LIONS ROAR
April 2019 (Volume 2, Number 4)
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ASHER VAKIDIS
Mrs. Creamer with Asher showing that LPS elementary students exceeded their goal.
Elementary students "pie" fourth graders after exceeding the fundraising goal for World Vision.
Mrs. Creamer keeps her promise and kisses a pig.
Fourth grader Asher Vakidis Uses the 7 Habits to Create Fourth Grade Service Project Benefitting World Vision
Beginning with the end in mind, fourth grader, Asher Vakidis, spoke with elementary principal, Mrs. Creamer, about his pro-active plan to raise $2270 for World Vision. World Vision is a non-profit organization that promotes better living conditions around the world by providing communities with clean water, food, education, wheelchairs, sports equipment, and opportunities that provide income to communities. With $2270, World Vision would be able to purchase 28 farm animals to feed and create income for 10 families in a village in another part of the world
Mrs. Creamer shares Asher's passion for servant leadership and immediately understood his vision for reaching his goal. After receiving permission to move forward with his plan, Asher worked with the fourth-grade teachers to assemble a group of students to serve as the committee for this service project. This committee presented during an all-student assembly in March, where Asher challenged his peers to think big by "looking outside our walls and into the world."
Asher synergized with his team putting first things first during the three weeks of the drive to reach their goal. They spent time during recess making posters to hold-up after school during car-line to remind families about the service project. Asher also approached local business owners at BrickLAB, who agreed to donate supplies to allow several students to make farm animals out of their LEGOs after school to serve as a prop and a prize for one lucky student.
With Asher leading the way, LPS students exceeded their goal and raised $3086 for World Vision. As promised, the students sharpened the saw and celebrated with a very sweet, yet messy assembly. All students who donated to the project were given the opportunity to "pie" a fourth grader. Principal Creamer also followed through with her promise to kiss a pig during the assembly. In keeping with April Fool's fun, she smooched a guinea pig after the real pig failed to show up.
"You don't have to be a grown-up to make a difference," said Principal Creamer during the student assembly. "Look for opportunities to help in your community, your place of worship, or even your home," she offered as words of wisdom and encouragement to LPS' young leaders.
Asher acknowledged that organizing a school-wide event was a learning experience for him by saying, "Life is like a game of chess - you have to think about every step before you make it!" He feels good knowing that the result of his vision has the potential to generationally change the lives of at least 10 families who would otherwise continue living in poverty.
Asher appreciates that LPS is a computer-immersion school and loves coding at school, especially when it involved Minecraft. He hopes to eventually attend Texas A&M and be a gamer one day.
LPS Varisty Golfers Win Big
Varsity Golfer represented LPS very well at the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League state competition the last weekend in March. Congratulations to the following players:
Carley Thornton (freshman) won First Place in the Girls Individual Category
Coby Montalbnana (junior) won First Place in the Boys Individual Category
Rhea Dinesh (7th grader) won Second Place in the Girls Individual Category
Whole Girls Team won First Place.
Whole Boys Team won Third Place.
LPS Hosts the Frisco Gifted Association (FGA) Symposium
The Frisco Gifted Association (FGA) hosted a Gifted/Talented (GT) symposium with the University of North Texas (UNT) on Tuesday, March 26 at Leadership Prep School. Attendees learned about recent research relating to gifted education and received information and resources to benefit gifted and high-achieving students.
Anne Rinn, Ph.D. (Professor of Educational Psychology at UNT, Director of the Office for Giftedness, Talent Development, and Creativity, and Co-Editor of the Journal of Advanced Academics) served as the keynote speaker on Understanding and Parenting your Gifted Child.
Breakout sessions included the following topics: Exploring Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted Children in DFW (Lindsay Lee); College Admissions 101: What Parents of GT Students Need to Know (Melanie Meyer); Support and Advocacy as Gifted Students Transition from Elementary to Middle School (Jessica Ottwein); Advocacy for our Gifted Children Begins at Home (Glorry Yeung); Resources for Parents of Curious Children Who Are Hungry to Learn (Mattie Oveross); Understanding Underachievement: How to Support Your Student (Kacey Cruchfield); ADHS and Misdiagnosis (Leah Murphy); and Gifted Kids Begat Gifted Parents: Parenting the Profoundly Gifted (Rebecca Johnson).
Visit www.friscogifted.org to learn more about the Frisco Gifted Association and this event.
Eighth Graders Learn History and Civics in Washington, D.C.
Habits Helpers at Home - Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
What does it take to be a successful family, school or individual? At LPS, we believe that following the 7 Habits guides us to be better than we would be otherwise; both for ourselves and our communities. Many of the habits have to do with awareness and Habit 2 (Begin with the End in Mind) falls right in line with this philosophy. This is the habit of planning, or visualization.
Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, stated that “One of the most powerful things you can pass on to your children is the sense of building a life based on a mission.” To assist this at school, our students begin their day with this mission statement: We are leaders who follow the seven habits. We set and achieve goals by learning and leading with excellence. We lead the way by treating others with honor and respect at all times.
