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Communis Scientia, Virtutes, et Prudentia
Common Knowledge, Common Virtues, Common Sense
2015-2016 ÆDIFICANS FVTVRVM Constructing the Future
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Liberty Common High School
2745 Minnesota Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone: 970-672-5500
Fax: 970-672-5499
Attendance Line: Please call in by 8:30AM
672-5500 option 2.
Office Hours: 7:15 - 3:45
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Next Board of Directors Meeting: May 12th, 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. at LCS.
You may contact all members of our Board of Directors at
Patrick Albright 232-8257
Joel Goeltl: 593-8556
Jeff Webb: 545-9636
Denise Benz: 420-4184
John Rohrbaugh: 225-2259
Aislinn Kottwitz: 217-5925
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Final Dates
School Calendar
2016-2017
Aug. 29th- Classes Begin
Sep 24-Oct 8- Student Count
Sep 5th- Labor Day, No School
Oct. 28- Parent/Teacher Conferences
Nov. 23-25- Thanksgiving
Dec. 26-Jan 6- Winter Break
Jan 16- Martin Luther King Day, No School
Feb. 17- Professional Development Day
Feb. 20- President's Day
Mar 13-17- Spring Break
April 14- Good Friday
May 26- Last Day of Classes 1/2 day
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Shmurah matzah is traditionally served during the Jewish holiday of Passover which is celebrated all this week.
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Mah Nistanah.
The eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover runs this week through Saturday April 30th. The holiday commemorates the story of the Haggadah - the story of the Exodus from Egypt and began with a traditional Seder meal. CLICK HERE to learn about shmurah matzah and how to make it yourself. To all the Jewish families at LCHS, enjoy a blessed Passover.
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APRIL
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4-29 - ACT/PSAT 10/PARCC/ CMAS Testing Window
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27-28 - Block Days
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29 - T-Shirt Day
| 29-30 - High School Play, Hamlet
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MAY
| 2-6 - Teacher Appreciation Week
| 2-13 - NWEA Testing |
6 - Free Dress Day
| 5 - Onward & Upward (incoming 9th graders) |
9-10 - Block Days
| 19 - Awards Ceremony | 20 - Eagle Games |
12 - BOD Meeting, LCS
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24-26 - Finals Schedule
| 27 - Last Day of School-- 1/2 Day, 11:00 Release |
27 - Graduation, 6:00PM, Timberline Church
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Classical Manners for the Modern Youth
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From the 1934 high-school textbook Good Manners used in "Household Science" class of that day:
"Rule No. 182. Punctuality, Neatness. Be prompt in attendance at classes. Go to your desk, and arrange things in order for work. It is a good business habit to be ready on time. Be orderly and tidy in the care of your desk, your books, and in the disposal of waste paper.
"Rule No. 183. Greetings. On entering the room, say, "Good morning, Miss Greer." Be courteous and thoughtful of her. Answer her, "Yes, Miss Greer"; or, "No, Miss Greer"; rather than with a blunt "Yes" or "No."
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AST Tip Of The Week:
Extra credit at Liberty is intended to be academically meaningful to your development as a student. It is also a great way to push that 89% to an A or that 69% to a passing grade. We encourage you to take advantage of these special opportunities to raise your grade, support your classmates, and participate in a unique, academic activity. You never know what you could learn.
9th-Hour Clubs
The primary purpose of our 9th-hour clubs is to provide students with the opportunity to receive extra help from teachers. Parents are encouraged to assist their students in creating a 9th-hour plan by reviewing the 9th-Hour Club Schedule.
The LCHS Academic Support Team created this website to assist all LCHS students with helpful tips and resources for academic success. Be sure to check it out.
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Volume 19, Issue 32/ April 25, 2016
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LCHS junior Sydney Otto commandeered Mr. D's English class to persuade students to persuade their parents to buy a paving brick to support the new gym - in which she will totally dominate on the volleyball court.
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Buy Bricks, Leave Legacy. Every student wants his/her name engraved into a special brick and placed permanently into the walkway and glorious garden leading to our new gym. Just think, a hundred years from now, their great-great grandchildren (yes, it's amazing, they will all be attending LCHS) will look down as they walk to the gym and say, "that's my great-great grandma
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Time to buy a brick at LCHS. Senior Indrani Ray says "buy one," and amazingly, we all want to do as she says. Now that's leadership!
