Linked "In" with Lawrence School

We had a wonderful Community Meeting of the Leopards with our K-5th students yesterday morning and a beautiful day for school picture day today! We hope to see everyone decked out in Lawrence/Leopard gear tomorrow for our first whole school spirit day! We are humming along as classrooms continue to build a sense of belonging - the building is busy with learners of all ages! A few quick notes for the community:

First off, as shared last week, we have received multiple proposals for the Lawrence School Site Council, so the PTO is mandated to run elections. Please take some time to review the candidate-provided proposals below and vote for three candidates to serve a two-year term. This communication was also sent from the PTO and they are coordinating the elections. We will announce the School Council next week.

Second, we would like to provide some important reminders about school grounds/Lawrence Playground and Park:

• Lawrence/Longwood Park is a wonderful community space; however, families are reminded to be considering their individual child(ren)'s developmental level, in terms of levels of supervision. As a caveat, this is a public and urban park: please use discretion and always put safety first and foremost! There is NO supervision for children once the school day ends, with the only exception being those in organized groups, such as an LSA or LEDP. These staff are NOT responsible for supervising, disciplining or providing medical care for anyone other than their own students.

• At the end of the school day, children must leave the building unless they are with a teacher or participating in an after-school activity. They may not return to the building to use the bathroom or phone (unless their end-of-school ride did not arrive), get a drink, return to lockers, or look for friends.

• School grounds are public property and are available to everyone for appropriate use. Such use includes playing on the playground or sitting and talking. It is not appropriate to gather in large groups at the entrance to the school. These kinds of groups can be intimidating to young children and adults who want to enter or leave the school. Rule 1.8, Article 9, Section 1(b) of the Town of Brookline ordinances prohibits the use of skateboards and scooters on public grounds and streets. That means that these items are not allowed on or ridden on school grounds.

• After school, the Lawrence Extended Day Program has access to the playground. Individual students or groups of students should not interfere with this access.

• Appropriate behavior is expected of all students on the way to and from school. We are all members of a larger community and must respect the rights and property of our neighbors.

• We all have a responsibility to care for the Lawrence Park and Playground - please respect this space so that all can enjoy it for generations: pick up any trash, refrain from climbing trees, protect flowers and plants, maintain reasonable noise levels, and demonstrate respect for all users.

Finally, we look forward to welcoming adult caregivers/parents to our Curriculum Night/Open Houses, beginning with the middle school next week. We will send out another communication with reminders, but please check out the dates below!

Warmly,

Vanessa Bilello

Principal, Lawrence School

vanessa_bilello@psbma.org

Seth Gillman

Why I want to Join:

I have two children currently at Lawrence in 4th and 3rd grade, both starting at kindergarten. We like the diverse community here and both our children have thrived. I think we have excellent educators and support staff at Lawrence, and I’d like to use my time and experience to help where I can. I care deeply about the education and experience my children have at school as well as making sure all students can thrive and enjoy their experience.

Contributions I can make:

My background is in financial services, spanning operations, investor relations and strategy. With this professional experience, I can help with understanding budget, financial needs and problem solving. I am open to listening to and considering all views at the table and the community.

Thank you for considering me to join the Lawrence School Council.

Anna Hartmann

I am excited to put my name forward for Lawrence School Council. Having served as PTO Chair for the past four years, I have had the opportunity to work closely with our teachers, administrators, staff, and families. That experience has deepened my commitment to Lawrence and to supporting the work underway to help every student thrive.

Lawrence has made meaningful progress in building a strong and supportive school community. I particularly appreciate the administration’s efforts to strengthen teaching and learning through MTSS, use data to better understand and respond to student needs, and foster a culture centered on belonging, respect, and high expectations. These priorities are reflected in our current School Improvement Plan through its focus on literacy and mathematics, differentiated and tiered support, equitable outcomes, and family engagement.

I believe this is an important year for Lawrence. As the school and district consider questions around technology and digital literacy, middle school programming, and the broader K-8 model, thoughtful input from Lawrence families will be essential. The development of our next School Improvement Plan also gives us an opportunity to reflect on what is working, identify where gaps remain, and establish priorities for the years ahead.

If elected to serve, I would bring my experience as a parent leader, my familiarity with the Lawrence community, and a commitment to listening to and representing a broad range of family perspectives. I would particularly like to strengthen parent engagement in the school improvement process so that families have meaningful opportunities to understand the data, contribute their perspectives, and help shape priorities.

I am proud of the work happening at Lawrence and would welcome the opportunity to contribute to its next phase as a collaborative partner with school leadership, educators, students, families, and the broader Lawrence community.

