Dear LCMS Bobcat Family and Friends and Future Bobcat Family and Friends:
Tonight, some of my staff members (Sara Boyer, Ty Boyer, Lewis Coleman, John Lenow, Mike Mandzak, Claire Schreck, Linda Tilton, Laura Watkins), Assistant Principal Robbie Garnes, and I are in for a real treat. We will be here at the C.R.A.V.E. lock-in with 50 students! We will eat, watch movies, play games, and just have fun! I also would like to thank staff members, Terry Marks and Nick Schreck, for helping us set up this event. I am hoping that this year I will be able to be a runner up in the Chubby Bunny contest!
As you know, Friday, March 18 was the end of the 3rd nine weeks. The grade portal of PowerSchool will be temporarily closed from Monday, March 21 after 5:00 p.m. to Friday, March 25 at 3:30 p.m. This is to allow teachers the opportunity and time to input grades and comments.
Access to PowerSchool is still available to parents. Only the portal to view grades will be temporarily closed.
Tuesday, March 22 is Parent/Teacher Conferences. Appointments with teachers are from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-ins are from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Should you arrive just after student dismissal and before 3:30 p.m. please feel free to join me in the cafeteria. Parent/Teacher Conferences will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Students will bring home their report cards on Friday, March 25.
As always, please feel free to contact me at chenlc@lcps.k12.va.us if you have questions, concerns, or anything that you would like to share.
The following are some important updates and announcements.
Announcements
Morning Announcers – Dorian Holtzander and Avanti Hunter
Dorian Holtzander and Avanti Hunter did an outstanding job with morning announcements! They were clear in their delivery of messages and enunciated each word with great accuracy. Without their help, Morning Announcements would not be as fun, enjoyable, or even as informative. From Monday, March 21 to Friday, March 25, we will have two new guest speakers to assist us with the announcements: Silas Jones and Jordan Lettner.
LCHS Forensics Team Places 3rd – Saturday, March 12
We are proud of our former LCMS students! The LCHS Forensics Team placed 3rd overall at the VHSL Regional Forensics Tournament on Saturday. The following students will compete at the VHSL State Forensics Tournament on Saturday, April 2:
1st Place in Humorous Duo Interpretation—Haley Nelson and Britney Phillips
1st Place in Prose Interpretation—Ashlyn Hall
2nd Place in Prose Interpretation—Adriana Hurst
2nd Place in Extemporaneous Speaking—Matthew Zamski
3rd Place in Impromptu Speaking—Noah Hughes
4th Place in Humorous Dramatic Interpretation—Cameron Shifflett (alternate)
The following Speech students placed in the State VCFL Tournament on Saturday, March 12
Brooklyn Judy—1st in Declamation
Megan Hall—5th in Declamation
Haley and Hann Gibbons—4th in Duo Interpretation
A special thank you to all volunteer judges as well as to LCMS staff member, Mary Eden and LCHS staff member, Sarah Amick!
Technology Student Association (TSA) Takes Second Place – Saturday, March 12
On Saturday, March 12, the TSA students participated in the South Central Regional Fair. The system control team of Jacob Burch, Kylee Cormier, and Cameron Knight brought home a 2nd place trophy. Geovanni Brown, Preston George, Ranae Leiffer, and Rylan Seay placed 8th in STEM Animation. George Baskerville and Adrian Patterson placed 4th in Structural Engineering. Walker Bourne, Chase Oiler, and Clyde Ray placed 10th in System Control.In Challenging Technological Issues, Keveanu Duncan and Denise Gray placed 7th. Abigale Hart and Isabelle Hart placed 8th. Daniel Green and Tyler Hopkins placed 9th. Congratulations to our students and to staff members, Richard Dye and Scott Harper, for their leadership and support in this program!
Drone To Be Housed at LCMS – Tuesday, March 15
On Tuesday, March 15, the TSA students were treated to a drone demonstration during their after school meeting. LCMS Director of Technology, Mark Outten, showed the students various outputs of a drone system. One of the new drones purchased by the school system will be housed in the LCMS Technology Lab!
