11 september 2020

Le Journal




from the Principals

Online Class Expectations

AL Parents,

We have had a good start to our school year, even with a few technology glitches along the way.  Thank you for your patience and your feedback, as we continue to improve online instruction.

We wanted to remind parents and students of our online expectations. You can find this document on our website. We'd like to ask you to look them over and discuss with your child. Please be especially mindful of the privacy of teachers and students in class sessions and avoid re-posting, taking screenshots or discussing what goes on in the classroom with other parents or on social media.

ONLINE CLASS EXPECTATIONS
  • Students arrive on time and in appropriate attire
  • Students should come prepared to learn- just like in-person classes (bring materials, sit up at a table or desk, no eating)
  • Students should mute their microphones upon joining and only turn them on when directed by the teacher
  • Students should have their cameras on during class time
  • No side conversations in the chat during the lesson
  • Only AL emails may be used to enter class meetings
  • Students may not share the links or authorize another participant to enter the meeting
  • All meetings/classes will be recorded
  • Students and parents should respect the privacy and confidentiality of others and should not re-post or disseminate recordings
  • Any parents who do not want their child's name or image to be used during audio or video recordings of online class should contact their school campus to opt out 
  • Please note that, if you opt out of online class recording, your child may not be able to attend live classes. He/she can access the recorded sessions. 
Again, thank you for your support!
Jean-Claude Diatta
Maritza Paul
Heather Royce


  

In This Edition:


calendar

Upcoming Events

September 14
Board Meeting online AL FB Page

September 29
Diversity Committee virtual conversation about race and racism, 6-7 pm
September 17
Diversity Meeting online 
6 pm link on calendar

September 28
No School-School Improvement Day



Access the 2020-21 school calendar by clicking here


INFO SHARING

Board Meeting NoticeBrd

The Académie Lafayette Board of Directors will meet virtually on Sept. 14, 2020 at 6:30 pm on the AL Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LafayetteKC/). Click here to read the agenda.

INFO SHARING

Chromebook annual fundChromefund

Académie Lafayette is currently trying to purchase more Chromebooks to accommodate students on our waiting list. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Chromebook fund, click here and choose the first option.

INFO SHARING

Technology needs surveytechneeds

Dear Parents,

If you did not fill out a technology needs survey to indicate your needs please use this waiting list survey. Click here. You will be automatically entered into a waiting list and will be contacted as we are receiving our devices.

Thank you

INFO SHARING

CondolencesCondolences

It is with heavy hearts that we share that Zera Davis, mother of Zalia and Anjanette Davis, passed away on August 30.  Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.  If you would like to help support the family through this extremely difficult time- the school has started a GoFundMe for them:  gf.me/u/yxd33v.

INFO SHARING

Agenda Correction & UpdateAgenda


*Please note that kindergarten and 9th grade students will not receive an agenda so therefore, do not need to purchase one.  

If you are a kindergarten or 9th grade parent and paid for an agenda, please contact Marcia Berry at [email protected] for a refund.  Please include your name, the email address of the paypal account you used, your child's name, and the approximate date of the payment if known.

INFO SHARING

Diversity Committee virtual conversation about race and racismDiversity

The Diversity Committee would like to invite any interested parents to a virtual conversation about race and racism on Sept. 29 from 6-7 pm.  The Committee has been focused on developing plans to engage teachers, board members, and students in conversations around diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) and would now like to extend the conversation to our broader parent community.

For our first conversation, we will be discussing key terms related to DEI and taking a deeper dive into understanding unconscious bias.  Please RSVP here if you plan to attend so we can plan for the right number of participants.  You will be asked for your e-mail address so we can send you the link for the meeting.

The committee plans to host one discussion each month for the next few months.  Please reach out to Beth McCarthy at [email protected] with any questions.

INFO SHARING

Annual $10,000 Cash Raffle Online updatesTendollar

The Annual $10,000 Cash Raffle has gone completely online this year! Please click here for all the information on the 2020 Raffle. The winner will be drawn on Saturday, October 31st. Click here to view the Kick-off video. 

Raffle Updates:
  • This Friday's Weekly Winner is Avelina Witt in M. Fontcha's 2nd grade class at Oak. The winner was drawn from the students who sold at least 5 tickets over the past week. Avelina Witt won a $25 Target gift card! The weekly drawing will be announced every Friday based on tickets sold Friday through Thursday of each week. Remember, it just takes 5 tickets sold each week to be eligible for this weekly drawing!
  • Beginning Wednesday, September 16, we will send parents emails every Wednesday providing you with an update on the number of tickets your student has sold, as well as current top seller updates.
  • Upcoming deadlines:
    • Friday, September 18th is the Early Bird deadline - sell 20 tickets by this date to win an exclusive t-shirt. Don't forget to email [email protected] with :
      • Student Name
      • Grade,Teacher
      • Campus
      • T-Shirt Size (YS, YM, YL, S, M, L, XL, XXL) 
    • Wednesday, September 23rd is the Early Bird Drawing for the winner of the Nintendo Switch!
For any questions regarding the raffle, email [email protected].  Keep up the good work, and Happy Selling!

