Welcome to the LSK8 weekly newsletter! this post will update each weekend (usually Sunday’s) we will send a reminder to check the website for the update each Sunday afternoon/evening. But you can come to the LSK8 website anytime to read the newsletter or to check information. Please reach out if you have difficulty accessing any links or need more information about anything posted here!
Girls on the Run
Last Chance To Sign Up! First practice is (this!) Tuesday March 26th. All sign ups must be in by Friday March 29th.
Girls On The Run (GOTR) is an organization that seeks to help girls* recognize their inner strength, increase their level of physical activity, and learn how to stand up for themselves and others. *”Girls” includes nonbinary and gender-expansive youth.
If you or your student is interested in participating or for any questions including scholarship details or needed gear, please email Salem at shgarvey@seattleschools.org.
High School and Beyond Family Night
Hello families! Licton Springs invites you to attend our High School and Beyond Family Night on April 1st from 6-7 pm. Our school counselor, Mr. M, will be talking to families about high school requirements, college scholarships, the importance of having conversations about careers, and the role of counseling in high school. This will be open to families of students from all grade levels. Students are also welcome to attend! If you are interested in attending, Please RSVP on this Office Form
Lincoln High School Volleyball Camp
Lincoln Volleyball’s third annual summer camp is scheduled for July 10-12!
Rising 5th through 8th graders are welcome to join us for a half day (morning or afternoon) or full day camp run by the Lincoln Volleyball players. All proceeds go directly to the program. To register and for more information, visit our website or reach out to Coach Ware at rmware@seattleschools.org
SPS Seattle Preschool and Head Start
SPS Seattle Preschool Program and Head Start preschool program opened applications for the 2024-25 school year starting on Friday, March 15. Both programs provide high-quality, evidence based preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old students.
Please see the Preschool Locations Map for SPS preschool program locations. Families with 3- and 4-year-olds can visit the Early Learning webpage to learn more about our programs and for information about how to apply.
Questions about preschool or support with applications: For SPP Programs contact preschool@seattle.gov or 206-386-1050. For Head Start contact our Head Start office at 206-252-0960.
Spring Assessments/Schedule
Washington state requires all districts to administer the Smarter Balanced assessments each spring. These tests:
Measure how well students are meeting College and Career Readiness Standards
Help teachers, schools, and districts identify which students need more support
Cover Math and English Language Arts (ELA)
Take about 3-4 hours per subject
Are given to students in grades 3 through 8 and 10
Are required for federal and state accountability
Accommodations for the SBA
A limited amount of accommodations are available for state testing per a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan. The accommodations must be indicated in the state assessments section of the student’s IEP or 504 plan. Not all in-class daily accommodations are permitted on state assessments. OSPI provides an annual document that indicates approved tools, supports, and accommodations for state assessments.
Testing Schedule at LSK8
*3rd-5th Grade Schedule
Tuesday, April 23
3-5th grades ELA PT
Wednesday, April 24
3-5th grades ELA CAT
Tuesday, April 30
3-5th grades Math PT
Wednesday, May 1
3-5th grades Math CAT
Tuesday, May 7 & Wednesday May 8
5th grade WCAS (Science)
*6th-8th Grade Schedule
Thursday, April 25
6-8th grades ELA PT
Friday, April 26
6-8th grades ELA CAT
Thursday, May 2
6-8th grades Math PT
Friday, May 3
6-8th grades Math CAT
Tuesday, May 7 & Wednesday May 8
8th grade WCAS (Science)
Make up testing for the SBA will be May 13-17 (Mon-Fri)
Make up testing for WCAS will be May 20-22 (Mon-Tue)
Popcorn Fridays
ASB will be selling popcorn every other Friday! April 5 is the next popcorn day!
Licton Springs K-8 Donors Choose
Donors choose is program where educators can post projects that help their students get the resources they need to be successful in school. Our teachers create these projects throughout the year to get things for their classrooms. You can donate money towards the project to help it get fully funded. Learn more about Donors Choose. Please pass along to anyone you know that may be interested in donating. Thank you!