Captain Howard L. Baugh Visits LCMS – Tuesday, March 15
Captain Baugh spoke with elegance and pride. Students were in awe and asked many questions about the Tuskegee Airmen, the planes that he has flown, and about his life. Captain Baugh shared with our students the importance of “being sponges” and “learning as much as you can.” He also inspired our students to go for their “dream jobs” and that “excellence can be achieved by anyone and everyone through effort and hard work.” He also shared with us that the two most important aspects of our lives are “when we are born and when we learn why we were born.” Indeed, this was such a special treat for our students, and I am so grateful for Mr. Les Givens and Mrs. Patricia Givens for helping us to organize this event. For more information about the Tuskegee Airmen, please seehttps://www.hbc-tai.org/
Penny Drive Celebration – Monday, March 21
Because over 82,000 pennies were raised for the Virginia Holocaust Museum this year, students will participate in the Penny Drive Celebration for their hard work and effort. Social studies teachers have planned a fun filled event for students from 1:10 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the LCMS Forum!
National Junior Honor Society “Paws It On” – A Student Led Validation Program
The National Junior Honor Society (NHJS) is beginning its "Paws It On” program this week. The idea of the program is for students to validate one other when demonstrating good character. Students who receive a Paw will give it to one of the librarians who will then give the student a blank Paw to award to another student demonstrating good character. It is possible to receive more than one Paw. The Paws collected by the librarians will be sorted by grade level and displayed on columns in the cafeteria. To learn more about this program, please see this video created by NJHS https://www.wevideo.com/view/601889876
We are extremely proud of our NHJS students for coming up with such a great leadership project. Thank you to Assistant Principal, Robbie Garnes, NJHS faculty co-sponsors, Mary Eden and Greg Palmer, as well as to Student Council Association sponsors, Marsha Key and Conner Waldron, for their leadership and vision in this project!
Grade 8 Standards of Learning (SOL) Writing Tests – Monday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 23A reminder that students in Grade 8 will take the 2016 Writing SOL’s on the following dates: Monday, March 21 (Writing SOL – multiple choice) and Wednesday, March 23 (Writing SOL – Prompt/Essay). Please remind your child to continue to get plenty of rest and to eat a good breakfast as they should always before each day of school. We will also have our regular breakfast at school each day. Additionally, remind your child to bring a pencil, paper, and a book to read on the testing days. Please encourage your child to display appropriate testing behavior during each testing session. We ask that all students arrive on time each day for testing. Please be mindful that as mandated by VDOE (Virginia Department of Education) regulations, your child cannot be in possession of or use a cell phone or any other technological device that may disrupt the testing environment during the testing session. Should this occur, your child could potentially be required to retake the SOL test or receive a zero on the SOL test. As always, we want the success of every child here at LCMS. We truly thank you for your continued support. Together, we can all BE ON TARGET and go from Good to GREAT! School + Parent/Guardian + Student = Success! Thank you for your continual partnership.
Safe, Orderly, and Caring Correlate – Student Perceptions on School Climate
In an effort to better understand the school climate from our students’ perceptions, the LCMS School Climate survey will be given to all students from Monday, April 4 to Friday, April 8. Students will be surveyed in their history classes. Data from the survey will be used to help staff identify how students perceive their relationships with the adults in the building as well as to evaluate the impact of the anti-bullying program that is taught to all students in their Physical Education and Health classes. Such a survey had not existed previously at LCMS.This correlate worked this year to develop this survey. Beginning in 2016-2017, this survey will be taken twice a year – one at the beginning and one at the end of the year to see if more adult relationships have been built with students and to ensure that LCMS has a positive climate and culture that is inclusive of all students. Feedback from our students is most important!
PTA Fundraiser – Monday, April 4
Fliers were sent home with students today and will be due back on Monday, April 4. These flowers are beautiful and at a great reduced price. We hope that you and your child will support the PTA in this beautiful fundraiser!
