Eagle Mosaic
Liberty Common Elementary School 
1725 Sharp Point Dr. 
Fort Collins, CO 80525 
Phone:(970)482-9800
Fax: (970)482-8007 
www.libertycommon.org

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  
  


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
  • Aislinn Kottwitz: 217-5925
Next Board of Directors Mtg., 
January 21, 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. 

Mark Your Calendar

January 21|
BOD Mtg. , 6:00 p.m., LCS, Teacher's Lounge.
January 22|Chess Club 
Nadia and Gaika rescued Grizzly bears at Wild Animal Sanctuary  
 
January 25|
Character Assembly-Citizenship. Representative from the Wild Animal Sanctuary.  CLICK HERE for information about the Wild Animal Sanctuary.
Kindergarteners-3rd Graders attend assembly-8:10-8:45
4th-6th Graders attend assembly-8:55-9:35
January 25|
Public Information Night, LCS, 6:30 p.m.
January 28|Liberty Lecture-New Orleans and the Birth of American Music, 6:30-8:00, LCHS  
January 29|Liberty T-shirt Day
January 29|6th Grade Movie Night, 5:30 p.m.
Feb 5|Chess Club
February 8-12|Volunteer Appreciation Week

February 9|1st and 2nd Grade Concert, 6:30 p.m.

February 12|Teacher Professional Development Day.  NO SCHOOL
February 15|President's Day.  NO SCHOOL
February 18|BOD Mtg. 6:00 p.m., LCS Teacher's Lounge
February 19|Winter Carnival, 6:30 p.m.
February 19|Free Dress Day
February 19|Chess Club
February 22-26|Penny Wars
CLICK HERE for 2015-16 School Calendar




Art Room Volunteers are needed for 2nd grade, 1st Grade, and Kinder Art classes starting at 12:00:
  • every other Monday afternoon, beginning Feb 1st. and every other Monday thereafter.
  • Tuesday afternoons
  • Thursday afternoons
  • Friday afternoons
 Help students and read aloud as they work on their projects. You don't have to have any special art skill, a child in that grade or class.  Just be willing to help students do their best job and prepare materials.   It's a lot of fun!
CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER

Attendance Policy
Please call our attendance line by 8:30 am if your child will not be attending school due to illness, appointment or is out of town.
The number is 482-9800, option 2.

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 my email as early as possible and homework will be available after 3:00 pm in the Front Office. 
 
Liberty Sports News
 
JH-Girl's Basketball

Wednesday, 1/20, 4pm, @ Dayspring Christian

Thursday, 1/21, 4pm, vs Loveland Classical

The Jr-High girls basketball team kicks off its regular season game schedule tomorrow at Dayspring Christian.  Coach Wilcox and his assistants, Shannon Canfield and Emily Ronen are leading this talented group of girls and it looks to match the boys' team with a championship season.  Its first home game will be Thursday against Loveland Classical.
 
There is a 'Spirit Game' today when the basketball teams take on Heritage Christian Academy (HCA) this afternoon starting at 4pm.  The highlighted game of the evening will be the women's varsity game, which starts at 6pm.  HCA always brings the masses to these games.  The high-school students win points for their Houses with their attendance today.  So come one and come all to see some fantastic basketball this afternoon. The Jr-high boys championship basketball team will be recognized prior to tonight's men's game at 7:30pm.
 
Liberty Common High School is currently seeking to hire two spring coaches immediately.  We are looking for a baseball coach and a women's soccer coach. Both sports require a coach that has excellent knowledge and experience and has a history of working with high-school student-athletes.  Please forward this information on to anyone who you may know that would be a good fit for Liberty Common High School.  Mr. Knab is currently taking resumes for these two positions.  All questions can also be directed to Mr. Knab at dknab@libertycommon.org.
Thank you.

 
The Eagle's Nest

Volume 19
       Issue 20

January 19, 2016   
News from Business Manager,
Katrina Brossia
A big thank you to everyone that has either sent in a check or went online to contribute to the Capital Campaign. The outcome has been extremely positive as we have raised over 1/3rd of the amount needed to purchase the furniture, fixtures, and equipment that are needed for the expanded multi-purpose area, gymnasium, and in the fitness/weight room but we still have a way to go.

