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LSC Team & Family,
Thank you for what can be arguably be considered the most successful first year of any public charter school in South Carolina, and that is because of you! In this newsletter, we will reflect on the many memories we created together and exciting events that were held that we can fondly look back on in the years to come.
Our year ended with wonderful award ceremonies filled with pride and celebration of scholar accomplishments. We are very proud of all of our students and their successes.
I can’t thank everyone enough for your endless hours of volunteering, chaperoning, reading, organizing, donating, and doing whatever was necessary to support our scholars —both at home and at school. Special thanks to our founding parents, directors, & staff, who, as usual, went above and beyond the call of duty to provide whatever was necessary to add to our scholars’ already rich school experience.That experience could not occur without the LSC founding staff's endless energy, skills, and devotion. Thanks and well done to an incredible group of professionals.
A final word to LSC Founding First Grade Class of 2033 and Founding Kindergarten Class of 2034: Thank you for your hard work throughout the school year. It has been the honor of a lifetime to have spent the last two years in the Sumter community, helping to bring the liberty for all vision to life. Together, we have learned much and shared experiences that will remain in our hearts for years to come. You make me proud to be an LSC eagle. The passion & strength within our unique learning community makes LSC a truly special place for our children and a place I have enjoyed calling “home” for the last two years. I am grateful for your joy, astute insights, and amazing talents.
Looking ahead, I am confident that LSC will continue to SOAR under Dr. Ivey’s leadership. We have many exciting new initiatives that we are bringing to LSC for the upcoming school year. Not only are we adding a brand new grade level (2nd) and welcoming 161 new families to eagle nation, we will be focusing more on strengthening structures and systems to increase our overall organizational effectiveness. We will be increasing parent engagement opportunities, fully implementing the required 12 hours of parent volunteer service hours, and organizing a parent advocacy group. Look for your scholar to experience 12 enrichment classes next year from a team of five teachers, a new social-emotional learning curriculum, club offerings on our weekly early-release Fridays, and a shortened day by 30 minutes, just to name a few! Lots more technology is coming! For example, we will be implementing a new online platform to simplify dismissal, engage parents, and keep our scholars safe. We have a fully hired staff who are ready to love on your children when they report back on August 8. Be on the lookout for a special “back to school” newsletter next month. Everyone have a safe and happy summer break. Until next school year, here’s wishing you love, laughter, and learning.
- Dr. Khalil Graham, Executive Director
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As we put year one in the books, we have never been in a better position to make a difference in the lives of our families in Sumter County than we have at this moment. Hear first-hand from our LSC family as they share their experience with Liberty STEAM Charter School.
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We're growing...and we want to utilize our outdoor spaces for learning!
Please help us purchase eight of these tables & umbrellas for our scholars to use. If every founding family & staff member found eight individuals to donate $10 each to this project, we will make this happen by the first day of school on August 8.
Will you help us meet the challenge of finding eight individuals to make a $10 donation?
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Let's learn more about our Profe Kate Weschler, Lead Enrichment Teacher!
What's your role at LSC?
I am a Lead Enrichment teacher, which means I get to interact with and teach all our scholars at LSC. My primary instructional focus is Spanish, which I present to the kiddos through music, art, and movement. I have also started our gardening initiative in which each class gets to maintain several raised garden beds. We planted a variety of salad greens and spring vegetables, kept an observation journal, and completed several STEAM-based projects.
What inspired you to be an educator/in education?
I have always sought out roles that entail being of service to others. When I first moved to South Carolina I was looking for a way to use my skills while also developing a sense of community - what better place to do that than in a school! I enjoy the daily challenge of navigating the needs of a diverse audience while also imparting emotional support and academic content. Collaborating with team-oriented individuals who are willing to foster love and excellence continues to help me stretch my mind and heart.
What is most exciting about opening LSC's first Academy?
