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Lawrence Family Development
Charter School

"strengthening families
.
.
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building community"

Specialists’ Newsletter


Specials-Newslette_20241004-185439_1

We are thrilled to bring you the latest news and updates from our Music, Social Emotional Learning, Health, Physical Education, and Visual Arts programs. Each of these classes plays a vital role in nurturing the whole child—encouraging creativity, emotional well-being, physical health, and artistic expression. 

December 2024

Specialists' Newsletter

Boletín de Especialistas

Previous

Specialists' Newsletter

Boletin de especialistas

Winter Wonderland

 Event for Upper School Students and their guests:

Cookie Dough Fundraiser 2024

COOKIE DOUGH

  • Come in ready to scoop and bake tubs
  • Each tub makes about 35-39 cookies
  • Shelf stable: does not need to be kept frozen
  • Multiple different flavors, sizes, quantities, variety packs


FUNDRAISER KEY POINTS

  • Fundraiser done all online
  • Download the app, login and share your link to make sales
  • No counting or collecting money
  • No delivering cookies
  • All orders will be shipped
  • Supporters can pay by credit card, debit card, Apple/Google Pay, PayPal, or Venmo

PRIZES

The more you sell the more rewards you will get:
  • $400 Raised earns the custom team color crocs
  • $800 raised earns the custom team color crocs and Amazon Gift card
  • 1,200 raised gets the Crocs, Amazon gift card and Custom Tumbler cup OR Oakley Sunglasses

World Kindness Day

Today we honor World Kindness Day. Here are some ideas to "make kindness the norm" 

VIEW POSTER

Managing Election Anxiety

Our mental health partner Cartwheel has provided a family tip sheet with practical, age-appropriate strategies for reducing election-related anxiety for students, parents, and caregivers.

Discount on school pictures

Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures

ENJOY 10% OFF your order!

CODE: F202410OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2025

Redeem Now

Don't forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card!

More about the Smilesafe program here

Picture Days 2024

Order today...

- Click: mylifetouch.com

- Select "Continue as a guest"

- Enter Lifetouch Code (see below for specific school code)

All students will be photographed on picture day.

Questions? Contact our Help Center at lifetouch.com/support-us. Select K-12 School Photography for assistance.

 Codes to order Retake photos:

School Grades Retake Day Retake Codes
Academy K1, K2, 1 & 2 Friday, Nov 15, 2024 EVTDPVG3P
Lower3 & 4Thursday, Nov 14, 2024EVTR2QGRM
Upper5 - 8Wednesday, Nov 13, 2024EVTXRNXFT

 Codes to order October photos:

School Grades Codes for October photos
Academy K1, K2, 1 & 2 EVTCT9ZG9
Lower3 & 4EVTXRTGWH
Upper5 - 8EVTJFH4RZ

LFDCS Food Drive

Tags:

Mental Health Webinars

LFDCS mental health partner, Cartwheel, offers free webinars designed to empower caregivers, family members, and school staff with practical and actionable information on mental health topics affecting youth and families today. View their complete list of webinars for the year along with directions on how to sign up for reminder invites.

The next webinar will on Wednesday, November 13 from 7-8pm. It is titled Can we talk? How to talk to kids & teens about mental health. Cartwheel will partner with the NAN project to cover mental health questions that kids & teens have but are often afraid to ask, and suggestions for how caregivers can safely and appropriately respond when mental health topics come up in their homes. 


Food Waste Reduction Story

Hispanic Heritage Contest

Hispanic Heritage Month Door Contest /  Concurso de puertas del Mes de la Herencia Hispana

Students Receive Scholarship From UNH Summer STEM Camp

In July 2024, three middle school students from the Lawrence Family Development Charter School attended UNH Tech Camp where they participated in a summer enrichment program focused on science, technology, engineering and math. Read more

Healthy Eating at LFDCS


Integrating healthy eating throughout the school day is essential to nurturing the holistic well-being of your child. LFDCS is committed to upholding nutrition and health guidelines from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) Office for Food and Nutrition Programs. Learn about our food guidelines before packing food for your child to bring to school.


The Lower School Just Got Cooler

LFDCS has taken the first steps to beautify its campus by planting 12 trees at the lower school on West St. In a joint effort between Groundwork Lawrence and the LFDCS STEM Department, phase one of three is completed. The goal behind planting trees around campus is to: 

- Attract birds

- Provide shade to reduce temperatures

Trees go a long way in creating a stable ecosystem by providing shelter for animals and retaining storm water. 

Keep an eye on our campus throughout the summer for more trees and amenities all going towards making LFDCS a more beautiful place to learn and grow.

Many thanks to our STEM Coordinator, George Masterson, and Groundwork Lawrence for their efforts!