Maria Kolbe

More important than my professional background, my interest stems from a wish to support my son's joyful schooling experience by contributing to his school community in every way I can. Professionally, I began my teaching career as a substantially-separate special educator in Cambridge Public Schools before transitioning to Newton Public. There, I served as a special educator and an instructional coach, and I am currently the Director of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for the district. I love the educational systems work I am lucky to engage in daily, but I'm most proud of centering student joy and belonging as the core of that change management work. With all that said, I would approach the School Council the way I first saw participation modeled by our parents when I was a building-based educator: as a thought-partner during meeting times and overall supporter of the mission and vision of the school.

Jason North

We now have three children at Lawrence (grades 1, 4, and 5), and next year we'll have four with a kindergartner joining the Leopards. The past five years, I've enjoyed getting to know staff and other families. Currently I'm a stay-at-home dad and have the bandwidth to help out more.

My background was originally in finance before I transitioned to teaching. I've taught middle and high school English and social studies (and one section of math) in Malawi, Seattle, and North Carolina. I also received a masters in teaching from Seattle University and was chair of the School Improvement Team (SIT) at my school in NC.

As a teacher, I focused on equity, including swapping out texts that were more current and diverse and forefronting students' voices rather than my own. I also spearheaded the implementation of a belonging intervention and adapted it for 9th graders. In college, the intervention has been shown to close 40% of the achievement gap (Yeager, Walton, et al, 2016) with similar results seen at my school.

My other big focus was on differentiation. For example, in NC I taught standard/honors optional English classes that had students reading at the second grade and college levels in the same class.

I'm interested in a second term as a member of the Lawrence School Council. It’s been great working with the School Council members, and I’d like to continue through the School Improvement Plan update cycle.

Andrea Ricotta

I am writing to submit my name as an interested parent to serve on the Lawrence School Site

Council for the next two years. I have both a vested, long-term in the Lawrence’s success, as

well as professional experience that can support the work of the Site Council.

I have been a Brookline resident for the past ten years. Two of my three children, Owen (grade

5) and Elliot (grade 2), currently attend Lawrence, and my son Charlie (PreK) attends BEEP on

Beacon and will join Lawrence next year. Our family is deeply committed to the Lawrence

School. A large factor in our decision to stay in Brookline long term is so our children can all

attend such a wonderful neighborhood school. In total, my husband and I will have a child at

Lawrence from 2020 to 2035, a long-term commitment! We have experienced the wonderful

staff and learning environment at Lawrence, but also understand that every school has

challenges and areas to improve. This is truly motivating me to become involved in the site

council, to ensure Lawrence creates a high quality learning environment for all students.

In addition to my family commitment, I have worked in public education for the past twenty

years. I started my career as a middle and high school teacher, then partnered with Boston

Public Schools as the Evaluation Director at City Year Boston. For the past ten years, I worked at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where I led the

redesign of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Blueprint (MTSS), led the statewide strategy on

MTSS, provided technical assistance across the state on MTSS, and coached districts on drafting and monitoring their school improvement plans. I have deep knowledge of and experience with adopting and implementing high-quality instructional materials, Massachusetts education data, using data to inform school-wide decisions, and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

In addition, I am graduating from UMass Boston with my PhD in Urban Education, Leadership,

and Policy in May 2027. My research focuses on support for paraprofessionals across the state.

I had done extensive work on the paraprofessional workforce in Massachusetts, including

leading the development of the first ever statewide professional learning supports for

Paraprofessionals.

Currently, I work at the EdRedesign Lab out of the Harvard Graduate School of Education as the

Director of Applied Data and Community Insights. My work focuses on supporting communities

across the country with deepening relationship-based support for all students.

I would be thrilled to join the Site Council at Lawrence. I also currently serve on the BEEP Site

Council (for one final year). Thank you for considering.

Natalya Wallentin

My name is Natalya Wallentin, I joined the Lawrence community this year with a daughter in Kindergarten. I am interested in serving on the Lawrence School Council because I want to take an active role in helping shape a strong, inclusive, and engaging educational experience for my children and the broader school community.

I bring a professional background in marketing, with a particular focus on messaging, communications, and driving engagement. I believe these skills could be valuable in helping the school effectively communicate with caregivers, parents, and students and encourage greater participation in school initiatives and community activities. I also have prior experience serving on the board of my daughters’s preschool, where I worked collaboratively with families, educators, and school leadership and gained experience managing budgets and grants, reviewing governance policies and strategic plans, and supporting decisions that affected the broader school community.

