15 May 2020

Le Journal




from the head of school

A Year to Remember! 

Dear AL Community,

Congratulations to our parents and graduates on your completion of middle school! Our students have achieved more than most middle school graduates, successfully completing 9 years of a rigorous French Immersion Public Charter School education that has uniquely and well-prepared them for high school and beyond as globally minded, locally active critical thinkers. To our parents, thank you for entrusting us with, and the opportunity to work with, your children. It has been our honor to play a part in their success to this point and help to prepare them for the future.

To our students, you have accomplished this with remarkable success, and you have made us all proud.  Remember that the doors here are always open to our graduating students, and we look forward to seeing all that you are sure to achieve in high school and beyond!

We would like to thank all of our parents for their support, patience, cooperation and partnership during this challenging end of year. We wish you all a wonderful and safe summer!

Elimane Mbengue
Head of School


from the Summer School Coordinator

2020 Summer School Update 

Dear AL Community,

Summer School enrollment has been extended to May 27. More summer school details will be available no later than next Wednesday, May 27. What we can tell you at this point to help with your planning:
  • Summer School will not be a full day.
  • Live classes will be available, similar to what current students have experienced the past two months.
  • Recordings of those classes will be available for those who have conflicts with the live class time
As a reminder, the first step was completing the intent to enroll for each child, the recent communications you've received are to actually enroll in summer school. That is why the deadline has been extended to May 27.  

We realize these timelines are short, but as we work with the ever-changing requirements, we hope this information will help you with your planning and ability to enroll and that the answers we provide next week will address any remaining questions.

We always encourage you to enroll your children in summer school, but as mentioned in last week's newsletter, this year we will have a more academic focus to make up for the lost instructional opportunities experienced this school year and we remain committed to also continuing to support our families with technology and internet connectivity.

PURPOSE OF SUMMER SCHOOL
  • Academic focus
  • Make up for Trimester 3 academic gaps
  • Prevent summer learning loss
  • Support struggling students
ACADEMIC FOCUS
  • Content equivalent to the same course offered in regular terms
  • Timely feedback to students
  • Regular formative assessments
  • Summative assessments at the end of Season 1 & Session 2.
TENTATIVE ONLINE SCHEDULE
  • All grades: Lessons recorded and accessible on Google Classroom
  • K & 1: will have a more flexible schedule and designated website
  • 2 - 8: sample draft schedule


Thank you, 

Ousmane Balde
Summer School Coordinator


from the Cherry Principal

Cherry's  End of the year message! 

Click here for Madame Royce's  End of the year message!

Heather Royce
Cherry Principal


  

In This Edition:


calendar

Upcoming Events

May 26-29
Teachers online PD days


June 3
8th grade Virtual Graduation, 6-7pm

June 8
Online Summer School Start

Board Meeting, 6:30 pm, AL FB page

Access the 2020-21 school calendar by clicking here


INFO SHARING

School ClosedClosed

Académie Lafayette is closed for the rest of the 19-20 school year with May 22nd the last day of online classes.  Teachers online PD days will be May 26-29 to review curriculum for next year.

INFO SHARING

CondolencesCondol

Mauricia Strother was a former Academie Lafayette student and graduated from the 8th grade in 2016.  She was tragically killed on Sunday, May 3rd, and we are all very saddened by this incident.  Our school has always supported our students and families in many situations, we again want to help assist Mauricia's family with expenses incurred due to this tragic incident.  As her AL family, we are asking that those who want to contribute,  please do so by making a donation through this GoFundMe account set up in her name.

INFO SHARING

Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020EBT

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, families that qualify for free
or reduced price meals at school may be eligible for a new one-time Pandemic
Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) of up to $302 per child (Pre-Kindergarten - Grade
12) to help cover the cost of meals students have eaten at home on days that schools
have been closed. Students can receive P-EBT benefits even if they have been or
continue to receive meals provided by the school district during the school closure. If
your child was not previously eligible for free or reduced price meals, but you have now
lost income, you may be eligible to receive P-EBT benefits. Click here to review the P-EBT Eligibility Criteria document.

