Dear Laurence Families,

I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer! We have been busy at Laurence with four fun-filled weeks of camp, a brand new August Sports Camp, planning exciting curriculum for the new year, and lots of campus upgrades!  When you come back to campus, be sure to check out our remodeled art studio, 5th and 6th Grade classrooms, and the administration building. I am beyond excited for the start of the 2018-19 school year, Laurence's 65th year! The first day of school is one of my favorite days of the year! Our community is so special and our culture is very unique, and when we all arrive back on campus, the energy in the air is incredible. We are optimistic and grateful, and everyone – teachers, staff, parents, students – is all in, all the time!

Developing students to become strong global citizens has been an important goal at Laurence for many years. We first instituted our Global Garden Educational Program more than 10 years ago as a way to focus in on expanding our students' perspective and understanding. Our global curriculum is always evolving as we strive to go deeper and stay current with world changes.

In our ever-evolving goal to teach to the "Total Child," we are excited about our latest advancements in developing a roadmap for K-6 computational thinking at Laurence School. Teaching computational thinking speaks to our mission because it encourages the use of both halves of the brain and can truly nurture a developing creative mind. 

It is almost time for those magical first moments of the school year – when the campus comes alive again and is filled with the laughter of children, along with the aspirations and optimism of a new year.  This is Laurence's 65th year, and as a school, we have so much to celebrate – and so much to look forward to.

I hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing summer filled with family, friends, and fun!  I'm thrilled to take on the role of Parent Association President this year and look forward to working with all of you to make the 2018-2019 school year spectacular for our children and entire community! 

Students learn and thrive when they are engaged, and it is up to our Laurence teachers to create the daily magic in the classroom that will enthrall our students. Our Administration and faculty are strongly committed to this goal and last year, embarked on a journey to raise the bar for student engagement at Laurence.

Our PA Parent Education Committee and Administrative Team have been planning a great line up of speakers for the 2018-19 school year. This year's series will include evening events, which we hope will make our speaker series accessible to more of our parent body. Here is a preview of this year's speakers.

Each year, we like to help you and your children get to know our new faculty and staff by providing you with their educational and professional backgrounds, as well as a few fun facts. You may have already met some of our new teachers and specialists during Summer Camp, but you probably don't know their favorite foods or hobbies!

Below you will find important information about:

• School hours
• Parking
• Carpool and more!

Please read this section carefully!

Laurence School is committed to using technology in responsible and innovative ways to enhance and support student learning. We carefully assess the resources to ensure that they are developmentally appropriate, follow best practices in safeguarding student privacy, and are a good match for our curriculum.

The trimester, we are offering a lot of exciting classes in the After School Enrichment Program. We have a number of returning classics, as well as some great NEW classes. I'm very excited to share the class offerings with you, as there are more classes than ever in an even wider variety of subjects! Read on for updates about changes and the registration link.

This past school year, we introduced our new orchestra program through a partnership with Kadima Conservatory for Music. What a truly spectacular year! Due to the extremely positive response from kids and parents alike, we will be continuing all string classes in the upcoming year and offering woodwind instruments, flute and clarinet, to 3rd-6th grade!

We are excited for the start of the new school year, and our Administrative Team and Parent Association already have a number of fun and important events planned. Be sure to mark on your calendars.