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OUR THEMEWorld-Class Champions . . . every child, every chance, every day!OUR GOALS● Provide world-class safety and a positive school culture.● Provide world-class, high-quality instruction to increase studentachievement.● Provide world-class communication and family engagement.November 28, 2022Welcome back! I hope the Thanksgiving holiday was peaceful andrestful. As we returned today, we returned for the final stretch of thefirst semester. Please join us in encouraging your children to finish thefirst semester strong. Our staff and students continue to focus onworking hard each day! The smiles and conversations as studentsarrive and seeing their engagement while they are in class, confirmsthat we have GREAT students and GREAT staff in Laurens CountySchool District 55. As we return from Thanksgiving break, parents,please remember that daily student attendance is critical to your child'ssuccess at school.We have WONDERFUL things taking place throughout the district!This school year, we are focusing on moving beyond limits, erasinggaps, and building upon the growth of the previous school year. Iwould like to thank our staff, students, parents, and the entire LCSD 55community for your support and help in ensuring safe and positivelearning environments. Please know that the safety and well-being of our students and staffcontinue to be a top priority. If you see or hear something, say something! Please contact yourchild’s school or the Pupil Services department regarding concerns you may have.Thank you once again for your support and all you do to ensure that we continue to move ourstudents beyond limits each day! We are truly stronger together!

LAURENS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 55 LEGISLATIVELUNCHEONLaurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) hosted a LegislativeLuncheon on November 21, 2022. Superintendent Ameca C. Thomasand her cabinet members welcomed LCSD 55 Board Members,Members of the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce,Representative Duncan’s Staff Member, Laurens County DevelopmentCorporation, Mayors from Waterloo & Gray Court, County CouncilMembers, and Representative Leon D. “Doug” Gilliam. The purpose ofthe event was to give an overview of LCSD 55, share district needs,and encourage partnerships to make those identified needs a reality.Dr. Jody Penland, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services, sharedabout the need to build the Laurens County School District 55 & 56Career & Technology Center. Other needs include financing for LCSD55’s 5-year Roofing Plan, as well as financing for New LCSD 55 Facilities and Renovationprojects.Dr. Thomas believes that “What we do is a calling and a ministry to do what’s best for thechildren of our community.” She is hopeful that conversations and ideas on how to fund LCSD55’s needs will continue outside of the Legislative Luncheon. Stakeholders with ideas areencouraged to reach the LCSD 55 Administrative Office.

LAURENS 55 TEACHERS WIN DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS OFLITERACY AWARDThe Palmetto State Literacy Association (PSLA) is an organizationwhose “primary commitment is to promote literacy through theimprovement of reading, writing, and communication instruction andto encourage literacy as a lifetime tool for learning.” PSLA recognizeseducators who share its mission and who are highly-effective inteaching literacy. The PSLA Local Council in Laurens includes bothLaurens 55 and Laurens 56 School Districts. The PSLA LaurensLocal Council held a banquet on November 17, 2022, at the LaurensCounty School District 55 Administrative Office and announcedRonda Benson and Chelsea Bradshaw as the winners.Ronda Benson is a kindergarten teacher at Laurens Elementary School (LES).She believes that literacy is important and we need to really push thefoundational skills and create a solid base of learning for students to build on inhigher grades. Ms. Benson was very surprised but thrilled to be named DLT forLaurens County. She says, “I'm thankful for the administration team at LES thatnominated me to represent the school. I'm passionate about teaching childrento read using research-based strategies that get results. To be recognized asdoing a good job by other teaching professionals is a true honor.”Chelsea Bradshaw is a teacher at Laurens Middle School. She is in her 9thyear teaching English Language Arts (ELA). Chelsea graduated fromWinthrop University and holds a Bachelor's degree in English for SecondaryEducation. She also has a Master's in Education from Liberty University.She’s been teaching at Laurens Middle for 8 years. She loves seeing all thestudents' faces light up when they find the 'just right' book and see thatreading can be fun and enjoyable. Outside of teaching, Chelsea lovesspending time with her two dogs, reading, and spending time outdoors.AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK CELEBRATIONThe American Education Week is held every year, one week before the week of Thanksgiving.This week is about giving honor to all those who serve in public schools. Educators,administrators, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, administrative staff, and substituteteachers are all celebrated. This year’s theme according to the National Education Association(NEA) is “Together for Safe, Just & Equitable Schools.”On Thursday, November 17, 2022, in celebration of American Education Week, staff members inLaurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) handed juice and muffins to parents andguardians at the morning car rider drop-off area. It’s a simple way to thank the community forsupporting public education. On this day, Laurens Elementary School also welcomed parentsand guardians to join for lunch to thank them for their support.

