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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 BOD@libertycommon.org or by telephone:
- Patrick Albright: 232-8257
- Joel Goeltl: 593-8556
- Paulette Hansen: 282-8455
- Jeff Webb: 545-9636
- Denise Benz: 420-4184
- John Rohrbaugh: 225-2259
Next Board of Directors Mtg.,
Oct. 15, 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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October 5-October 16|Canned Food Drive
| October 9|Liberty Chess Club
| October 9|Nov. Lunch Calendars Due.
| October 12|5th-6th Grade Alcohol & Drug Education, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
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October 15|BOD Mtg. 6:00 p.m.
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October 16|Talent Show, 6:30 p.m.
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October 16|
First Quarter Ends
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October 22|Service men and women photos due.
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October 23|
Parent/Teacher Conferences, NO SCHOOL|No Chess Club
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October 26|
Public Information Night, 6:30
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October 30|Chess Club
October 30|Liberty T-shirt Day
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Dan Knab, Athletic Director
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LCS Sports News
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 Boys Basketball
Monday, 10/5, 3:30-5pm, Tryouts, LCS Gym. Athletic Packets are due by this Friday to Mrs. Ronen at the elementary school or to Mr. Knab at the high school.
Boys & Girls Cross Country 
Saturday, 10/10, 9:30am, Away @ Fossil Ridge High School
The junior-high cross-country team would like to invite you to its off-campus spirit meet on October 10th at 9:30AM at Fossil Ridge High School.
Jr. High Sports Wrap Up
The junior-high soccer team lost to Frontier Academy, 2-0, in the semi-finals last week which brings their season to an end. They went 12-3 on the season which included giving Frontier Academy their only regular season loss on the season. Well done coach Reeves and team!
The junior-high volleyball team lost in the finals, Saturday, to a very strong Union Colony. The team finishes 13-1 on the season. The junior-high volleyball program is getting stronger every year. This year, we had a 'C' team for the first time, which did really well during the season.
2015-2016 Tennis Club
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Liberty Common 3rd Graders Look To The Sky
On Sunday, September 27th., third graders watched the lunar eclipse. The beginning of the eclipse was obscured by clouds, but Saturn was clear in the western sky. The moon emerged from behind the clouds just before the eclipse reached totality. Third-grade parent and LCS board member, Patrick Albright gave a demonstration of how an eclipse works, and then let students and parents view the eclipse and Saturn through his telescope. This was a wonderful opportunity for our third graders to get a practical demonstration of astronomy, which they will be studying in their classes later this school year. Thanks to our third grade teachers Ms. Pedersen, Mrs. Wood, and Mrs. Dietrich for helping to make this happen!
   
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Newsworthy Announcements; Events, Activities and Reminders:
 Fall Festival Volunteers:
Thank you SO MUCH all you wonderful Liberty Common School volunteers! The Fall Festival carnival was a huge success and it would not have been possible without your time and donations of supplies. We have the best parents, kids and staff here at Liberty Common.
Vedra Osborn & Kellie Kreikemeier, Carnival Coordinators
_________________________________________________________Dear Parents, You will receive one text message on your cell phone the afternoon of October 9 asking if you want to opt-in to Liberty's text messaging alerts. This messaging system will be used during school cancellations or other urgent messages. The exact text you will receive is:
"Liberty Common Charter School messages. Reply Y for aprx 3 msgs/mo. Txt HELP 4info. Msg&data rates may apply. See schoolmessenger.com/tm
To opt in simply reply to the message with a Y (no reply or a reply of N will result in your opting out). Thanks, Liberty Administration _________________________________________________________
 Internet-Safety Night. Parents, mark your calendars now for our annual Internet-Safety Night on Monday, October 19th from 6:30 - 8:00 PM in the LCHS Great Hall. The presentation is targeted for Liberty students grades 5th - 8th. Parents, and all other students, are welcome to attend, too. Those who attended last year's presentation had lots of positive comments. The same detectives from the Fort Collins Police Department will be on hand to facilitate the meeting and educate students about risks, dangers, and hazardous trends regarding Internet usage, social media, and electronic communications.
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 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. If your child is 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.
