It is good to be back at school and see the students return from the unexpectedly long weekend.
We started the day with extended homeroom periods, giving our teachers a chance to connect with students and discuss the recent events in Charlotte, why school was closed last Thursday, and any concerns students had about being back at school. In case you missed it, here is a
copy of the letter that I sent last night describing our goals and the purpose of these discussions.
Conversations did not focus on the details of what happened, but rather they covered topics such as:
- how people get angry when they feel they are not being treated fairly;
- what a "protest" is;
- the importance of fair and equal treatment of all;
- the danger of "stereotypes" and making assumptions about others; and
- how all of this is related to the Lab way.
We also took time to reassure our students of their safety at school and in Charlotte.
We were amazed and inspired by the discussions, and I wish that our parents could have been "flies on the walls" listening to the thoughtful dialogue between teachers and students. Since you weren't there, I want to share some of the stories I heard from our faculty:
- One student made a comment about wishing he could just tell the whole City to "Do Better." That sparked a conversation about other things they wish they could tell our City. The students wrote a letter to Charlotte, telling the City what to do.
- Our advisory spoke briefly about what a protest is and how everyone has beliefs and thoughts that are very important. We spoke about how being different is having courage and our differences make us special. Students drew a picture of what makes them special in our notebooks and teachers will load them to Seesaw soon.
- I asked my advisory to draw a picture of the Charlotte that they are used to and feel safe in.
- We read the book That's Not Fair: Getting to Know Your Rights & Freedoms and explored the difference between what we know to be true and our opinions. We also talked about our right to peacefully protest.
And a few great quotes from the day:
- "There's really only one race, the human race."
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"I'm glad we got to talk a bit about this because I was really confused this weekend about what occurred."
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"People just took advantage of what was going on to break and steal stuff."
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"I'm not sure how protests make people change."
- "Why do things have to turn violent?"
- "We should always consider the sources. The media has a bias and it makes people take sides without knowing all the facts or truth."
- "Protests are okay as long as they are peaceful and nobody gets hurt."
- "I feel confused and conflicted. What can I do to help change?"
- "Why should we have guns when we have a mouth?
- "No one should have to be treated differently based on the color of their skin or their life experiences."
I hope that you can see that our students benefited from the dialogue, and that CLS has taken another important step toward creating a truly multicultural and inclusive curriculum, experience, and community.
As a final thought, I have heard from many of you that you would welcome resources for adults, in addition to the resources we provided for students in yesterday's enewsletter, in order to help you frame your ideas and discussions. Here are some suggestions collected by our faculty
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- Black Lives Matter Syllabus
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
- A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
- White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mary Moss Brown
Head of School
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Please stop by the book fair this week to check out the amazing book selections. Your children will be browsing the book fair on Monday and Tuesday and making purchases on Wednesday and Thursday.
The book fair is located in the multipurpose room and open this week at the following times:
- Each day from 7:45 am-4:00 pm. Please feel free to come in before or after school, any day.
- Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 5-6:00 pm BEFORE the PTSO meeting
- Friday, Sept 30 from 7:45-8:30 am during the Donuts for Dads.
Stop by and help support our school. Teacher wish baskets will be displayed, as well, so you can help build our school library by fulfilling a teacher's wish!
For a wider selection of books, specifically Spanish and STEAM-related books, be sure to check out the online book fair.
Books for All Students
We are raising money to help make sure that
all CLS students have a chance to buy a book. By making a donation to the book fair, you will help ensure that students in need are able to participate in the book fair and bring a book home. The average book costs $10, and we hope to raise $650 toward this effort. Please consider making a donation by sending a check, payable to CLS, in an envelope addressed to Susannah Lund, or by adding your donation to your child's Book Fair Wish List.
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| Curriculum Night was a huge success. Presentations and directions on how to use Seesaw, our new student-driven online portfolio platform, are now posted on our Charlotte Lab Blog. |
| PTSO MEETING TOMORROW - PLEASE COME! |
The first PTSO General Meeting will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27 from 6:00-8:00 pm. The agenda includes the following:
* School Update from Dr. Moss Brown
* Budget Review
* School Directory Presentation
* Volunteer Opportunities
* Spirit Wear Sale
* The Book Fair will be open from 5-6:00 pm!
If you RSVP 'd for childcare, the cost for each child is $5 (cash only please) and healthy snacks will be served (if your child needs more, please send it).
Please find parking on the street or at other nearby lots because we do not have any parking passes for the evening. FYI, you may pay to park at 300 E. 9th Street after 5:00 pm by using the Park it! Charlotte app.
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If you attended Curriculum Night, you may have heard that our Tech and Quest Teams are looking to help recycle some of your older technology. If you have any of the following items to donate (or would consider donating new items), please contact our Director of Technology Mitch Carraway.
