Lansing Middle School

We are now over a quarter of the way into the 2024-2025 school year. As we continue with the second quarter, we’re excited to continue partnering with you to support our students’ growth and success. The first quarter was filled with accomplishments and learning, and we are proud of the progress our students have made.

There are a lot of noteworthy positives at Lansing Middle School that we would like to highlight in this newsletter. You will find information on the following items ---

• Unity Day - October 2024
• Dodgeball Tournament - December 19, 2024
• Parent Survey Link - Portrait of a Graduate
• Subject Area Information from Classroom Teachers
• Fine Arts Updates
• Athletic Updates
• Student Accomplishments
• Staff and Classroom Highlights
• PBIS Rewards/School Stores
• BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team)
• Advisory/Second Step
• Strategic Plan -- 2023-2028

Also, a reminder that students are off for Thanksgiving break from November 23rd - December 1st. School resumes on Monday, December 2nd. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Thank you for your continued support and involvement. We appreciate you taking the time to look over our newsletter and all the great things going on at LMS. It's a great day to be a Lion!

Lansing Middle School participated in Unity Day on Friday, October 11th. LMS joined the other schools in USD 469 for this day along with schools throughout the United States. “Unity Day, the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month (observed in the United States on third or fourth Wednesday of October), has been recognized in the United States since 2011. To participate in Unity Day, individuals, schools, communities, and businesses wear or share orange to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent students being bullied. One in five school-age children report being bullied at school.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Day_(United_States))

Lansing Middle School students were encouraged to wear orange on this day. Our peer leadership did several things to add more attention to the theme. Breanna Baragary, Drew Malm, and Ellison Welsh put out information to students during the week on bullying. We felt like this week was impactful for our students. A thank you to Becky Wecas and Emerald Peters, LMS counselors, for organizing the event along with help from Jennifer Bishop from Peer Leadership.

Peer Leadership is putting on a Dodgeball tournament that will take place in the afternoon on Thursday, December 19th during the school day. Each team will consist of 10 players and the cost of playing will be $2 per player (or $20 per team). It will be a double elimination tournament. The money collected for the teams will all be donated to the Angel Tree through LMS for families in need during the holidays. The students that do not choose to participate will have the option of going to the gym and cheering on their fellow students (at no cost).

There is an academic and behavior eligibility component to participation. In order to participate and/or be a spectator, students will need to have three (3) or fewer discipline points between November 4th and December 19th. Discipline points are calculated as – Lunch Detention – .5 point; After-School Detention – 1 point; In-School Suspension (ISS) – 2 points/day; Out-of-School Suspension (OSS) – 3 points/day. Additionally, students will be ineligible if they have 2 D’s for the 2nd quarter or 1 F. The cutoff for grades will be Friday, December 13th. Students that either do not qualify to play or watch, or simply do not want to attend, will have an alternative classroom to go to while the event is going on.

Peer Leaders have chosen to put this event on to create a fun, physical activity that students can join together for healthy competition and comradery before the winter break and to bring in funds for the Angel Tree.

We want to hear from you. What knowledge, skills, and attributes should students have when they graduate? As part of our Strategic Plan, we’re building a Portrait of a Lansing Graduate and we value your input. Please take a moment to share your thoughts by completing our Parent Input Survey. It will take approximately 10 minutes and make a huge impact on the future of our schools.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchMJe4AnUspv8sAkf5AdHDfiCf67P4DZB4Bg1Q6v63p65IBA/viewform?usp=sf_link

6th Grade Language Arts – Kathy Baughman, Lisa Rockhold, Rachel Szmed

Sixth grade ELA students have been working hard on sentence structures, finishing up the unit last week. The second quarter will see more writing projects starting with the Harris Burdick Mysteries in which students will apply their story elements knowledge from literature classes during the pre-writing process. (W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.) After Thanksgiving, we will begin writing argumentative speeches with first lessons in research. Students will deliver their speeches to classmates right before the winter break. (W.6.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.) Watch for news of the grade-level spelling bees happening during language arts classes before the Thanksgiving break!

6th Grade Literature – Kathy Baughman, Cheryl Borgeson, Alisha Holyfield, Josie Nelson, Lisa Rockhold, Connor Scott, Rachel Szmed, Amanda Thomas, Lilly Webster

Sixth graders began the 2nd quarter by reading “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (retold by Anne Collins) while using the story to learn about story elements. (RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.) Literature classes will be focusing on the skill of inferring as we move back to the online textbook to read informational text in “Hatshepsut” while using text evidence to support the inferred claims. (RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.)

6th Grade Math – Josie Nelson, Connor Scott

Sixth graders began the second quarter finishing up operations with fractions and moving onto applying operations to decimals. Throughout the second quarter we will move on to ratios and rates and then learn how to use those concepts with conversions to different measurements. We have 3 quizzes in this quarter to cover those topics and hope to finish this semester strong!

