The Leopard's Tale - December 17

Fri, 12/17/2021 - 8:57am

The Leopard’s Tale – December 17

Dear LKMS Parents, Guardians and Community Members,

It is hard to believe that this calendar year is nearly at its end. It seems like just yesterday that we welcomed our students back to school for in-person instruction and learning.  We have faced many challenges over the past four months, but also we have celebrated many things, first and foremost being our community’s commitment to supporting our staff and students during this difficult transition. 

Reflecting on this year so far, LKMS has dealt with important incidents, including the writing of a racial slur (“N****r”) on a sixth grade student’s locker, and some 8th grade students using the same racial slur verbally in exchanges with each other during class time. It is clear that we need to renew and strengthen our commitment to our school’s efforts in creating a learning environment that is reflective of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) focus. 

Please understand, as an administration team, we do not take incidents of hate, bias, or discrimination lightly, and we take all instances such as these seriously. LKMS will not tolerate such actions and as the school year progresses, We will be taking the following steps: 

  1. In the new year, in addition to our staff DEI committee efforts, we will be voting for and forming a Student Government Association (SGA) that reflects our student population and gives students a voice to express their concerns and commitments around this, and other important topics. 

  2. We will collaborate with the HCPSS Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to create and coordinate activities that allow our students to deepen their commitment to valuing and honoring one another in a manner that builds the healthy relationships we know are crucial to creating an inclusive and positive school climate. 

  3. We will also be reviewing the student code of conduct so that our students understand that these hateful acts will result in disciplinary action.  Our staff will be sharing the range of consequences that come with such unacceptable behavior. 

Our message to all stakeholders continues to be that LKMS is a diverse community and our diversity is our strength.  We will continue to respond to acts that operate outside of the equity vision set forth by our superintendent and the shared values of our school  community. We have zero-tolerance for acts of discrimination and violations of HCPSS Anti-Discrimination Policy 1010. Any student who is found to have violated this policy will be held accountable in accordance with the HCPSS Student Code of Conduct. We are also committed to clear and transparent communication to our community. 

We ask for your support by talking with your loved ones about the importance of honoring and valuing the uniqueness of each individual and embracing all members of our LKMS community. Your support is greatly appreciated and valued. We ask for your support by continuing these conversations at home, and supporting our zero tolerance for any acts, whether they be verbal, in writing, or on social media. We thank you in advance for your support.

We are keenly aware of the range of emotions that occur when students directly or indirectly experience racist incidents, micro aggressions, prejudice or bigotry. Our Student Services staff is available to speak with your child about their feelings and provide in-school support to process the range of emotions a student may experience. Additionally, our website contains links to resources to support our students.

We wish you a winter break that is filled with family time and time to rest and recharge for the new year!

With Regards,

Ms. Lublin and Ms. Ketterman

 

LKMS Important Dates and News

  • December 21-22 -      Snow Leopard Bonanza
  • December 22-            Spirit Day – "Cozy Winter-Wear Day"
  • December 23-Jan 2-  Schools Closed - Winter Break
  • January 4-                  Reservoir High School - Virtual Parent Night Presentation
  • January 11-                 "Gotta Eat" Night - Chick-Fil-A (Laurel)
  • January 13-                New Student/Parent Virtual Orientation 2022/23
  • January 14-                Spelling Bee
  • January 19-                3 Hour Early Dismissal
  • January 19-                PTA Virtual Meeting – 6:30pm
  • January 28-                Spirit Day – “Winter Hat” Day

View our full calendar for LKMS News

 

Carson Scholarship Fund Nominee

Congratulation to Brennan Wheeler who has been nominated as Lime Kiln’s nominee for the 2022 Carson Scholarship!  A committee of teachers and administrators chose her resume from among a group of students who submitted information on their volunteer work.  The scholarship selection is made on the basis of community service as well as scholarship and citizenship.  Brennan is partnering with one other student on a Girl Scout Silver award to benefit Lime Kiln and has also participated in a number of other Girl Scout service projects.  She has been active in her neighborhood helping younger children during the pandemic.  In her capacity as musician, she has been of service to Dayton Oaks Elementary School during their fall festival outdoor music program. Brennan will compete with nominees from many other schools.  We will  find out in April if Brennan is the recipient of a $1000 scholarship.

