Leopard Lookout

Dear Lafayette Community,

I hope you all had a great Halloween! The students seemed very quiet today. We have a month full of activities for November. Please make sure that your child has a warm coat for the weather. It has gotten cold and wet!

This month we have student-led conferences. Please make sure to sign up for a time to bring in your child and review where they are and set goals for this year. They use these throughout the year to track their progress. These are taking place throughout November so please check with your child’s teacher.

This Friday, November 6th is our Veteran’s Day assembly. In observance of Veteran’s Day we will not have school on Wednesday, November 11th. We also will not have classes the week of November 23rd-November 27th. This week there are conferences and Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and hope you are able to spend time with family and friends.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at 206-252-9500 or cpchaput@seattleschools.org.

Sincerely,

Cindy Chaput

Principal@Lafayette

As we head into November and prepare for student-led conferences, I want to take a moment to reflect on something that is so important to me as an educator: empowering students to take ownership of their learning. Student-led conferences are about so much more than sharing grades or showing off completed work. They are an opportunity for students to recognize their strengths, reflect on their growth, and begin advocating for what they need to be successful. Even our youngest learners can start developing these skills by sharing what makes them proud, what feels challenging, and what helps them learn best. When students learn to say things like, "I need a little more time," "Can you show me another way?" or "I'm ready for a bigger challenge," they are building confidence and self-advocacy skills that will serve them well beyond elementary school.

One of the things that makes Lafayette special is the fact we are a continuum school, where students with a wide range of abilities, strengths, and needs learn alongside one another. We know that no two children learn the same way, and that is something to celebrate! Through Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we work to create classrooms where students have different ways to engage, access information, and demonstrate what they know. Sometimes advocating for learning needs is simpler than we think. It might mean asking for a quiet space, using a visual to understand directions, taking a movement break, or asking for a large task to be broken down into simple steps. When we normalize these supports for everyone, we help children understand that needing something different isn't a weakness; it's part of being a learner. My hope is that as you sit down with your child during conferences this month, you celebrate not just what they have learned, but also what they are discovering about how they learn. That understanding is one of the greatest gifts we can give our students and will serve them throughout their lifetime.

Thanks! Alden

Now that we have been in school for a couple of months and many celebrate a season of gratitude this time of year, it can be a good time to evaluate the questions we ask students when they are picked up or arrive home from school. Keeping a positive focus and encouraging self-reflection can create a valuable tool in their emotional toolbox.

Question Bank:

1. Were you a champion for anyone today?

2. What made you laugh aloud today?

3. Did you learn any new or interesting words today?

4. How did our family values show up in you, in class or recess?

5. Who did you sit with at lunch? Any great conversation topics?

6. If you met you today, would you want to be friends with you?

7. Did you stand up for yourself or someone else today?

8. How did you show gratitude at school today?

9. If you felt bored today, how did you that responsibility for that and get engaged?

10. If you had been the teacher today how would you have taught on the same subject?

I am sure you have lots of wonderful questions you ask. Be sure to share them with other parents. We tend to get more of what we focus on. May your November be filled with gratitude.

Nurse Station

Hello! My name is Alison Angell, and I am the school nurse at Lafayette Elementary for this school year. I am at Lafayette on Tuesdays and alternating Wednesdays/Fridays. Please call or email me if you have any health concerns for your child. Health Office: 206-252-9507; Email: ahangell@seattleschools.org.

Stay Home when Sick

This is a reminder for all families to please keep your student home from school when they are sick. This allows them to rest until they are ready to learn and helps prevent the spread of illness to other students and staff.
Students with fevers must be fever-free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
Please see the guide, “Is My Child Too Sick to Go to School?”

For updated guidance on Respiratory Illness from SPS, including advice on when to return to school.

Get your Flu and Covid-19 Vaccines

Seattle Public Schools is partnering with Seattle Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA) to provide vaccine clinics to the public.

SVNA is offering flu vaccine to anyone age four and up and covid vaccine to anyone age five and up. SVNA clinics require insurance (most plans accepted) or payment. Find the vaccination school locations, dates, times, and registration.

Additional vaccine resources for children and uninsured adults are available.

