MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County International Charter School (LCICS), a free, public K-8 school located in Middletown, is proudly celebrating the start of its 10th year of operations and is now enrolling for the 2014-2015 school year with spaces available in some classrooms for new students.

LCICS offers a “whole-child” education with an international focus to all Lake County students, with small class sizes in multi-age classrooms, project/inquiry-based learning, free or very inexpensive daily lunch program (based on family income, in cooperation with MUSD), peer mediation, positive discipline and restorative justice programs for the development of student conflict resolution skills, and the inclusion of visual and performing arts, gardening, international awareness and environmental studies.

Learning through the exploration of the arts is one very important piece of the educational experience at LCICS, and second and third grade teacher Sheamus Kennedy explained why he feels so strongly about having music as a part of his classroom: “Teaching ukulele, singing, and rhythm is important because it activates each child's musical intelligence and is proven to support academic growth.  My students leave my classroom willing to try to play an instrument, with a greater appreciation for the beauty and fun of music and learning.”                        

LCICS Director, Gwendolyn Maupin-Ahern, additionally described the benefits of LCICS’ multi-age classrooms, saying “Within each classroom we can group students by abilities rather than just by age. We’ve found this to be beneficial to so many children, as it creates a learning environment based on the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student rather than just on their age and grade, allowing them to flourish where they do naturally and encourage growth where they may need additional support. We meet each child where they are.”                                                                                      

The 2014-15 school year starts on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

For more information about the school or enrollment you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , call 707-987-3063, or go online to LCICS’ Web site at www.lcics.org or visit its Facebook page.