LEAD Academy

Good Evening Lead Families, Please see the information for the coming week. Book-A-Palooza On Thursday, October 28 from 5:30-7:30pm at Lead Academy, we will be holding our first ever Book-A-Palooza! This event is part of our first annual Lead Reads week and our book fair. The Book-A-Palooza event is meant to bring our Lead families together and celebrate our students, their learning, and the benefits of reading. To adhere to COVID guidelines and create a safe environment for all families, we are asking that families sign up so that we can create smaller groups and allow each family to participate in each part of the Book-A-Palooza event. We will have three different stations, which families will rotate through: Sign-Up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f49ada72fa2fac61-bookapalooza Crew Students in K-4 will be having discussions about Curiosity which is one of our EPIC character traits. Students in 5th grade will continue discussions around their personal mission statements, students in 6th grade will continue discussions about seeking to understand, and 7th and 8th grade students will continue discussions around being proactive. Crew begins each day at 7:45, so it is vital that your students is at school on time. We encourage these Crew conversations to continue at home, so please ask your students about these Crew topics. I hope everyone has a great week, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

ATHLETICS ANNOUNCEMENT: Our basketball tryouts (both girls and boys) for today have been canceled due to a gym rental conflict. They will be moved to Monday, October 25th from 4:00-5:30 at First Baptist Church of Greenville (847 Cleveland St. Greenville, SC). Eligible Participants: Middle School Boys- 7th-8th Grade Middle School Girls- 6th-8th Grade If you have any questions, please email our Athletic Director, Will Keller (wikeller@myleadacademy.com).

Hey Lead Families, A few reminders: Fall picture day is tomorrow, October 22nd. Students will wear their normal Lead uniform or alternate black Lead polo shirt for pictures. Report Cards Please look for report cards to be sent home Today, October 21st. Chromebook insurance fee is $30. The information below was included on the Chromebook agreement with the beginning of the year paperwork, and the Student Chromebook Assignment sheet that each student received went given their Chromebook. "The $30 Chromebook insurance fee must be paid by the last day of the first quarter, October 15, 2021. First quarter report cards will be held until this fee has been paid." Thanks, and please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Good Afternoon Lead families, I hope everyone enjoyed their fall break! Please check out the upcoming events and updates. Book-A-Palooza On Thursday, October 28 from 5:30-7:30pm at Lead Academy, we will be holding our first ever Book-A-Palooza! This event is part of our first annual Lead Reads week and our book fair. The Book-A-Palooza event is meant to bring our Lead families together and celebrate our students, their learning, and the benefits of reading. To adhere to COVID guidelines and create a safe environment for all families, we are asking that families sign up so that we can create smaller groups and allow each family to participate in each part of the Book-A-Palooza event. We will have three different stations, which families will rotate through: Games: Carnival games will be available where you can win tickets and be entered into our raffle drawing that will take place every 15-30minutes Book Fair: Our Scholastic Book Fair will be in our new library! Come buy a book for your next rotation “Reading Under the Stars” Reading Under the Stars: Bring your blanket, sit on the soccer field, and read a new or an old book with your student! Please take this time to enjoy a free hot dog plate and purchase a snow cone from Kona Ice! Please use the link to RSVP for your start time. Please only sign up once, using either the link below or the QR code from the flyer. The sign up form will be open until October 20th. Please be sure to sign up by the deadline! Sign-Up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f49ada72fa2fac61-bookapalooza Crew This week in Crew, our K-4 students will discuss Integrity, one of our EPIC character traits. These discussions will include building trust, being honest, taking responsibility, and how to be a model. Students in grade 5 will discuss beginning with the end in mind, students in grade 6 will discuss seeking to understand through speaking honestly, and students in grades 7-8 will discuss how to be proactive. Crew begins each day at 7:45, so it is vital that your students is at school on time. We encourage these Crew conversations to continue at home, so please ask your students about these Crew topics. Fall Picture Day Fall picture day will be Friday, October 22nd. Students will wear their normal Lead uniform or their alternate black Lead polo shirt for pictures. Lead Academy Enrollment! Our K5 enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year is open. If you have a future kindergartner or know someone interested, please visit our website at https://www.myleadacademy.com/page/enrollment for more information. Applications are open now for families that are interested in enrolling for immediate openings in grades K-8. If you know someone who is interested, please visit https://www.myleadacademy.com/page/enrollment for more information or to sign up now! Report Cards Please look for report cards to be sent home on October 21st. At Lead Academy, we assess and give feedback on student work through Mastery Based Grading. In Mastery Based Grading, grades are viewed as a tool for communicating student progress towards a standard. Instead of a traditional 0-100 scale, we use a 1-4 scale to communicate where a student is in relation to a standard. Our grading system aims to help students understand that growth and mastery of the skill is what matters, more than just a grade in a gradebook. DHEC Update The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has updated its COVID-19 guidance for schools as well as its School and Childcare Exclusion List. The new guidance and exclusion criteria provide that students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student and were wearing a face covering during the exposure time are excluded from the definition of a close contact and therefore do not have to quarantine regardless of whether or not the infected student was wearing a face covering. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting. Thanks, and I hope you have a great day. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Good Afternoon Lead Families, A few reminders, Today is the final day to order your Lead jacket. Please visit the link to make your purchase. https://323sports.com/GFGU-0FCW/ South Carolina State Parent Survey- DEADLINE TODAY. The South Carolina Department of Education requires parents/guardians to complete and submit the survey and form through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Information was sent home with students on Monday with directions on how to access this account. Parents must complete the Broadband Access survey by Friday, October 15. Reminder: Student holidays will be October 15th-19th. Thanks and I hope everyone has a great fall break!

