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District News
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A Message from the Superintendent
Warrior Families,
Almost 10 years ago my father in law gave me a book for Christmas and knew I would love it because it was about Ohio State Football. The book was "Above the Line" by Urban Meyer and Wayne Coffey. He was right, I loved the book, but not because it was a great football book but because it got me thinking about some of the core principles introduced by Focus3 in the book. I began listening to podcasts and attending workshops; I was hooked on the “R-factor”. Their simple equation is something that I have seen on bracelets and I have talked about it in leadership discussions and presentations over the years. Recently I ran across some of the material again and I believe that two concepts are clear examples of one of our core values of Building a Reflective Community.
You may have seen bracelets or banners on walls in some of our neighboring schools displaying the equation E+R=O. The E stands for EVENTs, the things that happen in our lives that are outside of our control. The R stands for our RESPONSE, how we choose to respond to the things that happen to us. The O stands for the OUTCOME, the end result of each situation. We cannot control the events that happen to us, but we can control our response. How we respond is the single most important variable in this equation. Our behavior drives results! This requires discipline and we have to be intentional about how we respond.
I was reminded of this recently as I thought about being Reflective. We say that part of being Reflective is to “think before we act.” What are we trying to accomplish and will my response or behavior get me to that result? One of the concepts of Focus3 is that our responses must be DISCIPLINED. Disciplined responses are “intentional, skillful, and purposeful” in order to elicit a specific response. We have to prioritize these responses over our Default, which is “impulsive, resistant, and autopilot.”
As we talk about being Reflective, I want us to begin to think about what we can control and the outcome we hope to achieve as an end result. Before we respond on autopilot, stop and press pause, and be clear about the events at hand and the outcome we are pursuing. As a district, I want us to think before we act and ensure we are making disciplined decisions to impact the outcomes for students and our community.
Thank you and Onward Lebanon,
Isaac W. Seevers, Superintendent
Video: Prioritizing Impact over Intent
A concept we introduced last year to our Warrior students and families is prioritizing Impact over Intent. Last spring, Superintendent Seevers created the following video to illustrate this and to introduce our district vision to Build a Reflective, Respectful, and Responsible Community.
Throughout the first semester of this school year, we taught these lessons to our students and will continue to reinforce these character qualities in our district. We cannot live out our mission of Building Community unless we are committed to think before we act (reflective), honor others (respectful), and own our role (responsible) in creating the type of school community we want to belong to.
The video references the letter (attached below) that was sent to all District families last year describing an increase in the number of incidents of hate speech and biased behavior in our schools. We are happy to report that we have seen a decrease in the number of incidents, but, we continue to deal with concerns across the district.
As a District, we believe that building a Respectful Community begins with how we view and treat each other. Our work is not finished in this area. We continue to address these incidents when we are aware of them and we ask that you please review the letter (below) and expectations with your students.
You may want to take seven minutes to watch the following video with your child and talk about Mr. Seevers' example of “Impact over Intent” and ask them how they can work to create a respectful school community:
Sips with the Superintendent is TOMORROW!
Join Superintendent Isaac Seevers for coffee and conversation! Sips with Superintendent Seevers are informal, open invitations for the community to connect with the superintendent and other district leaders while supporting a local business and enjoying a beverage with your neighbors.
Join Superintendent Seevers at Revival Coffeehouse from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, December 13.
Attendees will hear about district updates and will have an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback while sipping on coffee, tea, or soda.
Calendar of Events
- December 12, 7 p.m., Lebanon High School Choir Concert @ District Performance Center
- December 13, 6:30 and 8 p.m., Lebanon High School Cantare Carol Sing @ Lebanon United Methodist Church
- December 14, 6:30 p.m., Berry Intermediate Band Concert @ District Performance Center
- December 14, 7:15 p.m., Lebanon Junior High Band Concert @ District Performance Center
- December 14 and 15, 7:15 p.m. tip off, Lebanon High School Varsity Girls & Boys Basketball Games @ Lebanon High School - PINK OUT games to benefit the Mary Jo Cropper Family Center for Breast Cancer. Tickets can be purchased online.
- December 18, 6 p.m., Board of Education Meeting @ District Office and streamed online
- December 18, 6 p.m., Berry Intermediate Choir Concert @ District Performance Center
- December 18, 7:30 p.m., Lebanon Junior High Choir Concert @ District Performance Center
Planning for Inclement Weather
Winter weather is upon us and with it comes the possibility of school closings and delays due to natural elements, hazardous road conditions, or power outages. Student, parent, and staff safety is the most important consideration when inclement weather calls are made. Click here for more information about how the decision is made to delay or cancel school.
Parents and staff are notified by TEXT ONLY by the SchoolMessenger notification program.
If your phone number or email address has changed, refer to the directions here to update your information in FinalForms.
Closings and delays are ONLY communicated through SchoolMessenger, the district website and the district's Facebook page. If a notice is not posted in those locations, school is on as scheduled.
Stuff the Bus with Squishmallows!
The Transportation Department has organized a Squishmallow Drive - help stuff the bus! Donations are being accepted through the end of the day Wednesday, December 13:
- Squishmallow donations can be given to any LCS bus driver
- Donations are accepted at the Transportation Office on Water Street
- A bus will be in the old Peebles parking lot next to Kroger TONIGHT Dec. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. accepting donations
Gently used and new Squishmallows will be donated to the Warren County Children's Advocacy Center and to local shelters. (Regular stuffed animals are not accepted for this drive.)
Check out this story from Fox19:
Preschool Lottery & Kindergarten Registration Begin in the New Year
- PRESCHOOL LOTTERY OPENS JAN. 24 - Our Preschool is housed at Bowman Primary School. Students must be at least three years of age and a resident of Lebanon City School District to attend the preschool. Because we have a limited number of spots available, we utilize a lottery system for new preschool registrations. This lottery will be become available online beginning at 9 a.m. January 24 - click here for more information.
- KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION - Registration for kindergarten begins on the first day of March each year. It will open March 1, 2024 - click here for details.
Creating a Respectful & Responsible Social Media Environment
Beginning today, our district's Facebook page, and all of our school building Facebook pages, will be used as one-way communication; there will no longer be opportunities for comment on posts and photos.
This decision was made in light of the increased time and resources required for content moderation. While we value the input and engagement of our school community, the amount of work has increased to a point where moderation has become challenging, and it has impacted our ability to ensure a positive and respectful online environment.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Our primary goal is to continue providing you with important updates and engaging content through our social media channels, as well as our website, this e-newsletter, and communication from our school buildings.
If you have any questions or concerns or would like to provide feedback via email feel free to reach out to us directly via email at contactlebanon@lebanonschools.org.
Mental Health Matters: Tips for Winter Break
Holidays and school breaks can be difficult for some students and families. MindPeace has created the following resources for teens and for parents and caregivers:
- Thriving Through Winter Break - tips for parents
- Thriving Through Winter Break - tips for teens
We're Hiring!
Save the Date: Hall of Fame April 2024
The Lebanon Hall of Fame event will take place April 11, 2024. Inductees to the Hall of Fame have made distinguished and significant contributions to our school district. They are retired or former staff, former Board of Education members, volunteers, or active members of the community at large. See the list of 112 inductees here.
Nominations for the Hall of Fame are accepted year round. Click here to download and print a paper nomination form to submit by mail. Click here to fill out an online form.
Nominations must be postmarked or received in the Lebanon City School’s Superintendent’s Office (160 Miller Rd., Lebanon, OH 45036) by the close of the school day (4:00 P.M.) March 15, 2024 to be considered for an award for the 23-24 school year.
If you have any questions please contact Wendy Planicka, Communications Coordinator, by phone: (513) 934-5880 or by email.
Athletic Hall of Fame Induction January 26
Congratulations to this year's Athletic Hall of Fame inductees:
- Brad Maupin - Football, Wrestling, Baseball - Class of 1984
- Jason A. Gray -Tennis - Class of 1992
- Jennifer Williams Burns - Basketball, Volleyball - Class of 1997
- Jordan Hicks - Football, Basketball - Class of 2000
- Sidney Huth Gaston - Soccer - Class of 2011
- Tom Russell - Coach - Basketball, Baseball, Golf - 1987 to present
January 26, 2024, 6 to 7:30 p.m. - Hall of Fame Meet and Greet/Introductions in the Lebanon High School Media Center, 1916 Drake Road. Inductees, families, friends, current Hall of Fame members, coaches, athletes, community members, and staff are invited to meet and greet the inductees and offer congratulations. After the Meet and Greet, the new inductees will be introduced during halftime of the Lebanon High School boys basketball game, which begins at 7:30 p.m.
January 27, 2024 - Hall of Fame Induction Brunch, begins at 10 a.m. at Shaker Run Golf Course, 1320 Golf Club Drive. Each inductee will be introduced by a former coach or mentee who will share their accomplishments and stories. The inductee will then share memories of their time at LHS. A hot brunch will be available to all guests. Tickets are $15 each and may be purchased here.
Email: planicka.wendy@lebanonschools.org Office: 513.934-5880