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LSC Stakeholders,
I hope each of you enjoyed a restful Holiday and are eager to continue helping in your unique capacity as a valued stakeholder in fulfilling the #LibertyForAll mission in 2022! The promise of new and exciting adventures in the New Year brings about an opportunity for reflection. As we soon begin the second semester, I want to offer my gratitude to our staff members, families, and other valued stakeholders. Your ability to elevate the importance of learning while balancing the safety and social-emotional needs of our scholars has not gone unnoticed. In the midst of opening a brand new school, we still continue to battle the pandemic. These challenges have tested our resolve. However, our school community’s resilience has been nothing short of amazing. I am extremely proud of your hard work, compassion, and determination. LSC’s inaugural class of 192 founding scholars has shown strong gains in their mid-year MAP assessment, and they are well on their way to meeting their proficiency goals by the end of the year. We recently were officially certified as a Great Place to Work, becoming just the 6th charter school in the country to receive this certification that measures organizational health from our staff. What’s even more exciting is that 100% of our families stated they would recommend LSC to others in the mid-year parent satisfaction survey while 99% say LSC meets or exceeds their expectations.
I am currently engaged in finalizing our 10-year strategic plan alongside our Board of Directors. We have never been in a better position to make a difference in the lives of the children in Sumter County that we serve than we have at this moment. Make no mistake about it: the LSC mission is one that will pay dividends for generations - this is our shared legacy, and I am renewed in the fight for doing better for the children here in our community. We look forward to sharing some very exciting news with you in the coming months regarding the future of Liberty in Sumter and beyond.
I appreciate all of you and the hard work and dedication you commit each day in and out as a valued Liberty stakeholder. Whether you are a parent, an employee, board member, or community supporter, please know that you are appreciated!
I am excited about the possibilities for our team & family this year and the big things we will accomplish together for our scholars. So, let us embrace the moment, seize the opportunity, and relish our good works that we will achieve by working together. Your love, guidance, and encouragement have created an invaluable foundation upon which our scholars continue to thrive and grow. Together, as one team, we will win one for the children of Sumter County, we are #LibertyForAll.
Let’s win the day!
Dr. Khalil Graham
Executive Director
E: Kgraham@libertysteamcharter.org
P: (803) 830.5965
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Million Word Reading Challenge
At LSC, one of the promises we make to our families is that your scholar will read a million words each year they are with us at LSC! Scholars’ reading logs are tracked by word count through the books they read both at and away from school. There are a variety of “benchmark levels” we celebrate throughout the year that leads up to the ultimate million-word mark. Each month features a new benchmark and guest readers flood the hallways & classrooms of LSC to read to our scholars & celebrate those who have met their goal. If you are interested in being a guest reader, email Tanya Peckham (Instructional Coach) at tpeckham@libertysteamcharter.org. Learn more about our Million Word Reading Challenge by watching this short video message.
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Donors like you help education come to life for our scholars each day by providing new, engaging, and downright fun opportunities. Preparing our highly credentialed scholars requires support from the community we serve. By supporting LSC, you support our scholars and provide them access to a robust public school education that will equip them for success in college and beyond. Our primary purpose is to serve scholars in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, with a goal of uplifting communities through better educational opportunities for children.
What We Believe
We believe each scholar can achieve their own unique, full potential through a caring and collaborative learning environment that emphasizes personalized learning; innovative instructional methods; college and career readiness; and character building.
Opportunities Our Donors Help Provide
Because of you, LSC is able to provide a variety of programs, services, and opportunities to our scholars and teachers. Below are just a few examples of how your support is making a difference in our school and community.
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Shereza Middleton & Ava Middleton, 6-year-old Kindergartener
What attracted you to LSC?
My initial attraction was the freedom of choosing a public (in-person) school here in Sumter for my child to attend. Followed by the flexibility in curriculum, teaching models, classroom structure, and overall school culture.
Why do you believe LSC is the best fit for your child?
Ava has always had a passion for learning. I believe LSC can assist Ava to continue developing effective learning habits, skills, and the mindset that will build her social, emotional, and academic competence.
