Lansing Middle School

Lansing Middle School conducts Student-Led Conferences each February and they are coming up this week on February 12th and 13th. This will be the sixth year that we have conducted Student-Led Conferences. We implemented Student-Led Conferences as a goal to give students more responsibility for their academics as part of the KESA accreditation process and to gather more parental involvement.

The month leading up to Student-Led Conferences is a busy one for students and staff from a preparation standpoint. As part of the Student-Led Conference design, students prepare a slideshow that highlights their first semester grades and their current grades for the third quarter. Students also explain how they earned their grades. The slideshow contains work samples students have gathered from their classes throughout the year. Additional pieces include looking at their attendance and behavior for the school year and setting goals in these two areas, if necessary. Finally, students are asked to incorporate a vision for their future from the informational results gathered from their interest inventories on the software program, Xello. The bulk of the work on the slideshow takes place in January and early February.

The sign-up process for parents takes place in two parts – a) we first allow parents that have multiple students at LMS to sign up so they can arrange back-to-back conferences, if needed; and b) we then allow all parents with just one student at LMS to sign up for their conference. All parents use Sign-Up Genius to schedule their conference. We set aside 30 minutes for each conference with the goal that it is completed in roughly 20 minutes.

To make sure students are fully prepared for their conference, this year we are continuing the model of adjusting our schedule and adding an extra four days with Advisory. This allows time for students to complete the slideshow and to practice their conference with peers and with their Advisory teacher.

Another important piece for parents is to make sure that they do get a chance to speak to their child’s teachers, if they feel it is necessary. At the conclusion of each conference, Advisory teachers ask parents if there are any teachers from which they would like to receive follow-up communication. Teachers are then given this information and they are asked to speak to the parent within one week.

The amount of work that goes into the conferences on both the student and staff end is overwhelming at times. The culminating conferences at the end though are one of the best things I’ve seen in education. Students feel extremely proud of the work they’ve put into the conference and the parents enjoy seeing their child take responsibility for their own learning. We hope to have 100% of our parents attend Student-Led Conferences and look forward to seeing parents at Student-Led Conferences again this week on Wednesday, February 12th, and Thursday, February 13th.

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

The beginning of the 3rd quarter found 6th graders learning about pronouns-antecedent agreement and the difference between reflexive and intensive pronouns. Pronouns are a large portion of the 6th grade “language in writing” standards (W.6.10 d and e).

Next up is more creative writing as we explore reading and writing poetry (W.6.3; W.6.10; W.6.11). Students will read and analyze several poems (RL.6.4; RL.6.5; RL.6.7) before exploring different styles and trying their hand at writing some. This unit culminates in a Poetry Café during class time where students will share their best work with classmates and family members (SL.6.4; SL.6.5; SL.6.6).

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

All of the 6th grade literature classes are reading the novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (a novel unit from our textbook resource, Study Sync; RL.6.13). During this unit we explore theme, character development, figurative language, point of view, and text structures. (RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.6., and RL.6.12, RL.6.12a) The common formative assessment (CFA) for 3rd quarter focuses on text structures, so mini lessons and practices are used throughout. At the end of the novel unit, we will watch the Hallmark Channel movie based on the novel to compare a retelling of the story (RL.6.7).

6th Grade Math – Josie Nelson, Connor Scott

Sixth graders began the third quarter by using proportions to solve for percentages. Throughout the third quarter we will start working with exponents, learn how to use the order of operations, and begin modeling and writing mathematical expressions. We have three quizzes this quarter to cover those topics and hope to start this semester strong!

6th Grade Science – Alisha Holyfield, Amanda Thomas

The 6th grade science classes have just completed their unit on Electromagnetic Force. As we begin February, we are transitioning into our Waves unit. Students will start by learning the basics of waves, including how to create their own waves using springs. They will explore how energy transfers through waves and discover the properties common to all waves. Next, students will investigate light and its properties as a wave, examining visible light and the electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, they will study communication waves and how these waves can travel over long distances.

