December Highlights

Our students have been busy the last few weeks traveling around the globe. Preschool, kindergarten and first grade classes learned about different holidays and celebrations around the world.  They culminated their study with Polar Express Day.  Our second grade classes held a holiday workshop to enrich their economics unit.  We hope everyone has a wonderful winter break and enjoys spending time with family and friends!

Lower Campus Coding

All Kindergarten, First and Second grade students learned to code! You can practice coding at home using the Scratch Jr App (It is free and available on iPads and Android tablets.) or using the website www.code.org.

Elite Soccer for 2nd Semester

Information for 2nd Semester Classes

Happy New Year

PTO Corporate Programs/Free Money Update

Thank you to all the families, students, and teachers who have contributed to LCE through saving and recycling this school year. Whether it is clipping out Box Tops, Label for Education, Tyson labels or saving your Little Bites and Capri sun pouches, it ALL makes a difference to our school when those items are turned into cash. We are already at the halfway point to our goal of $3,000 in Box Tops alone!

While we are out for Winter Break, please continue to clip and save.  We will have another collection contest with Box Tops when we return, with our annual SNOWBALL FIGHT!  Every FULL collection sheet has a chance to “throw” a snowball at another classroom. But, watch out! They just might throw one back at YOUR classroom! The teacher whose classroom tosses the most snowballs AND the teacher who gets hit the most will earn a fun prize. Be on the lookout for the collection sheet when we return from break.

And, as always, continue to use your Publix rewards card and your Target Red Card. If you haven’t already linked your card to LCE, do it today! We receive a portion of every dollar spent, which to date is over $1,000!!

Many Thanks,
Susan Keim, PTO Corporate Programs Chair

Information from Health Room

From the school nurse....

With cold and flu season upon us, many parents have questions on when to keep their child home from school. We follow DHEC guidelines for school exclusion. 

Information brochure for guidelines for parents to help with these questions.

Hour of Code

See a video from Upper Campus

Upcoming Reminders

• December 15: Upper Campus Chorus Concert @ 6pm
  
• December 18: PTO Winter Celebrations for Classrooms
  
• December 18: Submit Talent Show Application
  
  COMPLETED applications will only be accepted via email on Friday, December 18th, starting at 8:00 PM. Only the first 15 applications will be accepted. Email your completed Talent Show application to lce.talentshow@gmail.com.
  The Talent Show dates:
  K-3rd Grades will be Monday, February 8th at 6:30 PM
  4th & 5th will be Tuesday February 9th at 6:30 PM
  
  Lower Campus Application PDF Format
  Lower Campus Application MS Word Format
  
  Upper Campus Application  PDF Format
  Upper Campus Application MS Word Format
  
• December 21-January 1: Winter Holiday Break
  
• January 4: Inclement Weather Make-Up Day/School In Session
  
• January 14: 11:30am Dismissal for Teacher Collaboration
  
• January 15: Teacher Work Day/Student Holiday
  
• January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday/No School

PTO News

Dear Parents,
As we approach the Winter Break holidays, I wanted to take a moment to thank the families of Lake Carolina Lower and Upper Campuses for their continued support of our school and PTO.  Your participation in PTO events has allowed us to support the Lower and Upper campuses in some the following ways:

• Hosting a free Family Fun Night at the Upper Campus in September that included music, inflatables and a movie
• Gifting Scholastic Dollars to all teachers at both campuses for Book Fair purchases
• Purchasing books, shelving, book processing supplies and decorative items for the Upper Campus Media Center
• Purchasing 352 library books and 11 magazine subscriptions for the Lower Campus Media Center
• Purchasing Target gift cards for each teacher, administrator and staff member at both campuses for their birthday
• Purchasing 200 padded folding chairs for use at Upper Campus during performances and promotion exercises
• Purchasing a digital display sign at Lower Campus

Wow! We are truly thankful for the giving nature of our community which allows us to do so much for our schools.  And while that list seems like a lot, there are many other projects that your generous support allows us to be a part of that provide for the needs of all our students and staff.

