What's Happening at The Literacy & Learning Center
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TL&LC After-School Students of the Year
The Literacy & Learning Center is proud to announce Galilea Rojas and Gauge Hennequin as the 2025 After-School program’s Students of the Year.
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TL&LC Volunteer of the Year
The Literacy & Learning Center is thrilled to announce Larry Powell as its Volunteer of the Year for the 2024-25 school year! This honor recognizes and celebrates Larry's exceptional dedication and profound impact on our students and the TL&LC community.
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Swingin' Soiree
July 27
6 - 9 pm
The Farm at Old Edwards
336 Arnold Road | Highlands, NC
Tickets and information at
TheLiteracyandLearningCenter.org/swingin
Special thanks to the Hack Foundation
for sponsoring the band!
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Heartfelt thanks to the Rotary Club of Highlands for making our after-school and Pre-K playground possible!
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TL&LC’s summer programs provide enriching experiences for children throughout the summer months, offering a blend of creativity, adventure, and academic preparation — all free of charge. Registration is open for this exciting lineup of summer camps for students of various ages.
Craft Camp | June 2 - 6 | 1 - 4 pm | 3rd - 5th graders
Adventure Camp | July 7 - 11 | 12 - 3 pm | 1st - 4th graders
College Essay Boot Camp | July 21 - 25 | 2 - 4 pm | High School Seniors
Craft Camp | July 28 - August 1 | 1 - 4 pm | K - 2nd
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The Literacy & Learning Center is offering a new summer camp specifically for older students this year. This intensive, hands-on workshop is designed to help rising high school seniors and recent graduates craft compelling college application essays. College Essay Boot Camp will be held from July 21 to 25, from 2 to 4 p.m.
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Help Make Our Summer Camps a Success!
TL&LC is gearing up for another exciting summer of camps, and you can help make them even better! We've created Amazon registries with needed supplies for each camp. Your generous donations will directly support our young campers' creativity and adventures. Please consider purchasing an item from one of our registries:
Thank you for your generous support in providing a memorable and enriching summer for
our campers!
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TL&LC Seeks Summer Camp Volunteers!
The Literacy & Learning Center seeks enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to help support our fun and engaging summer camp programs! We have several opportunities available throughout the summer to work with children and make a positive impact. If you enjoy working with kids and want to contribute to a great cause, we encourage you to sign up!
Volunteer support is needed on the following days and times:
- June 2 - 6, 1 - 4 pm
- July 7 - 11, 12 - 3 pm
- July 21 - 25, 2 - 4 pm
- July 28 - August 1, 1 - 4 pm
To learn more about the summer camps, please visit TheLiteracyandLearningCenter.org/youth. To learn more about getting involved and signing up for a volunteer shift, please contact Caroline Cox, Programs Manager, at CCox@TheLiteracyandLearningCenter.org or 828-526-0863. Your time and support will help make our summer camps a memorable and enriching experience for all!
| | The Literacy & Learning Center is excited to bring back another season of engaging workshops tailored for preschoolers and their parents in the upcoming year. Organized and led by Carolyn Middlebrooks, Pre-K Director, the aim is to empower parents by demonstrating inventive ways to utilize everyday household items for their children's educational benefit. These sessions will showcase practical activities that parents can seamlessly incorporate into their daily routines, fostering a rich learning environment at home. | | |
Pre-K Class Demonstrates Growth and Kindergarten Readiness
As the school year comes to a close, The Literacy & Learning Center is proud to celebrate the remarkable progress of its inaugural Pre-K class. Nearly half of these young learners are now ready to take the exciting next step—Kindergarten.
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Individual Student Achievements:
As the school year concludes, we are incredibly proud to highlight our Pre-K students' remarkable growth and individual achievements. Each child has blossomed uniquely, demonstrating significant progress in academic readiness, social-emotional development, and language acquisition. These individual summaries showcase the dedication of our young learners and the supportive environment fostered in our classroom.
- Emmily has shown remarkable growth this year. She now gracefully accepts disappointment and speaks English fluently, a significant improvement from her initial understanding at the start of the year.
- Ivanna: Despite her short time in class, Ivanna has adapted exceptionally well to our routine. She separates easily from her parents and can now write her first name.
