"Congratulations to all of 6^th Grade, winners of the Healthy Choices, Healthy Eating Challenge!

This fall, Miss Rachel, our School Dietician, visited all Upper School classrooms enlightening students with Healthy Choices, Healthy Eating tips:

• Make Mindful, Healthy Choices: Students learned about being aware of their surroundings, their thoughts and feelings when faced with making some tough choices.

• Choose Variety the MyPlate Way: Miss Rachel shared an overview of the five food groups, and students were able to articulate the important nutrients in each group, learning the value of eating a variety of foods

• Rise & Dine Students were encouraged to eat breakfast every day, and they shared some reasons why breakfast is a good idea, as well as some consequences of skipping that important first meal.

• Slow Down on Sweets Students learned about the presence of Added Sugars in many foods and why it's a good idea to pay attention (be mindful!) to those foods, most commonly found in their drinks

• Rethink Your Drink Students were encourage to Rethink some of those Drinks: Miss Rachel demonstrated just how much Added Sugar is in some commonly consumed beverages…they were shocked!

• Be Active Your Way: Rounding out each session, students learned about and shared benefits of activity and movement throughout the day. Miss Rachel shared some quick, simple ways to move during any day, including the school day

All classes took a group Pledge to make those Healthy Choices for Healthy Eating, and they were challenged to track those choices for two weeks in the following ways:

• Stopping and thinking about any of their choices at least twice a day

• Eating at least one serving from all five food groups each day

• Eating Breakfast each day

• Choosing a low sugar dessert or snack at least once each day

• Drinking a healthy beverage at least three times a day

• Moving their way at least three times a day

Each class created some healthy prize ideas in the lucky event they would win the challenge.

6^th Grade won the challenge! Top on their list of prizes was having recess! On Wednesday December 18, all four classrooms enjoyed Outdoor Time at the Lower School, feasting on a healthier version of some holiday treats.

Way to go 6^th Grade! Let's keep those Healthy Choices, Healthy Eating habits going!"

Ms. Kusiv's 2nd grade students typing final drafts of their narrative story on Schoology 

After editing their rough drafts, students typed their final draft on Schoology. It's the first-time students are typing on Chromebooks. They did an amazing job listening and following directions

Stayed tuned! 

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

Previous

Specialists' Newsletter

Boletin de especialistas

 Event for Upper School Students and their guests:

• The school nutrition environment provides students with opportunities to learn about and practice healthy eating through available foods and beverages, nutrition education, and messages about food in the cafeteria and throughout the school campus
• School nutrition services provide meals that meet federal nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, and accommodate the health and nutrition needs of all students. School meals in Massachusetts are available at no cost to families.
• The Whole School community supports a healthy school nutrition environment by promoting healthy foods and beverages, encouraging participation in the school meal programs, role-modeling healthy eating behaviors, and ensuring students have access to free drinking water throughout the school day.
• School meals provide nutrient variety essential for growth and development, exposure to diverse menu options, and reduce family stress around school day meal planning. Healthy school-day eating has been linked to improved learning outcomes which supports students in reaching their potential

Click to read the article: How School Lunch is Made

The Board of Trustees recognizes the relationship between student well-being, health and wellness and student achievement as well as the importance of comprehensive wellness policies. The Board of Trustees is committed to protecting children's health, well-being and ability to learn to their fullest potential by supporting a school environment that promotes healthy choices and behaviors that foster lifelong habits with respect to eating, physical activity and social-emotional health. Therefore, the Board of Trustees has adopted this policy to serve as a guideline for the school administration to carry out LFDCS's objectives in this arena.

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

• $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

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

VIEW POSTER

• Cómo manejar la ansiedad electoral en español
• Gerenciando a ansiedade eleitoral em português

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. 

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:

 Codes to order October photos:

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. 

Read all about it: A Success Story about Food Waste Reduction at LFDCS

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

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.

When is Christmas break??

View the the 24-25 school calendar here.

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!

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 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

 Please see the list of supplies by grade. 

Updated on 6/12/2024

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!

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

MCAS graduation requirement is not punitive, it's a lifeline for highest-need students. 

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.

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. 

A new national study from Stanford University of nearly 2 million charter public school students affirms charter students outperform peers at traditional public schools (TPS). Click on the Superintendent's "Memo" under my picture to download the entire document.

Un nuevo estudio nacional de la Universidad de Stanford de casi 2 millones de estudiantes de escuelas públicas charter afirma que los estudiantes charter superan a sus pares en las escuelas públicas tradicionales (TPS). Haga clic en el "Memo" del Superintendente debajo de mi imagen para descargar el documento completo.

Keeping our little ones healthy and happy is our top priority! To ensure your children's well-being, let's work together to promote good hygiene habits. Please read our sickness protocol in English.

¡Mantener a nuestros pequeños sanos y felices es nuestra principal prioridad! Para garantizar el bienestar de tus hijos, trabajemos juntos para promover buenos hábitos de higiene. Por favor lea nuestro protocolo de enfermedad en español.

UNH Tech Camp. 

The winner of the TV Raffle is Jose and Ileana Santiago, parents of a 3^rd 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!