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Happy New Year and welcome to 2022! The school year is halfway complete and we will be having our report cards going home on Thursday, January 13, 2022. If you have concerns about your child's learning, please contact your child's teacher. We are beginning our 2nd Cycle for Lexington 2.5, our after school academic support program on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. This program is by invitation only and if your child received an invitation to Lex 2.5, we strongly encourage you to have them attend. Some students have had really solid growth during the first cycle.

This month students will take their Winter Star tests in Math and Reading. These tests will measure student growth from the beginning until the middle of the school year. Please encourage students to do their absolute best when they take these tests. These tests help teachers to plan their instruction and lets students and parents know how students are performing. You should also look for a report to go home later during the month after the report cards.

As always, one of our greatest challenges at Congaree is improving student attendance. This means making sure that students are getting to school on time no later than 7:30 each day and staying all day until dismissal. For many students, every minute missed from class is a lost learning opportunity that they will have a significant obstacle to overcome. Attendance matters.

Finally, as we honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr., we ask that you remember one of his famous quotes, "The time is always right to do what is right." We ask that you talk with your children about making good choices, treating others with kindness and showing respect. I challenge each of us as adults to model the same positive behaviors that we want our children to show. We've got really great parents, students and staff at Congaree and I know that all of us are up to the challenge.

Respectfully,

Mr. Dickey

Parents/Guardians now have the option to submit parent notes, medical excuses, etc. electronically. Please use the following link to access this form: https://congaree.lex2.org/apps/form/form.LEX-COE.sOnhmOT.2jC.

Beginning October 20th, Lexington Two will monitor chronic tardiness for each student. Students who are not inside their classroom by 7:30 AM will be marked tardy. Consequences are as follows:

5th Tardy: School will notify parents/guardian (phone, conference, etc.)

10th Tardy: School will send a letter to parents/guardian

20th Tardy: School will develop an Intervention Plan

30th Tardy: Referral to Tardy Court

Please note, administration has the right to substitute an alternative disciplinary intervention for repeated offenders. We are committed to working with our parents and students to maximize the learning opportunities for students to gain skills to be college and career ready. Should you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ross.

Parents/legal guardians are asked to report COVID positive test results or close contact information after hours, on weekends and during holiday/school breaks by filling out their school-appropriate form using the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScE5gjFCfmgOpdBh34cMZrSzgo0HoJ1SVltjNxH-293wAjvOg/viewform.

There has been a significant increase in students not being picked up in the carline on time and being sent to Boys & Girls Club. This is a reminder that students must be enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club afterschool program to attend on a daily basis. Students who are not picked up in the carline will be sent to B&G where there will be a charge of $24 per day, regardless of how long they attend. If you would like to enroll your student, use the following link: https://begreatacademy.org/register-login/.

Lexington Two is now offering social work services to students and families! My name is Julie Locklair and I am the School Social Worker at Congaree Elementary School.

Who am I?

I am from Winnsboro, SC and have lived there most of my life. I attended college at the University of South Carolina, where I earned both my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work. I enjoy working with children and families and have always wanted to work in a school setting. I am family-oriented and am very close with my dad and grandmother. I also have the best dog in the world; her name is Sadie. I am so happy to be a part of the Congaree family and look forward to working hard to give our students the tools they need to succeed in all areas of life.

What is a social worker?

A social worker is a person whose job is to help people. Social workers find needs in our communities and work to meet those needs. Social workers have important values that we must follow! My favorite ones are:

• Every person has inherent dignity and worth.
• Human relationships are powerful.
• Social justice matters.
• Service to others is important.

What can a social worker do for your family?

A social worker can provide access to resources!

One of the biggest things I do is help families with financial challenges. If you find yourself having trouble paying a bill, finding a job, finding housing, applying for economic assistance, paying for childcare, having enough money to buy presents for the holidays, or any other financial challenge, I can most likely help you and your family. All you have to do is ask and I will do my best to assist!

A social worker gives support!

I help with crisis interventions and risk assessments at the school. I may contact you if we have concerns with your child’s mental or emotional health. I can refer you to outside agencies for mental health services. I can also provide support through regular check-ins with your child, limited on-site counseling, and family support to caregivers. If you just need someone to talk to or need me to make a referral, I am here!

A social worker works with families to address truancy.

I am here to help figure out why children are having difficulties attending school and to provide resources to address these problems. This may be in the form of assistance with arranging transportation or helping you get your child set up with counseling to address why they do not want to attend school.

This is not all I can do. If you think you may benefit from social work services, please contact me and I will see what I can do.

How do I contact the social worker?

I am on campus at Congaree every Wednesday. I can also be reached by email at julieL@lex2.org or phone at (803) 351-6178 during school hours. If I am unavailable, please leave me a message and I will get back to you. Feel free to use text messaging to contact me, as well!

This will be an e-Learning day for students. This makeup day is from Monday, January 4th due to the inclement weather.