6th Grade Social Studies – Cheryl Borgeson, Lilly Webster

We began the 2nd Semester with our unit on Ancient China. As with all our preceding chapters, the importance of geography was discussed, and the role it played in the development of Chinese civilization. Students were introduced to China’s first dynasties and shown how they helped Chinese society develop. Using Actively Learn, students compared and contrasted the Indus River of India and the Huang River of China and how they impacted ancient civilizations. Students learned about the different philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism and how they each attempted to bring order to China. Students were taught how to make a “claim” to prepare them for 7th grade state assessments. Students then created a poster stating a claim and using evidence to support it. Students will also be completing a project on either a dynasty or a Chinese emperor they have learned about from this unit. Next, we are preparing students for their next CFA over common characteristics of the ancient river civilizations. Looking ahead – we will be starting our unit on ancient Greece.

7th Grade Language Arts – Mindy Brinker, Brandy Hamilton

In seventh grade Language Arts classes, we are continuing our study of argumentative writing. This month, we dug into claim, evidence, and reasoning by deconstructing argumentative paragraphs in groups. Students completed an essay where they argued their opinion, using supporting evidence, on whether we should have assigned seats at lunch. We will continue to build on those skills by researching the dangers of vaping and creating an infographic about the dangers of vaping to persuade students not to vape.

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

Seventh grade students have been reading speeches and informational texts that have been written about or by activists such as Martin Luther King Jr, Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi. Students are also working on figurative language and main idea with the texts being read and discussed in this unit.

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

Seventh Grade Math 1 is finishing up their statistics unit and will begin their probability unit. We estimate this will be completed near the end of February and we can begin review of concepts completed this year in preparation for state testing. After we have reviewed this year's concepts, we can begin introducing 8th grade concepts to prepare them in the 4th quarter for 8th grade.

Seventh Grade Math 2 has completed all their concepts for 7th grade Math. We have begun introducing them to 8th grade Math concepts. We recently finished introducing them to solving multi step equations and with variables on both sides. We are currently working on the Real Number System. We will have time to review 7th grade concepts in March to help prepare them for testing in April.

Math 2 Algebra Ready has completed all of the 7th grade curriculum and the slope, proportions, and functions portions of the 8th grade curriculum. They are currently working on multi step equations with variables on both sides and will be moving into the Rational Number System soon. We will have time to review 7th grade concepts in March to prepare for them for state testing in April.

7th Grade Science – Stacey Jenkins, Angie Trowbridge

In 7th Grade Life Science students are wrapping up a unit on Human Body Systems. The focus is on how the systems work together to keep an organism alive, and when something goes wrong it can impact all other systems. Studies of the Nervous System are expanded to learn about types of sensory receptors, neurotransmission, and memory formation.

The following unit will focus on Reproduction and DNA. Students will be able to differentiate between sexual and asexual reproduction and then dive deeper into the cells with how DNA divides creating either varied or identical cells.

7th Grade Social Studies – Tom Cretors, Edward Fenton

7th grade social studies are starting up Chapter 7: Kansas Heads into a New Century. Students will learn about new economic industries, WWI, and the roaring twenties in the chapter. We make sure to spend time talking about the agricultural revolution that happens at the beginning of the 20th century. We also make sure we spend time understanding how people in Kansas had a direct impact during WWI. Lastly, students learn how Kansas contributed culturally to the well-known “Roaring Twenties.”

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

Eighth grade started our unit, “Following the Crowd”. All stories will share the common theme of, “is it harder to go against the crowd or to follow the crowd?” We have read Cheboygan Day where a set of twins comes to a new school and receive a very different reception. Another article we read was Conformity, that gave different levels on following the crowd.

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

Quarter 3 will focus on, “Moral Compass” and looks at a person’s ability to judge what is right and wrong based on family values. Students have read several stories like Abuela Invents in the Zero on how a teenager is trying to avoid her grandmother while she visits from Puerto Rico. She learns that her actions have a big impact on others. Another story we read is Home that shares how a father is going to approach his 6-year-old son who has been caught smoking. He goes through a series of events to then reach his son finally. Our novel, Adoration of Jenna Fox, has been started and provides students with inferences on what happened to Jenna Fox and her year-long coma.

