PTO Update

October was a doozy and so was this past weekend! We hope everyone who celebrates had a great Halloween and you all were able to enjoy the extra hour of sleep. Thankfully, November is shaping up to be a bit calmer than October was for L-T. Knock on wood.

📬 Admin Questions? Reach out to Principal Miller at penelope.miller@k12.dc.gov

📬 PTO Questions reach out at pto@ludlowtaylor.org

🤝Meet with Dr. Miller: Schedule Time on her Calendar

Nov 2 - No School - Teacher Records & Wellness Day

Nov 3 - No School - Sign up for TFS Day Off Camp on Friday, Oct. 23

Nov 5 - PTO Meeting (7:45 PM, Virtual - Zoom Link)

Nov 5 - LSAT Tech Sub-Committee Meeting (8:30 PM - Zoom Link - Meeting ID: 819 8311 7626; Passcode: 500457)

Nov 6 - Last day to give to the Warrior Fund!

Nov 6 - Thanksgiving Basket Collection Begins

Nov 6 School wide Birthday Celebration

Nov 6 - ECE, K, & 1st Diwali Celebration

Nov 6 - LT Learning Lab: Holding the Line with Love with Dr. Gan (12 PM, Virtual - Zoom Link)

Nov 7 - Capitol Hill Foundation Literary Feast (Join Waitlist)

Nov 8 - Diwali

Nov 9 - Math/Reading with Friends Begins

Nov 10 - LSAT Meeting (6:30 PM, Virtual)

Nov 11 - No School - Veteran's Day

Nov 18 - Educational Support Staff Appreciation Day

Nov 18 - No TFS Clubs (still before/after care)

Nov 18 - Auction Committee Meeting (7:30 PM, Virtual)

Nov 19 - Thanksgiving Dessert Potluck

Remember — participation matters just as much as the amount you give. Every donation counts toward your grade’s participation rate. Standings:

• 1st Place: PK3 (41% participation)

• 2nd Place: 1st Grade (39% participation)

• 3rd Place: Kindergarten (32% participation)

Followed by: 2nd Grade (29%), 3rd (27%), PK4 (25%), 5th (24%), and 4th (22%).

Grade‑level student prize options:

• Extra recess day

• Pie the PTO in the face

• Decorate the front window

And don’t forget, your teachers will receive prizes too! Help your grade climb the leaderboard.

Give at: https://ludlowtaylorpto.betterworld.org/campaigns/warrior-fund

Donate here: https://ludlowtaylorpto.betterworld.org/campaigns/warrior-fund and reach out to ptovp2@ludlowtaylor.org with any questions.

Questions for presenters or topic recommendations can be submitted here: Questions/ Topics- LT Learning Lab presenters.

• Friday, November 6 @ 12:00 PM: Learning Lab with Dr. Gan — Holding the Line with Love. Practical strategies for setting boundaries, handling pushback, and staying connected as kids grow. Register Here

• Friday, December 4, 2026 @ 1215 PM: Learning Lab with Ms. Rose & AP Watson -Inside Arts & Letters, LT’s New Reading Curriculum, Register Here

• Friday, January 8 @ 12:00 PM: Learning Lab with Dr. Gan — Navigating Friendships. Helping kids manage friendships, work through conflicts, and build confidence and resilience. Register Here

• FoodPrints Volunteers 👉 Sign up here to help

• FoodPrints has started up for the year! Look and see when your student’s class is scheduled and come help out!

• Some ECE classes have been added. If you don't see yours listed, reach out to your teacher.

• Playground Opening Volunteers: Parent volunteers are needed to help open/close gates. Your partnership truly makes this possible — please join the Whatsapp Playground Volunteer Group and sign up as an LT playground Volunteer.

• Math & Reading with Friends Tutoring Begins November 9!

• Families can expect registration links to arrive in their inboxes November 4–5. Keep an eye out for registration details!

Thank you for leading with patience, fairness, and a genuine heart for every student's success. We deeply appreciate the countless hours and energy you pour into shaping the future of our community. Or in sticking with our theme into helping the future of our community grow. 🌼

Minted

• Use our unique promo code, FUNDRAISELUDLOW when you buy cards at Minted and enjoy 20% off your purchases, and 10% will be donated back to LT PTO!

🦃 Thanksgiving Baskets

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we are hoping to tap into the generosity of the LT community to assemble Thanksgiving baskets. These baskets are for families within the LT community who are in need of food assistance this holiday season. We humbly ask for non-perishable food support and/or financial support with this project.

How Can You Help?

• Financial Contributions. We are asking for monetary donations to fund the purchase of grocery store gift cards, which will be added to the baskets. The gift cards will be distributed equitably across the basket recipients to allow families the option to purchase a turkey or other perishable items that work for their family. Financial donations can be made at this link. The deadline to contribute is Wednesday, November 18. (For awareness, some of these funds may be distributed to families in connection with holiday gift efforts in December.)

• Non-Perishable Food Drive. Class room parents are generously spearheading efforts in homeroom classes to collect non-perishable items for the Thanksgiving baskets. These items need to be returned to classrooms by Thursday, November 19. Please consider signing up. In the event that your class signup sheet is full, please consider helping fill another class’s basket. This is truly a team effort to support our community.

If you or another LT family you know could benefit from a basket, please contact Kevin Stafford, our school social worker at Kevin.Stafford@k12.dc.gov or Kayla Reid, our Restorative Justice Coordinator at Kayla.Reid@k12.dc.gov.

🚨November 6 is the last day to reach out to Mr. Stafford or Ms. Reid to be considered for a Thanksgiving Basket.

Thank you in advance for your time and support on this project. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

After our great Anxious Generation discussion, we're back. This time we're reading The Digital Delusion by Jared Cooney Horvath, which looks at tech in the classroom.

We're teaming up with Solid State Books. Recent flooding at the store has delayed things, so our date is still TBD. Stay tuned!

New to the group? Join the conversation on WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GjkbnqNfBmM5Bcf3VQfxvB

• FoodPrints: First $10,000 installment toward the PTO’s funding commitment.

• ICYMI Investments: Playground turf repairs were completed! PTO dollars spent on 2 school printers/supplies $20K, Supply & Maintenance for 12 months $4,800, and new Reading & Writing workbooks $11k, helping students and teachers start the year strong. Teacher reimbursement & recess equipment 4k, aftercare subsidy SY26-27 15k, Field trip support $8k

True warriors recognize the strength and support of their community!