Pictured from left to right: Parents/guardians at Ford Elementary car-rider line, Ms. Turner,Principal Watson, Assistant Principal England, and Ms. Cruikshank.Pictured from left to right: Dr. Thomas with Laurens Elementary students,students/parents/guardians at Laurens Elementary.On Friday, November 18, 2022, also in celebration of American Education Week, LCSD 55educators and staff members enjoyed a free Thanksgiving Lunch. The menu was turkey anddressing or gravy or apple-glazed ham, dinner roll, homestyle green beans, candied sweetpotatoes, and cranberry sauce. Educators at Waterloo Elementary all agree that the whole mealis excellent. Ms. Shelton exclaimed, “I never had dressing this good!”Pictured from left to right: Thanksgiving Lunch, educators from Waterloo Elementary (Ms.Shelton, Officer Crease, Dr. Tucker, and Ms. Jenkins), students enjoying their lunch.

WATERLOO ELEMENTARY VOLUNTEERS HELP WITH DUTY-FREELUNCHOn Friday, November 18, 2022, Principal Kim Penland made theThanksgiving Lunch extra nice for Waterloo Elementary teachers and staffmembers. To show her thankfulness for her hardworking educators andstaff members, Principal Penland tapped their school volunteers to coverlunch duty. Principal Penland herself, was monitoring and assistingstudents as needed (pictured on left).Volunteers that came to Waterloo Elementary were a mix of long-time and new volunteers. Ms.Dianne Brown, a grandparent, and Maia Worsky, a parent, came to volunteer for the first timeand look forward to doing more volunteer work. They believe that the caring teachers atWaterloo deserve a break. Andrea Confer also came to cover lunch duty. She has beenvolunteering at Waterloo Elementary for five years. Her church wanted to help schools and theyreached out to Waterloo Elementary. She drives from the Greenwood County Line to Waterloobecause she enjoys seeing the big smiles and greetings from the students. The students arenow familiar with Ms. Confer, so students say hello to her when they see her in the community.Ms. Nancy Davis is another long-time volunteer. She was encouraged to volunteer by her friend,Coach Suzanne Fay. Ms. Davis has been volunteering at Waterloo Elementary for six years, andvolunteered before at Gray Court-Owings for two years. She finds volunteering so joyful, henceshe is at Waterloo almost every day and can be mistaken for being a staff member.Laurens County School District 55encourages the community tovolunteer at schools. Please reach outto the administrative staff of theschool site you wish to volunteer at.Pictured Left to Right: Ms. Brown, Ms.Worsky, Ms. Davis, and Ms. Confer.PARENT ACADEMY ON NOVEMBER 29, 2022Parents and guardians of Laurens County School District 55 students are invited to join theParent Academy Virtual Series on November 29, 2022. The free-online training will start at 5PM. Brittany Chambers, Beyond Abuse Education and Outreach Manager, is the guest speaker.She will share about her organization and community resources for families. Review the LCSDParent Academy Flyer for the meeting link and details.SAFETY IS PRIORITY IN LCSD 55The safety of students, staff members, and community members is a priority at Laurens CountySchool District 55 (LCSD 55). Parents and guardians are highly encouraged to review safecrosswalk tips. All stakeholders who drive within the school vicinity are called upon to slow downto at least 25 miles per hour during student arrival and dismissal, give way to pedestrians, andfollow the crossing guard’s instructions when a crossing guard is present. Parents and guardiansare also asked to drop off students only at designated drop-off areas. Read the How to StaySafe when Walking to School Flyer for more information.

EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS DAYAs part of American Education Week, November 16th was Education Support ProfessionalsDay. The Student Nutrition Services Department played an essential role in putting together thejuice and muffins for parents and guardians, and the free Thanksgiving Lunch. Every day theyare key to keeping LCSD 55 students being fed delicious and nutritious meals. Waterloo SchoolResource Officer Michael Creason says, “There’s buttery goodness to all the veggies everyday.”LCSD 55 extends a big thank you to the Student Nutrition Services team!LCSD 55 is honored to have Ms. Wanda Knight as the Director of theStudent Nutrition Services Department. Ms. Knight is well-recognized in thefield of Student Nutrition Services. She has been the President of the SchoolNutrition Association (SNA) of South Carolina numerous times and servedas a Board Member. She has been the recipient of The Thelma FlanaganGold Award of Service and Member of the Year from SNA, and The Directorof the Year from SNA SC. She is also a certified School Nutrition Specialistand certified ServSafe instructor and proctor.Ms. Knight has been serving as the LCSD 55 Director of Student NutritionServices Department since 2000, but began working in LCSD 55 as a part-time cashier in 1988.Under the wing of former Director of Student Nutrition Services, Linda Brown, she learned aboutthe ins and outs of the department. Ms. Knight pursued Food Service Management at GreenvilleTechnological College and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from BarringtonUniversity.Ms. Knight has a passion for “ensuring our students are properlynourished.” She believes that “hungry children can’t learn.” She has a bigheart, and is concerned about students who may be only getting theproper nourishment at school. She is meticulous with getting work done,including applying for various food grants. Currently, all LCSD 55 studentsreceive free breakfast and lunch. Additionally, three elementary schoolshave been awarded the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables grant, which givesstudents the opportunity to try new fruits and vegetables for a snack.More recently, LCSD 55 was awarded $27,444.00 by the South CarolinaDepartment of Education and the South Carolina Department ofAgriculture to purchase locally-grown produce. The fund will enable ourdistrict to provide more fresh options for fruit or vegetables for breakfastand lunch. Ms. Knight also started the Share Tables at LCSD 55 schools to help stop food wasteand have the opportunity for students to show kindness and provide additional food for thosewho may be food insecure.Ms. Knight gives apersonal shout-out toall her staff members inStudent NutritionServices for workingtogether to serve thestudents of LCSD 55.Pictured staff membersat Ford Elementary &Waterloo Elementary.

MATH DREAMBOX CHALLENGEBOARD OF TRUSTEESWatch the last LCSD 55 Board Work Session and Board Meeting held on October 24, 2022.The next LCSD 55 Board of Trustees work session is today, Monday, November 28, 2022, at4:45 p.m. in the large training room of the district administrative office. The regular monthlymeeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. Doors will open at 4:15 p.m. for the work session, and at 6:00p.m. for the meeting.WE’RE HIRING AT LAURENS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 55If you are interested in becoming an employee of Laurens County School District 55,please watch the We’re Hiring video for current openings and details on how to apply.SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDEDIf you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher in LCSD 55, please contact Kiantae Boydat 877-983-2244 or Kboyd@ess.com.

SING FOR SANTA AT SWAMP RABBITS HOCKEY GAMEThe community is invited to attend the Sing for Santa Swamp Rabbits event. For more detailsvisit the Swamp Rabbits website or read the Sing for Santa Flyer.REVIEW OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALSThe public is invited to review textbooks and instructional materials that have been proposed foruse in South Carolina’s public schools. Digital access is available for the recommendedprograms.The publisher-provided links are now posted online (2022 Virtual Public Review). The materialsrecommended by the Instructional Materials Review Panels will be submitted to the State Boardof Education (SBE) for adoption on December 13, 2022. The SBE will receive public commentsbefore a final decision is made on adopting the instructional materials.Following are the recommended materials and information about review sites.The recommended materials are in thefollowing subject areas:• Advanced Baking and Pastry• Advanced Placement European History• Biology 1, 2, and Advanced Placement• Civics• Computer Applications• Digital Art and Design 1, 2, 3, 4• Digital Media Marketing• Digital Multimedia• Digital Workplace Applications• Esthetics• Event and Entertainment Management• Fundamentals of Healthcare• Image Editing• International Business• Nutrition and WellnessCollege or university campus location for the publicreview sites:• Bob Jones University, 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd.,Greenville, SC, 29614-0001• Clemson University, College of Education, 212 TillmanHall, Education Media Center, Clemson, SC, 29634• Coker University Library, 300 E. College Ave.,Hartsville, SC, 29550• Columbia College, 1301 Columbia College Drive,Columbia, SC, 29203• Columbia International University Library, 7435Monticello Road, Columbia, SC, 29230-3122• Converse College, Nickel Library, 580 E Main St,Spartanburg, SC, 29302• Furman University, James B. Duke Library, 3300Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC, 29613• Limestone University, 1115 College Dr., Gaffney, SC,29340• Newberry College, Center of Teacher Education, 1121Speers Street, Newberry, SC, 29108• University of South Carolina Beaufort Library - Bluffton,8 East Campus Drive, Bluffton, SC, 29909• University of South Carolina-Aiken, 471 UniversityParkway, BE 238D, Aiken, SC, 29801• Winthrop University, 611 Myrtle Drive, Withers Room307, Rock Hill, SC, 29732