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

8th grade Math 1 and Math 2: Students will be working through Unit 5, Geometry in 3rd Quarter. We are starting with Module 11, Transversal Angles and Triangles in January. In February, we will move into Modules 12, Pythagorean Theorem and beginning Module 13, Volume of 3-Dimensional Figures. We should complete Module 13 before Spring Break. Students will have at least two projects to complete during 3rd Quarter. These projects are the Transversal Project where students will utilize information learned in Module 11 to create a map of a fictional city. They will need to place particular buildings in specific locations utilizing the vocabulary learned in the module. This is a fun and creative project. In March, students will complete a Volume Project by creating a castle using 3-D shapes and calculating the volume of the entire model.

Mrs. Wagner piloted three different math curriculums for our curriculum pick for next year. The students in her math 1 classes completed the final pilot process in the month of January. They will return to the adopted curriculum, GoMath, in February.

Algebra: Students will complete the following 8th grade skills during 3rd quarter. Module 12, Pythagorean Theorem, Module 13, Volume of 3-Dimensional Figures, and Module 14, Scatter Plots. There will be at least two projects the students will also complete using the skills learned in Module 12 and Module 14. Module 12 will utilize the skills of creating a picture using only right triangles and taking artistic license to create a unique picture. In Module 14, They will participate in a Barbie Drop where students will calculate data and create scatter plots to determine how many rubber bands it will take to allow Barbie to safely bungie off the top railing in the Commons Area of our school. After this project, we will return to Algebra skills in Unit 7, Polynomials.

8th Grade Physical Science – Josh Yoakam

Students completed an applied engineering project to design an energy efficient home to wrap up the thermal energy exploration. Students learned about chemical hazards, use of safety data sheets, and conducted an OSHA Topic Investigation. Students completed a review of states of matter and classification in preparation for transition to learning about the structure and makeup of the atom. Students will be conducting a independent project, “Adopt-an-Element” where they research, develop, and deliver a presentation on their selected element. Students will utilize the University of Colorado-Boulder PhET’s simulation to build an atom and learn about atom stability, isotopes, and ions. We will then transition to learning about makeup and organization of the periodic table, elements, and their properties next.

8th Grade Science – Hollie Becker, Jennifer Fraser

Eighth grade science is learning about the formation of our wonderful planet Earth. This has included weathering, erosion, calculating density, learning Alfred Wegener’s theory of Continental Drift and Pangea, and plate tectonics. As we move into February we will expand our studies to include the different types of rock, the rock cycle, fossils, and the geologic timeline of Earth. Ask your student about their plate tectonics lab, which was fun and also delicious!

8th Grade Social Studies – Dana Blew, Sadie Roubinek

At the beginning of this quarter, eighth grade Social Studies students completed their chapter on how the United States’ economy, society, and even geography changed with the arrival of new inventions like the cotton gin, steam engine, and watermills. Once this chapter was complete, students moved on to learning about the evolution of our nation during the Westward Expansion 1820-1860. Students have been learning about individuals moving west and their motivation and determinedness (Mormons, missionaries, farmers, 49ers, etc.) to make the long and dangerous journey. We will study the impact the move west had on places like the Alamo and Chapultepec. Students will see how the acquisition of the Texas Annexation and Mexican Cession will bring more division to the U.S. as our government struggles to decide whether the new areas will be free or slave states. We will conclude our Westward Expansion unit by watching the classic Jeremiah Johnson. After which, Mrs. Lowery will bring an informative lesson on social/emotional awareness. Finally, we will begin our unit on The Nation Divided 1846-1861.

Advanced Studies – Josh Yoakam

Students ended the Fall semester with some students presenting their independent and small group projects. These included explorations into greener fuels/cars, development of a novel mathematics review game, modifications to chess, development of informational summaries of the Constitution/preamble, and an investigation into linguistics. Students continued work on independent and small group projects. Advanced Studies classes continued exploring Habits of the Mind dispositions that were funded by an LEF grant. In December students focused on thinking flexibly and all or nothing thinking which included embedded creativity challenges for ELA and Math. Students participated in an Engineering Design Challenge involving constructing a device to prevent a giraffe from being in vulnerable positions when eating and drinking using a base of materials. After action discussions were conducted to discuss EDP approach in finite materials challenges. Students completed a second quarter/first semester reflection to examine adjustments that need to be made in the second semester to be more successful. Students will continue work on independent and small group projects. The next Habits of the Mind disposition we will be exploring is “Questioning and Posing Problems.”