Please fill out the online application to volunteer at school if you plan to volunteer in the building or on field trips this year! the sooner we have you cleared, the sooner we can start planning!! **New this year – 2 weeks minimum required for approval.
You can fill out the forms and watch the required videos on our SPS volunteer website. If you have volunteered with SPS before you can update and renew your application on an abbreviated process on the current and returning volunteer’s page
We have a new reading app on our iPads called Lexia Core5 Reading. This program is individualized based upon the literacy needs of each specific student, and students can “level up” as they work through the “games.” I can also see their progress online and can use this to help inform small group instruction as appropriate, as well as sharing progress with you! So—please remind your child that it is important that they only use THEIR account and do the work INDEPENDENTLY (or the game will put them at a level that is way too easy or hard). They can also play at home on a school or home iPad. If it is a home iPad, it just needs to be linked with my email address: kmlawhorn@seattleschools.org.
In reading comprehension, our class built on our understanding of wondering and asking questions by becoming detectives! We investigated “crimes” from the YouTube series Tabletop Mysteries, and with our reading buddies, we even created our own mysteries, like “The Case of the Missing Ice Cream” or “The Case of the Missing Diamond.” They had an absolute blast designing their suspect list, scene of the crime, and showcasing their evidence. We linked this investigative nature to our science lessons as well, and I encourage you to solve more mysteries and curiosities at home! The main objective of this week was that students will be able to answer questions by searching for evidence, using a multimodal and artifactual literacy approach (again, this is my reading teacher nerd coming out!). Next week, we will start to apply how we can use these same investigative skills to search for evidence within written texts, and how we can share that information with others!
In math, Kindergarten has continued to develop their knowledge of the counting sequence, extending all the way to 20! We have practiced both how to form these numbers (i.e., sing-song “eighteen is a one then an eight”) and also practiced how to count these larger numbers without getting confused (i.e., you need a system, whether it be crossing out, organizing by moving objects, using ten frames, etc.). Next week we will practice counting on—which is tricky! It is the practice of beginning at any number (not just 1) and continuing to count forward from there. This builds into addition strategies in first grade, so it is a super important developmental skill! There are fun games you can play at home, where one person names a number, and then you take turns saying the next number, and you can go as high as you want! If you play with 2 players (like you and your child), it is easier for them to do the odd numbers at first. 1st Grade has finished their unit comparing 2-digit numbers using words and symbols (i.e., 34 < 43, or “34 is less than 43”) and now they will build their place value knowledge into 2-digit addition, which is always SO MUCH FUN because they really start to feel like “big kids.” We will learn conceptual and visual models that build their number sense—for example, I had a first grader ask me last week, “Kirsten, is it true that 22+33=55?” So I responded, “Okay mind-reader! We are literally going to learn how to do that next week. Let me give you a sneak peek!” I drew 2 sticks and 2 dots (this is how we represent tens and ones visually) and then drew 3 sticks and 3 dots next to it. I asked, “So, how many tens in all?” (5) “Okay, now how many ones in all?” (5) The student starts to smile, so I say, “Okay, you see where I’m going! 5 tens and 5 ones? 50 and then 5 more? Boom, we know that! 55!” This model of thinking-aloud with visual representations is what developing number sense is all about! They then go on in second grade to do this with only mental math, then using visuals again with regrouping and then with 3-digit numbers.
In science, we picked back up our Pushes and Pulls Unit! We alternate social studies and science in the same time block, and we have been focusing on our social studies units for some time. The students really understood the material we covered in pushes and pulls the first time (including gravity as a pulling force), so when we circled back, it went over so well! We extended our knowledge of motion (an object must be pushed or pulled by some sort of force in order to move) into distance and direction. We used balls of different material (Styrofoam, tennis, football) on a windy day to experiment on the playground. We concluded that the harder you throw (i.e., push) an object, the further it will go, so tossing a tennis ball will create a motion of shorter distance versus throwing as hard as you possibly can will result in the ball traveling a longer distance. With direction, we considered what we know about sports, and how when you kick or hit a ball, you direct your body where you want the object to go!
