Go Gators - Soccer, Progress Report News and Upcoming Events

Dear Lab School Families

Quite a rainy day - or really a rainy week here. It is with great anticipation and worry that I think of our field trips for tomorrow. Half of our school will be out of the building on outdoor field trips (the entire 7th grade and half the 8th grade). I am hoping that these storms will clear in time for these activities. Please send your children prepared for both "regular" school and the field trip tomorrow. The joy of Autumn in New York : )

Lab AfterSchool started this week. Record numbers of students piled into the different courses. It was great to see such high student involvement. The first few weeks is meant to be a trial period for students to explore the courses and decide which one(s) most interest them. Please help your child choose courses that they are interested in.

The fall sports season is picking up pace. Last our soccer teams played their first games against a middle school up in East Harlem. Our girls had their first win in a game that was 3-1. The boys' game was close...but in the final moments the other team scored a goal. The final score was 0-1. A truly great start to the season.

I wanted to be the first to share some wonderful news. Lab Middle School earned an A on the 2009-2010 Progress Report. We have earned an A for a number of years now. The difference this year is that the city raised the standard of what constitutes each letter score. The number of schools receiving an A this year (compared to year's past) dropped by over 50%. The score is encouraging but also reminds us that there is always room to grow and become even better. This year we will continue to work hard - working to meet even more rigorous academic and community goals.

I consider this a community-wide achievement. Thank you for all of your hard work in helping us meet this goal. Parental involvement is a key factor in student achievement and well-being. A parent guide Progress Report Overview will be backpacked home tomorrow. This guide gives families a breakdown of the score and explains the different components. It also discusses the progress of the Progress Report and shows the city-wide breakdown for Middle and Elementary schools. It is important to note (for parents with high schoolers) that the high school progress report is on a different timeline and has yet to be released. The report and overview will be posted on our school's website. I am including a link to that and further DoE resources below.

www.nyclabschool.net

http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/tools/report/default.htm

We have two parent events coming up next week.

On Tuesday, October 5th the guidance faculty and I will be hosting High School Information meetings for CURRENT 8th GRADE families. Our guidance faculty will review the process for High School admissions and answer all of your questions. There will be two meetings - 8:30 -9:30 and 5:00 - 6:00. They will both be in the auditorium. This is for 8th grade families only - the process changes each year and it is not that useful for 6th and 7th grade families to attend. 7th Grade families will have an Introduction to the High School Process in June.

On Thursday, October 7th we will be holding Curriculum Night (followed by a Parents' Association Meeting). Curriculum Night starts at 5 pm and the PA meeting will start around 6:30. The Curriculum Night is an excellent opportunity to be a middle schooler again. You will get to meet your child's teachers, see old friends and make new ones during passing periods and learn about what's to come this year. More information will be backpacked home about the night. I hope to see everyone there.

Warmly,
Meg