What has your child enjoyed the most since attending LSC?
Ava enjoys the unique personalized relationships with teachers and staff and learning Spanish phrases and vocabulary.
What are you looking forward to the most about your child attending LSC?
I look forward to building supportive relationships with staff and teachers that promote equity and transparency. It is important for Ava to continue acquiring skills in independence, problem-solving, and self-advocacy.
What would you share with those looking to become involved with LSC by donating time or resources?
Patience. First, Communicate your ideas and concerns. Then assess as a team on how your time or resources can be best effective to support LSC vision. At LSC, we understand the importance of building positive networks and how this impacts our children's education.
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Full STEAM Ahead
Organizational Goals
We know that a strong education system is a critical part of building a strong community. In fact, it’s the foundation for almost everything that will happen in the future. We love our community and we know that we can do better for kids. When we do a good job of teaching the children in our community, we are training tomorrow’s workforce, creating opportunities for social mobility, and attracting new talent to our community. Today’s public education system must be centered around preparing our young people to participate in an ever-changing economy.
As an organization committed to chasing love & excellence, we have set high expectations regarding how we measure our overall performance in three areas: college & career readiness, operational excellence, & mission alignment. After all, our scholars only get one shot at a K-12 education.
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Mid-Year Parent Satisfaction Survey Results
One of LSC’s organizational goals to ensure mission alignment is to measure the satisfaction level from the families we are so privileged to serve. We just administered our mid-year parent satisfaction survey- receiving responses from 85% of our 192 founding families. Check out what they said!
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Wednesday Community Days at the Eagle’s Nest
At LSC, we believe in building a community around the joy factor! Wednesdays at LSC are dedicated to “Community Time,” where scholars receive lessons on valuable social-emotional learning skills such as self-regulation & handling conflict and are exposed to a variety of unique enrichment activities like gardening & taekwondo. We believe in teaching the whole child. Every Wednesday, our entire school community gathers for a Community Culture Celebration to celebrate the Eagle Scholar of the Week from each of our eight classrooms. Of the 15 Eagle Effort Bucks awarded by each classroom teacher, one is selected to be highlighted in front of the entire school. Scholars can receive Eagle Effort Bucks by demonstrating one of our three core values: Stand up and Own It, Power of Team, & Growth Mindset. Join us on Wednesdays via Facebook live on our official page to watch the celebration yourself. In the meantime, check out these pictures of how we celebrate our sweet scholars!
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Darla Moore Visits LSC
We enjoyed having Darla Moore and her foundation president Harry Lesesne recently visit our Academy Campus to learn more about the story, mission, and model of LSC. We are excited about ways we can potentially partner with individuals who want to “redefine what excellence looks like in public education” like Darla Moore.
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Board Appreciation Month
Each class at LSC’s Primary Academy Campus “adopted” a member from the Board of Directors to shower with appreciation! They recently visited campus to read a book to their class as part of the Million Word Reading Challenge.
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LSC Invitational Tour
February 15th from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Would you like to join us for a campus tour followed by dinner and a look into liberty's future? Invitational tours are a great way for your organization to learn more about LSC! Please contact Dr. Trevor T. Ivey through tivey@libertysteamcharter.org or at 803-316-7849 to save your seat!
Pictured: Kathy Maness, Executive Director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, joins State Representative Murrell Smith; City & County Council Members; Scholars lead the Eagle Scholar Pledge at an Invitational Tour
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Board of Directors Meeting
January 31 & March 28th from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Advanced Manufacturing Training Center Room A101 (Masks Required)
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Quixote Club
Greg and Lewis Thompson started Quixote Club with a vision to give back to the community by supporting children and their families. The end goal is attracting more families to plant their roots within the Thompson's hometown of Sumter, South Carolina.
With this vision in mind, Quixote Club was created to connect, inspire, and change lives through golf. With the support of its philanthropic minded members, proceeds from Quixote Club are reinvested back into the community through the Liberty STEAM Charter School. Through membership and corporate sponsors, Quixote Club is a catalyst to elevate the community by providing a world-class education to our youth and enriching the history of Sumter through philanthropy.
