 Good evening,
I sincerely hope everyone is healthy and was able to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend in a socially-distant way. We had a fabulous week last week and are looking forward to seeing your children again tomorrow. A few questions have been raised recently in which I hoped to provide clarity.
What are office hours? Office hours are a time when a student or parent can reach a staff member for a real-time conversation, question, or support. Most of our staff are holding office hours through BBCU allowing the parent or student to see and talk directly to the staff member. No instruction is planned for this time, but a student may join office hours and complete an assignment or part of their learning packet with support from the staff member. Office hours are also a great time to have your child share a finished product for any class or special. There will be times during office hours that a parent may wish to have a phone call with a staff member – during the call, the staff member would put up that they are “away” on their virtual session so if others log in, they know the staff member will return shortly.
What are Lemon Road specialists up to? Our specialists are teaching live each week through BBCU – we hope your child has joined music, art, PE, library, technology, counseling, outdoor education, band, and/or strings! Lemon Road specialists are incredible professionals collaborating with classroom teachers to join morning meetings, holding office hours, teaching live (see photo above), and posting asynchronous learning opportunities on our Lemon Road Students blackboard site. Live sessions are also recorded so students may participate on evenings, Fridays, or even on weekends! Please email a specialist directly if you have any questions or need help joining their session.
When can my child obtain items from their desk or the school? Lemon Road staff begin packing up their classrooms this week. During this time, only a few staff members are permitted in the building at a time. By Wednesday, June 3, all staff will have packed up their students’ belongings into bags for distribution on June 4. See below for additional information and the schedule for student item distribution.
If you have additional questions, join our weekly Principals’ Coffees! Mr. Birge and I will begin offering 30-minute coffees each week through the end of the year to reconnect with our parents. See the information below to submit a question and log in.
Thank you for your continued partnership ~ Mrs. Castillo
An important part of the Lemon Road community is our connection to our parents and families. We have missed our monthly coffees since schools closed. We will offer weekly coffees for parents to join for answers to popular questions. Each 30-minute coffee will be recorded and the recording will be shared in future News You Choose or emailed by parent request. To join a virtual coffee open Chrome using this link and enter your first and last name. Virtual coffees will be held:
Have a question you would like addressed? Please submit questions here! Mr. Birge and Mrs. Castillo will first answer questions submitted in advance prior to opening up the conversation.
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Families will have an opportunity to pick up and drop off student items on June 4. Classroom teachers will individually bag student items that were left prior to our closure on March 13. Bags will be brought outside the school building using the schedule below organized by last name. Students do not need to be present for parents to pick up or drop off student items. Please review the following guidelines:
- Please write your child’s name on a sheet of paper and display it in your windshield. All cars will circle through the Kiss & Ride line.
- Using your sign, a staff member will locate your child’s bag and bring it to the trunk of your car. Please open the trunk or direct the staff member from a distance if bags need to be placed elsewhere.
- Students and parents must stay in car if driving to pick up materials. Social distancing guidelines are required if you are walking (masks must be worn).
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Instruments: Students in 4th and 5th grade who have rented an instrument through FCPS may hold on to those instruments during the summer months. 6th grade students and students NOT returning to FCPS must turn in their instruments on Thursday, June 4. Please pull forward once bags are placed in your car and a cart will be set up for you to place your child’s instrument.
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Library/Classroom Books: We are asking that ALL library and classroom books from school are returned when you collect your student's materials. We will have large boxes/carts outside ready to receive these items. Trying to ensure you have located all your child’s library books? Check out this video from Ms. Burke helping you navigate your child’s online account!
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Medication: If you have medication in the Lemon Road clinic, it can be retrieved on June 4. Please email Mary Anne Nealson and it will be ready for you in the front of the building after you drop off all other items.
We thank you in advance for your flexibility in retrieving and returning student materials. If you are unable to pick up student materials on June 4, the school will hold items for later retrieval.
Student Item Pick Up Schedule
8:30 – 9:00 Students with last names that begin with A & B
9:00 – 9:30 Students with last names that begin with C & D
9:30 – 10:00 Students with last names that begin with E - H
10:00 - 10:30 Students with last names that begin with I - K
10:30 – 11:00 Students with last names that begin with L - N
11:00 – 11:30 Students with last names that begin with O - R
11:30 – 12:00 Students with last names that begin with S & T
12:00 – 12:30 Students with last names that begin with U - Z
The Lemon Road staff is beginning to discuss student placement for next year. As we make these placements, we consider many factors including individual student information, teacher input, social relationships, and parent input. Please consider submitting information about your child using this form (one per child) by Monday, May 25. Thank you!
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This week, we will focus on gratitude. Gratitude is the quality of feeling and expressing thankfulness and appreciation. It is an affirmation that there is goodness in other people and the world, and that we have received that goodness. People with the strength of gratitude have a readiness to show appreciation for kindness and also to return kindness. A leading expert, Robert Emmons, calls gratitude a “relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.”
Gratitude is sometimes resisted, especially in more self-sufficient and independent cultures, due to not wanting to experience a sense of indebtedness. However, gratitude is less about feeling indebted and more about being aware of the consideration, kindness, and generosity of others.
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Wednesday, May 20: Virtual Parent Coffee (8 AM)
Monday, May 25: Memorial Day Holiday
Thursday, May 28: Virtual Parent Coffee (12 PM)
Wednesday, June 3: Virtual Parent Coffee (3 PM)
Thursday, June 4: Student Item Distribution Day (8:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Tuesday, June 9: Virtual Parent Coffee (9 AM)
Thursday, June 11: Grade 6 Virtual Promotion Assembly (9 AM); Grades K – 2 End of Year Virtual Assembly (11 AM); Grades 3 – 5 End of Year Virtual Assembly (1 PM)
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