Please click on the following links to access more information: Bay Laurel Elementary School Website and Bay Laurel Student/Parent Handbook. Make sure to read through the Student/Parent Handbook, as it contains pertinent information about district and school policies. 

BIRTHDAYS

If you wish to commemorate your child’s birthday, please arrange with the child’s teacher to send a NON-FOOD item for the other students. These commemorative items can include pencils, stickers, books, etc. Please be sure that items are not choking hazards or not allowed on campus, i.e., balloons, poppers, etc. If in doubt, please check with your child’s teacher. Gifts/Balloons/Flowers should not be sent to the school. If these items are brought to school, they will remain in the office until the end of the day.

WELLNESS POLICY- LVUSD

The Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education has established the following policy: Foods on campus shall be carefully selected to contribute to students’ nutritional well-being, disease prevention, and reducing childhood obesity.

Bay Laurel Elementary supports the LVUSD policy with our own guidelines:

• No soda, gum, or candy is allowed on campus. It will be taken away from students who bring them.

• Food for class parties will be under the direction of the teacher. The amount of sugary foods will be limited.

• Birthday Treats: Teachers acknowledge birthdays in the classroom in various ways that do not involve food treats. 

• In line with the District and our School Policy, birthday food treats may not be delivered to the classroom. 

• Parents/guardians may not “drop by” with sugary treats for a class. Teachers will not allow such treats to be passed out to the children. 

CODE OF CONDUCT  AND DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

Bay Laurel Elementary values academic excellence while fostering students' overall growth and development and supporting students’ social and emotional well-being. By teaching the whole child, we can reach the whole child and meet their unique and individual needs. Bay Laurel Elementary staff actively emphasize the following to promote a holistic approach to education:

• Belonging: Students need to feel a sense of belonging and understand they are valued members of their classroom and school community, actively participating in something meaningful.

• Skills: Students must be equipped with the necessary abilities to succeed in a social world, enabling them to navigate and thrive in diverse interpersonal interactions.

• Confidence: Students should be given opportunities to grow, succeed, and learn from failures, understanding that mistakes are valuable learning experiences.

• Impact: Students can recognize that their actions can positively influence and create meaningful change for themselves and each other.

• Diversity: Students can appreciate and embrace the importance of diversity, recognizing that differences in backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences enrich their learning environment and foster inclusivity.

We abide by the Bay Laurel school rules. Failure to follow school rules may result in a behavior referral. Please refer to pp. 9-13 in the Bay Laurel Student/Parent Handbook for more information.

DRESS CODE

To maintain a respectful, positive, and productive educational environment, Bay Laurel Elementary and LVUSD enforces the following dress code based on California Education Code (35183.6) and the LVUSD Legal Notification Handbook. pg 98.  

The Board of Education has implemented the following regulations to ensure the health, safety, cleanliness, decency, and decorum among students:

1. The student's attire must not jeopardize their health, and safety or interfere with the educational process.

2. Students must adhere to safety rules in specialized programs that may require protective clothing, safety glasses, proper footwear, or similar requirements. Closed-toe shoes with ankle/heel backings are encouraged. No sandals or flip-flops. 

3. Students are expected to show good judgment, responsible behavior, and respect for themselves, the school, and the community in their dress and grooming choices.

4. Clothing, symbols, or accessories promoting controlled substances, such as drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, are not allowed.

5. Attire featuring offensive, vulgar words, pictures, drawings, or sexually suggestive content, as well as derogatory language related to a person's background, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or disability, is unacceptable.

6. Clothing that is excessively revealing or disrupts the school's educational mission is not permitted.

As a reminder, students should wear comfortable clothing to move safely and participate easily in messy art projects, sitting on the floor, and/ or strenuous physical activities.

We definitely want open lines of communication throughout the year and will generally keep you informed of our studies, activities, and projects. Our team uses ParentSquare for all class communication, so please make sure your preferred email is included. The best way to contact us is via e-mail.  As your child goes through the many transitions that come with fourth grade, your child may have questions or concerns that arise. We welcome emails from students as well and we are committed to helping your child become part of the community within our classrooms.

You can contact us:

Ms. Brkic at abrkic@lvusd.org

Ms. Echt at echt@lvusd.org 

Ms. Kodama at kodama@lvusd.org 

Grading:

Las Virgenes Unified School District utilizes a standards based report card. The grades will reflect your child's overall performance on assignments and assessments. Participation in discussions is also included in the grading process. Please review the tests with your child and check Aeries regularly so that you can track his/her progress throughout the year. 

Subjects:

Language Arts

Our Language Arts program is divided into four different programs.

• 1. ELA: It consists of many different components from Collaborative Classroom, Storyworks, and other standards based programs. It includes reading, vocabulary, and grammar. No excuse words should be practiced regularly to reinforce words your child should already know and use in his/her writing. Please encourage him/her to use a spell checker or dictionary when working on assignments at home. 

  2. Core Literature: In addition, we will read some of the Core Literature novels, such as Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Island of the Blue Dolphins, to teach literary elements and have in-depth discussions about literature. 

  3. Swim to Success: This time will be used for reading groups. We will also have Individualized Daily Reading (IDR), which means that your child needs to have an appropriate reading book at all times.

  4. Writing: We’ll use strategies from Collaborative Classroom and Step Up to Writing. Students will be involved in daily writing, with special attention given to the writing process. We will be working on several different writing styles, such as narrative, informative/explanatory, and opinion/argument. Special emphasis will be placed on revising and editing, and the use of higher vocabulary words. It is highly recommended that you purchase a pocket dictionary for your child.

Social Studies

In social studies, the state we live in will come alive as students investigate California’s geography, read stories of early settlers, and discover the missions through our series, Studies Weekly. Get ready for the Wild, Wild, West!

Health

We will also be teaching weekly lessons about health, using state and board approved curriculum called The Great Body Shop.

Math

Fourth grade students will build upon their previously learned math knowledge. Our math series is a common core standards-based curriculum called iReady Classroom Mathematics, which was adopted this year.

Please have your child bring a water bottle to school to stay hydrated throughout the day. In addition, all students should have healthy snacks without peanuts, if possible, as some students have a severe reaction to them. Bay Laurel does have a peanut free table in the lunch shelter. 

Lunch Menu