In the past two years, because of the overwhelming support of our families, Boosterthon has been our schools’ only fundraiser.  However, unforeseen weather events postponed our fall Boosterthon fundraising event.  Because of this delay, as well as our desire to offer “flat fee” pricing to all of our families, we had to restructure several of our PTO events. Unfortunately, this means that prices were raised for all families so that PTO could meet existing financial obligations and continue to provide the quality events that our families are accustomed to attending.

With that mind, please know that cost of an event should NEVER prevent any family from attending. Confidential assistance is available.  If you have financial concerns that impact your family’s ability to attend a PTO event, please contact Kelli Harper – 714-1300 x 3003 (Lower) or Jessica Skinner – 691-3360 (Upper).

Our PTO strives to be a valuable resource for our schools and our community.  We will continue to review our financial commitments and fundraising efforts so that an undue financial strain is never placed on our families.  Please know that your continued support of PTO and LCE is very much appreciated.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.  I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Sincerely,
Nashiba Boyd
LCE PTO President

Third Grade Mining with Diamond Del

See pictures from the third grade Diamond Del Gem Mining. This was a hands-on experience as part of their study of rocks and minerals in Science.

Tumble Tree Winter Break Camp

Service Learning for December and January

Upper Campus Homework Guidelines

Please click on the link to read the Lake Carolina Upper Campus homework guidelines.

From the School Nurse

As part of the eight components of school health, School Nurses conduct periodic vision, dental, hearing, blood pressure,and other screenings as recommended by SC DHEC, and as needed as part of the nurse's assessment during a health room visit. These screenings are important in early detection of hearing or vision difficulties that may impact teaching and learning. Many times a student is not even aware he/she is having difficulty seeing the board, reading, or hearing classroom instructions. 

Nothing But Net Charity Basketball Game

Click here for more information

Two Midlands school districts are holding a friendly rematch on the basketball court to see who can score the most points and raise the most money to fight breast cancer. The 2nd annual “Nothing but Net” charity basketball game between Richland One and Richland Two will take place on Thursday, January 7 at 6 p.m. at Keenan High School, located at 361 Pisgah Church Road.   Proceeds will benefit Palmetto Health Breast Center’s Walk for Life.  In addition to the basketball game, “Nothing but Net” fans will honor breast cancer survivors, see who boasts the best mascot and watch which school district official can make the most free throws.  Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at Richland One and Richland Two district offices and at the door. Admission is free for children under age 6. Come out for a fun night and a great cause!  The game was originally scheduled in October but had to be postponed because of the historic flood. All tickets previously purchased will be honored. For more information call 738-3232 or email triley@richland2.org.

Read Your Way to the Big Game Results

The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) announced the winners of the “Read Your Way to the Big Game” Contest, a statewide reading contest held this Fall for students in SC public primary, elementary, and middle schools. Student winners of the contest have won tickets to the Palmetto Bowl, to be played by the University of South Carolina Gamecock and Clemson Tiger football teams on November 28.

David Whittemore, EOC’s Chairman, said the committee was very pleased with the results of the contest.

“The students and staff of the participating schools really outdid themselves,” Whittemore said. “We had over 76,000 entries and that’s nearly half a million books read!”

The winners of the 2015 contest include:

Student Winners:

• USC Student Winner: Travija Austin, 4th grader, Ford Elementary (Laurens 55 School District)
• Clemson Student Winner: Lilliana Trejo, 2nd grader, Greendale Elementary (Aiken County School District)

Thank you to everyone who participated and read their 6 books!

Ms. Ryan and Ms. Faile

Holiday Break

School holiday from November 25-27.
See you on Monday, November 30.

Recent Events at Upper Campus

Fossil Frank visited with 3rd graders as part of their study of rocks and minerals and earth materials. Fourth grade had their annual Colonial Day as part of their study of this time in American history.

Pictures from these events are at Lake Carolina Picasa Albums

Prek & Kdg Thanksgiving Feast

We have so much to be thankful for here at LCE! Our Preschool and Kindergarten classes gathered together to celebrate all the things they are thankful for today with a feast. 

