Liberty Common Elementary School 
1725 Sharp Point Dr. 
Fort Collins, CO 80525 
Phone:(970)482-9800
Fax: (970)482-8007 
www.libertycommon.org
OfficeHours:7:50-4:00 
Attendance Line:  
(970)482-9800,option2   


Common Knowledge, 
Common Virtues, Common Sense

A National Charter School of the Year,  
A Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School, 
A Certified Official Core Knowledge Site School,  
A John Irwin School of Excellence, and A Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School  

Board of Directors  
You may contact all members of our Board of Directors at BOD@libertycommon.org or by telephone:
  • Patrick Albright: 232-8257
  • Joel Goeltl: 593-8556
  • Paulette Hansen: 282-8455
  • Denise Benz: 420-4184
  • Aislinn Kottwitz: 217-5925
  • Kelly Notarfrancesco: 295-4643
  • Jeff Webb: 545-9636
Next Board of Directors Mtg., 
November 17, 2016, 6:00 p.m. 
Liberty Common Elementary   
 
CALENDAR of EVENTS 
**The Internet-Safety Night scheduled for tonight at LCHS  has been canceled.**

October 24|Public Information Night, 6:30 p.m.
Do you know anybody interested in sending their kids to Liberty (either campus); or just learning more about the school's history and philosophy?  Please urge them to attend our Public-Information Night, tonight,  October 24, 2016. from 6:30-8:30PM in the LCS Gym.  This is an informative presentation for all parents wanting to know more about why we teach what we teach, and why we do what we do.  For hopeful families waiting on the Liberty lottery list for any grades K - 11, attending one of these presentations puts you into the "upper tier" of those waiting for the next open-enrollment spot.
 
October 27|Deadline to submit pictures of service men and women.
October 28|No School, Parent Teacher Conferences.
 
October 31|Character Assembly- Responsibility
Students 4-6 | 8 :10-8:45
Students K-3|8:55-9:35 
Speaker, Gutarist, Scott Von,
CLICK HERE to view Scott's website.
Oct. 31-Nov. 4th|Liberty's Annual Canned Food Drive | Benefiting House of Neighborly Services and residents of Larimer County.
2016 cans = Free Dress Day.
4032 cans = EPIC Teacher Surprise 

November 1|Liberty Lecture Series, "Computer Security"6:30 p.m., LCHS| (See below article for more information.)  
  
November 4|Picture Retakes
7:45-8:30 a.m., Gym.
CLICK HERE for information
CLICK HERE for an order form.

November 6|Daylight Savings Time Ends  
set clocks ahead one hour.

November 10| December Lunch Calendars Due.  Calendars will not be taken  after Nov. 10th.CLICK HERE to print out lunch calendars.

November 11|Chess Club  
November 18|Hearing/Vision Screening (Volunteers needed see article below and link for Sign-up Genius).
November 22|Grandparents Day.
November 23-26|No School-Thanksgiving Break



 
Anyone still wanting to register for voting in this year's General Election (Tuesday, November 8th) can still register online.   CLICK HERE to do that right now if you're not yet registered.  The deadline for online registration is Monday, October 31st.  For more information about registration, deadlines, eligibility, and voting, please  CLICK HERE to visit the website of Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams. 
  
 
Liberty Lecture-Computer Security
The first Liberty Lecture of the school year intended for all Liberty families (both campuses - K-12),  is next week,  Tuesday, November 1st, 2016 beginning 6:30 - 8:00PM in the LCHS Great Hall. Last week's Internet-Safety Night was canceled in hopes more students and parents will attend next week's special event.  Maintaining computer security and privacy of personal information is becoming more and more important every day. Particularly when it comes to student use of the Internet, please be informed on risks, threats, and strategies to utilize the Internet safely.  Dr. Indrajit Ray of CSU (and a Liberty parent) will be our special lecturer.  The school highly encourages all Liberty families to attend.  
Lice season is upon us.
Parents, please encourage your students to avoid contact with one another's heads, and anything that might touch another student's head (hats, brushes, helmets, pillows, etc) as this is how lice are spread.  Additionally, if you know that your student has contracted lice, please let the health office know so we can help insure that proper treatment measures are being taken, and lice are not spreading to other students.

