Superintendent Newsletter

Dear Lansing School District Community,

I hope that this newsletter finds you well. As always, it is a pleasure to be writing to you all.

I can't believe that the first day of school is Wednesday, August 21st, only ten days from now! I hope that every one of you was able to take some well-deserved time off. We did some incredible work last year, from raising the graduation and attendance rates to increasing enrollment, raising test scores, building new programs, and supporting our entire district with new books, equipment, and classrooms. With all that hard work, everyone needed some time to relax and rejuvenate.

But now it is time to prepare for the start of the new school year. I can't tell you all how excited I am to be entering my fourth year with all of you. I am sure many of you have questions about specific issues for your school. We have tried to update you all as best we can in this newsletter, but please make sure to reach out to your specific school and principal if you need any help. Almost always, the schools are best situated to help serve you and your family. And the sooner you build a relationship with your principals, teachers, and staff, the better the district can work for you. If we build those family/school relationships early, when we face concerns or issues, we can start from a place of mutual trust and understanding rather than having the first interaction be tense.

Of course, you can always reach out to me or central office, but the more we build those relationships around the school, the better everyone will be served. These next few weeks are a great time to say hello to your school, introduce or re-introduce yourself, and see what, if anything, you can do to help ease the transition back to school for your child. Simple things like making sure the school has your correct cell phone number and email address can make the school year go so much smoother.

However, we have also tried to improve on our end. To help support you better, we have purchased a new family communications system that can hopefully improve communication between everyone in the district. Communication is so important when running a school district, and the more we work to improve it, the better it will be for all of us. Please feel free to reach out to me to let me know ways we can continue to improve the district's communication. We can always get better. We are here to serve you all.

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

Power 96.5 will return to the Don Johnson Fieldhouse ready to give away 1,200 backpacks filled with school supplies. This drive-up event will provide one backpack per child in attendance. Vehicles without a child present will be provided with one (1) backpack.

Please note, families must remain in their vehicles during this drive-up event.

Check your school website calendar for welcome back events!

Click here to subscribe to the district calendar iCal Feed and

receive updates as calendar events change.

iCal Feeds
iCalendar (iCal, .ics) is a popular calendar data exchange format which allows you to subscribe to a calendar and receive updates as calendar data changes.

How to access iCal feeds
Read step by step instructions on adding an iCal feed to Google Calendars and your iPhone. Download the latest PDF Viewer

The Lansing School District continues to prepare for the coming school year and the return of students to the classroom on August 21. When the school year begins, our district will provide transportation or transportation assistance for families with students who have requested it and qualify for the program(s).

Families that registered by the specified deadline and have been approved to receive a transportation option should note the following:

• Bus Transportation: Dean Transportation is finalizing all necessary information and will have schedules for K-8 families the week of August 12. Once bus routes are assigned, the District will send parents an email to the address on their ParentVue account with the bus route information. We realize this is close to the start of school, however, we are trying to route as many students as possible and in partnership with Dean the additional time will assist in doing so.

• Gas Card: All families approved for a gas card can pick one up at their child's school during the week of August 19th. Families that already use a gas card must secure a new card for the coming school year — also available during the week of August 19th. Gas cards will be loaded with 75 dollars (50 dollars for September and a pro-rated amount of 25 dollars for August) during the week of August 19. The next reload will not occur until the beginning of October for the regular 50-dollar monthly amount.

• CATA Bus Pass: Families that have requested a CATA bus pass for the new school year will be able to collect them at their school’s welcome-back event. Route maps and schedules can be found on the district’s website: https://www.lansingschools.net/parents/transportation
  

If your family needs transportation assistance but cannot register, please call 517-755-3017 or email tat@lansingschools.net as as soon as possible. Our district will work with you to make all possible transportation arrangements for the coming school year.

Please make sure to log in to your ParentVue account and update information if necessary.

• You can access your ParentVue account by clicking here and logging in.
• If you need assistance creating a ParentVue account, reach out to your child's school.
  
• If you are having issues accessing your ParentVue account, please email technology@lansingschools.net.

Starting this fall, the Lansing School District will begin using ParentSquare for stakeholder communication. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each family, using the preferred email address and phone number listed in the family's ParentVue account.

If you don't receive this communication, please email info@lansingschools.net.

August 15 - Preschool & Kindergarten Registration Event

August 21 — First Day of School

September 2 — Labor Day - No School

September 5 — Board Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | TBD

September 9 — Universal PreSchool (First Day)

September 26 — Board Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | TBD

September 27 — PD Day - No School

October 2 — Fall Count Day

October 3 — Board Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 519 W. Kalamazoo St.

October 18 — PD Day - No School

October 24 — Board Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 519 W. Kalamazoo St.

October 31 — Half Day - A.M. Elementary Only - Planning and Records

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.