Monday, March 8, 7:00 pm

The next parent/caregiver group (PTA) meeting will take place on Monday, March 8.  The LACS Parent Group exists to support the school, staff, students and parents. Communication and discussion about school issues is a primary focus. All parents and caregivers are welcome.

Tuesday, March 9, 6:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, March 10, during the school day

The LACS Visual Sociology class presents student photography and mixed media presentations about individuals and influences that have moved and shaped our lives. In the main hallway.

March 9, 7:00 pm

There will be a meeting at LACS to talk about getting organized for completing high school and for “life after LACS.”  We will present information and answer questions about senior year requirements, transcripts, college searches, etc.  If there is a particular area of interest to you, please call Hayya ahead of time and we will try to make sure to include the desired information.

March 10

The Parent/Guardian Evening to discuss Asperger’s Syndrome, High Functioning Autism and social difficulties will be held WEDNESDAY, March 10th, at 6:30.    Evening is for families to share resources, discuss concerns, meet each other, discuss ideas for supports at LACS,  plan future meetings, etc.   RSVP to Beth Taplitz for more detailed information or to report that you will attend   -    btaplitz@icsd.k12.ny.us

From the Health Office:

Spring Sports begin on March 8th for JV and Varsity, and March 22nd for Mosified. Sports offerings include:

Softball and Baseball for Mod/JV/Var
Boys and Girls Lacrosse for Mod/JV/Var
Boys Tennis for Var only
Boys and Girls Track and Field for Mod/JV/Var

Interested students may pick up an Athletic Participation Form in the LACS Health Office. Students will need to have a current ( within the last 12 months) Phhsical Exam on file in the Health Office.

Questions? call Barbara @ 274-2307

The Ithaca High School Ski Club is offering Greek Peak season passes for the 2010-2011 season. The price for these early passes is $299, untill March 12th. Applications are available in the LACS Health Office. Questions? Call Barbara 274-2307.

March 21 and 22

The Annual Syracuse National College Fair will be held on Sunday and Monday, March 21 and 22.  Information about this event is available at http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/ncf/Spring/Pages/SyracuseNCF.aspx or in the guidance office.

LACS Strengths/Challenges/Suggestions
Thursday, March 25

A dessert and discussion evening will be held on March 25 to continue the discussion that began during the State of the School meeting.  We will share our perceptions of LACS’ strengths and challenges and generate suggestions for improving our school.

April 13

LACS is a key member of a small network of 28 schools in New York that share similar views and philosophies about effective education. The network is known as the New York Performance Standards Consortium, and Consortium schools have been working on further developing a series of performance-based alternative assessments that we believe exceed the expectations and standards of the State’s more conventional and often flawed tests.  At LACS, we have developed a Graduation by Exhibition portfolio for grades 9-12, including specified learning outcomes with related performance assessments, that students produce and present.  Oversight of this performance assessment system is carried out by an external advisory board for the Consortium — the Performance Assessment Review (PAR) Board — that reviews both student work and the process by which it is evaluated, holding schools and students accountable. In April, representatives from the PAR Board will be coming to spend time at LACS to review our performance assessment assignments and scoring rubrics, as well as to meet and interview staff and students about the school.  We are hoping to schedule a Dessert and Discussion Evening on the evening of April 13 during the Performance Assessment Review Board’s visit to give parents and caretakers an opportunity to interact with the Board.

LACS has enjoyed having an exchange student from Belgium attending our school since September. She is here via the Rotary Exchange program that also has sponsored several of our students’ study abroad experiences over the years. This young woman attending our school is an older high school student and is currently needing to find a new host family until the end of the school year. The reason has nothing to do with any issues with her current placement, but rather an expectation that students are provided with varied experiences while studying in our community. If you have interest in learning more of what is involved with serving as a host family, please be in touch with Joe directly and he will put you in contact with the local coordinator of the Rotary program.