The Lawton Ledger
2023-2024 Theme: Level Up and CRUSH IT!
Lawton Chiles ES Community Member,

As you know this year we are working hard to LEVEL UP! The first step to helping our students level up is teaching the importance of good attendance. Did you know missing just 10% of the school year, or missing 2 days per month, is considered "chronic absenteeism" and can lead to significant gaps in your child's education? Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. You can start building this habit now so they learn early on that going to school on time, every day is important.

Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and in the workplace. September is National Attendance Month and we need your support to get our students not only to school, but to school on time so they can become successful lifelong learners.
DID YOU KNOW?
· Starting in kindergarten, too many absences (excused and unexcused) can cause children to fall behind in school.
· Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) increases the chance that your student will not read or master math at the same level as their peers.
· Being late to school may lead to poor attendance and contributes to lost instructional time.
· Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
· By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
· By being present at school, your child learns valuable social skills and has the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with other students and school staff.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
We miss your student when they are gone and we value their contributions to our school community. We would like you to help ensure that your student attends regularly and is successful in school. Some ways you can help at home:

● Make sure your child is in bed by a certain time each night and the alarm clock is set.
● Don’t let children stay home unless they are truly sick.
● If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers and school counselors for support on how to make him/her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
● Identify a relative, friend or neighbor who can take your child to school if you can’t or if he/she misses the bus.
● Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session. Even early check-outs disrupt student learning.
Lawton Chiles 2nd grade students starting their morning off with daily reading practice!
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
We know that there are a wide variety of reasons that students are absent from school, from health concerns to transportation challenges. We have a team of people in our building prepared to help you if you or your student face challenges in getting to school regularly or on time. We promise to track attendance daily. When your student is missing from class, we aim to communicate with you to better understand why they were absent in order to help identify barriers and suggest supports available to overcome challenges you may face while helping your student attend school. For additional support, please contact our school guidance counselor, Samantha Jensen, our school social worker, Chelsea Young-Savitz, or Ms. Sabrina at the front desk.

Together, we can LEVEL UP our attendance!

You can learn more about the importance of school attendance at: www.attendanceworks.org

Principal, Erin Willis

Pictured very top: Our Hurricane Idalia clean up crew hard at work!
Monday, Sept. 4, 2023
Florida flag
Useful Links 
Connect with Lawton Chiles Elementary School
11001 Bloomfield Drive
Orlando, FL 32825
(407) 737-1470
September Calendar
Data and Outcomes
We are excited to start this school year with a new theme and new goals! This school year we are leveling up! And how are doing it? By Crushing it! Crush is an acronym that stands for Collaborate, Rethink, Use every minute, Step Up & Honor our Differences. This theme is being embraced by students and staff.

There are several ways we are leveling up as educators:

Level Up Classroom Community! Begin the year making connections with your students and families, establishing collaborative routines and procedures, and creating environments in which students will thrive.

Level Up Differentiation! Increase your ability to meet the needs of every student every day by planning differentiated content, process, and/or product.

Level Up Productive Struggle! Provide students opportunities that develop strong habits of mind, such as perseverance and thinking flexibly. They may make mistakes and try different strategies, but they are engaged with the work and can persevere.

Level Up Formative Assessments! Focus on tools and techniques to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used to deepen instruction and improve student success.

Level Up Questioning! Enhance the educational impact of instruction by using planned and intentional questioning to dive into complex thinking!

Level Up Time! Make every moment count! Consider how to maximize transitions, lessons, and meetings to ensure every minute matters.

Level Up Reflection! Engage in the cycle of reflection, revision, and reteaching to support student achievement and professional growth.

As you can see, Lawton Chiles is ready to take it to the next level and we appreciate your partnership and collaboration as we move forward this school year!
Parent Engagement
o Phone: 407-737-1470, Fax: 407-737-1471
o School email: [email protected]
o Parent Engagement Liaison email: [email protected]
o Registrar email: [email protected]
o Follow us on Facebook: Lawton Chiles Elementary – OCPS
o Follow us on Twitter: @LCE_OCPS
o Class Dojo
2023-2024 Family Guide (please click images below):
**Special thanks to our parents that attended the Parent Academy last Saturday at Colonial High School**
Parents, don’t miss out on this great opportunity for you and your family. The OCPS Parent Academy is committed to making a sustainable impact on student success, parenting and advocacy and personal growth/wellness.
 
