This Week at Charlotte Lab School
See You Tomorrow Night!
Dear Parents,

Assessment Night is tomorrow at 6:30 pm at the Lower School! ALL families are invited to attend to learn more about how assessment works at Lab and to find out answers to questions you may have about assessment, testing, and the school report card.

If your child is in grades 3-7, please remember to bring the MAP score report that was sent home on Friday with you to the event. You can still sign up for child care until midnight tonight and parking for the event will be available at the Hal Marshall Annex. See full event details.

Additionally, I want to remind the Lab community about our School Closing and Inclement Weather Policy, which, unfortunately, we have already had plenty of occasions to follow this year. Given the reality that there is likely more bad weather to come, please take a moment to review our policies and practices related to school closings.

  • We will provide information on school closing as soon as possible and no later than 6:00 am on the day in question. We know that sooner is better, and you have our word that we will do our best to let you know as early as we can. There is a great deal of consultation that goes into making these determinations, and we work through the process as quickly as we can.

  • Sure it would be easier to always follow CMS, but we know that CMS's size and geography present different challenges that are not always relevant to Lab. Therefore, our policy is to follow CMS unless we can independently determine that the weather conditions and roads are safe for our students and staff. In addition, we must determine whether our bus company, caterer, and after school providers can operate normally; our teachers with kids out of school have coverage; the parking lots are clear of standing water, snow & ice; and the buildings have electricity and heat--just to name a few!

  • We do not have the same leeway as CMS when it comes to required days in school. On several occasions in 2018, CMS has made the decision to NOT require their schools to make up days. Those decisions do not carry over to charter schools. We are fortunate to have built in 5 "extra" days of school this year; however, we have already had 4 days off. Since we added Sept 19, 2018 back as a school day, we still have 2 more days remaining. Given that winter has not even started, it is possible that we may have to add make up days, but hopefully not!

  • We will notify parents by email, our official Facebook page, and on the front page of our website of school closing decisions as soon as possible and no later than 6:00 am on the day in question. We will also send a Remind text to all families who have signed up to receive the Entire School notification. If you have not signed up, you can find the directions on our website. Don't forget to sign up for the entire school AND your child's grade level notifications.


Thank you for your understanding and patience during these recent storm-related closings. And, please join us in hoping for no more hurricanes this year and a mild winter! We can’t wait to see you tomorrow and look forward to answering all of your questions about assessment at Lab!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Moss
Executive Director
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
All School Events
Oct. 16 - Assessment Night - 6:30-8:30pm at the Lower School
Oct. 22 - Open House for Prospective Families - Volunteer
Oct. 23-26 - Book Fair Week - View Schedule - Volunteer
Oct. 25 - Lab Parent Party - 7:00-10:00pm - View Flyer
Oct. 26 - Breakfast with a Buddy - 7:45-8:30am
Lower School Events
Oct. 17 - Grades 4-5 Chinese Class Field Trip - 12:00pm
Oct. 29 - Lower School Student Portraits
Middle School Events
Oct. 17 - Chinese Class Field Trip - 11:50am
Oct. 18 - Middle School Parent Coffee (New Date) - 8:30-9:30am
Oct. 30 - Middle School Student Portraits
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
All Hands on Deck!
As you’ve noticed, there are many events this month at school. These are not possible without the support of parent volunteers, and we have 30 open slots to fill ! Please consider one (or two!) of these options to support our school. High priority needs marked with a star .
Sign up to volunteer at Open House on October 22. After-school hours - great for working parents! Contact Kris Goldbach with questions. Learn more .
Sign up to volunteer at the Book Fair . Spend a little time with students while helping them browse and purchase books.
Sign up to volunteer at Breakfast with a Buddy on October 26 . Easy 1 hour shifts and done by 8:45 am!
Two more front office volunteers needed! Contact Dichelle Connell to sign up. Learn more .
Donate and deliver healthy snacks on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Lower School or Middle School . Learn more .
Support the Lab Chickens by signing up to purchase a bag of food or bedding.
SCHOOL NEWS
Support Robotics at Lab!
Mr. Morales has an important project posted on Donors Choose. Please consider making a donation today to help him fund 4 Lego Mindstorms EV3 sets for Lab students to explore computer science and robotics while learning teamwork, cooperation, ingenuity, and computer programming.

