Ask most kids, “When does one year end and another begin?” and they’ll probably tell you that the year begins in July or August, ends in May, with a chunk of summer between the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

On Friday, December 14, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., Liberty students and their families are invited to get into their favorite cowboy gear and gather ’round the campfire to listen to cowboy songs, eat cowboy grub, and have a night of cowboy fun.

There are several holidays that kids love. They love the parades and fireworks on the Fourth of July; they love the decorations and excitement surrounding the end-of-year holidays; they may even love all the good food and getting together with friends and family at Thanksgiving. There is, however, no holiday more kid-centric than Halloween. Oh sure, many non-kids like to get in on the Halloween action, but they are interlopers…intruders.

Note that there will be no school for Fall Break beginning Friday, October 12 and continuing through the following week. Classes will resume on Monday, October 22. Parents should plan accordingly.

There are hundreds of statistics to reinforce the value of developing good reading habits at an early age. While every parent has probably heard the dire warnings, the development of reading skills is so important, it bears repeating again and again. Good readers have brighter futures than poor readers, and the die is cast as early as fourth grade. Children who are not reading at a proficient level by the fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.

Proposed federal tax regulations may forbid a federal tax deduction for any donations made which also qualify for state tax credits, if the credit is more than 15% of the total donated. Recent changes in federal tax laws, have increased the standard deduction allowed when filing taxes for 2018, which will also reduce the number of taxpayers who will itemize their deductions. The new standard deduction amounts for taxpayers are:

Does your child have a cell phone? The odds are the answer is “Yes.” Statistics show that 56 percent of children 8-12 have a cell phone. It’s difficult to think of a product or technology, designed for adults, that was so quickly and ubiquitously co-opted by kids. Of course, Mom and Dad have to buy the phones and pay the bills, but cell phones have become a necessity in many kids’ lives.

Liberty parents and students are invited to join us for free ice cream at the Family Ice Cream Social on August 17, 5-6 p.m. Parents, please complete and return the RSVP section so we know how many families to expect.

Attention parents: provided below is the updated report on the average teacher salary increase. For any questions or more information, please contact the front office.

We hope all of our students had a great summer! To kick off the school year right, Principal Jeremy Parker would like to welcome back students and families in a special letter.