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.

Well, that was some second week of school. I am certainly glad it is over, and we can hopefully move on from the heat and the storms. It goes without saying that last week was tough. Monday and Tuesday were incredibly hot, and for those of our staff and students who were in unairconditioned rooms, I, along with the entire Lansing community, appreciate you showing up to work and braving the difficult environment. Though I did not have any reports of melted crayons in classrooms, like I did my first year in the district, I do know how hot it got in many of the classrooms. I spent much of Monday and Tuesday sweating through my suit alongside our wonderful educators and children, making the best of a bad situation. As district leaders, it is important that we are in schools, especially on difficult days. We must expect the same from our leaders as we do our staff, if not more.

And what I saw as I walked through the hallways, cafeterias, and classrooms were dedicated adults and children trying their best. Thank you to the principals who walked with me, checking in on our faculty and students; thank you for showing your face with me in as many rooms as possible. As school leaders, you, too, need to be in the classrooms and cafeterias and hallways. Thank you to the educators who worked together to find the cool rooms, who shared the fans, drew the blinds, and brought extra water bottles.

Like with all bad weather days, we, as a district, will always do our best to stay open. But if you as a family feel that it is too hot or too cold, too snowy or too stormy, you certainly have the right to keep your child home. All we ask is that you let your school know that you will be keeping your child home.

The good news is that in the last two years, we have brought air conditioning to Averill and Lyons and merged and moved schools so that another four schools are partially or completely off-line. Reo students are now in air-conditioned Attwood, all Kendon students (except for Pre-K) are in centrally cooled North, Mt. Hope students attend Woodcreek until their brand-new school is built, and Willow students walk into Riddle as they await their new school to be built. As of today, more than 60% of our students are in fully or almost fully air-conditioned buildings, with hundreds of other students in partially air-conditioned schools.

However, I know that this brings no solace for those of you who do not have climate-controlled spaces. That is why we will be bringing air conditioning to another two schools, Cumberland and Cavanaugh, and moving Lewton into Woodcreek this summer. Thus, starting next year, we will have almost three-quarters of our district with air conditioning. Depending on some other bond and sinking fund work, we might be able to bring AC to more individual rooms across the district. Slowly but surely, we will have an air-conditioned district.

As for the storms, sadly, there is not much we can do about that. However, I must commend BWL, Consumers, Post Oak, and Sheridan Road. On Tuesday afternoon, we lost power to both Post Oak and Sheridan Road. BWL provides power to Post Oak, and Consumers provides energy to Sheridan Rd because it is in Clinton County. At first, we were told that power wasn't going to be restored until Friday for Post Oak and later in the day Wednesday for Sheridan Road. This would've caused us, at the very least, to have to close both schools for a day. But I, along with our COO, were in personal contact with the leaders of both companies, getting hour-by-hour updates and doing everything we could to get schools ready. And by late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, we received word that we could open school. This kind of relationship, where even the CEO and General Manager of our utility companies text me because they know how important opening our schools is, is very special.

And thanks to the families and staff of Post Oak and Sheridan Road, who communicated with us and waited until we got the green light. It is wonderful to know that we are all trying to be in this together for our children during these difficult times. Every day of school matters. We are starting to see some real positive changes around the district, and that is why I think that this year, even with the heat and the storms and whatever else is yet to come, we will see some extraordinary gains for our students. We can't do it without you all. So, please continue to send your children to school, please continue to teach and educate our children, and please continue to believe in the transformation of the Lansing School District.

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

The weather has been scorching the last several weeks, but that didn't stop Lansing native and Muralmatics founder Dustin Hunt from hopping into the bucket of a boom lift and painting a massive mural behind the FitCore playground at Schmidt Community Center, which shares space with Lansing Technical High School.

The mural, one of three, is part of Hunt's Lansing Shaped project. The vibrant murals feature a multigenerational Lansing family: children, parents, and grandparents. The aptly titled South is joined by West at the former Verlinden Elementary School, and North at the former Otto Middle School. The immersive series, which received funding through the Lansing Arts Impact Grant, facilitated by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, is intended to create conversation and learning, while also threading Lansing residents' stories into a unique tapestry.

Once unveiled in October, visitors will be able to scan a QR code to learn more about the family and even share how Lansing has shaped them by uploading their own videos that will then become part of a gallery. Stay tuned for more information!

Interested in an apprenticeship with Muralmatics?

Apply here by September 8th for consideration!

We are actively seeking family members to participate in this school year's Family Roundtable hosted by Superintendent Shuldiner. This is an opportunity to share feedback, and concerns, and discuss topics of interest with the district's administrative team.

Take advantage of Talkspace online therapy FREE. Click here to get started.

Is your family in a temporary or inadequate living situation due to a loss of housing? If so, the F.O.R.T. Program may be able to assist. The Families Overcoming Rough Times (F.O.R.T.) Program assists Lansing School District students who are living in temporary or inadequate living situations.

If you have been displaced from your home due to:

• A house fire, mold, or red tag
  
• Safety concerns
  
• Loss of utilities (heat or electric)
  
• Foreclosure
  
• Eviction
  
• Being asked to leave

F.O.R.T. can help with:

• Connections to housing programs
  
• School enrollment within 24 hours
  
• Transportation to and from school
  
• Personal hygiene & school supplies
  
• Clothing, shoes, coats, etc.
  
• Fees for school-sponsored field trips
  
• Cap and gown for graduation
  
• Financial aid application assistance, and MORE!

If you have questions about transportation for the coming school year, call (517)755-3017 or email tat@lansingschools.net. We 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.

We are now 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.

You should have received an email with an invite to authenticate your ParentSquare account.

Please make sure to access that email and activate your account if you haven't already.

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

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.