Dear Parents,
As you know, teachers and staff worked throughout the summer to be sure that we were ready to open our doors to students on August 28. You may not know, however, that there is another group of people (made up strictly of volunteers) who worked (and continue to work) alongside the staff to help build and nurture our Lab community and that is our Parent-Teacher-Student Organization (PTSO)! The PTSO is a group of parents who come together to help advance the mission and vision of the school by creating and promoting an educational partnership and providing an avenue of communication between home and school that will contribute to our students' academic and personal growth.
We are so pleased to share this year's PTSO Board Members.
Executive Committee
- Co-President (Year 2): Tracey Rosenberg;
- Co-President (Year 1): Jaime Rentch;
- Vice President: Corinne Connor;
- Treasurer: John Bezanson;
- Assistant Treasurer: Marcus Castro;
- Secretary: Rachel Efird; and
- Audit Chair: Catherine Malone.
Executive Committee Chairs
- VP of Student & Staff Support: Sue Hawes;
- VPs of Fundraising: Kess Clark & Kelly Bliss Smith;
- VP of Parent and Student Events: Akua Carraway;
- VP of Student Recruitment: Bita Clark;
- VP of Marketing & Communication: Jenny Greenspon;
- VPs of Middle School: Renee Alsop & Leslie Mueller;
- VPs of Nominating Committee: Kristin Allen & Ricky Singh;
- VP of Access & Inclusion: Open (candidates will be voted on in upcoming board meeting)
You can get involved and show your support for our PTSO and the entire Lab community in two ways: 1) by
joining the PTSO, and 2) by attending our first PTSO meeting of the year, which will take place on Tuesday, September 26 at 6:30 pm (social time at 6:15 pm) at the Lower School.
The PTSO General Meeting agenda includes the following:
- Social time at 6:15 pm and meeting starts at 6:30 pm;
- Updates from the 2017-8 PTSO Board;
- State of the School Report from Dr. Moss Brown;
- Budget Review and Vote; and
- Used Uniform Sale, Spirit Wear Sale, and Book Fair!
If you need childcare, please
RSVP here and indicate the # of children you'll drop off. Space is limited so please RSVP by Wednesday, September 20. The cost is $5 per family (cash only, please) and healthy, nut-free snacks will be served (if your child needs more, please send it).
Parking will be available at the Hal Marshall Annex lot at 618 N College St for this event. This lot is located just a block from the school. The best way to get there is to travel across the train tracks on E. 9th street, take a right at the light onto College St. and enter the lot on your right. IMPORTANT NOTE: The county staff have agreed to let us use their lot only on certain days and AFTER HOURS! Please do not park in this lot during the day, and be sure to park there only when you read in our enewsletter that we have been given permission.
I hope you will consider getting involved and supporting the PTSO this year!
Sincerely,
Mary Moss Brown
Head of School
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WELLNESS UPDATE FROM MRS. WHELAN
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Over the summer, the wellness team reflected on last year's goals, events, and accomplishments, and while we are very proud of the projects that occurred, our hope this year is to do more community outreach with our students and the entire Lab community. Our vision is for students to begin to understand that "wellness" is a multi-faceted concept. Eating well, being active, creating social relationships, finding one's passion and gifts, excelling academically, and practicing mindfulness, are all part of our curriculum; plus, we truly want our students to learn first-hand the joy and sense of purpose one can feel when he/she is directly connecting with the outside community and making a difference in other lives.
LAB, JEWELRY & LEVINE HOSPITAL
With this in mind, we are partnering with Erin McDermott Jewelry and Levine Hospital on an exciting fundraiser and community outreach event. First, Erin McDermott Jewelry has created four signature Lab jewelry pieces for adults and kids and 40% of sales from these these pieces will be donated to Lab & Levine Children's hospital. Offerings include a beaded stack of bracelets and a necklace, as well as two special necklaces with the words "innovation" & "be kind" on the bar of the necklace. These words were chosen because they are the essence of Lab and directly represent the heart of the Lab community.