Vision Screening offered through The Lions Club. Screening date for Vision is October 21, 2021 starting at 9am, grades k5 thru 5th PARENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPT OUT OF ANY SCREENINGS. Please feel free to reach out to Nurse Todd if you have any questions. The South Carolina Department of Education is using E-Collect Forms as a tool for administering required accountability surveys through PowerSchool. Students should have information in their folders on how to set up a Parent Portal account and access the surveys. Thanks,

Good Morning Lead Families, I hope everyone is having a restful weekend. Please see important information for the coming week. Lead Academy Enrollment! Our K5 enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year will open on Monday, October 11th. If you have a future kindergartner or know someone interested, please visit our website at https://www.myleadacademy.com/page/enrollment for more information. Applications are open now for families that are interested in enrolling for immediate openings in grades K-8. If you know someone who is interested, please visit https://www.myleadacademy.com/page/enrollment for more information or to sign up now! Crew This week in Crew, our K-4 students will discuss perseverance, one of our EPIC character traits. These discussions will include not quitting, making a plan, and believing in yourself. Students in grades 5-8 will discuss the great discovery. Students will be going on a journey to discover what is important to us and what we value. Crew begins each day at 7:45, so it is vital that your students is at school on time. We encourage these Crew conversations to continue at home, so please ask your students about these Crew topics. Report Cards We are approaching the end of the first 9 weeks. Please look for report cards to be sent home on October 21st. At Lead Academy, we assess and give feedback on student work through Mastery Based Grading. In Mastery Based Grading, grades are viewed as a tool for communicating student progress towards a standard. Instead of a traditional 0-100 scale, we use a 1-4 scale to communicate where a student is in relation to a standard. Our grading system aims to help students understand that growth and mastery of the skill is what matters, more than just a grade in a gradebook. *If you have not paid your chrome book fee, your student will not receive their report card until this fee is paid.* Order your Lead Academy jacket Our school store is now open for jackets only. Please visit the link to make your purchase. The store will remain open from now until October 15th. https://323sports.com/GFGU-0FCW/ A few reminders about our Lead jacket policy: Only Lead Academy jackets may be worn inside the school building. During colder weather, heavier non Lead jackets may be worn outdoors only. Lead Academy uniform jackets/hoodies (dark gray design with logo) and may be worn Monday-Thursday. Falcons athletic jackets/hoodies may ONLY be worn on Fridays. Upcoming Holidays Student holidays will be October 15th-19th. Fall Picture Day Fall picture day will be Friday, October 22nd. Students will wear their normal Lead uniform or their alternate black Lead polo shirt for pictures. Lastly, our school start time is at 7:45 and ends at 3:15. On-time students are successful students. Chronic tardiness can have dramatic results on a student’s education and future. Similarly, students who leave school early miss out on valuable instructional time. Students who arrive late and leave early from school miss out on crucial learning opportunities such as Crew, morning announcements, academic activities, and social interactions with peers. Only doctor's appointments and illnesses will be considered excuses for tardies and early dismissals. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Tomorrow, we will have our second FUN FRIDAY. Fun Friday is an opportunity for students to live out our EPIC habits of leadership through original, Lead created games. Students will wear their team colors. Much like dress down day, all attire worn on Fun Fridays must be school-appropriate. This means that there should be NO HOLES in pants, there are to be NO CROCS or SLIDES, and that any message communicated on their clothing, either through explicit language or artwork or through suggested humor, should be school appropriate. Thanks and we look forward to tomorrow!