LFDCS Recognized as one of top five schools for Composting and Recycling Program

LFDCS has been recognized by the City of Lawrence and Mass Department of Environmental Protection for our Environmental Action efforts with our Composting & Recycling Programs! This could not be accomplished without support from everyone.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recognized students from 63 schools across Massachusetts with Green Team Awards for outstanding environmental stewardship and educational activities. One school won the grand prize, and four schools were recognized for going "above and beyond" with their efforts to promote sustainability and responsible leadership in their community. See awesome messages below:

"Congratulations!!!! The Lawrence Recycling Department is proud of the Lawrence Family Development Charter School for launching a very successful program to reduce the solid waste in their cafeterias. We were able to assist in the process of implementing this program, and we are proud to see the amazing results and getting recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDep).

With strong support from leadership on campus, LFDCS started a source separation program in their cafeterias that diverted 14 tons of food from the waste stream. Their Green Team students participated in regular lunchroom weigh days and have been dedicated in minimizing food waste and increasing recycling at school, home and in their community."

We are so happy and proud of our results! Congratulations to our school community!!!!!!!

Article: https://www.mass.gov/news/healey-driscoll-administration-announces-green-team-awards-for-environmental-stewardship-in-schools-across-state

Mr Santana’s Egg Drop 2024

During their last week of science, the graduating 8th grade class took on the timeless challenge of fragile egg verses the relentless force of gravity! In Mr. Santana's Egg Drop Challenge 2024, the students had one class period to design, and one class period to build a design model that could withstand the plunge of over 20-feet! Here are some of the student projects, their egg designs, and the results!

"The students learned about important physics concepts such as forces, air resistance (drag), impact, and momentum."

The students learned about important physics concepts such as forces, air resistance (drag), impact, and momentum. They also learned engineering concepts through building thoughtful designs that included padding, parachutes or propellers, and other cool scientific ideas! They also got to work in teams and work on their collaboration skills. Most of our teams survived the fateful fall from the STEM center roof, with just a few teams cracking under the pressure. Overall, it was a blast both for the students and for the teacher. It's safe to say the Class of 2024 will definitely remember the excitement of Mr. Santana's Egg Drop 2024!

Picnic Table Winner 2024

Congratulations to Yudelka and Geraldo (parents of three of our students) whose ticket was picked to receive our beautiful lemon-themed picnic table along with the accessories. The proceeds from this fundraiser which totaled $2,915 will go toward scholarships for LFDCS graduates.

Thanks to all who purchased raffle tickets!

Ticket pickers

SY'2024-2025 LFDCS Scholarship Renewal Applications Now Available

Attention all alumni who receive LFDCS Scholarships! 

SY'2024-2025 LFDCS Scholarship Renewal Applications are now available and due to the Opening Doors department no later than June 1, 2024 in order to renew scholarships for next school year. Please click here to pay the processing fee.

If you have any questions, please contact: openingdoors@lfdcs.org

Public Media Release

Lawrence Family Development Charter School Offers another Year of Meals at No Cost for Students

Lawrence Family Development Charter School will be participating in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. As part of this program, all LFDCS schools will offer healthy meals every school day. The Massachusetts legislature has provided funding to make meals available at no cost to all students during school year 2023-2024, regardless of household income. However, families should still complete a Meal Benefit Application as this provides data for key funding for academic resources and may also connect families to additional benefits. This data will also support the additional funds provided by the Commonwealth for this pilot. Household size and income criteria are used to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price benefits if the household does not receive assistance or the children are not in the other categories mentioned above. Children can get free or reduced-price meals if the household's gross income falls at or below the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guideline chart.

FEDERAL ELIGIBILITY INCOME CHART For School Year 2023-2024

Maximum Household Income Eligible for Free Meals

Maximum Household Income Eligible for Reduced Price Meals

Household size

Yearly

Monthly

Weekly

Yearly

Monthly

Weekly

1

$18,954

$1,580

$365

$26,973

$2,248

$519

2

25,636

2,137

493

36,482

3,041

702

3

32,318

2,694

622

45,991

3,833

885

4

39,000

3,250

750

55,500

4,625

1,068

5

45,682

3,807

879

65,009

5,418

1,251

6

52,364

4,364

1,007

74,518

6,210

1,434

7

59,046

4,921

1,136

84,027

7,003

1,616

8

65,728

5,478

1,264

93,536

7,795

1,799

Each additional person:

+6,682

+557

+129

+9,509

+793

+183

Community Eligibility Provision

Lawrence Family Development Charter School will be participating in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. As part of this program, LFDCS schools will offer healthy meals every school day at NO COST to the students due to the implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision for school year 2023-2024. Students will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a household application.

Non-Discrimination Statement:

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1.mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2.fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3.email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. 

Student Council donates proceeds to scholarship fund

TV Fundraiser Winner Announced

The winner of the TV Raffle is Jose and Ileana Santiago, parents of a 3rd grader, Joseph Santiago from Ms. Hooper's Class.

Dominick Xisto, grade 4 and Jenesis Pena, grade 3 chose the winner--$7,500 was raised for scholarships for LFDCS graduates--thank you!