A mission statement can also be created for the family or the individual. This month’s activity asks you to create a family mission statement. A great way to start is to have each member of the family list their top 3 values desired for the family. Brainstorm (or draw) examples of how the values are enacted. Finally, put it together in a statement that represents your family’s highest ideals for itself. Once you have the mission statement, it might be a fun additional activity to create a poster of the statement and display it in your home. Of note, a statement may be short or long, as it is unique to your family and are the principles you choose to lead your family life.
Here are a few examples of family mission statements:
· Our family respects, supports and cares for one another because we cherish living in a home that is a place where we can relax, laugh, and feel good.
· Our mission as a family is to: be there for each other and work as a team. We treat each other with kindness, both in words and deed, even when we have to say or do something that is hard.
· The Ross Family works hard, tells the truth and stands for what is right.
NuMinds Hosts On-Campus Day Camp on April 13 (Bad Weather Make-Up Day)
Buddy to Buddy Learning
Fourth grader, Advith Mudunuru with his Kindergarten Buddies
Fourth grade Destination Imagination (DI) Team
This team of fourth graders created the Buddy to Buddy Learning Program as part of their DI challenge. Featured from left to right starting on the top row are Noelle Angell, Siri Chamaraj, Lasya Kamineni, Shravya Palli, Katie Thompson.
Bottom Row - Advith Mudunuru and Siddhant Choudaha.
Fourth grader, Kennidee Smith, Mentors her Kindergarten Buddies
LPS Fourth Grade Students Start "Buddy" Mentoring Program
Clusters of students line the kindergarten and first grade hallways as young students pour over their books and worksheets sounding out words and honing their letter writing skills. This image is typical of any classroom filled with students this age. However, the scene at Leadership Prep School (LPS) is different. Alongside each cluster of students sits a fourth grader, who is known as a "buddy" to the younger students.
Peer tutoring is one example of the leadership activities taking place at LPS. The project itself was created out of an idea from a team of seven fourth grade students, known as the "LPS Lions," who worked together on a service learning challenge for the 2019 Destination Imagination competition. The students considered several proposals, including ideas presented from fourth grade peers who were not on their team. The team ultimately agreed on creating a mentoring program - something they hope will become a legacy project for future fourth grade leaders on the elementary campus. This project, which became known as "the buddy system," was embraced by school leadership and quickly evolved into an ongoing program at Leadership Prep School.
"Our model is designed to empower our students to be leaders," says Michelle Creamer, Elementary School Principal at LPS. "When the students approached me with their idea, I provided them with guidance and suggestions, but ultimately, I left the coordination and implementation of the project to them. As the oldest students on our elementary campus, I wanted them to take ownership in creating a high-quality service project for our school."
According to the Peer Tutoring Handbook for Tutors and Mentor Teachers prepared by Annette M. Tudor at Tennessee High School, tutoring benefits both tutors and tutees improving communication skills, organizational skills, and overall learning. In addition to increasing mastery of academic skills, tutoring programs with a mentoring component provide positive role models and emotional support for tutees. For tutors, understanding of concepts is raised to a higher level.
“My favorite thing about the buddy program is being able to work with and help younger students,” says Advith Mudunuru, fourth grade student and leader of the LPS Lions Destination Imagination team.
Advith also served as a leader during an assembly for all elementary students. During the assembly, Advith and his team acted out a skit to demonstrate how the buddy-to-buddy mentoring program works. Afterwards, children in kindergarten through third grade were asked if they want to continue leading the mentoring program when they become fourth graders. The collective shout from the audience was a resounding, “Yes!”
Summer Camp Opportunities
LPS partners with several organizations that provide enrichment programs during the summer. If you're looking to keep your students engaged, enthused, and learning during the summer, please review the following opportunities.
NuMinds - NuMinds will offer their Camp Pursuit summer camps on LPS' secondary campus this summer, and they are providing our families with a discount of $25 off when the code "LPS2019" is entered at checkout. Their mix-aged STEM enrichment programs that are as academic as enriching and fun.
Abrakadoodle - Abrakadoodle will offer academic art summer camp programs on LPS' secondary campus this summer.
Club LIT - Club LIT provides Christian-based learning and exploration opportunities during their summer camps in Elevate Life Church. They have camps starting the first week of June that run to the first week in August.
iCode - iCode is a leader in computer science education and offers programs, such as programming, robotics, and digital arts, that help today's students gain the technical expertise, cognitive flexibility, and real-world skills to be tomorrow's exceptional talent.
GradePower Learning - GradePower Learning offers camps and tutorial programs to keep students sharp in the summer months as well as work on areas that may be challenging for students.
Frisco School of Music and Performing Arts - Frisco School of Music and Performing Arts offers camps focusing on arts, music, theater, and dance. They also offer private music lessons.
brickLAB, Inc. - brickLAB, Inc. offers a variety of summer camps focusing on robotics, computer programming, stop motion film, and architecture.