A donation of any size makes a big difference! Thank you for your support! Read more.
Join Mr. Singh for Saturday Basketball!
Students in grades 5-7 are invited to join Mr. Singh for basketball drills and scrimmages at Charlotte Lab Middle School on October 20 from 12:00 - 2:00 pm. The event is recommended for intermediate to advanced players. Cost is $30 and you must bring a refillable water bottle. See you there!  Sign up.
Last Call for Middle School Mountain Bike Club
It's the last week to sign up to show your interest in the Middle School Mountain Bike Club! The club is open to all middle school students, boys and girls. Simply fill out this form by Friday, October 19, so we can begin learning and riding soon.
Basketball Sign-Ups for Grades 5-7
Basketball season is quickly approaching! There will be one boys' and one girls' team per grade level (5, 6, and 7). Sign up this week!  Learn more.
Job Posting: Grants & Fundraising Manager
We are looking for a Grants and Fundraising Manager to join the External Affairs Team. If you love Lab and have experience with writing grants or RFPs, please consider applying. Check out the job description and apply online on our website.
UPDATES FROM THE PTSO
We have many exciting events planned for this school year! Our goal is to provide a variety of events to continue to grow our Lab school spirit and sense of community. View the PTSO calendar or pick up a copy in the front office.
Middle School Parent Coffee Rescheduled!
Middle school parents, please join us at the middle school for coffee and donuts this Thursday, October 18 from 8:30 to 9:30 am. Grab a cup to go or stay and chat. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
Calling All Book Lovers!
The fall book fair will be held the week of October 22-26! We are combining the lower and middle school fairs at UNCC (Room 1104) this year. Learn more.

We will need lots of volunteers to make it a success. Please sign up if you are able to help. Thank you!
Breakfast with a Buddy
Join us Friday, October 26 from 7:45-8:30 am for Breakfast with a Buddy. Students may bring a special someone (Mom, Dad, Grandparent, etc.) to enjoy a sweet treat on the Lower School playground before school starts. This will also be the final day of the book fair at UNCC (Room 1104), so be sure to visit!

This event is for all families. Middle schoolers are welcome to attend the Breakfast with a Buddy and book fair at the Lower School campus, but they must be sure to arrive at the Middle School (parents must provide transportation) no later than 8:20 or they will be marked tardy.

If you are available to help with this event, please sign up. PARKING IS AVAILABLE IN THE GRAVEL LOT ONLY, following normal morning procedures. You may be ticketed or towed if you use one of the other lots.
Lab School Parent Party
Join other Lab parents for an evening out with a buffet dinner provided by Rocky Top BBQ and a special Innovation Ale brewed for just for us! View the flyer.

Date: Thursday, October 25
Time: 7:00-10:00 pm
Location: Catawba Brewing Company
Tickets: $12.50 per person. Buy tickets here.

This is a parents-only event. Tickets are non-refundable and must be purchased by October 19. We hope to see you there!
Save the Date for School Pictures
This year, student portraits and class pictures will be taken by St. John’s Photography. Grades K-5 are scheduled for Monday, October 29. Middle School is scheduled for Tuesday, October 30. A make-up session is scheduled for Friday, November 9. Uniforms are required for school photos! Additional details will be published soon.
Winter is Coming...
Please be sure to label all jackets, sweaters, fleeces, and water bottles with your student’s name! Our collection of lost and found is beginning to grow and is full of nice things.  Already missing something? Stop by the Front Office to browse and collect your items.
Lab Spirit Night with the Hornets
Come and enjoy a night out with the Charlotte Hornets and Lab families on Saturday, November 17! The game starts at 7:00 pm and $5 per ticket will go directly back to the school. The first 40 Lab students to purchase tickets will receive an on-court half-time fan experience. View the flyer. Contact Lory Cobb if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!
Online Student Directory Coming Soon
Keep your eyes open in the next few weeks for access to our online student directory. The My School Anywhere App will allow you to contact peers and classmates at your fingertips.
WELLNESS CORNER
The Positive Parenting Series is brought to you by Molly Warner.
Start with Your Story
We all want to figure out how to guarantee that our children are thriving. It may sound surprising, but current research suggests that the single most important thing parents can do for our children is to make sense of our own story

So, how do we do this? How do we start to parent effectively and relax and enjoy our role as caregivers? How do we start to understand our own story? Read the full article to find out!
LINKS & SIGN-UPS
Password: Lablions
Charlotte Lab Scho ol | Lower School - 704-464-3830 | Middle School - 704-235-3060 www.charlottelabschool.org