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Liberty Common Elementary School
Phone:(970)482-9800
Fax: (970)482-8007
OfficeHours:7:50-4:00
Attendance Line:
(970)482-9800,option2
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, and A Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School
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Board of Directors
You may contact all members of our Board of Directors at [email protected] or by telephone:
- Patrick Albright: 232-8257
- Joel Goeltl: 593-8556
- Paulette Hansen: 282-8455
- Jeff Webb: 545-9636
- Bill Werst: 631-8379
- Denise Benz: 420-4184
- John Rohrbaugh: 225-2259
Next Board of Directors Mtg.,
Sept. 17, 2015, 6:00 p.m.
Liberty Common Elementary
 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.
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September 21-November 7th|Running Club, 3:20-3:50, LCS, September 21|Odyssey of the Mind Informational Meeting, 3:30 p.m.
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September 25|Free Dress Day
Individual Student Photos
Liberty Chess Club
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September 26|Liberty2Liberty 5K Run. See announcement and registration information below.
| September 28|LCS Informational Night, 6:30 p.m.
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September 28|Character Education Assembly.
Kinder.-3rd Grade, attend 8:10-8:45
4th-6th Grade, attend 8:55-9:35
Speaker: Heather Griffith has been working with children and their families for 15 years. She has her Masters in Social Work with Children and Families from Wheelock College and has spent time both in the Early Childhood Field as well as with at risk youth through the foster care system. She is currently the Executive Director of Young Peoples Learning Center and the president of the Board of the Early Childhood Counsel of Larimer County. Her programs use Respect as the cornerstone of their interactions. Teachers toward children, children toward one another and children toward adults. She is excited to share passion around this subject with the students of Liberty Common
| October 2|Fall Festival, 5:30 p.m.
Liberty Chess Club
| October 5-October 16|Canned Food Drive
| October 9|Liberty Chess Club
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Dan Knab, Athletic Director
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LCS Sports News
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This week in Junior-High Sports:
 Boys Soccer
Monday, 9/21, 4pm, Home vs. Union Colony
Wednesday, 9/23, 4pm, Home vs. Windsor
Thursday, 9/24, 4pm, @ St. Marys (Greeley)
The junior-high boys soccer team is winding up its season, starting layoffs next Monday. The league, with 14 teams, will split into two bracket: the gold bracket and the silver bracket. Liberty's team has won enough games this season to put it in the gold bracket. Time and location is yet to be determined. The most up-to-date information can be found on the Liberty Common Booster Page.
 Volleyball
Monday, 9/21, 4pm, Away @ Knowledge Quest
Wednesday, 9/23, 4pm, vs. Windsor
Saturday, 9/26, 9am, vs. Union Colony
The junior-high girls volleyball season is also coming to an end. Its playoffs will all take place on one day, October 3rd. It will be held at the Windsor Charter Academy Middle School and high school. There is a small admission fee for the all-day event. Adults $2; $1 Students; 3 and under are free.
 Cross Country
Boys & Girls Cross Country
Friday, 9/25, 4pm, Away @ Frontier Wolverine Invitational (Monfort Park, Greeley) The junior-high cross-country team has experienced some early success and is starting to be recognized by other schools in the city of Fort Collins. We have talented runners at our school and they are showcasing their abilities in front of hundreds of people at each meet. Put on your calendars the district championship at Fossil Ridge High School on October 10th at 9:30am and come see it for yourself.
 
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Conquering Mummy Pass at Eco Week
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Mr. Churchill joins 6th graders on their 11,456 ft. ascent to Mummy Pass. Mummy Pass is classified as an Intermediate/Difficult hike.
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Volume 19
Issue 5
September 21, 2015
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Newsworthy Announcements; Events, Activities and Reminders
Odyssey of the Mind Informational Meeting September 21, 2015, 3:30 p.m. Please direct questions to Odyssey of the Mind Parent Volunteer Coordinator, Pinky Tiwari, at [email protected]
Fall Festival Is Just Around the Corner!
