Liberty's Annual Spring Gala-NEXT WEEK!

Friday, April 10th from 6-11pm at the Embassy Suites, Loveland

Last chance to purchase tickets by Wednesday, April 1st

Check out the Liberty Spring Gala Website to see all the terrific items up for auction!
There is something for everyone!

Why are Mrs. Allenand her students so shocked? Find out at the Gala Paddle Call

Watch to see if Captain Security can help these students as we raise funds for security enhancements for our schools!

Spring Gala questions?
Please contact Qeryldine Hofinger:qerylieq@gmail.com

To Volunteer for the Gala CLICK HERE!

Volume 18 Issue 29

March 30, 2015

Important Dates

April 24 and April 25| 5th and 6th Grade Dessert Theatre, Peter Pan. Doors Open at 6:00 p.m., dessert is served at 6:30 p.m. and during intermission, show begins at 7:00 p.m.

April 24|Liberty T-shirt Day

April 24|Last Day of Chess Club

Former Student of Liberty Common Family Passes

Former Liberty student, Jonathan Heston, died in a car accident Sunday evening in North Carolina. He attended Liberty through ninth grade prior to there being a high school. He was an E-4 Corporal in the United States Marine Corps (pictured at right) stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina after two deployments (Afghanistan and Okinawa). His mother Kristin Whitchurch (formerly Kristin Heston) was an elementary TA here for many years. Jonathan's father is Bill Heston. His brother David Heston also attended Liberty. Please keep this family in your prayers. Jonathan was an organ donor. His organs will be helping the lives of nine people. Forthcoming funeral information will be communicated accordingly. Here's a picture of Jonathan running track for Liberty, and a kindergarten picture taken at Liberty with his mother:

Very Important Information: 2015 Liberty Common CMAS Testing Schedules

Liberty's participation in the State of Colorado's standardized testing begins soon.

Only 3rd-6th graders will be taking the tests. Attending school during these days is of utmost importance and we greatly appreciate your support. Please do not plan any vacations or medical/dental appointments on testing days. CLICK HERE to view the schedules. Be sure to scroll thru the entire document to know when your student will be testing. Thank you.

Join In The Fun. Spirit Week :
March 30- April 2, 2015

Tuesday- Theme Day (Class)

Students will be encouraged to join with their home room classmates in choosing a class theme for this day. Each classroom teacher will communicate to students and parents the theme of dress for this day. Look for more information in your child's classroom Monday Note after Spring Break!

Wednesday- Pajama Day

Students may wear pajamas to school. Slippers are acceptable, but students should bring alternative shoes for P.E. and recess. Students should not be in spaghetti straps or sleeveless shirts. Pajama pants should be full length or past the knee. NO pajama shorts.

Thursday- Super Hero Day

Students may wear any super-hero themed dress for this day. Students should not be in spaghetti straps or sleeveless shirts. Pants should be full length or to the knee. No weapons or depictions of violence, please. "We use our powers for good....not evil"J

*** Spirit week activities are optional but encouraged. Dress code on any of the above days is acceptable. ***

Colorado Eagles at Liberty Tomorrow, March 31, 2015

Summer Math and Reading Camps and Individualized Tutoring Coming to Liberty. Plan and Register Now

Research at Liberty Common School has shown that a whole summer without regular math and reading practice can cause a HUGE drop in reading levels and fluency and a drop in math testing and grades.

To combat this trend, Liberty Common School is offering summer Reading and Math Camps and individual tutoring of students entering grades 1st-6th. Space is limited, so register now!

Click Here for Reading Camp Information and Registration Form.
Click Here for Math Camp Information and Registration Form.
Click Here for Individualized Tutoring Information and Registration Form.

7th Grade Summer English Program

Attention Sixth Grade Parents: Liberty Common High School Summer English Program-Get on Track and Get Ahead!

Did your student struggle to manage the various, demanding language arts this year: grammar, vocabulary, writing, etc.? Are you worried that waiting until next school year to revisit these areas will only result in a deeper hole at the next level? Is your student going to be new at Liberty next year, and are you worried whether he/she will be ready for the cumulative nature of Liberty's English curriculum-especially the rigorous grammar training? Maybe you just want your child to refine and bolster his/her language skills, guided by close instruction and support. Regardless of the reason, this summer's four week English "booster" is the perfect, economical opportunity. The cost is much less than typical tutoring, the tutor-to-student ratio is small, and the instructor is Mr. Dybzinski, head of Liberty's English department. Regardless of whether your student is ahead or behind, he will set your child up for more English success. Furthermore, he plans to have much fun in the process! CLICK HERE for the flyer.

Business Manager Job Position

It is with sincere appreciation for his contribution to Liberty Common School that Liberty's Board of Directors announces Mr. Tim Ricketts departure as Business Manager. Tim has provided our school with a high level of expertise over the last 13 years. The Board of Directors is grateful for his commitment and service to our community. Tim will complete the school year and then take some time for himself and his family.

We do plan to fill the job of Business Manager. This position is vital to the financial management of the school. For details on requirements, the job description can be found by CLICKING HERE.

If you are interested, or know someone who is, please apply via the job description or contact jgoeltl@libertycommon.org.

