Leopard Tales: November 3rd

Good afternoon, Lowes Island Leopards!

I hope that you have been able to enjoy some of the recent days off together as a family! Our teachers have been hard and work and greatly appreciate the time they were able to spend with you during conferences.

Upcoming days off:

November 4th and 5th: Student holidays (Professional Development Days)

2nd Quarter begins on November 6th!

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend, and we look forward to seeing our Leopards on Wednesday!!

Your PROUD Principal,

Dr. Puschak-Ridgeway

kate.puschak@lcps.org

**Always BE KIND**

**Every Leopard Every Day**

Our newly formed SCA in collaboration with the Equity Team are organizing a canned food drive for the Month of November. These canned goods will be shipped to hurricane relief organizations after the effects of the recent hurricane. Students may bring in cans of food and there will be several boxes around the school to deposit their can. This will start November 5th (if you would like to bring one if you are voting here) and end Friday the 22nd. There will be a morning show starting in November reminding students. Thank you in advance so much for your thoughtful donations!

Hello Leopard Families,

We are honored to invite you to our Veterans Day Assembly on Monday, November 11th at 1:00 PM in the gymnasium. Veterans, along with their families and friends, are warmly welcome to join us in celebrating and recognizing their service.

To ensure that the Veterans in your life are honored, please complete the form below. During the assembly, we will proudly announce their names and the branch of service in which they served. Additionally, you may submit photos to be included in our slideshow, and RSVP if you wish to attend the reception following the assembly.

Click to RSVP and give Veteran names here

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Ms. Bennett at Sarah.Bennett@lcps.org

Kindly,

Ms. Bennett

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming! SAVE THE DATE for November 18th-22nd and get ready to empower your reader with book choice. Start exploring together: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/lowesislandelementaryschool

More detailed information will be coming in the next few weeks. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up on the following Google Form. Thanks for all your support!

https://forms.gle/2GwBq7TBVTcMCcMs7

If you are able to, we like to support students at Meadowland Elementary and provide them with an opportunity to buy a book from their Book Fair. Here is a link if you are able to donate to their students!

Families are invited to attend a Student Success Talk with Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence. Held across all eight election districts from November 2024 through May 2025, these sessions provide practical tips on supporting students’ academic, social and emotional success.

Topics include ParentVUE, digital tools, testing, college and career readiness, mental health and family involvement. Sessions run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on scheduled days in each district. Visit the LCPS event calendar or the Student Success Talks webpage (www.lcps.org/successtalks) for details.

Interpretation services are available—contact the Superintendent's Office at clerk@lcps.org at least three days before the meeting.

Beginning on Monday, November 4, a communication from the division is planned to go out asking all families to fill out the Impact Aid survey in ParentVUE. The Impact Aid Survey must be completed for all active LCPS students. Note: If both parents reside at the same address, then only one parent will need to complete the Impact Aid Survey. That parent will complete it for both parents.

Details on how to fill out the survey will be included in the division communication.

ParentVUE Questions

If there are any questions, please contact ParentVUE support staff at the school of any of your students or email us with your name, your student name, your contact information and the questions you have at ParentVUE Support.

Impact Aid Questions

If you have questions or need more information regarding this Federal Impact Aid survey, please contact our Accounting staff at ImpactAid@lcps.org or 571-252-1220.

The survey should be completed by Friday, November 22.

Superintendent’s Message

Dr. Spence welcomed the LEAF members and emphasized his dedication to family engagement as a critical element of student success. He underscored the importance of building meaningful relationships with families, not just by communicating with them, but by understanding their needs and finding ways we can assist them. He also spoke about two key initiatives: One LCPS Celebration Day and the first-ever Workforce Summit, which brought together over 250 community members, business leaders, educators, and nonprofits to discuss how collaboration can shape the future of workforce development for our students.

Dr. Spence encouraged LEAF members to actively participate in collaborative discussions, particularly when reviewing Working Agreements and providing feedback on Policy 5030, Grading and Assessment.

LEAF Leadership Discussion

The leadership revisited September’s activity on Important Community Topics, reviewing and reaching a consensus on themes such as student safety, academic flexibility, school nutrition, parent engagement, communication and teacher retention. These themes reflected the need for greater transparency, collaboration and equity within the school division. If you have additional topics or areas of interest, please share them via the LEAF Feedback form.

Collaborative Conversations: Members and staff engaged in a discussion that included updates from Ms. Shernoff and Dr. Ellis on Policy 5030, Grading and Assessment, as well as discussions on Special Programs and LEAF's Working Agreement Themes and Outcomes. Below is a summary along with links to additional resources.

Special Programs

The Director of Academic Programs, along with staff from various LCPS Special Programs, provided information in an information-fair format. Members had the opportunity to gather materials and ask questions using the following question starters:

• What makes this program stand out from other academic opportunities?
• How does this program prepare students for future education and careers?
• What are the long-term benefits for students participating in this program?
• What career pathways does this program help students explore?
• How does this program support diverse learning styles or needs?

The programs represented included:

• Academies of Loudoun (ACL)
• Dual Language Immersion (DLI)
• Health & Medical Sciences Academy (HAMSci)
• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC)
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST)

Families with a student in Grade 8 may have received an email in September regarding the Special Programs team’s visits to middle schools. The presentation is available online for further reference. For more details, please visit our Special Programs website.

Policy 5030 – Grading and Assessment

Dr. Ellis, Chief Academic Officer, and Ms. Shernoff provided an overview of Policy 5030, explaining its history and gathering feedback from members. A timeline for the policy’s revision was shared, with October and November dedicated to focus groups, research and policy updates. The final recommendations are expected to be presented to the Curriculum and Instruction Committee in December 2024. For more information, refer to the Policy Review Page.

Working Agreements – Themes and Outcomes

Dr. Christina Arpante met with groups to review the LEAF Working Agreements Raw Data Summary, identifying common themes and outcomes from the previous meeting. Some of the additional discussion topics included:

• Exploring a message board or other platform to enhance two-way communication among LEAF members and the community.
• Investigating the potential use of ThoughtExchange for family engagement.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of elementary “Friday Folders” as a communication tool for families!

Shared Links and Resources

• LEAF Website
• LCPS Policy Review Page
• Special Programs Website
• Communications and Community Engagement

🍕 Cluster Restaurant Night at Chuck E. Cheese! - Bring your family and friends to Chuck E. Cheese on November 4th from 3 PM to 9 PM for a fun evening that supports our cluster schools! Proceeds will benefit Lowes Island, Horizon, Meadowland, Sugarland, Seneca Ridge, and Dominion. Let’s make it a night to remember! 🎉

🎭 BOLO: 2025 Variety Show Registration! - Get ready! Registration for the 2025 Variety Show opens at 8 AM on November 11th. Start gathering your friends and planning your act so you're all set to register on time. Let’s make this year’s show unforgettable! 🌟

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Volunteers Needed - Please email Volunteer@LowesIslandPTO.com for more information or to sign up!

👐 Helping Hands Volunteers - We need assistance with tasks like laminating, cutting, bookbinding, and more. Your help will save our teachers valuable time and allow them to focus on what they do best—teaching! You can sign up to help here.

🌟 ASAP Assistant Needed for Spring Session! - We are looking for someone to assist our ASAP Coordinator with the Spring ASAP session. This is a rewarding opportunity to work alongside our amazing chairwoman on our largest fundraising initiative. If you're interested in helping out, we'd love to have you join the team!

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