make sure our system is safe and secure. 

Our sixth and 8th grade students have the opportunity to complete the Wyoming Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA) on February 3rd. Since the 2001-2002 school year, the PNA has tracked critical indicators of health and well-being of students in Wyoming. Conducted every other year in nearly all the middle and high schools in the state, the PNA gathers information about substance use and abuse, attitudes on risky behaviors, and other beliefs of Wyoming's young people.  Students were provided with information to take home to their families.  If you would like to learn more about the PNA, please visit https://www.pnasurvey.org. You can also view a copy of the survey in the LMS main office. If you do not want your student to complete the PNA, please have them return the form they were provided with to their English teacher or to the LMS main office. 

Selected 8th graders will be taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on February 11th. NAEP is the largest nationally representative assessment of what students know and can do. It is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education.  NAEP is different from WYTOPP because it is a common measure of achievement across the country.  The results are released as the Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.  Our school was randomly selected to participate and the participating students were also randomly selected.  Participating students will either take a test in the morning or afternoon on the 11th.  No student or school level results are provided.  The scores of all of the tested students in Wyoming are lumped together for comparison with other states and the national average.  Please read this letter for more information regarding NAEP. 

The first semester ended last Friday.  Teachers will finalize their grades Monday and report cards will be mailed out towards the end of the week. Our student leadership team is planning a family night to recognize students who made the honor roll on February 3rd. More information will be coming soon regarding this event.  Thank you for supporting your student and our school during the first half of this school year.  Everyone else in our school is working very hard to be their best and their efforts are paying off.  It's been a great start to the school year and we are excited to make the second half even better. Make it a great week.

Upcoming Events 

• February 3                Prevention needs assessment 
• February 3                Honor roll family night
• February 13              NAEP testing
• February 18              Early release for students and staff
• February 21              No school 

Week of January 17

I can hardly believe it, but the first semester ends this Friday, January 21st.  Friday is a full day of school at LMS and we will dismiss at our normal time, 3:05. Students have until the end of the school day on Friday to turn in missing work.  Teachers are available to provide assistance in Scout Learning Lab after school each day this week. Please talk to your student about their grades and work with them to make up any missing assignments. Report cards will be mailed out next week.

Students will receive their second semester schedules in Scouts for Scouts (S4S) on Tuesday.  If necessary, students can request a schedule change using the schedule change form located on our website and on posters around the school. Please know that we will do our best to grant schedule changes, but we may not be able to accommodate all requests. 

Last week our students participated in a kindness challenge. Each S4S class decided what they would like to do to spread kindness in our school community.  Some classes wrote encouraging notes, some hung up posters, while others did something else.  It was a really fun way to show support for each other. Please use this link to see some of the ways our students have been spreading kindness in our school. 

Thank you for helping to make the first semester a successful one.  There have been many challenges and we will face more obstacles before the end of the year, but our students are doing a great job because of your support, their hard work, and the efforts of our teachers and staff. It takes teamwork for our students to be successful and we are succeeding. Thank you for your continued support and feedback. 

Upcoming Events 

• January 17                No school-professional development
• January 21                End of the 1st semester  
• February 3                Prevention needs assessment
• February 13              NAEP testing
• February 18              Early release
• February 21              No School 

Week of January 3

Welcome back and welcome to 2022!  It's going to be another great year at LMS. We are so excited to have our students back and looking forward to a successful "second" half of the year.  Our semester actually ends on January 21st so students will follow their first semester schedules for another 3 weeks.  Students who are struggling have time to get caught up and teachers are available after school every day for Scout Learning Lab.  

Masks and face coverings are no longer required in our building.  Students are strongly recommended to wear masks while indoors.  The CDC recently released some updated guidelines for quarantines after exposure.  School nurses are meeting this week to determine what that means for our district and information will be shared soon.  Our district previously shared information related to masks and vaccines.  This and more COVID information can be found on our district webpage. 

Our CKH focus word of the month is respect.  Respect is not only an important character trait, but it can also be a source of real joy.  Respect implies a certain appreciation, which makes us more aware of other people’s needs and feelings. Respect comes in many forms: respect for life, for property, for parents, for elders, for nature, and for the beliefs and rights of others. Respect includes being courteous and polite, as well as avoiding self-criticism. Please read more about respect, including activities you can do as a family, in this month's CKH newsletter. 

We are thankful for the opportunity to work with you and your student in the new year.  We appreciate your continued support and feedback. Make it a great week. Stay warm and make the most out of the 2022!

Upcoming Events 

• January 3                  School resumes
• January 3                  Boys basketball begins
• January 17                No school-professional development
• January 21                End of the 1st semester  

Week of December 13

It's hard to believe that 2021 is winding down and we are finishing the year with a bang! Our student leadership team has planned a series of dress up days for Holiday Spirit Week.  Each day has a theme and we hope everyone will show their Scout and Holiday Spirit by participating. 

Winter break begins on Monday, December 20th.  Classes resume on Monday, January 3rd. The LMS office will be closed during winter break.  We hope you are able to relax and connect as a family over during this time.  We've been working incredibly hard this school year and it's nice to take the time to breathe and reflect as we prepare for the big push to the end of the first semester on January 21st.  We encourage families to take the winter break challenge.  This activity comes from Capturing Kids' Hearts and has some fun ways to show appreciation for each other and build community.  

Winter activities are getting underway.  Nordic skiing starts on Monday and boys basketball will officially start on January 3rd.  All students must have a completed physical and signed code of conduct on file in order to practice or compete.  Participating in co-curricular activities builds essential skills and community.  If your student is even remotely interested in basketball or nordic skiing, please encourage them to give it a try.  They might just find their passion.  Also, please think snow!

It's going to be another great week at LMS.  Help us make the days count by getting your student to school each day on time.  I know it's tempting to add a day or two onto a break, but student attendance is crucial to their success. Thank you for your continued support and feedback.  We are honored that you share you student with us. 

Upcoming Events 

• December 20            Winter break begins
• January 3                  School resumes
• January 17                No school-professional development
• January 21                End of the 1st semester  

Week of December 6

Our Capturing Kids' Hearts focus word for December is responsibility.  Responsibility is the willingness and ability to take ownership of our thoughts, words, and actions. We have a responsibility to our school, family, and community to be accountable for our choices and how they impact ourselves and others.  There are many reasons to focus on responsibility.  Responsibility teaches resilience. It is not possible to persevere and achieve our dreams without taking personal responsibility seriously. Responsibility empowers us to own our actions. There is great power in being able to make conscious, calculated choices to reach goals and manage those things in our control. Responsibility teaches us to manage our time and resources. Responsibly organizing and prioritizing needs is an executive function of the brain that improves with practice.  Read more about responsibility and some fun family activities in the December CKH newsletter. 

Twelve week progress reports were mailed out last week.  Please review them with your student and identify areas of celebration and areas of need.  The first semester ends on January 21.  That may seem like a long ways away, but with winter break, the holidays, and other activities, the semester will end before we know it.  Teachers are available to help students after school in Scout Learning Lab every day (except this Wednesday due to a staff meeting) and a late bus is available.  Please reach out to your student's teachers to develop a plan for success if your student is struggling.

It's never too early to order your yearbook.  Our award winning yearbook sells out every year.  Don't miss your chance to own a piece of history.  Pre-order your yearbook by going to yearbookforever.com to reserve your copy today. 

We have two weeks before winter break.  By working together, we can make each day count instead of counting the days.  Thank you for sharing your student with us and your continued support and feedback.  Make it a great week!

Upcoming Events

• December 8              No Scout Learning Lab 
• December 20            Winter break begins
• January 3                  School resumes
• January 17                No school-professional development
• January 21                End of the 1st semester