Having lived in Brookline for the past four years and planning to remain in the community long term, I am invested in contributing to its future. I also come from a diverse household and would bring a perspective shaped by different backgrounds, experiences, and communities.

Most importantly, I would welcome the opportunity to listen, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully to the Council. I hope to use my skills and experience to support initiatives that positively impact students, families, and the Lawrence school community as a whole.

Please support their efforts by getting involved with the PTO in whatever capacity you can. And, please choose to "opt in" to the PTO's communications to stay up to speed on all things Lawrence Community.

Check out all the upcoming fall events here!

Please contact us if you have any questions on events listed below!

Lawrence PTO Events Calendar

PSB District Calendar

Please review the dates below. We will add to these calendars as the year progresses. Contact the office with any questions.

September 15th - October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month!

• Friday, September 25th - Lawrence Leopards Spirit Day! Pull out your animal prints, spotted sweatshirts, and/or Maroon or Lawrence spirit wear to show your Lawrence Loyalty!

• Monday, September 25th - Thursday, October 1st - Costume Collection for Halloween Swap & Sale (PTO sponsored)

• Wednesday, September 30th - 6:00 - 7:30 PM - Lawrence Curriculum Open House (Grades 6 - 8) *Adults only. More information coming soon, please save this date!

• Monday, October 5th - 6:00 - 7:30 PM - Lawrence Curriculum Open House (Grades 3-5) *Adults only. Child care for ages 3-10 with PTO for the evening on a first-come, first-served basis - see PTO website for more information. Please save this date!

• Thursday, October 8th - 8:15-9:15 AM Hybrid: Lawrence location TBD/Zoom - Lawrence School Council

• Thursday, October 8th - 5:30-6:00PM in Lawrence library - METCO Meet & Greet Dinner

• Thursday, October 8th - 6:00 - 7:30 PM - Lawrence Curriculum Open House (Grades K-2) *Adults only. Child care for ages 3-10 with PTO for the evening on a first-come, first-served basis - see PTO website for more information. Please save this date!

• Thursday, October 8th - Friday, October 9th - Halloween Costume Sale (PTO sponsored)

• Monday, October 12th - No School, Indigenous People's Day

• Sunday, October 18th - 9:00 - 11:00 AM on the Longwood Park field - Lawrence Fun Run (PTO sponsored)

• Monday, October 26th - Friday, October 30th - LAWRENCE SCHOOL FALL SPIRIT WEEK! *Themes will be picked by our fall Middle School Leopard PAC (Principal's Advisory Council) members and shared with the community in early October!*

• Friday, October 30th - 1:15 PM - K-2nd Grade Halloween Parade - More information coming home soon!

• Tuesday, November 3rd- NO SCHOOL - MA Election Day & PSB Professional Development Day: Staff Report/Closed for Students

Conference Early Release Days - 12:40 pm Dismissal

Fall: 11/4 (K-6), 11/12 (K-8), 11/18 (K-8), 12/3 (K-8)

Spring: 4/8 (K-8), 4/14 (K-6), 4/29 (K-6), 5/5 (K-6)

*All staff will designate evening conference times, in addition to the Early Dismissal time. This is a dedicated week, TBA, during the Fall/Spring

School Council Dates: (Thursdays @ 8:15-9:15 am - Hybrid, Zoom & Location TBD) - October 8th, December 10, February 11, April 8, June 10

Principal/PTO Forums:

*These forums will alternate formats (zoom/in person), with the hopes of connecting with members of our adult community. Each forum will include a different, timely topic of interest related to the Lawrence School. Dates subject to change.*

• Thursday, October 22nd: 8:15-9:15 am (Hybrid, Library): Fall Feedback - Join the PTO leaders and school leadership to discuss the start of the school year: what worked, provide feedback, ask questions about upcoming events, connect with school/PTO!
• Thursday, December 3rd: 7:00-8:00 pm (Zoom): Theme TBA
• Thursday, February 4th: 8:15-9:15 am (Hybrid, Library): Theme TBA
• Thursday, April 1st: 7:00-8:00 pm (Zoom): Theme TBA
• Thursday, June 3rd: 8:15-9:15 am (Hybrid, Library): School Year Wrap Up

School Hours:

School hours will continue to be Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am - 2:30 pm and Fridays from 8:00 am - 1:40 pm. The front door opens at 7:30 AM for students choosing to eat breakfast in the cafeteria (students must report to the cafeteria and stay there until 7:50 AM). Door around the building (see below for your child's location) open promptly for students not entering for breakfast at 7:50 AM daily.