INFO SHARING

PTO Virtual Trash Bag SaleTRASH

It's time to order the best bags in town! Trash bags and paper yard bags are on sale from now through September 28. These are quality bags suitable in size and strength for your KCMO trash needs and never-ending yard work.

Sales for 2020 have moved online. As always, proceeds benefit our PTO! Orders can be placed and paid for online at buybags.trashbagfundraiser.com. Enter ACADE as the Group ID and your student's name on the checkout page. More information and an order form are available at www.alptso.com so you can keep track of any orders you place for family or friends. Bag pickup will be the first two Saturdays in October.

If you have any questions or cannot order online, please contact: Sara Clark at 816-729-5810 or [email protected].
 

INFO SHARING

Boxtops for EducationBoxtops

Looking for a fast and easy way to support our community? Boxtops for Education helps turn the products you already buy into cash for our school. Just download the app and scan your receipts to get started. Ask other family members and friends to do the same and the rewards will really add up!

INFO SHARING

Drive-up COVID-19 Testing available for symptomatic childrenDriveuptest 


Children's Mercy has some exciting news to share: Drive-up COVID-19 Testing available for symptomatic children at the following Urgent Care sites:
  • Children's Mercy Blue Valley in Overland Park, KS
  • Children's Mercy East in Independence, MO
  • Children's Mercy Northland in Kansas City, MO 
Testing is by appointment only: Monday- Friday 12 p.m.- 6 p.m.
 


INFO SHARING

Change.org Petition to Support J1 Intern and Teacher ProgramsJ1

Académie Lafayette welcomes dozens of interns and teachers each year through the J-1 Visa program sponsored by the Amity Institute. On June 24, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation which temporarily suspended the J-1 visa for several categories, including teachers and interns. A few weeks ago, the Alliance for International Exchange created a Change.org petition to the White House stating that J-1 Exchange Visitor Programs are important to the U.S. economy, national security, and public diplomacy. The organization then goes on to urge that these vital programs be exempted from the June 22 proclamation. For those of you who are not aware of the Alliance's work, it is an association that represents organizations and companies comprising the educational and cultural exchange community in the United States, serving as this community's public policy voice.

If you feel inclined, please take a moment to sign onto the petition to support J1 programs (linked here).  While this petition does not exclusively address the Teacher and Intern Programs, we believe it is important to support the J-1 exchange program in its entirety. We all know of the enormous benefits of exchange opportunities such as those offered by Amity... however, there is a common misconception as to the actual impact that these exchange programs have in the United States.  Therefore, petitions such as Alliance's are important for raising awareness.

INFO SHARING

Kinsa FLUency programNurseFlu

Dear AL families, 

As we approach the school year, the nursing and social work teams would like to help support your families as much as possible.  This program is only available for our K-5 families. 

Académie Lafayette has once again been granted a spot in the Kinsa FLUency program for the 20-21 school year. This program, which normally starts in late September, has added a waitlist feature this year due to COVID-19 which allows families to sign up for the program early.  The FLUency program gives one free Kinsa thermometer to interested families in the community and provides a community illness tracker in their app so families can see what illnesses are going around the school community.  All personal information is kept completely private while notifying the broader AL community of communicable illnesses. 


INFO SHARING

Textbook ReturnBookreturn

If you have any textbooks or novels from last school year at home, please drop them off at Armour between 12-1pm on Tuesdays or Thursday.  Come to the east door on McGree Street.

INFO SHARING

Social Work and Counseling CornerSocialCorner

Food pick up changed to Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 1:30pm.  The location is the east door of the Armour campus on McGee Street. Deliveries will also take place on that day. Please contact your school counselor or social worker if you need deliveries. This is available to all families.  We want to say a special thank you to the volunteers from St. John's Methodist Church for helping us with deliveries.

Sincerely,
Check out our AL Counseling and Social Services Department website!

INFO SHARING

AL in the CommunityBLM

Mme O'Flaherty's students discuss events in KC including the Black Lives Matter(BLM) Murals. Jack Benner, AL 5th grader, helped paint one of the BLM Murals in the Brookside area. He shared pictures of his part below. 


INFO SHARING

Community Outreach CornerOutreach


INFO SHARING

Technology and EquipmentTech

  • If you have technical difficulties with a Chromebook or the Google Classroom contact Roger Goudiaby, [email protected].

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.
  • Looking to build your community? 
    Get going today by joining our private Facebook group here. You will need to answer the three security questions before being granted access. 

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Oak Street Campus
6903 Oak Street
Kansas City, MO 64113
816-361-7735
Armour Campus,
201 E. Armour Blvd, 
Kansas City, MO 64111 
816-800-8771 

Cherry Street Campus
3421 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO 64109
816-888-7400
www.academielafayette.org