Superintendent Newsletter

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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.

Late last night/early this morning, our clocks sprung forward while most of us slept. An hour of our lives was lost to the whims and capriciousness of state and national policies around sunlight. A thief snuck into our homes and stole an hour from us.

Interestingly, the common belief that Day Light Savings (DLS) is based on giving farmers more time in the fields is historically incorrect. In fact, when the United States pushed for DLS, farming groups were some of the largest opponents. Also, interestingly, some versions of DLS have been used for thousands of years. One of the main rationales for having our days include more light was so that we would burn fewer candles or oil and thus save resources. If you are interested in the history of DLS, you can go down a long and fascinating rabbit hole.

For me, the symbolism of DLS is simple -- every moment is precious. An hour, a day, or a week can be taken away from us.

Losing an hour while I was asleep felt weird. Waking to some clocks an hour off and others magically set correctly is awkward. Having a general feeling of weariness is always unsettling. Just like that, 60 minutes were gone. My mind immediately went to the idea that I should've washed the dishes and done the laundry. But in a larger, more meaningful way, it just reminded me that time and life are precious. I texted my sister when I woke up and did the dishes. The laundry will have to wait.

Hopefully, today, we can remind ourselves of the preciousness of time and reach out to those we love.

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

Gabrielle Gilmore is a 6th-grade student at Gardner International Magnet School. She has become a leader in the Student Council, spearheading fundraising efforts, March is Reading Month activities, and brainstorming ways to make the school a better place. She is also a top scorer on the Girls Basketball Team!

Gabrielle recently participated in a Socratic Seminar in her social studies class. She took a leading role in facilitating the conversation, inviting everyone into the discussion, paraphrasing what others said, and using evidence from the text to support her arguments.

We are happy to recognize Gabrielle's excellent academic and leadership skills as a Global Guardian!

Sherry Edwards has worked in the Lansing School District for nearly 40 years, including the past decade as an Instructional Assistant at Cavanaugh Elementary! This school's principal, Dr. Hager, calls her an indispensable staff member who comes to school every day with a smile on her face, a positive attitude, and a willingness to do anything necessary to get the job done.

Sherry is known to every student in the school as she also helps supervise lunch recess daily. Her faith and belief in the district are evident as eight of her grandchildren have attended Lansing Elementary Schools over the past 15 years. In fact, she comes to school every day with two of her granddaughters, who are currently in first grade and kindergarten at Cavanaugh.

In line with her personality, Sherry gains her strength from the "family feeling" at Cavanaugh, where she says students and staff are willing to work together harmoniously to put academic achievement and citizenship first every day. Thank you, Sherry! We appreciate all that you are and everything you do for us.

Laraine Walton goes above and beyond the call of duty volunteering with Everett High School athletics—specifically, the boys basketball program. She manages Everett's concessions stand and ensures everything is stocked and filled for every game.

She is always ready to help with anything Everett needs regarding athletics and their basketball team. Thank you so much, Laraine, for all you do for the Everett family!

Students:

Team Captain, Evan White

Lana Ahmed

Leo Savoie

Jenue Lo

Abdikhadir Mkumbukwa

Mentors:

Aenet Anthony

Lucas Anthony

Heather Bills

Coach:

David Bills

March 13 — K-8 Math Open House | 1 - 5:00 p.m. | 4200 Wainwright Ave.

March 13 — Kindergarten and Young 5's Registration | 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. | Individual Schools

March 13 — Board Meeting | Special Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 519 W. Kalamazoo St.

March 14 — Board Meeting | Information Study Session | 6:00 p.m. | 519 W. Kalamazoo St.

March 15 - No School | Professional Development Day

March 20 — Parent Community Advisory Council Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 4200 Wainwright Ave.

March 22 — No School | Last Day of Third Marking Period

March 25-29 — No School | Spring Break

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.