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Anticipate Delays
Traffic and trains have recently contributed to a uptick in the number of tardy students. We encourage families to evaluate their usual route to school in relation to current and upcoming roadway projects to ensure their students arrive in a safe and timely manner. The City of Fort Collins lists all current and upcoming road construction projects on their website which can be found by CLICKING HERE. Despite the best of intentions, tardiness interferes with student learning. Late arrivals interrupt the learning environment and daily classroom procedures. Our school's bell sounds promptly at 8:00 AM at that moment, classroom doors are closed, instruction begins and the student academic day is fully underway. Students arriving after the bell rings are considered tardy and must be checked in at the front desk.
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2015 LCS Canned Food Drive
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When: October 5th.-October 16th.All food needs to be at LCS by noon on October 16th. Benefits: Food Bank for Larimer County
 Most Needed Items: Peanut butter, canned meat/fish, canned fruit in juice, whole grain cereal
PLEASE check expiration dates on food. Expired food has to be thrown away and cannot be donated. If students collect 2015 Food Items they will receive a Free Dress Day.
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Honor Our Service Men and Women
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Nate Trout, 3rd Class Air Force Cadet, 2nd year at the Air Force Academy, son of Kindergarten Teacher, Connie Trout and 2014 Liberty High School Graduate.
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Every November, for Veterans Day, we like to honor our men and women veterans and those that are currently serving our country with a display of thanks. To make our bulletin board a great presentation of respect and appreciation, we are needing pictures of our soldiers, seamen and airmen. Please bring any photos of service men or women to the office. Include their name, where they served or are currently serving and their relation to our Liberty Common student(s). Photos will be accepted until October 27th., and will be returned. Photos can also be sent via email to jronen@libertycommon.org.
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 Can You Hear Me Now? Hearing and Vision Screening Volunteers Needed
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| Dear Parents,
The Health Office is in need of at least 11 volunteers from about 7:50am-12:40pm on Hearing and Vision screening day, November 13th. Prior experience not necessary, but is helpful. Volunteers need to stay the whole time, because it is cumbersome to train half way through the day. Light snacks and waters will be provided.
Please CLICK HERE to volunteer.
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Why We Teach Social Dance
By: Bob Schaffer, LCHS Principal
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| This is the third year Liberty's social-dance course has been offered at the high school. The class and the lessons reinforce our philosophy toward a high-quality, classical, liberal-arts education.
Students who opt for the course love it; and the elective has been steadily gaining in popularity. This year, we are doubling the course offerings to two semesters per year from only one in previous years. Ms. Debra Endres is our expert instructor.
 Some say a high-school social-dance course is a forward-thinking endeavor. While that may be so, the apposite value is that it connects us to our past and broadens our cultural literacy.
Throughout human history, social dance defines civilizations, distinguishes ethnicities, clarifies anthropology, and even influences politics. When expertly taught, social dance reacquaints us with a more polite age.
"A boy should not sit out a dance if any girl is not dancing." One might recognize this advice from the 1934 book Good Manners from which we quote various "rules" in the "Classical Manners" column of every LCHS Monday Notes newsletter.
Recent entries have featured guidelines about how young people should behave at dances. For example, "In asking for a dance, a boy says, 'May I have this dance?' The girl replies, 'Yes, you may'; or, 'I'm sorry, but this dance is taken.' Boys should avoid asking, 'Have you this dance?' or 'Do you want to dance?'"
Authored by the late Beth Bailey McLean, Good Manners was used in  American high schools throughout the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. In fact, a review in the 1935 edition of The Palm Beach Post suggested, "Every home with children should have (Good Manners) on their shelves for constant reference." The old advice stands.
"If a boy is introduced to a girl at a dance, he must at once ask her for a dance. To omit this courtesy is very rude." In those days, most young people knew how to dance - respectfully with dignity and honor - and thus enjoyed ever-ready, wholesome fun.
To the bigger point: Knowing the history, the importance, and most of all, the manners and etiquette of social dance arms our young men and women with extraordinary advantages extending well beyond the possession of enjoyable dance skills. Social dance promotes healthy relationships among young people and gives them precise direction and confidence in how to interact properly with peers of the opposite sex.
