The Leopard Letter

Lake Forest Families,

We made it to Labor Day weekend! I hope all of our LFE families enjoy the extra day together and have an opportunity to rest, recharge, and make some special memories.

As we close out another great week, I continue to be reminded of what makes LFE so special. Lake Forest is more than a school—we are a community school where students, staff, families, and community partners come together to ensure every child is loved, valued, challenged, and supported.

There is something special happening in the Forest, and I am so grateful that your family is part of it. Thank you for trusting us with your children and for continuing to partner with us as we Love Every Child, Challenge Every Learner, and Lift Each Other.

Enjoy the long weekend, Leopards! 💙🐆💛

It’s great to be an LFE Leopard. We are THAT Lake Forest!

Wishing you well,
Julie Cooke
Principal

Lake Forest Elementary School

• Labor Day - NO SCHOOL - Enjoy the day off!

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

• Yearbook Picture Day
• Battle of the Books (BOB), 2:30-3:30 (media center)

• No student activities

• PTA Board Meeting, 11 am (conference room)
• Chorus, 2:15-3:30
• Spirit Night at Bohemian Bull, 5-9 pm

• LFE School Spirit Day - Students can wear LFE hats to school.

Check out this Month's Newsletter from the school counseling team!

Take a moment to explore our School Counseling Newsletter for updates on upcoming events and to learn how we’re supporting students and families throughout the year.

At Lake Forest, we continue to focus on Positive Intent—choosing to see the best in others. When children make mistakes, Positive Intent helps us focus on teaching the skill they need rather than blaming or assuming the worst.

🏠 Try It at Home:
Your child grabs a toy from a sibling.

Instead of: “Why did you take that from her?”

Try: “You wanted a turn, so you grabbed the toy. You may say, ‘Can I have a turn when you’re finished?’”

Positive Intent helps children learn that there is always a better way to communicate what they want or need. 💙💛

What makes Lake Forest Elementary special to your family? Maybe it’s a teacher who made a difference, a moment when your child felt truly known and loved, the diversity of our school community, the relationships you’ve built, or simply the feeling that LFE is home. 🐆

We believe some of the very best stories about Lake Forest should come from the people who experience it every day—our families!

We invite you to take a few minutes to share your positive LFE story through the Google Form below. Your voice can help us celebrate our incredible community and show others what makes choosing Lake Forest so special.

✨ Real stories. Real families. One incredible community.

💙 Love Every Child.
💛 Challenge Every Learner.
💙 Lift Each Other.

This is the LFE Advantage. This is the LFE choice.

🐆 We are THAT Lake Forest.

👇 Share your story here:

https://forms.gle/nrbZhSNbzjxxESK48

Picture day is Tuesday, September 8. This will be the picture used in our 26-27 yearbook.

Starting after Labor Day, parents are welcome to come eat lunch with their child at school! We love having families join us and appreciate your support in making lunchtime smooth and enjoyable for all students.

A few reminders to help us keep a safe and positive lunch experience:

• 🪪 All visitors must show a picture ID and must be listed on the student’s information card in order to eat with a child.

• ⏱️ The first 10 minutes of lunch is a silent lunch for all students and visitors. This helps children focus on eating before social time begins. Please support this routine when visiting.

• 🚫 In line with district policy, fast food is not allowed in the lunchroom. Please do not bring fast food for your child to eat during lunch.

We look forward to seeing parents and grandparents in the cafeteria soon! 💙🐆

Students can shop for fun school supplies and small items on:

• Tuesdays | 7:15 – 7:45 AM

• Thursdays | 7:15 – 7:45 AM

💲 Prices range from just $0.50 to $2.00

Mark your calendars for Friday, September 11 and get ready to show your LFE Leopard Pride!

Students and staff are encouraged to wear their Lake Forest gear, blue & yellow, or anything that shows their LFE spirit! We can’t wait to see the Forest filled with BLUE, YELLOW, and LEOPARD PRIDE! GO LEOPARDS!

Our friends at Wade Hampton High School are gearing up for Spirit Week, September 19–24, and they’re inviting the entire community to join the fun!

Throughout the week, families can enjoy community events including a Youth Sports Camp, car washes, Music at the Hamp, Wade’s Got Talent, a Silent Auction, Spaghetti Dinner, and several local restaurant profit shares.

LFE families—let’s show some love to our Wade Hampton community and support our future Generals!

Check out the flyer for dates, times, locations, and registration information. Go Generals!

For the 2026–2027 school year, the Security and Academic departments are co-hosting a four-part webinar series on student technology use and safety. Please share the linked flier with your staff and parents by adding it to your school website and including it in upcoming newsletters.

Link: Flyer

Join us for our next LFE Spirit Night on Thursday, September 10, at Bohemian Bull on Pelham Road, from 5 PM–close.

Dine in or grab takeout! Just mention LFE at checkout, and 10% of your purchase will be donated back to Lake Forest Elementary PTA.

Bring the family, grab some dinner, and support LFE!

Skate Night is back, and we’ve moved to a NEW night! Don't miss our first Skate Night of the year on TUESDAY, September 15, from 6–8 PM at Taylors Roller Sports. Admission is $5 per skater, and glow sticks will be available for $1.50 each (cash only).

We're inviting everyone to join the Lake Forest Elementary PTA for just $6!

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, family friends, students...and yes, if your dog or cat could sign up, we'd welcome them too! 🐶🐱😊

Our PTA does an incredible job supporting our students, teachers, and school community all year long by funding programs, providing resources, hosting family events, and celebrating our amazing staff. Your membership helps make all of that possible.

Our goal is simple: one PTA member for every Lake Forest student. Every membership counts and helps support child advocacy, scholarships, educational resources, and so much more. Joining takes just a few minutes! Simply create an account through MemberHub and pay the $6 membership fee.

Join HERE today and help us make this our best year yet!

Reserve the LFE Pride Rocks Today!
Our Spirit Rocks are available for reservation. Painting Pride Rock is a fantastic way to send a special message, show your school spirit, or wish someone a "Happy Birthday!" The cost to reserve is $10/day per rock. We have two rocks available:

• Front Carline Entrance
• Side Carline (K4-1st Grade) Entrance

Don't miss out — reserve your spot today and make your message stand out!

Join us on the Remind App:

• Download Remind app or go to remind.com
• Our class name is Lake Forest Elementary PTA
• Our class code is @8bb434

Join Our Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/583337569143345

Follow us on Instagram: @LFEPTA

Vision

The vision of Lake Forest Elementary School is to empower students to learn, grow, lead, and succeed.

Mission

The mission of Lake Forest Elementary School is to provide a nurturing, student-centered learning environment where students are empowered to learn about the world, persevere through challenges, and develop positive character traits.

2026-2027 School Priorities

1. Providing strong tier 1 instruction
2. Strengthening our PLCs
3. Collective Ownership of ALL students
4. Enhancing our understanding and application of Conscious Discipline

Email: jcooke@greenville.k12.sc.us
Website: https://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/lforest/
Location: 16 Berkshire Avenue, Greenville, SC, USA
Phone: (864) 355-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LakeForestES

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lakeforestelemsc