We have built a team of "yes people" - staff members are willing to go above and beyond for both their colleagues and scholars. The most exciting part is being able to create this organization (and my own curriculum) from the ground up. It can be stressful to not know the unknown, but it's a fun challenge to be a part of the launch and implementation. I feel resourced and supported, which is key to being able to bring ideas to life. Knowing that the organization will continue to expand is also exciting because there will continue to be a variety of career opportunities.
What is one fun fact about you people wouldn't know?
I am an avid birder! I use the Merlin Bird ID app on my phone to identify birds by both sight and sound, and have identified close to 80 birds on the property where I live now. Some of my favorites include the Northern Flicker, Wood Duck, and Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, not to mention the millions of blackbirds that fill the sky during the wintertime. I love keeping track of when they arrive or depart for the season - it's a simple way to get in touch with the environment and cycles around you.
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Fearless Founders, Kindergarten
This newsletter's Classroom Spotlight shines brightly on our Kindergarten Fearless Founders. Under the leadership of lead teacher Stephanie & teaching fellow Eden Williams, scholars are in "fearless" pursuit of growing their MAP Scores and reaching their yearly million word challenge goals. Scholars track their goals through visual anchor charts and are very involved in their achievements. Fearless Founders have been engaged in differentiated technology platforms such as Lailio, Teach Your Monster to Read, Freckle and Prodigy to boost their MAP scores in addition to the use of hands-on manipulatives. These fearless founders celebrate each other and exhibit all of LSC's core values; (Power of Team, Growth Mindset, and Stand of Up & Own It).
In addition to academics, the fearless founders, along with other LSC Kindergarteners, attended their first field trip to Dorr Farms. Scholars participated in a "farm to table" experience as they picked their strawberries and then enjoyed them in a strawberry shortcake. These experiences help them grow their knowledge about our community and the world around them.
Our fearless founders have done a phenomenal job in kindergarten! All scholars are "millionaires" as they've all met their yearly goal of reading 1,000,000 or more words. Our classes MAP Goals reflect their hard work! 92% of our Fearless Founders met the "Math Spring Norm," and 79% met the "Spring Reading Norm." We are so proud of our fearless founders and cannot wait to see the amazing things they'll accomplish as they become "fearless" in first grade!
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LSC Academic Acheivement
We are developing tomorrow’s leaders who will contribute to the economic well-being of their communities and families, and we take that very seriously. We create clearly defined and measurable high expectations for our scholars to promote academic achievement and good conduct, ultimately creating and reinforcing a culture of achievement and support. And our scholars are eager to deliver.
Academic Achievement for 2021-2022*
- Kindergarten Math | 73% (Increased 14 Points)
- Kindergarten Reading | 82% (Increased 21 Points)
- 1st Grade Math | 84% (Increased 35 Points)
- 1st Grade Reading | 70% (Increased 17 Points)
- Kindergarten Reading Level Growth | 4.0
- 1st Grade Reading Level Growth | 6.0
- Kindergarten - 1st Grade Spanish Proficiency | 82%
- Kindergarten - 1st Grade STEAM Proficiency | 83%
Curious as to how it's calculated?
LSC is in its first year and has no comparison data or state standardized assessments that report proficiency levels. We use five MAP data points to capture scholar growth over time. Proficiency is calculated according to scholars meeting their individual growth targets compared to national normed benchmarks. LSC’s overall grade level proficiency is 85%. Next Steps Guided Reading Assessment is given to scholars six times a year to measure reading & comprehension fluency over time. Scholars are typically expected to grow one reading level in a regular school year. Spanish and STEAM assessments are teacher-created under the state-approved SLO growth measures for teacher evaluation.
