• Thursday, August 24
• 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.
• Second Grade Arbor

Coffee and refreshments will be served, and younger siblings are welcome to accompany parents. Please note: there will be only one coffee this year now that both kindergartens start at 8:15 on Thursdays.

The school times have changed this year for kindergarten, but remain the same for other grades:

AM Kindergarten - 8:10-12:10*
PM Kindergarten - 10:10 to 2:40*
1st and 2nd - 8:15 to 2:45*

*Except Thursdays "All Together Day":
All K, 1st and 2nd attend 8:15 to 1:30

School begins on Thursday, August 24. The first day of school, like all Thursdays, follows the NEW "All Together Day" schedule, so all students will arrive at 8:15 a.m. and be dismissed at 1:30 p.m. (there will be no separate AM and PM kindergarten schedule on Thursdays). Please pick up your child promptly.

The PTO maintains a month-by-month online calendar with up-to-date information about PTO and school events for the year. As these dates approach, they will be posted in the Laurel PTO Newsletter.

In addition, we have issued a printable, 2-page version of this year's PTO Calendar in the form of a list of important school and PTO events.

You will need to pack a lunch for your child and a separate snack for the first few weeks. AM Kindergarteners will need lunch only on Thursdays. The Hot Lunch Program for first and second graders will begin on September 12 (see information below).

Find out from your teacher which day your child has P.E., and make sure you provide appropriate clothing and athletic footwear on that day each week.

Your child will also need to bring a backpack to school. The PTO provides each child with a blue Laurel folder for bringing home classroom papers on Mondays.

Walking or Biking
The school encourages families to walk or ride with their children to and from school. Please walk bikes on campus and use the bike racks near the portables. Helmets for children are required by law. The Safety Committee is organizing walking and biking pools for kids who live within 1.5 miles from school. Contact Marcia Bever at 322-8869 or marcia(at)premierbenefits.com for details.

Parking
You may park in the main parking lot or along Ringwood. Do not park on Edge Road, in Staff parking spaces, in the red curb area, or along the curb in front of the school. At pick-up time, children of all grades will be supervised by Laurel Teachers at the second-grade arbor area until they are met by an authorized adult (ask your child's teacher how to notify her about who will pick up your child).

Drive-Through "Carpool"
You may drop off your child along the circular drive in front of the school beginning at 8 a.m. PTO volunteers supervise the morning drop-off. To Pick- Up at the curb from 12:10 to 12:20 (kindergarten) or 2:40 to 3:00, you must get a "carpool" number (the number is not necessary for drop-off) using the Car/Carpool Pickup Form. Laurel teachers supervise Carpool Pickup.

Form a single line of cars next to the sidewalk. Do not park your car in the driveway area, even for a few minutes, as this backs up the line. Do not double park to drop off your child - this is unsafe.

The Laurel PTO Hot Lunch Committee provides hot lunches at Laurel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for first and second graders. Hot lunch begins on September 12 - watch for information this week about ordering hot lunches online. The hot lunch menu is:

Tuesday - Baked Chicken w/two side dishes (e.g. bread and veggie) from Whole Foods
Wednesday - Choice of chicken burrito, bean & cheese burrito or quesadilla w/two side dishes (fruit or veggie and beans) from La Playa Grill
Thursday - Cheese pizza w/one side dish (fruit or veggie) from Round Table Pizza

For a limited time, we will also be trying a Teriyaki Bowl including rice, teriyaki chicken and vegetables on alternate Wednesdays.

Volunteers are needed to serve hot lunch about once a month from 11-12:15 on the day of your choice. You’ll work with a team to set up and serve lunch (food is delivered already prepared). Sign up at the Back-to-School Coffee or contact Mary Picciotto at mary.picciotto(at)laurelpto.org or 322-4609.

Many of our PTO committees are still looking for a few good volunteers. You can volunteer in person at the Back-to-School Coffee (see above), or review the PTO Volunteer Opportunities form and contact the committee chair to sign up.

At the committee chair level, we are still seeking an Art & Science Fair Co-Coordinator and a Berlitz Foreign Language Program Co-Coordinator (contact Traci Brinton at pto.president(at)laurelpto.org for more information). Our PTO Executive board also needs to fill the Financial Secretary position (contact Kim Martin, at kimmartin(at)personalfreedom.com for more information).

Classroom volunteer signups will be held by each teacher at back-to-school night on Thursday, September 7.

The PTO offers a variety of after-school programs to provide Laurel students with enrichment opportunities. Please see the After-School Program Overview for program descriptions and schedules.

Monday
One on One Basketball ONLINE Registration
One on One Basketball Form
After School Math ONLINE Registration
Berlitz Kids Kindergarten Form
Berlitz Kids Grade 1-2 Form

Tuesday
Sports 4 Kids Registration Form
Berlitz Kids Kindergarten Form
Berlitz Kids Grade 1-2 Form

Wednesday
EMFC Fencing Form
Berlitz Kids Kindergarten Form

Thursday
Know Chess! Form
EMFC Fencing Form
Berlitz Kids Grade 1-2 Form

Friday
Sports 4 Kids Registration Form
Engineering FUNdamentals with LEGOs®

Laurel logo t-Shirts, sweats, water bottles, pennants, and more will be available for sale at the Back-to-School Coffee on Thursday, August 24. Throughout the school year you will be able to order using the souvenir order form. Samples are available in the school office for you to inspect before you order.

Please print out and complete the Library Permission Form, and return it to your child's teacher the first week of school. Once the form has been received, your child will be able to check books out from our wonderful Laurel Library! Also, parents can sign up at the Back-to- School Coffee to volunteer during their children's library times.

If you are a 1st or 2nd grade parent new to Laurel School, or if you are a new kindergarten parent and did not attend the kindergarten orientation last spring, you are invited to attend a Laurel Orientation on Wednesday, August 23, at 9:30 am. You must register if you wish to attend; call Pam Bonino in the School Office 324-0186.

You may want to look at the Laurel School FAQs on the school web site, or browse the Laurel PTO Web Site for more information about the school.

8/23      New Family Orientation, 9:30 a.m.
8/24    First Day of School
8/24      Back-to-School Coffee, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.
8/25      MPAEF Coffee, Laurel Library, 8:15 a.m.
8/25      Head Room Parent Training, 8:30 a.m.
8/28      Head Room Parent Training,  7 p.m.
9/4        No School -- Labor Day
9/6        Carpool Pickup Begins
9/7        Laurel Back-to-School Night, 7 p.m.
9/8        Quarter Gourmet, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
9/12       Hot Lunch Begins
9/20       PTO General Meeting, 7 p.m
10/9-13  Laurel-Encinal Book Fair