6th Grade Science – Alisha Holyfield, Amanda Thomas

In our Gravity and Kinetic Energy Unit, we are beginning our investigation into energy and collisions. Students will learn about kinetic energy and how energy transfers during a collision by colliding marbles and cubes under various circumstances to collect data. This lesson is a good introduction to Newton's Laws of Motion. Students will learn about each law individually by defining each of Newton's Laws. Then they will be asked to identify which of Newton's Laws applies to different situations and explain why. This will lead us to our Common Formative Assessment (CFA) #2. After our CFA #2, we will begin our engineering project where students have to protect their "bean brain" in a collision. In this case, we will use real eggs instead of plastic eggs filled with beans. Students will need to create a protective device that will secure the egg and keep it from breaking when dropped from the top of the stairwell to the commons area. This will take us to Thanksgiving Break. When we return, we will start our third unit - Electromagnetic Force.

6th Grade Social Studies – Cheryl Borgeson, Lilly Webster

As we begin the second quarter we are starting a new chapter on ancient Egypt and Kush. While we read this chapter students are identifying causes and effects in history. We are discussing many important people in ancient Egypt to include: Menes, Khufu, Queen Hatshepsut, Ramses the Great, and of course, King Tutankhamen. Students are understanding why Egyptians mummified their dead and built pyramids. Finally, students will identify and describe many ancient Egyptian accomplishments in writing, architecture, and art. We will end the quarter with a chapter covering ancient India. Our skill for that chapter will be making inferences about history. Will we examine the religions Hinduism and Buddhism and their importance to the development of the ancient Indian civilization.

7th Grade Language Arts – Mindy Brinker, Brandy Hamilton

Seventh grade language arts classes had an exciting first quarter! Students spent several weeks at the start of the year learning about and using different sentence types – the more sentence types students know and use in their writing, the stronger and more interesting their writing will be. We did get to some writing, too. During September, students focused on succinctly relating a true story by writing a personal narrative detailing an experience in their own lives. In October, students created a persuasive sales flyer to go along with an imagined haunted house, illustrated the flyer, and wrote a spooky story to explain why the house was haunted. Students enjoyed being able to think creatively on this project!

7th Grade Literature – Charity Briggs, Tracey Carney-Linn, Tom Cretors, Katie Larson, Brandy Hamilton, Angie Trowbridge

The 7th-grade Literature classes are currently reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. The students are learning about mood and tone during this story and how suspense is created. Students also reviewed story elements and theme while reading the story. Students will start reading "The Giver" at the beginning of November and throughout the month. Students will read the book together in class and have a discussion around the story elements and theme. Students will also work on inferencing skills, along with how the setting and characters interact to create the plot and mood in the story.

7th Grade Math – Denise Dixon, Theresa Fields, Theresa Jones

Seventh grade math 1 has completed Unit 1 Rational Numbers and Unit 3 Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities and will finish Unit 2 Ratios and Proportions by the end of next week. They have completed two CFA’s over rational numbers and Expressions and Equations. After Unit 2 we will be moving on to Unit 4 geometry.

Math 2 has completed the first 3 units and is currently working on Geometry. The Geometry Unit should be completed by the end of next week and they will be moving on to Probability and Statistics.

Math 2 Algebra Ready has finished the first 3 units in 7th grade and have been working on 8th grade units. We will be coming back to 7th grade geometry next week.

7th Grade Science – Stacey Jenkins, Angie Trowbridge

In 7th grade Life Science, students recently completed a unit on bacteria and viruses, comparing and contrasting them, as they learned how their lives can be impacted by both. To experience helpful bacteria, students got to make and eat yogurt in class.

Now students are learning some chemistry basics focusing on the elements of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There will be a variety of activities modeling how these three elements get rearranged into the substances that cycle through photosynthesis and cellular respiration. This will take them into a deeper understanding of how cells function and how plants and animals are important to each other.

7th Grade Social Studies – Tom Cretors, Edward Fenton

In 7th grade Social Studies, we have just started our second unit on Kansas History. We begin the unit with understanding the tragedy of slavery in the United States and the role Kansas played in the great divide created by the issue that ultimately leads to both Kansas becoming a state and the Civil War. We end the unit discussing the great migration of white settlers to Kansas after statehood is established.

8th Grade Language Arts – Shari Jacobs, Julie Price, Lauren Shields, Stacey Ward

In the study of literature, suspense is a powerful tool used by authors to grip readers' attention, fostering anticipation and excitement. It introduces a feeling of tension and unpredictability, compelling readers to eagerly uncover what unfolds next. Authors employ various techniques to cultivate suspense, such as manipulating point of view, leveraging conflicts between characters, utilizing dramatic irony, and strategically employing the setting to heighten the narrative's impact.