Art – Emily Bucher

6th grade art students: Welcomed new third quarter sixth grade students to art! Students just completed a cave art pastel drawing inspired by the "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" documentary about Chauvet cave in France. Students could choose to do a cave art decorated handprint for extra credit after their main cave art drawing project. Then, students were given a "Draw Dinos and Dragons" drawing challenge in which they included various prompts and were asked to decorate and color fully. Next, students created "Lego Selfies" where they "lego-ize " themselves and include features, accessories, and characteristics about themselves placed within a creative background. Currently, students are learning about warm and cool color families while creating a creative sun and moon illustration utilizing these two-grouping separations. Coming up, students can look forward to Valentine's Day art and bird artworks inspired by the life and work of John James Audubon.

7th grade art students: Welcomed new second semester seventh grade students to art! Students began with creating name illustrations encapsulating imagery that reflects things about them including personality, hobbies, interests, and likes. After that, students learned about the life and work of modern artist Piet Mondrian. Then, students created a Mondrian-inspired animal that began with a large contour line drawing filled with a pattern associated with Mondrian's work. Currently, students are creating "Stretched Out!" characters where they are given a long skinny piece of paper and are tasked to fill it with an original creation that thoughtfully uses the space. recently finished creating oil pastel drawings of bioluminescent creatures inspired by the deep sea. Some students have moved onto drawing their own shoes that encompass observation and realism techniques incorporating an interesting background. Coming up, students can look forward to Valentine's Day art and working with clay based upon an art historical work and tradition.

8th grade art students: Welcomed new second semester eighth grade students to art! Recently eighth grade students learned about the tradition and history of the first piggy banks. Then, students were tasked to create their own clay sculptures inspired by piggy banks. Many students created piggies while others created dishes, jars, and other themed animals centered around ideas of early piggy banks utilizing traditional hand-building techniques. Prior to this project, students finished graffiti names and lava lamp artworks inspired by street art and use of fluorescent colors throughout their work. Students are currently working hard to finish and finalize their Federal Junior Duck Stamp artworks. Currently, students viewed and learned about the life and work of contemporary wildlife painter Robert Bateman. Students are creating realistic animals based upon this artist and realistic artmaking techniques. Coming up, students can look forward to adding colors and patterns using glaze on their ceramic sculptures as well as various Valentine's Day art projects.

9th hour art enrichment: Students recently created polar bear art or a redesigned and reimagined album, single, or record label of a band of their choice. Currently, students are working with realism by creating seashell artworks using a medium of their choice to add color or an altered book page that uses ideas of destruction and recreation. Additionally, students can look forward to Valentine's Day artworks, other self-driven art projects and hopefully some outdoor chalking if we get a few nice days.

Band – Aaron Edwards

The bands are working on new concepts in rhythm and note reading, along with ensemble playing. All groups have started their music for their next concert and the 7th and 8th grade bands are starting their music for the Kaw Valley League Middle-Level Festival we are hosting on February 26th at the District Auditorium.

Choir – Josiah Ketterman

All choirs are off to a strong start getting their music prepared for the spring concert, March 5th at 7pm. This spring, for 7th and 8th grade students, the songs they are performing at their concert will also be performed at the KVL Choir Festival on March 26th at Basehor Linwood Middle School for a Clinician and the students will receive a rating.

6th Grade Choir has also been focusing on reviewing note values, rests, dynamics and note names as well as learning how to read and write choral sheet music.

LMS Choirs had six students selected for the All-State Choir which is going to take place at the end of February in Wichita, KS! The students selected for this high honor are: Nichole Mack, Eleanor Murphy, Addyson Agnew, Eliana Silva, Anthony Paletta, and Hayden Reynolds.

The Drama Program has started rehearsals for Junie B. Jones Jr.! The show dates are April 11th and 12th and tickets will be on sale starting Monday, March 31st!