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Elementary Academy Campus Site Update
BIG NEWS! We are excited to engage in preliminary conversations with Aldersgate United Methodist Church of Sumter that could potentially house LSC's Elementary Academy, scheduled to open in the Fall of 2023, serving 300 scholars in third and fourth grade. Through a proposed temporary lease arrangement with the church, the Wesley Wing of the church will be renovated into a world-class educational facility that includes 12 classroom spaces across roughly 18,000 square feet of space and will be used for a period of two to three years. The renovation project is pending initial approval from the SC Department of Education Office of School Facilities and no contractual arrangements have been entered into.
As part of LSC's enrollment expansion amendment hearing, it was required to submit a viable facility plan, and Aldersgate is considered to be our frontrunner choice. The three-member elementary academy leadership team -- all of whom are veteran certified educators -have already been hired and begin their official duties on July 11 at the current Primary Academy campus. They include Sally Harris as the Academy Director, Micah Vaughn as the academic counselor, & Emily Hatfield as the instructional coach. In their resident roles for the 2022-23 school year, they will be provided the opportunity to learn key leadership competencies with hands-on learning opportunities with current scholars & staff members.
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LSC End-of-Year Surveys
We asked, and our parents shared! We completed our end-of-year family engagement survey, and here are our results. (87% of Parents Responded)
- 100% of Parents Are Satisfied With Their Scholar’s Progress
- 99% Satisfied with the Home-School Relationship
- 98% Agree LSC Sets Rigorous Expectations for Scholars
- 98% Agree LSC Meets/Exceeds Their Expectations
- 96% Recommend LSC to Others
- 95% Agree LSC Provides a Better Educational Experience than Previous Experiences
83& of our staff also affirmed that LSC is a great place to work, with a 90% participation rate. Our Great Place to Work certification was also renewed for 2022-2023!
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LSC Featured by The Item
Check out our feature with The Item, where we catch you up on our Million Word Reading Challenge. Watch the video here. Did you know we had over 200 guest readers volunteer to boost our efforts, virtually or in the classroom, and 100% of LSC’s founding scholars made it to the millionaire’s club?
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Let's Prevent the Summer Slide
Woo-hoo! It's finally summer! However, having lots of free time can lead to a scholar experiencing the "summer slide," a regression in academic proficiency due to summer break. Younger children are prone to the most learning loss because they’re at a crucial stage in their development. Did you know that research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing? In addition to making reading a part of every day, or visiting the library, scholars can brush up on their educational skills using technology in a productive way! Here are seven websites/apps that we strongly recommend to keep our scholars' brain juices flowing. A summer reading and math challenge packet went home this month with our scholars to steadily work on throughout the summer break. If you didn’t get the packet, click here to download & print the packet. Email completed assignments to summerchallenge@libertysteamcharter.org for a special prize to be awarded during the first week of the new school year.
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LSC Safety Protocols
The safety of all scholars is our number one priority at LSC. Please take a moment to read a recent update regarding the state of school safety from Dr. Ivey by clicking here.
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COVID Safety Protocols
Don't let Covid disrupt our plans to honor in-person learning, five days a week for the 2022-23 school year that starts on August 8. Click here to view a short video message update that explains how we addressed Covid this past school year and what we are asking LSC families to do to keep safe this summer. It is important that EVERYONE in our LSC family do their part to keep our school environment safe.
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Uniform Policy Updates!
Liberty polos are expected to be worn Monday through Thursday. Scholars may dress down or wear specialized LSC shirts ONLY on Fridays.
Because scholars will participate in structured physical education activities each day next year as part of LSC’s enrichment model, scholars are asked to wear black sneakers/tennis shoes.
Families in need of financial assistance should contact Shereza Middleton, Academic Counselor (smiddleton@libertysteamcharter.org) or Micah Vaughn, Academic Counselor-in-Residence (mvaughn@libertysteamcharter.org).
Where Can I Buy Uniforms?
Online at French Toast
or
Audri J's Boutique
1190 Old W Liberty St, Suite #3
Sumter, SC 29150
**Select Uniform Pieces Available**
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Enjoy Summer Break! Here’s how we feel about it: watch the video 😎
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