Principal Notes From Mr. Lauer Welcome Back...

I hope that all of our families enjoyed the winter break.Hopefully we are done with any school closures or delays for thisschool year. Many of you have asked me about any possible makeup days because of the snow days we experienced in December. At this time the decision regarding make up days has not yetbeen made. I will keep families informed both with thenewsletter and on our school web site as these decisions aremade.

Kindergarten Round Up Meetings Scheduled

We will be offering two informational meetings for prospectivekindergarten families. Please share this information with family and friends who might be interested. The dates and times arelisted below:

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 9:00 amor Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 6:00 pm

Today we are sending home the

Lewis Elementary School StateReport Card

. Each year the State of Oregon rates each school inthe state on a number of indicators. I am happy to report thatLewis is listed with a rating of STRONG. Also Today, the

Lewis Elementary School Family Directory

isbeing sent home. Printing and publishing the directory toollonger than we anticipated and I apologize for the delay. As we enter the new calendar year, I wanted to take thisopportunity to wish all of our families the very best and to thankall of you for the opportunity to work with the students, familiesand staff of Lewis Elementary School. I consider it a great honor to do so.Best wishes,Tim Lauer First grade students working on winter paintings....

Automated Rapid ResponseBroadcast System

With our recent winter weather and schoolclosures I wanted to remind families of the PPSRapid Broadcast System. The Rapid Broadcastsystem enable us to deliver swift notification of inclementweather related school delays or closures and other schoolinformation which is deemed urgent or emergency in nature suchas safety or facility related issues. This information can bedelivered to you in the form of a recorded phone call, a textmessage, an email message, or any combination of the three.This week the school district activated the system and it provided families with fast and accurate information regardingour school closures. At the beginning of the school year a form for enrollment in the Rapid Response System was included inyour child’s registration packet. Over 80% of our families havealready signed up for the programs. If you would like to enroll, please stop by the school office and ask for a Rapid Broadcast form.

Also Note that having current contact information is very important and if you have any phone or address changes to please share this information with Tracy in the school office.Inclement Weather & Emergency Closures

When school closure decisions aremade, the district instantly publishesthe information through their web siteat:

http://www.weather.pps.k12.or.us /

Television and radio stations get their information from this service, butsometimes their broadcast of updates isdelayed. If you have internet access, the link above is the first place you should check for weather-related closure information.The site is available 24 hours a day. This information can also bereached from our web site,

http://lewiselementary.org Please note

, that unless it is pouring down rain, we go out for recess each day at lunch hour. Please be sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.Kindergarten Music...

Walk and Bike Update

The next Lewis Walk & Bike Day will be held on Thursday, January 15th. Break out extra clothing and an umbrella and make your way to school on foot! Come a few minutes early toenjoy hot cider next to the playground.In other W&B news, the recent inclement weather has pushed back the Lewis Walk & Bike punch card launch. Keep an eye out for upcoming news on how to sign your children up. Also, 4thand 5th graders will soon begin completingwalk and bike surveys four days a weekduring technology class.

Kung-Fu Club News

Lewis Elementary's after-school Kung Fu Clubis now selling student-designed "Ninja inTraining" t-shirts as a means to help raise funds to cover costs of the program. Shirtsare available in the school office in youthand adult sizes in black design on white t-shirt, or white designon black t-shirt. The cost is $10.00 per shirt [checks payable toLewis PTA]. Feel free to call Lara at 503-432-7450, or e-mailinfo@kungfuoutreach.orgfor more info.

Silverware Drive

Do you have any extra forks or spoons at your house that you would like to donate to theLewis cafeteria? Oncewe gather enoughutensils, and with thehelp of our amazingvolunteer tray washers,we will eliminate theuse of plastic ware and reduce the amount of garbage created duringlunchtime. Wecurrently have 104 forks and 104 spoons.We need 250 forks and 200 spoons to start using real silverware. The collection bin islocated in the office. Thank you for your help!

Lewis Auction Ticket Sales

Early Bird Ticket Sale specials begin next week! Buy your ticketsin January, pay only $20!February purchase price: $25.00, March: $30

Meriwether Lewis Elementary SchoolWeekly Letter

503 916 6360 -http://lewiselementary.org

January 7, 2009