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who went to Liberty way back in '16 - as in 2016!" And if you really love your child, you'll buy a really big brick because it's the best way of really proving it. Your donation is tax deductible. This is also a great way to permanently honor graduates, past Liberty students, future Liberty students, grandparents, special moments, anniversaries - anyone and anything worthy of honoring. All proceeds help complete and furnish the gym. To purchase a Legacy Brick simply CLICK HERE. Questions? Email Mrs. Tiffany Green parent/volunteer extraordinaire who stepped up to manage this awesome campaign.

PSD Treatment Of Charter Schools. An article appearing in the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper last Friday describes how Fort Collins charter schools receive only slight consideration in a massive new spending proposal under consideration by the Poudre School District Board of Education. The proposal is only a draft right now, but is being finalized at the Board's meeting scheduled for May 10, 2016. CLICK HERE to link to the story. Liberty Board vice-chairman Mr. Patrick Albright has been leading discussions with PSD officials and is advocating a plan equitable to charter schools. He is also mentioned in the article. Charter-school parents are urged to contact PSD Board members and share citizen opinions. Details follow:
In the current proposal, the Poudre School District is allocating only $150,000 to Liberty Common School of the $375,000,000 proposed bond it will ask voters to approve this November. $40 million of the bond is slated for improvements to existing schools, while most of the remainder is slated for new construction. Liberty Common has requested a total of $1.2 million from the $40 million, which is a much fairer amount relative to the percentage of PSD students that Liberty Common educates. On Liberty's behalf, Mr. Albright has been working to improve the conditions and the amounts allocated to the charter schools. All seven members of the PSD Board of Education met with Patrick to discuss the bond. They were all willing to talk, and seemed positively disposed to at least consider our requests. Please bear this in mind when making your comments to the board members. Be polite, respectful, and rational. Persuade sensibly, don't browbeat. The entire PSD board can be emailed at boe@psdschools.org. Individual board-member contact information can be found by CLICKING HERE.
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"The highlight of my senior year," said LCHS senior Sara Grundvig, "is reading the
Liberty Annual Report."
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Read The Annual Report. In four short pages, the Liberty Annual Report answers all the mysteries of charter-school education - and can make you look years younger. CLICK HERE for an glimpse into what national annual-report critic Juan the Spartan calls, "The most interesting piece of literature I've ever read." Myanna Schepman told her study group, "Everything you need to know about life is contained in the Annual Report." And, Alyssa Mayer pondered, "What would life be without reading the Liberty Annual Report?" Read your copy free, right now by CLICKING HERE.
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LCHS seniors at the Colorado State Capitol.
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Colorado LCHS Seniors' Day. LCHS seniors were on hand at the State Capitol last Tuesday as Members of the Colorado House and Senate adopted an official Tribute in honor of the school and the Class of 2016. Here's what the Tribute says: The Senate and House of Representatives Convened in the Second Regular Session of the Seventieth General Assembly Hereby extends heartiest congratulations and commendations to Liberty Common High School Seniors. The Colorado General Assembly is proud to
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Some LCHS seniors got to observe proceedings from the floor of the Colorado State Senate.
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congratulate the mighty LCHS Class of 2016 on earning Colorado's highest composite ACT score - 27.08 on a 36-point scale. Liberty Common High School (LCHS), located in Fort Collins and chartered by the Poudre School District, has set and maintained the Colorado record for highest average composite ACT score for four consecutive years. Students in the Class of 2016 have maintained this distinction by dedicating themselves to multiple years of rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum comprised of classical subjects with the addition of engineering. This class has also distinguished itself for accomplishments in athletics, student leadership, focused development of moral virtue, and economic engagement. The members of the Colorado General Assembly commend the LCHS Class of 2016 on its standard of excellence and wish its members every success in the future. On the request of Senator Owen Hill, Senator John Kefalas and Representative Paul Lundeen, Given this 19thday of April 2016, State Capitol, Denver, Colorado.
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Sen. Owen Hill, sponsor of the Senate Tribute honoring the LCHS Class of 2016, spoke to our seniors from the parapets of the Capitol Building.
