Lawrence School

A safe, just and caring community

Who We Are


  • Attendance Line: (617) 879-4343


    We Are:

    • a learning community where all members embrace a growth mindset to be the best they can be!
    • a community of 620+ students, kindergarten through 8th grade
    • A dynamic staff of over 110
    • Multicultural and multilingual
    • A hub for after-school programs, including LEDP and LSA

    A community of teachers, parents/caregivers and students who are working to be our best selves. Come join us!

     

Principal's Corner

  • March Has Arrived!

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 3/1/2023 7:00:00 AM

    Guest Blogger:  Librarian:  Jen Sanders

    Caldecott WInners!

    For the third year, Brookline Public School libraries have facilitated a Mock Caldecott for the district.  The librarians chose eight potential Caldecott winners -- an award which honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the past year.  This year, the librarians chose books such as Kick Push by Frank Morrison and Berry Song by Michaela Goade.  

     
    In the weeks leading up to the January announcement, librarians read the contenders aloud to elementary classes, students voted for their favorite, and this year -- the book with the most student votes also turned out to be the winner of the real Caldecott medal -- Hot Dog by Doug Salati!  So exciting!  Congrats to the medal and honor winners (pictured here) and to the Brookline students for their great taste in picture books!
    Caldecott Winners
    Comments (-1)
  • Welcome February

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 1/31/2023 7:00:00 AM

    Guest Blogger

    Vice Principal-Domnique Ferdinand

    Here comes February! It is the shortest month of the year, but not the least short in events and
    holidays. First and foremost, it is Black History Month. Lawrence staff and students work together to decorate their classroom doors with a theme related to this side of American history. Talk to your children about whom they chose, what theme they picked, and how they contributed to the activity.

    Next, there’s Groundhog Day to remind us
    whether spring will be here soon. Did the Punxsutawney groundhog see his shadow? Will there be 6 or 8 weeks till spring?

    There’s also Valentine’s Day! A day for friends, loved ones, and possibly some chocolate? Are you making a card for someone?  

    The 100th day of school will cement that we are past the halfway mark for this school year!  Is there something you can do 100 times?  Can you count to 100?  Can you read for 100 minutes?

    Why not join the PTO play? It is so much fun for parents and teachers to act in an original play for the enjoyment of the community!  This month will go fast! Make sure you take the time to enjoy it!

    There is no school during February break, which is during the week of February 19th.

    Happy February!

    Comments (-1)
  • Guest Blogger: Vice Principal David Lindner

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 1/3/2023 7:00:00 AM
    Dear Lawrence Families,
     
    Happy New Year!
     
    Even though we're starting off 2023 refreshed and rested from winter break, our Lawrence year is rapidly approaching its halfway point. As we look forward to the calendar year to come, it's important to look back too.
     
    Whether at the dinner table, or on a car ride on the weekend, or just in a quieter moment at home, we encourage you and your child to use the prompts below to take stock of their year so far.
     
    1. Find some highlights from the year
    What new topics have been interesting so far? What does your child wish they could learn about next? What projects or assignments have been most satisfying? What peers is your child enjoying their time with?
     
    2. Celebrate personal successes
    What's gone well this year? What is your child proud of? What growth and accomplishments have you noticed?
     
    3. Think about future growth
    What does your child wish would go differently this year? Is there anything new they want to try? If they could have help with anything, what would it be? Take stock of organization, time management, and self-advocacy:
     
    Most of all, stay curious! Continue to ask your child about the projects they are working on, what's interesting to them, and what's challenging. Your interest and curiosity really do matter!
     
    Reminders and calendar updates
    - Martin Luther King Jr. Day: PSB will be closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of the holiday. Stay tuned for information from the town for events celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King.
     
    - ACCESS testing: throughout January, our English Language Learners will be participating in statewide testing. Please contact our ELL staff with any questions you may have.
    Comments (-1)
  • December Update

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 12/1/2022 7:00:00 AM

    Dear Lawrence Families,

    Welcome December!  

    The classrooms are buzzing with teaching and learning during the holiday stretch.  From Kindergarten to fifth grade, students are engaged in learning about geometric shapes, solving addition equations, learning about shadows, identifying singular and plural words, graphing data, identifying elements of various bridge designs, writing personal narratives, learning how to play complex songs on the recorder,  writing and then solving World Cup math problems using multiplication and division, researching about birds and using the new 3-5 Spelling Connections curriculum.  

