March 11, 2022
The Role of Star 360 Benchmarks in your Child's Educational Progress

During this week’s parent-teacher conference day on March 17th, teachers will have some important data available for parents of K-8 students to review regarding academic growth and readiness in reading and math.
Our K-8 students have completed two of the three benchmarks for this school year that measure such progress.
Renaissance Star Early Literacy®, Renaissance Star Reading®, and Renaissance Star Math® adapt to the right difficulty level throughout the test to provide a highly accurate prediction of your child’s ability in early literacy, reading, and math.
Simply put, these computer-adaptive tests measure reading, math, and early literacy skills. The level of difficulty is based and adjusted on a student's responses. If a student answers a question correctly, the next one is more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the next question is easier.
Some of the ways your child’s teacher will use the information:
  • To identify what skills your child is learning 
  • To help plan instructional support activities that cover state standards
  • To review personalized goals for a student's progress toward academic targets
  • To evaluate whether Estimating if your child is on track for proficiency and mastery of state reading and math standards for End-of-Grade state tests
These assessments are only ONE aspect of your child’s readiness for End-of-Grade state exams and readiness for the next grade level. If you have questions about the data from these Star assessments, please contact your child’s teacher or bring your questions to the parent-teacher conference day on March 17th.
To further support our families, LLCA has partnered with Renaissance so that parents can bolster their child’s learning at home.
Student Photo Shoots on Tap for this Month
The following dates are tentative for spring pictures.
Current Schedule:
  • Spring sports photos: on or around March 23rd. This will include baseball, softball, and soccer. 
  • Cap and Gown photos for Seniors: on or around April 6th. (Depending on receipt of caps and gowns from Jostens).
  • Spring individual photos for all K-5 students - on or around April 21st. 
Students will be allowed to dress up for these photos. All school rules concerning proper school dress will apply.
The 6th-12th grade students will be allowed to participate on a pre-paid basis. The reason behind this is that historically many of the upperclassmen do not usually participate in spring photos.
Lifetouch will send out flyers before the date.

Stay in the Know with the LLCA PTO!
Our dedicated team of parent volunteers invites all LLCA families to get involved with the activities of the PTO. Check out their website here for past meeting minutes, bylaws, ways to get involved, and much more!
March 14th - LLCA Open House & Discovery Tours for Families of new and prospective students, 10 am - 2 pm
Thursday, March 17th - Parent-Teacher Conference Day. No School for Students.
If you have not been contacted by your child’s teacher and would like to set up a conference, please email Mrs. Youngblood to schedule a conference at gyoungblood@llcharter.org or email your child’s teacher directly.
Friday, March 18th - Teacher Workday. No School for students.
March 29th, 11 am - Lottery Drawing for the 2022-2023 School Year. On-campus & Livestreamed on Facebook
April 30th: Junior and Senior Prom - more details to follow
May 27th: Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2022, 6 pm

Read up on News Every Week from Ms. Powell, Ms. Sias & Ms. Kristin
This Week: Third Grade Teacher, Judson High
Mr. High is in his 42nd year of teaching! He is currently a 3rd-grade teacher at LLCA. Prior to his position with LLCA, he taught middle school for the Rutherford County School System, teaching North Carolina History to 8th graders. Asked what he most likes about teaching at LLCA, Mr. High responded, “I started out my career in a small Catholic School which emphasized parental involvement in all aspects of their child's education. Lake Lure takes me back to how important relations with parents and community are paramount in educating students.
Mr. High says his favorite thing about his years as a teacher is having former students tell him the difference he made in their lives or how much they enjoyed his class.
If Mr. High could give one piece of advice to our students, he said it would be this: Follow your heart and be patient when choosing your path in life. Never give up on the things you love best. Your education should be hand in hand with your interests.
Fun Fact: Mr. High has and still travels all over the United States and North Carolina to study historical sites, especially Revolutionary War History.
What's Happening in Mr. High's 3rd Grade Class These Days?
Mr. High is teaching about light and sound with a recent lesson in photography. He brought in primary sources which included antique cameras, photos of Mr. High’s ancestors, and 100-year-old newspapers. Students were given a history of the development of photography and how important photography was in the middle 19th  and early 20th centuries. Students were also instructed in the science of photography.
Learning about Light & Sound with Mr. High
Elementary Students Deepen their Appreciation for Classical Music
Our 4th and 5th graders were invited to attend a performance by the Rutherford Symphony at Isothermal Community college this past week. Mr.Gryphen Blackwell, LLCA middle school teacher, and Abigail Sias, a middle school student, performed with the symphony orchestra. Colby Calhoun was chosen out of the audience to help conduct America the Beautiful as the auditorium stood and sang along. 
Our 4th grade students in Mrs. Hill’s Music class use two hands as they learn to play ”Pachelbel Canon,” written by German composer Johann Pachelbel in 1680!  Students love this familiar piece which inspires them to master playing chords as arpeggios.  The next time they hear the beautiful theme in a movie, pop song, or at a wedding, students will have a personal connection to this widely recognized, Pachelbel hit from over 300 years ago!
Doing the Hard Stuff in Middle School - Because it Matters!
Our Middle School students have been learning about finding the surface area of various shapes, and last week they took a test in which the students were evaluated on finding the surface area of some shapes including a cylinder.  
It’s complicated. They had to find the area of the circle using the formula 𝝅 times radius squared, then double it for the other end of the cylinder, find the circumference using another equation with the diameter in order to multiply it by the height to get the area of the side of the cylinder, and add those together and to get the total surface area without a calculator.  
Why do we do such complicated tasks - by hand? It’s funny that we don’t ask the coach why the players work out with weights when they will never lift heavy objects on the field or court.  Or why do they practice for 2 or 3 hours a day when the game takes up a shorter period of time?  It makes them stronger and better prepared for game time.   
Our game is life.  It’s about being able to do hard things and take care of yourself and the people that you love.  Encourage your child to do hard things and grow proud when they make their own way in the world.  
Physics Students “Become The Lab”

In Mr. Edwards’s physics class, students broke out the new Vernier Lab equipment to study motion. This equipment was purchased with funds from the NC ACCESS grant. In this lab, the students themselves become the moving object.  In doing so, they take what they studied in class and bring it to life.  Concepts like velocity and acceleration are no longer just definitions as they transform into physical phenomena that the students can experience for themselves.  Mr. Edwards commented, "With our new lab equipment, we can come full circle in our learning.  My students get to experience for themselves the concepts and procedures developed in class."