The Eagle's Nest
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Liberty
Common
Elementary
School
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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 , A Gilder Lehrman Affliate School
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Volume 18 Issue 23
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February 9, 2015
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Important Dates
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Feb. 9-Feb. 13| Volunteer Appreciation Week
Feb. 9|TONIGHT-Volunteering Made Easy Meeting-6:30 Band Room. Feb. 10|March Lunch Calendars DueFeb. 11|Virtues of A Strong Latin Program,
LCHS, 3:30 p.m. Feb. 13|NO SCHOOL, LCS Teacher Professional Dev. Feb. 16|President's Day, NO SCHOOLFeb. 20|Winter CarnivalFeb. 20|Free Dress DayFeb.23-Feb. 27| Penny WarFeb. 24|New Kindergarten Parent Orientation, 6:30 p.m. March 6|Group PicturesMarch 6|End of 3rd QuarterMarch 13|6th graders to Liberty Common High School (All Day)6th graders will return to LCS by 2:30March 16-20|Spring Break, NO SCHOOL
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Volunteering Meeting Tonight. Please Join Us!
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Have you ever wanted to get involved at Liberty but weren't sure how? Or thought that getting involved with an event or committee would be too much with your busy schedule or with little ones still at home? Are you new to Liberty and don't know where to start?
Please join us at an informational meeting where we will answer any questions you have about volunteering at Liberty. From the big ways to the small ways, everyone is welcome and can make a difference!
Ways you can get involved that we will discuss:
- In the Classroom
- At School
- Specials Help
- Fundraising and Special Events
- Extra Curricular Activities
The meeting will be held Monday February 9th, at 6:30 pm in the Band Room.
Hope you can join us!!
Marnie Dame
LCS Volunteer Coordinator
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It is the time of year when The Board of Directors seeks parental input on your child's educational experience at Liberty. The Board values your opinion and strives to do its very best to be one of the top schools in Colorado.
A general survey focusing on our institution as a whole were distributed to all Liberty families via email
on February 2, 2015. Today, February 9, 2015, families will receive an individual teacher/class survey. If you have more than one child attending Liberty, please complete a survey for each of your students. If you have any questions regarding the surveys, or you have not received a survey, please call the front office at (970)482-9800. We value your feedback.
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Let's Go To The Hop: Liberty Sock Hop 2.20.15 Volunteers Needed for This Family Fun Night
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For this year's winter carnival, we're bringing back the popular Sock Hop! Friday, February 20th, 6:00- 8:00 p.m. in the gym. All attendees are welcome to dress up in your favorite "greaser" outfit or poodle skirt, eat, engage in many activities and dance to a live band! There are many ways parents can volunteer to make this a fun time for all. We are seeking volunteers to be lead coordinators of games, crafts, and decorations. Volunteers are needed to decorate, run stations, serve food and clean up. CLICK HERE to donate items for stations and CLICK HERE to volunteer for activities the night of the event.
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Act Now: Tickets Available for Liberty's Spring Lecture
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Attention Parents:
Liberty Common School is excited to host a talk by Daniel T. Willingham. Please join us on March 27th at 6:30 PM to hear a talk by Daniel T. Willingham a professor and author from University of Virginia. He is an advocate of the Core Knowledge Curriculum and teaching our students content to comprehend the literature they read.
Dr. Willingham has worked closely with ED Hirsch to cognitively explain why and how what we do works. He will be discussing literacy and what we can do as parents and educators to make sure our students are reading. Dr. Willingham does an incredible job of making the cognitive sciences accessible to all participants.
Tickets are on sale now at
We will have Dr. Willingham's new book, Raising Kids Who Read What Parents and Teachers Can Do, for sale and book signing after the presentation. In Raising Kids, Willingham explains this phenomenon and provides practical solutions for engendering a love of reading that lasts into adulthood.
We hope you can all make it to this educational evening.
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Updated Curriculum: Parenting the Love and Logic Way
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Would you like to feel more confident as a parent? Are you tired of your kids fighting? Would you like to have more fun parenting? Would you like to feel more relaxed at the end of the day? Help make your family life more enjoyable! Learn the Love and Logic way by attending a Love and Logic training. Love and Logic is the behavior management that Liberty Common uses and believes in.
