Learning First Charter Public School
Newsletter September 17, 2021
Sep. 13: All Kindergarten Students
Oct. 11: No School
Oct. 25: Picture Day
Lottery Applications for the 2022-2023 School Year are now available! If you have a child or sibling that will turn five years old by August 31, 2022, please complete the attached form and return to the main office or go online at https://learningfirstcharter.org/admission/ . The application deadline is March 2, 2022. All applications require a birth certificate and two proofs of address. Reminder, a new application must be completed for any child that is on the current waitlist.
Please contact Sally Ustaitis at (508) 799-7500 x1031 if you have any questions.
Picture Day: Picture Day is October 25th. Parents can pay online two weeks prior to picture day. Flyers will go home closer to the date with a prepaid code that parents can use. Online prepaid orders will be open until midnight the day of picture day. 3-5 weeks after picture day, each student will receive an individual password where they can purchase online. To pre-order go to http://www.grynnandbarrett.com/grynnternet
Food Service: Breakfast and lunch will be FREE for all Learning First Charter students for the 2021-2022 school year. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a number of nationwide child nutrition waivers that will be available through the 2021-2022 school year. This is great news for our children and schools as the nation continues to recover from the economic and health emergencies of the past year. Under the nationwide waiver that allows the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) through School Year 2021-2022, all schools can continue serving FREE breakfast and lunch to all students. For more information on the USDA Covid-19 waivers approved through June 30, 2022 please visit the link:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/child-nutrition-response-85
What is the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program?
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a federally assisted program providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to students in participating elementary schools during the school day. The goal of the FFVP is to improve children’s overall diet and create healthier eating habits to impact their present and future health. One requirement of the FFVP program is during service to incorporate nutrition education into the daily curriculum. When items are delivered please take a moment to review the fact sheets with your students. The FFVP will help schools create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices; expanding the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience; and increasing children’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Here at Learning First Charter Public School students will be served Fresh Fruits and or Vegetables in the classroom two to four times a week
Please do not hesitate to contact Tasha Griffin Director of School Foodservice at 508-799-7500 ex 1114 or Tgriffin@learningfirstcharter.org with any questions.
Message from the Nurse: Starting on Monday September 20th the nurse’s will be conducting scoliosis screenings for grades 5-8. If you DO NOT wish to have your child screened please send in a note. Otherwise please make sure girls have on a bra or bathing suit top.
We are asking that everyone please send in a physical form for each child as soon as possible. Stay healthy, Nurse Sarah and Sammi
Special Education Child Find Notice: Under federal and state special education regulations, Learning First Charter Public Schools has a duty to locate, identify, refer, evaluate and, if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities who attend Learning First Charter Public School. For parents or guardians of children attending LFCPS, who are suspected of having a disability, and who would like more information please contact:
Dr. Jennifer Applegate
Student Support Director
(774) 420-7652
Japplegate@learningfirstcharter.org
504 Child Find Notice: Pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination in publicly funded activities the Learning First Charter Public School has a duty to identify refer, evaluate, and if eligible, provide access to public education to student with impairments in its jurisdiction. For additional information about the rights or parents of eligible children, or for answers to any questions you might have about identification, evaluation and placement into Section 504 programs, please contact:
Lauren Koleros
504 Coordinator
lkoleros@learningfirstcharter.org
(508)799-7500
Guidance: Parents: Do you need a backpack for your child? We have lots available!! Please contact one of our school counselors Heather Burgess @ x1066 or email hburgess@learningfirstcharter.org or Lisa Moore @ x1112 or email lmoore@learningfirstcharter.org and we can send one home with your child!
Grade 8 Families: Hello 8th grade families! I can’t wait to get to work with all of you and your children in planning their next steps after graduation! Believe it or not, it’s going to be here fast and high schools are already preparing for your soon to be freshman!! I will be including information in the newsletters, through emails, and dojo messages for you all year long. So please make sure you are checking in all of these places and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. I will be sending out both written materials and videos for you to prepare you for your transition to high school. I am happy to make appointments with you now that we can meet in person and you can always call or we can set up virtual meetings as well.
Here is the first of many informational emails to get you started with your high school search! Good Luck!
Lisa Moore
lmoore@learningfirstcharter.org 508-799-7500 x1112 or 508-374-3577 (school cell you can call or text it)
The following schools have published dates for IN PERSON fall open houses! Please take advantage and go see these schools if you are interested! Many of them you need to register online for, so please click on the links, it will take you directly to the open house pages.
The Bancroft School: October 3rd @ 1:30pm
https://www.bancroftschool.org/admissions/inquire
Worcester Academy: Sunday, October 17th and Sunday, November 7th
https://www.worcesteracademy.org/open-house
Notre Dame Academy: Sunday October 17th 1-3pm
https://www.nda-worc.org/admissions/fallopenhouse
Placement test: November 6th, and December 4th
St. John’s: Saturday, October 16th 9-11:30am, and Tuesday, November 9th 6-8:30pm
https://www.stjohnshigh.org/admissions/visit-us
Placement tests: November 20th @ 8:30am & December 11th @ 8:30am
St. Paul’s: Open House November 6th 10:00am-12:00pm
Looking For Volunteers for upcoming LFCPS 25th Anniversary Video: Are you a parent/caregiver of a current or recent LFCPS student that would be willing to share your positive experience here for our 25th Anniversary Video? We’d love to hear from you! If interested, please contact Rosie Fayard at rfayard@learningfirstcharter.org.
*Video to be filmed on Thursday October 20th
Community Connections: Does your child love to sing? Worcester Children’s Chorus is schedule in-person auditions for youths ages 8-18. Please go to worcesterchildrenschorus.org to make an appointment.
Upcoming fairs and festivals in the area are the Big E September 17-October 3rd; West End Creamery Fall Festival and Corn Maze September 18th-October 31st; The 2nd annual Rutland Food Truck Festival and Craft Fair September 18th; BBQFEST September 18th-19th at Wachusett Mountain; Marlbrorough Food Truck and Arts Festival September 19th; KidsFest September 25th-26th at Wachusett Mountain.