As part of their coursework, students were tasked with composing a final essay that examines how two of the stories they've read share and employ suspense in their storytelling. This assignment encourages students to delve into the mechanics of suspense in literature, exploring the ways authors engage their audience emotionally and sustain their interest as they turn the pages to uncover the stories' outcomes.

In Quarter 2, the curriculum shifts its focus to the theme of courage, studying how individuals demonstrate bravery in diverse circumstances. This exploration includes the analysis of several poems, with discussions centering around how characters in these poems exemplify courage. This thematic unit in Language Arts is well-aligned with the concurrent study of WWII and the Holocaust in Literature. Together, these studies provide a comprehensive examination of human experiences during a time of global conflict, shedding light on both the darker aspects of history and the inspirational demonstrations of bravery.

8th Grade Literature – Hollie Becker, Dana Blew, Shari Jacobs, Julie Price, Stacey Ward

Quarter 2 will focus on World War II (WWII) and the Holocaust, providing students with a historical context for this significant period in human history. WWII, which spanned from 1939 to 1945, is highlighted as the deadliest and most extensive war, involving multiple nations, and causing the loss of millions of lives. The Holocaust, a deeply tragic event, is emphasized as a systematic genocide carried out by Nazi Germany against millions of Jews and other minority groups. The importance of studying these events is underscored for a better understanding of war's impact, the heinous atrocities committed, and the imperative to prevent such horrors in the future. It is acknowledged that learning about WWII and the Holocaust serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of hatred, prejudice, and the critical need to champion human rights and peace. The quarter will kick off with the study of "The Diary of Anne Frank," providing students with a firsthand account of the Holocaust and offering a more personal perspective on this dark period in history.

8th Grade Math – Miranda Cote, Theresa Jones, Penny Wagner

Algebra is completing Unit 3 on Linear Equations and will be working on a Water Park Project. Once they finish the Water Park Project we will move to 8th grade standards until Winter Break.

Math 2 and Mrs. Cote's Math 1 classes are completing Unit 2, Linear Equations. They will have a Stained-Glass Project utilizing the skills they have been working on in Modules 3-5 before Thanksgiving break. We will end the semester with functions and a week to review Scientific Notation since many struggled with it earlier this year.

Mrs. Wagner's Math 1 is working through three different curriculum pilots this year. We are currently working with HMH Into Math and learning about functions and nonproportional relationships. Math 1 students will be participating in the Stained Glass project before Thanksgiving as well. After Thanksgiving, we will be using the second of our curriculum pilot series, Eureka Math Squared. We will Review functions and Scientific Notation in the month of December. After the first of the year, we will pilot our third and final curriculum, iReady.

8th Grade Physical Science – Josh Yoakam

Students are working on finishing their exploration of Newton’s Laws. Students focused on applying their knowledge in real world applications. We discussed safety innovations in the field of automobiles comparing evolving car safety. Safety and prevention measures were discussed in terms of Newton’s second law, in particular manipulation of the time over which negative acceleration occurs to reduce the force on occupants. Students will be completing an engineering design challenge. We will be shifting our exploration to work and energy next.

8th Grade Science – Hollie Becker, Jennifer Fraser

Eighth grade science classes are winding down our study of the solar system and universe. We are preparing to participate in a mission to the International Space Station in November, which will last 30 days. Our participation in this mission will include some review of key content from life science (from 7th grade) and physical science (from 6th grade). In addition, Dr. Becker’s classes adopted a cow. They just learned where the cow is from (Kansas) and will continue to check in on their cow throughout the rest of the year.

8th Grade Social Studies – Dana Blew, Sadie Roubinek

Eighth grade Social Studies classes are finishing our unit on Thomas Jefferson and James Madison- 1800-1815, and the leadership challenges they experienced domestically and abroad. Using a simulation activity, students were placed in decision making scenarios, like those experienced by Lewis and Clark (Corps of Discovery). Later in our unit, students will create “conflict” videos explaining/illustrating some of those conflicts (Barbary Pirates, Battle of Tippecanoe, Embargo Act). Finally, we will conclude the unit by mapping some of the major battles from the War of 1812 and will take our assessment over our Jeffersonian Era. Later in the month of November, we will begin a unit that examines our new nation’s growing sense of pride and unity (1815-1840).

Advanced Studies – Josh Yoakam

Students have been exploring Habits of the Mind. Students completed a self-evaluation of their current proficiencies in habit to establish a baseline. We have been focusing on one disposition per week with related activities. So far classes have discussed persisting, managing impulsivity, listening to others with understanding and empathy, striving for accuracy/perfectionism. Students have been working on independent and small group projects. Creativity challenges including nomenclature, abstract art, constellation/story development, striving for accuracy engineering challenge and monster of a good time have been integrated. Students completed weekly progress forms with reflection questions included.

