LCMS Paw Prints Newsletter

Dear LCMS Panther Families,

Thank you all for your support as we try to get everyone settled into a routine. We have made some changes to our dismissal procedures and so far things are going smoothly. 

Tutorial

Some parents have reached out and asked about tutoring.  Right now we have 3 options:

• All students have access to FREE 24/7 tutoring through FEV Tutoring - accessible through their Clever portal. Please see the flyer below for more information. 

• The Boys & Girls Club in Oviedo (419 by JHMS) has also reached out to share their programs with us. See their flyer below for more information.  

• Lastly, don't forget our business partner - Mathnasium of Oviedo. Their information is below as well. 

We will also be starting on campus after school tutorial in late September. Information will be sent out when that gets closer. 

Birthday Treats

***Please note - we do not allow cupcakes or other treats to be brought in to share for a student's birthday. Likewise, we do not allow deliveries of flowers or balloons and students may not carry balloons around campus. Want to find a way to celebrate your Panther's birthday? Order a Birthday Bear from PTSA (orders must be received 48 hours before delivery) through their online store: https://lcmsptsa.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true&offset=21 

Dress Code

Parents - please help us with this dress code issue below.

This mostly applies to the girls - only because I haven't seen boys wearing crop tops - but, if your son wears a crop top, this applies to him too. 

If your child wants to wear a crop top, have them stand up & raise their hand as if they want to ask a question. If they have skin showing, they cannot wear that shirt. The dress code states that the top of the shirt should be at the top of the bottoms; however, several girls have been rolling down their waistband on their shorts or sweatpants and we end up seeing 3-4 inches of skin between the two even when they are just standing,  without raising their hand.

Just because a top is cute, does not mean that it is appropriate for school. 

Please help us make sure that your child is dress code appropriate for school at all times. 

Enjoy your weekend & have a great last week of August - can you believe the first month of school is almost over already!?

Dr. Melissa Laudani

Principal, Lawton Chiles MS 

PTSA Fundraiser

Please support our PTSA! Scan the code below or text to donate today. 

We are so excited to begin an amazing new school year and Making Connections in support of our students, faculty, families, and community.

We have many student-centered activities planned for this year including a Back to School Social, Farmer's Market, 6 v 6 Flag Football Tournament, Holiday Movie Night, Skate Night, Bowling and Basket Event, and Spring Fling!

PTSA also intends to continue its support of the outstanding LCMS faculty through Mini-Grants and appreciation activities.

We need your help to make all of these events successful! Please consider making a donation to the "No Fuss" Fundraiser today!

PTSA Back to School Social

Please print and sign the permission form. Do not turn the form in early - It will be your child's ticket to get into the PTSA Back to School Social on Wednesday, August 30. Please see below for more info.

Parent Permission Form 

SAC Membership

Attention all Teachers, Staff, and Parents:

If you are interested in becoming a SAC (School Advisory Committee) member for our school, please complete the application using the google form.  Our first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September14, 2023 at 4:45pm in the Lorenzo Library at Chiles MS.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Dana Richardson at 407-871-7031 or dana_richardson@scps.k12.fl.us.  Thank you

https://forms.gle/i4aFB5D7k1B2Wv9z5     - SAC Application

Robotics Tryouts - Friday, Sept 1

We are accepting between 0 and 4 new students for the club, and competition is tight. We expect this year to be a serious competition year. We have two teams this year. The theme this year for Robotics is surrounding the arts, and we have our missions through First Lego League that we will be trying to create robots to solve these challenges, while also making a presentation about the core values that FLL provides. We meet most Wednesdays, and expect the team members to attend all meetings. Creativity is important to us, and so are problem solving skills.  

Parent Permission Form Required for Tryouts

FAST Parent Letters

Students will take their FAST Progress Monitoring 1 from 9/11-9/21. Please see these parent letters below:

PM1 2023 FAST Parent Guardian Notification 

PM1 2023 FAST Parent Guardian Notification (Spanish)

Resiliency Ed 

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of mandatory education requirements set forth by the Florida Department of Education.

