Dear Lafayette Community,

🎆 Happy New Year! 🎆

Ah, here we are in a fresh new year. It's a perfect time to recommit to all of the things that matter to us... including supporting our wonderful children and school. Thank you for being here, for volunteering and donating to make it all happen, and for reading the Dolphin Digest! 

I want to highlight something exciting: Have you heard about the Lunar New Year Good Luck Parade happening soon? It's going to be right along Balboa on January 18th, and we are all invited to walk (dance, etc.) in the parade! See this week's Community Corner for all the info.

In this week's Dolphin Digest:

🤩 PTA Meeting - January 8
☕ Coffee with Mr. K - February 7
🏀 After-School Enrichment Corner: Sign Up for Winter/Spring Classes
🤖 Family STEAM Day - January 22
📅 Calendar at a Glance 
👋 Community (Non-PTA) Corner: Lunar New Year Good Luck Parade - January 18 on Balboa St

This year, resolve to get (or stay) involved... And join us at the first PTA meeting of 2025! 

January 8th, 2025

6:00-7:30pm

Lafayette Auditorium

Every PTA meeting includes:

⭐ Free child care until 7:30

⭐ Light refreshments

⭐ Fun door prizes

⭐ Community -- something we all need!

Afterwards, we usually head to a local spot like Rampant (3516 Balboa) for casual conversation and MORE community. All are welcome!

All are invited to the monthly Principal Coffee Chat in Collaboration with the PTA!

CORRECTION: There will be no Coffee Chat in January, but mark your calendar for February!

Friday February 7, 10-11am

Location: Cafeteria

Coffee will be provided by the PTA!

It's time to sign up for winter/spring after school enrichment classes!

Our winter and spring after-school enrichment programs are posted on Homeroom.com and it's time to sign up. The next session starts the week of January 13th and runs through May 30th. We have some great programs including sports, yoga, music, engineering, drama, gymnastics, capoeira, dance, and biking to name a few.

Check out the options on Homeroom.com and sign up now to reserve your spot.

If you have any questions, reach out to Kristen Coleman, the Lafayette After School Enrichment Coordinator, at kjkrieger@gmail.com.

Join us at Lafayette on Wednesday, January 22nd at 1:15 for an afternoon of fun and interactive activities involving Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math!

The school day will end at the typical Wednesday time: 12:50pm. 

• Students who are not in after-school programs must be picked up as usual at 12:50pm, and families are invited to attend the event with their students. Until the event starts, you are welcome to spend time in the schoolyard (grownups are responsible for supervising their kids).
• Students in after-school programs will also have the opportunity to attend the event with their program staff.

Grown-ups are needed to VOLUNTEER as "explainers" at the stations. This is a fun volunteer gig where you get to help kids interact with the activity at your station. No special skills required! Please sign up right here.

Questions? Please contact Ms. Tong (tongr@sfusd.edu), Lafayette's STEAM teacher. Thank you for organizing this, Ms. Tong!

No photos this week! We're always accepting submissions though.

JANUARY 8

- PTA Meeting - Lafayette Auditorium @6pm

JANUARY 18

- Lunar New Year Parade - Balboa St. between 35th and 39th Ave @ 3:30-8:00pm

JANUARY 20

- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

JANUARY 22

- Family STEAM Day at Lafayette @ 1:15pm

JANUARY 29

- Lunar New Year - NO SCHOOL

JANUARY 31

- End of Annual Giving Campaign

MAY 17

- Party & Auction to Benefit Lafayette <--Date changed from Feb 8 to May 18

Community announcements are shared as a service to our members and are not from the PTA. Do you have events, resources, or other info to share with the community? Email lafayetteschoolpta@gmail.com to request a spot in the Dolphin Digest.

Lafayette is invited to be a part of something truly special – the first-ever Lunar New Year Parade in the Richmond District, taking place on January 18th from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM, along Balboa Street between 35th and 39th Avenues.

Lafayette parents Sarah (Gianna's mom) and Priscilla (Ivy and Laura's mom) are serving on the event planning committee and have sent us a special invitation. From Sarah:

We would be thrilled to have Lafayette represented in this community celebration. The parade will take place just steps away from the school, in an area filled with Lafayette families, and we see it as a wonderful opportunity for the school to showcase its pride and strengthen our sense of community.

Participation is simple and does not require anything elaborate! We’re inviting Lafayette students and parents to join the parade by walking together, waving to the crowd, and sharing in the joy of the occasion. Other local elementary schools such as Alamo, McCoppin, and Sutro have already signed up, and it would be wonderful to see Lafayette join in.

Even a small group of 10 to 20 students and parents would make a meaningful impact and visibly represent our school’s pride.

Both Priscilla and I would be happy to answer any questions you have about the parade, and it will be a fun and memorable experience for everyone involved.

Here is the link for more information about the event...

To participate in a parade team with Lafayette, please contact Sarah Li (sarah.li@richmondsf.org) or Priscilla Lindsey (priscillalindsey81@gmail.com) 

Thanks for reading this week.

Go Dolphins! 🐬

Patricia Wada

VP, Communications 2023–25

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Lafayette Elementary PTA

501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Tax ID# 94-6172049