Dear Lansing School District Community,

I hope that this newsletter finds you well. As we all know, today is Super Bowl Sunday, as close to an "unofficial national holiday" as we get. Tens of millions of Americans will sit together and experience a three-hour-plus extravaganza. Sports fans, Usher fans, fans of commercials, and, yes, Swifties will all align their eyes to watch the same event. Sharing in a common, collective experience is a powerful and usually positive thing. Regardless of caring about very large adults running, catching, and smashing into each other, the sheer fact of joint observation and communal involvement gives people a sense of togetherness and belonging. We can all talk tomorrow about what we saw together today.

Sadly, this is something we do less and less as a society. We might watch the same TV show, but we watch it on our own schedule, at our own pace. People are dining out less and using the drive-through more. Attendance in either communal secular or religious events is down, while rates of loneliness and feelings of separation are up. We tend to spend more and more of our free time "bowling alone." I mention this today because it is a good reminder to all of us that we have to be in it together for our school district to work better. Today, when we all are watching the same thing, let us embrace our universality and togetherness.

I am reminded of the movie An American Tail, where Feivel is looking at the moon while his sister, far away, is looking at the same moon, singing "Somewhere Out There." When we recognize we are all in this together "underneath the same big sky," we are more apt to help each other and to see success communally rather than individually. So much in this world is acting to rip us apart. Let us try to embrace the times we are together and think of more ways we can work together, spend time together, and uplift each other. If you have any ideas on how to do so, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Thank you so much for all of your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.

Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent

Lansing School District

Caring, Open-Minded, and a Communicator are just a few of the International Baccalaureate Attributes highlighted at Post Oak. Diamonda Edmond, the school's Student Support Specialist (SSS), exemplifies these qualities and so much more! A homegrown product of our wonderful school system, Ms. Edmond has been employed with the Lansing School District for 38 years, with the last 22 of them being spent at Post Oak.

Her caring way goes beyond the walls of our school and reaches out far into the entire Lansing community. She strives to bring experiences such as guest speakers, special breakfasts, and support services to Post Oak students. When she reaches out to the community, one place she can draw volunteers from is her church — of which she is a Deacon. Diamonda provides a unifying perspective to the Post Oak community.

Her priority is making sure students are safe and enjoy being at school. Still, she takes pride in supporting Post Oak teachers, staff, and administrators as well. Her unending dedication extends beyond our students to the entire Lansing community.

We love Ms. Edmond, and we are grateful she is a part of our community!

Chelcia Hill is a mother of four Lansing School District students, two of whom attend Willow@Riddle. Mrs. Hill comes from a family of educators. Her mother taught for 34 years in Mississippi, where Mrs. Hill was raised, and while she didn't follow in her mother's footsteps, Mrs. Hill continues the family tradition of being an important community member by serving as a registered nurse.

Mrs. Hill takes great pride in being available to support the educational journey of her children, as well as being able to provide help whenever and wherever she may be needed. When Willow and Riddle merged, Mrs. Hill saw a need and immediately reached out to offer her services.

She has been coming to Willow@Riddle 20 minutes before the end of the day — rain or shine. She takes the cones out to the bus area and blocks off the street where busses park to load students. She stands at the crossing area and welcomes parents as they approach the school to retrieve their amazing children from a day full of learning.

We are grateful for Mrs. Hill's commitment to our student's safety and education. We are also blessed to see the smile she brings with her daily!

Please join us in celebrating. We are happy to announce that Lansing Technical High School has an official mascot - Wildcats. As you can see from the new logo, the school's colors are black and gold.

We thank our students and community for helping develop this visual expression of the school's spirit.

The mission of the United Mentoring Program (UMP) is to serve at-risk youth in our community by taking a tangible and practical approach in conjunction with aligning them with mentors and resources that will empower them to develop into their full potential, prepare them for life as an adult, and transform them into a positive influence in our community.

Congratulations to Eastern sophomore Olivia DeLaCruz for taking the conference championship in the 110-pound weight class AGAIN! She will advance to the Michigan High School Athletic Association State Finals, held at Ford Field March 1-2!

Excellent work, Olivia; the whole district is cheering you on!

CONGRATULATIONS to Everett Senior Offensive Lineman Aiden Greenburg! Aiden recently signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his athletic career at Davenport University! We are so proud of you and excited to see what the future holds for you!

Lansing School District athletic directors and coaches came together recently to take a group of female student-athletes at Eastern, Everett, and Sexton to a Women In Sports Leadership (WISL) Conference. The two-day conference, which was organized by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), was chock full of amazing workshops like "How to Achieve True and Lasting Success, "Leading and Empowering Others," and "Leadership: Lifting Each Other Up." It also brought in a roster of incredible female guest speakers like Casey Akenberger, Director of Athletic Performance at Michigan State University, and Dr. Ramona Cox, the Director of Champions Network Training Programs for Doc Wayne Services.

Thank you, Principal Jill Kolar at Post Oak, for sharing a friendly reminder about Valentine's Day parties! Lansing School District students, staff, and families are striving to show their "Caring" International Baccalaureate Attribute to others by being aware of classmate's allergies to foods.

This means:

• If we know someone has a life-threatening allergy to certain foods, we do not allow those foods in that class/classroom.
• If someone in the building has an allergy and it is airborne or contact-related, we reduce exposure by limiting the allergen, cleaning up after ourselves, and confining the space for limited exposure.
• If there are food allergies in a class, the snacks are limited to the recommended snack lists.
• All foods must stay in their own room at all times.
  

February 14 — Spring Count Day

February 19 — President's Day (No School)

February 22 — Board Meeting - Information Study Session | 6:00 p.m. | 519 W. Kalamazoo St.

Did you know that you can subscribe to our calendars?

Visit www.lansingschools.net/district/calendars, select the school(s) whose calendar you would like to subscribe to, and tap the tiny calendar at the top right. For more detailed instructions, click here.