Limestone County School News
SPRING 2020
Welcome to SPRING 2020!
We hope everyone has a wonderful Spring, as it is a busy time for our schools and systems. On Friday, March 13th, Governor Kay Ivey declared a State of Emergency in Alabama and ordered all schools to close effective Wednesday, March 18th at the close of the school day. As we are now in a state of national emergency with the COVID-19 outbreak in our state, we are now preparing resources for you to use during this time. These activities are available for you to use with your children during the times that schools are closed. Some of these require no devices or internet access.
We are including programs students are already familiar with using that can be accessed from home. Many of the vendors that we use are offering free access to all during this time. We're also learning that many companies are offering free educational resources and several companies in our area are offering free internet access.
This is not an exhaustive list. The district wants to provide you with a variety of options of activities to encourage you to create a schedule that works for you and your family. We have also provided enrichment/practice paper-pencil packets for homes and are sending home school textbooks. Let your child's teacher know if you need extra books to read at home also.
We ask that you include some time to practice previously taught skills, family time, active tasks/chores, exercise, and FUN family time. We understand that this may be a stressful time, but we wanted to offer you some materials to assist at home. These materials will not be graded upon return. They are only for reinforcement of skills and will provide needed practice for standards previously taught.
Beginning Thursday, March 19, sack lunches will be provided for drive-through pickup at each local high school from 11:00 - 1:00 pm, Monday - Friday. This service will continue through Spring Break until Friday, April 3. If you have any needs during this time, please reach out to school administrators or the central office team.
Per Dr. Eric Mackey, Alabama State Superintendent, all school-related events and activities are suspended through Thursday, April 30, 2020. This includes sports, Prom, field trips, scholars bowl, and academic or career tech competitions. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed. Thanks for your patience and support.
Sincerely,
Limestone County District Central Office Team
Important Dates for March and April 2020
March
- March 19th- April 5th, 2020- All LCS Schools Closed
- March 16th - April 30th, 2020 - ALL LCS Schools Activities are Suspended. This includes all sports, Proms, field trips, and Scholars Bowl.
APRIL
- April 6th- LCS Students tentatively scheduled to return to school
- April 10th- New 3rd Nine Weeks Tentative Date for Report Cards
- ALSDE will give guidance on state testing requirements for April/May.
Parent Resources K-12
K-12 Distance Learning Resources from the ALSDE Office of Student Learning
Renaissance- Reading and Math
We have created a landing page for our partners to use. https://www.renaissance.com/renaissance-at-home/ Use these implementation guides, learning activities, and family letters to make the best use of your Renaissance programs to support student learning outside of school.
Dreambox K-8
DreamBox Math is here to support you and the learners in our communities during these uncertain times. We’re offering a 90 day free trial of DreamBox through April 30th, so kids can keep on learning, even if they’re not in school. Learn More: https://bit.ly/38SwfbH
You may access Dreambox using your school code listed below.
School School Code
Blue Springs Elementary n3zv/e2vz
Cedar Hill Elementary n3zv/ubbd
Elkmont Elementary School n3zv/fp5h
Elkmont High School n3zv/kcb4
LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL n3zv/6m83
Mustang Academy n3zv/qpfq
Piney Chapel Elementary School n3zv/mpb2
Sugar Creek Elementary School n3zv/mptz
Tanner Elementary n3zv/nwwb
Tanner High School n3zv/hma9
West Limestone High School n3zv/n555
Imagine Learning Math - Parent Access
Teacher Recommended Resources
Typing Club - https://www.typingclub.com
Typetastic- https://typetastic.com
Storyline Online -https://www.storylineonline.net
Mystery Doug - https://mysterdoug.com - Short science questions answered *Kids love this!
Mystery Science - Collection of lessons that can be done at home https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
Scholastic - 20 days of exciting articles, stories, and learning challenges - www.scholastic.com/learnathome
Khan Academy - www.khanacademy.org
Reflex Math - https://www.reflexmath.com/
Epic Books - https://www.getepic.com/
Library Media Resources
Students can find PebbleGo and multiple Free ebooks on (AVL) Alabama Virtual Library.
Art Resources
https://www.nga.gov/education/teachers/lessons-activities.html
Physical Education Resouces
Charter Free Internet Access
Charter Information
Charter will partner with school districts to ensure local communities are aware of these tools to help students learn remotely.