Our next Parent Academy will be virtual on Wednesday, Sept. 13th from 12noon - 1pm via Facebook and YouTube Live. Register at:
SAVE THE DATE!!!!
Lawton Chiles Elementary Open house is coming up, Tuesday, September 12 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, see you all there. More information will be provided as the date gets closer.
SPIRIT NIGHT - SEPTEMBER 13!!!
1st Spirit Night at Chuck E Cheese, Wednesday, September 13 from 3pm to 9pm. Special appearance at Dismissal - don’t miss it!
OCPS News
Weekly Superintendent's Message
This week Superintendent Dr. Vazquez discusses some of the trending topics on Thought Exchange which include salaries, cell phone policy, and A/C issues. You can still submit a thought on Thought Exchange by clicking here.
Food, Fun, and Fellowship
Ms. Alonso is modeling how-to-teach a writing strategy to her 4th grade teammates.
Instructional Coach, Lauren Martinez, provides support during weekly Professional Learning Community meetings. 
Our office staff and Ms. Higginbotham in front of the Orange County Sheriff's office Breast Cancer Awareness car.
Mrs. Roscoe worked with students on a puzzle prior to our monthly School Advisory Meeting. Thanks to our media specialist, Ms. Lowe, for designing a makerspace area for our students!
Second grade students starting their morning off with daily reading practice!
Community Resources
Florida's 2023 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday runs through Friday, Sept. 8th.

During this time, Floridians can purchase everything from generators and carbon monoxide detectors to everyday household items like dish detergent, all free of the state's usual sales tax. Plus, there's no limit on how many items you can buy.

  • Portable generator costing $3,000 or less
  • Tarp or flexible waterproof sheeting costing $100 or less
  • Ground anchor system or tie-down kit costing $100 or less 
  • Smoke detector costing $70 or less
  • Fire extinguisher costing $70 or less 
  • Carbon monoxide detector costing $70 or less
  • Non-electric food storage cooler costing $60 or less
  • Portable power bank costing $60 or less
  • Gas or diesel fuel tank costing $50 or less 
  • Portable radio costing $50 or less 
  • AA-cell, AAA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, or 9-volt batteries, excluding automobile and boat batteries, costing $50 or less
  • Flashlights, lanterns or candles costing $40 or less

Pet supplies are also tax free.
The tax holiday also include a number of items related to the safe evacuation of household pets. Exempted items include:

  • Bags of dry dog food or cat food weighing 50 or fewer pounds with a sales price of $100 or less per bag.
  • Cans or pouches of wet dog food or cat food with a sales price of $10 or less per can or pouch or the equivalent if sold in a box or case.
  • Over-the-counter pet medications with a sales price of $100 or less per item.
  • Portable kennels or pet carriers with a sales price of $100 or less per item.
  • Manual can openers with a sales price of $15 or less per item.
  • Leashes, collars, and muzzles with a sales price of $20 or less per item.
  • Collapsible or travel-sized food bowls or water bowls with a sales price of $15 or less per item.
  • Cat litter weighing 25 or fewer pounds with a sales price of $25 or less per item.
  • Cat litter pans with a sales price of $15 or less per item.
  • Pet waste disposal bags with a sales price of $15 or less per package.
  • Pet pads with a sales price of $20 or less per box or package.
  • Hamster or rabbit substrate with a sales price of $15 or less per package.
  • Pet beds with a sales price of $40 or less per item.

Additional items are tax free as residents build emergency supply kit for hurricane season.
The Florida House of Representatives Disaster Prep Bill #7063 says common household consumable items selling for $30 or less will be exempt from sales taxes. What are "common household consumable items"? Those include:

  • Powdered detergent; liquid detergent; or pod detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, stain removers, and bleach.
  • Toilet paper.
  • Paper towels.
  • Paper napkins and tissues.
  • Facial tissues.
  • Hand soap, bar soap and body wash.
  • Sunscreen and sunblock.
  • Dish soap and detergents, including powder detergents, liquid detergents, or pod detergents or rinse agents that can be used in dishwashers.
  • Cleaning or disinfecting wipes and sprays.
  • Hand sanitizer.
  • Trash bags.
Welcome to Community Connect!

Need to Locate Resources? You can search for free or reduced cost programs such as food, housing, mental health, education programs, and other social services provided directly by Community Based Organizations.
Have a safe and relaxing Labor Day holiday!
Ms. Willis, Principal
Lawton Chiles Elementary School
Sunday, September 3, 2023
11001 Bloomfield Drive
Orlando, FL 32825
Phone 407-737-1470
Fax 407-737-1471 | EEO Statement
This communication may contain information that is legally privileged, confidential or exempt from disclosure, and intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Anyone who receives this message in error should notify the sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail, and delete the message from their computer and any printout thereof. Please note that OCPS utilizes spam and junk e-mail filtration applications in its e-mail systems. That filtering process may prevent or delay delivery of certain e-mail communications. If you do not receive a timely response to an e-mail communication, please contact the intended recipient by phone.
Copyright Notice
Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and OCPS - Lawton Chiles Elementary School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of Lawton Chiles Elementary School and the Orange County Public Schools. Please contact Principal Willis at [email protected] with any questions or for further information.