Good Morning Lead Families, Our school store is open for jackets only. Please visit the link to make your purchase. The store will remain open from now until October 15. https://323sports.com/GFGU-0FCW/ Dress Down Day A reminder that tomorrow will be our first DRESS DOWN DAY. Students may come out of uniform if they pay $1. All students must still be in school-appropriate attire. This means that there should be NO HOLES in pants, there are to be NO CROCS or SLIDES, and that any message communicated on their clothing, either through explicit language or artwork or through suggested humor, should be school appropriate. The money will be collected at the front door as students enter. Thanks, and I hope you have a great day. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Good Afternoon Lead Families, I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Please see the following items for the coming week. Crew This week during CREW, students in grades K-4 will discuss empathy. Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another. Students in grades 5-8 will focus on beginning with the end in mind. Getting a picture in your mind of where you want to end is a great way to ensure that you’re putting the right pieces in place. We encourage these CREW conversations to continue at home, so please ask your students about CREW topics. Dress Down Day Wednesday will be our first DRESS DOWN DAY. Students may come out of uniform if they pay $1. All students must still be in school-appropriate attire. This means that there should be NO HOLES in pants, there are to be NO CROCS or SLIDES, and that any message communicated on their clothing, either through explicit language or artwork or through suggested humor, should be school appropriate. The money will be collected at the front door as students enter. Fun Friday We will have our second FUN FRIDAY this week. Fun Friday is an opportunity for students to live out our EPIC habits of leadership through original, Lead created games. Much like DRESS DOWN DAY, all attire worn on Fun Fridays must be school-appropriate. Report Cards We are approaching the end of the first 9 weeks. Please look for report cards to be sent home on October 21st. Mask Option Update With the guidance of our Board of Directors and our Lead Academy leadership team, we have decided not to implement the mask option provided by judicial decision. However, we will consider reasonable accommodations for students with 504s and IEPs. As we continue to move forward through the pandemic, the recommendations from the CDC and DHEC states that masks reduce the spread of the virus. We will continue to follow this guidance. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Good Afternoon Lead Academy, I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. Please see below items and updates for the coming week. Crew One of the foundational credos of Lead Academy is “We are Crew, Not Passengers.” This metaphor refers to a group in a boat on a long voyage, where everyone is needed to pull at an oar, and no one sits by watching. In adhering to this motto, “Crew” can be used to reference both individual classrooms and the entire school community. We strive to instill a sense of responsibility, participation, and cooperation among individuals, the student body, the school community, and the greater community. This motto represents our commitment to inclusion and action in the service of self and others. This week during CREW students in K-4 will focus on norm building in classrooms. Norms are the sometimes unspoken rules about how we treat each other. In our classrooms, it is important to agree about how we would like our class to look, sound, and feel. CREW time in grades 5-8 will focus on a continuation of our personal bank accounts. Students look at what behaviors are considered "deposits" or "withdrawals". We encourage CREW conversations to continue at home so please ask your students about these topics. Uniform Update Thanks for your patience as we continue to work through our school uniform issues. I understand there are still several families that are not able to purchase all required items. Unfortunately, our uniform flash store will not open due to a Nationwide/Worldwide shortage of Covid related shutdowns. We do have a limited supply of uniforms and jackets in our school store. You may call or check-in with the front office for your student's size. Student Restrooms We've seen an increase in vandalism in our student restrooms. Our restroom procedures will be slightly adjusted until we see improvement with our restroom usages. During this time, students will only be allowed to use the restroom during classroom restroom breaks. There are plenty of built-in opportunities during these times, but we understand there will need to be accommodations. We ask for your support during this time as we would like our students to remain safe and ensure our restrooms remain functional to be used in the future. The spread of Covid 19 is ongoing, widespread, and not contained. In an effort to keep students in person and mitigate the spread of the virus, I strongly encourage all students to wear a mask. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks,

Hey Lead Academy Families, Happy Sunday to all, and I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Please check out these items for the upcoming week. Progress Reports Progress reports will be sent home on Monday, September 20. At Lead Academy, we assess and give feedback on student work through Mastery Based Grading. In Mastery Based Grading, grades are viewed as a tool for communicating student progress towards a standard. Instead of a traditional 0-100 scale, we use a 1-4 scale to communicate where a student is in relation to a standard. Our grading system aims to help students understand that growth and mastery of the skill is what matters, more than just a grade in a gradebook. Congratulations to the Lead volleyball team for their latest win against Shannon Forest! Lead Academy will host K-2nd parent night on Thursday, September 30th. This is an opportunity for students and parents in these grades to connect with your teacher and learn more about our curriculum and skills block. If you are a family in grades K-2nd, please mark this date on your calendar. This past week we were forced to shut down and quarantine a class of students. It is our desire to operate in-person learning as safely as possible. I would like to strongly encourage that every student wear a mask to school as this gives us the best opportunity to keep our community safe. I look forward to a great week, and please reach out if you have any questions.

