Lake March Newsletter

Lake Elementary is proud to present Camp Altitude 2022!

We are so excited to be offering Summer Camp again this summer. Last year we had over 60 students attend, we hope to get those numbers - and more - again this summer!

Camp dates will be June 20 - July 15, 2022. Camp drop off will begin at 8:00 a.m. with camp starting at 8:30 a.m. Our course offerings will run from 8:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. with optional "after camp" activities running from 2:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

More details will be shared at a later date.

• Departmentalizing Junior High We have talked about this structure for a few years and are excited to see our plans coming to light. A "departmentalized" junior high classroom setting is one in which a teacher teaches a specific subject matter to a group of students. For students in grades 6, 7, 8: Mrs. Mason will teach ELA; Mrs. Lor will teach Math; Mr. Edwards will teach Science. Each teacher will still be responsible for their grade level homeroom class as well as their grade level social studies. Grade level assignments remain the same with Mrs. Mason at 6th grade, Mrs. Lor at 7th, and Mr. Edwards at 8th. Students will continue to receive PE and art as well as participate in electives classes throughout the year. Feedback from our freshman surveys has indicated the need for this structure and we are excited to make it happen.

• Mr. Sonberg's New Role At a small school like Lake, growth opportunities for staff are limited. Yet when Mr. Sonberg was presented with the opportunity to take on more leadership roles, he stepped up to the plate. He is currently pursuing his administrative credential and will be moving into a dual role next year as our Dean of Students as well as classroom teacher. Mr. Sonberg will oversee discipline and teach PE for grades 3-6 while still offering his very popular School Enhancement elective. Rest assured, regardless of the role he is in, the fifth grade camping trip will remain on the calendar and Mr. Sonberg will continue to take the lead on this popular excursion.

• Grading Similar to our departmentalized junior high, the topic of grading is not new to us. We have been researching grading practices for years, yet wanted to deepen our knowledge in best practices specific to grading. Staff and I have been engaged in a book study specific to effective grading. It is our goal that we clearly communicate with parents what their child knows and is able to do as outlined by grade level standards. In all grades, we will continue reporting student progress on our Data Snapshots. We have included Data Snapshots with report cards for the last several years, so this is nothing new. However, we will be moving away from the traditional report card in grades K- 5 as we want to remove the focus from letter/number grades to information that better illustrates what the student knows and can do. At the end of the school year, every student will receive a report card; during the school year, students will receive a Data Snapshot.

Quad Area

If you came to the Pancake Breakfast or have been on campus the last two weeks, you have seen the newly installed sod and planted trees in the quad area. It looks amazing!

Mr. Sonberg recommended we plant scarlet maple trees, so that's what we did! A picture of a scarlet maple is below and gives you an idea of what is to come. We also have plans to add seating areas around the trees as well as bench seating along the corner of the space near the 6th grade classroom.

While we haven't designed our bench seating yet, a picture has been included below with one of the ideas we are considering. We would love to hear from you if you have ideas as well!

Playing Field

We are currently working with a construction company to design the sprinkler system to be installed in the playing field area. The funding used for this project has strict rules attached and, obviously, is taking a lot longer than any of us imagined. It is the goal of all involved that we return to school in 2022-23 to a green, lush playing field.

It is my intent to share monthly newsletters to keep our parent and school community informed. I hope you have enjoyed the March newsletter. The April newsletter is just around the corner. Coming our way in April is information about a jog-a-thon fundraiser as well as Grandparents Day! Stay tuned for the April newsletter.

Email: nbaker@lakeschool.org
Website: https://www.lakeschool.org
Location: 4672 County Road N, Orland, CA, USA
Phone: (530) 865-1255
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakeelementaryschool
Twitter: @lakebaker23