The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair once again offers holiday shoppers a variety of meaningful gifts that support local charitable organizations. This year’s Fair will be held from 11 am to 7 pm, Saturday, December 6, at the First Presbyterian Church, 315 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca. Thirty-one organizations will participate in the event.

NOTE:  LACS/Akwesasne Freedom School, Multicultural Resource Center is participating in this event.

Gifts range from $5 to an unlimited donation, and include items such as are healthy meals for school children who may otherwise be hungry, materials to build affordable housing, support for community discussions on racism, shelter for abandoned pets, and many gifts that support at-risk youth and families.

Now in its fifth year, the Fair has earned more than $90,000 and has reduced the impact on the environment of conventional gift-giving. All of the money earned at the Fair goes to the participating organizations. New this year is an online store at www.ithacaaltgiftfair.org for those who can not attend the event.

This year’s Gift Fair organizations are: Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, Catholic Charities of Tompkins County, Challenge Industries, Community Building Works!, CRESP Center for Transformative Action, Dispositional Alternatives Program of Family and Children’s Services, Dream Factory of Central New York, Finger Lakes Independence Center, Foodnet Meals on Wheels, Franziska Racker Centers, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Human Service Coalition 2-1-1 Tompkins, Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair 2009, Ithaca Public Education Initiative, Ithaca Health Alliance, Ithaca Youth Bureau, The Learning Web, Loaves and Fishes, LACS/Akwesasne Freedom School, Multicultural Resource Center, Natural Leaders Initiative, New York Coalition for Health School Food, Opportunities Alternatives and Resources (OAR), Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, SewGreen, SPCA of Tompkins County, Sustainable Tompkins, Southern Tier Advocacy and Mitigation Project (S.T.A.M.P.), Tompkins Community Action, Tompkins County Public Library Foundation, and the Women’s Opportunity Center.

The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair is sponsored by the CRESP Center for Transformative Action and Tompkins Community Action with support from the Alternatives Federal Credit Union.  

Thanks to all for coming to make the LACS Community Pasta Dinner a success.

The dinner can’t happen and be a success without the students, parents, caregivers, and staff who helped to set up the dining room, prepare food in the kitchen, serve the food and clean up so the Boynton kitchen and cafeteria is a clean as we found it.

Another thank you goes to all the parents who helped with all the Family Group fundraising (and supported those fundraisers!) and Drama productions.

As always, we owe a public thank you to Denise Agati and Tina Belden, the two Boynton kitchen cooks, who ordered our food, prepared the pasta, and helped those who worked in the kitchen.  The dinner can’t happen without their help.

We hoped that, from serving line forward, we would generate zero garbage.  We didn’t quite succeed. The composting and recycling barrels were well used.  The two garbage cans were each less than half full, and we could have picked out more recyclables.  So, for a large event serving 300 or so people, we did reasonably well reducing the amount of garbage.  

As always, feedback on how an event goes is important to making it better the next time.  We have used prior years’ feedback each year, so if you have thoughts or comments, send to Steve Hoffman (shoffman@icsd.k12.ny.us).

Thanks again to all for a great event.

Thursday, October 30

Our annual Pasta/Spaghetti Dinner is approaching fast!  Dinner begins at 5:30 pm and theatre entertainment follows at 7:00 pm.  What you should know about the event:

(1)  It will again be BYOS (bring your own settings – plates, cups, silverware and napkins). 

(2)  We want EVERYONE to come!  If you feel your family can’t afford the cost, please contact Steve H. at school, 274-2319, or shoffman@icsd.k12.ny.us, to make confidential arrangements. 

(3)  We will try to provide taxi transportation for those who would be prevented from coming without it.

(4)  As always, we want to involve students and parents/caregivers actively in creating the dinner.  Look for another announcement soon for jobs and times.

(5)  If we have extra food at the end of the evening, we’ll sell it – bring a
container.

(6)  Ticket prices for individuals are still $8.00; for families, $30.

(7)  A reminder, the administration at Boynton insists that we
only use the cafeteria space, the theatre, and the hallway
to the restrooms.  Please remind everyone in your family not
to wander anywhere else.

Thanks for supporting our efforts to raise money for Spring Trips!
Write shoffman@icsd.k12.ny.us with your thoughts and feedback.

The new LACS t- shirt is arriving!!!  We will be professionally printing with two colors on American Apparel V-neck unisex Ts.  The cost will be $15 each and the sizes are XS, S, M, L, XL.  We will be printing from pre-orders only, which must be accompanied by payment.   Students can bring in money or checks (made out to LACS) or the  checks can be sent to the school (111 Chestnut Street, Ithaca, NY  14850) in care of Gary Bercow.  The last day to order these shirts  will be at the Spaghetti Dinner on October 30.  Thank you in advance  for supporting Gary’s art focused family group/trip.

Tuesday, October 21 - Dealine for Orders

Last year our school set a record for our big We Can Pecan! Fundraiser.  Money earned from this annual fundraiser goes towards the cost of the many fine spring trips we offer each May, so it really does benefit all the students participating in these various excursions.  Please collect orders from family, friends, and associates!  We hope to have the nuts available for pre-Thanksgiving distirbution.

Donations of any of the following items are needed:

• Sewing thread
• Embroidery thread
• Assorted buttons
• Quality wool yarn
• Quality fabric remnants
• Batting
• Pillow stuffing
• Sewing machines (even if they don’t work!)

Donations can be left in the Staff Room for Sara Arnold

High Stakes Testing and The Decline of Teaching and Learning
Wednesday, October 15, 6:30 pm

A special presentation and discussion with University of Rochester professor and author of a recently published book focused on the impact of high-stakes testing.  If you have questions or thoughts about the emphasis on testing in schools today then this is a forum worth attending.

Wednesday, October 15

This test, which is typically taken by 11th graders as a practice for the college boards, will be given at LACS.  The cost is $15.  Fee waivers are available for students who are on free-reduced meals.  Please see Hayya in the guidance office to register.  Study guides are available.

Monday, Oct. 20

Smile!  Life Touch Picture Studio will be at school on Monday, October 20th to have students sit for the annual school picture.  Order forms will be available in our main office.

Thursday, October 9

All ICSD students will be released from school 15 minutes early as part of an “early release drill.”  Students who travel by bus will be arriving home 15 minutes early.  All afterschool activities, including sports, are canceled.  Evening activities will be held as scheduled.