Career and Technical Education (CTE) – Stephanie Ogden

6th Grade has learned about Hospitality and Tourism where they created tour guide brochures about Kansas City attractions and presented them to the class. This week they are learning about the Law, Fire, and Public safety and will take part in a mock criminal trial in class.

Each week they will learn 9 different career pathways to gain more information about each one.

7th Grade has been busy in the FACS Lab researching nutritional facts about their favorite drinks, learned knife skills, as well as kitchen and food safety. Last week they took part in their first cooking lab and made smoothies. This week they have learned more content about the importance of measuring, reading recipes and will be making mug cakes.

8th Grade has been very busy with Business and Marketing tasks. They have created a grade level business plan, written formal letters, addressed envelopes, filled out job applications, practiced job interviews, learned about professionalism in the workplace and employability skills. This week was have been diving into advertising and marketing.

PE – Jennifer Bishop, Jon Bishop

PE is in a new quarter and semester with new students. We have completed health class for all grades and are working now on baseline testing in the area of muscular strength and muscular endurance. We have started and will finish up our basketball unit, along with fitness, and will continue working towards lifetime activities and fitness goals. This year we took PE students on a bowling field trip last semester and are working on dates for doing the same for our second semester students.

Spanish – Regan Gatson

6th Grade: In 6th grade we have been working on greetings and goodbyes in Spanish. We're finishing up our greetings comic strip, and then we'll move on into days, months, and numbers.

7th Grade: In 7th grade Spanish we have started our days, months, and weather unit. The students will soon be able to identify and recall the days and months in Spanish, while also being able to describe l the kind of weather that's going on.

8th Grade: In 8th Grade Spanish we are on our gustar + nouns (specifically food) unit. The students are learning how to make grammatically correct sentences about what they like and don't like concerning food. This will later lead to them being able to describe what they like/ don’t like to do.

Technology – Ron Averill

Technology classes have gotten off to a great start for this semester. We have worked our way through orientation and are beginning to work in the modules where the students will experience different areas of technologies as they are applied in various Expeditions of study. Hopefully, this will give them a direction that they want to follow as they pursue their educational experiences in high school.

April 8th and 9th – 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Reading Assessment

April 15th and 16th – 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Math Assessment

April 21st and 22nd – 8th Grade Science Assessment

April 28 - May 16 – 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Fastbridge Assessment in Reading and Math (this is not a state assessment but is an important end-of-the-year test for all students)

How our Parents Can Help –

• Talk to your child about the importance of doing his/her BEST on the assessments
• Be positive and supportive regarding the assessments
• Make attendance a priority and please be on time for the start of the school day
• Make sure your child has a good night’s sleep (minimum of 8 hours)
• Provide a healthy breakfast
• Help your child remember to charge his/her iPad

Lansing Middle School 8th grade students were again able to take part in the State of Kansas Healthcare Virtual Career Day on Thursday, January 30th. Students submitted an application to take part in the Career Fair. Students received information on the following career fields – Physical Therapy, Radiology, Behavioral Health, Nursing, EMT/Paramedic, as well as general information on the business side of medicine, laboratory practices, and surgery. Mrs. Becky Wecas, LMS Counselor, organized and set up the Career Fair so LMS students could take part.

https://www.kha-net.org/CriticalIssues/HealthCareWorkforce/HealthCareers/health-care-careers-campaign/d171333.aspx

Mrs. Wecas has also continued to organize “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. Speakers during December and January included – Jessica Schroeder-Licensed Therapist, Dr. Brianna Becker-Physical Therapist, Ari Ailin-Detective, and Dr. Leo Becker-Veterinarian. This has 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

“Who knew dropping eggs could be so much fun? Our Lansing Middle School 6th-graders recently joined forces in Science and ELA for the classic Egg Drop Challenge, and it was nothing short of egg-citing!

In their Science classes, Alisha Holyfield and Amanda Thomas’s students became engineers as they designed protective devices to keep their eggs safe during a two-story drop into the cafeteria area. Each group had two class periods to brainstorm, build, and test their designs. Along the way, they had to think critically, work together, and eliminate possible failures. It was all about teamwork and problem-solving.