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The LCHS Class of 2016 met on the Senate balcony of the Colorado State Capitol last Tuesday with Senators Kefalas, Hill and Marble.
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After receiving the recognition, the Class of 2016 was invited out onto the Senate balcony where its members got to chat "off the record" with Senators Kefalas, Hill, and Vickie Marble. The nearby photos describe the scene. Congratulations to our LCHS seniors. They're truly the best!
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Annual Report as great literature: Mr. Hultin shares amazing Liberty Annual Report stories to a rapt audience of 8th graders.
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|  | LCHS senior Mira Gill received her Masonic award accompanied by favorite teacher Mr. Jeremy Tullius. |  |
Masonic Awards. LCHS senior Mira Gill and 8th grader Riley Green were recognized last Tuesday evening at the 52nd Annual Masonic Public Schools Recognition Night. Hundreds of
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LCHS 8th grader Riley Green after receiving her Masonic award as Mr. Ken Vetter and Principal Schaffer rally around the star student.
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Masons, teachers, school officials, parents and siblings were in attendance as the pair received impressive plaques, commendations and accolades for being outstanding students in the Fort Collins Community. On hand for the ceremony were the scholars' parents, teachers Mr. Ken Vetter, Mr. Jeremy Tullius, and Principal Mr. Bob Schaffer.
Per l'onore d'Italia! Today, April 25th, is Italian Liberation Day, a national holiday marking the fall of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic and the end of Nazi occupation in Italy in 1945 towards the end of the second World War. The day honors those who served in the Italian
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We're all Italian now - in honor of Italian foreign-exchange student Alessia Fabiano and the occasion of Italian Liberation Day!
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Resistance. In honor of LCHS's Italian foreign-exchange student Alessia Fabiano, the Italian Flag is flying over LCHS today, we're singing verses of "Bella Ciao," and corks are popping off bottles of Chiantis and Bardolinos in the teachers' lounge at lunchtime (that last part is just a joke everyone, but some on the faculty think it ought to be seriously considered this time of year). Italians also celebrate the Feast of St. Mark on this day. Lots of celebrating going on in Italy today where students enjoy a day off school and a three-day weekend. Sorry, Alessia, we couldn't make that happen here. Per l'onore d'Italia! (For the honor of Italy!).
Ocean Bowl. Three hundred high school teams from around the nation competed in this year's National Ocean Sciences Bowl competition and Liberty Common's team finished 4th in the nation! Over the weekend, Matthew Colvin, Matt Iverson, Brady Lane, Coleton Neighbors, and Josh Pletcher traveled to Morehead City, NC to compete against the other 23 regional winners. On a special portion of the competition, a mock  Congressional briefing, they earned second place. The team also took fascinating field trips to saltmarshes, Cape Lookout lighthouse, the North Carolina Aquarium and Fort Macon State Park, a civil war site. The dolphin research, wreck diving stories, and winds and waves of the Atlantic were astonishing. The prize for the team is nearly $1000 to boost their learning for next year, when they plan to take first. Look out for the club's invitation to a shark dissection later in May.
Open Campus. This Wednesday, April 27th is an Open-Campus Block Day for all LCHS seniors. Seniors enjoy open-campus privilege during their lunchtime. Please sign out and back in on the sheets posted near the school's main entrance - and do not be late upon return.
T-Shirt Day. This Friday, April 29th, 2016 is Liberty T-Shirt Day. All Liberty-issued t-shirts and tops are approved for school wear, as are tops depicting any college or university.
Carwash For Animals. Bring your dirty cars this Saturday, April 30th at the High School women's soccer game. Donations from a fundraising carwash will be accepted and donated to the animal shelter. Come from 11-3pm. Carwash put on by the National Junior Honor Society.
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Myanna Schepman shares with friends the amazing things learned in the new Liberty Annual Report.
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Public-Info Night. Know anybody interested in sending their kids to Liberty (either campus); or just learning more about the school's history and philosophy? Please urge them to attend our next Public-Information tonight, April 25 2016 from 6:30-8:00PM in the LCS elementary-school Performance Hall. This is an informative presentation for all parents wanting to know more about why we teach what we teach, and why we do what we do. For hopeful families waiting on the Liberty lottery list for any grades K - 11, attending one of these presentations puts you into the "upper tier" of those waiting for the next open-enrollment spot.
