Recent news from our Leopard's Tale newsletter

Mon, 04/23/2018 - 9:07am

The Leopard's Tale - April 20, 2018

Message from the Administration

Dear LKMS Parents, Guardians and Community Members,

As the weather gets warmer, many of our students may choose to walk home rather than take the bus.  We wanted to make you aware that we have been alerted that several of our students who walk home are making their way to the Maple Lawn Community Center, particularly on Friday afternoons and early dismissal days.

Please have a conversation with your child about whether or not you give permission for them to walk home and your expectations for where they are allowed to walk.  Please help us reinforce that when our students are in the community, they are representatives of their school and their family and we expect that they will represent themselves as the respectful and responsible people that we know them to be.

On another note, we welcomed parents on Wednesday evening to discuss Safety and Security at LKMS.  Thank you to those in attendance for your support and input.  If you were unable to attend, but would like to lend your voice to the conversation surrounding Safety and Security at LKMS, please use this survey link https://goo.gl/forms/ujy4bclf3OSXodax1.

Thank you, always, for your continued partnership!

Enjoy the weekend,

Mrs. Lublin and Mrs. Ober

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

  • April 23 – 3rd Quarter Report Cards distributed
  • April 27-28  – LKMS' PTA - "Beauty and the Beast" Drama Production
  • May 1-17  – PARCC Testing (see below)
  • May 1 - Spring Band Concert
  • May 7 - Spring Orchestra Concert
  • May 9-11 - Outdoor Education (sixth grade)
  • May 18 –  3-hour early dismissal (Inclement Weather Makeup Day)
  • June 5 - Spring Chorus Concert
  • June 13 – Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony (afternoon) and Dance (evening) – more details to come!
  • June 14 – Annual Student Talent Show (more details to come)
  • June 15 – Last student day

View our full calendar

News and Events

"Lime Lighters" - Students of the Week

Congratulations to the following students who demonstrated their ability to "ROAR" this week by being responsible, respectful, and academically focused: Jalen Finn, Brady Young,Tegan Alewine, Adrina Tehrany, Adam Martinson, Meron Nephtalem, and Arrion Wade. We are so very proud of you!

Science Olympiad

On Saturday, April 14, 2018 the varsity Science Olympiad team traveled to Johns Hopkins University to compete in the Maryland State Competition. Our team competed in 23 events, including tests that certified their knowledge in rocks and minerals to the solar system, conducting experiments in potions and poisons to thermodynamics and several engineering building events such as towers, roller coaster, and hovercraft.

We are pleased to share that the team came in 9th out of 24 middle school teams in the state tournament and 7th out of 11 in our division (AA)! This is particularly exciting since last year our team did not even qualify for the state tournament. Ribbons and medals were given to the top six qualifiers in each event. Lime Kiln took home nine ribbons or medals. Congratulations to: Preity Desai, Harleen Green, Lauren Hamlette, Emma Orlando, Michelle Rhee, Dahlia Shafiq, Victoria Tsai, Dora Zhou, Aiai Calmer, Caris Eaton, Sheila Li, Sunil Pateel, Cole Smart, Bruce Smart, Harper Campbell, Colt Pitsley, Jack Pitsley, Mahir Aziz, Varun Dhond, Angad Bawa, Rajiv Damera, Jason Kang, Anna Liu, Kaitlyn Mathew, Ryan Mathew, and Angelina Zhou. We are so proud of all participants and want to thank all of you for doing your best and giving your time over the past 7 months! The students met every Tuesday from October to April.

None of this would have been possible without the tremendous support from the LKMS community. A special thank you to the National Technical Honor Society of student volunteers from Atholton High School, Mr. Ed Garner who opened up his classroom on Thursdays for the builds, and the awesome and faithful parents who helped mentor and chaperone.

In addition, thank you to Mr. Aziz who helped mentor at the start of the practices. A big thank you once again to Mr. Green for chaperoning on the day of the tournaments, coaching the chemistry events, and being our guide; Mrs. Pitsley for chaperoning as well and for being a wonderful companion/parent with incredible leadership skills; Mrs. Smart for chaperoning each tournament and helping out with quite a few events in the early stages of practices; and Mr. Smart for chaperoning, coaching the battery buggy,  rollercoaster etc.,  being at every practice, and for also being our go-to guy to impound events on time!  Thank you to all of the parents who drove their children to the practice tournament in Pennsylvania this year and helped their child at home. In addition, thank you to our supportive administration.