In This Issue

Gala Next Week

Important Dates

Liberty's Loss

Important CMAS Testing Schedules

Spirit Week

Colorado Eagles at LCS Tomorrow

Summer Enrichment Camps

7th Grade Summer English Program

Business Manager Job Position

News from the Athletic Director, Dan Knab

Contact Us

Liberty Common School

1725 Sharp Point Drive

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Phone: 970-482-9800

Fax: 970-482-8007

Office Hours:
7:50 a.m.- 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.

Healthcare Reminder

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.

Essential oils growing in popularity

Currently essential oils fall in line with the all other topical medications and cannot be administered at school without a doctors release form and are to be stored in the health office. If you have questions please feel free to contact the health office @ ext. 3113.

Board of Directors

Sarvjit Gill 227-4202

Joel Goeltl 593-8556
Paulette Hansen 282-8455

Jeff Webb 545-9636

Bill Werst 631-8379

Denise Benz 420-4184

John Rohrbaugh 225-2259
You may contact all members of our Board of Directors at

BOD@libertycommon.org

Board of Directors Meeting

March 26, 2015
6:00 p.m.

Teacher's Lounge
Liberty Common School
1725 Sharp Point Dr.

Quiet Zone

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.

Job Openings at LCS

Dear Parents,

Liberty will begin hiring for upcoming 2015-2016 positions starting in April. We could use your help. Please spread the word to anyone you know that would be a good fit for Liberty. Here is a link to our website listing all available positions.

http://www.libertycommon.org/k-6-school/staff/job-openings/

Sincerely,

Liberty Administration

Clothes Closet Needs Boy's Pants

The Liberty Clothes Closet is in desperate need of boy's pants, all sizes. Please spring clean your student's closets and bring in gently used boy's pants. We will not be able to use pants that have holes, or stains.

News from the Athletic Director, Dan Knab

2015 Jr. High Track Meet Schedule:
*Click on away location for directions to meet site.

April 2, 2015

@ Liberty

April 9, 2015 @

Frontier

April 18, 2015 @ Mountain View HS

April 20, 2015 @

Frontier

April 27, 2015 @ Liberty

May 4, 2015 @ Frontier NCIL Championship

Questions?
Contact Coaches: Donny Reeves

dreeves@libertycommon.org

Jon Wilcox

jwilcox@libertycommon.org

Important Dates
2015-2016

School Year

Classes Begin|Aug. 24

Thanksgiving|Nov. 25-27

Winter Break|Dec. 21-Jan. 1

Spring Break|March 14-18

Last Day of School|May 27

How does Liberty's Funding Compare to Neighborhood Schools?

by Joel Goeltl, BOD Treasurer

Liberty's primary funding source is the per-pupil revenue (PPR) allocated annually by the Colorado legislature to each school district in the state. In accordance with Liberty's charter contract, Poudre School District (PSD) forwards the PPR to Liberty for each student enrolled as determined by the annual October student count. This public funding mechanism is essentially the same as for PSD's "neighborhood" schools.

The primary funding difference between Liberty and neighborhood schools is that neighborhood school facilities (buildings, land and furnishings) are paid for using bond revenues financed by local property taxes. PSD does not provide charter schools access to any of these bond revenues. Therefore, unlike neighborhood schools, Liberty must pay the cost of its facilities (about 15% of annual expenses) from PPR. Liberty leases its facilities from a private, nonprofit building corporation established by Liberty's founders.

In addition to PPR, Liberty receives a small portion of public funding from some of PSD's "mill-levy overrides" on local property taxes. However, like the bond revenues, PSD does not provide charter schools access to most of these mill-levy override funds.

When all funding sources are considered, Liberty Common School receives approximately 85% of the public funding provided to PSD "neighborhood" schools. This discrepancy is made up through larger class sizes (Liberty has 29 students per class beginning in 1st grade), careful fiscal management, and other income including activity fees, sponsorships, grants and donations.

Donations from our generous parent population and surrounding community make up approximately 3% of Liberty's funding and are very important to our budget. Liberty's annual-giving campaign focuses on two key events: One in the Fall and one in the Spring. The Fall campaign is in December to account for year-end opportunities. The second and key event is Liberty's annual fundraising gala, where most donations are recognized. We are so grateful to the many parents who support this event with their time and generosity. The Spring Gala focuses on big-ticket items that the school needs. Last year, we were able to purchase a bus; and this year, we are targeting security equipment enhancements.

We hope to see you at this year's Gala on April 10!

Mathnasium Gives Support to Spring Gala

Additional Liberty Common Athletic News

Jr. High Girls Soccer Schedule

4/6 4pm vs Knowledge Quest

4/8 4pm @ Loveland Classical

4/10 4pm vs Windsor Charter

4/13 4pm @ Loveland Classical

4/15 4pm vs Frontier Academy

4/22 Quarter Finals

4/27 Semi-Finals

4/29 Finals

King Soopers' Gift Cards Purchase New Scoreboard.

On behalf of the athletic department, I would like to give many thanks to the small percentage of our community that takes the extra couple minutes to load up the King Sooper Cards that gives back 5% to Liberty Common. If you are feeling left out, and would like to have a portion of what you spend go to our next purchase of musical instruments, you can pick up a card in the front office of the high school. Thank you ~ Dan Knab, Athletic Director