Students Council Association (SCA) Hosts First Annual Talent Show – Tuesday, April 12On the evening of Tuesday, April 12, LCMS is hosting its first annual SCA Talent Show in the LCMS Forum. More specific information, such as time and cost shall be forthcoming. Mark your calendars now! This exciting show consists of students with talents spanning from playing the violin and piano, singing hits you know in powerful duets and melodic solos, master yo-yo skills, to even a hysterical comedic skit! Please plan to come out to be a part of celebrating our fantastic youthful talent! Thank you for all of the students who tried out and to staff members, Conner Waldron and Natalie Watterson, for sponsoring such an event. All proceeds will directly assist the funds for our LCMS Grade 8 Formal.
SCA Hosts “A Red Carpet Event” – Saturday, May 21
This year, LCMS will celebrate the best and brightest eighth grade students at the annual LCMS Formal with the theme of “A Red Carpet Event.” My staff and I are looking forward to meeting the stars of LCMS – our eighth grade students at this event! “Cameras, Lights, and Action!”
Operation Safe Passage – Monday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 20
Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the number one killer of teens in the United States. In 2011, more than 2,600 teens died and almost 300,000 were injured in motor vehicle collisions. Inexperience, excessive speed, distractions, and underage drinking are some of the most common causes of these crashes—sadly, almost all are preventable. The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Louisa Town Police, and Transportation Safety Commission will jointly implement Operation SAFE PASSAGE, a multifaceted campaign to reduce teen motor vehicle collisions during the period between Saturday, April 23 (the LCMS Prom) and Friday, May 20 (LCHS Graduation).
Specific events will occur at the high school on Monday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 20.
Grade 8 Reality Store – Friday, April 22The eleventh annual Reality Store will be presented to the eighth grade students on Friday, April 22. The event will run from 8:30 am. to 2:30 p.m. The Reality Store is a real world money management simulation activity designed specifically for our students. There will be a 2 to 2 ½ hour simulation activity. Students will be introduced to concepts, such as making wise financial decisions, considering costs and benefits, using mathematical applications in real life situations, balancing a budget and a bank account, exploring career choices and education, and understanding how lifestyle decisions affect an individual's finances. The purpose of this activity is to help our students become more aware of the financial demands they will encounter in the real world. On the day of the simulation, students will be assigned an occupation and family situation. All assignments are random. Their task is to visit each station in the room and decide how they will spend their income. Stations will represent typical spending categories in a typical household budget, such as housing, transportation, food, entertainment, etc. Some students will quickly spend their income on wants, only to realize there is not enough left for food or housing. At this point, they have a few options. They may revisit the stations and attempt negotiating to resell their purchases for a reduced rate or they may visit the employment booth and take on a second job. For more information or to volunteer, please call Eliza Seibert or Jenny Thompson at the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office (540) 967-3422 or email jthomp05@vt.edu. We are extremely grateful for this partnership and for this event!
LCMS Sports Update
For more information about sports, please see https://sites.google.com/a/lcps.k12.va.us/lcms-athletics/
Update on Criteria for Advanced Classes
Students in Grade 6 Advanced Math will take the Grade 7 SOL Math test. All other Grade 6 students will take the Grade 6 SOL Math test. Please see the attachment, “2016-2017 Criteria For Advanced,” for greater clarification.
After School Help – Wednesday, March 23
Student Schedule for Monday, March 21 to Friday, April 8Monday, March 21 (A): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 (This is a “A” day for electives. Students go to Period 1, Period 2, Period 3, Period 4, Period 5, and then for the last period of the day, students return back to their Period 1 class.)
On Monday, March 21 (A):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1 Grade 8 Writing SOL Test
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On Tuesday, March 22 (B):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 2
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On Wednesday, March 23 (A):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 3 Grade 8 Writing SOL Test
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On Thursday, March 24 (B):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4
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On Friday, March 25 (A):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5
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Monday, March 28 to Friday, April 1
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Spring Recess. No school.