The benefit is placed on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card families use to buy
food. If you received Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits in March, do not apply for these
new/additional benefits. The full $302 will automatically be loaded to your existing EBT
card. If you did not receive Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits in March, you must apply for
this benefit by June 30, 2020.

The most efficient way to apply is to submit your application online
at EmergencyMealSurvey.com/MO. You will also likely experience a faster approval
process. If you're not able to apply online, you can follow the link below to the paper
application. The fillable PDF document can then be emailed or mailed to the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). You will find complete
instructions and additional details in the letter to families below.

INFO SHARING

A Special Goodbye from OakGB

Please click here to download to view a special goodbye from Oak 5th graders Alethea and Natalie:

INFO SHARING

8th grade Virtual GraduationGrad

graduation_cap.jpg
We are thrilled and honored to announce the virtual graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020. This special event will take place Wednesday, June 3rd from 6 to 7 p.m. We invite you to join us in celebrating their accomplishments and wishing them well in their future pursuits. More  details to follow. 


INFO SHARING

Armour Textbook/Chromebook Return text

Dear Armour Families,

On Thursday, 5/28, we are asking students from all grade levels to come to Armour campus and drop off their textbooks (see list below).  It is imperative that we get back as many textbooks as possible in order to sanitize and organize them for the start of next school year.  It is also required that eighth grade students drop off hotspots and laptops they have borrowed if they are not attending AL International High School next year.  This event will also present a final opportunity for students to collect items from their lockers (see required form below).  

The process will work as follows.  You will drive through the parking lot, reach through your car window and place items on tables.  We will minimize person-to-person contact to the greatest extent possible.  This event will take place from 3-6:00 pm.  In order to even out the traffic flow, we suggest following the time frames listed below.

6th Grade - 3-4:00 pm
7th Grade - 4-5:00 pm
8th Grade 5-6:00 pm

How to prepare:
  • All students - Please place your textbooks in a bag or box labeled clearly with your student's name and grade level 
  • Eighth graders not attending AL International High School - Come with your laptop, laptop charger, hotspot and hotspot charger.  The hotspots came in small white boxes.  Please return those as well.  Please also put those items in a bag or box with the student's name and grade level clearly printed on it.
If you would like to pick up items from your student's locker, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/qg4R18tnteow1T1x9. This form must be completed by Monday 5/25 at midnight to give us time to prepare.  If you do not complete this form, you will not be able to pick up items as students are not allowed in the building.  

Here is a list of the books that teachers would like returned.

6th Grade (3-4:00 pm time slot for drop-off)
English:
Free reading books labeled "Please Return to Ms. Hayden."
Math:
Math Connect Course 1 Textbook

7th Grade (4-5:00 pm time slot for drop-off)
English:
Free reading books with "Wilson" stamped on the inside cover and colored tape on the spine
Science:
4 textbooks called...
-Energy 
-Force and motion
-Earth science
-Tectonic Plate
Math:
Math connect course 2 textbook
Social Studies:
Creating America textbook


8th Grade (5-6:00 pm time slot for drop-off)
English: 
Free reading books
Science:
6 textbooks
Math:
2 textbooks
Social Studies:
Creating America textbook


Please let me know if you have any questions!

Liz Seely
School Counselor

INFO SHARING

McCreary's English Class Podcastspodcast


INFO SHARING

Ms. Hayden's Summer Reading ListReadlist

Great Summer Reads Recommended by Ms. Hayden. 
Click here to view the list.

INFO SHARING

Masked Singer: End of School 
Armour EditionMasked

To end the school year and keep students engaged with online learning, the Armour staffput together a Masked Singer competition.  Click on the links below and see if you can identify any of our masked middle school teachers!

