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LABCS Weekly Newsletter - 12-9-23
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Monday Dress Theme - "Blue Out - Wear Blue from Head to Toe"
12/11/2023
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Chick-fil-A Biscuit Sales Pre-Orders Due
12/12/2023
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Chick-fil-A Biscuits - Pre-Orders Only
12/15/2023
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Monday Dress Theme - "Holiday Colors"
12/18/2023
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Quarter 2 Ends
12/19/2023
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12:00 Dismissal
12/19/2023
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No School - Holiday Break
12/20/2023
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Dyslexia Tidbit
Executive Functioning - Ways to Help Students Develop Executive Functioning Skills
Organizers
Students need to learn how to develop and use organizers. These external systems include calendars, to-do lists, daily logs, and checklists. These can be in paper form or by cell phone, iPad, or other technology devices.
It may be best to initially start with both systems (paper and tech), depending on the age of the student, but in today’s world technology is often the preferable method for organizers and having two systems can be difficult to maintain.
It is important to initially assist students in developing their schedules. They may especially need assistance in developing forethought to plan to start a task hours or sometimes even days before the task is due.
Also, developing a time estimation worksheet can help students visualize how many hours they have in a day and begin to estimate how long certain tasks may take. A student with dyslexia who is aware of how many words she reads a minute may be able to estimate approximate reading times needed for longer assignments or for the time she would want to spend summarizing an article after reading it.
There are many ways that students can make use of the features available on their cell phones to benefit time management and study skills. For example, online to-do lists such as Remember the Milk can send text alerts (or IM or email) reminding students of an upcoming appointment, assignment, or project. (Unless the students have unlimited text messaging plans, it is important to discuss texting charges and how using these services can affect their cell phone bills.)
If the students' phones are equipped with cameras (as most phones now are), they can use them to snap photos of the whiteboard/blackboard after class to make sure they don't miss notes or an assignment. Photos may also serve as a helpful visual reminder of what needs to be done (i.e., create a photo series of packing up homework, lunch, and other typically forgotten items).
Students can use text messaging, such as Google SMS, to get definitions, facts, weather, and conversions sent directly to their phones. As with Google searches, if a student spells a word incorrectly, Google SMS will generally prompt with "Did you mean…?" and provide both the correct spelling and the related information.
Finally, many companies are capitalizing on powerful new cell phones and creating programs for sending flashcards and study materials directly to your phone or iPod. Students can browse flashcards created by others or create their own and study wherever they are. The use of color coding is an effective organizing strategy. For example, a routine can be established in class (e.g., green for main idea, red for details in reading, blue for essential information in math word problems, etc.) that students can integrate into their own note-taking
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Thank you
- to the following who helped to support the school community this past week as we navigated a terrible loss to the school:
- Bunton Exterminating, Jersey Mike's (Easley), Chicken Salad Chick (Easley), Chick-fil-A (Easley, Powdersville), LABCS PTA, and LABCS Board of Directors for providing lunch for the faculty/staff throughout last weekend and this week and next;
- to Ms. Paige Pittard from United Community Bank for picking up one of the lunches provided for the faculty/staff;
- the Crouse Family, Mrs. Carol Gee, Camperdown Academy, and PACE Academy for the beautiful flowers and plants for the school;
- the SC Public Charter School District for all the support they offered the school; and
- to Ms. Mandy Wilson at Midlands Middle College, Ms. Lydia Trotter at Youth Leadership Academy, Ms. Sarah Hamby at Green Charter School Elementary, Mr. Andrew Brower at Green Charter School Middle, Ms. Tiff Peters at Greenville Tech Charter High School, Ms. Jordan Dean at High Point Academy, and Ms. Jane Brice with Carolina Counseling Partners for providing grief counseling for the students and faculty/staff.