Art – Emily Bucher

6th grade: Recently, students finished watching "Cave of Forgotten Dreams", a documentary on the famous Chauvet cave in France, while taking notes and drawing animals appearing in the documentary. Then, each student created their own cave inspired oil pastel drawing using glue and a limited colors inspired by earth tones and ancient animal cave drawings. Cave art hands were also created for student enrichment and extra credit. Students were given Halloween options to inspire them to create a unique piece of fall or Halloween-themed art that they could take home to display. Currently, students are learning about John James Audubon and creating bird drawings and cut construction paper collages on a species that is interesting to them.

7th grade: Recently students created food-inspired clay sculptures based on the life and work of pop artist Wayne Thiebaud. Students will create a 3D version of their work and using the same inspiration or food motif, students will then draw and paint a 2D version of their work prior to glazing their ceramic pieces. Students were given Halloween options to inspire them to create a unique piece of fall or Halloween-themed art that they could take home to display. Currently, students are continuing to use clay to create their own unique holiday mug to gift to family or take home for the upcoming holidays.

8th grade: Recently, students worked on recreating a modern-day version of the famous Americana painting, American Gothic. Students were given Halloween options to inspire them to create a unique piece of fall or Halloween-themed art that they could take home to display. Currently, students are working on papel amate, a traditional form of painting and papermaking process originating from the Mayan and Aztec cultures of Mexico. Next, students can look forward to creating their own unique holiday mug to gift to family or take home for the upcoming holidays.

9th hour art enrichment: Currently students are continuing to work on "school canvas" pieces from LMS donation and request of artwork. Some students are using the extra time to work on pieces assigned in general art class while others are working on self-driven artworks including inking with alcohol markers, pencil notebook creations, or ship and train illustrations.

Band – Aaron Edwards

The 6th Grade Beginning Band had their first concert on October 29th and did a phenomenal job. The 7th grade band has been busily working on new notes, syncopation, and different combinations of 8th/16th notes. The 8th grade band has been working on their sight reading skills, scales, cut time, and 6/8 time signatures. Our next concert will feature all 3 grades and the jazz band on December 17th at 7pm.

Choir – Josiah Ketterman

Choirs at LMS are kicking off a great start to their Winter Concert music to be performed on December 18th, 7pm in the District Auditorium. Students are also learning a variety of carols that they will sing for the school on the morning of December 19th, the last day of the first semester.

In the month of November, 6th Grade students will also explore music composition through GarageBand on their iPads. As a culminating project, students will create their own jingle to explore how music has an impact on the way things are marketed and sold.

The LMS Fall Talent Show went off with a band and many students showcased their unique talents. It was very successful and the event raised 187 donations for the Lions Pantry. The next Drama Club performance will be the Musical “Junie B. Jones Jr.” in the spring, April 11th and 12th. Audition information will be given to students when they return to school in Janruary.

The following students were selected for the Middle-Level District Honor Choir which takes playce on December 7th: Lucy Johnson, Addyson Agnew, Aeslynn Dodd, Selina Vega, Hayden Reynolds, Quinn Goss, Anthony Paletta, Christopher Chocon-Andrade

In addition, the following students were selected for the Kansas Music Educators Association Mid-Level All-State Choir: Addyson Agnew, Nichole Mack, Eleanor Murphy, Anthony Paletta, Hayden Reynolds, Eliana Silva. These 6 students will represent Lansing Middle School in Wichita KS in late February. In all, 180 students from across the state were selected out of a total of 801 auditions.

CTE (Careers and Technical Education) – Stephanie Ogden

6th grade is a new batch for the 2nd quarter. Therefore, we started with Career Interest surveys to see what their interests and possible career outlooks might be. They have also started exploring the Hospitality and Tourism pathway.

7th grade has been learning about sweeteners, sugars, what the difference each is and what they taste like. Which are better for you, and which are artificially made. This week they will be learning about cuisine around the world and beginning a project of creating their own menu with a country of their desire.

8th grade has been working with sports and entertainment marketing, careers, and international marketing. Next, they are learning about business communication and how important the directions we give and how we speak to others is.

PE – Jennifer Bishop, Jon Bishop

This quarter we are working on continuing our fitness goals and continuing to go outside on the track, working on various lifting techniques and form on fitness days, and various fitness strength and conditioning activities. We have finished up the basketball unit and are moving into our nets unit which consists of badminton and ping pong. We hope to have time for tennis, as well. We will look to finish up our final mile this month before it gets too cold to go outside. We should have data next month on final mile improvement.

Spanish – Regan Gatson

In 6th grade we are currently learning about days, months, and numbers. This way we can start talking about the day to day settings, and also personal topics such as age and birthdays.