The next Love and Logic starts Friday February 27th at 6:00pm through Saturday, February 28th at 4:30 pm. Class will be held at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church, 6501 Brittany Street in Fort Collins and is facilitated by Shannon Yockey, a former Liberty Common parent. Cost per individual is $125.00 and $175.00 per couple (includes workbook and materials). This class is open to all parents with children of all ages. Details and registration can be found by Clicking Here. For more information about the class, contact
Shannon Yockey, at (970) 402-7030. Class size is limited and you must register by Friday, February 20th. Limited childcare will be available on site, but you must register in advance. Cost will depend on number of children registering.
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Penny War Coming to LCS
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 LCS Student Council is sponsoring our Annual Penny War, Feb. 23-Feb. 27, with money collected going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
We will NOT accept money after lunch, on 2/27/15.
Rules of the Penny War:
-Coins only! No bills or rolls of coins, please.
-Pennies add to your class's total. Silver coins subtract from other class's totals.
-The cardboard boxes are a place to collect coins at home for the next few weeks. The kids are not to go door-to-door.
-The winning class gets a Pasta Party from Olive Garden.
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Charter School Parents Invited
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The Poudre School District is looking for charter-school parents to serve on the district's accountability committee. The accountability committee consists of thoughtful parent and school representatives who provide guidance and recommendations regarding district spending priorities, the District Improvement Plan, and the districts charter schools to the PSD Board of Education. It also works to increase the level of parent engagement in the district. This important work is facilitated by a committee representative of the diversity of our district.
We are in need of a parent representing charter-school students. Parent candidates for the DAC must have a child currently enrolled in a PSD charter school, and may not be employed by either the district or the charter school.
If you know a parent who would enjoy contributing to the important advisory work of this group, please have them reach out to Robert Beauchamp, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. The contact information is listed below.
The committee meets once per month, typically on the third Wednesday of each month.
Feb 18,Mar. 25 (may be moved to March 24th to accommodate the board adoption of the district UIP),
Apr. 22, May 20,6:30 pm - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Board Room, 2407 LaPorte Avenue.
Contact Robert Beauchamp by email at [email protected] or call at 970-490-3667 if you have any questions about the commitment. |
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Contact Us
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Liberty Common School
1725 Sharp Point Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone: 970-482-9800
Fax: 970-482-8007
Office Hours: 7:50-4:00 p.m.
In an effort to keep students safe during drop-off and pick-up times, please refrain from using cell phones. The front, middle and back drop-off and pick-up areas are designated NO CELL PHONE AREAS.
Please call our attendance line by 8:30 a.m. if your child will not be attending school due to illness, appointment or is out of town. 482-9800, option 2, please call by 8:30 a.m.
If you need to take your child to an appointment during school hours, please come to the Front Office, sign them out and we will call them out of class.
All students who arrive after 8:00 a.m. must be signed in at the Front Office. It is important that a reason be included on the sign-in sheet. If your student is ill and you want any/all homework, please contact the teacher by email as early as possible and homework will be available after 3:00 p.m. in the office. If you have any questions about these policies please contact Mrs. Ronen at [email protected]
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Healthcare Reminder
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If your student is sick with a fever of 100 degrees or higher or is throwing up or has diarrhea, he or she is NOT ALLOWED to attend school. Your child may return to school if they are not throwing up or fever-free(WITHOUT FEVER REDUCING MEDICINE) for 24 hours.
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Board of Directors
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Sarvjit Gill 227-4202
Joel Goeltl 593-8556 Paulette Hansen 282-8455
Jeff Webb 545-9636
Bill Werst 631-8379Denise Benz 420-4184
John Rohrbaugh 225-2259
You may contact all members of our Board of Directors at
February 19, 2015
6:00 p.m.
Teacher's Lounge
Liberty Common School
1725 Sharp Point Dr.
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Quiet Zone
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 Please remember that the front office is an office of business and the use of cell phones is prohibited. We also ask that conversations be kept to a minimum so that front office staff can provide quality customer service to students, staff members and other parents. Thank you. |
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Kindergarten Volunteers Needed
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Mrs. Horton, one of our kindergarten teachers, is needing volunteers on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays any time throughout the day. Volunteers do not need to be parents of kindergarteners to assist in the classrooms. Please email Angela Horton at
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Teaching Children to Think.
