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Originally delivered on 9/5/2023 6:00 am

SUBJECT: Leopard Spots Sept. 5: September's Coming in HOT

Sept. 5, 2023

September is Coming in Hot!

School events and programming opportunities abound as we enter our fourth week of school. September 1st kicked off our 21 days of kindness with Kindness Chalk Art, '"chalk" full of positive messages and pictures drawn by our students. Today during recess, students can make encouraging and friendly cards for the seniors of Lamorinda Village, a local nonprofit organization. Huge thank you to Chair, Sarah Tsai Chao, for organizing all our #BeKind21 programming!

Run Club Chairs, Morgan and Matt Bernstein, are excited for our first Wednesday Run Club this week as we prepare for our Walk-A-Thon PTA Fundraiser, which is just around the corner on Sept. 29th. Morgan is also the co-Chair for Walkathon, along with Effie Casella. Thank you, Matt, Morgan and Effie!

The quad after school is the place to be on Frozen Fridays, with many thanks going to our Chairs, Kara Cox & Lorin Bender. And Tamara Sosine, our official Parent Party co-Chair as well as the unofficial Mayor of Lafayette, wants everyone to know it's time to buy those Parent Party Tickets!

Looking for a weekend volunteer opportunity this month? LPIE needs additional help at their Art & Wine Festival Booth on Sept. 23 & 24. If you have interest, please see the link in LPIE & District News section below.

Don't forget, Picture Day is this Thursday! Let's make it a great week!

Andi & Ria

NEED-TO-KNOW

PTA School Calendar

Tuesday, September 5

8:30a #BeKind21 - Lamorinda Village Cards @ Recess

8:45a PTA Exec Board Meeting

Wednesday, September 6

7:45a Run Club Starts!

8:30a #BeKind21

6:30p Odyssey of the Mind Informational Night @ School Library

Thursday, September 7

LES School Picture Day

8:30a #BeKind21

8:30a LPIE New Family Mixer - AM Option

6:00p LPIE New Family Mixer - PM Option

Friday, September 8

8:30a #BeKind21

2:45p Frozen Friday

SCHOOL NEWS & HAPPENINGS

Wed. Info Night for Odyssey of the Mind!

We are excited to bring Odyssey of the Mind (OM) back to LES this year! What is OM? It's an extracurricular program in which teams of students (K-2 & 3-5) work together to creatively solve problems and compete for recognition and awards!

Interested? Come to our Odyssey of the Mind Information Night:

What: Odyssey of the Mind LES Information Night hosted by NorCal OM

When: Wednesday, Sept. 6th @ 6:30 PM in our school library

Who: Anyone thinking about this program. Bring your interested student(s).

Questions? Or want to confirm your spot on the interest list now? Email Andi at president@lafayettepta.info.

Thursday is School Picture Day

When: Thursday, September 7th

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Here’s how to order your pictures!

All students will take an individual portrait (used for student ID/library card, year book photo & available to family for purchase) as well as a class group photo. Orders for your child's ‘23-‘24 school year pictures may be placed directly with the picture company, Dorian Studios, either online or using the paper order form sent home with students last week (more paper order forms are also available in the front office).

More Picture Day information and online ordering are now available by visiting mydorian.com. Your online order can be placed before, and up to four (4) days after, picture day.

Leopard Run Club is Back!

See you tomorrow at 7:45am

Calling All Superheroes!

(Yep, that's YOU, parents!)

We are so excited for our Annual Parent Party on Saturday, Sept. 30th, 2023!

Come dressed as your favorite superhero, or just throw on a mask, or a T-shirt depicting a hero, or come as you are (your SUPER self)!

The point is to have a blast mingling with our LES adult community. Assemble your avengers or come meet some new sidekicks. DJ, drinks, apps, photo station, and more - see details here.

This indestructible good time will be here faster than a speeding bullet, so purchase your ticket/s before the Sept. 15 deadline!