Update from Katherine (2/3rd Grade)
The 2nd and 3rd graders had an awesome week! We worked hard and practiced following directions!
In math, the 2nd graders finished up their unit on subtraction with 3-digit numbers. We worked hard at recognizing when we would have to regroup and then choosing an efficient and accurate strategy depending on if we have to regroup and how many times. We know that for some of us if we don’t have any regrouping, we can use mental math! But when we have to regroup once or twice, it’s a good idea to write down our thinking and use a strategy like drawing hundreds, tens, and ones or using a place value chart. Awesome work 2nd grade! The 3rd graders also finished their unit on 3-digit addition and subtraction. They know that they can use a number line to help them add and subtract or use partial sums and differences. The 3rd graders started their next unit on multiplying by multiples of 10. We know that we can use related facts to help us solve multiplication equations with multiples of 10 (for example – we know that 6 x 5 = 30 so we know that 60 x 5 = 300). We used what we already know about multiplying by 10 to figure out we can just add a zero to the end of our product! Great work 3rd grade!
In reading, we finished up our initial unit on wondering. We practiced asking questions and making “I wonder” statements about a book and then thinking about whether or not they were answered at the end. We read biographies from Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and thought about what questions we had about the women and then read to see if we could find out the answers to those questions. We know that we can do this in our independent reading as well. We also practiced alphabetizing! We read a silly book called AlphaOops! The Day Z Went First which helped us see that having the alphabet out of order would be very unhelpful! Then we practiced alphabetizing words and letters as a class and with partners.
In science, we learned more about engineers’ design process through a book called Jelly Bean Engineers. We know that engineers have to learn, plan, make, and test in a cycle in order to design a solution to a problem. We learned about the process of making jelly beans and new flavors of jelly beans. We also applied what we’ve already learned about making our glue to making jelly beans!
Update from Xena (4/5th Grade)
Last week started off the Global Reading Challenge! It was fun to see our team in their matching shirts working together. We placed just about in the middle of the pack. The team later reflected later on this and came to the conclusion that they needed to slow down and listen to each other. What an excellent take-away!
Writing
We are finishing up the rough drafts of our Washington State history essays. Students will be completing the final drafts next week and sharing them with each other. Hopefully we’ll be making short films based on these essays. Let me know if you know someone who can help kids learn about video editing!
Math
Both grades are working on adding and subtracting fractions, just at different levels. Last week we did some work with pattern blocks, looking at designs and figuring out what fraction of the design was comprised of each of the different blocks. Students also started creating their own dice related board games.
Science
As we continue to study waves and look at how waves carry sound energy, students have studied slinkies and tidal waves to help define what a wave is. They learned how human speech is made and next we’ll look at how sound waves travel through water.
6th Social Studies: This week we focused on our Dynasty Research Project – turning our research from the Seattle Public Library’s Database into a full multi sentence paragraph. From the paragraph they turned their item/idea/person into a comic strip. Next week we will be discussing Ancient Feudal Japan.
7th Social Studies: This week we simulated urban planning from 1835-1920 on a map and looked at the problems caused by rapid increasing population and job growth. Next week we will be looking at initial industries in WA in the early 1900s and factories, unions, and regulations.
8th Social Studies: This week we examined how the US grew in size through annexation, war, purchase, and negotiation. Next week students will be creating a one pager about one of the main events that took place during the time of the US expansion.
8th ELA: This week we focused on Latin American Folklore and folklore creatures that present themselves in the novel. We chose a monster of interest and will do a compare/contrast of this creature in the book to other published sources and create an art piece based off of it as our second project of the book.
Updates from Keith
6th Grade Science
TE Chapter 2: Temperature and Energy In this chapter, students continue to build an understanding of how heating systems that use warm water could warm the air in the school. Students explore why changes in temperature occur, and learn that changes in molecular motion correspond to changes in the kinetic energy of molecules. Using this knowledge, students observe that kinetic energy transfers between things in contact, moving from the faster-moving molecules of hotter things to the slower-moving molecules of colder things.
