Winter Break...See you on January 6, 2020

Holiday Spirit Week

Thank you to our students and staff for participating in Holiday Spirit Week at Upper Campus! It was fun to see everyone wear holiday clothing each day. Pictures from this week are on our Holiday Spirit Week Album.

We hope you all have a safe, restful and happy holiday break. See you on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Tacky Sweater Wednesday

Wednesday was Tacky Sweater Day. Tomorrow is the last day of our Holiday Spirit Week at Upper Campus. Wear your holiday colors and hats before we start Winter Break!

A new look at LCEL

As we look forward to the upcoming Winter Break, I have exciting news to share. Beginning Friday, December 20, work will begin on security improvements to our front entrance. 

Over the two weeks of the break, Thompson Turner Construction will put up walls and install glass and doors to create a secure entrance. When we return on January 6, 2020, you should see all of the construction work completed. Once the new secure entrance is in place, we may need to adjust our visitor check-in procedures. We will update you on the new process after the break.

In addition to this improvement, the other capital improvements for our school including restroom renovations are scheduled for the summer of 2020.

If you have any questions about the enhancements to our school made possible by the 2018 Bond Referendum, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Berry.

Lost & Found

Just a reminder that all items in the lost and found will be donated Thursday afternoon. Please stop by and look for any items your child might be missing.

Perfect Day for Pajamas!

Pajamas were perfect for today's Holiday Spirit Day! 

Wear your Tacky Sweater tomorrow and holiday colors and hats on Thursday!

Career Day at Lower Campus

Despite the rainy weather, students still enjoyed career day. They were introduced to several emergency vehicles and learned about various careers from our guest speakers: US Army, Sothern Med nurse practitioner, Painting with a Twist, Forensics, CAT Team Police officer, lawyer, MUV Fitness and robotics from It-Ology. Thank you to everyone that was able to donate their time to share with our students today. Mr. Beach and Mrs. Ishmal worked hard to make today a success. Who knows, they might have

Holiday Spirit Week @ Upper Campus

Plaid today...Pajamas tomorrow!

Hour of Code @ Upper Campus

All students at Upper Campus participated in the Hour of Code this week. This week is a part of the introduction to computer science that is taught in the computer lab. The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week and has become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with coding activities. Upper Campus has participated every year and the students love it! 💙#hourofcode

Students have been learning about computer science and computer programming/coding this semester with many activities and resources including:

1. unplugged coding
2. Sphero robots
3. code.org
4. hourofcode.org
5. http://compute-it.toxicode.fr/
6. https://www.abcya.com/games/lightbot

Upper Campus Holiday Spirit Week (December 16-19)

Thank You for Supporting Sistercare

Thank you for supporting the Upper Campus Service Learning Project for Sistercare with the  donation of bath towels and wash cloths, games, school supplies, and paper towels.  Sistercare is a local organization that provides shelter and support for mothers and their children. Mindset 6 from The 7 Mindsets, "Live to Give", reminds us that we can all make a positive impact on the world. Service learning is one way we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Service Learning Projects End Tomorrow

Reminder...Service Learning Projects on both campuses end tomorrow, Friday the 13th. Please consider donating items to the local organizations we are supporting.

Lower Campus is supporting the Richland Two Backpack program with the following items:
pancake mix, peanut butter, spaghetti noodles,Chef Boyardee, apple sauce (individual cups), cereal, Bisquick, saltine crackers,instant rice, canned chicken or tuna, Pop-Tarts, individual macaroni and cheese cups, syrup, jelly, spaghetti sauce, instant mashed potatoes
canned soups and instant grits

Upper Campus is supporting Sistercare, Inc with the following items:

school supplies, new board games, washcloths, bath towels, paper towels

Students that bring in or have brought donations can wear a hat tomorrow!

iSmile

Richland Two Choice and Magnet Program Information

Richland Two Choice and Magnet Program Information

Lower Campus Monthly Reading Challenges

Just a reminder, each month we post a reading challenge for students to encourage reading. Participants are entered into a drawing to read with Ross each month. At the end of the year, students that have participated in 6 of the 9 challenges will be invited to a special reading celebration. There is still time for your child to participate if you start this month!

Click the links below for more information:

Monthly Reading Challenge Rules

December Reading Challenge Form

2nd Grade Winter Concert

Mrs. Beck and our 2nd graders did an amazing job with their winter performance. Students and teachers worked hard to prepare for this special program. Thank you to everyone who came to watch last night. 

See more photos

3rd Grade Diamond Del Mining Adventure

Third grade students experienced the Diamond Del Gem Mining Adventure today for a hands-on experience as part of their study of rocks and minerals in science. This is always a favorite with the students!

Tri-District Arts Consortium Summer Program

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 Tri-District Arts Consortium Summer Program. Middle school students (rising sixth through ninth graders) who attend the public schools of Lexington One, Lexington/Richland Five and Richland Two are eligible to participate. This year marks the 35th year Tri-District has provided students with an outstanding and concentrated study of the arts through this summer program.

Parents may nominate their sons and daughters  by completing the nomination form from the Tri-District website: https://tridac.org/. 

The program is designed for artistically gifted and talented students who are rising sixth through ninth graders in the summer before the 2020-2021 school year. Students may audition in creative writing, dance, music (strings, vocal and wind/percussion), theatre or visual arts.

The Summer Program will be held on the campus of the Palmetto Center for the Arts (PCA) at Richland Northeast High School June 29 through July 18. Classes meet Monday through Friday  from 9:00 AM till 3:15 PM. Friday, July 3 will be observed as a holiday. Tuition and lunch for the three-week experience is $400.00.

Arts and classroom teachers, administrators, and/or parents may nominate students. Nomination forms  for all art areas, along with general information about the Tri-District Arts Consortium are also available on line in each school district and on our website at  www.tridac.org.