Hey Lead Academy, I hope everyone is having a restful weekend. Please see upcoming events and information for next week. A big shout out to our staff for our first Fun Friday and Friday Circle in over a year. We are very grateful to have the opportunity to continue these activities safely this year while striving toward our vision of creating crew moments like these. MAP Testing Students will MAP test this week. MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) is a nationally-normed, computerized test. It assesses students in the areas of math and reading and allows our teachers to identify specific areas of strength and areas for improvement. Our Lead staff will use this information to create and prepare differentiated instruction on each student's ability level in both reading and math. Please ensure your child is well-rested, well-fed, and on time for school. Progress Reports Please look for progress reports to be sent home on 9/20. At Lead Academy, we assess and give feedback on student work through Mastery Based Grading. In Mastery Based Grading, grades are viewed as a tool for communicating student progress towards a standard. Instead of a traditional 0-100 scale, we use a 1-4 scale to communicate where a student is in relation to a standard. Our grading system aims to help students understand that growth and mastery of the skill is what matters, more than just a grade in a gradebook. COVID Updates: A few reminders to help keep our community safe. - If your student is sick, please be certain your student is not COVID positive before sending your child to school. -Please contact Nurse Todd if your student is absent because they are waiting to test or are symptomatic, and notifying the school immediately with a possible exposure or a positive test result -If your child has any ONE symptom of COVID-19, you will be asked to follow our COVID-19 protocols. Do not send your student to school. Please contact the teacher, front office, or nurse of the absence. Covid related absences are excused. The student may return to school after 1 of 3 protocols have been completed: The student has a doctor’s statement saying the illness is not related to COVID-19. The student has a negative COVID-19 test. Or 10 days have lapsed since the beginning of the symptoms. - If you choose to quarantine your non-sick, non-close contact child, they will not necessarily be counted as an excused absence. We notice that many parents choose not to send a sibling to school when one of their children is quarantined. Of course, this is your choice, and I do understand the caution, but Lead follows the DHEC guidelines for close contact when contact tracing that may not include siblings. -Finally, in an effort to maintain in-person learning for all students, I would like to once again strongly suggest that every child wear a mask to school. As always, please communicate any questions that you may have. We appreciate all of the continued support.

Good Evening Lead Families, Our uniforms are finally here and thank you for your patience during this process Uniforms were sent home with your student. If your student is absent, their teacher is holding them in the classroom until they return. If your student does not have uniforms, please contact the office Monday between the hours of 9 and 4pm. T-shirts are 12.00 and we only accept cash, check or money order for payment. Thank you and have a great evening!

Out of safety concerns, our open house and school dance events, previously scheduled for this week, are cancelled. We hope to have opportunities to reschedule these events later in the school year.