"Come Along Little Doggies" and bring your friends and family to Liberty Common Fall Festival. Reserve Friday, October 2nd from 6:00-8:00 p.m., as the place to be. Games, crafts, bouncy houses and prizes await all who attend the fun. Delicious grub provided by Paninos Restaurant. Many volunteers are needed to make the festival a fun Liberty event. Please CLICK HERE to volunteer. Donations of all kinds are also needed, CLICK HERE to sign-up. Don't want to stand in line for your tickets at the Fall Festival? Now you don't have to if you pre-order! For extra convenience there will be pre-ordered ticket and food voucher envelopes in a bright box marked Fall Festival on the volunteer desk in the front office. They will be in alphabetical order by family and you can just pick them up when you come in to volunteer, easy as that! Order forms are coming home in today's Monday Folders and can also be found by CLICKING HERE
School Attendance Is Vital
All public schools in Colorado receive funding from the State based on the number of students who attend their school. It is critical that your student be present during the October Count period.
The count occurs Sept. 24th-Oct. 8th. October 1st is the official count date set by the state. If your child will be absent for more than two days in a row during this time period for reasons other than an illness, please contact the office for an official document to sign.
Public-Info Night
There's a public-information meeting scheduled for next Monday, September 28th., from 6:30 - 8:00PM at the elementary school. This presentation covers the history and philosophy of the school, and is designed mainly for prospective parents and those on the school's waiting list. And, it's a good comprehensive refresher for any current parents needing a reminder of what we do at Liberty, why, and how we got here. LCS Principal Casey Churchill, will conduct the presentation. If you know of anyone interested in sending their kids to Liberty - either campus - please urge them to attend next-Monday's briefing.
School Messenger Notification System.
Our test of the emergency-contact system went well. If you did not receive an email and/or call to your cell phone please let us know so we can update our records. More information about this important system will be communicated in future Monday Notes.
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Stay Informed With PowerSchool
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PowerSchool is a valuable resource that allows parents to access lunch transactions, grades, attendance records and fee payments.
This year we are again using a daily bulletin option that alerts you of any "happenings" at Liberty. To access the Daily Bulletin, log into your child(rens) PowerSchool account, look on the left hand side of the screen and click on Daily Bulletin.
Please use this communication option to keep you and your family informed of Liberty news and important dates. If you are a new family to Liberty Common and have not received your student's log-in information, please visit the Front Office to obtain.
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6th Annual Liberty-2-Liberty 5K, September 26, 2015
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It is time once again for the annual Liberty-2-Liberty 5K, which is  being organized by Domus Fortitudinis and will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 9:00 A.M. (registration begins at 8:30 A.M.). CLICK HERE for registration forms and return to either front office by September 18th for an early-registration discount. The registration fee is $20 if received by 9/18, but $25 after that (including race-day registrations). Please note: If you turn in your forms by the 18th, you will receive your t-shirt on the 26th when you check in. However, if forms are turned in after that, then you will get your t-shirt the following week. Volunteers are more than welcome. If you or your student wishes to volunteer, please send an email to DF House Captain Mary-Claire Spurgin (LCHS Class of 2017). Please come out and join us. It should be a great time to meet new and old Liberty families while bringing our Liberty community closer as a whole!  Also, please help the LCHS Key Club eliminate neonatal tetanus in third world countries! The Key Club will be having its annual car wash during and after the Liberty to Liberty 5K at LCS (1725 Sharp Point Dr). 100% of the car wash donations will be used for the Key Club Eliminate project. |
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Principal Writing by Casey Churchill, Liberty Common School Principal
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Continuous Improvement 
Goal setting is an important component of any organization. It is hard to have any direction if there isn't an end result to achieve in place. Each year Liberty Common School sets goals. The students write goals, the teachers write goals, and the school writes goals. I do not believe making huge shifts in initiatives each year. Goals should slowly change and morph as the needs of the building slowly change.
Below are the goals for the elementary this year.
