Family and Community Engagement
Check out our many activities to foster engagement
Character Education continues to be the cornerstone of Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy (LCTA) and has had a positive impact on the school climate as well as the academic performance of the students. It is woven into the culture of the school and is incorporated into lessons, assemblies, morning announcements, parent events and community service opportunities. It is the foundation for the myriad of activities that promote families and community engagement. These activities include Peer Buddies Mentoring (special education students), Purple Resilience (military families support), volunteer tutoring for at-risk students, Family Academy Nights (Math, Science, Language Arts), International Night (43 countries represented), and staff/parent informational presentations (Dealing with Anxiety, Nuts & Bolts, Navigating Special Education).
Communication is paramount. Some examples of what LCTA uses are a weekly electronic communique distributed to all families (Lions’ Tales), Twitter, FACEBOOK, Class Dojo, and a school web page as well as individual classroom websites. Staff have individual email accounts and classroom phones with voicemail for parents to contact them 24/7. Additionally, the LCTA PTA sends out a weekly email (Eroars), distributes weekly informational flyers, and maintains its own web page. There are biweekly PTA/School activities/presentations, monthly assemblies, and daily tutoring opportunities. LCTA partners with local churches (Alfred Street Baptist Church, Roberts Memorial Chapel), community agencies (Department of Recreation, Campagna Center, Community Lodgings, Department of Social Services), associations (Optimists Club, Departmental Progressive Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Association for Talent Development), and nonprofits (Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, King Street Cats, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Foundation) to enrich and expand student opportunities within the City of Alexandria.
Because of the PTA/School partnership, the PTA received a “promising practices” award from the Character Education Partnership in 2017 for its “ROARing in the Community” service projects (Meals on Wheels, Smile Train, Maddie’s Miracle Network, and First Responders Recognition). The PTA has also been recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2016 with its Outstanding Communication Award and by ACPS in 2017 as its Volunteer Organization of the Year Award.
Community building continues with monthly Family Nights like Movie/Pizza Night, Ice Cream Socials, Playground Playdates, and schoolwide activities (International Night, Health & Wellness Harvest Festival, and STEM Day). The students host an annual Talent Show/Animal Benefit Concert to raise money for homeless animals in Alexandria. They also work with 4-H, Watershed Warriors, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to become better environmental stewards for their city.
Volunteer
Volunteers are a vital part of our school community and we welcome your contributions. Here are just a few ways you can volunteer at Lyles-Crouch:
- In-School Tutoring
- Class volunteers/class celebrations
- Career Day
To help ensure students' safety, all prospective volunteers must complete a volunteer verification process.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) uses the KeepnTrack screening system to screen all visitors/volunteers including parents, PTA members, community members and vendors.
Visit the ACPS website to learn more about how to complete the volunteer application process.
Fundraising
At Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, there are always opportunities to be involved in fundraising!
LCTA Passive Fundraising
Passive Fundraising is an easy way to support Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy (LCTA). In years past, we have earned about $3500 for field trips and classroom supplies.
Shopping
Amazon Smile
Shop through Amazon Smile, select LylesCrouch as your charity & LCTA gets a percentage of qualifying items.
Mighty Nest
LCTA gets 15% when you shop at Mighty Nest for healthy living and environmentally friendly products.
Tiny Prints
LCTA earns extra cash when you order through Tiny Prints.
Labels
Box Tops for Education: Each year LCTA earns money from Box Tops for Education, so look for products with the Box Tops for Education label. Clip and send them in to school and the PTA will submit them!
Grocery Stores
Harris Teeter
Give LCTA's code 5743 to the cashier, or visit Harris Teeter Online. Harris Teeter donates a percentage of qualifying purchases to our school when your store card is linked to LCTA.
Giant
Visit the customer service desk or Giant Food online to link to LCTA's ID # 02312 so LCTA benefits when you shop at Giant.
Dining in Alexandria
Holy Cow
Holy Cow, located at 2312 Mt. Vernon Avenue, contributes $0.25 of every burger sold to LCTA when you provide them LCTA's code 041.
Throughout the year, LCTA PTA organized Dine-out Student Socials at local restaurants. These are great opportunities for students (and families) to socialize, and the restaurants will donate a percentage to LCTA!
For additional questions about LCTA fundraising opportunities, please email fundraising@lctapta.org.