Lyons Farm Principal Update #120
November 1, 2026
❗TRANSLATION: 130+ Languages CLICK ABOVE❗
❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗
❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗
❗Ms. Taylor & Ms. Bales...Organizers! 💯 ...and behind the scenes, Mr. Taylor!
Principal Updates 26-27:
Updates will be shared on the first of the month:
Wednesday, July 1 (#116)
Saturday, Aug 1 (#117)---Tuesday, Sept 1 (#118)
Thursday, Oct 1 (#119)---Tuesday, Dec 1
Friday, Jan 1---Monday, Feb 1
Monday, Mar 1---Thursday, Apr 1
Saturday, May 1---Tuesday, June 1
*Each Newsletter Will Be Updated As New Information Becomes Available
Please check back throughout the month. As I receive new information or schedules change, this newsletter will be updated so it always reflects the most current information available.
Nov 1: Trunk or Treat! (4:30 to 6:30)
Nov 2: No School For Students
Nov 3: No School For Students
Nov 4- 20: GoPlaySave Coupon Books
Over $12,500 is savings❗
We are excited to partner with GoPlaySave selling coupon books but this year they are all mobile! - on your phone so you don’t have to worry about leaving your book at home! The mobile book is filled with over $12,500 in buy one, get one free offers to great local places like Moe’s, Jersey Mike’s, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Tomato Jakes, Menchies, Coldstone, Chicken Salad Chick, Mad Popper, Clean Juice, Hyperkidz, Sky Zone, Nova Adventure Park, and much more!
If you’re anxious to get yours before Nov., click on this link and you can purchase and share with friends and family! Great for you and your family or they make great holiday gifts! Mobile Books sell for $35 or a bundle of 2 for $55. Our school earns 50%!
100% of All Money raised will go towards our December 11 Dinner to Honor Ms. Melo!
Nov 11: Holiday No School
Nov 12: Make Up Pictures
Nov 15: PTA Update #42
&
Family BINGO NIGHT!
Nov 23-27: Fall Break
Connecting with threads!
Thank you, Ms. Furan for initiating this program!
..."Make a Quilt that looks like a Book"
Dec 3: Progress Reports
Dec 9: Early Release (12:15PM)
Dec 10: K & 1 Winter Arts Extravaganza (6-7:30)
Dec 11: Ms. Melo's Big Dinner Celebration!
Dec 15: Gr 2 & 3 Winter Arts Extravaganza (6-7:30)
Dec 17: Gr 4 & 5 Winter Arts Extravaganza (6-7:30)
...Staff Choir to Perform on Dec 17 too!
...PTA General Body Meeting (7:30-8:15)
Dec 18: Family Holiday Move Night: Home Alone
What's Next?
Phase #2:
I plan to engage with our school’s Team Leaders to look more closely at these themes and identify next steps that are both responsive to what we heard and manageable within our school’s context. My goal is to share a Phase #2 update within the next couple of months. Again, thank you to everyone who shared feedback through our End-of-Year Community Feedback Survey & especially to those who took additional time to join us for these deeper conversations. Your feedback matters, and our next step is to determine how we can turn what we heard into action.
Phase #3:
Our November 10 Low-Tech Tuesday is one small pilot in response to families' desire for greater balance in how technology is used throughout the school day. It's not a final solution, but an opportunity to try something, learn from the experience, and continue refining our approach. More to come in Phase #4.
--Low Tech Tuesday--
November 10
[Shared with Families on 10/26]
Families,
On Tuesday, November 10, we're trying something new at Lyons Farm-- Low-Tech Tuesday
Since opening in 2022—we have heard from families about the desire for more balance in how technology is used throughout the school day. While we're not eliminating technology, I am encouraging teachers to find opportunities to use a little less of it and make more room for hands-on learning, collaboration and conversation--of course to the extent possible.
This is a small "pilot" and one way we hope to continue to learn and respond to feedback from our community
AM Traffic Pattern
- Pre-K through 2nd graders should be dropped off in front of the school (Purple Route).3rd through
- 5th graders should be dropped off near the big field (Orange Route).
- 3rd through 5th graders may exit in front with their Pre-K through 2nd grade sibling(s).
Busses
Transportation Information:
Mark Your Calendars:
Does your family Need Support?
Enrolling at Lyons Farm Elementary School
All families who live in the Lyons Farm Attendance Zone or have been admitted to our Kindergarten Dual Language Program must provide the following items for enrollment:
- Enrollment Application: Complete the application on the DPS website Click on "Enroll" and scroll down to the “Enroll your Student Here” tab.
- Child’s Birth Certificate
- Immunization Records
- North Carolina Health Assessment Form
- Proof of Residency (Accepted documents: lease, deed, or a current utility bill)
- Parent/Legal Guardian Photo ID
- Please ensure all documents are submitted promptly to secure your child's enrollment.
How to Submit Documents:
All documentation can be submitted in one of the following ways:
- Uploaded directly with the online application
- Emailed
- Delivered in person
Need Help or Have Questions?
Please contact Shekera "Asia" Pope at: shekera_pope@dpsnc.net
#1: Gratitude
With November here and Thanksgiving coming up--and Gratitude moving into the rotation of our character trait series with Character Strong--I wanted to share a little bit about a core value of mine that I've held for a while.
For more than 10 years, I've kept a running list of my 3 core values. They've changed over time and I expect them to continue to. About 4 years ago, Interdependence made its way into my top 3. Within the past 11 months--Effort has also found a spot there. But the one that has never budged, not one time, is Gratitude. It's always been #1.
Short background: For years I've included a Core Value activity in my hiring process. Potential future staff members complete a Core Values exercise that they bring to their first interview. I want to know what matters to them, as this can provide more dimension and depth throughout the hiring process. Sometimes those conversations tell me more about a person than all the other interview questions put together. And so here are mine: Gratitude, Interdependence, and Effort. And here's why Gratitude stands alone at the top--
It is not lost on me how lucky I am. I've often shared that "I'm better than I deserve to be." A brother of mine shared this with me years back, and it stuck to my soul… because I hadn't quite been able to articulate my gratitude in that way...and it keeps me thinking about how much I already have. What do any of us deserve? In this country/community we are in the 10% of "quality of life" in comparison to the world. This is less about contentment and more of an effort to acknowledge what I get to experience with my family, friends, colleagues...and most importantly, God.
I've often shared that I feel like the luckiest person alive. Growing up with major academic challenges--having been held back in 3rd grade, and carrying this academic shame through college and challenges of growing up with 5 brothers and sisters in a split home--and then getting to work in a city, community, and school that Roots For Each Other--brings me both Joy and Peace. Gratitude for my wife, Marie--for "enduring me" is a whole other thing!...and getting to be dad to my 2 kids, Lincoln and Nolan...all of the big emotions.
In short, I believe my gratitude is a product of how fortunate/lucky I've been through all of this. I think the effort I try to give to continue to recognize just how much of my life has been shaped by people who have been kind, patient, gracious, and ....MOSTLY the opportunities I could never have created on my own has given me this perspective.
And maybe that is what I hope to never lose sight of...how much of who we become is always made possible by the people we get to be around.
--James
School Contact Information & Social Media
Email: james_hopkins@dpsnc.net
Website: https://www.dpsnc.net/o/lyonsfarmelementary
Location: 906 Scott King Road, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919-560-9449
X: @principaljhop