To-Do
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
MF Chapter 2: Investigating Potential Energy
8th Grade Science
Magnetic Fields Students consider where the energy to launch the spacecraft came from. They read about how potential energy helps people in extreme sports get kinetic energy, gaining an understanding of the relationship between potential and kinetic energy that they can then apply to magnets. Working with physical objects and simulations allows them to investigate how magnets cause objects to have kinetic energy. Students first learn that potential energy can be stored in a magnetic field and then converted into kinetic energy. They investigate where potential energy comes from and discover that moving a magnet against a magnetic force transfers energy to the system. The purpose of this chapter is for students to understand how energy is transferred to a system of magnets and how it is converted from potential energy to kinetic energy
To-Do
2.2
2.3
2.4
MF Chapter 2 written explanation
6th ELA
Students will begin Lexia is a computerized reading program that provides phonics instruction and gives students independent practice in basic reading skills. Lexia Reading is designed to supplement regular classroom instruction. It is designed to support skill development in the five areas of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel.
In Unit 2, students transfer the knowledge about how scientists think about and investigate medical epidemics to the study of social epidemics. Students are introduced to the topic of social epidemics through various articles that describe the basic terms and theories behind social and emotional contagion. They practice summarizing the central ideas of the articles as well as delineating and evaluating their claims. In small groups, students engage in discussions in preparation for the mid-unit assessment, a text-based discussion in which students evaluate whether the authors of an article have provided sufficient evidence and reasoning for their claims connecting social and disease epidemics.
Update from Mx. Christa (LSK8 Academic Intervention)
Hi Families!
For elementary math intervention, we are working on our SuccessMaker goal of 10 hours by June 1st! Students did the math with me last week and we determined that an hour of SM every week is enough to reach our goal, with two weeks of wiggle room. Many students agreed that they could make this work and we discussed how this much math practice could really grow their math brains. Scholars who reach this goal will be invited to a Glow Stick and Ice Cream party in June. Please check in with your scholar that they are doing at least an hour of SuccessMaker every week!
For schoolwide ELA intervention, we will be rolling out a new app called Lexia. Each classroom roll out is slightly different, but you can become familiar with Lexia Core 5 (elementary) on their website. Please ask your scholar about how they like Lexia and see if you can practice at home with them!
Finally, I have another Donor’s Choose going to get some more snacks. Seeing the whole school is a super fun time, and it also means feeding everyone while they work hard! Please consider giving or sharing this link with others. Christa’s Donors Choose Project “Brain Snacks”
Inspired by Thomas Dambo’s recycled art, we are going to create “Trash Trolls” during upcoming art classes using unwanted and discarded items students can find. I’m sending you on a treasure hunt!
Look around your home—inside & outside—for interesting objects. Collect the items and put them in the box outside of the art room; they must be clean and dry.
*miscellaneous items such as bread twist ties, bottle caps, corks, buttons, decorative paper, ribbons, pinecones, clean socks, pom poms, etc.
Thank you!
Update from Ms. J (PE)
This week in PE we will:
Practice our PE expectations and procedures.
Pick new class MVP’s.
K/1 Students will recognize the basic structure and function of body systems. PE3.7.KA
We will continue with warmups, cool downs and calming activities.
We will play our favorite games!
Grades 2-5: Students will describe connections between muscular and skeletal systems. PE3.7.3 Describe connections between body systems and their role in movement. PE3.7.5
We will continue with warm ups, cool downs and calming activities.
We will play our favorite games!
Pre- assessments for March:
Bone assessment
Muscle assessment
Middle School
OSPI Concepts of Health and Fitness Test results will determine this week’s plan.
Athletics:
Get your sports packets from the office or online and get them turned in! We don’t have many turned in! We are still desperately in need of coaches for all seasons (volleyball, soccer and track- spring) if interested please apply online! It looks like we may team up with Salmon bay and hold practices at our facility so if you have a scholar who wants to participate, they need their packets turned in asap!