Good Morning Lead Families, I want to shout out all our lead families for your support, patience, and understanding during these first two weeks of school. Being a small and unique charter school, our systems and structures look very different from other schools and districts, and we are doing our very best to provide high-quality instruction while keeping our community safe. Please see below some of our happenings and important updates for this coming week: Covid Update: I am deeply concerned about the spike in positive Covid cases in our community right now, especially among students. I am also concerned that a parents' decision to send a sick student to school could result in a devastating outbreak among our staff, our unvaccinated students, and ultimately other families. My goal in this communication to you is not to incite fear but to encourage each one to take very seriously your role in keeping our students and staff safe so that we can keep our school open. I would like to strongly suggest that every child wear a mask to school. If you are sick, please be certain you are not Covid positive before sending your student to school. The Delta variant is incredibly contagious, and we are seeing more student cases than last year. I appreciate your help as we continue to keep our community safe. Face Coverings on Buses: Beginning Monday, August 30th, all students riding a bus will be required to wear a face covering. This includes all school events that require students to ride the bus. Please read the statement below from State Superintendent Molly Spearman concerning the mask requirements. "The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announced on July 6, 2021 that it would no longer enforce the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s January 29, 2021 Order that requires the use of face coverings by people on public transportation conveyances and hubs, which includes school buses. This decision was made at a time when COVID-19 transmission rates and case counts across South Carolina were very low. Throughout the pandemic, the SCDE’s has updated its COVID-19 guidance as conditions have changed and as more information has become available. It has become apparent based on COVID-19 data being reported by schools along with increasing levels of the highly transmissible Delta variant in local communities, that more protective measures are needed to lower the risk of virus transmission and keep our school open and operating as safely as possible. For this reason, the SCDE will again enforce the CDC’s Order requiring the use of face coverings by students and staff on state-owned and operated school buses. All districts must comply with this requirement no later than Monday, August 30, 2021." Spirit Week. We will celebrate our school spirit week from Aug. 31- Sept. 3. Here are the themes for each day. Motivation Monday- Dress as a person (past or present) that motivates you. Team Building Tuesday- Dress in gear from your favorite team! We Can Wednesday- Dress as your future self. Thoughtful Thursday- Dress down day to do random acts of kindness. Have Fun Friday- Dress in your fun Friday team Colors. Participation is free. Chromebooks: If your student is at home in isolation or quarantine without a Chromebook, please come by the school between 8-4 to pick up their device. Out of safety concerns, our open house and school dance events this week are canceled. We hope to have opportunities to reschedule these events later in the school year. As a reminder, there are no visitors allowed in our school, past the front office. Visitors are required to wear masks inside the school. Please communicate any questions that you may have. As always, we appreciate all of the support that we’ve felt. As we return to normalcy, we hope that we can continue to build learners and leaders dedicated to creating change in their communities.

Good Morning, Our Bus is unable to finish the route this morning due to mechanical issues. If you can, please drive your student to school. If you are unable, students will be counted as an excused absence. We plan for the bus to run this afternoon. We will update everyone as soon as possible. Thanks,

To clarify our message regarding Chromebook pick up: Only students who are on quarantine need to pick up a Chromebook.

Hey Lead Parents, If your student is home without a Chromebook, please see below our process for Chromebook pick-up: -Please come to the school to the main doors and look for the chromebook pick-up sign. -Please look for your student's grade level bin. Your student's Chromebook, charger, and log-in information is inside their case with your student's name. -You may pick up your chromebook starting this afternoon from 1:00-4:00. Tomorrow, you may pick up student chrombooks starting at 8:00-4:00. I appreciate your patience, and please let us know you have any questions.

Thanks to everyone for a successful first week of school! Our entire staff has been overwhelmed with joy seeing all students back in the building. Thank you for your continued support as we have worked out kinks to getting back to in-person school this year. Chromebooks: We will begin issuing out Chromebooks to all students K-8 starting this week. Students will use Chromebooks to access their assignments if a student has to be home due to close contact or a COVID-19 positive. Spirit Week: Lead Academy will celebrate Spirit Week Aug. 30-Sept. 3. Please see the attached flyer. School Uniforms: We are still awaiting uniform orders. We will send notifications as soon as these arrive. Please ensure students are adhering to our school uniform policy. Please see our uniform policy in our Student/Parent Handbook. https://www.myleadacademy.com/page/21-22-studentparent-handbook Arrival and Dismissal Reminders: I appreciate your patience during our morning arrival and dismissal processes each day. Here are a few reminders to help make traffic move more quickly and safely: Arrival -Please do not let your student out before the doors open at 7:10. -During arrival, we use one lane. Please stay in the drop-off lane until traffic begins to move. Passing or attempting to pass other cars is very dangerous to student safety and could cause car accidents. -All students must be ready to get out, with their bookbags, when they arrive. If you need to park and get out, you must pull around and park in the parking lot. Dismissal -School dismisses at 3:15. -Please stay in your car. This will help to transition students more quickly. -At 4:00, all students are considered "late," and parents must come inside and sign your student out. -Please remember to pull all the way to the car in front of you. Do not leave large gaps in the line. We attempt to load as many cars as possible at one time. -Please be sure your car tag is visible on your dash until your student(s) are loaded. This helps us to get them out quickly. -Carline operates on an "Order of Arrival" system. Please stay in your lane during dismissal and do not switch to the moving lanes. School Breakfast and Lunch is free. If your student is eating breakfast, please arrive so students will have time to eat before class begins at 7:45. Thanks for your continued support, and I look forward to a great 2nd week of school. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.