After the eggs were dropped, the students from Kathy Baughman and Rachel Szmed’s ELA classes interviewed the scientists to capture the excitement and lessons learned, then turned those interviews into newspaper articles. It was a great way to combine creativity with collaboration while also focusing on the “authentic literacy” skills of the ELA class.

As you can imagine, the students had a great time keeping their eggs intact while also sharing great quotes from the articles written about them. They shared some for this article as well:

“The make-or-break challenge was super fun! My favorite part was writing my article, ‘Egg Breaks Hearts and Shells.’” said Amara. “It was eggcellent!” said Jeffrey (bravo). “It was a blast, even though my partner was sure our egg wouldn’t break… and it did,” said Jace. “Next time, I’d spend more time planning with my group.”

This engaging project supports the Lansing School District's Strategic Plan under the goal area of Define a Successful Graduate. By encouraging students to think critically, collaborate effectively, and integrate skills across disciplines, this activity prepares them for post-secondary success. Activities like this show how fun and engaging learning can be when we think outside the box.

We’re proud of our 6th-grade teachers and students for their creativity, teamwork, and curiosity for Science and ELA. Activities like this show how fun and engaging learning can be when we think outside the box. Keep up the great work, Lions!”

https://www.usd469.net/o/usdms/article/1932850

Several LMS teachers have been recognized on the District Website recently –

• Lauren Shields – 8th Grade Language Arts Teacher – Academic Spotlight
• Josie Nelson – 6th Grade Math/Literature Teacher – Employee Spotlight
• Amanda Edwards – SLC 2 Teacher – Employee Spotlight
• Emily Bucher – Art Teacher – Employee Spotlight

“We are thrilled to announce that our Lansing Middle School Choir Director, Josiah Ketterman, has been honored as the Middle-Level Choir Director of the Year for Northeast Kansas. This award, presented by the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA), recognizes Mr. Ketterman's exceptional dedication and contributions to music education in our community. This is the second year in a row that our middle school leaders were recognized by KMEA - last year, Mr. Aaron Edwards was named the Middle-Level Band Director of the year.

KMEA is a state organization affiliated with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), committed to supporting music educators by fostering leadership, providing professional development, and promoting the advocacy of music learning in schools and communities.” https://www.usd469.net/o/usdms/article/1932074

• We are very pleased to report that the following students were selected for the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) All-District Choir – Lucy Johnson, Addyson Agnew, Aeslynn Dodd, Selina Vega, Hayden Reynolds, Quinn Goss, Anthony Paletta, and Christopher Chocon-Andrade. They were recognized and performed on December 7th at Topeka High School.

• Additionally, we had many students chosen for All State Choir. 7th Grade vocalists chosen – Zach Barna, Matt Bone, Jade Brabson, Brooks Burns, Maddie Jones, Adalynn Lopez, and Jackson Schroeder. 8th Grade vocalists chosen – Stephan Espinoza, Maddox Kimball, Nichole Mack, and Maddox Scrogin. They will be recognized and will perform later in February.

• We are also very proud to announce several band members that were chosen for KMEA All-District Band. From the 7th Grade --- Zach Barna – Trombone, Matt Bone – Percussion, Jade Brabson – Alto Sax, Brooks Burns – Horn, Maddie Jones – Bass Clarinet, Adalynn Lopez – Tenor Sax, and Jackson Schroeder – Trombone. From the 8th Grade --- Stephan Espinoza – Clarinet, Maddox Scrogin – Clarinet, Maddox Kimball – Alto Sax, and Nichole Mack – Trombone. They were recognized and performed on December 7th at Topeka Seaman High School.

• We are quite proud of our 7th Grade Girls Basketball team. They won the Kaw Valley League Tournament by avenging an earlier loss to Monticello Trails. This was Lansing Middle School’s first title in basketball since 2018. Roster - Reese Anderson, Gabby Balma (Manager), Kinley Burris, Maliyah Davis, Carsynn Faulk, Trinity Gillespie, Paige Legault, Allie Phillips, Amara Robinson, and Mariyah Stephens. The 7th grade team was coached by Jennifer Bishop and Brandy Hamilton.