State Statute 6A-1.09414 Required Instruction Planning and Reporting says that all students in grades 6-12 are required to receive education on the following topics:

• Recognition of signs of human trafficking

• Awareness of resources, including national, state and local resources

• Prevention of the abuse of and addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and drugs

• Information on the prevalence, nature, and strategies to reduce the risk of human trafficking, techniques to set healthy boundaries, and how to safely seek assistance

• Information on how social media and mobile device applications are used for human trafficking

• Information on the negative effects, addiction, distribution, misinformation, manipulative behavior, sharing materials, personal security, cyberbullying, and reporting behavior related to social media

• Strategies specific to demonstrating resiliency through adversity, including the benefits of service to the community through volunteerism

• Strategies to develop healthy characteristics that reinforce positive core values and foster resiliency, such as:

• Empathy, perseverance, grit, gratitude and responsibility

• Critical thinking, problem solving and responsible decision making

• Self-awareness and self-management

• Mentorship and citizenship

• Honesty

• Recognition of signs and symptoms of mental health concerns

• Promotion of resiliency to empower youth to persevere and reverse the harmful stigma of mental health by reframing the approach from mental health education to resiliency education

• Strategies to support a peer,friend,or family member through adversity

• Prevention of suicide

• Prevention of the abuse of and addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and drugs

• Awareness of local school and community resources and the process for accessing assistance

These lessons are scheduled to take place periodically throughout the school year at your student’s school. You can view the lessons by visiting the Seminole County Public Schools’ Mental Health page. The curriculum was created from the Florida Department of Education’s approved resources.

If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact your school’s administration and/or student services team. For more information on the state mandates, please visit: http://www.fldoe.org/

Students will be presented this information in 5 one-hour sessions throughout the school year starting in September. When it gets closer, we will provide you with the dates and bell schedules.

***Repeated but Relevant***

Picture Day is 8/25

Click the picture below or print and bring in this form:  Preorder Form

COVID

Believe it or not, this is the 4th year we are living with COVID. It has not gone away and safety protocols are still in place.  If your child tests positive, please email Mrs. Garcia at isabel_garciacaro@scps.k12.fl.us . Anyone who tests positive is still supposed to quarantine for 5 days (the day after the test/start of symptoms is Day 1). 

Cell Phone Policy

INFORMATION UPDATE: A new law went into effect on July 1, 2023 and impacts how cell phones and other wireless communication devices are used on campuses. Florida Statute 1006.07(2)(f), says “a student may not use a wireless communications device during instructional time, except when expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes. A teacher shall designate an area for wireless communications devices during instructional time.”

This means that cell phones must be silenced and placed as designated by the teacher while in class.

This new update can also be found in our student code of conduct on page 21.  We ask for your support in upholding not only the law, but in maintaining an environment conducive to academic learning.

Yearbooks Are Now on Sale! (updated code)

Scan code below or click the button at the top of this newsletter. 

PTSA

Join PTSA! PTSA Memberships for the 23-24 school year are now available at this link.

Please log in and purchase one for you and your Panther!  Student members receive incentives once a month during all lunches.

Don't forget that you must apply to be a Dividend every year. Please make sure that you log in and update your application for the upcoming school year - click here

For more information about PTSA, please visit their page on the LCMS Website: PTSA Page

All students attending PTA schools* sponsoring the program are invited to participate in the PTSA Reflections program. Students should submit their completed works of art in one, more or all of the available arts categories: 

• Dance Choreography

• Film Production

• Literature

• Music Composition

• Photography

• Visual Arts

This year's theme is below:

Who to Contact

Have a question or an issue, but you aren't sure who to contact? Use this flowchart below for assistance. All email addresses can be found on the Staff Directory on the LCMS Website:  Staff Directory  Lists of which administrators are over which subject areas can also be found on the LCMS Website: Administration

FYI - No Drop Offs or Early Check-out after 3:30 (2:30 on Wed)

Support our Business Partners!

If you are interested in advertising in the weekly newsletter, please email Melissa_Laudani@scps.us.

If you are interested in having an ad banner on our carline or Hwy 419 fence, please fill out this form: https://share.hsforms.com/1JG4T_qJIQq2TMHgRyay3dQ4amsl or call the number below. 

Pictures of these banners will also be included on the website and in this newsletter. 

Support our Banner Sponsors!

Support our Newsletter Advertisers!

Please support these Business Partners:

Support our In-Kind Donors!

Please support these Business Partners who have supported our school programs through an in-kind donation:

Support our Renters!

Please support these Business Partners who have rented our facility for an activity: