This season, our FirstLine community has so much to be proud of—and so much to be grateful for. As the realities of reduced SNAP benefits impact many of our families, our team moved swiftly and compassionately to ensure every child facing food insecurity would still enjoy a full Thanksgiving meal. Through our Thanksgiving Box Initiative, we provided a complete holiday meal for every student whose family needed support. Thank you to each of you who generously contributed to this effort.

This effort reflects the very heart of FirstLine: caring for the whole child and supporting the well-being of families. It is also deeply connected to our roots in the Edible Schoolyard, where we have always believed that food, community, and learning are intertwined. Ensuring our students have nourishing food—whether in the garden, the kitchen classroom, or at home around their own tables—is essential to our mission and our values.

At the same time, we are celebrating extraordinary academic results across our network. Every FirstLine school earned an “A” letter grade for student growth, and Samuel J. Green Charter School, Langston Hughes Academy, and Arthur Ashe Charter School were named Top Gains Schools in Louisiana—an incredible accomplishment by our students, teachers, and leaders.

We also want to give a huge congratulations to our Phillis Wheatley Community School team for attaining a “C” letter grade this year. This represents tremendous progress and reflects the hard work and dedication of our students, educators, and school leaders.

Even more meaningful, our overall letter grades have returned to pre-COVID levels—and in many cases, have surpassed where we were before the pandemic. This progress is a powerful reflection of the focus, effort, and belief happening in classrooms every day. Finally, I’m thrilled to share that Langston Hughes Academy and Arthur Ashe recently received��eight-year renewals of their charter contracts. This approval reflects the strong academic growth and effective operations across our schools. Most importantly, it is a testament to the hard work of our school leaders, teachers, staff, and the partnership of our families.��

As part of the charter movement in New Orleans, we are honored to contribute to a citywide effort to ensure every family has access to an excellent public school. We believe in our students, in the strength of our educators, and in the collective impact our community continues to make.

Wishes for a wonderful holiday season,

Sabrina Pence

Chief Executive Officer,

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