New 2022-2023 Academic Year – Return to Normalcy

Now that October is here, students and staff are settling into the new school year. For the first time since March 2020, things are starting to feel normal again. It is exciting to have the building buzzing with more visitors and fun field trips and events planned for the school community.

Kindergarten, first, and second-grade students will be going on a fall field trip later this month. Students will visit the Fountain Rock Nature Center in Walkersville where they will participate in a program about life cycles and traits of animals. They will have an opportunity to explore some of the hiking trails at the center and enjoy a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, students will visit Glade Valley Corn Maze, a pumpkin farm in Frederick. Students will enjoy a hayride, pick a pumpkin, visit farm animals, and a corn maze.

Middle school students in grades 6-8 resumed the special tradition of attending Outdoor School at Camp Hashawha in September. They learned about watersheds, assessing the health of water habitats, and biodiversity. They worked on reducing waste at meals and made it into the book of groups that had less than one pound of total waste at all meals. Later this month, the Family Partnership Program is planning a movie night to give middle school students the opportunity to enjoy some pizza, and popcorn and fellowship with one another.

One of the biggest highlights of the year so far was having the mobile science lab visit for an entire week from the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation. Students from all grades participated in engaging lessons and experiments about the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives. We are all also looking forward to the annual Fun Run later this month. This event will raise money for shade canopies for outdoor classroom and picnic areas, engaging new instructional materials, playground upgrades, and improvements to the safety and security of our school building among other items. Students have already done a fantastic job fundraising for this exciting event!

Coming together as a school community is what makes CLS such a special place for students, staff, and families. Stay tuned for more upcoming events including our Fall Harvest Festival in November and Christmas program in December!