- Genesis: As one of our youngest students, Genesis can identify 20 capital letters and proficiently sort objects by color, shape, and size.
- Charlotte has become increasingly independent and demonstrates significant growth in confidence. She knows all the capital letters and is skilled at creating patterns.
- Katherine confidently identifies shapes and colors, and her articulation and English language skills have improved greatly.
- Jacob has successfully learned to hold a pencil and scissors correctly and consistently shows eagerness to help during cleanup.
- Arina: Although English is not Arina's first language, she has excelled in acquiring new vocabulary and communicates with impressive proficiency, currently performing above age-level expectations.
- Timothy: As the youngest member of our class, Timothy has made significant strides in following simple instructions and engaging in cooperative play, which is especially impressive.
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Recent Pre-K events:
- We held play dates for prospective students to visit us during school hours in May. They toured the center, and the children played with our current students for a time while we observed them.
- Our Pre-K students showcased their musical talents at a special end-of-year performance for their families on May 13. Throughout the year, students have enjoyed engaging music lessons with Ms. Angie, and their hard work culminated in this delightful recital. The young performers sang and played beloved favorites, creating a memorable experience many families might recognize and enjoy. It was a wonderful celebration of their progress and passion for music! Please enjoy a taste of their celebration below!
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A sampling of seasonal art projects made by pre-K students (above).
- Students studied trees and traced their hands and arms on brown construction paper to make a tree trunk and branches, paired with green “leaves." Then they searched magazines to find things to add that are made from trees. (top left)
- Students used real tree slices to stamp their papers with paint, transferring the rings. They counted the rings to see how old their tree was. (top middle)
- In celebration of the Highlands-Cashiers Health Foundation's initiative that believes “Mental Health Begins With Kindness” and works to open conversations and reduce stigmas for people of all ages and walks of life, our Pre-K students decorated bees that are currently on display at the Hudson Library. (top right)
- “Painting with my Peeps!” - During Easter, students painted marshmallow Peeps and stamped them on their papers to make bunny shapes. (bottom middle)
- The flower art with seeds was made the day students learned the parts of a plant. They made models of flowers using objects and labeled them. Their favorite part was using—and tasting—sunflower seeds for the plant seeds. (bottom right)
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The Enduring Value of Gardening for Young Children
The Literacy & Learning Center's Pre-K outdoor garden program offers a rich, hands-on learning experience beyond simply planting seeds. By engaging children in cultivating life, TL&LC fosters a deeper understanding of the natural world and ignites a passion for learning that will last a lifetime.
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TL&LC is pleased to offer a nurturing and comprehensive learning environment for children needing pre-K education. Through a play-based and child-centered approach, young learners will engage in activities that enhance their language and literacy skills, develop mathematical and scientific thinking, nurture social-emotional well-being, and promote physical growth.
To ensure your child's spot in our free pre-K program for the 2025-26 school year, apply now.
- Potential students will then be invited to a play date in early May for observation and assessment.
- Students must be 3 or 4 years old and must be fully potty trained.
To learn more or to apply for your child, contact Carolyn Middlebrooks at 828-626-0863 or CMiddlebrooks@TheLiteracyandLearningCenter.org.
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In collaboration with the Highlands-Cashiers Health Foundation’s initiative, Mental Health Begins with Kindness, which encourages open conversations and reduces stigma for people of all ages, our after-school students created decorative bees which are no on display at the Hudson Library.
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TL&LC's After-School Program and the Power of Early Literacy
The Literacy & Learning Center is thrilled to share the remarkable growth of its after-school students during the 2024-2025 school year, as highlighted by its recent i-Ready reading diagnostic. This powerful assessment tool helps the Center understand each student's unique learning path, providing tailored insights into their strengths and areas for development. The data, covering the period from the end of September to the end of the academic year, provides compelling evidence of the students' dedication, the program's effectiveness, and the tireless work of TL&LC staff, volunteers, and Highlands School teachers.
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Starting Monday, June 2, from 6:30 to 7:30, ESL (English as a Second Language) classes will be offered virtually via Zoom. This transition is designed to increase accessibility and make it easier for more learners to participate from the comfort of their own homes. To join the class, please visit TheLiteracyandLearningCenter.org/esl and follow the Zoom link provided.
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