Hi everyone and happy Sunday!

We are officially through the first month of school and I hope everyone has settled into the groove of things.

This week I got to chaperone my first field trip with my youngest. We had a great time walking to Sutro Heights with the other Kinder classes and doing a nature scavenger hunt before I ruined my young child's life by refusing to carry her all the way back to school. Earlier in the week, Ms. Young read her The Invisible String book to help her with her separation anxiety and I think we made some progress because on the [forced] walk back to school she looked me dead in the eye, held the invisible string with one hand and cut it with the other's finger scissors. ...Success?

Here are some key dates and deadlines in the coming weeks:

• September 21: Night Market sign up deadline (extended)
• September 24: Lafayette's Night Market 🥟
• September 25: Donut Dash registration deadline (also extended!)
• September 26: Spirit Friday
• September 28: Donut Dash! 🍩
• October 2: National Custodian Day
• October 3-5: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass parking fundraiser

Lastly, before I go, please please do not stop or double park on 36th at drop off. Am I broken record? Yes. Does it keep happening? Also yes! Stopping on 36th creates a safety issue for our students and prevents buses from being able to park in the white zone. The Stop Drop and Go program exists to remove the need to be on 36th at all, and the volunteers helping to keep mornings running smoothly are doing an amazing job. Please help keep our kids and community safe.

See you on the yard,
Courtney

In this week's Dolphin Digest:

🚨 ACTION ITEMS 🚨

• Sign up to support the Night Market (by tonight!)
• Sign up to volunteer for the Hardly Strictly parking fundraiser
• One more week to register for the Donut Dash 
• Help stock the staff lounge
• Assign your student to a classroom on Konstella

🗣️ ANNOUNCEMENTS 🗣️

• Learn more about the English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) at Lafayette and how you can help
• Thank you teachers!
• Join the Lafayette Business Networking Group

3 more days until the multicultural Lafayette Night Market! We hope to see you there on Wednesday, September 24, from 6–8 PM (outdoors in the yard). Join us for an evening filled with delicious food, cultural activities, and community spirit.

Families are bringing dishes from around the world, creative activity tables are planned, and fun is guaranteed!

🙌 We still need a few more hands to make it run smoothly 👉 Sign up here

📸 Photographer to capture the evening
🛠️ Set-up volunteers to get things ready before the event
🧹 Clean-up crew to help wrap up afterward

Still want to bring something, but not sure what?  We can use a few cases of sparkling water.

We’re looking forward to celebrating and feasting together!

LET’S 🐬 GO!

Point of Contact: toryfrancisco@gmail.com

Our Hardly Strictly Parking Fundraiser is coming around the corner and we need volunteers to make it happen. You've heard it before - this is likely the easiest volunteer opportunity of the year.

What would I have to do?
2-4 volunteers are needed to stand around, help take Venmo payments, and guide concert goers to a parking spot. That's it!

If you know of any high schoolers that have any volunteer obligations - this is a slam dunk to knock out those hours.

How many volunteers do we need?
A lot! Shifts are two hours each and we need a minimum of 2 volunteers per slot. This year, we are running TWO simultaneous sites for Saturday and Sunday - so we really need extra bodies.

Where is this?
On Saturday and Sunday, we'll be running one fundraiser on the Lafayette yard. On Saturday and Sunday, we're ALSO holding this fundraiser at SFUSD's admin building at 750 25th Avenue (between Cabrillo and Balboa).  

Organizer: Teacher Appreciation Committee

The Teacher Appreciation Committee is seeking donations to help stock the teacher and staff lounge with essential items, such as hot cups for coffee/tea, creamer + stirring sticks for coffee, disposable bowls, hand soap, etc.

If you can help, sign up via this google doc. You can drop the items off at the lounge on the 2nd floor or ship them directly to the school.

Thank you so much,
Teacher Appreciation Committee
(Crisel, Natalie and Christina)

Make sure you assign your Lafayette student(s) to a classroom in Konstella. This ensures that all notifications posted to the classroom group get to all families from that classroom. This is especially important for Room Parents who use Konstella to contact parents.

For instructions on how to do this, click here.

Here is an example from my daughter's Kindergarten classroom on Konstella. Parents are posting photos from our recent field trip using the photo album feature. Any parent who has assigned their child to this classroom will be notified of these photos. 

We are a diverse multi-lingual community and are excited you are here! Our students, families and staff speak over 14 languages and we love to celebrate and include members from these communities in all we do.

Each California Public School from Kindergarten through grade 12, with 21 or more English learners must form a functional English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC). The ELAC is a committee for parents or other community members who want to advocate for English Learners.

The purpose of the ELAC (or subcommittee, if appropriate) is to advise the principal and school staff on programs and services for English learners and the SSC on the development of the Single School Plan for Student Achievement. The ELAC also assists the school on other tasks listed on this website.

If you would like to join Lafayette's ELAC team, please reach out to Memo at guillermo.alcantara@gmail.com 

With the week being an eventful one (power outage, anyone?) the Teacher Appreciation Committee was thrilled to order lunch for teachers on Friday to help close out the week on a high note. We love our teachers! ❤️

Parents! Let’s connect and give each other business.

What do you do for business? How can we contact you if we would like to discuss working together?

In-Person: Last Friday of the month @ 6pm at Rampant Wine Bar starting 9/26

On Konstella: Join the “Business Networking Group” in Social Groups 

Point of Contact: Stephanie Logan (Aidan & Tara's mom) atimandatiw@gmail.com 

There's no better way to make an impact than to become an active advocate for this community. Join now and make your voice heard!

Lafayette Elementary PTA • 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization • Tax ID# 94-6172049