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Liberty founder Dr. Randy Everett will discuss Liberty's "Thinking Framework" strategy at a special parent lecture on Wednesday, February 25th at 6:30PM. All Liberty parents are urged to attend.
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All Liberty parents of students in any grades K - 12 are advised to attend a special lecture entitled "Teaching Children to Think" scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th at 6:30pm in the LCHS Great Hall. Organized by Liberty's Parent-Education Subcommittee, the featured speaker is Liberty founder Dr. Randy Everett who will help parents better understand the school's "Thinking Framework" strategy. This method is used in curriculum development, lesson planning and classroom content delivery. This classical framework was articulated by Liberty's founders when the school's predecessor school first opened in 1993. CLICK HERE for more information about Liberty's history. The Thinking Framework has been perfected by Liberty faculty over the years. In an important effort to help parents more fully understand Liberty's philosophy and academic tactics - and to better reinforce teaching strategies at home - Liberty's Board of Directors strongly encourages parents to attend this lecture. Together, we can do a better job teaching our children to think.  You make a difference. Questions or Suggestions? [email protected] Extra gift cards in the Front Offices
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Volunteer Appreciation From A Volunteer
By: Mrs. Erin Mihulka, Liberty Common Parent and Grandparents Day Committee Chairperson
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Liberty Supermom Erin Mihulka, has volunteered on the Grandparents Day Planning Committee since its inception - the past three years as chairwoman.
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Hello Liberty families. My name is Erin Mihulka. I am a parent of 2nd and 5th grade boys at Liberty. I chair the committee that plans and organizes Liberty's annual Grandparents Day event. In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, I'd like to put forth huge thanks for all the parents that make such an enormous impact on one of Liberty's biggest and most beloved events.
Liberty Common is a choice school. All of us, parents of students at Liberty, chose to put our children on the lottery list to attend Liberty. We chose Liberty for many reasons, but all of them amount to one thing: We want the best education for our children.
Liberty provides an exceptional curriculum, environment, and character education. Liberty employs the absolute finest educators, administrators, and support staff to educate and guide our children though the formative years of their lives.
All of this is because of parents. Parents founded Liberty Common charter school. Parents fought to make the dream of this exceptional school a reality. Parents struggled and worked tirelessly to create and perfect this nationally recognized pillar of exceptional American education.
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Liberty's annual Grandparents Day is planned, organized, and run by parent volunteers.
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Five years ago, a parent, Amy Redstone had an idea - to have a special event to honor a many times overlooked part of a child's life: Grandparents. It started as an idea, and via an email from founder and now the upper-school principal, Bob Schaffer, a few parents signed up to help.
The first couple years, Amy chaired the committee and we learned and evolved and improved. When Amy was elected to the Board of Directors, she handed the chairperson position to me. Each year, through trial and error, we have improved and perfected the planning, organization, and execution of this event.
Grandparents Day has evolved into a huge, annual, beloved, anticipated event. It could have never have begun or become the success that it has without one thing: Parent volunteers.
Every aspect of this event is managed, planned, organized, set up, and executed by Liberty parent volunteers. I can't possibly list every name of every parent that has contributed to the success of this event. But what I can explain is that there are so many parents who lend a hand, the event occurs every Tuesday of the week of Thanksgiving seamlessly and professionally.
Planning-committee parents meet every week from the first week of September up until the event. Parents come in the night before the event to set up a beautiful dining area to seat 500+ grandparents complete with linens, centerpieces, and themed decor.
Parents arrive the day before the event with food donations for the grandparents. Parents arrive at 7:00AM or earlier the day of the event to prep food and for final details like balloons and candle lighting.
Parents work the event to clear tables, clean up food service equipment, guide and assist grandparents, and break down the entire dining area to prepare for the students' lunch hours. Parents who own local businesses donate their time, skills, equipment, product, and services.
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Thanks to dedicated parent volunteers, Liberty students are constantly nurtured toward academic excellence
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I want to personally thank each and every one of you who contribute your time and effort to this event. I also know that my thanks are not only personal, but I know I speak on behalf of Liberty's staff and administration as well. You are integral to the exceptionalism of this event and this school.