Green Team Needs YOU

The LES Green Team is looking for adult volunteers. Email us at cmcarthur@lafsd.org if you are interested in volunteering to help students learn more about composting and recycling. Green Team volunteers can also help plan events and activities so let us know your ideas for how to make LES green.

Spread the Signups Word

Let's Boost LES Registrations!

The Lafayette ResRun for Education is Sunday, October 22nd. But right now, LES is in heated competition with our fellow Lafayette schools for an extra $500 that will go to the school credited with the most ResRun signups by Sept. 30! Lafayette Elementary School won this registration contest 2 years ago — can you help us win it again?

Encourage neighbors and friends to sign up here, and consider sponsoring an LES Teacher or Staff Member: https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Lafayette/LafayetteReservoirRun

LPIE & DISTRICT NEWS

New Families Mixers

Calling all new families! If you are new to one of our Lafayette public schools this year, or joined during the pandemic, please join us for coffee or a cocktail on Thursday, Sept. 7. Please RSVP here by Sept. 5. We can’t wait to meet you!

Have Fun While Supporting Our Schools at Art & Wine Fest

Join us at the 26th Annual Lafayette Art & Wine Festival!

Sept. 23, 10am-7pm & Sept. 24, 10am-6pm

Did you know that the Art & Wine Festival is a fundraiser for the City of Lafayette and that LPIE is the largest beneficiary? Did you know that the people that work the ticket booth are volunteers? Come have some fun and help LPIE at the same time, by staffing the Festival Ticket Booth and/or the LPIE Booth at this year's Art & Wine Festival! Children 12 and up are welcome to volunteer at the LPIE Booth, adults only for the ticket sales booth. Click HERE to sign up and show your support for our schools!

LES Has a New District Board Liaison: Meet Dave Smith

Lafayette Elementary welcomes Dave Smith, who is the LafSD board liaison to our school for 2023-24 school year!

Dave joined the Governing Board in June 2021. He is passionate about public engagement, civic education, and social and emotional learning. He served on the board of Lafayette Partners in Education (LPIE) from 2019-2021 and on the leadership team for the Measure L parcel tax for Lafayette schools campaign in 2020.

His current Board assignments are Policy, Sustainability, LPIE, and Joint City/District. He is also liaison to the Lafayette Education Association.

Dave is a sixth-generation San Franciscan, enjoys playing golf, traveling the world, and going to Cal Football games. He lives in Lafayette with his wife, Maya, and their two children who attend Springhill Elementary.

COMMUNITY NEWS

*The below communications, activities or events are not PTA, school, or district-sponsored, nor are they endorsed by the Lafayette School District.*

Girl Scouts Lafayette Parent Info Night

SEED Back-to-School Events

On-Campus After-School Programs

Register NOW for After-School Activities AT OUR SCHOOL offered by the City of Lafayette Recreation Programs.

School is back on, and so are more After-School Programs! Click below for the after-school programs offered directly at our Lafayette Elementary campus. Check them out! Spots are limited, so sign up soon: Lafayette Rec at LES: After School Offerings & Registration

FULL-IMMERSION SPANISH CLASSES FOR STUDENTS AT LAFAYETTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

Students learn Spanish through games, songs, stories, and art projects. Classes offered on-campus daily before school.

Dates: September 5th, 2023 - May 24th, 2024 (34 weeks, follows district calendar) -- Times: Mondays - Fridays - 7:45 - 8:25 am -- Levels: 1st-3rd Grade Beginner Students & 2nd-5th Grade Continuing Students -- Where: Lafayette Elementary School (rooms to be determined) -- Tuition: $2,508 ($16 per class). *Please note this class is subject to cancellation due to low enrollment. -- To register, please click here. Email info@vivaelespanol.org or call 925-962-9177 with any questions or problems registering.

JOIN CUB SCOUT PACK 220!

How to Submit a Story

Email entries to leopardspots@lafayettepta.info
150 word maximum for entries
Submissions due Friday @ noon
Submissions run for two weeks

Please CLICK HERE for additional Leopard Spots Guidelines.