Natalie Dybzinski, RN, BSN
School Nurse Consultant
Liberty Common School
970.214.9153

Major Dates
2016-17 Calendar
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences-Oct. 28
  • Thanksgiving-Nov. 23-25
  • Winter Break-Dec. 26-Jan. 6
  • Martin Luther King Day-Jan. 16
  • Professional Development Day-Feb. 17
  • Presidents'Day-Feb. 20
  • Spring Break-March 13-17
  • Good Friday-April 14
  • Last Day of Classes-1/2/Day May 26
Mark Your Calendars and Show Your Liberty Pride on T-Shirt Days:
     
  • Nov. 18th.
  • Dec. 22nd.
  • Jan. 27th.
  • Feb. 24th.
  • March 31st.
  • April 28th.
  • May 19th.
Gift Cards Give Back


The Eagles Nest    
Thank you Brooklyn Cardenas, for your amazing art work. Other students' submissions will be rotated throughout the year. 
 


October 24, 2016 
Issue 9  
Volume 20 
 
Liberty Opposes 3B/3C On Ballot
CLICK HERE to see how Ballot Issues 3B and 3C treat Liberty Common School unfairly.

Liberty's Board of Directors (BOD) officially opposes Ballot Issue 3B and 3C as proposed by the Poudre School District.  Lots of Liberty parents have contacted Liberty Common School staff with questions about how they should vote on these local school-funding ballot questions. Please CLICK HERE to see the a resolution opposing 3B/3C adopted (unanimously) last Thursday by the BOD.  For additional information, please CLICK HERE to watch a recent debate on these questions in which Liberty parent and Vice-Chair of Liberty's Board of Directors Patrick Albright articulated reasons for opposing both measures.  Albright debated PSD officials who support the measures.  Charter schools educate 7.5% of the Poudre School District, but receive 0.1% of the bond.  Nearby school districts are proposing similar tax increases (Thompson Valley, Boulder, Denver) which include their charter schools in equitable funding distribution, while PSD does not.  Liberty parent Mr. Bill Werst, former BOD Chairman, wrote an editorial opposing 3B/3C in yesterday's Coloradoan newspaper - CLICK HERE.  CLICK HERE to see additional opposition statements.



Formal Declaration of Opposition to PSD 2016 Bond and Mill Levy Override
Liberty Common School Board of Directors
 
The Board of Directors of Liberty Common School opposes the Poudre School District 2016 Bond and Mill-Levy Override, appearing as issues 3B and 3C on ballots in the Poudre School District. The reasons for opposing the bond and mill levy override are:
 
  •          Charter school students make up 7.5% of Poudre School District's student population, yet will only receive 0.1% of money raised by the bond.
 
  •          Out of a $375,000,000 bond, Liberty Common School will receive only $150,000.
 
  •          While other schools in the Poudre School District will use bond money to maintain infrastructure such as roofing, flooring, and HVAC units, Poudre School District will not permit charter schools to spend their minimal bond allocations on these items. Only items that PSD can place an asset tag on (like desks and bookshelves) will be permitted.
 
  •          Other districts such as Cherry Creek, Brighton, Boulder Valley, Adams, Jefferson, and Thompson have given or are giving fair inclusion of charter schools in their bond issues.
 
  •          The cost of constructing new schools in PSD funded by this bond will be $76,000 per student. This amount is excessive in comparison to elsewhere in the state, such as the Denver Conservatory Green Campus at $24,000 per student, and the proposed combined Loveland high school, swimming pool, and sports complex at $58,000 per student.
 
  •          Poudre School District has $500,000,000 dollars in deferred maintenance, yet only $40,000,000 of the bond (out of $375,000,000) will be used to support existing facilities, with most of the money being used for new construction that will also have to be maintained.
 
The Liberty Common Board of Directors judges that the minimal restricted money that Liberty Common School will receive does not justify the amount of taxes Liberty families will be paying to fund this bond. Therefore, the Liberty Common Board of Directors formally and unanimously opposes the Poudre School District 2016 Bond and Mill Levy Override, and encourages its parent community to vote "NO" on PSD ballot issues 3B and 3C and to spread the word to their family members, neighbors, and friends who live in the district to also vote "NO" on these measures.
 
