Welcome to Laurel Tree's website. The Monday Note gets posted here each week during the school year. You can also find out what's for lunch, view the calendar, download homework sheets, find out about trips and watch videos about our school. Our on-site program has a waiting list, but our new Independent Study Program has space right now - check it out! For general information about the school, browse our Whole School Handbook. -Brenda
Contact Us:
Phone (707) 822-5626
Fax (707) 822-5626
E-mail laureltree_lc@yahoo.com
Laurel Tree Learning Center
4555 Valley West Blvd.
Arcata, CA 95521
September 7, 2010
Dear Laurel Tree Community,
We had a great first week! The primary team reports a wonderful week with the K-4. I arrived at Camp Mattole on Wednesday to find things running like a well oiled machine. They wrote and debated laws, cooked the meals, discussed school values and qualities of leadership, hung out at the river, elected tribal leaders, and completed some fun science activities. What a great group of kids and parents. One of my favorite memories was on Thursday evening. The primary kids had arrived and met their tribes, and we were all waiting for the dinner bell to ring for another fantastic meal. Some parents and kids were playing volleyball, others were playing kickball, still others were hanging out, talking. Everyone was all mixed up, playing and just being together. It felt like a great beginning for our community.
Daycare and Lunches: The lunch menu is attached and it looks yummy! Remember that you need to print it or get a hard copy at school, mark the days your student wants lunch on the calendar and turn it in with your check for $3.00 a lunch by September 10th (this Friday). If you pay after the tenth of the month, then you pay the drop-in rate of $4.00 a lunch. We’re using a pre-pay system for both lunch and daycare this year. That will help both those systems be self sustaining. We do have some work trade or barter opportunities available. Let me know if you’re interested.
Arts and Culture: Starts this Friday! Classes are from 9-12, with daycare available until 4:00. Be sure to send a lunch if they’re staying Friday afternoon. We don’t cook on Fridays. I’ll be sending out more information on the great classes we have lined up next week. Primary students are out at noon, middle school students are out at 12:15. We need the middle schoolers to help with clean-up afterwards, and we like to stagger the rush on daycare.
HealthSport: Primary families please pay $10 for the community bus trips to HealthSport (starting this week). $10 will cover your student through November. Please pay Josh, Alyse, Amber, or Maren. Cash is preferable but a check made out to Laurel Tree will work.
HealthSport starts this week and the older group (3-4) will be swimming (towel and bathing suit needed). Younger students (K-2) will be playing group games and tumbling in the gym (tennis shoes that don’t mark are needed).
Drop off/Pick up: Be sure to drive slowly through the parking lot and pull over to the side if you’re dropping kids off. That way, cars that are driving through can still get around you. If you are parking and dropping off, please walk your students across the parking lot. Better yet, come in and have a cup of coffee and chat with me in the café.
And finally, we had some excitement on Monday. Several of us were here working when Maya poked her head into the copy room to tell us the field was on fire. We raced out thinking, “Save the chicken!” However the fire trucks arrived promptly and doused the fire that was chewing through the blackberries and climbing half-way up one of the pine trees in the upper right-hand corner of the field. We don’t know what started the fire. The chicken did not have to be evacuated. Unfortunately, the chicken (Penny) is the last of her kind. Lucy was chicken napped last week by nefarious person(s) in our neighborhood. We have not received a ransom note, but are hanging on to the hope that she will escape and return to us. Ah well, the second week! Here we go. See you around the school – and keep a sharp eye out for wandering blonde chickens.
Brenda
Next Year's Ashland Trip Itinerary and plays have just been posted! Check out the Ashland page:)
