SHARK MAIL
Friday, December 3rd
Friday Message:
Happy Friday, Sharks!
What a week! It was awesome to get back to a normal schedule, at least for a while, as students returned from Thanksgiving Break. We continue with several big items coming your way between Thanksgiving and Winter breaks, so please check the calendar below for a drama performance, Band performance, and a half-day schedule on Wednesday.
I am keeping this brief as the next section is the important part to focus on.
2022/2023 TRANSITION
To help families understand the process, we hosted a Zoom meeting this week on Tuesday evening. To find that video, as well as the exploratory sheets students, were given in class, we have created a new page on the LMS website called "Transition 22/23". We encourage you to visit this site to learn more.
6th and 7th-grade students will pick their exploratories on Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
We will also visit with all 8th graders next week to discuss their transition to AHS. 8th-grade families, you should have received a letter this week about important dates. Because the formatting was a bit wonky, I will repost that below. Next week as there is an AHS Transition Family Forum that is highly recommended to explain the transition process. The AHS meeting is on Thursday, December 9th at 6:30 - 8:00 PM on Zoom. It is open to families from JJMS, BMS, and LMS, and then there will be break-out rooms specifically for Lakeside families. As we are not hosting this meeting, we cannot guarantee a recording of the meeting, so we encourage our families to attend.
All calendar items for the three grades are on the new Transition 22/23 website, so please check that page for more details.
Thanks!
8th Grade Family Letter (repost)
Dear 8th grade Families,
I hope this special edition of SharkMail finds you well. As we approach the winter months, it is hard to believe that means we also turn some of our attention to preparing for the high school transition process. As we get our Lakeside 8th graders ready to become Albemarle Patriots, we have a lot of information to share and events coming up. We hope that this information will be helpful so you know what is coming up, but as always, please feel free to reach out to the Lakeside Counseling team if you have any questions.
Over the last few years, Albemarle County Public Schools has been working to align the high school experience with the Virginia Profile of a Graduate and the Albemarle County Public Schools Strategic Plan. As part of this high school redesign process, the academy experiences will be expanded for all students in grades 10-12. While Albemarle County continues to redefine these opportunities, all ACPS 8th graders will transition to the high school that they are assigned based on the attendance zones. This means all Lakeside Middle School students will transition to Albemarle High School for their ninth-grade year. Throughout their ninth-grade year, students will learn about the various academic pathways and learning opportunities that align with career pathways and student interests. If interested in pursuing a specific pathway, students will indicate their interest during their 9th-grade year, and they will begin a course of study for that pathway in 10th grade.
Below you will find several other key dates regarding the high school transition process that we’d like you to be aware of.
December 7 & 8: LMS School Counselors visit 8th-grade classes to discuss high school course registration
December 9: 6:30-8:15 Information meeting for 8th-grade families regarding high school registration (zoom-link to be sent on December 7)
December 7- January 7: ParentPortal open for course selection for 8th Graders
January 4 - February 11: 8th Grade Family/student conferences
April 29: All course requests for 9th grade considered final
For interested families, Albemarle County’s charter school, the Community Lab School, is open to rising 9th grade students. Admission to the Community Lab School is based upon lottery selection, and the details about their admissions process is detailed below as well as on the Community Lab School webpage.
December 16: 2:00-3:00 - Community Lab School Virtual Open House
January 18: 10:00-11:00 - Community Lab School Virtual Open House
January 28: 5:00pm - Admission Form deadline for lottery eligibility
February 4: 5:00pm - Community Lab School notifies selected students
We will continue to share several resources with you and your students to help guide you through this process. In the days following our Information night on December 9, we will be sharing a link to our sign-up genius so you can schedule to meet with one of the Lakeside counselors either in person or via zoom. During these conferences, we will discuss the opportunities at AHS, your student’s course selections, and answer any questions you have. We know that the transition to high school is exciting and can be filled with a mixture of emotions, so please be reassured that we are here to support you and your students through this process so that they are set up for success.
Take care,
Heather Lindsay, Lisa Wright, Cabell Guy
Next Week @ LMS:
Monday, December 6th: Black Day
Tuesday, December 7th: Teal Day
- 8th-grade classroom visits by counselors
- 6:00 - 8:30 PM: Drama performance (7th and 8th grade Teal day classes)
Wednesday, December 8th: Black Day (1/2 Day Schedule)
- 8th-grade classroom visits by counselors
- 6th & 7th-grade students pick exploratories for the 2022/2023 school year
- 1:00 PM Student dismissal
- 6:00 - 8:00 PM: 7th/8th/Jazz Band Winter Concert
Thursday, December 9th: Teal Day
- 6th & 7th-grade students pick exploratories for the 2022/2023 school year
- 6:30 PM: AHS Transition meeting
Friday, December 10th: Black Day
News from Lakeside:
- Our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade Orchestra students put on a fantastic show over at AHS for their Winter Concert this week. It is always great to see how far our students have progressed with their musical abilities!
- Support the Lakeside PTO by Feeding the Shark! Your tax-deductible donation will go to teacher appreciation, supplies, and so much more!
Click here for the most recent Parent Resource Center newsletter. Lots of good information here on our new Safety Coaches, bullying prevention, and social-emotional support.
CHOMPs are collecting items to donate to Shelter for Help in Emergency & The Haven for the Winter season. This is a CHOMPETITION in which the homeroom with the most amount of whole items (i.e. a pack of toilet paper versus one role) will receive a prize. Please consider donating items to help our local shelters as they prepare for a cold and wintery season. If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Goolsby or Ms. Walkup. Attached below is a list of the donation items that are preferred by the shelters.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HIQLYEm_4ZZJQvbGhuIipWfLVxGEc10-x_m2kOWXpMY/editThe Community Lab School has opened its admissions process for school year 2022-23 for all rising 6-9th grade students. Admission to the Community Lab School is through a lottery process. The lottery will remain open until January 28, 2022 at 5:00pm.
The Community Lab School’s goal is “to ignite and nurture an enduring spirit of scholarship, curiosity, creativity, and confidence. We value community, learning experientially, exhibiting kindness, and honoring diversity.”
The Community Lab School will offer three information sessions for families to learn more about their mission and curriculum. The information sessions are:
December 16 @2:00
January 18 @10:00
Registration links for the information sessions and other information about the admissions lottery are available on the Community Lab School website.
Social Media
Email: cguy@k12albemarle.org
Website: https://lakeside.k12albemarle.org/
Location: 2801 Powell Creek Drive, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: (434) 975-0599
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sutherlandpto
Twitter: @LakesideSharks