• We are about a third of the season into boys’ basketball season right now. We have had good participation and the players are growing in their skillset. The 8th Grade “A” team is currently 5-2 and the 7th Grade “A” team also has a record of 5-2. The 7th Grade “B” teams has one win and the 8th Grade "B" team has two victories.

Student of the Month

Spelling Bee Results at Lansing Middle School

6th Grade – 1st – Sonya Johnson, Alternates – Lincoln Dale, Deacon Kane

7th Grade – 1st – Clayton Marsh, Alternates – Annabelle Wit, Jasmine McCoy

8th Grade – 1st – Eliana Silva, Alternates – Mason Charity, Chloe Ford

All students advanced to the Kaw Valley League Spelling Bee on January 22nd. Lincoln Dale took 5th Place at the event. Congratulations, Lincoln!

All grade level students placing first advance to the Leavenworth County Spelling Bee on – February 7th.

Kathy Baughman and Rachel Szmed are the Spelling Bee sponsors this school year.

Peer Leadership sponsored a Dodgeball tournament on Thursday, December 19th. Each team consisted of 10 players and the cost of playing was $2 per player (or $20 per team) with money being collected for the Angel Tree through LMS for families in need during the holidays. Peer Leadership has sponsored this tournament two years in a row and chose 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.

Peer Leadership will be adding one more tournament this spring with a Dodgeball tournament that will take place in the afternoon on Thursday, March 13th at the end of the school day. Each team will consist of 6 players and the cost of playing will be $2 per player (or $12 per team). It will be a single elimination tournament. The money collected for the teams will all be donated to the Lion's Pantry at LMS for families in need. 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).

Just like Dodgeball, 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 February 10th and March 13th. 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 3rd quarter or 1 F. The cutoff for grades will be Friday, March 7th. 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.

“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 most recent issue came out on Monday, February 3rd. The first issue is linked here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/10iZvGwbttoIpsvDrOKRdqnndaHhTrUoD/view?usp=sharing

• February 11th – Boys Basketball – 7th Grade @ Home; 8th Grade @ Turner
• February 12th – 4:00-8:00 PM – Student-Led Conferences
• February 13th – 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM – Student-Led Conferences
• February 18th – Boys Basketball – 7th Grade @ Home; 8th Grade @ Wheatridge
• February 20th – Boys Basketball – 7th Grade @ Piper; 8th Grade @ Home
• February 24th – Boys Basketball – 7th Grade KVL Tournament @ Home
• February 24th – Boys Basketball – 8th Grade KVL Tournament @ Pioneer Ridge
• February 26th – Kaw Valley League Band Festival @ Lansing Middle School
• March 5th – Choir Concert @ LMS Auditorium
• March 6th – Band Concert @ LMS Auditorium

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 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 hosted administrators and educators from several other school districts and multiple states on Thursday, January 16th as part of the BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team) Leadership Conference. As part of the site visit, outside educators were provided with a tour of Lansing Middle School, information about the journey that Lansing Middle School has undergone with BIST, and students from LMS talked about their own experiences with behavior and BIST.

Lansing Middle School originally implemented BIST in 2013 and this was the fourth time that LMS has hosted a site visit. It is an honor to be chosen as a site visit school; this was due to our ongoing commitment to BIST and it is a tribute to the work that all staff members at LMS put in with BIST.

The middle school BIST Vision Team facilitated the visit. The BIST Vision Team at LMS consists of the following staff members –

Cheryl Borgeson, 6th Grade Social Studies/Literature Teacher

Miranda Cote, 8th Grade Math Teacher

Denise Dixon, 7th Grade Math Teacher
Brooks Jenkins, Principal
Josiah Ketterman, Vocal Music Teacher
Emerald Peters, Counselor

Becky Wecas, Counselor

Dee Wiley, Math Interventionist/BIST Vision Team Chair

https://www.usd469.net/article/1973114

• 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 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.

"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

Kerry Wixon, Vice Principal

Dr. Sandy VanCise, Secondary Special Education Coordinator

Emerald Peters, Counselor

Becky Wecas, 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