LCES Panther Cub Communication #23
January 26th – 29th, 2026
Para traducir al español, desplácese hasta el final y haga clic en la bandera
LCES Families,
Thank you for a great week at school! Your support and partnership make such a difference, and we’re grateful to be part of your child’s learning journey.
As the weekend begins, I wish you time to rest, recharge, and enjoy special moments together. Please remember that our doors are always open, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, or ideas as we continue building a strong connection between home and school.
See the message below from Mrs. Ayers for the ongoing American Heart Association challenge. More than $3,500 has been earned so far and we are incredibly proud and grateful for the support. Go Panthers!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Brandi Lovely, PK-2 Principal
LCES Important Dates (PK – 2nd)
January 29: K-2 Community Meeting at 8:00am led by 2nd grade, celebrating the HOWL of Craftsmanship
Helpful Link: Lake County School District Calendar
K-2 Specifics
American Heart Association Challenge: Hello Lake County Elementary School Families – We’re midway through Kids Heart Challenge and our students are learning how to keep their hearts healthy and about life-saving skills at school.
We need your family’s help at home – Click here: http://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=12402&pg=company&company_id=526659 or download the free AHA Schools App to join our school’s service project and see updates for student and class rankings including all the ways your student can get involved!
Complete Finn’s Mission together at home then share your page with friends and family to spread lifesaving skills and support your fundraising goals.
🎟️ Raise $25 = score discounted Switchbacks Soccer tickets! 🏀 Raise $50 = unlock discounted Nuggets tickets and an exclusive on-court experience! ✨
Thank you for being part of our school’s service project with the American Heart Association. Students aren’t just having fun and earning rewards – they’re building leadership skills and learning how to protect their hearts! Our school also receives equipment for PE or recess, and we can apply for wellness grants.
ACCESS Testing: Beginning Monday, January 12 and continuing through the first week of February, all multilingual students will be assessed using an assessment called “ACCESS”. Students will be assessed in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. If you have any questions about this assessment, please reach out Ms. Fishman, our English Language Development teacher at sfishman@lakecountyschools.net. Please encourage your child to do their very best. We look forward to seeing how much students are growing in their language skills!
IXL: IXL is research based and proven to have a strong impact on student academic achievement. We encourage you to support your child in using this platform at home. Please reach out if you have any questions about how to login and thank you for reading to your child or using IXL.
Interested in more literacy resources? Check out this website from CDE: https://www.readlearnleadco.org/
February Panther HOWL (Habit of Work & Learning) Focus: Compassion
For the month of February, we will celebrating the HOWL of Compassion. Compassion means, “I care for and help others, my community, and the world around me.” The Student of the Month for each crew will be announced at our next community meeting on February 26th. If your student is chosen by their teacher, we will reach out at the beginning of that week to let you know!
Attendance
Attendance Pizza Challenge: Our next pizza attendance challenge ends next Thursday, January 29th! See details in the fliers section below!
January Attendance Challenge: We one week left of our monthly attendance challenge! 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!
Semester 2 Attendance Challenge:
The semester 2 attendance challenge is here! This semester, K-2 students who have 1 or fewer absences will have the opportunity to attend a Rockies baseball game in Denver at Coors Field on May 20th! We will be checking attendance from Jan 5th-April 30th to see who qualifies. Families will be notified if your student has earned this opportunity the week of May 4th. Students may opt out of attending if parents so choose (Opt out deadline: May 6th). As the event gets closer, we will share more details so check this section regularly for updates! Please note LCIS is doing an attendance reward at this Rockies game as well so please look for specific information from LCIS in their parent communication as the criteria is slightly different between schools. Make sure your student is present at school every day as long as they are healthy in order to earn this opportunity! We are so excited for this special event!
HOWLs Challenge: We are excited to announce our quarter 3 HOWLs challenge! Your student will try to earn as many HOWL Dollars as they can by March 23rd for the chance to tie dye a t-shirt with the principals on March 26th! The top four HOWL dollar earners in each class will win. If your student wins, we will send home a paper parent communication in their backpack. 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 January is craftsmanship and we are excited to see you all at our community meeting celebrating this HOWL on January 29th!