Hamlet for Five Actors. Friday April 29th and Saturday April 30th, 2016 at 7:00PM. Following last year's successful production, the extra-curricular theatre company is back with an even more ambitious project: Hamlet for Five Actors. This 100-minute edit of William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been edited by the director, Natalie Scarlett, to be performed by only five actors who each play several roles. This energetic style of performance keeps both the actors and the audience on their toes as we journey with the title character through his unraveling. The staging is meta and the design, by art teachers Megan Salazar and Rex Seiple, is timeless. Come see our exceptional students of acting and literature take on one of the western canon's masterpieces in this truly innovative production at the Liberty Common Elementary School performance hall. Tickets are $10.00 general admission and $5.00 for any student. Many teachers are offering extra credit for attending so be sure to hit the sign-in table. You will also earn Order and House points for attending.
Health Class. Congrats to the high school health class, which is now CPR and First Aid certified through the American Heart Association. This is a tradition that Mr. Torgeson and Mrs. Dybzinski enjoy carrying on each year to give each student in this class an opportunity to gain this important skillset and certification as part of the curriculum.
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Liberty's first ever archery class.
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| The roof is on. The floor is next. Mrs. Shafer and Mrs. Burgess checked out the new gymnasium last week. |
Summer Personal Finance. For the first time, the required personal- finance class will be offered during the summer. This is perfect for those who would like to free up a semester of time for other classes during the school year. If you are considering taking this class, please decide soon and register so we can know whether the class will be viable. Register online. See below for course details: Fee: $200, Email Dr. Robinson if interested. June 7 - June 30, 8:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
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Study the Liberty Annual Report, just like these professional studiers do every day during LCHS Study Hall.
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News from Tracy Nichols, Art Teacher at Liberty Common School
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Notes from the Art TeacherWho is the K-4th grade Art teacher?I'm Tracy Nichols and have been teaching Art at Liberty for about seven years. My husband is an IB Art and Theory of Knowledge teacher at Poudre High School. We moved to Fort Collins after teaching at Seoul Foreign School in S. Korea for 10 years. I was a 3rd Grade Classroom Teacher for half our time in Korea and a Middle School Art Teacher for the other half. Here at Liberty I teach five different grades with 17 different groups of students I see a couple times a week.
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Using index cards for a team architecture building project.
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4th Grade Clay mask relief sculptures.
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Chinese Brush Painting Chinese Art.
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What is Mrs. Nichols' K-4th grade Art class like? Some people ask me if I just make up the Art lessons. Yes and No. No, because there is a Core Knowledge Art Curriculum just like there is a CK Language Arts, Science, Music, and History Curriculum. It's really excellent, extensive and I love following it.
Like the rest of the Core Knowledge Curriculum, the writers defined what most scholars agree are some of the most important and big game changing things that a well-educated person needs to know in a subject area. Then they divided it up into the age appropriate K-8 grade levels.
And then yes, because I get to choose what projects to do that best present the CK curriculum. Our normal Art Class is pretty directed. I see my time with the students as kind of like a piano lesson. A student doesn't go to their lesson to play around on their instrument but they learn how to focus on specific skills. Student's time in Art class is pretty short so we focus on specific goals. Here are some of our Guest Artists sharing some special work they did outside of school. It's exciting to see what inspires the students to create!
What is a Guest Artist? This idea was inspired by adults telling me that they didn't like art class when they were kids because they had to do what the Art teacher assigned and they were frustrated by not being able to take their ideas in different directions. I've also had a few students like that. Well, that's a bit of a slippery slope. In the short classroom time, students need to do the assignment to practice the skill and demonstrate the criteria like in any other subject area. But I tell students that they have lots of time outside of class at home to experiment. So I encourage them to take their very cool ideas in their own directions at home and bring it in to share it with me or the class as a Guest Artist. (I even offer materials if they need it.)
Guest Artist is a quick Show and Tell. It needs to be something that they made outside of school that they've worked on at least an hour or more. The Guest Artist sits on the front and describes three important things: 1. What they made and how they made it.
