Learning Gate News 2018-19
Ms. Mason's Message
Dear Learning Gate Families,
 
Please remember to follow the safety rules when coming in and out of the Learning Gate Hanna Campus. Speed should stay at 5 MPH, do not switch lanes and do not use your cell phone when driving. You will be asked to move your vehicle if you park in the left lane before 2:15, this lane needs to be kept open for emergencies. 
 
Make sure you are respecting our neighbors and their property. Their driveways are not to be used to make U-Turns and you should not park on their grass. Keeping a positive relationship with the community is essential! 
 
Thank you for helping to make drop off and pick up safe for all students!
 
Learning = the act or experience of one that learns
Gate = a means of entrance or exit
Community = a unified body of individuals
School = an organization that provides instruction
 
Put it all together and it equals an amazing place where people come together to enhance the lives of children and make the world a better place!
From the Board
Dear Learning Gate Families,

As the Learning Gate Education Foundation’s Board of Directors we are honored to serve the school and inspired by the parents, students and staff who make our school so unique in our community.

Did you know that 99% of our families donated to our Help the Heron Annual Giving Campaign last year? Last year’s donations enabled us to improve our technology by providing additional laptops, projectors and document cameras for our students and staff. The $150,000 donation will enable our students to have a more exciting and educational experience! 

We write to announce the kick-off of this year's Help the Heron Annual Giving Campaign and ask you to give this year, as we shoot for 100% participation in 2018-2019. Every family matters.

Learning Gate Community School operates as a nonprofit 501(c)3 Charter School. Our school is funded by the state of Florida on a per student basis. But that funding isn't enough. In fact, state funding is over $400 less per student than what it costs to educate our children the Learning Gate way. That is why we ask each family to make a voluntary contribution - to support the unique educational experiences our children enjoy at Learning Gate throughout the year.

Please consider a contribution of at least $250 for your family. If you do what you can, we will reach this year’s annual giving campaign goal of $100,000. We would love to be able to provide the school with the latest technology and resources for the next school year.

Our families are in a wide range of financial situations and we know that each donation will be from the heart. 100% participation is critical, so please participate by giving an amount that is appropriate for you.

Help the Heron Campaign gifts can be made in a variety of ways, including monthly online payments. Learn more and make your gift online at www.learninggate.org/AnnualGiving.
We are thrilled to announce our new crowd funding option to help family’s reach their goal. This new online link will accept payments and allow each family to reach out to friends and family to help support their child’s education.

Help the Heron is an all House challenge from now until October 4th. Check to see what House your child is in. If you have multiple children, your donation will be divided equally and applied to each student's House.

Everyone knows how special the educational experience is at our school, and that is why your gift today is so important.

Sincerely,

Board of Directors
Learning Gate Education Foundation  


PS - Thank you for doing what you can! Be sure to check with your employer regarding their donation matching programs. Many offer a 2:1 or 1:1 donation matching. 
Help the Heron
Lunch Information
Breakfast lunch and flavor station! These Learning Gate students love the new lunch menu!
Chef Jill is looking for volunteers to help with compost and recycling during lunch time. If you are interested, please email her.

Lunch Accounts/Ordering:   www.myschoolaccount.com
Food Service Contact:   [email protected]
Monthly Menu : September Menu

Kona Ice on Hanna campus: last Friday of the month
9/28, 10/26, 11/30, 12/14
 
Kona Ice on Lutz Lake Fern campus: first Friday of the month
9/7, 10/5, 11/2, 12/7

Volunteers Needed
Hanna Campus  — 10:45am–1:15pm
Lutz Lake Fern Campus  — 10:50am–12:30pm
No sign up necessary, please just come in!
3 shifts = one free dress pass
Family and friends welcome!

Breakfast
Hanna Campus  7:15am–7:50am
7 th  and 8 th  Grade Campus  7:15am–7:45am
Free, Reduced $.30, or Paid $2.00 cash
Includes Grain, Milk, Juice, Fruit


Ordering:
All school lunch meals must be pre-ordered 2 days in advance. The website is  www.myschoolaccount.com . Menus are posted monthly. If a meal is not ordered, the student will receive a cheese sandwich, fruit, veggie and milk. If hot food is available that will be offered on a first come, first served basis. The cost is $3.95 for paid meals, $0.40 for reduced meals and $0 for free meals. These charges will be applied to the student’s account. Once an order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Please check field trips before ordering ahead. Please check your child’s account regularly to review the balance.

Payments:
For your convenience, we are now accepting cash or check payments to be applied to your child’s online lunch account. Payments can be made online at www.myschoolaccount.com , however, a $2 fee is applied for this service each time you add money.

Field Trips:
Field trip lunches are available to at www.myschoolaccount.com . Field trip options are only available when your child is attending a field trip. Lunches meet the nutritional standards of the National School Lunch Program. The cost is $4.00 for paid meals, $0.40 for reduced meals and $0 for free meals. Additional snacks and beverages are available for an additional charge. If you accidentally ordered a hot meal and wanted a field trip meal, please contact [email protected] to make an adjustment.

