Events of the Past Week

News of the earthquake in Haiti last week made me pause and consider once again how blessed we all are. The PA has posted information on SchoolHub about how families can donate and support the Haitian people. Money is what is most needed right now - please check-out the website to learn about the various organizations that are accepting donations. Natural disasters of this magnitude have an impact on all of us. The Department of Education has provided a number of materials that parents can use in helping their children cope with these events. I will have these resources posted on SchoolHub. We also have a wonderful guidance department on-site to provide ongoing support.


School Related News...
Every Wednesday at lunchtime room 424 becomes a lesson in civic engagement - it's the time when Lab's Student Government Organization (SGO) meets. I took a break from my normal lunchtime routine in Kelly Park to meet with the Events/Fundraising committee at the last meeting. The students are planning a school-wide dance that might be Valentine's Day themed if they get it organized in time : ) In planning the dance, the students are responsible for all the components (i.e. they must fill-out the correct paperwork, organize the chaperons, plan the budget...etc). The process of planning and execution provides practice for many real world skills. I witnessed a heated debate about the price of the dance tickets - should the tickets cost $5.00 with food as an additional fee or should the ticket be $7.00 with a food ticket included (there were of course several other variations). It was exciting to watch the students replicate the same collaborative interactions that they have been practicing constantly in their academic classes. I have no doubt the dance will be a blast but what's more important is how much these students are learning in leadership.

All of our 6th graders are currently reading John Steinbeck's The Red Pony in humanities. For those that have not read the book (and some who may not of read it since middle school), it is a series of short stories about a boy who grows-up on a ranch. The stories are beautiful and at times incredibly sad. Right now the students are practicing developing high-level discussion questions using the text. I was able to hear some thoughtful conversation in both Ms. Mazarakis's and Ms. Licht's homeroom classes. If you have a 6th grader be sure to ask them what they think of the book.

The table tennis team has gotten off to a great start. Ms. Rinna and the team practice in the space in front of the auditorium many afternoons if you want to see them in action. This is a new sport for Lab MS and I am really excited by the response. Go Gators!

I want to provide a point of clarification for a memo sent home last week. The school was required to distribute a memo about District 2 not making Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past school year. AYP is a measure defined by the state in conjunction with No Child Left Behind legislation. The memo referred to the overall progress of District 2. Lab MS did make AYP last year - meeting the progress metrics set by the state. I will be sharing more about our school's data at State of the School presentation in February. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Late last week I learned of our school's mid-year budget cut. Lab MS lost $94,200.00 in this current round of cuts. This amount is far above the publicized city-wide 1% cut that most schools experienced. This cut is indeed frustrating for our school community. This news is not intended to cause alarm. I am sharing this news because it is important for our school community to know how these cuts have impacted our school. All academic programs and extra-curricular programs (athletics, after school and clubs) will remain intact. The budget cut will not result in the loss of teaching faculty or other school personnel. We are able to maintain our current academic programs in part because proactive budgeting and cost-cutting measures taken throughout the school-year. The extra-curriculars are solely dependent on the fundraising efforts of the Parents' Association and the generous spirit of our school community. I am truly grateful for your continued support. In the coming week I will be sharing more about the budget. We have two main priorities moving forward - continuing to provide the best educational experience for our students and ensuring that we do not start next year with a budget deficit (a challenge many schools are facing). I am certain that we will be able to achieve both of these goals.

It is time for lunch - I am off to Kelly Park.

Warmly,
Meg