You can learn more, see pictures, and buy online. And, members of the wellness team and Erin McDermott will begin selling these pieces at Friday's Spirit event at First Ward Park.
In addition to the jewelry fundraiser, the wellness team and Erin McDermott Jewelry with be offering a workshop to a small group of 5th graders at Lab. Together this group will design several pieces of jewelry that will be hand-delivered to patients at Levine Hospital. Due to the small group size for this event, students are invited to write a short essay to be considered for this project and trip. The wellness team will review the submissions and select a group by the end of the month. This group of children will use their creativity and be exposed to the design process, in addition to extending their work out of the classroom and directly connecting and sharing their work with the children at Levine. After the children's jewelry designs are completed, Erin McDermott, Meegan Whelan, and Nick Clavin, will bring the students to Levine where they will hand-deliver each piece. We are thrilled to begin this project and hope that we see you all next week at First Ward.
Sincerely,
The Wellness Team
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New families: Please note that on days that your child is sick or absent, we ask that you email his/her homeroom teacher and our Front Office Managers Stefanny Fulcher (Lower School) or Lauri Clinch (Middle School) before 8:30 am. A note from parents (and a doctor's note, if applicable) is necessary and should be sent immediately and no longer than 3 days after the absence. Don't forget that our funding depends on our attendance the first 20 days of school, so please make every effort to ensure your child is at school.
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Don't forget to like Charlotte Lab School on Facebook. There is also a Charlotte Lab School Parents Page. This page is managed by parents and not visible on Facebook for security reasons, so if you want to join the group, please email the page administrator Nicole Bowen, and she will invite you to join.
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| COMMUNICATION FOLDER VOLUNTEERS |
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We are looking for volunteers to fill the green (and some blue) communication folders every Friday between 8 am -2 pm.
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| TRANSPORTATION PROCEDURES |
If you are making a change to your child's afternoon dismissal, please make sure to complete the online transportation form NO LATER THAN 2:00 pm. After 2:00 pm, you must call the school and let Ms. Fulcher (LS) or Ms. Clinch (MS) know.
And don't forget, e
arly dismissal ends at 3:00 pm. If you arrive after 3:00 pm, you will be asked to wait to pick up your child until regular dismissal at 3:30 (LS) or 3:45 (MS).
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Charlotte Lab School is continuing our partnership with Crossway Pediatric Therapy to provide Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Therapy services to students before and after school. Please email Ricky Singh
for more information.
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SAVE THE DATE: BRIXX SPIRIT NIGHT & PARK PLAY DATE
Join us on September 15 from 4:30-8 pm for a park play date and pizza dinner at Brixx. Brixx will make a donation to our school for all pizza purchases!! Brixx is located at 225 E. 6th Street, Charlotte, NC. Check your child's green folder this Friday for more information.
SPIRIT WEAR SALE ONLINE UNTIL THIS SATURDAY
Show your Lab spirit with Charlotte Lab School gear! Order polos, hoodies, jackets, and fleeces for kids and adults. Check out our custom online shop; there are lots of great, colorful polos and cool outerwear. It's convenient, and a percentage of each order comes back to our school. Please note the online store closes on September 16 at midnight. Late orders cannot be accepted; however, we will have another online ordering opportunity in January. Any questions, email Kristi Sweeny. Remember, our uniform guidelines state that outerwear worn in the lower school must be NAVY, and middle schoolers may wear GREY or NAVY. Polos can be any solid color.
LAB PARENTS BOOK CLUB
Please join the Lab Parents Book Club as we kick off the school year with a discussion of the book Disconnected by Thomas Kersting.
Book: Disconnected by Thomas Kersting
Date: 2 more Wednesdays on Sept. 13 & 20
Time: 8:30-10 am or as soon as you can make it after drop-off.
Location: Amelie's on North Davidson.
Grab a yummy treat or drink at the counter, then join us for the discussion.
We meet in the courtyard area through the back door of the restaurant.
Pre-Work:
Read Part 2, chapters 5-7.