7th graders have practiced pronouns and ser (being able to say I am, you are,etc.) and are now learning adjectives and Spanish Speaking countries.

8th grade is doing their adjective unit and learning how to describe themselves and others with more in-depth vocabulary.

Technology – Ron Averill

The 7th and 8th grade students are working through their Expeditions as expected. We should be able to get two or three more Expeditions completed by the end of the semester. It is our desire that the experiences that the students have throughout this semester will impact decisions for future education and careers.

The sixth grade students have started a new quarter. We have completed orientation and have started working through their missions.

The LMS choirs had their fall concert on Monday, October 7th. Josiah Ketterman, LMS vocal music teacher, is in his fourth year at LMS. As usual, the choirs did an outstanding job, overall. I am always amazed at what can be accomplished with all our choirs in such a short amount of time. This is especially true for the finale, which again this year was a coordinated effort with all choirs, 6th through 8th grade, performing together. This is something they don’t get to practice together until the day before the concert and sometimes the practice only occurs the day of the concert. It is a great way to conclude the concert and it really shows the overwhelming amount of talent we have in the performing arts

The LMS 6th grade band had their beginning concert on Tuesday, October 29th. Aaron Edwards and Blake Vignery conducted the concert. This concert is different than the rest in that it really emphasizes the progress that the beginning bands have made. It is almost entirely student-led, with information about each instrument group provided by students. Each group plays a selection and the entire group also performs. The whole concert is informative and a great way to ease students into giving a live performance.

The Lansing Middle School Pep Band performed at the girls basketball game on Thursday, November 14th against Mill Creek. Students from the middle school have practiced this school year in anticipation of being able to perform at the games. It is incredible how much the pep band adds to the overall atmosphere at games. It is a great addition and Mr. Edwards does a fantastic job with the organization of the band to lend support to our athletes.

LMS held a talent show on Friday, October 25th, in the auditorium. Students auditioned at the beginning of October. There were a total of (13) student performances and included musical performances, monologues, and dancing. Student performers included – Eliana Silva, Penelope Graetz, Clayton Marsh, Jeremiah Visocsky, Selina Vega, Nichole Mack, Madilyn Jones, Samantha Amos, Harlo Swift, Madeline Huhn, Ainsley Tystad, and Lucy Johnson. Additionally, there were (9) students that worked on the tech crew – Hayden Reynolds, Bella Ling, Jacob Finnigin, Ezekiel Millsap, Lincoln Dale, Ethan Colston, Abigail Tanner, Arden Coia, and Quinn Goss. Mr. Ketterman and Mrs. Brice directed the talent show in conjunction with drama club.

• Fall athletic competitions are complete for all sports – cross-country, football, and volleyball.
• The 7th grade football team finished at 4-2-1 and the 8th grade football team finished their season at 1-6.

• Both 7th and 8th grade volleyball squads are also finished with their seasons. Both teams made good progress during the year but failed to make the cut for the Kaw Valley League Tournament at the end of the season.

• The Cross-Country teams were very successful this season – LMS had several medalists at each meet and the girls’ teams won multiple meets.
• Girls’ basketball and wrestling seasons have both begun. Both sports have a high number of athletes participating. The basketball team played its first games on Halloween against Basehor-Linwood. Wrestling will have its first competition on Monday, November 4th. Lansing Middle School will host the Lansing Invitational on November 16th.

“Lion’s Paw” – LMS Newspaper – Mrs. Shari Jacobs is the sponsor for the Lansing Middle School newspaper. This is her first year as the newspaper sponsor. Students in all grades can participate and they meet daily during 9th period. The newspaper comes out monthly and is usually 5-8 pages in length. Students are learning valuable writing and reporting skills as stories focus on relevant events and people at LMS. It has become something that students are interested in reading and look forward to each month. Their first issue came out on Tuesday, October 1st. The first issue is linked below - https://drive.google.com/file/d/10iZvGwbttoIpsvDrOKRdqnndaHhTrUoD/view?usp=sharing

• Lansing Middle School recognizes students for improvement throughout the year as well as academic and behavioral success through our Student of the Month program. Lansing teachers nominate students by team periodically throughout the year for this honor. Students receive a certificate and pizza at lunch. Our first group of students were recognized on Thursday, October 10th. Awardees included the following students – 6th Grade – Brooklyn Baragary, Kaiden Fisher, Kayden Johnson, KayOnna Kelley, Kyle Nelson, Autumn Saulsberry, Ainsley Tystad, Christopher Vogt. 7th Grade – Elizabeth Amos, Jade Brabson, Kinley Burris, SkyLynn Johnson, Konnor Knight, Garrison Shields, Erin Slattery, Callen Thomas, Brayden Williams, Liam Wilson. 8th Grade – EJ Brouillette, Ashley Danley, Addyson Fisher, Jeremiah Foster-Brown, Maddie Huhn, Mackenzie Maxim, Samaria Nelson, Caleb Njoku, Destiny Rodgers, Anthony Wahlberg, Aiden Wendt.