2. What was their inspiration or why they made it?
3. What was their favorite part of making it?
Lastly, they take two questions or comments from their classmates. (By this time, they're usually beaming.)
What is Free Art Day?To give some free choice in Art class throughout the year and as a behavior incentive, I have a Free Art Day each quarter. I set up each table with different art supplies, paints, clay, oil pastels, drawing and sketchbooks, marshmallows and toothpicks, pipe cleaners, scented markers, tapestry needlework, beading, planks, straws and connectors, stacking index cards, etc. I tell the students that Free Art Day is not Art recess, but they are FREE to choose what kind of art they want to build and make on this day. It's awesome to see what the students make! Reading in Art class?I love to read aloud while my art students are settled into their work. To reinforce the CK curriculum and tie into their classroom learning, we read from the What Every nth Grader Needs to Know, or books from the school Library; Fables, Idioms, Myths, Poetry, Biographies related to the topics they're learning in their school year. Sometimes we listen to music. I really like Mozart because it tends toward the rhythms of our resting heart rate. This is a really good thing in Art Class. The focus for Core Knowledge is Literacy and this is a great way to 'kill two birds with one stone'. And who doesn't love a good story or a good idiom?
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These are a couple of my oil paintings and paper cuttings.
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This is my Art History Timeline.
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Let's Wrap this up.From teaching the Core Knowledge Curriculum and its inspiring way of teaching the scope of history starting in 1st grade, I designed and published an Art History Timeline Staircase poster last year that I use every day with my classes and share with people all over. I also love to do my own art; plein air (outside) landscape oil painting (in the summers) and papercuttings (in the winters). I love teaching Art and working with your children here at Liberty. They are so bright, hardworking, and bursting with curiosity! I get to end each day with a line of Kindergartners giving me hugs and fist bumps. Think about volunteering in Art class next year! Look for the Art Room sign up at the start of the year. It's a lot of fun!
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News from the Assistant-Principal, Mr. Lovely
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No 9th Hour Wednesday. The House Induction Ceremony takes place this Wednesday from 2:00-3:15PM; therefore, there will be no 9th hour or early dismissal.
Purple Duck & Soaring Eagle Awards. Last Tuesday the winners of the Purple Duck Award (7th Grade Winning Order) and the Soaring Eagle Award (8th Grade Winning Order) were announced and celebrated during lunch. The Order of Kranz took home the coveted duck, and the Order of Seiple repeated as champions of the eagle. The members of the winning Orders received a pass for Free-Dress-Day Fridays for the remainder of the year, a TCBY coupon, and scads of candy in celebration of the monumental accomplishments. Each Order will also be given $150 to throw a party at the end of the year.
| Members of the Order of Kranz revel in their victory. Leaders Anna Johnson and Elizabeth Skalicky are in awe of the trophy and prizes.
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Purple Duck Standings (7th Grade Orders)
Place | Order | Points | 1st | Kranz | 8499 | 2nd | Lock | 7980 | 3rd | Hultin | 7552 | 4th | Ogg | 7160 | 5th | Arias | 6610 | 6th | Morgan | 6066
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| Members of the Order of Seiple dig into the spoils of war. Order Leader Megan Dille supervising their distribution. |
| Order of Seiple leader Gabby Webb overcome with joy. |
Soaring Eagle Standings (8th Grade Orders)
Place | Order | Points | 1st | Seiple | 10155 | 2nd | Salehi | 9548 | 3rd | Lannen | 8324 | 4th | Werner | 6856 | 5th | McNulty | 6720 | 6th | Norris | 6402 |
FCA Meeting. FCA at LCHS is having its next meeting on Tue 26 Apr at 6:45AM in Washington Hall. See Ben Kuppinger (LCHS Class of 2016) with questions.