            Last but not least, thank you to LKMS Science teacher Ella Jordan for being an incredible teacher, staying on Thursdays with Mr. Garner for the engineering builds and my life-line. I am incredibly lucky and eternally gratefully for everything you have done!

            Science Olympiad has been a wonderful experience and an adventure!

Sincerely, Tracy Spillman, Gifted and Talented Resource Teacher

PARCC Testing

Beginning Tuesday, May 1, our students will be taking the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment for College and Careers) assessment.   Students will have two testing sessions each day, separated by Related Arts, lunch and recess.   We will be testing Math in the mornings and ELA in the afternoons. We ask that you schedule any appointments around the assessment schedule.  If your child should be absent, we will provide make-ups within the given window which would mean that your student will be pulled from academic classes.  Please ensure that your child arrives to school on time on their testing days.

Below are the dates for each grade:

  • Sixth grade: May 1, 2, and 3
  • Seventh grade: May 7, 8, and 9
  • Eighth grade: May 15, 16, and 17

LKMS - Nike Grind

For our school-wide Green School event, Lime Kiln will be participating in the Nike Grind Reuse-a-Shoe program. For more information on this program please visit:https://goo.gl/k1Jfyj

LKMS Band - Orioles Park/Camden Yards

We are excited to announce that once again, members of the LKMS Band will perform the National Anthem at the Orioles/Phillies Game at Orioles Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, May 15, at 7:00pm.

News from the PTA

Calling All Parents of LKMS Students!   We need your help to make our 8th Grade Dance a success!  Yes, 6th and 7th grade parents, the Decorating Committee needs you, too!  The 8th Grade Dance is June 13.   Volunteers are needed to set up decorations, chaperone and clean up after the dance. Please sign up to volunteer at  https://tinyurl.com/LKMS8thGradeDance2018.

Staff Appreciation Week:  LKMS' PTA will be celebrating Staff Appreciation week from May 3-9.   For more information on the week's celebration and how you may support the PTA, please read the attached letter.

Gotta Eat Night - Tuesday, May 1,4:00-8:00pm, Ledo Pizza in Fulton.   Please bring the attached flier, as LKMS' PTA will receive a portion of the proceeds.

Lost and Found Reminder

Please have your student check the Lost and Found table located in our school cafeteria for any misplaced items. Several coats, gym uniforms, lunch boxes, etc. have been recovered during the past few weeks.

Students Transferring/Moving after June 15

If your student will not be returning to LKMS for the 2018-19 school year due to a move out of state, out of county, or to a private school, please notify our Student Services office in writing by June 15.

Reservoir High School's Boosters - Sport Camp

Come out to sports camp the week of July 16th at Reservoir High School with Lime Kiln teachers Phil Ranker (PE), Tom Dougherty (Math) and Erika Lupo (PE). The camp is open to rising 1st-9th graders and features many different sports and activities every day. If your child likes PE, they will love camp. Campers are split into age and ability groups to ensure that everyone has a great and productive time. For more information, please visit http://rankerssportscamp.weebly.com or email phillip_ranker@hcpss.org for questions!

Atholton High School Fall Athletics

Any incoming 9th grade student who would like to tryout for a fall sport next year (2018-2019 school year), please note that tryouts begin on Wednesday, August 8th. Students must attend all tryouts and practices will begin immediately after teams are selected. Please plan vacation time accordingly. For more information, contact Michael Senisi, Athletics and Activities Manager, at Michael_Senisi@hcpss.org

Centennial High School - Camp Improv

Camp Improv is a summer comedy camp for middle school students directed by Centennial High School’s theatre teacher, Kathryn Carlsen. By focusing on teamwork and artistic collaboration, students learn the joy of jumping in and finding the funny. For questions and more information, contact Kathryn Carlsen at kcarlsen@hcpss.org or visit the website, www.campimprov.org.

HCLS/HCPSS A+ Student Card

Howard County Library System and Howard County Public School System are launching a new fully functioning A+ STUDENT CARD. It allows easy access to HCLS eContent (including research databases) in the classroom, at home, or anywhere students need to do homework or research through hcpss.me. The A+ Student Card uses the student’s active directory login. This A+ virtual student card gives the student all the same borrowing privileges as the physical card. Here is a link to more information: A+ Student Card.

Community News and Programs

The Community News and Programs webpage contains brief announcements of upcoming events and announcements from community and non-profit organizations. Please visit Community News and Programs (http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/) on the HCPSS website for all announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations