We are pleased to announce that Michael Bishop is joining our board. Michael has spent the last 6 years as Assistant Superintendent - Business Services in the Paramount School District. His vast experience in directing business and fiscal activities of school districts will be a great asset to our community.

We have another exciting fundraiser planned for Saturday, May 12th. It will be a Scholastic Book Fair, with crafts and games for the entire family. Scholastic books will be offered for purchase, and the program is such that the more books we buy for our kids, the more books LFCSA will receive. You will also be able to purchase books to give directly to the school. More information about this springtime fundraiser will appear in the next newsletter!

Our fancy school shirts are in, and they are HOTTT (yes, that’s H-O-TRIPLE T)! You can snatch them up for $20 a piece. We have all kinds of sizes and colors to suit the whole family! Bring your checkbook, and make it quick; in our health conscious times I would have to say they’re selling way better than hotcakes!!

Contact Reg Jones.

Check out the artwork hanging in the stairwell nearest the playground. Called “Six Sticks,” these diverse creations are examples of work produced as part of a math lesson. Each child was given six popsicle sticks, some art materials, and instructions to make anything of their choosing. Our faculty wants to keep the children’s art present and all around them, so whenever the classes are particularly proud of a project, you’ll see it shared on our hallway walls.

Site Council welcomes the newest Parent Representative Jennifer Werndorf to the council. The council continues to finalize the Single School Plan – a document which sets academic goals for our students, and a methodology to evaluate whether the children are achieving these goals. We also are working with the committee heads to facilitate better communication to our families and working on how best to mobilize our parent volunteers. All parents are welcome to come to the meetings. Please contact Marta Alcumbrac should you wish to have any item placed on the agenda.

National Charter Schools Week begins on April 30, 2007. To celebrate and attract attention to each of the 103 charter schools within the Los Angeles area, Independent Charter Schools of Los Angeles (IC-LA) will be hosting a Run/Walk for Charter Schools on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at Palisades Charter High School. IC-LA is a coalition of charter schools who support each other through collaboration on initiatives of mutual interest, including working with LAUSD in crafting charter school policy. IC-LA will be hosting this event to celebrate the students, the families, and staff, and to foster the unique gifts that each school brings to their community. There will be food and drinks for all participants.

By participating in this program, you will be joining leagues of fellow charter school supporters looking to raise funds for their schools. Participants will be able to raise funds for LFCSA by collecting pledges for laps completed–all money raised will go to LFCSA. Our Run/Walk goal is to raise $5,000, which will go towards improving our playground. There will be prizes to kids, staff and teachers who get the most pledges.

Tips for our Team LFCSA participants: eat a good breakfast, stay hydrated, drink lots of water and dust off your running shoes. For the little ones especially, don’t forget hats, sunscreen, baby joggers/strollers.

Pledge forms and information about this event will be sent home in the Thursday packets. Please help your child complete the pledges – and please come to this kick-off event on April 28, 2007. Come meet other charter school students, meet other charter school family members, and support our school.

Dear Parents,

As you may know, LFCSA recently held its public random drawing for the 07-08 school year. We received an incredible 275 applications for the 28 kindergarten spots. Additionally, there remains a long wait list for first and second grade, should any spots become available. Clearly the good word about our school has gotten out, and the overwhelming interest in our lottery is a reflection of the school community’s commitment and hard work.

I would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to all the parents who attended our first Town Hall meeting on March 14th in the auditorium. It was encouraging to sit and talk with a large group of such interested parents, hear parents’ concerns, and discuss the road ahead. There were excellent questions asked by you, and I was glad to have the opportunity to answer them directly and share my knowledge about our blossoming school. I’m already looking forward to continuing these discussions at upcoming Town Hall meetings, and I encourage everyone to attend and join in the dialogue.

As you will read in this newsletter, LFCSA is participating in a Walk/Run for Charter Schools on April 28th at Palisades Charter High School. I want to personally invite all students, parents, and staff to fill out their pledge forms, ask their family and friends for support, and slip on their running shoes! This is going to be a wonderful event that I am sure will create bonds both within our school community and with the larger Los Angeles charter school community. To top it all off, all money raised will go directly to LFCSA. Hope to see you all there!

By: Chris Bandouveris

In April 2007, LFCSA’s fundraising team will be kicking-off “The Art of Giving Family Pledge Drive.” The goal is to raise $110,000–LFCSA’s portion of construction and improvement costs that were necessary to move into our St. Ambrose school. The goal of this pledge drive is to pay off this debt.

How Much Did It Cost To Move Into St. Ambrose?

If you don’t count the thousands of hours that our parents have spent sweeping, scrubbing, painting, moving, and assembling furniture, and if you don’t count the cost of things such as desks, carpet, bookshelves, chairs, and supplies, it cost LFCSA $110,000 to open our doors.

So How Did We End Up Here Anyway?

As you may know, we took over St. Ambrose from the Larchmont Charter School. It had been vacant for twelve years before Larchmont moved in one year ago. In 2005, the parents of Larchmont donated over $240,000 to transform the St. Ambrose site into a modern school that complied with all safety regulations. Larchmont was in St. Ambrose for only one year before moving to their current location. Meanwhile, LFCSA was struggling to find an appropriate temporary location when news came that St. Ambrose was going to be available. LFCSA and the Larchmont Charter agreed that $110,000 was a fair reimbursement for Larchmont’s work. Although $110,000 is a great deal of money, other charter schools in Los Angeles have paid $350,000 to $500,000 for a temporary site.

What Could Possibly Cost $110,000?

Because the school had been vacant for 12 years prior to Larchmont’s lease of the property, Larchmont had to make countless structural and safety upgrades just to make the building habitable as a modern school. The money was spent on fire alarms, intercoms, security gates, plumbing, electrical upgrades, and countless other expenses to modernize the building for the children and staff.

So Who Is Paying Off The $110,000 Debt?

The short answer is YOU. Before you panic, please consider the following:

• We are already more than one-third of the way there! Our original group of twenty Founding Parents have dug deep into their pockets and already donated $37,000. This small group of dedicated parents pledged an average of $2,500 each, which has allowed us to keep up with our debt payments and take a big chunk out of our debt. These founding families deserve all of our thanks.

• There are 100 enrolled families who have not yet been asked to contribute money and another 40 on the way for the entering class of 2007-2008. Tapping into our ever-growing community will help us grow better and faster.

• Your contribution is tax deductible and every penny you give directly benefits your child.

Part of the culture of LFCSA is that EVERYBODY GIVES. We have accomplished phenomenal achievements because our families are committed to making our school a success, whether it’s through volunteering or giving money. Dr. Verna Dauterive serves on LFCSA’s Board of Directors and notes, “In my 25 years as principal of Franklin Elementary School, I have always said, ALL families should give regardless of income level. Whether it’s $1 or $1,000,000, your donation is your proof that you value quality education.”

What We Need From You: In the next two months, we will be conducting a campaign to raise the necessary funds to pay down our debt to Larchmont Charter. Each family will be asked to contribute as much as possible. Reaching our goal will not be easy, but if we all consider the true benefits and costs of a first-rate education, the amount we give in dollars is small compared to the life-long benefit we give to our children.

As an added incentive to get 100% participation, LFCSA will throw an ice cream party for each class where EVERY SINGLE FAMILY makes a contribution—no matter how small the amount. Also, each family who makes a monetary contribution to the school will be listed in The Art of Giving Honor Roll as thanks for supporting the school.

You will soon receive a brochure and contribution envelope. Be on the lookout, because returning your envelope paves the way for LFCSA’s and your child’s bigger and brighter future.