Head Lice Information

Fall is often the time that we start to see cases of head lice at school. Please be sure to check your student for any signs/symptoms of lice infestation and see this important information:

• Signs & Symptoms – itching, tickling feeling of something moving in the hair, live lice and eggs (nits) attached to hair roots, sores or scratch marks on head caused by scratching.
• Transmission – direct head-to-head contact or via personal articles (hats, combs, clothing, etc.). Lice cannot jump, hop or fly, and cannot live away from a human host.
• What to Do if Lice Present – Notify any close contacts, begin treatment, and continue to come to school.
• Resources – There are drugstore over-the-counter products as well as lice salons that remove lice. Whichever route you choose, be sure to be vigilant and follow all instructions. Getting rid of lice often involves more than one treatment. Helpful lice information about lice from Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Vision and Hearing Screening

Every year SPS provides mandated vision and hearing screenings. Students in grades K-3, 5 will begin to receive vision and hearing screening this fall. If your child wears glasses, please send the glasses to school every day so they can use their best vision in the classroom and be prepared for vision screening. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s vision or hearing please reach out to Nurse Angell at ahangell@seattleschools.org.

Hello Lafayette Families,

It’s Ms. Thurston, your friendly neighborhood art teacher! ❤

In October, students enjoyed discussing the art of Abstract Expressionist painter Joan Mitchell and creating art to represent a strong feeling. Their pieces are as unique and creative as each artist who made them, and they are fun to look at. We hung abstract pieces created by kindergarten, first grade, and second grade on a large bulletin board across the ramp from the west hallway bathrooms. I hope you can take a look when you visit for your learner’s student-led conference. 😊

In November, students are learning about the PTA Reflections Program. Running since 1969, Reflections is an art competition inviting students from preschool through 12th grade to get creative and make art around a theme. This year’s theme is “What My Culture Means to Me”. Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade will be given class time to create something around their culture, then they may decide if they want to enter their art into the competition. Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades are invited to create something at home to submit. Historically we’ve only accepted visual art submissions, but this year our school is opening up the competition to include other categories: photography, film production, music, and dance choreography. Please look for a flyer coming home in the first week of November. All entries are due by November 20th. I hope to see a lot of submissions from every grade level. Thanks for supporting your young artist(s) to be brave, create something, and share it with us.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

Ms. Lindsay Thurston

Art Teacher

Hello Lafayette Families!

I hope everyone is doing well!

As October comes to an end and we step into the month of November, there are many things we will be continuing and adding in Music.

At the end of each month, we will be learning about a new country in my world music unit. This gives the students the opportunity to learn about different countries, cultures, music, and about a variety of unique instruments. It is a great way for our students to learn about the world and have incredible discussions about what they hear and see in the music. We ended October learning about Spain, voted on by Mr. Ngobi's 5th Grade!

We will be continuing instrument playing from the month of October, learning new songs, creative rhythms and expanding our knowledge of music techniques. We will also continue to learn about the theory of music through studying rhythmic and melodic patterns, notation identification, and for the older classes different time signatures.

If you have any questions, please email me at sapayne@seattleschools.org

Thank you for all your support!

-Mr. Payne

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are just finishing their fitness tests, which included the plank, hamstring stretch, and PACER. We’re sorry we couldn’t start the bike unit this week, but we are settling into our PE routines and will keep staying active with cooperative games! We will let you know when we get the bikes so your child can bring in helmets. If your child has PE outside, please help them dress for the weather with layers and closed-toe shoes. Thanks for supporting a safe and active November!

Ms. O'Connor/Mr. Obi

Hello Lafayette Families!

My name is Linda Nakagawa, and I am excited to serve as Lafayette’s school librarian. The library is a welcoming space where students develop a love of reading, explore new ideas, and build important research, information literacy, and digital citizenship skills.

Throughout the year, students visit the library to discover books that match their interests, learn how to find and evaluate information, and engage in activities that support learning across all subject areas. My goal is to help every student become a confident reader, curious learner, and thoughtful user of information.

I look forward to partnering with students, staff, and families to foster a lifelong love of reading and learning. I am excited for another wonderful year in the Lafayette library!

Tamara and I (Traci) have been getting to know your students, and it has been fun. We’ll be part of the WIN team working together with your kids to support them where they need it.

WIN stands for What I Need and that’s exactly what our school strives to support using the great resources we have.

Although we are with the multilingual department, we help all people – especially those new people to Seattle, so please don’t hesitate to contact us to support each other or ask us about

• After school enrichment and financial aid
• Meals at school or how to use the food banks
• Our district’s adopted curricula
• Math
• Kindergarten
• Grade 1
• Grade 2
• Grade 3
• Grade 4
• Grade 5
• ELA (English Language Arts)
• Emerge!

• Seattle Parks and Recreation
• Extra-curricular activities
• Aftercare
• Summer camps
• What’s fun around West Seattle? We have lots!
• Anything else?

Phone number: 206-252-9500