We had a very strong start to our second semester, today. Several faculty are settling into new roles, and the second graders did a terrific job of adjusting to the new routines and rotations. In case you missed it, please
see last week's enewsletter
for the details about our second semester changes and improvements. While many of the students may not have been impacted by scheduling changes, you may want to check in with your child to hear more about any changes that he/she experienced, as this also marked the first day of the 3rd quarter, when students are introduced to new unit topics and reviewed classroom procedures.
This week, advisors are finishing up
Second Quarter Progress Reports
, which will be sent home in your child's green folder on Friday. Please take some time to review the progress report with your child so that you have a shared understanding of the progress your child is making towards his/her grade level academic standards.
You will notice that the progress report has changed significantly from last quarter's report in an effort to provide families with more information about how students are
progressing toward grade-level goals and skills
. These changes were made in response to the feedback that we received from parents who completed our Parent Feedback Survey last fall. Specifically, "
Knowing how my child is doing academically.
" was rated a concern by 60% of our families, and it was ranked as the #1 concern.
Here is a snapshot of the progress report enhancements that we have made and the rationale behind them:
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A page is dedicated to each content area with a more specific breakdown of topics and learning objectives that are covered not just for the quarter, but for the entire school year;
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Columns were added for quarters 2, 3, and 4 so parents can compare their child's progress from one quarter to the next. Any topic or learning objective that was not covered this quarter will be labeled "Not Evaluated" and will be covered at a later time;
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An additional rating of "Exceeding Mastery" was added and will be marked for any area(s) in which a child is working above grade-level expectations;
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We modified the format for 2nd-5th grade Quest. Quest teachers will now provide a narrative of each child's moments of strength/challenge. This will give parents a better picture of how their child is doing with the Survival Skills that he/she is currently working on; and
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We modified the format for 3rd-5th grade Spanish. Spanish teachers will now complete a rubric that allows parents to see what their child is currently doing in each language mode (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), in addition to what social studies content vocabulary he/she understands and utilizes. Parents can also view the next column in the rubric as their child's logical "next step."
After you have reviewed your child's progress report, please return the signature page by Friday, January 27.
As a reminder, there are no scheduled Parent-Teacher Conferences with quarter; however, if you have any remaining questions after reviewing your child's progress report, I encourage you to attend our Walk-in Conference Night on Tuesday, Jan 24 from 4:15-6:15 pm. All teachers will be available to meet for 10 minute mini-conferences that evening, and sign-up sheets will be posted beginning at 4:00 pm.
Parking is available at the Hal Marshall Annex lot at 618 N College St after 4:00 pm for this event. This lot is located just a block from the school. The best way to get there is to travel across the train tracks on E. 9th street, take a right at the light onto College St. and enter the lot on your right. IMPORTANT NOTE: The county staff have agreed to let us use their lot AFTER HOURS ONLY! Please do not park in this lot during the day, and be sure to park there only when you read in our enewsletter that we have been given permission.
We look forward to a great second semester.
Sincerely,
Mary Moss Brown
Head of School
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| Every day we count on parents to help the lunch service run smoothly. By providing a volunteer, we are also able to keep the cost of lunches down for everyone. We have a good number of volunteers who come regularly. A big thanks to all of them! However, we still have some open volunteer slots. Please consider helping with the lunch service by signing up here. We appreciate your help--whether you have time for one day or a regular commitment. |
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Join us for some winter ice skating fun on Sunday, January 22 from 2:00 to 4:20 pm at Extreme Ice Center at 4705 Indian Trail-Fairview Rd in Indian Trail. Admission is $8 for ages 10 and older and $6 for ages 9 and under. Skate rental is $4. Be sure to mention you are with Charlotte Lab School; a portion of sales comes back to the school. There will be a concession stand and restaurant open at the facility during the event. Helmet rentals are not available, so for safety purposes, we recommend that kids bring their own bike helmets. Hope to see you there!
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| YEARBOOK PHOTOS NEEDED & LAST CHANCE TO ORDER STUDENT PORTRAITS |
Do you have candid photos that might be good for the yearbook? Do you have photos from a school event, field trip, or club? If so, please send them today! Photos will be accepted until
Friday, January 20
. Just send them to
[email protected] and
include the name of the student(s), grade(s), and the event, if applicable.
We can't have a enough photos, so please send yours in now!
Also, this is the last call for anyone who wants to order prints of your child's student portrait. The online gallery links have expired however, if you still want to order photos, contact Mandy French at
[email protected]
immediately. All photo files will be deleted from the online gallery as of January 20, 2017.
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| MIDDLE SCHOOL PANEL DISCUSSION |
We know that many of our 5th grade families are already thinking about next year and the beginning of middle school! In addition to the Middle School Night we held last fall, we are planning a Middle School Panel Discussion on Thursday, Feb. 23. We will invite parents or representatives from various middle schools in the area, and you will have a chance to learn more about the schools' philosophies and families' experiences, as well as getting answers to your questions. We have also noticed that a lot of area middle schools are holding open houses in January and February, so please check the various schools' websites for more information. Additionally, if you would like to be part of our panel discussion, or if you have a middle school that you would like to see included, please email Counselor Assistant Andrea Miller.