INFO SHARING

2020 Girls Middle School VolleyballVball

Update for the Academie Lafayette Girls Middle School Volleyball Team: 

Because of the current restrictions and safety guidelines, we will not be having tryouts this spring. If your incoming 6th, 7th, and/or 8th grade daughter(s) is/are interested in playing volleyball for the 2020 fall season, please email  rodneyriffle@gmail.com. Please include your name, your contact information [email address(es) and phone number(s)], your daughter's name and her grade in the fall.  He will create a contact list to get information directly to those interested in playing as this extremely fluid situation unfolds.
Thank you,

Mamadou Dieng
Middle school P.E teacher /  Athletic Director


INFO SHARING

Girl Scouts is still happening!Girlscouts

Academia Lafayette Girl Scouts are so disappointed we missed the opportunity to connect with NEW families this spring.  Girl Scouts is still happening! We continue to be with our families through the summer on-line until we can meet safely in-person.



At Girl Scouts your girls will unleash their imagination, make new friends, grow in confidence and build skills that will help her in and out of the classroom. Click here for more info and here for the flyer. 

INFO SHARING

Yearbook Pictures Neededyearbook

Do you have pictures of our students in groups at school or field trips before the quarantine? Please email them to communication@academielafayette.org so they can be included in this year's edition of the yearbook. 

Please include the grade and homeroom teacher of the students in your email. 

Online ordering is not yet open, we will let all families know when the system is ready. 

INFO SHARING

Host a French Intern for the 20-21 School YearHost

Would your family consider hosting  an intern for the upcoming school year?

Académie Lafayette, French Immersion Charter School, is pleased to announce that we will again be welcoming interns for the 2020-21 school year. However, we still need host families. This year AL will save approximately $260,000 by using the intern program. If you are able to welcome an intern into your home, it's almost like you're donating $20,000! 
Interns are university students from French speaking countries who spend a year working in the classrooms of our youngest students. Host families open their homes and welcome an intern for a semester or for a year. They provide a private 
bedroom and meals when you are together as a family. The school provides a generous monthly stipend to the intern and a monthly city bus pass. 

I think that having an intern was fun because if your parents don't speak french and you have french homework they could help. Another thing is that you can help them experience the U.S.A. 
-Lola Sciara
Hosting an intern is a great way for your children to speak French at home, to discover more about francophone culture, and to have someone to visit when your family goes to France in the future! 
If you would like more information about hosting, please contact Diane Balagna, intern coordinator at Académie Lafayette, at 816-888 7400 or  dbalagna@academielafayette.org.

INFO SHARING

Food ServiceFood

  • We will not have food service on Monday due to Memorial Day.  It will resume on Wednesday and continue through the summer school session.  
     
  • Free sack lunches and additional groceries and supplies will be provided to families as they become available for pick up at the Armour Campus, 201 E. Armour Blvd, KCMO 64111, at the east door on McGee Street, from 11:00 - 1:00 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Families are also welcome to deliver grocery, toiletry and cleaning supplies for donation at that time. 
  • Meals for families will be available. The meals will feed 12 people. They will be available first come, first served.

INFO SHARING

Teaching and LearningTeaching


INFO SHARING

Technology and EquipmentTech

  • If you need a Chromebook and/or hotspot, please contact M. Goudiaby, rgoudiaby@academielafayette.org
  • Click here for internet options for families.
  • LOCATION FOR CONNECTIVITY BUSES!
    As an immediate solution to connectivity, a consortium of community partners (Connecting for Good, KC Library, and KCPS) are organizing Connectivity BusesBuses that serve as wifi towers will be positioned in the parking lot of the Southeast Library Branch and the Bluford Library branch starting Wednesday of next week. All Kansas City Public Library locations will also have free wifi access in all of their parking lots. 
  • Technical issues: 

INFO SHARING

CommunicationCommunication

  • To help answer your questions, we have created our Covid-19 webpage, which will be updated as we have more information to share.  If, at any time, you have a question, concern or information to share, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teachers, counselors, principals or Mr. Mbengue.
  • We will continue to communicate with families and students through emails, all-calls, website and social media updates. We are also exploring the possibility of text messages with families.

Oak Street Campus
6903 Oak Street
Kansas City, MO 64113
816-361-7735

Cherry Street Campus
3421 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO 64109
816-888-7400

www.academielafayette.org