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A Message from the Principal

8 days ago



Dr. Harris

Click here to share your thoughts with Mrs. Brink!


Our students and faculty and staff continue to work hard well into the 2nd nine weeks at LMS! We have started our basketball season and are off and running with our Dream Team and other clubs and organizations! We have some exciting events in the month of December and I encourage our students and parents/guardians to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all of the excitement around the holidays. As always, students should read every night and our parents and community are always welcome! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


Anna Brink

 










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Monday, December 10
Schools & offices are CLOSED. Updates will be given Monday afternoon concerning Tuesday, December 11.
LMS Library Catalog

12 Days of Giving

9 days ago

12 Days of Giving Guidelines

1.       This campaign will run from December 4th through December 19 (12 school days).

2.       Items will be given to local charities that serve Laurens County and deserving individuals – Some of the charities include but may not be limited to:  LMS, Laurens County Safe Home, Laurens County Crisis Center, and Laurens County Humane Society.

3.       Everyone is invited to participate!  Support staff and activity teachers who don’t have a homeroom may choose a homeroom to support or you may help out the community effort in the lobby.  Students should get their family, friends, neighbors, etc. involved! The more donations collected and brought in by students the more points the homeroom receives.

4.       Report items daily by 10 AM using the google form.

5.       Points will only be counted during the official dates of the campaign.  No points will be added after 10:00 AM on December 19! Items brought in by students will be counted in their homeroom.   Remember as long as it is brought in by the student, it is counted in homeroom. Parents, guardian, etc. may help the student if necessary.

6.       All items brought in by students need to stay in the room until the 19th unless arrangements have been approved in special circumstances - at that time you will be instructed as to what to do with it.   Any items brought in by community members during regular school hours will be put near the tree in the lobby and will not count in the homeroom contest.

7.       Point reporting will be kept very simple.  1 point for each item brought in (no matter the size) except for clothing, gift cards and money.

8.       Items we will be collecting:  Non-perishable food items (anything with a shelf life of 6 months or more), bottled water, Purina cat and dog food, New pet toys, school supplies, toiletries, cleaning supplies, gently used and new clothing items, gently used and new coats and new unwrapped toys, money and gift cards that can be used locally.

9.       Money will be 1 point for each dollar.  You may have a jar in your room to collect change!  Partial dollars will not count.

10.   Gift cards will be counted as money and the value of the gift card will count as the point value.  For example a 10 dollar gift card will count as 10 points. The gift card must be able to be used locally.  A receipt needs to accompany the gift card.

11.   Each homeroom will be provided an envelope to keep money and gift cards in.  Keep the envelop until December 19.

12.   We will be only accepting Purina brand dry cat or dog food as this is the only brand the Laurens County Humane society uses.

13.   Items in multi packs are counted individually.  For example if a 4 pack of tooth brushes is brought in, it is worth 4 points (one for each brush).  If a 24 pack of water is brought in it is worth 24 points. (However… if a bag of dry beans is brought in, it is worth 1 point).  When in doubt about how to count a multi pack item, please ask.

14.    A new (tags still on) heavy winter Jacket/Coat is worth 50 points.  A gently used* heavy winter jacket/coat is worth $25 points. A hoodie, light jacket, etc. are counted as regular clothing.   Each article of new (tags still on) clothing is worth 6 points and a gently* used article of clothing is worth 3 points).

15.   *Gently used means the items have been cleaned/washed.  The items is in excellent condition meaning - no rips, tears, frays, etc. no fading or discoloration; no stains, etc.   Gently used clothing items could be hanging in a store to be bought as new.

16.   We are not accepting used underwear or socks. These items if brought in must be new and still in the original packaging.   We will accept gently used shoes.

17.   We will also not accept open or used food items, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc.  These items must be new and unopened.

18.   Bonus points may be given for certain items on certain days.  Listen to announcements for those items the previous day or check facebook for the day’s bonus point items.

19.    At the end of the contest points will be totaled for each homeroom.  One homeroom from Montessori, RAISE and each grade level of Scholar will receive a “celebration” including a movie, popcorn and drink during a school day to be determined.

20.   Event sponsors will arrange pick up or delivery of food items before Christmas unless circumstances prevent this.



By Kathleen Butler

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LMS named PTA School of Excellence!
Laurens Middle School is one of seven schools in South Carolina to be named a National PTA School of Excellence for the period from 2018 – 2020. According to the National PTA, “The National PTA School of Excellence program is a recognition program that supports and celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students. By enrolling in this program, a PTA and school administrators are making a year-long commitment to identify and implement an action plan for school improvement based on PTA's National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement.”

LMS Principal, Anna Brink, gives credit to her staff and the school’s parents. “While we were still transitioning to a PTA, they took on the added challenge of applying for PTA National School of Excellence status. Despite the challenges, they did an excellent job in completing the process and establishing the sort of collaborative environment that is critical to our success as a school community.”
According to the final report submitted to the National PTA:
The overall objective during this process was to increase the strength of our family-school partnerships. At Laurens Middle School, we want to create a culture and climate that welcomes all families and that gives multiple avenues for families to access information about their child’s education. Although we met all of the goals we set as a School of Excellence committee, we are most proud of our resource center. It has already visibly helped, and will continue to help, families for coming school years. Through our goals and objectives in our action plan, we feel as though our school has grown toward greater excellence this school year. Laurens Middle School is a newly formed PTSA and (we) feel as though we have made marked improvements in our family-school partnerships [by] going through this process, receiving feedback from our families and community, and instituting new initiatives that strengthened our welcoming environment for all of our families. We will continue to strive to foster these same principles in years to come.

