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 

Week of September 2

Another great week is underway at LMS and we are off to a roaring start.  Cross country, football, and volleyball all have their first competition this week.  The students and coaches have been working hard and we are looking forward to seeing them in action.  Please remember that academic eligibility is checked weekly for students in activities.  We will check grades this Friday and students who are earning failing grades will not be able to compete until all of their grades are above passing.

The deadline for vaccinations is quickly approaching.  Wyoming statute requires all students to be current on their vaccinations to attend school.  The vaccination deadline is 30 calendar days after the start of school which is Friday, September 20th.  For more information regarding vaccination requirements, including information on vaccination waivers, please visit the Wyoming Department of Health.  Students who are not current on their vaccinations may be excluded from school after the 20th.

The first dance of the school year is this Friday, September 6th from 3:00-5:00.  Admission is $4 and concessions will be available.  All middle school students who are in good standing are encouraged to attend.  In order to be in good standing, a student cannot be suspended on Friday.  We are always looking for chaperones.  If you would like to chaperone, please email me or call the school at 721-4430.  If your student attends the dance, please pick them up, or make other arrangements, so they can leave the school promptly at 5:00.

All students had their pictures taken last Tuesday.  If you would still like to order pictures, you can do so by visiting mylifetouch.com and using our picture day code. (CG219392Y0)  Retakes are on  Tuesday, October 1st for those students who missed picture day or would like to get an even better picture.

Upcoming Events

• 9/6:     First dance
• 9/9:     September PTO meeting 
• 9/20:   Vaccination deadline
• 9/23:   No school-professional development
• 10/1:   Picture retakes 
• 10/23: Fall conferences 

Week of August 26

We would like to cordially invite all families to back to school night from 5:30-7:15 pm on Tuesday, August 27th. Families will follow their student's schedule and attend each class for approximately 7 minutes starting with Scouts for Scouts (S4S) and going through all 8 periods.  This will provide you with the opportunity to meet your student's teachers and discover what they will be learning. Due to space considerations, we ask that you attend without your student(s).  Your student can help you fill out this form so you know which classes to attend.  Maps will be available.

Tuesday is also picture day.  All students will have their pictures taken and receive a new student ID.  You can order your student's pictures by going to mylifetouch.com.  Our picture day ID is CG219392Y0.  Students can also get a picture packet during lunch on Monday. 

Thursday, August 29th is the last day for schedule changes.  Students can request a schedule change by filling out the form available in the main office and returning it there for administrative approval.  Schedule change requests can be made for the following reasons:

• A student does not have the prerequisites for the class (ex. in Spanish 2, hasn't taken Spanish 1)
• There is an obvious error
• You are misplaced in a class (ex. 7th grader in 8th grade science) 
• The schedule is unbalanced (ex. 2 PE classes in one semester)
• A student wants to change their choice of elective class 

It has been a great start to the year.  Thank you for sharing your student with us.  We hope to see you all at back to school night on Tuesday!

Upcoming Events

• 8/27: 1st block day
• 8/27: Picture day
• 8/27: Back to school night
• 9/2:   No school-Labor Day
• 9/6:   First dance
• 9/9:   September PTO meeting 
• 9/23: No school-professional development

Week of August 19

We couldn't be more ready for our students to return on Wednesday, August 21st!  Our theme for 2019-20 is “Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits.”   Middle school is a time of learning, exploration, growth, and development.  All of us will face challenges this year as we learn new skills, try new classes or activities, and work to become better people.  Challenge is an opportunity for growth.  We are not going to shrink from challenges, but instead embrace them, learn from them, and overcome them.

The first day of school is a half day.  Students should report to their S4S teacher at 8:00.  Students will be with their S4S teachers all day. LMS students will be dismissed at 11:23 on Wednesday and the buses will run normally.  Please have plans for your student to ride the bus home, get picked up, or walk so they are off campus promptly after school. We have a full afternoon of staff development, so there will not be anyone available to supervise students after school.  Breakfast will be served on Wednesday, but lunch will not.

The beginning of the year is a good time to review our attendance procedures.  Please have your student in school, on time, every day.  Our attendance goal for the year is 95%.  To earn 95% attendance, students need to miss 9 days or less.  This does not include absences for school activities. Anytime a student arrives after 8:05 am, they must check in at the attendance office.  If students arrive after 8:10, they will be considered absent for 1st period. If your student is gone, please call the 24-hour attendance line (721-4553) to report their absence. If you know in advance that your student will be absent, please obtain a pre-arranged form from the attendance office and provide a note.  This should be done two or more days in advance.   A pre-arranged form is only necessary if your student is going to be gone for more than one day.  If your students needs to check out, please call in advance so we can locate your student and have them ready to go.  You will need to sign your student out in the attendance office by completely filling out the check out book.  When picking up your student, please allow enough time for them to retrieve their belongings and for you to sign them out.

It's going to be a great year at LMS.  We appreciate your continued support and input.  We recognize the tremendous trust you have extended by sharing your student with us and we do not take that responsibility lightly.  It is our goal to make this the best year yet for all of our students and we are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

 Upcoming Events

• 8/21: First day of classes
• 8/27: Picture day
• 8/27: Back to school night
• 9/6: First dance

Week of May 20

It's the last Monday of the year at Laramie Middle School.  It's been an exciting roller coaster ride and we are planning to finish strong.  Thank you for your support and dedication throughout the year, it is appreciated.  Unfortunately, if you were hoping to purchase an award-winning LMS yearbook to commemorate the school year, they are sold out. 

A huge congratulation to Mrs. Simmons in the PE department.  Mrs. Simmons was the lead on a successful grant application for the Specialized Riding for Focus grant from the @thespecializedfoundation. We could not be more excited about this opportunity to get more kids on bikes and bring a cycling program to our physical education classes. LMS will be receiving 26 mountain bikes and helmets as a result of Mrs. Simmons' efforts that will be put to use beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.

The last dance of the school year is this Wednesday, May 22nd from 3-5 in the LMS gym.  Please note the time change.  This dance was originally scheduled for 6-8 but was moved by student request.  All LMS students in good standing (not suspended) are welcome to attend.  Admission is $4.  Please email me if you are interested in chaperoning. 

The LMS PTO is sponsoring the 8th grade ice cream social on Wednesday, May 29th at 2:00 pm.  All 8th grade students will be treated to a delicious bowl of ice cream with all of the toppings.  Please visit the LMS PTO Facebook page for more information or if you can help out.

The 8th grade class will be going to LHS on the afternoon of the 30th for transition activities.  Students will be boarding buses at approximately 12:30 to head to the high school.  They will eat lunch there and the LHS staff will lead students through a variety of transition programming.  Students will return to LMS prior to dismissal.  If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Kern at the high school.

Upcoming Events:

• May 22                       Last dance of the year
• May 27                       No school-Memorial Day
• May 29                       8th grade ice cream social
• May 31                       Last day for students (1/2 day) 
• June 3                         First day of summer school