Dear LPES Families,
With a heavy heart, I must announce we will operate on three schedules beginning in the 2024-25 school year. Since arriving at LPE in 2021, our student enrollment has decreased by 150+ students for various reasons. As many of you know, the number of students enrolled at a school directly correlates to the number of staff. I am unable to continue to staff four tracks with the number of teachers allotted to us. To maintain balance and stability for the coming years, LPE will offer Tracks 1, 3, or 4 schedules to families. Our current Track 2 families were notified of the change earlier this week. Students were assigned to tracks for the upcoming school year while taking into account class size restrictions, number of classes per grade level, and space available to keep siblings on the same track.
We will make the 2024-25 Track Change Request form available to families at the beginning of February. Families may complete the form if they are unsatisfied with their current track assignment. There is no guarantee the request will be approved, but it does allow movement by choice to occur.
Thursday, December 21 is a full school day for our students before the winter break. The school building will be closed from December 22 - January 1. Teachers have a teacher workday on January 2 and Tracks 1, 2, and 3 students return to school on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season and new year from the Laurel Park Front Office Staff!
Respectfully,
Charelle Lovett, Principal
Upcoming Events / Important Dates (Community Calendar)
- December 21: Happy track out, Track 4!
- December 22 - January 2: Winter Break, School Closed
- January 3, 2024: Welcome back, Tracks 1, 2, & 3!
- January 5: Quarter 2 Report Cards (Tracks 1, 2, & 3)
- January 15: Martin Luther King Holiday, School Closed
- January 24: Happy track out, Track 3!
- January 25: Welcome back, Track 4!
Check Lost and Found Before Winter Break Donation!
The roller coaster weather forecast has increased the amount of coats, jackets, and sweatshirts in our lost and found cabinet. ALL items will be donated to a local charity over the winter break. Please encourage your child(ren) to check for lost items before December 21. We will have items out on tables at the front of the school this week. You are welcome to visit the school to sift through the items (please avoid arrival and dismissal).
We ask that you label articles of clothing, water bottles, and lunch boxes as much as possible. We do try to check for a name before placing items in our lost and found.
Upcoming Cultural Arts Program
Congratulations to Wake County PTA Reflection Winners and Honorable Mentions!
Wake County received over 425 entries from more than 40 separate WCPSS schools, once again showing exemplary talent, creativity, and compassion in their incredible art! Judges had the impossible task of rating and ranking these submissions. Huge congratulations to LPES participants:
- 1st Place: Stella Hunter, 4th Grade, Women **Stella will represent WCPSS at the state level!**
- Honorable Mention: Lauren P., 5th Grade, Laurel Park Elementary - Hopeful
LPE Student Email Disabled Beginning January 1, 2024
School administration decided to disable LPE student email access beginning January 1, which was enabled during virtual learning a few years ago. Most elementary schools across the district do not have email enabled for their students. Students will have access to their district-provided email once they are in middle and high school.
Counselor Assignment Change Beginning in January
Beginning in January, our counselors will shift from being assigned by track to being assigned by grade level. This change will allow our counselors slightly more flexibility with their schedule when creating groups for student-specific needs. Caren MacEntee (cmacentee@wcpss.net) will work with grades K-2 and Ashley Truskowski (atruskowski@wcpss.net) will work with grades 3-5.
Classroom Teacher or Parent AIG Nomination Window
LPE is currently accepting Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) Nominations from classroom teachers and parents. We ask you to reflect and determine if higher-level differentiation is needed for your student in Mathematics and/or Language Arts. If you are unsure, please talk with your student's classroom teacher to determine if AIG Testing may be needed to meet your child's needs. When a student is nominated, the AIG teachers will meet with current and last year's classroom teachers to interview them about your child's performance in the classroom and ask for unit assessments, enrichment opportunities, and classroom samples.
Winter/Spring AIG Nomination Windows
Tracks 1, 2, and 3: through December 15th
Track 4: through January 26th
The classroom teachers will complete a teacher AIG Observational Checklist and a Gifted Rating Scale. The AIG Teacher will also pull assessment data (e.g., mClass, CogAT, IOWA, EOG scores, and report card grades). The data is collected for the AIG candidate and presented to Laurel Park Elementary's School-Based Committee for Gifted Education. The committee will review the data and decide whether the AIG candidate should be tested for the AIG program. If a student is being considered, they will be given the CogAT and IOWA tests on the below dates:
Winter/Spring AIG Testing Windows
Tracks 1, 2, and 3: January 8th - 19th
Track 4: February 5th - 16th
If you have any questions about the AIG program or the process, please email Amy Stone at astone@wcpss.net.
THANK YOU for Donating to our Season of Giving Food Drive and Holiday Support Program
Our Student Ambassadors thank you for assisting with the Season of Giving food drive. We crushed our 500-pound goal! Overall, students donated 965.2 pounds of food!
We also want to thank everyone who donated a Food Lion, Target, or Walmart gift card to our Holiday Support Program. We were able to support many LPE and Fuller Elementary families with the items collected.
STEAM Night is Coming!
2024-2025 New Student Enrollment
Online enrollment is now open for the 2024-25 school year for all new students to Laurel Park ES. LPES student siblings are given track preference. Visit WCPSS New Student Enrollment Site for more information. (The link to enrolling for the 2024-25 school year is under Step 2.)
Middle School Updates
Visit our Middle School Updates site for information on middle schools in the area. Ashley Truskowski (atruskowski@wcpss.net) will continuously update as she receives information for the upcoming year. Please contact her if you have any questions.
Laurel Park Character Strengths
Each month, a selected character strength is highlighted in the morning announcements and discussed during your child's Classroom Huddle/morning meeting.
During December, we will focus on Gratitude -- You are thankful and show appreciation.
Friendly Reminders
- LPES Family Handbook
- Each child needs a labeled set of extra clothes to keep in their backpack or cubby. This is not just for bathroom accidents! The Front Office does not have extra clothes to give to students.
- Interested in volunteering at LPES? Register at www.wcpss.net/volunteer
- Please remind your child to check the lost and found area in the cafeteria.
- Students who arrive at school after 9:15 AM must be signed in by the parent/guardian via the QR code on the front door.