Liberty Elementary 2015-2016 Goals
1. Improve student success through Response to Intervention (RTI) process
a. Northwest Evaluation Assessment, our benchmark assessment,  will aid in our decision making process of what students to help and how to best help them. b. AST (academic support team) will no longer be pulled to help with state or benchmark testing accommodations. They will continue to work with their students to preserve continuity of instruction. TAs will help with testing accommodations. c. Our academic focus this year is around writing. All staff we went through a Writing with Structure and Style review and refinement during our August Staff Training. Now the teachers can use similar vocabulary around writing and properly sequence writing steps between grades.
2. Core Knowledge leaders in Colorado
a. Liberty staff will attend the Colorado Core Knowledge Network on Feb 12th. The staff will meet with other Core Knowledge (CK) leaders in the state to share ideas about best CK teaching practices. This year's Core Knowledge Network will be hosted by Lincoln Academy in Arvada.
b. Continue to develop Unit and Lesson Organizers (Domain Maps). Each grade level team develops maps outlining each unit taught. This is a powerful document that provides a road map of each unit. Units developed so far can be seen here.  3. Work as a team a. Over the summer each grade level team reads a subject content book of their choosing. The staff will meet throughout the year to discuss this book. All staff are continually studying the content they teach.
b. Because of a shorter year and increased testing, all staff began work one week before and they will stay one week after the school year. This provides all staff, not just teachers, with the necessary professional development to start the year. The better we are prepared for our classes the more the students will learn.
c. We are working hard to provide professional development for all Teacher Assistants. This will help them better assist with instruction in the classroom. Their understanding of the academics taught in each grade level and the use of technology around benchmark testing is critical more than ever.
d. All new staff were given the HRDQ Communication Style Survey and a report detailing their dominate communication style so they can better communicate with their coworkers.
e. The last one is simple but completely necessary. All the staff came to my house for a party. Nothing better than celebrating the great year ahead.
These three goals frame up the initiatives for this coming year. They haven't changed a lot from last year as we are still refining each area. By setting these goals we can reflect on our progress and areas for improvement for the years to come. It is because of this type of continuous improvement that we outperform other schools in the area. We are looking forward to another great year.
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RELLiCS Extend Invitation to Liberty Grandparents
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The RELLiCS ( Respected Elders Loving Liberty Common School) are looking forward to a new school year at Liberty Common School. The RELLiCS is a group of fun-loving grandparents of Liberty Common students that wants to be involved in the lives of the members children and grandchildren. RELLiCS meet periodically, has socials from time to time, and helps out when and where we can. Last year, the group spent 5 mornings during summer vacation cleaning, painting, installing shelving, and restocking the teachers' store room at the elementary school. During this project, we had lots of fun getting to know one another better while accomplishing something significant for the school. In August, we manned the ice cream table at the high school after the Torch Trek and welcomed new 7th-graders from the elementary to the high school. Activities such as these allow us to interact with the students, teachers and staff at both schools, and promote the "family" feeling so important at Liberty Common Schools. If you are a grandparent and would like to learn more about the RELLiCS, please send your name, phone number and email address to [email protected] and a member will call or email you with information.
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Parents Flock To Anti-Common Core Schools
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Liberty Common School officially rejects the philosophy, direction, and implications of the nationalized Common Core academic standards. The new government-forced standards establish low expectations, are not internationally benchmarked, and run afoul of classical instruction. The new lower standards are embraced by the Poudre School District and the Colorado Department of Education (by a 4 to 3 vote). Liberty's Board of Directors passed a resolution opposing Common Core in 2014. CLICK HERE to read it. Parents educated about the shortcomings of the nationalized Common Core standards have a few excellent alternatives in Fort Collins when it comes to finding ambitious, internationally benchmarked, classical, knowledge-based opportunities for their kids. Liberty is obviously one; so is our sister school Ridgeview Classical Schools. CLICK HERE to see a timely article about Ridgeview and how the government's forced adoption of low, misdirected academic expectations is swelling the numbers of parents registering their kids on the waiting lists of non-Common Core schools.
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Thanks to Heather Griffith, from Young Peoples for speaking at our Character Assembly, September 28th.
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