    In grades 6-8, students are learning about the importance of irrigation technology to support a settled community in Mesopotamia, designing and creating Netflix summary pages based on book group books, learning about the water cycle, practicing how to calculate the area of a circle, studying about Ancient China, reading short stories and then analyzing one story of their choice to write about theme and author’s craft, learning about the  Bill of Rights and analyzing cases that pertain to the those rights, speaking Spanish and French to each other, and so much more. 

    In addition to content learning,  grade 8 students continue to be such positive role models as they sign up to be chaperones for the PTO Early Release Movie Days after already providing support during the Apple Pie making afternoons before the Thanksgiving break. They have demonstrated their capacity to be positive role models and contribute to our learning community.  The younger students love having them with them!  

    Please know we will have Spirit Days on the four Fridays in December!  This will give the students and all of us a fun way to wrap up each week as we close out the calendar year.  SO...

    Friday, December 2= Favorite Sports Team Attire Day

    Friday, December 9=Favorite Hat Day

    Friday, December 16=Pajama/Comfy Clothing Day

    Friday, December 23 (Noon Dismissal )=Lawrence Apparel or Maroon and White clothing day

     

     Early Release Days in December:

    Thursday, December 1, 2022:  All K-8 students are dismissed at 12:40pm.

    Wednesday, December 7, 2022:  All K-8 students are dismissed at 12:40pm.

    Friday, December 23, 2022:  All K-8 students are dismissed at 12:00pm.

     

    I want to thank the staff for their continued robust and rigorous planning.  I also want to thank you (all the Lawrence families)  for your commitment to working with the Lawrence staff in educating all of our students.  There are many gifts to give and receive during the holidays, none greater than the gift of an education.  

     

    To all of you, I wish you the most relaxing, restful, joyful and loving holiday season.  

     

    Sincerely,

    Monica

    Comments (-1)
  • Grateful For November

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 11/1/2022 7:00:00 AM

    Welcome November

    Guest Blogger:  Vice Principal, Dominique Ferdinand

    As soon as Diwali, the Japanese Fun Fair, and the Halloween parade occur, we know November is around the corner! November welcomes many opportunities for the community to acknowledge and celebrate holidays that gather families and friends together. It is in such spirit that we at Lawrence announce that the week of Thanksgiving to be a tech-free  (almost tech free) week. Can your family engage in a screen-free week with board games and greater face-to-face interactions? We are working on it at school. It is quite a challenge, and if you stick to it, you’ll notice how much creativity and enjoyment may come out of it, and how priceless the time spent together truly is.

    We are also gearing up for the season of giving by showing our gratitude for all that we have, especially acknowledging and appreciating the Indigenous land that we are living on.

    At Lawrence, we donate our time and skills to others by preparing delicious apple pies to sell to our community and to give to those who cannot afford them.

    Also, November is also the month when families are invited to check in with teachers on the progress that students have made thus far. Interim progress Reports (IPR) come out early in November for students in grades 6-8, while teachers in grade K-5 offer times for parents and guardians to meet with them. It is a great time to set school goals for the year and to plan how to achieve them.  

    Sincerely,

    Dominique

     

    Comments (-1)
  • October Update (Guest Blogger: Vice Principal, Dave Lindner)

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 10/3/2022 7:00:00 AM

    Welcome to October!

     

    We always look forward to this month because school starts to really feel like school. We have afterschool activities and extramural sports kicking off, first field trips, picture day, and classrooms and peers that feel more familiar. There’s so much coming to look forward to. 

     

    All of what October brings would not be possible without the work that the Lawrence community has done throughout September. Our classes have been team-building, creating routines, and introducing skills and habits for a great year. 

     

    We’ve been fortunate to see Lawrence families at our first Principal/PTO gathering, as well as at our PTO’s fall picnic, and this month, we’re excited to welcome families into Lawrence for our Open House (October 12 for grades K-5, October 13 for grades 6-8). 

     

    We can’t wait to open our doors and show you all our students have been working on. Keep an eye out for details on the evening from your child’s teachers. 

     

    In the meantime, here’s a quick photo tour of our year so far.

    “Todo sobre me” (All About Me) in Spanish

    7th grade getting hands on with worm compost bins

    Ms. Sanders visiting 3rd grade for a reading

    3K repurposing leaves for art

    5th grade: observing and drawing birds

     

    Putting Lawrence values front and center in the main lobby

     

    Kindergarten getting into the sand

    Comments (-1)
  • September Update

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 9/9/2022 1:00:00 PM

    Dear Lawrence Families,

    Welcome

    We are off to a great start to the school year!