See more pictures from the feast

Goodies for Grands 2015

Thank you for coming out to Goodies for Grands!

Pictures from both campuses

Save the Date for 5th Grade

 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony to be held in morning.

Specific times for classes TBD.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Tri-District Arts Summer Program

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2016 Tri-District Arts Consortium Summer Program. Middle school students who attend the public schools of Lexington One, Lexington/Richland Five and Richland Two are eligible to participate. This year marks the 31st year Tri-DAC has provided students an outstanding and intense study of the arts through this summer program. 

The program is designed for artistically gifted and talented students who are rising sixth through ninth graders in the summer before the 2016-2017 school year. Students may audition in creative writing, dance, music (strings, vocal and wind/percussion), theatre or visual art.

The Summer Program will be held from 9:00 am to 3:15 pm each day, June 27 through July 16, 2016 on the campus of the Palmetto Center for the Arts (PCA) at Richland Northeast High School. Independence Day, Monday 4  July will be observed as a holiday. Cost for the three weeks will be $400.00. 

Arts teachers, classroom teachers, administrators or parents may nominate students. Nomination forms may be obtained from the front office at district elementary or middle schools or by contacting the Gifted and Talented Coordinator in one of the three districts: Mrs. Erin Fitzgerald, Lexington One; Mrs. Tami Richardson, Lexington/Richland Five; or Dr. Maria Kratsios, Richland Two. Nomination forms for all art areas, along with general information about the Tri-District Arts Consortium are also available on our web site at www.tridac.org (bottom left of web page).

The District Coordinator must receive all nominations by January 15, 2016. Applications will be sent to each student nominated. Spaces for qualified students from each district are limited. 

Auditions for Dance, Vocal, Wind/Percussion and Visual Art students will be held on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at Richland Northeast High School. Auditions for the areas of Creative Writing, Strings, Theatre and Visual Art students will be held Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Richland Northeast High School. There will be no make up auditions. 

Make Up Days

Inclement weather make-up days for Richland Two teachers and students will be:

• January 4
• February 15
• March 25
• April 29

Goodies for Grands

Join us for breakfast at either campus on 

Tuesday, November 24 from 7:15-8:00AM 

in the cafeteria.

Writing Contest

Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a national reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre (fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic) explaining how that author's work changed the student's life or view of the world.

The 23rd annual writing contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with the South Carolina Center for the Book and the South Carolina State Library with financial support from the South Carolina State Library Foundation.

Prizes will be awarded on both the state and national levels. The South Carolina Center for the Book's panel of judges will select the top letter writers in the state, to be honored in an awards ceremony on April 29, 2016. Their winning letters will be published online at the South Carolina Center for the Book's website. South Carolina winners will also receive monetary prizes, and then advance to the national judging.

South Carolina winners will receive $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place in each level. For more information and entry forms, please visit www.read.gov/letters. Last year's South Carolina winners may be found at the ReadSC.org website.

Submissions from Grades 4-8 must be postmarked by January 11, 2016.

Spirit Wear Orders Due Friday

Show your school spirit by ordering the new spirit wear! Orders are due Friday, November 20th. No late orders will be accepted. Print the order form, and return it to your child's teacher.

Order form

Make Up Picture Day

If you missed picture day on September 25, please have your picture taken Friday, November 20th. This is the picture that will be used for the Yearbook.

Box Tops Contest

GAMECOCKS VS CLEMSON BOX TOP CONTEST 

The last day to submit entries for the contest is Wednesday, November 18. 

Please send in all box tops by the end of the school day to your child's teacher, the Box Top mailbox, or PTO box in the teacher workroom.

Then, remember to wear YOUR favorite team's spirit wear on Friday, November 20!

Military Family Appreciation Fun Fair

Carnival Rides, Games, Bounce House and Slide! FREE and open to the Fort Jackson community. Grab a flyer and color the clown. Bring your finished picture to the military family appreciation fun fair to get a FREE PRIZE!

