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  

Character Award Presenters
 
Ripple Effect Martial Arts will be at Liberty Common School on April 25th for our Character Assembly.  Please join us for their presentation.  Ripple Effect staff presenting are:
Master Greg Macy, Master Instructor
Mr. Macy earned his 4th degree Black Belt in November 2014.  He has trained in Martial Arts since the age of 7 and earned his 1st Degree Black Belt at the age of 13.  Mr. Macy attended Colorado University, majoring in Chemistry and went on to start his first company in the Water and Power industry in 2003.  It has been his life-long dream to own and operate a Martial Arts school based on the values and life-changing principles that marked his earliest training at Mile High Karate in Lakewood, CO.  
 
Mr. Sean Robinson, Head Instructor
Mr. Robinson is a 3rd Degree Black Belt and started at Ripple Effect Martial Arts in December 2013. He has his Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Accounting that he received at CSU. He started Martial Arts when he was 10 and earned his Black Belt when he was 13.

If you mention that you are from Liberty, you can receive a free week of martial arts classes at Ripple Effect.
  
Also, you can reach Master Greg Macy at [email protected] or his cell phone is 970-888-1571.

CALENDAR
April 21|LCS BOD Mtg., 6:00
April 22|Free Dress Day
April 22|Chess Club
April 22|WatchDOG, Michael Kreisberg

April 25|Character Assembly-Perseverence
8:10-8:45(K-3)
8:55-9:35(4-6)

April 25|Public Info. Night, LCS, 6:30 p.m.

April 29|T-Shirt Day
April 29|Chess Club
April 29-30|LCHS Spring Play
May 2-6|Teacher Appreciation Week
May 2-6|Spirit Week
May 2-6|Scholastic Bookfair
May 6|May Fest
May 6|WatchDOG, Wes Cardenas.
May 6|Chess Club
May 9|5th/6th Band/Choir Concert.
May 19|End of the Year Awards
May 20|T-Shirt Day
May 26|BOD Mtg.
May 26|Olympic Day
May 26|WatchDOG, Rodney Good, Mike Hersh, Wes Cardenas.
May 27|Last Day-11:00 Release, no lunch will be served.
May 27|Free Dress Day 


Chess pieces
Please Note: Chess Club only has three more sessions:
April 22
April 29
May 6




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
  • Denise Benz: 420-4184
  • John Rohrbaugh: 225-2259
  • Aislinn Kottwitz: 217-5925
Next Board of Directors Mtg., 
April 21, 2016 
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. 
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.
 
Liberty Sports News
This Week In Junior-High Sports:

Girls' Soccer
Monday's (April 18) soccer match against Weld Central has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 19 at home.
Wednesday, 4/20, 4pm, Home, vs Frontier

Jr.-High Track Meet Next Monday
If you are interested in signing up for the jr-high track meet on Monday, we need several volunteers for that meet as well.  This will be the last opportunity to volunteer for meets this year.  Please consider having fun, spending the day in the sun with all of your favorite people.  CLICK HERE to volunteer at the jr-high meet:
  
  
Future High School Baseball Players  
Parents of current 6th - 8th graders interested in learning more about the LCHS baseball program, please come to a meeting on Wednesday May 4th  at 6:00 PM at the high school to meet LCHS Head baseball coach Nathan Thurlow and his coaching staff to discuss the summer baseball program, and plans for this summer and next summer.

For parents of current 3rd - 5th graders playing baseball this summer, please e-mail your information to Coach Thurlow at [email protected].   Especially, if you are involved in coaching a team with Liberty Common student, Coach would like to make himself available to meet with the various Liberty Common teams during the summer as he develops the high school program and the program for future players on the high school team.
  
Stay tuned to the Liberty Common Athletic Booster Page for rescheduled dates.
 



 
Keep Using
 

ALEXA'S HUGS
5-K Coming Soon

Alexa's Hugs 5K & Family Fun Run Join us for our first annual 5K, Family Fun Run/Walk, and Family Safety Expo and support a local nonprofit.

Alexa's Hugs is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of providing positive encouragement for seat belt and vehicle safety.

Our Seat Belt Challenge grew from four schools (4,000+ students) to eleven schools (14,000+ students) in the last two years.

Our programs include safety events, "Click It To Win It," "Design Your Own Hug," the Seat Belt Challenge, and seat belt reminders we call "Hugs."  Hugs are made for the general public and customized for schools so our message of vehicle safety is shared no matter where you see us!