- House Induction Ceremony | Wed 27 Apr | 2PM | Great Hall
- LCHS Spring Play | Fri 29 Apr & Sat 30 Apr | 7PM | LCS Gym
- Teacher Appreciation Week | Mon 2 May - Fri 6 May
- Incoming 9th Grade Onward & Upward | Thu 5 May | 6:30PM
- 8th Grade Dance | Fri 6 May | 6:30-9PM | Great Hall
- 7th Grade Movie Night | Fri 6 May | 7-9PM | Washington Hall
- LCHS Student Talent Show | Sat 7 May | 6:30-9PM | Great Hall
- LCHS Awards Concert | Tue 10 May | 6:30-9PM | Location TBA
- Favorite Poem Night | Thu 12 May | 6:30-9PM | Great Hall
- JH Summit Party | Fri 13 May | 3:30-6:30PM | The Summit
- Final Exams | Tue 24 May - Thu 26 May | CLICK HERE for schedule
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News from the Academic Dean, Sandy Stoltzfus
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It's AP Exam Time!
AP Exams will run from May 2nd - May 13th.
Class Of 2016 Graduation. Friday, May 27th, 6:00PM, Timberline Community Church, Main Auditorium. All LCHS Students 8th - 12th Are Expected To Attend Graduation. Current 8th-11th grade students will participate in the House processional. Students should arrive at Timberline Church no later than 5:30 p.m., to form up in their Houses. Seventh graders are encouraged to attend, too.
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News from the Athletic Director, Dan Knab
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If you know of a Liberty student making athletic news and would like them showcased for the Liberty Common community, let Mr. Knab know.
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This Week In Junior-High Sports:
Jr.-High Sports
Girls Soccer
Wednesday, 4/27, 4pm, Home, vs Estes Park
This Week In High-School Sports:
High School Sports
Baseball
Monday, 4/25, 4pm, Home vs Highland
Wednesday, 4/27, 4pm, Home vs KIPP
Friday, 4/29, 4pm, Home Double Header vs Arrupe Jesuit Saturday, 4/30, 9am, Away Double Header @ Heritage HS in Littleton
Home baseball games are played at Fossil Creek Park.
Track
Tuesday, 4/26, 1pm (Pole Vault), 4pm, Home (Spirit Meet)
Friday, 4/29, @ Rocky Mountain HS (LoboCat Roundup) Saturday, 4/30, @ Green Mountain HS, Ram Charger Invitational
Soccer
Saturday, 4/30, 11am, vs Valley HS
High-school Track Meet tomorrow. Liberty Common is hosting its first high-school track meet this year and it is looking for volunteers. Click on this link to be a 'super-volunteer' for this meet:
'Super-man' will be available for autographs after the meet!
Jr.-High Track Meet Tonight
If you are interested in signing up for the jr-high track meet tonight, 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. Here is the link for the jr-high meet:
Future High-School Baseball Players. Parents of current 6 th - 8 th graders interested in learning more about the LCHS baseball program, please come to a meeting on Wednesday May 4 th 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 3 rd - 5 th graders playing baseball this summer, please e-mail your information to Coach Thurlow at nthurlow@fca.org. Especially, if you are involved in coaching a team with Liberty Common students, 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.
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Here is a picture of me and my parents (they flew out and surprised me!) at the annual BC Scholarship Ball fundraiser.
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My freshman year at Benedictine College has flown by. That is the nice thing about college; because of long breaks and large amount of activities everything goes by really quickly. When I started here in the fall, I was 100% "fun-declared." I had very limited idea of what I wanted to do with my life, much less what I wanted to major in. I took classes in education, business, philosophy, and theology, and actually liked them all. That is the nice thing about a liberal arts education (like Liberty), you have the opportunity to take lots of different classes. This semester, I am continuing to explore different fields through biology and climate classes as well as more philosophy and theology. A few weeks ago, I declared accounting as my major, but who knows, that could change, too! All this to say, you do not need to know what you want to major in before you go to college. Maybe people have told you this and maybe they haven't; but honesty, do not stress about what to major in. Go in with an open mind, ready to study everything, regardless of your major. As far as extracurriculars go, I am working in the Office of the President which is a lot of fun. We put on big events and fundraisers for the college, and I get to use my event-planning skills from House Leadership. I am also involved in multiple Bible studies, and played intramural basketball during the winter. I also just found out that I got accepted to be a part of the Student Ambassadors program, so I will be doing that next fall as well. I am making a lot of new friends, but I do miss the friends I made at Liberty. That is probably what I miss most about Liberty. I miss being surrounded by like-minded people who encourage me in all aspects of my life. Liberty may be a bubble, but it is that bubble of positive peer pressure that made it so easy to succeed. Luckily the virtues and character Liberty built in me are strong enough to stand up to the many temptations that can arise when living on a college campus, but I do miss being around people who share those values. I will be back in FoCo for the summer (shameless request for an accounting internship if any accountant parents are reading this - wagn1931@ravens.benedictine.edu). I hope to see you all at graduation or soccer games or track meets when I get back. Good luck on all your finals and AP tests! Evelyn Wagner Benedictine College I School of Business |
News Worth Repeating
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Art scholars Juan the Spartan, Jamie Weibler and Alyssa Mayer enjoy astonishing artistic discoveries in the new Liberty Annual Report.