Finally, all requests for transcripts and student records must be made in writing to Front Office Manager Stefanny Wilches. Please allow 2 weeks for processing. Requests for references should be made directly with the teacher or staff member. |
| WIRED CHILD BOOK CLUB FOR PARENTS |
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Join us on four
Monday
mornings, beginning next week, as we discuss the book
Wired Child: Reclaiming Childhood in the Digital Age
by Richard Freed, Ph.D. Melanie Hempe, the founder of Families Managing Media (who led a presentation at school last fall) will be with us for the first meeting to help kick-off this event. Participants should read the first 2-3 chapters of the book before next Monday.
Book Club will meet immediately after drop-off. Get your child safely to school, find a parking spot, grab coffee or a muffin over at Einsteins (in the UNCC building), and then join us for a group discussion. Prior to the first meeting, purchase a copy of the book "Wired Child" by Richard Freed, Ph.D, through Amazon Smiles
.
Additionally, we have a few copies available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis. You can sign one out at the front office or email Stefanny Wilches.
"Wired Child" Book Club Details:
- 4 consecutive Mondays: Jan 23, 30 & Feb 6, 13
- Time: 8:30-9:30 am
- Location: UNCC Room 806
- Homework: Prior to the 1st Meeting, read the first 2 - 3 chapters of the book.
- Cost: $15 for series or $5 per session, please bring cash or check to the meeting.
- RSVP: Let us know you will be attending by sending an email to Meegan Whelan.
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| Tue, Jan 17 |
2nd Semester Begins |
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| Fri, Jan 20 |
Q2 Progress Report Cards Home |
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| Sun, Jan 22 |
Extreme Ice Skating Spirit Event |
2:00 PM |
| Mon, Jan 23 |
Wired Child Parent Book Club (continues 1/30, 2/6 & 2/13) |
8:30 AM |
| Tues, Jan 24 |
Walk In Conference Night |
4:15 PM |
| Thur, Jan 26 |
4th/5th Grade Girls Book Club |
11:00 AM |
| Thur, Jan 26 |
Open House - K-6th Grades/New Families Only |
6:30 PM |
| Fri, Jan 27 |
Half Day - Early Release at Noon/Teacher Work Day |
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| Sat, Jan 28 |
Checkers Spirit Event |
6:00 PM |
| Wed, Feb 15 |
Middle School Open House - New and Returning Families |
6:30 PM |
| Fri, Feb 17 |
President's Day - Holiday |
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| Mon, Feb 20 |
President's Day - Holiday |
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| Tue, Feb 21 |
Teacher Workday- NO CLASSES |
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| Thur, Feb 23 |
4/5 Girls Book Club |
10:55 AM |
| Thur, Feb 23 |
Middle School Panel Discussion |
6:30 PM |
| Tue, Feb 28, 2017 |
PTSO General Meeting |
6:00 PM |
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Boo boo ice and peanut-free, healthy snacks are needed in the front office. If you are able to donate any of these items, please drop them off to
Stefanny Wilches in the front office. You may also pick up a donation receipt at that time.
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Come out and cheer on the Checkers vs. Manitoba on
Saturday, January 28
@
6:00 pm
at the Bojangles Coliseum. Tickets are $16/pp with $5 going back to the school. All checks must be payable to Charlotte Checkers! Deadline for ordering is Jan 20.
Lab families will be grouped together for this event. Flyers can be found in your child's green folder or you can print this form. Questions? Email Leslie Mueller.
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We are now accepting
applications for the 2017/18 lottery. Please note, this application is for NEW FAMILIES ONLY. Current families will be asked to complete an "Intent to Re-Enroll" form later in the school year. Also, all current families with siblings seeking enrollment next year should have completed a sibling application, which was due Dec 21, 2016. If you have any questions, please
contact Kendra Johnson.
Help us spread the word about our middle school open house.
The event originally planned for Jan 9 has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 26 @
6:30 pm
. Please reach out to families in your network who might be looking for a unique middle school experience.
This event is for new families only. Current families are invited to attend the event on Wednesday, Feb 15.
More information can be found on our
website
.
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Reminder that Second Semester After School began today, January 17. With the exception of PlaySpanish on Wednesday, you must sign-up for the second semester here. All classes are available for sign up except: Taekwondo on Mondays and Thursdays; Cake Fun on Mondays; Tech All Stars on Wednesdays.
Aligned Kids (Tuesdays) and Digital Citizenship (Thursdays) have been cancelled due to low enrollment. Curtain's Up (Thursday) needs a few more kids to make it run.
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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
- After School - @labschoola
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