Saturday, November 21, 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m., at the Solomon Center

Sponsored by Child, Youth & School Services 

For more information please call 803-751-4865 

Traffic

Thank you for modeling the Lifeskills of Patience and Cooperation during drop off and dismissal times. Safety is our top priority at LCE.

1st Quarter Honor Roll Recipients

Congratulations to the students that
achieved honor roll for the 1st quarter

Veteran's Day at Upper Campus

Thank you for celebrating Veteran's Day with us at Upper Campus!See pictures from Lower and Upper Campus

Father-Daughter Dance

Friday, November 13, 2015 5:30-8:00 pm

Fathers, uncles, grandfathers, or anyone with a special girl is invited to spend a
semi-formal evening full of music, dancing, light snacks, desserts, photos, and more!

Lake Carolina Lower Campus Cafeteria

Tickets are (1) per family (dad/daughter or daughters)

$40.00 through November 12th

Tickets available: http://2015lceptofatherdaughterdancetickets.eventbrite.com
Visa/ Mastercard/ Discover accepted

If paying Cash or Check, choose “show other payment options”, proceed with Eventbrite purchase and send money via the form

Strawbridge Studio photo package information has been distributed. Fathers, please bring these completed forms on Friday night in order to expedite the photo process. Cash or Check on Friday evening will speed up the process. There will also be credit card machines available.

Lower Campus Veterans Day Pictures

Faculty, staff and students honored our Veterans today with a special breakfast and parade. Thank you to all those that serve our country!

Click here to see more pictures

Fundraising Co-Chair for PTO Board

We are seeking a Fundraising Co-Chair. The application is attached. Applications should be returned no later than Friday, November 13th.

Fundraising Co-Chair Application

Honor Roll Recognition for 1st Quarter

Students will be recognized for achieving 1st quarter honor roll next week on the morning show at Upper Campus. The morning show begins at 8:10am.

3rd Grade: Wednesday, November 11th

4th Grade: Thursday, November 12th

5th Grade: Friday, November 13th

Fall/Winter LCE Spirit Wear

Show your school spirit!

Order form for fall and winter spirit wear available now. Orders due on Friday, November 20.

Order form

Yearbook Orders

If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook, return a completed form and payment to your child's teacher by Tuesday, December 1. The cost of a full color yearbook is $25.00. If you are writing a check, please make it out to Lake Carolina Elementary.

Upcoming Dates

• November 6: Report Cards Issued
• November 13: Father-Daughter Dance at Lower Campus
• November 20: Make-Up Picture Day
• November 24: Goodies for Grands at both campuses, 7:30-8:10am; Kindergarten Feast
• November 25-27: Thanksgiving Holiday
• December 4: 2nd Quarter Interim Issued (Changed from November 20) 

Talent Show Applications Now Available

Hello LCE Families! It's time to start thinking about this year's LCE Talent Show! Do you have a special talent? Do you sing, dance, or play an instrument? Do you tell jokes, do gymnastics, martial arts? Can you perform a drama scene, skit or monologue? Now's the time to start planning your act. Please take time to review the application information that includes all of the dates you will need to be available for practice and performance dates.

COMPLETED applications will only be accepted via email on Friday, December 18th, starting at 8:00 PM. Email your completed Talent Show application on Friday, December 18th at 8:00 PM to lce.talentshow@gmail.com.

The Talent Show dates:

 K-3rd Grades will be Monday, February 8th at 6:30 PM

4th & 5th will be Tuesday February 9th at 6:30 PM

Lower Campus Application

Upper Campus Application 

If you have any questions, please email Tina Dia at lce.talentshow@gmail.com.

Harvest Day

Preschool and Kindergarten classes enjoyed Harvest Day! 

Time Change

Don't forget to change your clock and fall back one hour on
Saturday, October 31.

November Service Learning Project

Due to the recent flooding in our state and the devastation that many around us are facing, Lake Carolina will participate in a year long Service Learning project focused on helping those in our nearby communities. Each month we will focus on a specific need and collect items for those needing support.

