In the Leonard Loop OCTOBER 21, 2022

Important Dates

Wednesday, October 26: Half-Day - 12:59 dismissal; Parent-Teacher Conferences in the afternoon and evening.

Thursday, October 27: Half-Day - 12:59 dismissal; Parent-Teacher Conferences in the afternoon and evening.

Friday, October 28: Leonard Trunk-or-Treat @ Liberty Center Parking Garage

• 5:45 - 6:30: Trunk decorating and set-up
• 6:30 - 8:00: Trunk-or-Treating
• 8:15: Announcement of winning trunk

See flyers later in Loop for more information!

Monday, October 31: Halloween Parade and Classroom Parties

• Parade (Grades 1-5): 2:45
• Classroom Parties (Grades 1-5): 3:00
• Kindergarten will have their parade (10:15) and parties (10:30) in the morning. Kindergartners should come to school wearing their costumes
• More information will be coming home from your classroom teacher and room parents regarding the parties.
• As you are planning costumes for your children, please keep in mind that costumes should not be frightening or violent.
• Room parents are organizing the games and treats (goodie bags). Please ensure that all donations are coordinated by the room parent in order to keep our kids with allergies safe!

Saturday, November 5: Leonard PTO Fall Clean-Up @ 10:00 - 12:00

With all the leaves falling, our PTO could really use your help to beautify our school and prepare for winter. Come anytime between 10 am and noon. Bring your rakes and gardening gloves and the PTO will provide hot chocolate and donuts. Any questions, please email Kate Schliecher at KatelynSchleicher@gmail.com.

Tuesday, November 8: Picture Retake Day (rescheduled from November 2)

If your child was absent on the first picture day, or you aren't satisfied with your child's school picture, he/she is welcome to participate in retake day. To order pictures for the first time, please submit the order form (or order online). To participate in retakes, please have your child return the original picture package to school.

Wednesday, November 9: Late Start; 10:39 arrival (Teacher professional learning in the morning)

Wednesday, November 23 - Friday, November 25: No School - Thanksgiving Break

For a list of important district-wide dates for this school year, please visit the link below:

Updates

Family Circle Lesson

Here at Leonard, we believe in educating the WHOLE child. We believe our job is to grow good people – to teach our kids how to learn, to love learning, and to apply what they have learned using a strong moral and ethical compass. Kindness should never be undervalued.

A Little History

Several years ago, we surveyed our parents, students, and staff to determine the values that are most important to our community. The five character traits that were chosen are: respect, kindness, integrity, perseverance, and responsibility. These values are the foundation upon which we will build our character education program. Our lessons, our behavior reinforcements, and our daily interactions will embody these five traits. We invite you to use these same traits at home when having conversations with your children.

The Role of Family Circles

Leonard was the first school in Troy to implement the concept of multi-age/grade character education groups – we call these our Family Circles. We consider this a point of pride. Family Circles are groups of students and staff that meet regularly to focus on building relationships within our school and fostering the development of character. Students in grades K-5 are assigned to a specific family, and they will stay with the same group of children (and the same teacher) throughout their time at Leonard. Every spring, we salute our fifth graders as they head off to middle school and every fall we welcome new kindergartners to our bunch. This year, we are excited to be bringing back the multi-age/grade groups that were hibernating during the pandemic. Seeing the kids float through the hallways on Wednesday morning to travel to their Family Circle classrooms was a beautiful thing!

Wednesday's Lesson

This week, our Family Circle lesson was an introduction to the members of their new group. Kids spent time learning the names and a favorite pastime of the kids in their Family Circle by playing a circle game. We also reviewed our five core values and discussed the purpose and importance of Family Circle lessons.

A few questions you can ask your kids to spark conversations at home about Family Circles:

• Who is your Family Circle teacher?
• Who are some of the kids in your Family Circle? Do you remember any of the motions/actions that went with their name when you played the circle game?
• Can we play the circle game as a family? Will you teach it to us?
• Why do you think Leonard has Family Circles? What are they for/what's their purpose?

Leopard League

Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Gollin started a new initiative with our fifth graders - Leopard League (not to be confused with our wildly popular Lego League Robotics Club). Once a month, each fifth grade class participates in a special lesson that is centered around kindness and inclusion. For this first month's activity, the children were taught specific strategies focused on teamwork. They designed and decorated a pumpkin while honoring each team member's ideas and ensuring that all voices were included.

A HUGE thank you to Irma's on Dequindre for donating 16 pumpkins!