| STATE OF THE SCHOOL REPORT |
We are starting our 6th week of the school year, and I am so pleased with how well the students and faculty are settling into new routines and focusing on implementing the
curriculum plans that we shared with you last month. It is a busy fall season, and I am eager to share with you some of the recent highlights.
VIP VISIT
We just had a great visit from NewSchools Venture Fund,
a national nonprofit venture philanthropy organization working to transform public education. NewSchools has provided significant support to Charlotte Lab School, including a $200,000 grant last year. The NewSchools staff were very impressed with what they observed. Specifically, t
hey said that they were "blown away" by the joy, strong culture, and student agency and couldn't believe that we are only in our second year. They were also impressed by the warmth and commitment demonstrated by our staff. We look forward to continuing our relationship with this innovative supporter of public education.
PTSO MEETING AND STATE OF THE SCHOOL
Last week, I presented my Beginning-of-Year State of the School report at the first PTSO General Meeting of the year. Thank you to the more than 75 parents who came out. I enjoyed sharing highlights and testing results from the 2015-2016 school year, as well as priorities and goals for this year. If you weren't able to attend, you can find the
State of the School Report here.
A few months ago, the Charlotte Lab School Board held a retreat to help set priorities and direction for our board work. One of the outcomes was to focus on creating several new board committees and recruiting additional committee members to tackle some of the key goals for the organization. These committees include:
- School Performance & Culture
○ Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee
- Finance & Fundraising
- Facilities
- Governance
- Strategic Planning - growth & expansion
FAMILY HANDBOOK
We are soooooooo close! I was really hoping to share a copy of the handbook tonight, but it is still in need of a few more finishing touches--and page numbers! Please check our website tomorrow; we have even saved a spot for it on the Lab Parents section. A hard copy will be sent home with your child on Friday, and we ask that you read it and sign and return the Acknowledgement Form. Please let us know if you have any questions about, or feedback on, the handbook.
Have a great week.
Dr. Mary Moss Brown
Head of School
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WELLNESS UPDATE FROM MRS. WHELAN
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It has been amazing to walk by our advisory groups at school and hear countless conversations around the topic of GRIT. I have had lunch groups with our students and they are excited and eager to tell me what Grit means and how they showed Grit that particular day. I have watched teachers and advisors post pictures and photos that display Grit on Seesaw as well. All of these examples have underscored the importance of Character Development is during these formative years. I feel grateful our community supports these types of programs and values this content when educating our children.
Here is an acronym that we have been using to explain the definition of GRIT:
R
edo if necessary
I
gnore giving up
T
ake time to do it right
I am sharing two short video clips that have been used in advisory groups this month. Both show individuals that have displayed courage, tenacity, focus, and Grit. After watching these, our students have engaged in group discussions around where they saw Grit in these personal and inspirational stories. I would like to encourage you to watch them as well and have your own meaningful conversations with your children around the topic of Grit.
It is also important to share stories of when you have shown, or not shown, Grit and how you felt in both scenarios. Our children look to us as role models, and this could be a teachable moment where you can explain to your children that things are not always easy; yet, finding inner strength and committing that giving up is not an option, can be one of the most important skills we can develop and nurture in life.
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It is the beginning of Open House and Student Recruitment season, and we need your help. It wasn't long ago that we were all in the position of wanting to learn more about Charlotte Lab School, and now is your chance to be the Lab School representative as we attend and host a variety of recruitment initiatives this fall. Don't worry--training and talking points will be provided. If you have any questions, please email Director of Diversity and Inclusion Kendra Johnson.
FESTIVAL LATINO AMERICANO!
Lab families, we have a great community outreach event coming up on Saturday, October 8 from 12-8:00 pm. Festival Latino Americano will be held at Symphony Park at South Park Mall. Admission is $5, and we will have a table set up that we will need volunteers to staff, talk to prospective families, and pass out flyers.
Please sign up to volunteer here; the time has been split into two hour shifts, but if you're only able to stay for an hour, or stay for more than two, just let us know!
KINDERGARTEN OPEN HOUSE
We have our first open house coming up for rising kindergartners on Wednesday, October 12 from 6-8:00 pm! We would love to have volunteers come help out and share information about Charlotte Lab with prospective families! You will be paired with a staff person and/or given talking points for informal conversations with prospective parents.
Sign up here.
HOLA CHARLOTTE - RESCHEDULED
Hola Charlotte Festival has been rescheduled and will take place on Sunday, October 16. We would still like for parents to meet us at the school at 2pm in your lab gear to enjoy the festival and spread the word about Charlotte Lab!
Sign up here.
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| Do you want to know who to thank for our amazing book fair? Are you curious about how much money we earned for the school? You can find the answers to these questions and more on this week's Blog post. |
Thanks to a very generous parent, we received two, new 50" TVs for our classrooms. Hooray! We are still looking for some additional technology to support our students. 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
- iPhones 5 or newer
- 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 lightning charger cables, and Micro USB charger cables
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In the next two weeks, the 1st-5th graders will take the NWEA MAP tests in reading and mathematics during their academic blocks. While Charlotte Lab School believes that these tests provide only one data point about your child's academic progress, the results are important to inform our teaching. We ask that all families support their child(ren)'s success on these tests by:
- Encouraging 100% effort;
- Ensuring that your child is well-rested and eats a healthy breakfast;
- Attending school on test days and being on time:
- October 4-7: 2nd-5th grade ELA & Math
- October 11-13: 1st grade ELA & Math
- Reassuring students that MAP testing is just one source of information and does not impact their "grades" or class placement at Charlotte Lab School.
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| We hope you have heard or seen that we have a new mascot--we are the Lab Lions! If you would like to put your design skills to use and help us create a graphic image for our mascot (to use on signs, banners, t-shirts, etc.) please email Susannah Lund for the project specifications. |
DINING OUT @NOTHING BUT NOODLES
Would you like a night off from the kitchen to enjoy a delectable dish of lobster ravioli, or mouthwatering, spicy Cajun pasta, or a delicious plate of tasty pad thai noodles? Then come out and 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
HORNETS BASKETBALL GAME
Bzzzzzz! What's that sound? The Charlotte Hornets are here in town! And we want to see you on November 18 for the Hornets game against the Atlanta Hawks @ 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. Look for the flier in your child's green folder and return it by Oct 27.
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| 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 - NO SCHOOL |
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| Thurs, Oct 13 |
Nothing But Noodles Dining Night Out |
4:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct 16 |
Hola Festival - Outreach Event |
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| 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 - NO SCHOOL: Teacher Work Day |
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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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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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