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1/5/2025

 

Dear Laurel Park Families,

We are excited to welcome back our Tracks 1 and 3 students tomorrow! We also hope our Track 4 students and their families continue to enjoy their break. Below are friendly reminders for all students and families as we enter the 3rd quarter:

  • Refresh Extra Clothing: We ask for all students to have an extra set of clothes at school in case something happens. (We have limited clothes and undergarments in the office.) Please check to ensure the set at school is weather-appropriate and still fits. 
  • Snacks: Our sweet kids love a snack either before or after lunch. The Front Office has limited snacks for students, so please provide a snack from home if you are able. 
  • Grades 3-5 Chromebooks: Students are expected to bring their charged Chromebooks to school daily. These are not only used for classwork but for district and statewide testing that occurs throughout the school year. 
  • Conferences: Teachers will begin scheduling conferences to discuss your child’s academic progress. Each family is encouraged to meet with their child’s teacher at least twice a year—once during the 1st quarter and again during the 3rd quarter. Please sign up for a conference when invitations are sent out. 
  • Track Change Requests: The 2025-26 track change request form will be sent to families at the beginning of February. 

 

Happy New Year!

 

Respectfully, 

Charelle Lovett, Principal

 

Upcoming Events / Important Dates (Community Calendar)

  • Jan. 6: Welcome back, Tracks 1 & 3!
  • Jan. 13: Tracks 1 & 3 Quarter 2 Report Cards Go Home
  • Jan. 15: 3rd Grade Track 3 & Ms. Conrad's Class Cultural Arts Assembly
  • Jan. 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, No School
  • Jan. 21: 5th Grade Tracks 1 & 3 Cultural Arts Assembly
  • Jan. 23: 2025-26 Magnet and Year-Round Applications Due 
  • Jan. 24: Happy track out, Track 3!
  • Jan. 27: Welcome back, Track 4!
  • Jan. 28: 5th Grade Track 4 Cultural Arts Assembly

 

Follow us on Facebook!

We have jumped from X/Twitter to Facebook. Follow Laurel Park's new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/people/Laurel-Park-Elementary-School/61571019840413/

 

Upcoming Cultural Arts Programs for 3rd & 5th Grade Students

We are excited to welcome musician and teaching artist Charles Pettee to work with our third-grade classes on January 15 (Track 1) and February 5 (Tracks 3 and 4)! In the program, “Bluegrass Stomp,” students will learn about the history of bluegrass music in North Carolina. Students are encouraged to connect the sounds and styles of music with the cultures that lived in NC then and now, and to see how one culture has contributed to another. With plenty of opportunities for the students to clap along, laugh, and sing, the overall goal of both programs is to celebrate all the cultures in our community and to appreciate the ways our gifts combine to make great music for all. This workshop is a fun and engaging way to reinforce our social studies curriculum. For more information, check out https://unitedarts.org/artist-directory/bluegrass-stomp-catch-the-bluegrass-bug/

 

We are also excited to welcome ChamberSoul singer-songwriter and cellist, Shana Tucker to work with our fifth-grade classes on January 21 (Tracks 1 and 3) and January 28 (Track 4)! Ms. Tucker’s workshop, “Tapestry of Songwriting”, is designed to introduce students and teachers to the essential components of song form (verse, chorus/hook, bridge, intro, outro); the relationship between melody, harmony, lyrics; and the role of musical storyteller through the art of songwriting. Students will translate essential elements of our ELA book, The Most Beautiful Roof in the World, into a song. They will create the lyrics for and provide essential input for the development of musical components. At the end of the experience, we will share our song with families! For more information, check out https://unitedarts.org/artist-directory/tapestry-of-songwriting/

Cultural arts workshops are funded by the LPES PTA. Thank you to families who have supported the PTA through fundraising efforts to make this and other cultural arts programs possible!

 

Student Yearbook Art Contest Sponsored by Student Ambassadors

Our K-5 students are invited to submit a design related to "Kindness is Cool" for our 2024-25 yearbook. Students are to create a black/white or color design on 8x11 blank paper. All submissions are due to the Front Office by Friday, February 14. Please contact Lisa Charns (lmcharns@wcpss.net) or Jenna Miller (jcmiller@wcpss.net) with any questions. 

 

Student yearbook art contest

 

 

Save the Date: 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony Dates/Times Confirmed

We cannot believe our 5th graders will be moving up to middle school in six months. After speaking with Salem and Lufkin Middles, we set our ceremony dates for Thursday, May 29 (Track 1) and Thursday, June 26 (Tracks 3 & 4) at 11:45 AM. More information will be shared with our 5th-grade families closer to the moving up dates. 

 

 

Looking for STEAM Night Activities & Presenters

Our STEAM Night planning committee is seeking interested families, staff, and businesses to provide activities during our annual STEAM night on Thursday, February 27, 2025, from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. This fun event highlights and celebrates the areas of science, math, engineering, arts, and mathematics. If you are interested in coming out that night and sharing your knowledge and expertise, please complete the participation form https://bit.ly/lpessteam2025. 

  

Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG) Information from Ms. Atwell

  • Spring AIG nominations for 4th and 5th grade students are now open. Nominations will be considered by the school's Committee for Gifted Education for AIG testing. Families can email Stephanie Atwell, our AIG teacher, at satwell@wcpss.net with questions and to nominate their child. The next testing windows are: January 13-17 (Tracks 1 & 3) and February 3-7 (Track 4).

Important links for ALL families:

 

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. In January, we will focus on Conscientiousness -- You wish to do what is right, and you do your work well and thoroughly..

 

Friendly Reminders

  • LPES Family Handbook 
  • Please remind your child to check the lost and found area in the cafeteria. We will donate lost and found items quarterly.
  • 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
  • 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. Early check-out ends at 3:15 PM. 

 

 

Laurel Park PTA Information (laurelparkespta.com)

Submit Photos to the Penguin Passport

Our students experience new and different places during track outs throughout the year. We would love for students to share their adventures with us! Participation builds community, celebrates diversity, and inspires others! Visit https://www.laurelparkespta.com/penguin-passport.html for more information.

 

Join the PTA

Laurel Park has an active PTA that serves as our primary parent-teacher organization. Advocating for public schools and sound instruction is the PTA's priority in supporting the school with clubs, coordinating school events, beautification, playground enhancements, teacher planning days, and instructional resources. PTA members will receive a 10% discount on all spirit wear!