- Android phones with accelerometer, gyroscope, and min 2gb RAM and 1080p screen for Google Cardboard
- Old iPhones 5" or more
- Tablets with rear facing camera
- Chromecasts, Chromebit
- Phone tripods
- Google Cardboard sets
- Acer R11 Chrome books
- TVs - 40" or more with HDMI input (plus a usb port)
- Old toys with motors to deconstruct for Maker projects
- Old speakers of various sizes
- Fully functional lightweight laptops, PCs or Macs to install Neverware
- Surge protectors, extension cords, apple lightening charger cables, and Micro USB charger cables
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| We are looking for a few volunteers to help us accomplish some fall projects for the school. We also have some great opportunities for Lab Dads. If you have some free-time (our schedule is flexible) please sign up here or email Susannah Lund. |
BOG RESULTS FOR 3RD GRADERS
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| Please look in your child's Green Folder for BOG results. If you have any questions, contact Vikki Tunick. |
Sign up for text reminders using Remind 101. By subscribing to the Whole School AND your child's grade level, you will receive up-to-date text reminders of need-to-know information. Simply text the correct code to 810-10. Standard text rates do apply.
- Whole School - @Fk2c2
- Kindergarten - @2a34d
- 1st Grade - @8g9ccd
- 2nd Grade - @48h447
- 3rd Grade - @hea66
- 4th Grade - @43gf3d
- 5th Grade - @4dha6
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| DON'T MISS THESE UPCOMING EVENTS |
DONUTS FOR LAB DADS (OR ANOTHER SPECIAL GUEST)
Join us this Friday, September 30 from 7:45-8:30 am at the school. This is also the final day of the Book Fair, be sure to visit!
HOLA CHARLOTTE FESTIVAL
Please come out in your Lab gear on
Saturday October 1, enjoy Latin Culture, and spread the word about Charlotte Lab School! We would like to meet at the school at 2:00 pm so that all of us could walk to the event together and stay for a few hours. We will have flyers to hand out as we walk around and enjoy the festival. Flyers can also be picked up in the front office on Friday. The Hola Charlotte Festival will be held uptown at the corner of North Tryon and Sixth Street from noon-7:00 pm.
Sign up here if you can help.
DINING OUT @NOTHING BUT NOODLES
Please help us raise money for the school by attending our next Dining Night.
Date: October 13.
Location: Nothing but Noodles,
1605 Elizabeth Ave.
Time: 4-8:00 pm
SPIRIT NIGHT - HORNETS BASKETBALL GAME
Show your school spirit at the November 18 Hornets game against the Atlanta Hawks. The game begins at 7:00 pm. Tickets are limited and will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Please note that we have reserved tickets in a preferred section and Lab school families will be grouped together for this event. Please look out for a flyer in your student's Green Folder laster this week.
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| Fri, Sep 30 |
Donuts with Dad (or Another Special Guest) |
7:45 AM |
| Sat, Oct 1 |
Hola Festival - Outreach Event |
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| Wed, Oct 5 |
CTC Trip: Frog & Toad (First Grade) |
11:30 AM |
| Oct 5-7 |
MAP Testing |
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| Sat, Oct 8 |
Festival Latino Americano - Outreach Event |
12:00 PM |
| Mon, Oct 10 |
Columbus Day - HOLIDAY |
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| Thurs, Oct 13 |
Nothing But Noodles Dining Night Out |
4:00 PM |
| Week of Oct 17 |
Student Portraits (M=5th, T=4th, W=3rd, TH=2nd, F=1st) |
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| Wed, Oct 19 |
CTC Performance: Grace for President |
11:45 AM |
| Mon, Oct 24 |
Student Portraits Con't (M=K) |
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| Fri, Oct 28 |
End of Q1 |
7:45 AM |
| Mon, Oct 31 |
Halloween - Teacher Work Day |
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Parking: This is a reminder that parents should not park in the lot directly across from our visitor entrance (300 E. 9th Street) including during morning drop off, throughout the day, and after school. This lot is reserved until 5:00 pm each day. Preferred parking is increasing their patrols of this lot, and you will likely get a ticket.
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Absence Procedures: On days that your child is sick or absent, please email his/her homeroom teacher and our Front Office Manager Stefanny Wilches before 8:30 am. A note from parents (and a doctor's note, if applicable) is necessary and should be sent immediately and no longer than 3 days after the absence. Don't forget that our funding depends on our attendance the first 20 days of school, so please make every effort to ensure your child is at school.
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Don't forget to like
Charlotte Lab School on Facebook. There is also a Charlotte Lab School Parents Page. This page is managed by parents and not visible on Facebook for security reasons, so if you want to join the group, please email the page administrator
Nicole Bowen, and she will invite you to join.
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Transportation Changes must be made by 2:00 pm, and this includes letting us know about early pickup. If you are picking up your child early, you must arrive in the front office by 3:30 pm. No exceptions, please. If you arrive after 3:30 pm, you will be redirected to the student entrance to pick up your child with regular dismissal. Make your
Daily Transportation Changes here.
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