PARENT PORTALLaurens County School District 55 offers parents/guardians electronicweb access to their student’s school information through thePowerSchool Parent Portal. By using this system, you can see yourstudent’s attendance, grades, fill out important forms, etc. This is a greattool to have a positive impact on your student’s progress in school bycommunicating regularly with teachers, monitoring results, and academicprogress reports. Additionally, the South Carolina Department ofEducation has uploaded a Directory and Military Opt-Out Survey in Parent Portal for any parentinterested in opting-out of those areas.Easy Steps to Set Up Your Account:1. Call or visit your student’s school to get your student’s personal Access ID and AccessPassword. This step is very important to protect their information.2. Go to the PowerSchool Parent Portal link under the Quick Links tab on the LCSD55website (www.laurens55.org) and then click on the PowerSchool – Students, Parents,Guardians link under Parents and Students. If you have already created an account foranother child, simply log in and add the Access ID and Access Password of another childyou wish to add.3. Review the Terms of Use. By using the Parent Portal, you agree to these terms. Click onthe PowerSchool Parent Portal button.4. You must create your account at the bottom of the screen. Click the Create Accountbutton.5. Enter your first name, last name, and email address (this should be an email address youuse regularly).6. Enter your user name and password. These can be almost anything you wish.7. Under Link Students to Account, enter your student’s name. This is for your use.8. In the Access ID and Access Password box, enter the information received from yourstudent’s school and then choose the relationship from the dropdown box.9. Click Enter.10. After clicking Submit, you will be taken to the login page where you can immediatelylogin to view your student’s information. You can subscribe to notifications and updates(upper right-hand corner), and it is recommended you select Weekly when subscribing toreduce the amount of email you will receive.If you have other children, you can enter them once you receive their access codes (eachstudent code isdifferent).P-EBT CLARIFICATION● Students who were enrolled in LCSD 55 the last 20 days of the 2021-2022 school yearqualified for the second round of payments.● This is a one-time only payment. Students who already received funds will not receive the nextround.● New cards will be mailed to all eligible students.● Parents can check the DSS portal after December 15, 2022, for newly eligible students thatwere enrolled in a NSLP school during the 2021-2022 school year. Please do not call theschool district nor the SC Department of Education requesting this information, as neitheragency has access to it at this time.● All inquiries should be submitted to PEBT@ed.sc.gov.● Issuance of P-EBT will be in accordance with Federal Law upon which the program is based.

AMIRA READINGWe are so excited to be able to offer Amira for our students in grades K-5. Amira providespersonalized tutoring for children as they read, to build critical foundational skills. Amira’ssupport is based on the Five Pillars of Literacy identified as critical elements of early literacyinstruction. Research shows that twenty minutes per day of Amira can double the pace ofreading growth for children ages 5-10. If you have any questions about using Amira at home,please see the tips below. If you have further questions or need assistance, please contact yourchild’s teacher.

STAY IN THE KNOWA weekly video to share school district newsNovember 4, 2022November 11, 2022November 18, 2022A podcast of one-on-one conversationsArmond FloodA chance to hear how L55 has positivelyimpacted studentsLizzie ClarkA chance to hear about our excellentteachersConnie LewisDATES TO REMEMBERDecember 20, 2022Half-Day for StudentsDecember 21, 2022Make-up/HolidayDecember 22-30, 2022Winter HolidaysSchools & Offices ClosedCLOSINGOn behalf of the Board of Trustees, administrators, and staff, thank you for your partnership,your support, and your continued engagement with us as we work together to serve yourchildren and our community. Your input is greatly valued and we love to hear from you. Contactme at athomas@laurens55.org, call 864-984-3568, attend our school and district events, or viewour school board meetings. Have a great week!Sincerely,Ameca C. Thomas, Ph.D.Proud Superintendent ofLaurens County School District 55Laurens County School District #55 is committed to the principle of equal opportunity. It is thepolicy of the district not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, color, age, nationalorigin, immigrant status, English-speaking status, familial status, or disability with regard tostudents, employees, or applicants for admission or employment.