Hello Licton Springs K-8 families! My name is Joanna Moore, and I am new to Licton Springs this year, although I have been teaching since 2007. My job is to support students who are multilingual and qualify for support from the district for English language development. I am greatly enjoying this work and being at Licton Springs. I would love to meet more members of this wonderful community! We will have a monthly get together in my classroom at Licton Springs where we will discuss topics, ask and answer questions and meet with other multilingual families. Even if your student does not receive support for English language services, it will still be a great opportunity to meet with other multilingual members of the Licton Springs community who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Who: Students and families that speak any language other than English What: Meet with multilingual support teacher (Mrs. Moore) and other multilingual families and students Where: LSK8 Room 207 When: Tuesday, April 16 at 2:30-3 Why: to build community and get to know each other. I will have chosen some topics to discuss ahead of time, but please also bring any questions you have! Future dates: Tuesdays after school. May 14 and June 11, 2024. What to bring: Yourself, your student or students, and any other interested family member (siblings welcome!). I will have some tea and snacks available, if you would like to bring a snack or dessert to share with others, that would be nice but not required.
Do not worry about your English-speaking level, we can use technology to translate if needed. Having conversations to practice English speaking can be something we focus on in future sessions if you would like.
School Counselor – Mr. M can be reached at: mjdelamorena@seattleschools.org
School Social Worker – Elly can be reached at: elsprinkle@seattleschools.org
Hello families! Licton Springs invites you to attend our High School and Beyond Family Night on April 1st from 6-7 pm. Our school counselor, Mr. M, will be talking to families about high school requirements, college scholarships, the importance of having conversations about careers, and the role of counseling in high school. This will be open to families of students from all grade levels. Students are also welcome to attend! If you are interested in attending, Please RSVP on this Office Form
Message from the Thunderbird PTO (LSK8 Site Council)
*Visit LSK8 PTO Website for more information or to sign up for their newsletter!
If you are signed up for the newsletter, but not getting the newsletter, please check your spam folder. If you need to sign up for the newsletter, you can go to the PTO website (home page) and scroll down to subscribe at the bottom of the page.
LSK8 PTO Meeting Dates
First Monday of Each Month during the school year. (with a few exceptions due to district calendar conflicts — check the LSK8 calendar for exact dates and meeting times) Contact Leadership at PTO4Thunderbirds@gmail.com
Join us April 4th from 4-8pm for GAME NIGHT. Students and families will come together for an evening of friendly competition, teamwork, fun, and laughter with a variety of engaging games and activities. Plus enjoy delicious food and refreshments while supporting a good cause, the LSK8 Rites of Passage program!
We will be accepting donations for the Rites of Passage program to ensure a memorable experience for those students.
We believe in fostering a sense of camaraderie and community among LSK8 families. By hosting this community event we aim to create a fun and inclusive environment where everyone can come together, unwind, bond and celebrate the joy of play while strengthening connections that extent beyond the classroom.
Board Games and Bingo! Open to all grades.
Escape Room Adventure: Grades 6-8 embark on an exciting escape room challenge and put your problem-solving skills to the test.
Delicious Spaghetti Dinner is hosted in support of the 8th grade Rites program. Monetary donations are encouraged but not required. Please join us whether you can donate or not
Visit LSK8 PTO Website to sign up for their newsletter! They send out information for PTO and fundraising events that are outside of school events, but also very important!
If you are signed up for the newsletter, but not getting the newsletter, please check your spam folder. If you need to sign up for the newsletter, you can go to the PTO website (home page) and scroll down to subscribe at the bottom of the page.
Attendance Office Contact Information
Absences – Please Report Absences to the attendance office! If we don’t hear from you, within 3 days of the absence, the absence remains unexcused
Reach out to the LSK8 office via Phone – 206-743-3700 Fax – 206-743-3701 Email – lictonsprings@seattleschools.org Written note upon return to school (delivered to the main office)
Late Arrivals – If your student is going to be late to school, please have them go to the office first to check-in. We need to see them to sign them in! (any time after 7:55) If you will be more than a few minutes late, please let us know via phone or note upon your child’s return.
Early Pick-up – please ask your student to stay in class until called to the office. When you arrive to sign them out we will call for them. This ensures they are in the classroom for the most time possible (if you hit traffic, they miss out on class time unnecessarily!)