We are extremely excited to announce that Alexandra Swanson-Kolb, 7th grade student, placed 2nd nationally in the 11-12 year old category in the American Battlefield Monuments Foundation (ABMF) “Past is Prologue Essay Contest”. The following information is from the press release put out by ABMF –

DENVER (September 24) –

Alexandria S-K. of Leavenworth, Kansas is the 2nd Prize winner of the Past is Prologue Essay Contest in the 11-12 age group. The contest is sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Foundation (abmf.org), the non-profit organization that supports the federal agency responsible for all 26 American military cemeteries and 31 monuments overseas. (abmc.gov)

Nearly 234,000 American service members are buried or memorialized (remains missing) at ABMC hallowed sites away from the homeland.

For the 2024 contest, students could choose to write about one of two topics: 1) WWII Operation Bodyguard – the deception campaign to fool the Nazis as to when and from where the D-Day invasion would occur, or 2) WWII Achieving Air Dominance that enabled the D-Day invasion - how the B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber, the P51 Mustang fighter jet, and the C47 Skytrain troop carrier worked together to ensure air dominance over the English Channel and the Normandy coast.

Importantly, Essay Contest participants must answer two mandatory questions: What should we know today about that event in history? And, what is the relevance of that event to your life today? There are no “right” answers to these questions, but students, along their adult editor, are asked to contemplate a deeper meaning of the topic.

Alexandria wrote about WW II Operation Bodyguard Deception & Misdirection.

“It’s never OK to hurt people because of what they believe,” says Ali. About the contest, she noted, “I really enjoyed it. I like writing and I really like social studies. I have had wonderful teachers like Mrs. Evans my social studies teacher and Ms. Szmed my literature and language arts teacher.”

More than 700 students applied to compete in the ABMF Past is Prologue Essay Contest. Essays went through three reviews by qualified volunteer judges. A cash prize is awarded to the winners.

"Lansing USD 469 is proud to announce that several of our Lansing Middle School students have been recognized for their creative efforts in the International Lions Club's Peace Poster Contest. The winners were Ben Lohman, who earned first place; Ellie Lourentzos, who received second place; and Riley Lewis, who received third.

The awards presentation took place on Wednesday, November 13, in the Lansing Middle School art room. Each of the winners was recognized, with the top three artists winning cash prizes. Lansing Lions Chapter member Chris Southard presented the awards to the winners.

The International Lions Club Peace Poster Contest, hosted annually, encourages young people worldwide to express their visions of peace through art. This year's theme inspired students to reflect on what peace means to them and convey it visually. Winning entries will move forward for consideration at the state level, with a chance to compete internationally.

Congratulations to all participants and art teacher Emily Bucher on the Peace Poster Contest. Their creativity and perspectives offer a beautiful reminder of the importance of peace in today's world.

To learn more about the Peace Poster Contest, visit Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest."

https://www.usd469.net/o/usdms/article/1875214

"Lansing USD469 is proud to promote health & wellness to our students and staff. In addition to having a Health & Wellness Committee that meets quarterly, Lansing Middle School has a student Health and Wellness Advisory Committee - Kids Version in their Peer Leadership group, led by teacher and coach Jennifer Bishop.

In addition to serving on the district Health & Wellness Committee, these students will be sharing health tips monthly: Danni Hayslett, EJ Brouillette, and Caleb Njoku

November Health & Wellness Tips:

Quote

Health is not valued until sickness comes

-Thomas Fuller

Tip

Stay Hydrated: Drinking water is important for your overall health. It can help you focus and prevent headaches.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Bananas: super ripe bananas give the pancakes their natural sweetness. Make sure they have lots of brown spots!

• Eggs: you’ll need 2 eggs in this pancake recipe.

• Milk: add moisture with any milk you’d like. I typically use unsweetened almond milk.

• Oats: instead of using regular flour, these healthy banana pancakes are made with rolled oats! Feel free to use gluten free rolled oats.

• Pancake staples: you’ll also need baking powder to allow the pancakes to get nice and fluffy, plus some cinnamon, vanilla extract & salt for flavor.

Directions

1. Blend the ingredients. Yes, you’ll literally add all of the ingredients to a blender, and blend on high until smooth!

2. Let batter sit. You’ll then want to let the batter sit in your blender for about 2 minutes while you heat up your pan.

3. Cook & flip. Add olive oil or coconut oil to a griddle or large nonstick pan and place over medium heat. Add pancake batter 1/3 cup at a time and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Flip and cook 2 minutes more.