Happy birthday to you!
Here's wishing all of our best to the teachers and staff celebrating a birthday in April and May!
April 2 - Mr. Curtis
April 11 - Ms. Bullard
April 15 - Coach Reynolds
April 20 - Mrs. Wendy Piltz
April 28 - Mrs. Andrews
April 29 - Mrs. Crank
April 30 - Mrs. Rosa
May 4 - Mr. Jones
May 10 - Ms. Allen
May 13 - Ms. Sdao
May 16 - Mrs. Hudgson
May 18 - Ms. Dicus
May 19 - Ms. Shaffer
May 23 - Ms. WIlson
May 27 - Superintendent Stacy Alton
May 29 - Mrs. Jennifer Anderson
May 31 - Coach Blankenship
Fighting Seasonal Allergies
The following is information from Children's Health about staying health when affected by seasonal allergies.
Seasonal allergies are among the most common allergies in the United States. In fact, up to 40% of children have pollen allergies.
Seasonal Allergy Symptoms in Kids
Common allergy symptoms in children include:
- Congestion or sinus pressure
- Runny nose
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Scratchy or sore throat
- Cough
- Swollen, bluish-colored skin beneath the eyes
- Reduced sense or taste or smell
- Hay fever symptoms may range from mild to severe and may only affect children during certain seasons.
Tips for Allergy Relief
Minimize seasonal allergy symptoms in children by following these eight tips:
- Stay inside when the pollen count is high or if it's a dry
and windy day.
- Avoid yard work if your allergies are flared up.
- Wash your clothes after being outside.
- Bathe after coming in from outside.
- Keep doors and windows closed.
- Use a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate) air filter in your
home.
- Vacuum often.
- For nasal congestion relief, flush sinuses with a nasal
rinse.
- Most importantly, visit an allergist to have your child's
allergies appropriately diagnosed and to develop a
treatment plan.
For more health tips from Children's, click here.
Around Town in April
Mad Scientist in Wonderland Tea (April 6 from 2 PM - 5 PM ) - Join us for this fundraising event benefitting Leadership Prep School. Science demonstrations from Sci-Tech will take place during the afternoon tea, complete with edible delights surprise character visits, student vendors, and a silent auction. Tickets are $12 advance or $15 at the door.
Dave and Buster's Breakfast with the Easter Bunny (April 13 from 8 AM - 11 AM) - Tickets range from $16.02 - $23.52 and include breakfast and Easter activities.
Easter with Lola & Friends (April 20 from 1 PM - 4 PM) - Meet the pig kissed by Mrs. Creamer at this local, farmers market. On this day, they will have a over 5000 Easter eggs for kids to hunt, pictures with the Easter bunny, farm animals, reptiles, food vendors, fresh produce, and more! This event is free (though there is a charge for some activities), and is just a 20 mile drive to this beautiful, quaint place in the country at 1771 Kever Main; Melissa, TX 75454.
Elevate Life Church - Over 100,000 eggs will be scattered for kids age 0-12 to gather starting at 11 AM. Children with special needs are welcome. There will also be a classic car show from 10 AM - 2 PM.
Easter Egg Hunt at the Star in Frisco (April 20 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM) - Egg hunts, face painting, inflatables, and of course the Easter bunny. Restaurants including the Common Table, City Works, and Ziziki's are offering brunch specials on this day as well.
Easter Egg Hunt for Children with Special Needs (April 20 10 AM - 12 PM). Burleson Church of Christ is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt for Children with Special needs on-site at the church (1150 NW John Jones Blvd.; Burleson, TX 76028). RSVP to Alyson at 817-937-15220.
LPS is the P.L.A.C.E. to be!
The mission of Leadership Prep School is to inspire students to learn, grow, and lead for a lifetime. The acronym P.L.A.C.E. summarizes the five key areas that have been selected as the focus of LPS’ vision: Parent partnership, Leadership development, Academics, Creativity and Excellence.
LPS is proud to be a Leader in Me based school that applies The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to emphasize a culture of student empowerment and help unleash each child’s full potential. Focusing on the program’s timeless leadership principles nurtures the skills students need for success in the 21st century.
Leadership Prep School is recognized as a “Computer Science Immersion School” by Code to the Future. LPS integrates programming and game design into its curriculum starting in kindergarten with more advanced computer science concepts introduced as students advance each year.
Leadership Prep School is part of the New Tech Network and partners with local businesses to engage students in project-based learning activities, which enhances critical thinking skills in order that students may become strong problem-solvers. Project-based learning methodology makes learning relevant and prepares students for the demands of the workplace.
Email: info@lpsfrisco.com
Website: www.lpsfrisco.com
Location: 8100 Teel Parkway; Frisco, TX 75035
Phone: 972.370.3650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadershipprepschool/
Twitter: @lpsfrisco