For the month of November, we will have a school supply drive for the SC schools who have lost so much.

If you would like to help us support this effort, please send in donations. Both campuses will be working together to collect items, so feel free to send them into either location.

Listed below are some of the specific school supplies needed.

• Gift Cards to Educational Wonderland, Staples, Target,  Amazon, or Barnes and Noble
• Counters/Buttons/other items for sorting and counting
• Crayons, Markers, Pens, and Pencils
• Index Cards
• Paints (watercolors and tempera)
• Coloring Books
• Puzzles
• Cardstock Paper (color and white)
• Kleenex and Paper Towels
• Clorox Wipes and Baby Wipes
• Construction Paper
• Dry Erase Markers
• Poster Board
• Copy Paper
• Wide-rule and college rule notebook paper
• Scissors
• Glue sticks
• Surge protectors
• Extension cords
• Composition Notebooks
• 3 Ring Binders

Volunteers Needed

Our first Box Top Contest for the school year was a friendly competition between the two campuses to see which campus could collect the most box tops. And the winner was....UPPER campus! UPPER campus has earned FIVE extra minutes for recess without their teachers.

In order for this to be a success, we need your help. We need volunteers for Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Volunteers will oversee activities on both playgrounds. By clicking on the link below you can sign up with our Volunteer Spot.

Thanks for all you do to support  Lake Carolina Elementary School!

Please sign up for UPPER Campus Recess Coverage!
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/JNRsf6
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Richland Two Back Pack/Food Pantry Program

Don't forget to help those in our Richland Two Back Pack/Food Pantry program by picking up one of these items when you go to the grocery store. Lower Campus is collecting muffin and cornbread mixes and Upper Campus is collecting boxes of rice and pasta. Please consider adding these items to your grocery list as we will continue to collect them throughout the year. Thanks for your support! 

Available PTO Position

PTO is seeking applications for the Corporate Programs position for Lower Campus. If you are interested, please complete the application. Applications are due no later than Monday, November 2nd.

Click here to download the application

Ridge View Trunk-or-Treat

Beef 'O' Brady's Fall Festival

Calendar Reminders and Updates

• Postponed/TBA: 5th Grade Field Studies to Bull Island
• October 19-21: One Hour Delay (School starts at 9:00am)
• Tuesday, October 20: PTO Meeting with 4th Grade Performance @ Upper Campus 6:30pm (Changed from Thursday, October 15)
• Thursday, October 22-23: Student/District Holidays
• Wednesday, October 28: End of 1st 9 Week Grading Period
• Friday, October 30: Kindergarten Harvest Day
• Friday, November 6: Report Cards Issued
• Boosterthon Fundraiser: January 13-22 / Fun Run on Friday, January 22

School Schedule for October 19-21

School will start on a one-hour delay on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (October 19-21). Students should report to the bus stop or school one hour later than the normal time.

Wednesday, October 21, will not be an early release day for elementary and middle schools. 

Schools will start on a one-hour delay and dismiss at regular time, just like the schedule for Monday and Tuesday. Also on Wednesday, high schools will start on the same one-hour delay schedule as Monday and Tuesday.

As originally scheduled, students will not attend school on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23.

We greatly appreciate your patience, as we work to get students back to as close to a regular schedule as possible. Safety continues to be our top priority. Almost all of our buses (100 out of 114) are still traveling on adjusted routes due to numerous road closures. The delay allows us to run all bus routes during daylight hours and avoid some traffic congestion caused by multiple detours. Please, do not drive around or move any barricades.

After Wednesday, we will re-assess road conditions, traffic patterns and congestion, and route times to determine the best course of action going forward. We will notify families on Thursday or Friday of next week about the schedule for October 26–30.

If the one-hour delay creates a hardship for families, limited staff will be available so that schools can open their doors at the normal time.

The informational page about the delay on our website has been updated. Click here to access that page. If you know of a family who does not have Internet access at home, please help us share this information with them. They can visit a Richland Library branch, where computers and Internet access are available.

Thank you for working with us as we strive to operate safely.