 

Snow Leopard Bonanza

LKMS Community, 

We cannot thank you enough for your support of the PBIS Snow Leopard Bonanza. We have had an outpouring of generosity this year from staff members and the community! The staff and students are so grateful to be part of this community. The students were very excited to see the prizes in their Canvas Student Resource course. Students will bring their tickets to lunch next Tuesday and Wednesday, December 21 and 22, and place them in the raffle bags. We have over 150 prizes!  The winners will receive their prizes on Wednesday, December 22.  This is going to be the best Bonanza yet!  

 

Student Delegates

Student Delegate applications are being accepted through January 7, 2022. The interview process will take place on January 10.   Students selected will represent LKMS at the Student Member of the Board Convention in February.   Please read the attached flier for more information.

 

Spelling Bee – January 14

In recent weeks during English classes, all LKMS students have taken a qualifying spelling test for the LKMS Spelling Bee.  Students were asked to spell such challenging words as "monotonous," "abbreviate," and "eavesdrop."  Fifteen students qualified to compete in the school bee by correctly spelling all 15 words. Congratulations to the following students who will compete on January 14:  Justin Choi, Andres Contreras, Max Cooper, Bella Kang, Vishnu Kannan, Shubhani Majmundar, Sarah Moore, Mahi Patel, Connor Pham, Cora Sears, Ava Sesay, Jayen Tolia, Amelia Townsend, Tara Vallabha, and Abigail Zecharias.

The winner will represent our school at the Howard County Spelling Bee in March.  The winner will then go on to compete in the National Spelling Bee.

 

Young Authors’ Contest – 2021/22

The Young Authors’ Contest sponsored by the Howard County Literacy Association is taking place for all students who would like to showcase their writing (short stories or poems).   All students should read the official contest rules and must include the cover sheet with their entry.   All entries must be submitted to Ms. Preston, via email, Melissa_Preston@hcpss.org by Tuesday, January 25.

 

Rising 9th Grade High School Course Registration

Attention 8th Grade Parents/Guardians!

December 20:  LKMS School Counselors (Mrs. Lucas has students with last names A-L and Mrs. Miles has students with last names M-Z) will be helping students throughout the week by performing a classroom lesson and assisting students through the high school registration process in Synergy.  Counselors will be answering student's scheduling questions all week during their 8th grade lunch break.  Students can begin entering their high school course requests in Synergy starting on December 20, through January 18, 2022.  Parents can view these requests in their HCPSS Connect account.  Please reach out to your child's School Counselor if you have questions (Beth_Lucas@hcpss.org and Anna_Miles@hcpss.org).

January 4:  Reservoir High School will hold their "virtual" Parent Night presentation on Tuesday, January 4, 6:00pm.   Please see the attached flier (flier for Spanish speaking families) for more information on this virtual presentation.

January 4:  River Hill High will host their virtual Course Registration Parent Night for current 8th -11th grade parents on January 4, at 6:30pm. This event will be virtual and parents will need to login using their child's school Google account to access the meeting links. There will be grade-specific presentations and an opportunity to learn more about our academic programs and supports. Please use the information in the attached flier to help navigate the evening's events.

 

MAP Test Results

Parents can access their student’s MAP test results in Synergy.   For more information on accessing previous MAP test results and PDF Home reports in Synergy, please visit the Fall 2020 FAQ Page.

 

Lost and Found

Our Lost and Found (located in the Cafeteria) has accumulated a large amount of jackets, hats, reusable water bottles, and lunch boxes.   Please have your student check the cafeteria if they are missing any items.   The Lost and Found will be cleaned out by Friday, December 17.

 

A Message from our PTA

Please be certain to view our PTA’s website for upcoming events to include the information on the Drama Learning Center’s upcoming spring drama production, "10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse".   Please view the attached flier to learn more about this weekly afternoon drama class at LKMS.

 

HCPSS News

Please visit the website for all the latest HCPSS News and Information to include HCPSS’ updated academic school calendar.