Congratulations and we look forward to another great year with our students, parents, and community!
  • Door Buzzer
    New Security Procedure

    For our students' safety, LMS has installed a buzzer/intercom system. Doors will be locked during school hours. Please press the intercom button to request admittance.
  • 2018-2019 Sports Information
    As we begin to wind down the 2017-2018 school year, we will begin gearing up for the 2018-2019 sports seasons. Students who wish to participate in interscholastic sports will be required to have a sports physical, This physical must be dated April 1st, 2018 or later to be valid for the 2018-2019 school year. Laurens District High School will host a physical screening in the gym for athletes May 15th at 6:00 P.M for $20.

    Cheerleading: Tryouts will be held at LMS beginning May 29th- 31st. Students interested in trying out should attend an interest meeting on May 1st. For question contact Coach Fikisha Patterson @ fpatterson@laurens55.org

    Volleyball: For rising 7th and 8th graders, volleyball will have a tentative summer conditioning on Tuesdays and Thursday s from 6:00 to 7:30 pm starting June 19th. Volleyball tryouts will be held the week of August 20th. For questions please contact Coach Tina Edge @ tedge@cclind.com

    Football: Summer workouts are tentatively scheduled to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting June 19th from 6:00-7:30pm. For questions please contact Coach Cory Fain @ cgfain@laurens55.org
  • PTA
    The LMS PTSA needs your support. Please consider joining today. Memberships are $5.00. Forms were sent home with the student information packets. Email Rachel Smith at rsmith@laurens55.org with any ideas, questions, or concerns.
  • EARLY DISMISSAL (NEW POLICY)
    Due to traffic and safety concerns, there will be no early dismissals permitted after 2:00 p.m. except in the case of an extreme emergency.
  • Side Entrance
    When entering the building, please use the side entrance by the parking lot.
  • Ident-A-Kid
    The Ident-A-Kid system we use in the front office has been updated with a State license scanner. A State drivers license or ID will be mandatory for anyone who visits, volunteers or picks up a student before we dismiss. Our goal is to go live on 2/13. The license scan will identify sex offenders and not allow them to check out a student or sign in as a volunteer or visitor.
  • LMS Profile
  • Profile: Laurens Middle School “An environment for learning…”
    We did not have to go far to find the definitive source of information for Laurens Middle School (LMS). Current Director of Operations, Dr. Rhett Harris, served as the Principal of LMS for 14 years. It was only in the 2017-2018 school year that Harris turned over the reins to current Principal Anna Brink, who also has a long and rich history with the school. The first thing that both Harris and Brink reminded us of was the important role Bill Ramey played in the history of LMS as both a teacher and the school’s Principal. Ramey’s picture still hangs in the LMS lobby and honors his contributions to LMS and to this community. On his most recent visit to LMS, Ramey actually presented the Bill Ramey Award to his granddaughter, Anna Jenkins.
    Other notable influencers at LMS include Nancy Thompson who worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, and Assistant Principal at “Laurens Junior High School” for 16 years. Thompson is also the Mother of current Principal Anna Brink. Mrs. Tina Childress, who retired from LMS at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, worked for LMS (and only LMS) for 34 years and taught Brink 7th grade social studies. Dr. Harris cites the contributions of Rhonda Lynch, his longtime administrative assistant, and Flor Ortiz, the current LMS custodian, as critical to the culture at LMS. Harris also commended Charles Smith, who preceded Ortiz as the LMS custodian. Harris and Brink both mentioned Renee Madden, current LCSD 55 Director of Human Resources, and Dr. Ameca Thomas, current Director of Research, Testing, and Accountability as former staff members who have gone on to greater heights.
    When it comes to students, Harris indicated that the number of students who stick in his mind would be “too many to mention.” Brink added, “We have had many students who have accomplished great success through programs like Duke TIP, Junior Scholar, Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, athletics, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Rotary Top Ten, and recognition as valedictorian or salutatorian at Laurens District High School. We are proud of the accomplishments of all our students.”
    LMS is approximately 60,000 square feet and it opened its doors to students in 1954 as Laurens High School. On the recent Facilities Assessment Report conducted at the request of the legislature and issued by the State Department of Education, LMS received an average score of 2.4 (between “poor” and “fair”) on the state rating. Three (3) of the five (5) overall categories were rated a three (3) – “fair.” These included the building envelope, interior, and infrastructure. The facility scored a two (2) – “poor” – on security/life safety and a one (1) – “not operational” – in building accessibility. The issues with building accessibility involve distance to entryway, non-standard ramps between wings, and the restrooms are not fully accessible. The building/life safety issues involved an antiquated fire alarm system, improperly located exit signs, and doors and windows were not adequately secure.
    LCSD 55 serves the communities of Laurens, Waterloo, Gray Court, Hickory Tavern and their surrounding residents in the northwestern half of Laurens County, SC.
    Contact: Ed Murray, ermurray@laurens55.org, Phone: 864-984-8102
Report: Increasing Student Reading Time Improves Comprehension

Bridging the Gap

30 For 30

about 1 year ago


30 For 30

All Laurens Middle School students will read for 30 minutes during the school day and are expected to read an additional 30 minutes at home each day.
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