Week of May 18, 2025

Dear Raptor Families,

As we close out the 2024–25 school year, we want to extend our sincere thanks for your continued support. It has been a year of growth, learning, and community, and we are grateful for your partnership every step of the way.

We wish all our students and families a restful and enjoyable summer. We encourage students to stay intellectually engaged over the break—read widely, explore your interests, and take time to recharge.

For returning families, please be sure to review the summer updates to the Parent/Student Handbook and Code of Conduct. These updated documents will be shared in mid-to-late summer, with highlights clearly identifying changes and additions to existing policies to help families prepare for the new school year.

We would also like to share an update from the School Improvement Team regarding uniforms. After careful review and consideration, hoodies will continue to be offered as an approved uniform option through our vendors and at LLCA for the upcoming school year. Additionally, we have worked with our vendors to expand the variety of approved uniform items available to students. Please make note that t-shirts will not be allowed for the 2025-2026 school. We informed parents that t-shirts would be phased out during the 2024-2025 school year.

With the increased range of options, we expect to see improved consistency with uniform expectations across all grade levels. We ask that families carefully review the updated uniform guidance documents, as we will continue to uphold and consistently enforce our dress code policies in the coming year.

Thank you once again for being an essential part of our school community. We look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Parents would you like to receive a "free" ticket to attend the Lake Lure Music Festival? We have received a generous donation to provide free tickets to families. These tickets are limited, so if you are interested in receiving free tickets, please contact Ms. Cohen at bcohen@llcharter.org or (828) 625-9292.

Lunch Information

Thanks to the continued generosity of Mercy Chefs, free lunches will be provided Monday through Thursday this week. There will not be any lunch served on the last day of school, May 23rd. This is a noon release day.

Thank you for your continued support of our school community!

Please Mark Your Calendar

Thursday, May 22nd: High School Awards Ceremony, 8:00 - 10:00

Thursday, May 22nd: K-2 Awards Ceremony, 10:30 - 12:00

Thursday, May 22nd: 3rd - 5th Awards Ceremony, 1:00 - 2:30

Friday, May 23rd: Middle School Awards Ceremony, 9:00 - 11:00

Friday, May 23rd - Graduation of the Class of 2025 6:00 PM in the Raptor Center

SCHOOL DISMISSES AT 12:00 NOON on FRIDAY, MAY 23rd

Update on Yearbook Orders

Due to many factors beyond the control of the yearbook staff, the yearbooks will not be shipped until June. When we know more specific details, we will announce dates that students may pick up books from the school over the summer. Books not picked up in the summer will be available in August when school starts back. For those students who have ordered a yearbook, we will give you an “Autographs” section that may be inserted into the yearbook when it arrives, so that you can still exchange end-of-year messages with your classmates. We will also have a few extra autograph section inserts available for purchase for $5, for those who did not purchase a yearbook. These will be distributed to students this week. If you have not yet ordered a yearbook, we have 15 copies remaining for sale. Those may be ordered online at https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/students-and-parents/about-yearbooks

We appreciate your understanding, as this has been a truly unprecedented year for our school. In the meantime, here is a peek at our cover!



Several Important Messages from Mr. Rush, LLCA Technology Director

Staying Safe Online

Raptor Families, the following message is one I shared with our staff regarding technology best practices.  All of this has come about as a recent result of the ongoing data breach announced and posted yesterday to our website.

It is up to us to protect ourselves.  As we have said numerous times, please follow this 3-prong test before opening any emails:

• You must KNOW the person sending the email.
• You must TRUST the person sending the email.
• You NEED the email.

If you have slightest inkling that an email may not be legitimate, please call the person to confirm they sent it before opening.  Also, please notice the tone and wording of the title or preview to see if it matches the sender's style.

Other protection measures to take:

• perform an immediate update to your device(s) operating system (cell phones, computers, etc.) and all drivers installed on your device(s)
• download a powerful, often updated antivirus program and ensure it is deployed and updated on all devices
• follow the 3-prong test on personal devices
• log off and shutdown each device frequently, this helps ensure it functions at high levels and helps clear out RAM
• at least monthly run the "Disk Cleanup" and "Disk Defragment" programs on your laptop
• running either of these programs will only remove harmless data and consolidate the data so your laptop can operate more efficiently

Recent Tik Tok Trend “Chromebook on Fire”

• Please be aware of a new trend sweeping across the country, and unfortunately already discovered here at LLCA.
• Students are placing paper clips or inserting pencil lead into the USB port on Chromebooks causing them to overheat and catch fire.  Please be on the lookout for this behavior and report it to your administrator.  Willful damage of school property is a violation of the code of conduct. 

Chromebook End-Of-Year Collection

As soon as the current round of testing ends, Mr. Rush will begin collecting student assigned Chromebooks.  Each student is responsible for returning his/her Chromebook in good working order along with its charger.  If there is any damage or anything missing, there will be a charge for repair or replacement.  Report cards will not be issued until this charge is satisfied.

From Mrs. Granville - Academically & Intellectually Gifted Teacher

Here are a few ideas for when the HOT Summer Boredom sets in:

Boredom Busters (K-12)

Screens, Brain Development, and ADHD

Mrs. Granville's AIG Webpage

High School Service Day - Let's Give Back!

We are excited about our high school Service Day on Wednesday! Although our community has faced many challenges this year, our school has been abundantly blessed, and we would like to take this opportunity to “give back” to some of the organizations in our area that do so much for us. Students - please remember to bring your permission forms to your Advisory Teachers by Tuesday! On Wednesday, please make sure to bring a water bottle, snack and bagged lunch. 

More High School Information

We are also planning some fun activities for the high school students on Friday (Last Day - Noon Release). We ask that each grade level help with specific food items:

9th - Sweets

10th - Savory Snacks and Fruit

11th - Salty Snacks

12th - Drinks (Canned soda, Juice boxes - NOT 2 liter drinks)

A Message From Mrs. Warner: Outdoor Education

This past week was our last week of Outdoor Ed for K-3 for the year. We’ve had lots of fun and  learned many new things while enjoying the beautiful outdoors surrounding our campus! Thank you for your support in your child’s exploration of the outdoors, and I look forward to the adventures we will have next year!

Lake Lure Classical Academy’s

mission is to offer 

a classical, knowledge-based education 

that fosters critical thinking, civic responsibilities, and virtue for all.