I would also like to extend an invitation to all families at Liberty to continue to volunteer. If you have never volunteered at Liberty because of work, scheduling, younger siblings, please consider it in the future. There are numerous ways to contribute to your child's education. Volunteering not only helps the staff and administrators, it makes a huge impact on your children.
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In 2010, the LCHS lockers arrived late from the manufacturer - two weeks into the school year. A horde parent volunteers worked through the weekend to install the lockers before students returned on the following Monday.
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A child who knows their parent is actively involved in their school as well as their individual education takes pride in their own development and performs better in school and socially. Volunteering is also a great social opportunity for parents. It is a great feeling to know other parents in the school and to have a common goal to make the best learning environment for our children. I cherish the friendships I have made amongst Liberty families.
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The first Liberty Spring Gala, and every one since, has been organized and run by parent - and grandparent - volunteers. This year's Gala takes place April 10th. Find details elsewhere in these Monday Notes.
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Another incredibly important annual event that occurs every spring is the Spring Gala. This event is critical to the school as a fundraiser. It is also planned, organized, and put on by parents. This year, the Gala parent committee and the Grandparents Day parent committee agreed to help one another with our events. This is an example of Liberty parents working together to create an amazing education for our children.
I encourage parents to keep up on the Monday newsletters and see how you can help with this amazing event as well as attend. It is a fun, exciting evening that has enormous impact on what we are able to financially provide our children at Liberty.
This Volunteer Appreciation Week, know that, as parent volunteers, you are appreciated more than can be expressed. Just look at your child's amazing learning and educational growth and be inspired to continue to volunteer for your child, other children, yourself, and Liberty's educators.
From one volunteer to another, thank you for all you have done to make the event I chair an enormous success, and from one volunteer to Liberty Common, I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to be a part of my child's educational success.
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Check out the new and improved Volunteer Webpage on the Liberty Website!!!
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This is your all access page to the many ways you can get involved and help out at Liberty! This page will be kept up to date with immediate needs in the school as well as links to information about ways to get involved in...
- The Classroom
- At School
- Specials Help
- Fundraising and Special Events
- Extra Curricular Activities
Links for all CVC's and the school's Volunteer Coordinator can also be found listed at the bottom of the page.
The Web Page can be accessed from Liberty's home page by clicking on the button on the left hand side that say's "Volunteer @ Liberty". You can also reach it by going to the tab at the top of the page that say's "Support Liberty", and then click on "Volunteering" in the drop down menu.
There will also be a tab at the Volunteer Kiosk, where all volunteers check in, that will go directly to the web page.
We are committed to making volunteering as easy and stress-free as possible.
CLICK HERE to access this great new addition to our website.
Thank you,
Marnie Dame
LCS Volunteer Coordinator
[email protected]
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News from the Athletic Director, Dan Knab
|  This Week in Jr.-High Girls Basketball:
2/9 4pm @ St. John (Away)
Jr.-High Girls Soccer
The team's first practice is on March 9th at 3:30pm on the soccer field at the elementary school. Stay tuned for information on the parent meeting.
Jr.-High Track
The team's first practice is on March 23rd at 3:30pm starting in the gym and then moving on to the track. Parent meeting will be on March 9th at 6:30pm in the elementary gym. (Athletic Packet due date is March 13th)
CLICK HERE to download the Athletic Packet. Fill out and turn in with a copy of a Physical and a check for $80.00 The Athletic Packet and Physical needs to be turned in only once per year. After the Athletic Packet is turned in to Mrs. Ronen, in the Front Office, a Blue Card will be issued. The student will give the Blue Card to the respective coach on the first day of practice. Volunteer Appreciation Week Acknowledgements:  Our volunteers are extraordinary. I am so thankful for all o  f you. Here are a few that stand out during this winter season: Rebecca Finkel, Fran and Carrie Gillis, Susie Ellis, Steve Ronen, Don Scott, Dhipanee Mayes, Mindy Gee, Tamara Rhoads, Sarj Gill, Bryan VanMeveren, Julie Werst, David Bowes, Bob Jones, Emily Ronen, Toran Kopren, Sondra Iverson and Shannon Canfield. |
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