RSVP:
Let us know you are coming by emailing Michele Davis at
write2mdavis@yahoo.com
.
We need a minimum of 4 confirmed attendee's to hold the discussion.
BOX TOPS ARE BACK
Box Tops are back!!! Please turn in the Box Tops you have saved over the summer and start reaching out to family, friends, and maybe even your church to collect Box Tops and therefore raise money for the school this year.
We will have a promotion running until October 27th to see which class can bring in the most Box Tops.
Thank you for your support!
NIGHT WITH THE HORNETS
Come enjoy a night out with the Charlotte Hornets and Lab families on Friday, October 20 (game starts at 7pm)! $5/ticket will go directly back to the school. The first 40 students to purchase tickets will receive an on-court fan experience. Be on the lookout for flyers to be coming home soon in your child's Friday communication folder.
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PRIVATE VOICE & PIANO LESSONS
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Jessica Borgnis is offering in-school, private piano and private voice lessons which run 30 minutes per lesson per week to children ages five and above. She will also do a combination piano and voice lesson, which is 45 minutes per week. Lessons are typically scheduled during recess time. For more information email her directly at
jessica@charlotteschoolofmusic.org
.
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| Fri, Sep 15 |
Friday @ First Ward Park & Dining Night at Brixx |
4:30 PM |
| Tue, Sep 19 |
Curriculum Night (K-6) @ LS |
6:30 PM |
| Thu, Sep 21 |
Teacher Workday-NO SCHOOL |
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| Fri, Sep 22 |
Teacher Workday-NO SCHOOL |
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| Tue, Sep 26-Fri, Sep 29 |
Book Fair |
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| Tue, Sep 26 |
PTSO General Meeting |
6:15 PM |
| Fri, Sep 29 |
Donuts for Dad (K-5) |
7:45 AM |
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Lunch payments can be made at
K12PaymentCenter.com.
We are still rolling out the new system at school, and you will notice that the cost of lunches has not been deducted from your child's account, yet. We hope to get the onsite computers up and running this week, and you can expect the adjustment to your accounts all at once. Once the computers are set up, the cost of lunches will be deducted daily going forward.
Finally, it is not necessary to order your lunch in advance; however, if your child requires a special meal (gluten free or vegetarian) please let
Mrs. Malone
know in advance.
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Uniform Reminder: No open-toed shoes, and only NAVY sweaters/sweatshirts/jackets for lower school students and NAVY or GRAY sweaters/sweatshirts/ jackets for middle school.
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Cell phone policy reminder: Cell phones (and all personal electronics) should not be SEEN at school. If a cell phone is seen out, it will be taken by the teacher and given to the front office. A parent will be required to come pick it up. Please be reminded that Lab discourages students from bringing cell phones and other devices to school; there are no safe places to lock these items and the school cannot be responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property.
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Educational Enhancement forms: If you're child is already missing school days, please don't forget to complete an Educational Enhancement form, which if there is an educational benefit to the absence, will make it excused. You can find the
form on our website.
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Be sure to sign up for Remind 101 and receive last minute reminder texts from Lab. Just text the correct code (below) to 81010. Be sure to sign up for the Entire School messages, plus the relevant grade levels and after school if applicable. Standard text rates do apply.
Entire School - @Fk2c2Kindergarten - @bea6hFirst Grade - @2a34d2nd Grade - @8g9ccd3rd Grade - @48h4474th Grade - @hea665th Grade - @43gf3d6th Grade - @4dha6After School - @labschoola |
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Check out our
wish list by teacher/subject area. Feel free to reach out to teachers who have added items to this list for any clarification. In-kind tax receipts are available in the front office.
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Parents are invited to celebrate their children's birthdays at school, and we ask that you follow these policies:
- Parents may join their child for lunch and bring a small treat to share with advisory to celebrate their child's special day.
- Birthday celebrations must be arranged IN ADVANCE with the child's advisor so that he/she knows when to expect you and can plan an alternative treat for those children who might not be able to enjoy what you bring.
- All treats must be NUT-FREE
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