- to Ms. Tyrease Lane, Ms. Leigh Oswald, Ms. Dawn Galantucci, Ms. Shelby Lear, Ms. Leslie Buchanan, Ms. Loren Watts, Mr. Tim Watts, Ms. Virginia Sullivan, Ms. Jena Miller, Ms. Diane Wessel, Miss MaKynna Pannell, and Miss Alexa Ide for volunteering to help with the Scholastic Book Fair this week!;
- to LABCS's Literacy Committee for putting together an amazing Fireside Literacy Event for our families, to the 8th Grade Literacy Leaders and Student Council for helping out, and to those teachers and students who participated in the different stations for that evening;
- to Ms. Nicole Taylor at Acceptance Insurance for helping out at our Fireside Literacy Event and for bringing Santa Claus and his wife;
- to the PTA and Parents for the super yummy apple bar;
- to the Massie Family for bringing in the amazing cookies for the faculty/staff;
- to Ms. Mandy Bernstein for the donation of the Christmas tree to use as our Angel Tree; and
- to all the LABCS Families for your flexibility with the shortened days this week;
Our apologies in advance to anyone accidentally left off. |
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A Note from the Principal
While the faculty/staff and students experienced a tragedy last week with the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved Science and Guidance Counselor, the outpouring of support from the SC Public Charter School District, other schools and businesses, and the Easley Community was overwhelming and greatly appreciated. It helped us navigate this loss a little bit better.
For many of our students, this was, possibly, their first encounter experiencing the death of someone they knew. For many of the faculty/staff, this was, possibly, their first encounter experiencing the death of a colleague they currently work with. Everyone within the building stepped in and supported each other. Having the day on Monday to do activities with the school to help process the news was beneficial to all who were there and having the six grief counselors available allowed almost all the students the opportunity to help further process the news. We know many of our students will still need emotional support in the days and weeks to come, and we are committed to providing that to the best of our ability.
I want to thank all the parents for their flexibility and understanding as we modified our school day twice this past week to accommodate the loss and the funeral.
A Note from the Front Office
We have A LOT of clothes and water bottles in our lost and found. Please come in to check if any of these are your child's. The lost and found is located in our front lobby. Items in lost and found will be donated to the Dream Center when we head out for the Holiday Break on the 19th of December.
A Note About Technology
Students must make sure they have a pair of earbuds or similar at school every day as they are needed for some assignments. While we have some earbuds for students to borrow, it requires us to wipe them down with rubbing alcohol so that they can be re-used since we do not have the budget to make them disposable. This was on the Student Supply List given at the beginning of the school year. You can pick these up inexpensively at Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Five Below, etc. The student should keep an extra pair at school that does not need to come home.
Just a reminder that Chromebooks belong to the school and should only be used for school assignments and not for personal use if they are brought home.
A Note from the Student Council
Santa Grams will be on sale beginning December 4 through December 21. These will be $2.00 and consist of a note and a flavored candy cane. Santa Grams can be purchased during morning drop-off in the Dragon's Den. Santa Grams will be delivered each Friday until we leave for our holiday break.
Congratulations to Ava Speary for winning the Yearbook Cover Contest!! To see the winning cover, click here.
A Note from the PTA
As we gear up for the festive season, the PTA is organizing a special gesture for our hardworking staff. We're seeking your support in making it memorable. PTA is providing lunch for the staff on December 19. We are also organizing a staff gift change. We kindly request families to contribute $10 gift cards from various stores. Additionally, we'd appreciate if you could send in miscellaneous gifts valued at $10 or under. These will be combined with the gift cards into gift packages for staff. Your generosity will undoubtedly bring holiday cheer to our amazing staff! Please drop off your contributions at the school office by December 15.
Thank you for making this holiday season special for our wonderful staff!
After-School and/or Saturday Tutoring
We have been approved for after-school and/or Saturday tutoring for current Lakes and Bridges students at no cost to you. The after-school tutoring sessions will run from 4:00-5:00, and the Saturday sessions will run for three hours from 9:00-12:00 or at the discretion of you and the tutor. If you are interested in your child receiving extra help, please reach out to Ms. Heidi or Mrs. Disbrow. We have several teachers who are willing to do this tutoring. The first choice will be with the child's subject-area teacher if he/she is available. If that teacher is not available, we will assign another teacher to them.
Cell Phones and Apple Watches
While we have had to enforce the Apple Watch (and any other smartwatches) policy, we are currently working on an amended policy and will have that available sometime in mid-January.
Cold Weather and Recess
Please note that students will go outside for recess unless the temperature drops below 32 degrees (to include wind chill). Please make sure your child brings a jacket to school. All students will go outside regardless of whether they have a jacket or not. We do not have enough staff available during recess to leave some students inside and some outside.
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