In a classical context, perhaps a perfect summary of the cultural value of social dance is found at the Blankeny Mannor website which is dedicated to The Scarlet Pimpernel novels of Baroness Emma Orczy. In an essay entitled "The Social Etiquette and Politics of Dance" one finds, "Dance was considered to embody ideal Greek attributes such as wit, serenity, breadth of vision, love of harmony and order, personal courage, irony, fun, and a distaste of passionate excesses."
From a contemporary perspective, a Stanford University essay even asserts social dance prepares one for success in business. Dance-floor themes like teamwork, cooperation, consideration, mental dexterity, adaptability, respect, deference, and practice are of equivalent significance in a board room, or in an engineering group.
 Ms. Endres has made a career out of connecting these concepts to professional dance instruction, and she is thrilled to be teaching the cultural elements of social dance to Liberty students. "It's a fabulous exercise for the brain, body and soul," she says. "Social dance is wonderful for their communication skills. It brings out joy in their hearts and will last them a lifetime."
Liberty was first persuaded to add social dance to the curriculum in 2013 after noting the longstanding success of Ridgeview's social-dance course. In keeping with the wisdom of classical themes, we tend to admire and to be inclined toward that which is proven, that which has worked and that which has led others toward truth, beauty, goodness and perfection.
Accordingly, Liberty's semester-long social-dance curriculum has proven to be a superb addition to our elective offerings. The course indeed leads our students further along the path toward mature literacy, mature virtue, and social elegance - with lots of joyful smiles along the way.
Attention all Liberty parents: scratch Improve your dance step or learn from scratch in the LCHS Great Hall Wednesday nights from 8:00 - 9:15PM. When not working as the LCHS Social Dance instructor, Ms. Debra Endres is the owner-instructor of Okay Dance of Northern Colorado. She'll be offering couples group-dance lessons here at LCHS. Beginners Country 2-Step is on tap for September and October.
The group classes are open to adults, singles and couples. Classes are progressive. However, information is reviewed before new material is taught. Fee is $8 per person, and drop-ins are welcome. The 5th Wednesday will be practice dance night with coaching available. The cost for that is $5 per person.
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Board of Directors News
By: Paulette Hansen, Chairman
Liberty Common School Board of Directors
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Bill Werst has decided to leave the Board of Directors after many years of service in a variety of Board positions. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I thank Bill for his ongoing commitment to the success of Liberty Common School. When a vacancy occurs, the Board of Directors (BOD) will appoint a new member within 60 days of adopting a resolution to fill the vacancy. Anyone eligible is invited to apply to fill this vacancy. Applications encompassing a letter of interest and statement of educational philosophy are due no later than November 8th to ensure adequate time for consideration. To complete an application, go to http://www.libertycommon.org/k-6-school/staff/board-of-directors/.
The term of this position is through the 2017-2018 school year. If you are considering the position, I strongly encourage you to attend the October 15th Board meeting at 6PM at the Elementary School. You are welcome to contact me at phansen@libertycommon.org or any Board member who can answer your questions regarding membership. Candidates for the BOD must meet the following criteria to quality for election or appointment to the BOD:
- Registered voter residing in Colorado
- Parent, grandparent, or legal guardian of a student enrolled at Liberty for a minimum of two years by the time the candidate's term on the BOD would commence
- Attendance at least one of the BOD meetings during the school year of the election
- Complete and sign the following documents:
- Volunteer Application for the current school year
- Volunteer Confidentiality Agreement
- Volunteer Oath
- Volunteer Agreement
- Board of Directors Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreement
- Board of Directors Affidavit
- Read and support wholeheartedly the views presented in the following three books:
Cultural Literacy by E.D. Hirsch Jr.
Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong by William Kilpatrick
The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them by E.D. Hirsch Jr.
- Submission of a Letter of Interest for BOD Membership
- Submission of Statement of Educational Philosophy
- Volunteer in the school
- Embrace the principles of Liberty's Charter and founding books
- Receive a recommendation from a School Principal
Paulette Hansen, Chairman Liberty Common School Board of Directors
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