S.Ray Lowder Elementary

August 11, 2024 Lions in the Loop Good evening families! This is Principal Kelly Saine, excited to begin a new school year at S. Ray Lowder! We are looking forward to meeting our students and families at our drop-in Open House this Monday, August 12th, from 5:00 to 7:00PM. Due to the weather related change in date for middle and high school open houses, Mrs. Britt, Mrs. Atkinson, and Mrs. Schrum will be unavailable for Open House drop-in until 5:30. These ladies have children attending middle school for the first time and will be attending middle school open house briefly before coming back here to welcome their new students. Our staff has been hard at work this week getting rooms ready and participating in academic professional development to allow students to have a terrific start to the school year. Many have worked over the weekend as well, and we are blessed to have such a dedicated school community. I’d like to thank our PTO for providing breakfast for our staff and Amazon gift cards to help offset the out of pocket expense for teachers preparing for a new year. I’d also like to thank Atrium Health and First Baptist for providing school supplies for our students. In addition, First Baptist is hosting a prayer meeting today at 5:00PM to pray for a safe and productive school year for our community. Anyone is welcome to join! We are grateful for our community partnerships and their dedication to our community’s future through the investment in our children. Please take a moment to listen carefully to the following important information for these first few days of school. Breakfast and lunch will be free for ALL students again this year. We are excited to offer Atrium Telehealth again this year which is a tremendous asset to busy parents to assist with minor illnesses. Paper copies of the consent form will be available at Open House, but it is also part of the online student verification forms. If you have already registered and given consent in the past, you do not need to do so again. Parents of new students should be sure to register in order to take advantage of this valuable program that allows students to see a doctor virtually here at school. The first day of school for students is Wednesday, August 14th. Kindergarten and PreK students will have staggered start dates and should follow the schedule sent in the mail by teachers. Doors open for students each day at 7:20 AM. The tardy bell rings each day at 7:45AM, and all students will be dismissed by 2:40 PM. Your child’s participation in school is essential to their success and includes being at school on time and having good attendance. Be sure to establish these and other good habits such as checking planners, helping with homework, and reading with your child every day. More information regarding car rider and bus procedures will be provided at Open House and reminders will be provided in a Tuesday evening phone call. We will also have information available at Open House regarding our new LCS communication platform, Apptegy, Atrium Telehealth, PTO, and other available resources to make our school-home partnership successful. Please be sure to follow our S. Ray Lowder Elementary and S. Ray Lowder PTO Facebook pages to stay in the loop. Transcripts of the weekly phone calls can be found on our school’s website live feed and Facebook each week. Updating PowerSchool under “Enrollment” on the LCS website to include current phone numbers and email addresses will ensure you receive up to date notifications from school. All persons marked as having custody of students should receive weekly updates. We look forward to getting to know our new students, reuniting with our current Lowder Lions, and establishing a successful community partnership at SRL where, “Every student matters, every moment counts, and every day is a new opportunity to make a difference!”

Thank you to Hull's Grove Baptist Church and their Youth girls for chalking our walkway for our staff and students to enjoy!

We are excited to welcome these folks to our team! It is going to be a great year!

Splashing into a new year with popsicles with the principals!

Lions in the Loop July 31, 2024 Good evening S. Ray Lowder families! This is Principal Kelly Saine with important information regarding a few back to school events. First, we’d like to remind everyone about our Popsicles with the Principal event at the YMCA Splash Pad tomorrow from 5:30 to 7:00. Students are invited to drop by to cool off in the splash pad and enjoy a frozen treat. We are so excited to meet our new students, and I know everyone is looking forward to meeting our new Assistant Principal, Jordan Beam. Mrs. Beam comes to us from Pumpkin Center Intermediate. Her wealth of experience and dedication to students will make her a tremendous asset to our school community! Teachers will return to school on August 7th for the first mandatory workday of the year, and postcards with teacher assignments will be mailed on August 8th. If your address or contact information has changed, please visit the Student Enrollment section of the LCS Webpage to update this information through the Parent Portal. Our Open House/Meet the Teacher event will be held on Monday, August 12th from 5:00 to 7:00. This is a great opportunity for families to meet teachers and get general information for a smooth transition into the new year. I know many of you have lots of questions about beginning of year procedures, and those will be answered at Open House. In the meantime, please be patient with us as our school system transitions to a new technology platform for our web pages, alerts, and messaging. You can also visit our S. Ray Lowder Elementary Facebook page for additional updates. Our first day of school for students will be Wednesday, August 14th. Kindergarten students will have a staggered enrollment system to allow a more personalized experience for children and families. They will be divided into three groups with some coming on Wednesday and others on Thursday and Friday. All Kindergarten students will be together with their classmates beginning on Monday, August 19th. Kindergarten teachers will provide more information regarding staggered enrollment days at Open House. A little later in the year, we will have grade level parent nights to provide more specific information regarding curriculum and instructional resources and expectations. We hope you all enjoy these last few days of summer vacation, and we look forward to another great year at S. Ray Lowder where, “Every student counts; every moment matters; and every day is a new opportunity to make a difference.”

Students, we can't wait to see you in two weeks! The first day of school for students is August 14, 2024.

Students at 15 schools will eat free breakfast and lunch for the 2024-2025 school year as part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Students who attend one of the following schools will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost and do not have to complete a free or reduced price meal application. Asbury Academy Battleground Elementary GE Massey Elementary Iron Station Elementary Lincolnton High School Lincolnton Middle School Love Memorial Elementary Childers Elementary North Brook Elementary Pumpkin Center Primary Pumpkin Center Intermediate S. Ray Lowder Elementary Union Elementary West Lincoln High School West Lincoln Middle School

Lincoln County Resource Centers Need some help? We're here for you! If your child needs clothes, school supplies, hygiene products, or food, we can help! Reach out to your school counselor today for more information or call United Way of Lincoln County at 704-240-8621!