All  nominations must be received by January 15, 2020. Applications will be sent to each nominated student and parent/guardian.  Spaces for qualified students from each district are limited.

Auditions for Creative writing, Theatre, Visual Arts, Vocal, and Wind/Percussion will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at Richland Northeast High School. Auditions for the areas of Dance, Strings, and Visual Arts will be held Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Richland Northeast High School.  There will be no make-up auditions.

Reading Counts

Lower Campus Reading Counts Information

• Please click the link to learn more about Reading Counts and our incentives here at Lower Campus
• Lower Campus Media Center

Reading Counts Upper Campus Incentives

• 50 points = Choice of 1 prize
• 150 points = Gift Bag or Poster
• 250 points = T-shirt
• 500 points = $20 Book Fair Certificate and Recognition on Morning Show

The Reading Counts points report at the end of each month to award prizes. All names are displayed and read on the news show to celebrate our hardworking Gators!

Service Learning Projects End Friday

Service Learning Projects on both campuses continue through this Friday. Please consider donating items to the local organizations we are supporting.

Lower Campus is supporting the Richland Two Backpack program with the following items:

pancake mix, peanut butter, spaghetti noodles,Chef Boyardee, apple sauce (individual cups), cereal, Bisquick, saltine crackers,instant rice, canned chicken or tuna, Pop-Tarts, individual macaroni and cheese cups, syrup, jelly, spaghetti sauce, instant mashed potatoes
canned soups and instant grits

Upper Campus is supporting Sistercare, Inc with the following items:

school supplies, new board games, washcloths, bath towels, paper towels

Ned's Mindset Assembly

Lower Campus students and staff really enjoyed Ned's Mindset Mission assembly. Ned encourages students to never give up, encourage others and do their personal best!

2nd Quarter Interims

Interim reports for the 2nd quarter grading period will be accessible from Parent Portal today, Friday, December 6. When you log into your account, the current grades for your child will automatically appear on the screen. There is not a report tab to click in Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please call the school at 803-691-3360.

You can access Parent Portal at https://parents.richland2.org.

Note from Nurse Kopp

The health room is in need of gently used khaki or navy uniform pants for boys and girls sizes 5-10.

Also, it is not a bad idea to put a spare outfit in student's backpacks for those unforeseen messy moments that may warrant a change.

Coffee Talk: Literacy over the break

This morning Dr. Berry and Mrs. Egan hosted a coffee talk here at Lower Campus today. If you missed this presentation, take a look at the link to learn more. They talked about ways to incorporate literacy and math over the break.

Coffee Talk: Literacy Over the Break

December Read with Ross Reading Challenge

Diversity December!  Read at least 6 books that highlight diversity in the month of December. These books can include information about disabilities, different cultures, holidays, traditions, etc...  Kindergarten students may read 3 books to complete this challenge. 

Check out the display in the library to help you choose the books to read! 

Remember, students must complete at least 6 challenges for this school year to be able to attend our end of the year reading celebration! 

December Reading Challenge Form

Lost and Found

Is your child missing a jacket? Can't find a lunch box? The Lost and Found has many found items!

Please have your child stop by to look for any missing items. Lost and Found is located by the cafeteria at both campuses. Any left items will be donated at Winter Break. 

Richland Two Choice Fair

RETHINK Contest Winners

Congratulations to these students from Lake Carolina for being selected as the winners of the 2019 RETHINK Contest! Entries required students to learn why plastic bags are a problem both in nature (endanger wildlife) and in recycling bins (jam recycling machines), make an upcycled project out of plastic bags and other previously used items and write up what they learned and the impact on nature and recycling bins. 

Winning students will display their in front of the Columbia Museum of Art for the 50th Anniversary of EARTH DAY. 

They sure used a lot of creativity to create: a tutu, pumpkin, pencil pouch, heart artwork, a neighborhood, clean ocean water and a jump rope and skip-it! Great job gators! 

Lower Campus Winners: Avery, Kylie, Makayla, Gianna, Hailey

Upper Campus Winners: Becca, Lea, Meagan

Upper Campus Service Learning Project

Each year we organize service learning projects to support those in our community. Our first project will be focused on the support of Sistercare, Inc. of Columbia. This organization provides shelter and support for mothers and their children. We will be collecting the items below until Friday, December 13. 

Thank you in advance for helping us remind our students that we are able to learn "beyond the classroom walls" and we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Boxes will be set up on our main level next to stairwell as our point of collection.

Items we are collecting:

• School Supplies
• Board Games (New)
• Washcloths
• Bath Towels
• Paper Towels

Goodies for Grands 2019

Thank you to all of our grandparents for coming to our annual Goodies for Grands breakfast last week. We enjoyed seeing you at LCE!

Special thanks to Village Church for your support of this event!

Pictures of Goodies for Grands

Lower Campus Service Learning Project

Fall 2019 Service Project

Lake Carolina Elementary Lower Campus

Our fall community project at LCEL is to assist with the Richland Two Backpack program. This program supports Richland Two Families. Our PTO has donated money to support this program, however after December the food store used to fill the backpacks will be depleted, so we need your help!

Needed items are listed below:

 Please bring in items November 25th  - December 13th 

• pancake mix
• peanut butter
• spaghetti noodles
• Chef Boyardee
• apple sauce (individual cups)
• cereal
• Bisquick
• saltine crackers
• instant rice
• canned chicken or tuna
• Pop-Tarts
• individual macaroni and cheese cups
• syrup
• jelly
• spaghetti sauce
• instant mashed potatoes
• Soup: chicken noodle, tomato, chicken and stars
• Instant Grits

**Please make sure donations are not expired and have quite a bit of shelf life left.