Arrival for the ‘26-’27 School Year:

There are multiple entrances for students and staff to use when arriving to and exiting the building. Students must arrive at and leave from their assigned entrance every morning and when school is dismissed.

• Students should arrive between 7:50-8:00am, and not sooner as they will have to remain outside even during the colder weather. Staff who monitor the doors will need to leave their doors exactly at 8am to start servicing students. They will not be able to keep doors open and let students into the building even if students are just feet away from the door.

  For students who arrive at the building at 8:00 a.m and after regardless of their assigned entrance, they will need to enter the building through the main entrance on Francis Street in order to check in at the main office and receive a late pass.

  
  

  There are multiple entrances for students and staff to use when arriving to and exiting the building. Students must arrive at and leave from their assigned entrance every morning and when school is dismissed. Students in grades K-2 will meet their teacher at a determined location close to their assigned door. Teachers in grades K, 1 and 2 will communicate with their classes directly about meeting locations.

  
  

• Where do I go into school?

• Front Door on Francis Street: KG, 4MC, 4R, 6A, 6M, 6YS, 6S, 7A, 8D (KG walk to classes on the first floor. Grades 4-8 travel up to the second and third floors via the center staircase.) (Door 1 has name of school and address above the double doors)

• Playground entrance near cafeteria: KC, 3M, 3P, 3W(Grades K- 4 travel up to the first and second second floors via staircase.) Door # 4

• Playground entrance near the bike racks: KO, 1P, 1L, 5B, (KO goes down to the basement. Grade 1 walks up stairs to their first floor classrooms. 5B travel to the second via the staircase) Door #3

• Side Entrance on path between Francis Street and Newell Rd. 2A, 5E, 5N, 7LM, 8B, 8H, 8A (Grades 5-8 travel to the second and third floors via the staircase) Door #13
  Classroom Door-1C (Door # 2), 2G (Door # 10)

• Back Door by Courtyard: 1GS, 2W, 7M (2W can enter and go down the stairs, 1GS can enter the building, take left and go to class on first floor, 7M will use the center stairwell to second and third floors based on location of first period) Door #9

• Back Doors off of Newell Road across from tennis courts: KP, 4C & 4W (KP Door #6) and 4C & 4W will enter at the adjacent door (Door #7) closer to the alcove near their rooms and use the stairwell to the second floor.

Late Arrivals/Tardies: Starting each day in class on time helps set the tone for learning all day. Please, work together with your child to establish strong morning routines at home that allow you to ensure that they are ready to start their day at Lawrence by 7:55 am. It is very important that students arrive in time to go to their lockers/cubbies and then get into their classroom by 8 am. Therefore, the doors to Lawrence will open at 7:50 am each morning for your child to enter. Students (and families) should plan their morning to arrive no later than 7:55 am so that students can be in their classroom, with materials and ready to learn, by 8:00 am. Students will be marked tardy if they after 8:00 am. Staff monitoring the doors will leave them at 8 am sharp so they can begin their day with students. Since doors will be locked at 8 am, anyone arriving after that time must go to the front entrance to be checked in late and receive a tardy pass from the office.

Dismissal:

• Kindergarten, first grade and second grade students will be walked out via the same assigned doors (above) and dismissed to their caregivers.

• Grades 3-8 students will walk to meet their caregivers at assigned doors or walk home when dismissed by their teacher. *6-8th will retrieve their personal electronic devices from Middle School Cell Phone lockers at @ 2:30pm in assigned location

Information for Parents/Caregivers:

• If for any reason you need to pick up your child(ren) during the school day, please come to the main entrance on Francis Street to sign them out.

• When you arrive you can ring the bell and share your name, your child(ren)’s name(s), their homeroom(s), and the reason they need to be dismissed. A member of the front office staff will then connect with staff in the building to have your child(ren) dismissed. Children in Kindergarten - Grade 2 will be walked down to the main lobby to connect with the adult waiting. Children in Grades 3-8 will be dismissed independently from their classrooms, check in at the main office and walk out through the front entrance with the adult waiting. Students are welcome to return to school after an appointment, but should sign back in at the office so that their attendance is recorded accordingly.

• NO STUDENT may be dismissed before the end of the school day without an adult waiting outside for them.

What do I if my child is going to be absent?

Contact our absence line at (617) 879-4343

What if my child forgets an item at home?

Building responsibility for their materials is a major part of the K-8th student education! We encourage families to set routines together to create the expectation that students arrive ready for their day (see the Resources section below for ways to build these in your family structures. And, we recognize that sometimes families need to bring a forgotten item to school.

