Dear
Pauling Pride Community,
I wholeheartedly believe
the old saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” Each phase of child
development has its unique traits which make the whole process simultaneously
challenging and rewarding. The middle school years (early adolescence) can be a
time when children prefer or demand the “villagers” be less direct in their
“raising.” I can respect this desire, but in order for the Linus Pauling
village to move forward, our active partnership is key. A big LP thank
you to the many wonderful volunteers who supported our annual serve day,
schedule-pick up, first days of school, Outdoor Experience, cross country
meets, putting on iPad screen protectors, and so much more. We are
thankful for our village!
The preparation for the
iPad roll-out has made for a busy fall! We are hosting a parent
information night, conducting professional development with staff, teaching
iPad “Boot Camp,” and preparing for the operational roll-out. We learned
many things last year when we piloted the iPads with mobile carts in science,
math, and special education. Increasing the scale to 1:1 will allow us to
utilize the technology in each classroom, efficiency with workflow, greater
organization, and to close the digital gap.
Starting in 2012, we moved
away from our annual product-based magazine sale to a direct donation
fundraiser called Make Your Mark. In our first year we raised nearly
$8,000 and last year we exceeded our goal with over $15,000 in
donations!!! Along with innovative projects and tools, we have rich
traditions such as the 8th grade Mock Congress learning simulation,
Pride Early Art Class, and Track and Field Scholarships which are made possible
as a result of our generous community. With the focus on multiple
initiatives including iPads, we will officially launch our Make Your Mark
fundraising campaign later in October and we plan to have fun prizes for
participation through our Pride classes.
Thank you for taking the
time to read the newsletter and staying informed of the happenings at
LPMS. We had an amazing turn-out for our Principal Coffee Chat in
August. This year we added a blog. The link is on our website www.lpms.us. Our PTO will continue to partner with us to
email out a weekly parent newsletter called the WAAG (Week at a Glance).
Thank you for your continued support of the Pride learning community!
Go
PRIDE & Go Beavs!
Sincerely,
Eric
Beasley
Principal
