In her monthly “School Culture and Climate” updates, Principal Early showcases the numerous clubs and events that students are engaged in, on top of their already rigorous studies. She sees this as a necessary part of shaping well-rounded students.

“They understand that you, as a productive citizen, have to support your community,” Mrs. Early said at the November 28 meeting of the Lake Forest Elementary Charter School Board

On October 20, students involved in Lake Forest Charter’s Eagles for the Cure Team participated in the 16^th Annual New Orleans Race for the Cure. The event was organized by the Susan G. Komen foundation.

Girl Scouts from Lake Forest participated in a Nov. 2^nd luncheon celebrating Girl Scouts Louisiana East’s 100^th Centennial. From Nov. 12-16, students raised food for the Second Harvest Food Bank. In October, the school collected box tops for the General Mills Box Tops for Education program, raising $611.30 for the school.

On November 8, the school held a “Wild About Science!” family night. Teachers manned various tables, highlighting biology, chemistry, physics, and other science concepts. “We had the entire gym decorated as a barn and a farm,” Early said. “We had chickens and roosters – all kinds of animals.”

Principal Early remarked on the low interest among 8^th graders in this year’s middle school harvest dance. Member Windi Brown looked at the flier for the event, concluding: “Wait, it was on a Tuesday.” Early indicated, to the board’s laughter, that she had not realized a Tuesday dance would be less popular. Members joked that they should pass a resolution for future dances to always be held on Fridays.

Quarterly exams will be held December 12-18. Lake Forest’s last day of 2012 will be December 19.

Second quarter report card conferences will be held Thursday, January 17. Principal Early said that the whole staff stays for report card conferences, with teachers organized into teams, and soft music played to soften the mood. Early said that, if teachers desire a meeting with a student’s parents, that student gets a note instead, instructing parents to see the teacher.

“It influences them to have conferences,” she said. “They have to go to that teacher and get the report card.”

Early showed members a pie chart of the percentage of students who had made honor roll first quarter. 256 out of 437 students made the honor roll in total. Of those, 32% made Summa Cum Laude (GPA of 3.75 or above), while 14% scored Magna Cum Laude (GPA of 3.50-3.74).

Students attended school Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, making up two of the four days lost to Hurricane Isaac. Two additional days will be added to Mardis Gras week.

Present at the meeting Donald Pate, Gina Dupart, Denise Williams and Brian K. Richburg, Sr. Also present was Bernell St. Cyr. and Robin Gorman, Lake Forest’s operations manager. Absent were president Lee Caston and Leila Eames.