K-2 Project Dream
Jan. 30th Field Trip To Breckenridge Pool
LCES Project Dream is going to the Breckenridge Pool for an all day field trip on January 30th. We plan to return to LCES shortly before dismissal at 3:00, so please plan for your student to attend all day as early pick up will not be possible. Please reach out to Raquel if you plan to not attend this Friday.
Denver Broncos Foundation
As the Broncos are making a push for the Super Bowl, Project Dream just finished a grant from the Denver Broncos Foundation! Their financial support paid for our club leaders to do outdoor and physical activities this Fall. If you’d like to show your appreciation, please send your student with their Broncos gear to Project Dream tomorrow, Friday the 23rd. GO BRONCOS!
LCES Project Dream Information
Raquel Contreras
LCES Site Supervisor
719-293-5363
rcontreras@lakecountyschools.net
The Center Specifics
Dear Center Families,
Hello! I hope this update finds your family well and surviving the colder temperatures. Here is a look at next week.
We will be hosting a preschool specific Nutrition Family Fun Night on Thursday January 29 from 6:00-7:15. We have many community partners planning to attend and share resources related to food and nutrition. We have a few activities planned too! Most importantly, we are pairing this event with the opportunity for our families to enjoy a spaghetti dinner sponsored by our program. Flyers for this event were placed in your child’s cubby and are also posted in our entrance. This flyer has a QR code to RSVP or you can reach out to Marissa Martinez or the LCES front office. This process is so we can have an estimated head count. We hope that you will join us!
I also wanted to share an update on learning in our classrooms. We have been focusing on self-regulation skills during our Social Emotional and Pyramid learning time. Teachers have taught 2 key strategies to help children regulate when they are having big feelings (like sad, angry, or frustrated). These strategies are taking deep breaths and using a visual called the relaxation thermometer.
Ask your child if they like the dragon, the rainbow, the balloon, or the butterfly breathes best! We encourage 3 breaths to start and then check in to see if you are feeling calm. The relaxation thermometer is a visual we use to support taking deep breaths to move from a big feeling back to feeling calm and regulated. Additional information and at home resources regarding these strategies were provided in your child’s yellow folder. You can always check in with your child’s teacher if you would like to know about these resources.
We hope you all 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,
Returning families, if you received a letter or email in regards to the Universal Preschool Program for the 26-27 school year, please remember to use the QR to sign up. If you need support registering please let me know, and I would be happy to sit down with you in person to complete this.
Tuition for February 2026, have been posted to your child’s powerschool fees. Please reach out if you have any questions. All payments are due by February 5th, to avoid any late fees.
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
See information above or the flyer send home with your child for our upcoming Preschool Nutrition Family Fun Night on January 29, 2026 from 6:00-7:15 at LCES.
Menus
Menus can be found in your child’s yellow folder at the end of each month or in our main entrance vestibules!
Fliers
Back to School? We’ve Got You!
Coming back after the holidays can take some adjusting for parents and students alike! The School-Based Health Center is here to support your physical and emotional well-being. Not enrolled yet? No worries. Enrollment is open year-round!
Visit Lake County SBHC Enrollment (English), Lake County SBHC Enrollment (Spanish) to enroll and School Based Health Centers – Elevated Community Health to learn more.
Call (970) 710 – 5049 to schedule your appointment today!
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¿De regreso a clases? ¡Estamos aquí para ayudarte!
Volver después de las vacaciones puede requerir un período de adaptación tanto para padres como para estudiantes. El Centro de Salud Escolar está aquí para apoyar su bienestar físico y emocional. ¿Aún no están inscritos? ¡No hay problema! La inscripción está abierta todo el año.
Visita Inscripción al SBHC del Condado de Lake (Inglés), Inscripción al SBHC del Condado de Lake (Español) para inscribirte y Centros de Salud Escolar – Elevated Community Health para obtener más información.
Llama al (970) 710-5049 para programar tu cita hoy mismo.”