    I hope your child/ren is/are enjoying the start of school and feels excited to be back in the building.  The energy has been so joyful and uplifting.  Their smiles and desire to learn have made each day a delight and so rewarding.  Every classroom has been focused on learning about each child and valuing what they bring to their learning environment.

    In addition to the many community building activities that have taken place and will continue to take place in every space, students in kindergarten were learning how to draw people with “Mr Mat Man”. In grade 1, they were designing and writing their own name tags and in second grade they were creating “All About Me” posters to showcase how special every student’s name is and that they are important members of their learning community.  

    In third grade, students selected “Just Right” books and wrote about their school and out of school goals for the year.  Fourth and fifth graders were engaged in robust math lessons about writing equations and problem solving.    

    The middle school students were getting used to their new team of teachers while navigating from one classroom to the next over the course of each day.  They have been engaged in lessons about geography, understanding the difference between quantitative and qualitative observations, using accurate math vocabulary like translation, rotation and reflection, executing science labs on surface tension, engaging in reading and writing reflections and more.

    You can learn more by attending the upcoming open houses.  Grades K-5 will be on Wednesday, October 12th from 6-7pm and grades 6-8 on Thursday, October 13th, 6-8pm.  Open houses this year will be in person, so you will be able to see your child’s classroom and more.  More information will be shared with families as we get closer to the open house dates.

    Also, the PTO presidents and I will host the first PTO/Principal Forum on Wednesday, September 28th at 8:15am via Zoom.  The link will be shared closer to the forum.

    So happy to have everyone back!

    Lawrence Loyalty,

    Monica

    Comments (-1)
  • WELCOME to the 22-23 School Year!

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 8/31/2022 7:00:00 AM

    Important Dates to Know for the 2022-2023 School Year 

     

    School hours will be Monday-Thursday from 8:00-2:30 pm and Fridays from 8:00-1:40pm.

     

    -All students in grades 1-8 will start school on Tuesday, September 6th, and it is a full day. (This is the day after the Labor Day Holiday.)

     

    Staggered Start for Kindergarten Students

    As we have done in years prior across the district, only half of each kindergarten class will attend on each of the first two days of school, allowing children to become familiar with their classroom, the teachers, the schedule and the routines in a smaller group setting.  They will not have lunch here at school and parents/caregivers should return to school at 12:00pm to pick up their child on one of these first two days shared in an earlier email.

     

    Arrival Time

    Students (with family support) should plan their morning to arrive in the classroom with materials and be ready to learn by 7:55amStarting each day in class on time helps set the tone for learning all day.

     

    Lawrence Loyalty,

    Monica

     

     

    Comments (-1)
  • Happy Summer!

    Posted by Kirsten Alper on 6/24/2022 12:00:00 PM

    summer

    Comments (-1)
  • Spring Updates

    Posted by Monica Crowley on 4/15/2022 7:00:00 AM

    Hello Lawrence Families,

     

    Upcoming Events:
     
    April 29 - Community Coffee-8am-by the circle garden
    May 10 - Family Fun @ Int'l Night-5-7pm
    May 20 - Community Coffee-8am- by the circle garden
    May 23 (all week) - Used Book Fair
    May 25 - Principal/PTO Forum (4PM)-Link to follow
    June 2 - Art Show-5-7pm-in person
    June 3-Incoming K-in person visit-2:15-3pm
    June 5 - Family Fun Run
    June 9-Incoming K Virtual Meeting-4pm-Link to follow
    June 9 (June 14 rain date) - Spring Picnic-5:30-7pm
    June 10 - PTO sponsored 8th grade movie night

     

    Grade 8 Graduation will be on Tuesday, June 21 (rain date-June 22) at 4PM-outside.  More details to follow.

     

    June 23-Last day of school

     

    MCAS Dates-Spring 2022

    T-April 26-Grades 4/8 Math

    W-April 27-Grades 4/8 Math

    M-May 2-Grades 5/7 Math

    T-May 3-Grades 5/7 Math

    TH-May 5-Grades 3/6 Math

    F-May 6-Grades 3/6 Math

    T-May 10-Grades 5/8 Science

    W-May 11-Grades 5/8 Science

     

    Lawrence Loyalty!

    Monica   

    Comments (-1)

Calendar

Brookline Thrives Weekend Food Program

  • Brookline Thrives is back, starting Friday, September 16! Thrives is a FREE weekend food program for any and all school families who may benefit from additional food options for their children over the weekend. No qualification is necessary, but students must be registered to receive Thrives bags at schoolRegister Here.
     
    To learn more about Brookline Thrives, please visit www.brooklinefoodpantry.org/brookline-thrives.html or email thrives@brooklinefoodpantry.org.
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