LCS Crowns Spelling Bee Winner


Congratulations to Matthew Grimm, 2015-16 Spelling Bee Winner.  Matthew won the Spelling Bee by correctly spelling cozen and bossa nova.  Webster Dictionary defines cozen as to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery.  The definition of bossa nova is a popular music of Brazilian origin that is rhythmically related to the samba but with complex harmonies and improvised jazzlike passages.

Congratulations to all participants and good luck is bestowed upon Matthew as he prepares for the district written Spelling Bee, January 27, 2016. 

Funding Needed
The 2016 additions of a new gymnasium, Stoa, new high-school parking lot, vestibule for the elementary school, and elementary storage expansion are indeed exciting developments.  However, it's important for everyone to know that these projects are still not fully funded.  Liberty has borrowed funds sufficient to proceed with construction, but we must raise additional funds for indoor finishing and furnishings along the way.  The price tag is not small.  CLICK HERE for all the details of Liberty's Capital Campaign.  More parent help is needed for multiple strategies to raise money.  For those interested in amplifying financial commitments to the school, volunteers are needed on the school's Fundraising Committee, our Grant-Writing Committee, our Financial Advisory Committee, and in the general pool of volunteers.  To volunteer, send a MESSAGE HERE.  Ongoing contributions can be made securely  CLICK HERE.  Thank you in advance for your generosity and for your ongoing investment in Liberty.


7th Grader Wins Geography Bee

From left to right: Winner Sunny Taylor, Dr. Robinson, LCHS History Teacher and Henry Halgren, 2nd Place Winner. Not pictured: Dharini Sriram, 3rd Place Winner. 
Congratulations to expert geographer Sunny Taylor!  On January 12, ten grade level champions representing the 4th through 8th grades, competed in the LCS library, answering geography questions in a variety of formats that covered the entire globe. Sunny survived stiff competition to take the first place prize.  5th grader Henry Halgren, earned 2nd place, and 6th grader Dharini Sriram took third.  Sunny will now have the opportunity to take an online test to qualify for the State Geographic Bee in April. 
Science Fair Winners
Congratulations to all 5th and 6th grade students for their completion of their 2015-2016 annual science fair projects.  The elementary gym was filled with science fair boards and experiments on Friday, January 15th.  Thanks to all the parents, teachers, and judges for their hard work over the past month helping  with the completion of these projects.  This year the projects were better than ever.
 
The winners for this year's fair were...
 
From right to left:
5th Grade Winners, William Campbell, Jack Carpenter and Maddie Reichert.
 
5th Grade
1st Place
William Campbell
"Bouncing Balls"
2nd Place
Maddie Reichert
 "Wired Water"
3rd Place
Jack Carpenter
 "Catch the Wind"
6th Grade 
1st Place
Morgan Jenkins
"The Melting of the Ice Age"
2nd Place
Skyler Mayes
"Eat Up!"
3rd Place
Sophia Solis
"Caffeinated Plants"
            
From right to left: 6th grade winners, Morgan Jenkins, Sophia Solis and Skyler Mayes.

LEGION XIII To LCS
Last Friday, newly inducted seniors of the LCHS Legion of Thirteen traveled to the elementary school to issue "challenge keys" to the kindergarteners.  The ceremonial tradition challenges kindergarteners to graduate from LCHS twelve more years from now - in the Mighty LCHS Class of 2028!  On that night, they'll trade in their white keys for the symbol of the Legion of Thirteen - the red key with gold ribbon. See the video below to see kinders receiving their keys from Thirteeners - those LCHS seniors who are completing 13 years at Liberty Common School. 
Liberty kindergartners receive their "Challenge Keys" from LCHS Thirteeners.

Go Liberty Lego Robotics
This year Liberty Common Schools sent an unprecedented FIVE teams to the FLL state robotics tournament.  All teams performed admirably against a tough field of 75 teams from all over Colorado. Two of our Liberty teams even brought home awards.  


The Trashformers, shown in the dark blue and white shirts, won the first place award in Core Values (teamwork).  The Transformers are coached by CJ Smith.

Port 5, shown in purple shirts, won the third place overall Champions Award.  Port 5 coach Mr. Bill Kranz, computer science teacher at Liberty High School, won the Outstanding Coach's award.  Congratulations to all the teams who worked so hard this year! Port 5 is also coached by Evelyn Carpenter.  