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On Monday, April 4 (B):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 ACE Math
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On Tuesday, April 5 (A):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 ACE Math
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On Wednesday, April 6 (B):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 ACE Math
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On Thursday, April 7 (A):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 ACE Math
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On Friday, April 8 (B):
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4 Club B or Reading
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Important Upcoming Dates – Added information and dates are marked in purple.
Friday, March 18-Saturday, March 19: C.R.A.V.E. for students. Students are dropped off at LCMS on Friday, March 18 at 9:00 p.m. Parents pick up students on Saturday, March 19 at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 19.
Monday, March 21: Grade 8 Standards of Learning Writing Test.
Tuesday, March 22: Parent/Teacher Conferences. 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. by appointment and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. walk-ins.
Wednesday, March 23: Grade 8 Standards of Learning Writing Test.
Thursday, March 24: All County Music @ LCHS Auditorium from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, March 25: Reports cards go home with students.
Monday, March 28-Friday, April 1: Spring Recess for students.
Monday, April 4: Classes resume for students. School doors open at 7:40 a.m.
Thursday, April 7: Picture Day.
Saturday, April 9: LCPS Arts Festival at LCMS.
Monday, April 11 – Friday, April 11: LCHS Counselors visit with Grade 8 students for high school scheduling.
Monday, April 11: Grade 5 Moss Nuckols Students Visit LCMS from 9:00 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
Tuesday, April 12: Grade 5 Thomas Jefferson Students Visit LCMS from 9:00 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
Tuesday, April 12: First Annual SCA Talent Show in the LCMS Forum
Thursday, April 14: LCMS Spring Band Concert.
Friday, April 15: Grade 5 Jouett Students Visit LCMS from 9:00 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
Saturday, April 16: Final Battle of the Books Competition will take place at Cedar Lee Middle School, 11138 Marsh Road, Bealeton, VA Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. The competition begins at 10:00 a.m.
Monday, April 18: Grade 5 Trevilians Students Visit LCMS from 9:00 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
Tuesday, April 19: Rising Grade 6 Parent Night (General Information) at LCMS Forum from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 20: Rising Grade 6 Parent Night (Special Education Information) at LCMS Forum from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 21: Interim reports sent home. LCMS Drama Performance at 6:30 p.m. @ LCMS Forum.
Friday, April 22: Reality Store for Grade 8 students.
Monday, April 25: Reading 8 Standards of Learning Test. Reading 6 Standards of Learning Test Paper and Pencil only.
Tuesday, April 26: Rising Grade 6 Band Night with Kathy Allen @ LCMS from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 27: Reading 6 Standards of Learning Test.
Thursday, April 28: All Virginia Middle School Choir.
Friday, April 29: All Virginia Middle School Choir. Civics 8 Standards of Learning test.
Friday, April 29: Grades 5, 6, and 7 Dance at LCMS from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 3: Reading 7 SOL
Thursday, May 5: Math 8 SOL
Monday, May 9: Math 6 SOL
Monday, May 9: All “A” Banquet at LCMS Cafeteria at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 11: Algebra I SOL
Friday, May 13: Math 7 SOL
Monday, May 16: Science 8 SOL
Wednesday, May 18: LCMS Spring Chorus Concert at 7:00 p.m. @ LCHS Alan Jackson Auditorium
Saturday, May 21: Grade 8 Formal at LCMS Cafeteria from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 24: Grade 8 Washington, D.C. Field Trip
Wednesday, May 25: Grade 8 Closing Ceremony Practice (Morning) and Grade 8 Field Day (Afternoon)
Thursday, May 26: End of 4th Marking Period. Grade 8 Closing Ceremony. Grade 6 and Grade 7 Field Days. Last day of school.
Friday, May 27: Teacher Workday.
Thank you for taking the time to read these updates. As I will say to my students each day, “This is important. You belong here. Effort makes a difference.”
With warm regards,
Lisa C. Chen
Lisa C. Chen, Ph.D.
Principal
Louisa County Middle School
Principal
Louisa County Middle School