4. Serve & devour. Serve pancakes with fresh fruit and a drizzle of pure maple syrup if you’d like"

https://www.usd469.net/o/usdms/article/1846853

• Mrs. Becky Wecas, LMS Counselor, has organized “Career Fair Fridays” for our 8th grade students. This was done through outreach to the local community to find speakers from different career fields to come in and talk to our 8th grade students about what the job entails and how to pursue a job in this field. We have had multiple speakers from a variety of career fields – Karley Ailin, Felicia Yoakam, Jennifer Kohl, Marissa Schimke, Jamilyn Barna, Chris Nickelson, and Katherin Pohl. These have been a great opportunity for our 8th grade students as they prepare for their next years at Lansing High School. This is a link to the initial information that went out to the community to organize the events –

https://www.usd469.net/o/usdms/article/1754369

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) as a class, is somewhat new at Lansing Middle School. Our Computers class was revamped into CTE to add more pieces to the digital literacy emphasis of the computers class. Ms. Stephanie Ogden is the teacher for CTE and she was featured as the most recent Employee Spotlight on the district website by Miles Azzeh, USD 469 Director of Teaching and Learning. https://www.usd469.net/article/1877707

We are very pleased that Mindy Brinker and Brandy Hamilton, 7th Grade Language Arts teachers were selected for a recent staff spotlight due to their creativity with student writing – https://www.usd469.net/article/1849391

“This week’s academic spotlight shines on Lansing Middle School Literature teachers Brandy Hamilton and Mindy Brinker and their engaging (and spooky) persuasive writing activity they did with their 7th graders.

In this project, students design their own haunted houses and bring them to life through storytelling.

Using persuasive writing skills, each student creates a spooky narrative and a real estate listing aimed at convincing “buyers” to take on their haunted creation. Students then gather around a campfire to share their tales, adding an extra thrill to the experience.

After presenting their stories, the classes hold a “bid” for the best haunted house each class period. The top-scoring house from each class then advances to compete against other winners to win the best haunted house of all the teacher’s classes.

“Students really love this activity. It gives them a chance to be creative and practice using persuasion when writing,” said Brandy Hamilton.

“This assignment is a favorite for students and for me,” said Mindy Brinker. “Capturing student interest with a combination of creativity and writing/speaking skills is a win for everyone!”

This engaging, hands-on approach makes reading and writing come alive for students, encouraging interaction and fun while fostering essential literacy skills, something we have been striving for the last few years with our “focus” on authentic literacy. This activity shows how much fun you can make school, learning, and literacy while also creating lasting memories for our students.

Great job, Brandy and Mindy!”

Our district "Employee Spotlight" series aims to showcase the unique personalities, talents, and stories that contribute to the success of our district. This section celebrates the incredible individuals who make our Lansing USD469 community thrive.

Mrs. Jennifer Bishop, LMS Physical Education teacher, was chosen for the October Spotlight and the article is linked below -

https://www.usd469.net/o/usdms/article/1814608

Lansing Middle School has had a system for recognizing positive behavior for the past several years, centered around the PRIDE acronym – P-positive attitude, R-respectful, I-improvement, D-do your best, E-empathy. This has taken several different forms over the years and a lot of the changes were due to COVID.

We decided to take it a step further this year and integrated it with PBIS Rewards (Positive Behavior Intervention System), which is an electronic recognition system. This keeps track of points for students and collects data automatically on recognition. Additionally, it allows us to pair the point collection with a school store. Mrs. Jennifer Bishop, Peer Leadership Sponsor, and Mrs. Stacey Jenkins, Student Council Sponsor, have taken the lead with the school store. Mrs. Bishop and her peer leaders have taken on a school store initiative over the past two years but not in this format. We have been navigating the point values and deciding on items for the school store. We now have this finalized and it went “live” on Monday, November 4th. Several items in the school store are Lansing and Lansing Middle School apparel items. These things have been designed by Peer Leadership or Student Council. Furthermore, both organizations will print the items on site and deliver them to students.

• November 19th – Girls Basketball – 7th @ Home, 8th @ Pioneer Ridge (Gardner)
• November 20th – Wrestling vs. Basehor-Linwood/LV Warren @ Basehor-Linwood
• November 21st – Girls Basketball – 7th @ Warren, 8th @ Home
• November 23rd – Wrestling @ Bonner Springs
• December 2nd – Girls Basketball – “B” Team Tournament – 7th @ Home, 8th @ Mill Creek
• December 3rd – Girls Basketball – 7th @ Home, 8th @ Turner
• December 4th - Girls Basketball – “B” Team Tournament – 7th @ Home, 8th @ Mill Creek
• December 5th – Girls Basketball – 7th @ Piper, 8th @ Home
• December 9th – Girls Basketball – 7th @ Home, 8th @ Wheatridge (Gardner)
• December 11th and 12th – Girls Basketball – KVL Tournament – 7th @ Piper, 8th @ Monticello Trails
• December 17th – Band Concert – LMS District Auditorium
• December 18th – Choir Concert – LMS District Auditorium

LMS has an Advisory class that meets every Thursday for a 45 minute block -- from 12:27-1:12. All LMS teachers have an Advisory class. This allows us to keep Advisory classes small -- around 13-17 students.