Vandalism At LCHS
The Fort Collins Police Department and LCHS administration are asking for help in identifying four suspects who vandalized the school and multiple private vehicles parked in the LCHS parking lot over the weekend.  The vandalism took place late Friday night/early Saturday morning.  Vandals threw eggs at the school building and vehicles; and broke car windows - probably with a BB-gun, a pellet gun, or some other small-caliber weapon.  Please take a careful look at the nearby image captured on a school's security camera.   If you have any knowledge of, or even theories about, who might have been involved in this incident, please contact the school or the Fort Collins Police Department which is actively investigating this matter.  

Recognize this vehicle?  Please help us identify four suspects who vandalized school property and private property late Friday evening/early Saturday morning.

Recognize this vehicle?  Please help us identify four suspects who vandalized school property and private property late Friday evening/early Saturday morning.



Chessmates Begins again on January 22nd. Registration is now being done on line only. Sign-up and Pay for 2016 Chessmates by Clicking Here.
Liberty's Annual Spring Gala-Donation Deadline Fast Approaching

Liberty's Annual Spring Gala-Donation Deadline Approaching!
The Gala Team is currently collecting donations of items for both our Silent and Live Auctions. Do you have something you could donate to benefit our school? We appreciate all donations and remember, Gala donations are generally tax-deductible! The donation deadline is February 1st.

Do you have an Etsy Business? DONATE
Do you have Broncos tickets? DONATE
Do you have Travel Points? DONATE
Do you have Gift Cards you don't need? DONATE
Do you have a Home Improvement business (house painting, furnace repair, etc.)? DONATE

Can you donate any of these items?
  • A basket just perfect for a cruiser bike
  • Individual Sports Training
  • Photography classes
  • Any brand-new electronics (Kindle, iPad, etc.)
To benefit Liberty with your donation, please contact Kelly Notarfrancesco: kelly.notarfrancesco@gmail.com or  Click Here for Gala Donation Form! Simply print out the form and bring it along with your donation to the front office of either school. Or email Kelly to arrange for a donation pick up!




The FREE Winter Carnival is coming soon.
Friday, February 19, 2016! 6-8pm 
No tickets or $$ necessary!        

Gnarly, live music and dancing, fun games and activities!   
Righteous, pizza and drinks purchased at the carnival!
Parent volunteer sign up and donations sign up coming soon, totally.

Next Liberty Lecture. Attention all perpetual students:  If you consider yourself an intelligent person who enjoys learning, make sure to put on your calendar the next "Liberty Lecture."  On Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 6:30 - 8:00PM in the LCHS Great Hall, Maestro Dave Lunn will deliver a spectacular lecture entitled "New Orleans and the Birth of American Music."  Liberty Lectures are designed for parents, the community, and students.  It's a great way to learn together from authentic academic experts.  Don't miss this one.

Future Liberty Lectures.  Everyone who misses a Liberty Lecture regrets it when they hear from others what they missed.  Put these upcoming Liberty Lectures on your calendars now and make sure you participate in one of the most unique and valuable aspects of our school community:

Tuesday, February 16, 2016 | 6:30-8:00PM | LCHS Great Hall | Topic:  Art:  The Sustenance of Western Tradition | Presenters:  Mrs. Megan Salazar, Mr. Rex Seiple.

Wed, March 30, 2016 | 6:30-8:00PM | LCHS Great Hall | Topic: Living What We Teach: Combating Anti-Intellectualism in Culture and Education|Presenters:  Mrs. Natalie Scarlett and Dr. Bob McMahon of Ridgeview Classical Schools.

Liberty Common Academic
Summer Camps

Dear Parent/s,
Summer will be here before you know it! Liberty Common Elementary School is offering a SUMMER CAMP for reading and literacy, math, and academic individualized tutoring, for students entering 1st.-6th. grades.  Spots are filling up, so register early.

CLICK HERE for information about and to register for  Reading and Literacy Camp.

CLICK HERE for information about and to register for Math Camp.

CLICK HERE for information about and to register for Individualized Tutoring.   

We are excited to offer our summer camp and hope your child can join us!

Sincerely,
Keith Churchill
Principal, Liberty Common School