For eligible low-income households without school-aged children, Charter continues to offer Spectrum Internet Assist, a low-cost broadband program delivering speeds of 30 Mbps
Charter will open its Wi-Fi hotspots across our footprint for public use
Spectrum does not have data caps or hidden fees.
First Class Pre-K Guidance
Pre-K Lottery
March School Activities
Read Across America
District Elementary Curriculum Coordinator and Director of Pre-K, Julia Wall
Cedar Hill First Class Pre-k
Blue Springs Elementary Principal, Cade Baker
Piney Chapel Elementary
Elkmont Elementary
Sugar Creek Elementary
Students Celebrate Read Across America
Creekside Primary
District Federal Program Director, Allison Usery
District Spring Art Show
Art
Showcase
Mr. T at Cedar Hill Elementary
LETRS
Science of Reading
Mental Health News
Parents and Guardians:
Limestone County Schools is proud to partner with Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama (MHCNCA) for counseling services at school. Parents are also welcome to visit the Athens-Limestone Counseling Center on Elm Street in Athens. If you need mental health services for your children through North Central Alabama, please ask your school counselors to call the ACCESS number at (256)355-5904 or toll-free at 1-800-365-6008. The ACCESS department will schedule intakes at the Athens Limestone Counseling Center at the earliest available dates. Please review the links and attachments below for more information. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We look forward to working with MHCNCA and are committed to meeting the mental health needs of our students.
Thanks,
Brad Lewis
The Importance of Parent Involvement
1. Get involved with your child's school through PTO or volunteer.
2. Eat lunch with your child.
3. Become a reading buddy.
4. Communicate regularly.
5. Participate in school fundraisers to support the school.
6. Set high expectations for your student.
LCS Parent and Family Engagement Plan Overview
Limestone County Parent and Family Engagement Plan Overview
(The full plan can be viewed at your local school, on the local school website, and the district website www.lcsk12.org.)
Limestone County Schools will:
· Involve parent and family members in the development of the Limestone County Consolidated Plan as part of their participation on the Federal Programs Parent Advisory Committee.
· Evaluate the Title I program by administering an annual parent/family member survey. This survey is conducted in the spring of each year, and the data is used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Title I program, including parent/family engagement.
· Use evaluation results to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parent and family engagement.
· Remove barriers that hinder parent/family participation.
· Develop a Parent and Family Engagement Plan annually with parent/family input. The Federal Programs Director works with parent/family representatives from every Title I school to create the Parent and Family Engagement Plan, and decide how the district’s Parent and Family Engagement Funds will be spent.
· Provide assistance to parents/family members in understanding topics such as the following: state academic standards, state and local assessments, Title I requirements, strategies for monitoring their child’s progress (parent portal, progress reports, and report cards), and strategies for working with their child at home.
· Use many successful ways to interact with parents either face to face or using technology. The district and the schools have flexible meeting schedules and use their website to inform parent/family members who are unable to attend meetings.
· Provide assistance and training to local schools on the rights of parents and on evidence-based parent and family engagement practices.
· Conduct a variety of parent meetings throughout the year.
· Communicate with parents/families using a variety of methods (ex. phone calls, emails, automated phone system, school website, and district website).
· Provide materials and training to help parents/families work with their children to improve their children’s achievement.
· Involve parents in the development of the district and the local school’s Continuous Improvement Plan.
· Implement Parent’s Right to Know
OSR Pre-k
https://children.alabama.gov/pre-registration-for-2018-2019-first-class-pre-k-programs/
Reading
How to help your child with reading?
Parent Reading Support
How to Help Your Child With Reading
Math
Mathematics and Parent Support
Professional Learning Communities
General, Weather and Emergency Messaging System
Tips:
Press # during the call to place the broadcast on hold for 2 minutes until you are ready to listen.
Press 1 if you are having trouble hearing the message and it will restart.
Limestone County Schools
300 South Jefferson Street
Athens, AL 35611
Open Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. during the school year.
Website: www.lcsk12.org
Location: Athens, AL, USA
Phone: (256) 232-5353
Facebook: facebook.com/limestonecountyschools
Twitter: @LCSforKids