Pictured: Eric Pederson, Melissa Hudson, & Erricka Jones from the Quixote Club
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Call Me MiSTER Partnership with Clemson & USC Sumter
LSC has partnered with Clemson to help establish a Call Me MiSTER program on the campus of USC Sumter.
The Call Me MiSTER program, developed and supported by Clemson University, aims to bring more men of color into the education profession. The overall program focuses on mentoring and providing academic and financial support for these future teachers. The goal of the USC Sumter program is also to foster a commitment with students to become educators within the Sumter community, so they've partnered with Liberty STEAM Charter School to further that goal.
"Nationally, over half of students are students of color, while approximately 85% of teachers are white women," said Christina Lunsmann, coordinator and instructor of teacher education at USC Sumter. "It is vitally important for all children to see people like them in professional roles. Call Me MiSTER helps meet that need because it encourages more exceptional men of color to enter into teacher education."
In addition to aiding in professional development and mentorship, the Call Me MiSTER participants will be part of a living learning community. They will live together, study together and meet with a site coordinator and mentor, local teacher Micah Vaughn.USC Sumter's Call Me MiSTER program is supported by Liberty STEAM Charter School, where Vaughn teaches first grade, which will provide an annual stipend for the site coordinator and a $5,000 scholarship toward housing for each student.
In return, MiSTER candidates will provide one year of teaching service at Liberty for each year he receives funding.
"I personally believe that it's important for children to see Black males in their lives who are in respectable positions to give them something to glean from, even outside of the teaching profession," Vaughn said. "As the site coordinator, it is my goal to provide the campus MiSTERs valuable tools such as public speaking, lesson planning/implementation, classroom community, mentorship and networking skills to help them become game-changing leaders in the education system."
"We know the single greatest impact on our scholars' outcome is the adults we put in front of them," said Trevor Ivey, chief of staff for Liberty. "The Liberty STEAM Charter mission is directly aligned with the principles of the Call Me MiSTER program to prepare our scholars for success in college, career and life." Learn more about what this partnership entails by watching this short video message.
Pictured: Dr. Christina Lunsman, Director of the USC Sumter Teacher Education Program, joins LSC Lead First Grade Teacher & MiSTER Mentor Micah Vaughn with MiSTER Candidates Jordan Blanding & Gweden Baldwin.
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- LSC Earns Great Place to Work Certification - Six months into the school year, we are excited to have been certified as an official “Great Place to Work.” Great Place to Work Certification is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that organizations aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. You can view LSC’s Great Place to Work profile here.
- Dedication of Refurbishment - Members of the original charter planning committee, the architect, faculty & staff, and general contractors joined Board Chairman Greg A. Thompson as he declared a link of excellence from the past to the present in dedicating the refurbished original Liberty Street Elementary School plaque from 1949 to the Liberty STEAM Charter School plaque of 2021. In the photo, you see an original plaque to commemorate the original school and now a second plaque for the opening of LSC.
- Holiday Eagle Giving Tree Update - We raised $12,500 to support learning needs for our incoming kindergarten class of 2035! Thank you to all of those who generously gave and adopted the 115 Eagles off of the Holiday Eagle Tree, each one representing a new scholar admitted to the Class of 2035.
- Holiday Canned Food Drive - The LSC family collected 965 canned & non-perishable food items, which were donated to a food pantry in South Sumter. Thank you, Eagle families, for helping to do our part!
- School to be ‘Spark’ for Area Education - Get to know our Executive Director and his hopes for LSC through this in-depth article published by The Sumter Item.
- Fall Service Learning Project - LSC sponsored 450 wreaths as part of the annual Wreaths Across America Campaign. These wreaths were placed on the graves of local veterans here in Sumter by volunteers such as members of our team, families, scholars, and stakeholders.
- A Trip to the Theatre - Thanks to a generous donor, 114 lucky scholars at LSC were treated to a live theater production of the Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the local Sumter Little Theatre.
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Want to Know More?
Click the link below to access weekly organizational video updates!
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