Snacks:
Snacks are available for $.75 during lunch hours. These snack items all meet the National School Lunch Snack standards. There is a 2 snack maximum.
 Kona Ice is for purchase on the first Friday of the month at the Lutz Lake Fern Campus and the last Friday of the month at the Hanna Campus. Extra volunteers are always appreciated on these days.

Applications are available  online  or in the front office. Please submit to Chef Jill for review.

Please note  ***Applications are for our school lunch program at Learning Gate. If you have filled out an application with the county or another school, you still have to apply here or contact Jill with pre-existing paperwork. ***
Disclaimer:   The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation.
Middle School News
Cross Country Schedule
 
9/7 - Halloway Park Jamboree - Lakeland, FL. Girls 5:15pm  Boys: 5:45pm
9/21 - Lutz Prep Practice Meet - Lutz Prep. Girls 4:30pm Boys: 5:00pm
9/26 - TCAL Championship - Lutz Prep. Girls 4:45pm Boys 5:15pm
10/9 - CDS Meet - Carrollwood Day School.   4:15pm
10/13 - Bay Area Championship - Tamp. Girls 8am Boys 8:30am
10/27 - FLYRA MS State Championship (Must Qualify) - Lakeland Girls 9am  Boys 9:30am

 Boys Soccer Schedule
Girls Varsity Volleyball Schedule
Girls JV Volleyball Schedule
LG Volunteers
Thank you to our super active Crafty Crew! Our bathrooms at the Hanna Campus look AMAZING!
(Want to join the fun? Email [email protected] )

Thank you to our Baking Bunch for creating delish desserts for our staff! There hasn’t been a crumb to spare!

The Homeroom Parents for 2018-2019 school year have been selected and are already hard at work! Thank you to all those parents who volunteered this year! Please support your homeroom parent, they will be helping your teacher organize the school events for their classes all year long! 

Thank you to our Newsletter Team of volunteers. Their time and hard work ensure that every edition of the newsletter is filled with information that is important and useful to all our readers.
After School Clubs
Ms. Ellie is having an after school Club for 3rd-8th grade at Hanna Campus.
The 💎 Dazzle Club 💎
Come create jewelry and accessories you can wear!
There are only about 15 more spots left!!!!
Miss Ellie is looking for a parent volunteer to watch the students from 2:45 to 3:45 on Wednesday's. The first person to volunteer will get free tuition for their child for the month.
If interested in joining, please email her: [email protected] and download form here .

The Learning Gate IT Club starts this Tuesday, September 4th! Interested in learning about technology? Want to know how to build gaming computers and much more? Join the Learning Gate IT Club! The cost is $45 a month per student and will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-5:00 pm in the computer lab located in the 4th grade building. If interested or have questions, please contact Hunter Giambra
PTSA Update
Learning Gate Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Update
Hello, my name is Jennifer Crooker, and I am the 2018-2019 President of your PTSA. I would like to personally thank everyone who has already signed up to be a member. If you have not yet signed up, please consider doing so. Your membership helps pay for all our events and the assistance we provide to the school including funding teacher mini-grants and a student enrichment gift.

When you join the PTSA you will earn one volunteer hour and receive LEGOLAND discounts with your membership card. You can sign up online at here or email [email protected] for more information. I would like to thank those parents who attended our first general meeting on Monday. We will have two more general membership meetings this year so be on the lookout for those dates which will be in February and April. Remember, all parents who attend and are a PTSA member, earn one parenting hour for their attendance. 
 
Our upcoming fall events include our second annual Multicultural Night on Friday, October 19th. We are looking for a co-chair and committee members and will be posting sign-up information soon.

If you are interested in being a co-chair for this event, please email [email protected] . 
 
We also have our annual Festival Under the Trees event on November 3rd, which is a family fun carnival type event. All classes participate and have class booths where children can play games or make a craft. There will also be many other fun events for the entire family. This year we will also be offering parenting classes-stay tuned for further details! This event highlights our amazing campus so please be sure to save the date.
 
We are also currently looking for chairs and committee members for the following events:
Teacher Appreciation Week
Heron Hike-the PTSA's annual fundraising event
Book Fairs at both campuses
Hospitality Chair-coordinates baking treats for our events
Eighth Grade Celebration (committee)
Reflections-National PTA Art Competition
Health and Wellness events
Spaghetti Dinner (fundraiser)
Backpack program-provides backpacks of food on weekends provided by a local food bank to students in need
 
If you are interested in chairing any of the above events (which earns all 30 volunteer hours for the school year), or helping on any of the committees, please email [email protected] . I look forward to seeing you all. Thank you and have a great year!
Glee Club
Ms. Jessica and Ms. Alex are excited to announce that Glee Club starts on Thursday, September 6th. This student-centered, performance-based club is great fun for students in 1st - 6th grades. If you are interested in joining Glee Club, please contact Jessica Ancer at [email protected] for more information.
Learning Gate says Thanks
Learning Gate Community School would like to thank Girl Scout Troop 2700 for painting the inspirational quotes on the walls of the girl’s middle school bathroom and for purchasing the sanitary dispensers. It has created a more inviting, positive environment for our Learning Gate female students.
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