A Message From Dr. B

Dear Lafayette Families –

And just like that…we are in the last week of school!  This year has been beyond outstanding.  I am grateful every day for our students, staff and families that work together every day to make Lafayette such an incredible place.  As we move into our last 4 days, a few reminders…

There are only 3 days left to register for aftercare with CLS!  All current Lafayette families must register for aftercare for the upcoming school year by Friday, June 15th!!!  Registration will be closed to current families from 6/15 – 10/15.  No exceptions!!!  We need to get everyone registered by June 15th so that staffing and programming can be set up for maximum success on opening day in August.  Even if you anticipate making schedule changes in August, please go ahead and register!

The summer reading lists are here!  Please be sure to enjoy reading with your students over the summer.  Tuck a good book in with you during car trips, commuting to camp, and on the beach.  Our kids are amazing readers because they love to read….you are a critical part of that reading attitude!  Create a family book club, do book reviews in the car, or have your child create their very own books or graphic novels.  A popular and free website is storybird.com.

Mark your calendars for these important dates in August:

            -Friday, 8/3/18 – Class Lists emailed to families
            -Thursday, 8/16/18 – Back To School Huddles
            -Saturday, 8/18/18 – New Family Popsicle Social
            -Monday, 8/20/18 – First Day of School for 1st – 5th Grade
            -Monday, 8/27/18 – First Full Day of School for PreK4

Over the summer, I will occasionally send information via email.  If you have any questions, or need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out and call the office (202-282-0116) or email (.

And finally, a huge congratulation to the families of our 5th graders.  Last Friday, we hosted our annual 5th grade promotion ceremony and celebrated the accomplishments of this year’s 5th graders.  I couldn’t be prouder of our students’ – the speeches, the musical performances, and the camaraderie of the class was truly remarkable.  Thank you to our 5th grade teachers, the assistant principals, the specials teachers, and the specialists who all worked to create such an outstanding ceremony.  Much gratitude also to our 4th grade room parents who hosted the cake and lemonade reception, and to our 5th grade room parents who worked together to support the afternoon party and our students and classrooms all year.

In other goodbyes, please make sure to stop by Ms. Ghamarian’s retirement party Thursday, 6/14 at 6:30 pm.  We are also losing Mr. Holmes (to Leckie Elementary) and Mr. Wieand and Ms. Houston (both of whom have partners who have taken jobs in New York!). We also say congrats to Mr. McCants as he has received a promotion to be a SEM coordinator at Stoddert Elementary School.  These are all incredible pieces of our community who we wish well on the next steps of their professional and personal journeys. 

Please enjoy your summer, your enjoy your time together as families, and revel in the intellectual curiosity of your students as you enjoy the world around you.  There is nothing more powerful than teaching your students to ask questions about the world around them, and seek answers using ingenuity, curiosity, and resources around you.  In other words, approach every day things with curiosity and slow down enough to enjoy them.

See you in August,

Dr. B