LCES Panther Cub Communication #8
September 22-25, 2025
Para traducir al español, desplácese hasta el final y haga clic en la bandera
LCES Families,
September is moving so quickly, it’s hard to believe next week is the final last full week of the month. Along with rigorous grade level learning each week, students engaged in a fun Panther Day during Specials on Thursday.
Grade level teachers have been working on monthly newsletters that have been or will be posted to your child’s PowerHub newsfeed. Please check the PowerSchool app for important announcements from your child’s teacher and to also communicate directly with your child’s teacher.
Next week we are looking forward to our community meeting on Thursday, September 25 to celebrate the HOWL of the month of Collaboration at 8:00am in the gym. All parents are invited to attend, please sign in at the front office.
I truly appreciate building relationships with families to collaborate for our students as well as answer questions, celebrate successes, and listen to concerns.
We hope you have a wonderful fall weekend, Panther families!
Brandi Lovely, PK-2 Principal
LCES Important Dates (PK – 2nd)
September 25: K-2 Community Meeting led by second grade, HOWL of the month: Collaboration
September 29: LCES Lockdown Drill (information letter will be sent home soon)
September 29: Fall LCSD State of the Schools, 6:00pm LCES Cafeteria
October 6-9: Homecoming Week at LCSD!
October 9: K-2 Dollar Day- Spirit Fingers
October 15-16: Parent Teacher Conferences 12:00-8:00pm, Dismissal at 11:00am
Helpful Link: Lake County School District Calendar
K-2 Specifics
IXL: Shout out to the 26 students that logged on to IXL last weekend! We hope you found the platform easy to log on to and I would love to be of support if you are having troubles or maybe misplaced your log in information. We look forward to seeing student growth excel in partnership with IXL and continued reading at home. If you have any questions about how to login and utilize this resource, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at blovely@lakecountyschools.net.
PowerHub: This year we have transitioned all communication, grades, and payments to our online student information system, PowerSchool. Please do not make any payments with EFunds, our previous system. If you need assistance using the PowerSchool app, please call our front office at 719-486-6890 or email Ms. Zee (zalmeida@lakecountyschools.net). Your child’s classroom teacher is also able to provide PowerHub log in information. We are here to help and support this process.
Attendance: See details about our next pizza attendance challenge and semester 1 attendance challenge in the fliers section below!
September Attendance Challenge: For the month of September, crews will be participating in our September attendance challenge. Our school attendance goal is 94%. The class with the best attendance percentage for the whole month will receive an extra recess with Ms. Rapke. Please try to send your student to school every day, unless they are too sick. We appreciate your help in reaching our 94% attendance goal!
HOWLs Challenge: We are having a HOWLs challenge this quarter. Your student will try to earn as many HOWL Dollars as they can by October 9th for the chance to bring a stuffy to school on October 14th! The top six HOWL dollar earners in each class will win. If your student wins, we will send home a paper parent communication in their backpacks. You will also receive a text message from the front office. Students can earn HOWL Dollars by showing any of our HOWLs to any staff member in the school. The HOWL that we are focusing on for September is collaboration and we are excited to see you all at our community meeting celebrating this HOWL on September 25th!
K-2 Project Dream
The most up to date LCES Project Dream information can always be found on our website: LCES Project Dream Information
Raquel Contreras
LCES Site Supervisor
719-293-5363
rcontreras@lakecountyschools.net
Join Project Dream Fridays!
Project Dream has open spots to join for Friday programs. Friday programs are not reserved only for families with all parents working, they are available to all. Activities include social-emotional learning and outdoor, physical, and enrichment activities.Throughout the year there will be all-day and off-site programs, such as trips to outdoor recreation areas in Leadville and Buena Vista, swim lessons and visits to public pools in neighboring counties, special events with local partners, and our annual visit to the Denver Zoo.
Friday programs take place from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at LCES every week. The full-day program requires families to select a monthly tuition amount ($0 for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, $75, or $150). Students can also join at 12:00 pm for the completely free afternoon only program.
If you are interested, please reach out to Raquel to register!
Friday Schedule
We are still finalizing dates for field trips for Fridays. We will post an updated schedule to the information website soon.
Swim Lessons with Swim Squared
Students attending full-day Friday programs at Project Dream will be registered to attend swim lessons at Swim Squared. This program is different from our swim days at community pools. At Swim Squared, students get personalized coaching from a swimming coach. Students will attend lessons for three consecutive sessions of our normal Friday programs. You will receive a text and email if your student is registered for a swim lesson block. If your student is attending swim lessons, please send them with a swim suit and a towel. Project Dream pays all fees for swim lessons, there are no additional fees for swim lessons. Waivers are required to participate in Swim Squared programs.
Dates for swim groups are as follows:
- Group 1 – 2nd Grade – 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/24
- Group 2 – 1st Grade – TBD
- Group 3 – Kinder – TBD
The Center Specifics
Hi Families!
Fall is officially here and the colors are beautiful right now! We have enjoyed another great week in preschool. The weather has been perfect for daily outdoor play.
We tend to see some illness and germs that tag along with the leaves and the fall season. We are going to be focusing on our handwashing routines over the next several weeks in our classrooms. In preschool we wash hands A LOT! A key element to handwashing is scrubbing with soap for 20 seconds. We are using a handwashing song to support the soap and scrubbing process. It follows the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Look for copies of our Handwashing Steps and our Handwashing song in your child’s yellow folder. Practice these at home and help us keep our children and our program as healthy as possible!
Handwashing can often lead to drier hands. Families have the option to provide lotion for your child to keep and use at school. This must be clearly labeled with your child’s first and last name. Please give this directly to your child’s teacher or bus monitor as the products need to be stored in a safe location when not in use. Teachers will help children apply appropriately during the day.
Enjoy your weekend, see you Monday!
Tanya Lenhard, Director
719-486-6928 (work); 719-293-1055 (cell)
tdlenhard@lakecountyschools.net
From the Assistant Director
Hello Families,
A few reminders:
- If your child stays for naptime, they can bring a blanket and teddy bear to school. They will be sent home on Thursday to be washed.
- Please label your child’s personal belongings ( waterbottle, extra clothing etc.,) with first and last name.
- If your child rides the bus please make sure to call 719-486-6890 or 719-427-7075, for any bus changes.
Have a great weekend!
If you have any questions, please free to contact me:
Marissa Martinez
Assistant Preschool Director
719-486-6927 mamartinez@lakecountyschools.net
Family Engagement Corner
The first day of Fall 2025 is Monday, September 22nd.
Enjoy this beautiful time of year with your Preschooler by doing some of the activities listed on this “Fall Bucket List for Kids.”
Rhonda H. DeVoe-Preschool Family and Community Engagement Manager rdevoe@lakecountyschools.net
Office Phone (719) 486-6925 and Cell Phone (719) 293-1403
Lunch Menus
Menus can be found in your child’s Yellow folder at the end of each month or in our Main Entrances!
Fliers
Strategic Plan Survey & Focus Groups for Families
It’s time to take our Strategic Plan survey! This fall, we are launching a community-driven strategic planning process to help guide our priorities and investments in the years ahead. We want to hear from you. Please take a few minutes to share your perspective through our Strategic Plan Survey and help spread the word to other families and community members. We will also be hosting several family Focus Groups the week of September 22.
Take the Survey: English Survey | Encuesta en Español or
Sign up directly to participate in a Focus Group
Thank you for being our partners in this important work. We’re looking forward to a great year together.
Cheers!
Kate Bartlett
Superintendent