Our collaboration with Safe Kids Larimer County, Ford Driving Skills for Life, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, local safety agencies, and more, assures that you are supporting an organization that doesn't go it alone.  We are willing to work with others to achieve our goals of improving vehicle safety.

We're achieving results that matter.  In 2014, we saw an improvement in observed seat belt use of 8.6% in four local high schools.  In 2015, that number rose to 10.7% increase in seat belt use at eleven northern Colorado high schools.  There is more room for improvement, but we are making great progress in improving the safe driving habits of local teens!

Your support of Alexa's Hugs allows us to continue to offer these valuable programs in northern Colorado.  WE THANK YOU!

Fossil Ridge High School
Saturday, May 7 2016, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
5400 Ziegler Road, Fort Collins, CO 80528
CLICK HERE to register
The Eagle's Nest

April 18, 2016 
Volume 19 
  Issue 29    
   
Where does the money come from? Where is the money spent?
By: Katrina Bossia, Liberty Common School Financial Manager
Have you ever asked yourself these questions in reference to Liberty Common School? Or about Colorado public schools in general? If the answer is yes then read on. In the 2010 legislative session the Colorado general assembly passed HB 10-1036, The "Public School Financial Transparency Act," to be codified at C.R.S. 22-44-301. Legislative declaration states "The general assembly finds that members of the public, as taxpayers and parents, have a strong interest in how public moneys are expended in Colorado in the pursuit of a quality education for all of Colorado's public school students." It was the intent of the general assembly to ensure public access to public school financial information through the adoption of the "Public School Financial Transparency Act", which directs public schools to post financial information on-line, in a downloadable format, for free public access.

If you want to see what has to be included on the financial transparency page of each public school in Colorado,
The Liberty Board of Directors voted in the 2016-2017 Operating Budget at last month's board meeting. You can view the budget by CLICKING HERE.  
 



Liberty Common School Annual Report Now Available.  CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

Major Dates Have Been Finalized
2016-17 Calendar
  • Classes Begin-Aug.  29
  • Labor Day-Sept. 5
  • Parent/Teacher Conferences-Oct. 28
  • Thanksgiving-Nov. 23-25
  • Winter Break-Dec. 26-Jan. 6
  • Martin Luther King Day-Jan. 16
  • Professional Development Day-Feb. 17
  • Presidents'Day-Feb. 20
  • Spring Break-March 13-17
  • Good Friday-April 14
  • Last Day of Classes-1/2/Day May 26
Welcome Blair
Many of you have asked about Mrs. Hopkins, Health Tech and the baby she was carrying.  Blair was born Thursday April 7th at 12:31 p.m. She weighed 8lbs., 1oz. and was 20 inches long and had a FULL head of hair.  Blair has returned to Indiana with her family and is doing great. 

Mrs. Hopkins is recovering well and can't wait to see Liberty kids off for the summer. Thank you for the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes for a safe delivery.

Photos by Amy Feist, visit her website by CLICKING HERE.
Grace and Elias welcome baby Blair.
Mrs. Hopkins and Blair.
Welcome Blair.



      
Scholastic Book Fair,
May 2-7, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Volunteer at our Feelin' Groovy Book Fair!
Volunteer at our spring Book Fair - a far-out celebration of reading with hundreds of fun, engaging, affordable books for kids to discover.

Join our volunteer team to help with one or more of the following tasks:
* Bring creative flair to signs and decorations
* Secure community sponsorships
* Help serve food and refreshments
* Organize and merchandise displays
* Offer a helping hand - set up or pack up
* Help shoppers of all ages find their perfect book

We are so grateful for your support.  Please CLICK HERE and volunteer for the Scholastic Book Fair.

News From the Health Office
Immunizations. Starting July 1, 2016, please be aware that parents/guardians seeking non-medical (religious or personal belief) immunizations exemptions for schoolchildren through-12th grade must submit non-medical exemption forms annually according to state law. Medical exemptions only need to be submitted once and require the signature of your child's doctor or advanced-practice nurse. To submit a non-medical or medical go to www.colorado.gov/vaccineexemption and follow the instructions. Children with an exemption may be kept out of school during a disease outbreak. If you have any questions regarding this new process, please ask your health tech, or e-mail the school nurse at
[email protected].


