April 1, 2020
Hi Laurel Families,
We hope you are all staying healthy and keeping your spirits up during these challenging days. We would like to infuse a bit of fun into our last few days before our Spring Break, which begins Monday, April 6 through Friday, April 10, during which there will be no classes. Friday is an early dismissal (11:45) and we resume classes on Monday, April 13.
Your children and our teachers have all been working diligently every day these last several weeks and so we are going to incorporate some Laurel spirit into the end of this week. These days aren’t meant to cause any stress for parents or students — please just use whatever you have in the house.
Here are our plans for Thursday and Friday:
Thursday - Crazy Hat/Headwear/Hair Day:
Regular schedule but children can go wild with this and their peers will have a great time sharing their wackiest headgear.
Friday - Gratitude Day:
Friday is early dismissal, and we will hold Periods 1-3 just as on a typical school day then dismiss after period 3. We are going to use class time on Friday to link Laurel to the greater community by thinking about others and reminding us all about the importance of helping our community. Even though we are stuck at home, we can provide hope and joy to those outside our families.
During Period 1 (8:45am-9:45am)
all students will create decorated thank you signs to show appreciation to a community hero who is helping others during this crisis. The students will hold their creations up to their computer screens, their teachers will take a picture (group and individually), and maybe record a video greeting as well. We will display these on our Laurel School social media sites, so others can appreciate their thank you's. If your child wishes to dress up as their chosen community hero (only with items already in your home) please let them do so. Below is a list of some possible community heroes that a child may choose. There might be one that we have not thought of, so please feel free to add to our list if you have another type of hero in mind.
Community Heroes:
Police, Fire Fighters, Doctors, Nurses, Emergency Medical Teams, Grocery Store workers, Delivery people, Pharmacists, Geriatric Care employees, Postal Workers, Bankers, Restaurant workers, Day Care Providers, Teachers
During Period 2 (9:45am-10:45am)
Upper School students will have their regularly scheduled class, while Lower Schoolers will join Ms. Dee’s Read Aloud. The children merely have to join a Google Meet that has been set up for them on their calendars and listen to Ms. Dee read a specially selected story.
During Period 3 (10:45am-11:45am)
The Upper School will attend Ms. Dee’s Read Aloud, while the Lower School students attend their regularly scheduled Language Arts classes. Upper School students will join a Google Meet that has been set up for them on their calendars and listen to Ms. Dee read a specially selected story.
REMINDERS:
- Tea With Dee is Postponed. Instead of meeting this Thursday, we will gather after Spring Break (date TBD).
- Please complete your Re-enrollment Contracts in TADS by Friday, April 3.
- Our Guidance Counselor, Mr. Rick is available at [email protected]. Please reach out to him if you’d like him to check in with your child, or if you have questions about supporting your child during this time.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you for all of your support and encouragement during these hectic last few weeks. In many ways, we feel that what we have gone through has pulled us closer together, even though we are separated. I think I can speak for all of us at Laurel when I say that we are so glad that Spring Break is here. We all need it! I hope everyone takes the time to rejuvenate, rest, watch movies, and get outside in the sun over the next week. Most of all, I wish for everyone’s continued health and safety.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to be in touch. See you on April 13.
Dee