Advisory is a crucial component to Lansing Middle School and student success.

• At the start of each Advisory period, students work on GBA, which entails looking at grades, behavior, and attendance. Students use Skyward to track their current grades and attendance and teachers provide behavior information. Students then use this to write and monitor goals for improvement. Students also counsel with their classroom teacher to assess their goals.
• Advisory is also used to provide lessons from our Tier 1 behavior program, Second Step. A Tier 1 program means that all students are provided with it. "Second Step® Middle School helps early adolescents learn to cope with challenges, create and maintain positive relationships, and develop the mindset necessary for success in school and life."
• There are four units of study for Second Step. The first unit of study for all grades is titled - "Mindsets and Goals". The scope and sequence for Second Step is linked here --https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hsDDKW9sNKkGlV_FuHKJNRrMuG7wVtfk/view?usp=share_link

Additional information for parents on Second Step is provided with the following links -

• Initial parental information flyer and letter -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rEzDs4TIaiaOApbJmnni2jnyt1xfgsBR/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l48bbOygciWMjJMe3QDf6X-R4l7-fhH-/view?usp=sharing

• Slideshow of Information about Second Step -https://drive.google.com/file/d/1varmKoHWOxJG0T3mDcw3W-vFBoI-0UNM/view?usp=sharing

Additional Components of Advisory include -

• During January, students have dedicated time in Advisory over three sessions to work on the software program, Xello. Xello is an interactive program that allows students to better assess themselves in terms of current interests and helps them to better prepared to make future choices. From the Xello website, "students complete interactive career, personality, and learning style assessments to help them better understand their unique interests, skills, and strengths. Each engaging assessment encourages reflection, helping students connect who they are with relevant career options." https://xello.world/en/middle-and-high-school/
• Student-Led Conferences and preparation take place during Advisory and with the student's Advisory teacher. Student-led conferences are held in February.

Lansing Middle School has utilized BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team) as a behavior model since 2013. It is a philosophy for how to work with overall student behavior. It is centered around three life skills -

1. I can be OK even when others are not OK
   
2. I can make good choices even if I am mad
   
3. I can do something even though I don’t want to
   

Through this model, staff try to ensure that students are offered grace and accountability, which simply means it’s OK to make mistakes but there is a need to take responsibility for choices.

Terms you might hear with BIST include --

• Safe Seat and Buddy Room – these are alternate locations intended to provide another opportunity for student to change behavior
• Processing – this entails talking through what happened with the teacher or adult

This link gives more information about BIST -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SAViHDcc3xEIebImYI30bLSlNQogPOnC/view?usp=sharing

Additionally, this article appeared on the USD 469 website on August 26th as part of the "Did You Know?" series --- https://www.usd469.net/o/usis/article/1729836

Lansing Middle School is in need of substitute teachers for the 2024-2025 school year. We are partnering with Morgan Hunter this year for substitute teachers. More information can be found at - https://www.usd469.net/page/substitute-teaching-employment-information

Additionally, Lansing Middle School has several paraeducator vacancies. Paraeducators work with students that receive special education services.

Lansing Middle School is a great place to work. These positions are an integral part of LMS. We are looking for dedicated individuals that would like to make a difference in the lives of adolescents.

The link below has information about employment, including how to apply for a paraeducator opening can be found at - https://www.usd469.net/page/employment

"Lansing USD469 is thrilled to announce that our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan was passed unanimously during the April 10th board meeting. Thank you to our volunteers made of community members, staff, and students who served on this important committee and provided feedback to form this plan. Thank you also to our Lansing USD469 board members who served on the committee and voted to make it a reality. The Strategic Plan aims to achieve action steps that ensure our district can meet the needs of its students, staff, and community for years to come.

Our administrators and district leadership staff are excited to start on action items this plan sets forth. We will provide monthly updates about our progress and look forward to embarking on this journey together to make Lansing the best district in Kansas."

https://www.usd469.net/vnews/display.v/SEC/2023-2028%20Strategic%20Plan

Brooks Jenkins, Principal

Kerry Wixon, Vice Principal

Becky Wecas, Counselor

Emerald Peters, Counselor

Website: https://www.usd469.net/vnews/display.v/SEC/Lansing%20Middle%20School%20%28Grades%206-8%29
Location: 220 Lion Lane, Lansing, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 727-1197