Upcoming CPR Class for current 6th Graders. Class takes place Thursday, April 21, 5:30pm - 8:30pm in the choir room at the elementary school. American Heart Association Certification (good for two years). Heart Saver CPR/AED (adult, child, infant, to include measures for choking) $35/student (this exact class runs in the Fort Collins Recreator for $70/person)  Register here by Monday, April 18.
Questions, contact [email protected]
or Dan Knab at
[email protected]
Future 5th grade parents and students, please mark your calendars for the evening of April 26th.
Future 5th grade parents and students, please mark your calendars for the evening of April 26th! Liberty Common is conducting its first ever Instrument Placement Night for next year's  5th graders and their parents.

If your child is interested in playing a musical instrument in band next year, this is a great opportunity to try out different instruments, and be evaluated by a professional musician to find the best match for your child. If you are not sure whether a band instrument is the right choice for your family, if you are debating which instrument to choose, or even if you want to make sure you have made the right choice, this night is for you!. The available musicians will also be able to answer any questions you might have.

The placement night will be held at Liberty Common Elementary School on the evening of Tuesday, April 26th at 6:00PM. This is an optional event, but encouraged if you are thinking about joining 5th grade band next year! Please contact Amy Clemens ([email protected]) with any questions. 

Band Volunteers Needed.  Parent organizers of Liberty's first Instrument Placement Night at the elementary school are in high need of student volunteers (and parent volunteers, too).  We have several instructors lined up to demonstrate their instrument to incoming band students, and will evaluate each student to determine suitability for the instrument. Students will rotate through the different instructors so that they will be able to try all instruments.  Each instrument instructor will need help with sanitizing and getting the instruments ready for the next incoming group of students. This is what volunteers are needed for.   It is hoped this first Instrument-Placement Night will be a real improvement to Liberty's band program.  The number of helpers for instructors are as follows:  Clarinet (2); Saxophone (2); and, one each for the following:  Flute, Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone, and French Horn.  Volunteers should arrive between 5:30pm and 5:45pm at LCS.  Questions:  Contact project coordinator Mrs. Bridgette Albright  by phone at (970) 214-4298.


Liberty's 4th Graders Art Display at Old Town Library

Come to Old Town Main Library to check out the beautiful self portraits made by Liberty's 4th graders from Mrs. Nichols Art classes. Their Art Work will be featured in an Art display for the whole month of April as part of Old Town Library's celebration of D�a de los Ni�os (Children's Day/Book Day).  Some of the pieces are in the Children Section and some are in the Community Room and entrance to the Community Room. 
Thank you,
Tracy Nichols

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

Attention Parents of Liberty Common Rising 6th Graders
Summer English Program.  This summer's four-week English "booster" is the perfect, economical opportunity for students needing a grammar, vocabulary, or writing-skills boost.  For more information  CLICK HERE. 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 to engage our rich English curriculum at LCHS.  Furthermore, he plans to have much fun in the process.   CLICK HERE to sign up.


Legacy Bricks. I'm excited to announce that we have already sold 33 Legacy Bricks for the new gymnasium at the high school! Our goal is to install at least 100 personalized bricks in the walkway and garden area at the entrance of the new gym. This is a unique opportunity, so if you've been thinking about purchasing a brick for your student or a brick with your family name, order one today and help us reach our goal. There are different sizes and price ranges available that can be purchased here (CLICK HERE) for only another couple weeks and your donation is tax deductible. Thank you for your consideration and ongoing support of Liberty Common School. Please feel free to email me with any questions at [email protected].


Please Display Citizenship and Respect
Spring gala parking spot
This year's Liberty Gala was a huge success.  Thank you to all that were able to attend.  One of the most popular items of the Live Auction is bidding on Liberty Common parking spots. This year's spots went for $1400-$2000.  Please demonstrate citizenship and respect (two of our Character Traits) and do not park in these parking spots even for a short period or to drop something off.  The spot is clearly marked. Thank you. 
 

Through the Looking Glass Receives Rave Reviews 
Allie Maguire as Alice Casey Churchill as Lewis Carroll.
 
 
Marissa Trujillo as Miss Pickett/The Red Queen, Allie Maguire as Alice.  
  
Tyler Cox as The White Knight. 
Hannah Denton as Mama/The White Queen  
 
Zach Bayens as Mr. Humphrey/Humpty Dumpty 
James Amundgaard, Mr. Dumble/Tweedle Dum, Mathias Lovely, Mr. Deedle/Tweedle Dee