This year, we are putting into place a drop off station in the vestibule/main lobby. This is for both security, student privacy and to smooth logistics for the office team. Once ringing our bell and identifying your purpose for visiting, leave a sticky note with the item on the side table in the vestibule entrance. Please note: we will not be calling classrooms immediately to minimize classroom disruptions. Large instruments can still be delivered onto the instrument rack in main lobby.

What about lunch?

FREE MEALS FOR ALL STUDENTS: Free meals are available to all students once again this year, due to MA state funding. No documentation/application is needed to receive these benefits. Only complete, reimbursable meals are eligible (1 meal, with milk, per lunch period). Single milks, double meals, etc. are NOT FREE and will be charged accordingly. See the Updates from the Cafe section for more info.

How can I get involved? Lawrence Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)

Families are encouraged to learn more about volunteer opportunities with the PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization)! It is a great ways to become part of our community at Lawrence - and is an extremely important supporter of our school! You can find links to this organizations here.

The PTO provides students in our elementary schools with a variety of enrichment programs during the school year to enhance and support classroom instruction. THE PTO also helps organize parents/guardians to volunteer at Lawrence - whether you are available weekly or for special events, please reach out to the PTO to learn more. The PTO counts on your membership to support activities in the schools that are enjoyed by all. For more information, please visit the PTO website.

Volunteering

As a reminder, any volunteers do need to have an up-to-date CORI on file in the office. Check with the office for details. Volunteer opportunities are frequently coordinated through our PTO.

Security Reminder - School Doors

Just a reminder that we ask for everyone’s support to prevent ‘tailgating.’ While holding the door open for others is a polite thing to do, it can be a security risk in our schools. Please do not hold the door open for others; we kindly ask that all visitors pass through our buzz-in system at the main entrance to the school.

As more and younger students are given personal electronic devices at home, we want to remind families of our expectations for these devices at school. Lawrence’s protocols are designed to follow the PSB School Committee Policy on Personal Electronic Devices, adopted in April 2025. Lawrence School strives to create a positive learning environment where students can focus on their academic and social development. We believe that it is in the best interest of students to have a complete break from social media and the distractions of personal technology use during the school day. Therefore, these guidelines outline expectations for responsible management of all personal electronic devices while at school.

• Students may not wear smartwatches or keep personal electronic devices on their person during school hours.
• All cellphones/smartwatches must be fully turned off and stored during the following times:
• School hours (from the beginning of the school day until the end of the school day)

• During all classes, specials, and homeroom

• During lunch, recess, and in the hallways during transitions of the school day

• During school assemblies, field trips, and school-sponsored after-school activities (like Homework Club, intrumurals, etc.)

• 6-8th Grades:

• All devices will be stored in school-provided “cell phone lockers” maintained by school staff. All middle school students will turn their devices into their first period teacher for secured storage OR the main office staff, if arriving tardy to school. They will be returned at dismissal.

• Middle school will send home a Google form for parents to indicate what devices students will regularly be bringing to school with them (or indicate if they do not allow students to bring a device to school). Families can anticipate communication from school if a child indicates that they do not have a device on a given day.

• K-5th Grades:

• Devices must be stored in student backpacks at their cubby/locker.

• Permitted use:

• Students may use devices with the teacher's permission for educational purposes.

• During designated times, such as before school or after school, students may use their devices.

• Accommodations are made for documented needs, as described in an IEP/504 Plan.

• Podcast: Helping Kids Deal with Stress & Anxiety While Facing Adversity w/ Katie Hurley
• How Kids Learn Resilience
• Brene Brown's Parenting Manifesto
• How to Raise Successful Kids without Over-Parenting: a TED Talk by Julie Lythcott-Haims
• Stop Doing these 8 Things for Your Kids this Year
• How to Help Your Kids Succeed in School
• ParenTeen Connect: A Resource for Supporting Middle Schoolers
• The Single Most Important Parenting Strategy
• What is SEL and Why is it Important?

Our school website has static information, but it is also updated with current news and bulletins. Every few weeks, you can expect the school-wide newsletter from the principal’s office, Linked "in" With Lawrence School. This Back-To-School edition is lengthy, due to the amount of information that needs to be shared with families. This newsletter is distributed to families via email and can also be found on the school’s webpage. We can't wait to share the great things happening at Lawrence each month!

In addition to the above school-wide methods, please communicate openly with your child’s teacher(s). Each teacher has an email address and voice mailbox. You can find their contact information on our school website.