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Band Volunteers Needed. Parent organizers of Liberty's first Instrument Placement Night are in high need of student volunteers (and parent volunteers, too) on Tuesday, April 26th at 6:00PM at the elementary school. 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 email or by phone at (970) 214-4298.

Host A Foreign-Exchange Student. One of Liberty's foreign-exchange coordinators is looking for host families for the fall of 2016 for wonderful students that would love to attend LCHS for the next school year.
Students arriving through this exchange program (EF) cover all personal expenses, are fully insured and speak excellent English. Host families provide a loving home, meals and a bed to sleep in. There are tax deductions for hosting exchange students. To learn more, please contact program coordinator Melissa Gardner by email, or by phone at 303-847-8165 as soon as possible.
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Host another great LCHS exchange student like Louise from Sweden who attended LCHS last year.
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Exchange Students Want Homes. More foreign-exchange students want to attend LCHS in the next school year. All they need are local families to take them in. The Council for Educational Travel USA (CETUSA) works with LCHS placing students with families who can provide a warm, welcoming environment. This includes a comfortable bed, three meals a day and transportation to school and some activities. Each student speaks English and arrives with a passport, J-1 cultural exchange visa, $250 a month spending money, health insurance and a dream of life with an American family. Exchange students at LCHS stay for the whole school year. To learn more about hosting, please contact Coordinator Laura Guice by email or call her at 970-988-6142.
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 ndybzinski@libertycommon.org.
Summer Programs. If you haven't decided how to spend your summer, you may want to think about the possibility of participating in a summer program. CLICK HERE for the list of summer programs compiled by LCHS. The list includes fee-based programs, volunteer opportunities, paid internships and highly selective programs. If you do not see a program that interests you, there's no need to worry. There are hundreds of summer programs offered each year at colleges all over the country. No matter what your interests are, chances are there's a program offered at a nearby college.
While summer experiences are an important part of the college admission process, it is important to pursue programs in which you are genuinely interested. Summer is the perfect time to challenge yourself, master new skills, gain a broader global perspective, volunteer, earn money, and prepare for college and the workplace.
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.
Pay Athletic Fees Online - Click HERE to access our website. Drag your cursor over 'Athletics' and pick the drop-down sport you are paying for and click on it. You will then see a link to pay online. Click & Pay. Please let Mr. Knab know about any issues you may have with paying. Your payment will eventually be confirmed on your PowerSchool account. We will still accept checks and cash. However, our preference is the online payment. More information on how to do this will be explained at the parent meeting.
High-school sport - $200.
Jr.-high sport - $80.
* If student played in two previous sports for Liberty Common, then the third sport is free.
* There is a $600 family cap per academic school year for athletics participated in at Liberty Common.
* Participation in athletics at outside schools do not apply to either of the two discounts.
* Students may participate in more then one sport in a season. However, they must declare a 'primary' sport to commit.
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Costa Rica 2017. Mrs. Deitrick will be leading a trip to Costa Rica Spring Break 2017. Email Mrs. Deitrick for more information.
Dominican Republic 2017. Mrs. Deitrick will be leading a trip to Dominican Republic next summer (2017.)
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Italy, Greece Trip, June 2017. See all the best sites in Italy and Greece and learn directly on ancient lands with Mr. Kem. The tour ends with a multi-day cruise of the Greek islands. Enrollment has started. Enroll here. View or download the itinerary here. E-mail Mr. Kem if interested.
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