Paulette Hansen, Chairman
Patrick Albright, Vice Chairman
Denise Benz, Secretary
Joel Goeltl, Treasurer
Aislinn Kottwitz
Jeff Webb
Kelly Notarfrancesco

Honor Our Service Men and Women
Every November, for Veterans Day, we like to honor our men and women veterans and those that are currently serving our country with a display of thanks.  To make our bulletin board a great presentation of respect and appreciation, we are needing pictures of our soldiers, seamen and airmen.  Please bring any photos of service men or women to the office or email to Jill Ronen, jronen@libertycommon.org.  Please include their name, where they served or are currently serving and their relation to our Liberty Common student(s).   Photos will only be accepted until October 27th., and will be returned.  Thank you for participating in this Liberty tradition.  

Job Openings
Elementary Homework Booster Paraprofessional.  CLICK HERE for job description and needed qualifications. 

Elementary Teachers' Aid  
CLICK HERE for job description and needed qualifications.
Maintenance/Custodial Work
 Full Time Custodian- Liberty Common High School is looking for a full time (3pm- 11 pm) custodian for the evenings. This position pays $12/hour with the possibility of salary and benefits. Salaried position includes multiple holidays and paid time off.
POSITION SUMMARY: Maintains clean and tidy appearance of the school building and gymnasium by following cleaning procedures and utilizing the proper floor-maintenance techniques. 
Prior experience is desired. Must have a valid driver's license and pass background check. Position is open until filled. No walk-ins please. 
Send or email a cover letter, resume and 3 professional references to: 
Liberty Common High School 
Attn: Bob Schaffer, Principal 
2745 Minnesota Drive 
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Email: bschaffer@libertycommon.org 
 
We are excited to announce a new and easy way for you to generate donations for Liberty.  Earn money for Liberty while you shop through  Smile.Amazon.com.  AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Liberty every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price back to Liberty.
  • Simply go to http://smile.amazon.com and enter "Core Knowledge Charter School Foundation."  CKC School Foundation is the technical name for our non-profit organization.  You will not find us by searching for 'Liberty.'
     
  • The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases back to Liberty.
 

Volunteers Needed for Vision and Hearing Screening, Nov. 18th. 

We are getting ready for our annual Vision and Hearing Screenings and are looking for 12 Volunteers for Friday, November 18th.  The time will be from 7:45 am to approximately 1:15 pm.  Experience is appreciated but not required.  It is important to have volunteers that are available for the  ENTIRE  event so that the screenings go smoothly. Snacks will be provided for our wonderful volunteers.Please sign-up by CLICKING HERE if you are interested in volunteering.

Thank you,
 
Natalie Dybzinski, RN, BSN
School Nurse Consultant
Liberty Common School
Jen Hopkins, LCS Health Tech.

Kindergarten Sibling List. If your child is a sibling of a student currently enrolled in Liberty, and will be attending Kindergarten in the 2017-2018 School Year, please make sure that they are on the Sibling List.  We will begin running the Kindergarten lottery during the week of January 23, 2017. Please contact Julie Russell, LCS Registrar at 482-9800, ext 1114, to get on the list.   

Sports News by Dan Knab, Liberty Common Athletic Director

New Coaches
7th-Grade Boys Basketball: Matt Siemens - matthew.siemens@yahoo.com
8th-Grade Boys Basketball: Dakota Arend - dakota.arend7@gmail.com
7th-Grade Girls Basketball: Emily Ronen - ebronen94@gmail.com
Jr.-high Girls Soccer: Dan Choi - danmchoi@gmail.com
HS-Men's Baseball: Ron Frasco - ronaldjay@earthlink.net
Feel free to email any of them if you have questions regarding their sport.

This Week In Jr.-High Sports:
7th grade basketball
Tuesday, 10/25, 4pm, Away @ Estes Park Middle School
Thursday, 10/27, 4pm, Home vs Milliken Middle School
8th grade basketball
Tuesday, 10/25, 4pm, Home vs Estes Park Middle School
Thursday, 10/27, 4pm, Away @ Milliken Middle School

This Week In High-School Sports:
Men's Soccer
Friday, 10/28, TBD, @ Colorado Springs Christian School, vs TBD (Playoffs)
Saturday, 10/29, 1pm @ Colorado Springs Christian School, vs TBD (Playoffs)             
Cross Country
10/29, 9am, Norris Penrose Center, Colorado Springs, State Meet
High School Fall Musical 2016 Theater
Production, "Guys and Dolls"

T ickets are now on sale for the Fall Music Theatre Production, "Guys and Dolls!"

 Show times are:
Friday, November 11, at 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 12, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at LCS.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5.00 for students and LCS/LCHS Faculty. To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE:
 
Guys and Doll is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI .