Lyons Ledger | Issue 5

Hailey Battle and Milleniyah Glanton, Lyons High School students who are studying in the Criminal Justice program at the Wayne Technical and Career Center, toured Dr. Barr and other regional superintendents around the WTCC campus on Thursday, November 16th.

• Wednesday, Nov. 22, 12-2PM: Thanksgiving Eve Bingo Day at LCC
  

• Wednesday, Nov. 22 through Friday, Nov. 24: Thanksgiving Break, No School
• Saturday, Dec. 2, 5-7PM: Snowball Formal Dance (Grades 7-8)
  
• Saturday, Dec. 2, 7:30-10PM: Snowball Formal Dance (Grades 9-12)
• Sunday, Dec. 3, 6PM on Facebook: FACS Literacy Week Reading of What Shoes Will You Wear?
• Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6PM: The Real D.E.A.L. Speaker Series with Kalen Fontenelle, Earl Buchanan Auditorium
• Friday, Dec. 8, 12:30PM: Early Dismissal for LES only
• Monday, Dec. 11: Conference Day, No School for Students. LES: Parent/Teacher Conferences.
• Tuesday, Dec. 12, 8AM: Breakfast with Santa (more info in Mrs. Taylor's message)
• Wednesday, Dec. 13, 8AM: Breakfast with Santa (more info in Mrs. Taylor's message)
• Wednesday, Dec, 13, 6:30PM: Board of Education Meeting. Please note rescheduled date.
• Thursday, Dec. 14, 7PM: LES Winter Concert
  
• Monday, Dec. 18 through Friday, Dec. 22: Winter/Holiday Spirit Week
• Monday, Dec. 18, 7PM: MS/HS Winter Concert
• Wednesday, Dec. 20, 6:30PM: Reading of The Snowy Day, LCC Gym (between JV and V basketball games)
• Friday, Dec. 22: MS/HS Pep Rally
• Monday, Dec. 25 through Tuesday, Jan 2: Holiday Recess. No school.

View the district calendar at lyonscsd.org.

Fall is in full swing here at Lyons Elementary School. All of our LES Cubs are experiencing creative and academically-engaging lessons using Autumn, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving themes. Students experienced Veterans Day assemblies with Mrs. Randell and the hallways continue to be filled with energy and excitement for learning.

We are happy to report that the Lyons Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association (LES PTA) is working hard to reimagine the association. They are attempting to get more teachers, families, and community members to submit membership forms and join the LES PTA. Upcoming monthly meetings will take place at 3:15pm on January 17th, April 17th and June 12th at LES to plan for future events. All are welcome and encouraged to attend! The LES PTA will also be working closely with our student council to plan exciting events for the months ahead.

Parent-Teacher conferences will take place December 8th and December 11th. Teachers and students are eager to share student successes and inform families about the outstanding teaching and learning that has taken place during the 1st marking period. As we walk through classrooms each day, we see excitement, creativity, and positive academic achievement. We are so proud of the accomplishments we have seen and we can’t wait to see continued development during the 2nd marking period.

December 2023 LES Happenings include:

• Breakfast with Santa: Tues., December 12th for UPK (8:00am) and 2nd grade (8:15am)

• Breakfast with Santa: Wed., December 13th for 1st grade (8:00am) and K (8:15am)

• Elementary School Winter Concert: Thurs., December 14th at 7:00pm

Under the direction of LES Music Teacher Ms. TaNisha Barrigar, Ms. Molisani's and Mrs. Parkinson’s 2nd graders staged the musical "Journey Into Outer Space" on Thursday, November 9th. The students worked on the show for ten weeks while learning about the planets in class, making this performance a cross-curricular experience.

Other second grade classes will have their shot at the show next. Stay tuned for upcoming performance dates!

Find more photos of the show on Facebook and a video on the LCSD Instagram.

LES Harvest Festival 2023 was held on Friday, October 20th. During the school day, each class had a chance to visit the fest and participate in autumn-themed games and activities. Stations included Ghost Pin Bowling, Pumpkin Ring Toss, Witch Hat Toss, a photo station, "Putt-Putt" Golf, Tic-Tac-Toe, Caution Crawl, sack races, prizes and more. Students were also able to make Tootsie pop ghosts, and pie teachers and staff in the face!

That same evening, Harvest Fest was open to the LES community and more fall fun occurred. Thank you to the following organizations and businesses for sponsoring Harvest Fest:

• Lyons PTA
  
• Dobbins Drugs
  
• Lyons National Bank
  
• Dr. Joseph Russo
  
• Denise Eaton
  
• Ohmann Theatre
  
• Hugh Compton (P.E.T.S. of Wayne County)
  

Student volunteers from Lyons MS/HS also assisted with staffing the event. Find more photos of the 2023 LES Harvest Fest on Facebook!

Thank you to Mr. Jason Bliek for donating over 500 pumpkins to our students for Harvest Fest! Each student received one pumpkin, and a handful of extra pumpkins were used by LES staff for their pumpkin carving contest.

Several 6th graders and Mr. Bliek's son, Lucas, helped distribute them. Thank you, Bliek family!

LES Annual Halloween Parade was met with perfect weather and lots of smiling faces. Find more photos on our Facebook page, plus a video of the parade on the LCSD Instagram!

It was a busy first ten weeks at the Middle/High School. We welcomed our 9th grade families and advanced 8th grade families to the building for parent/guardian informational meetings to provide them with grade level expectations and graduation requirements.

Our fall athletes had a great season representing Lyons in football, cheer, volleyball, tennis, cross country, soccer, golf, and swimming. The student cultural group has put on two great events for our Real D.E.A.L. Guest Speaker Series so far this school year. A group of 15 students participated in the first session of the Next Generation Leadership Summit at SUNY Geneseo. In addition, students have been provided opportunities to visit local colleges and participate in local career events. And the L.Y.O.N.S After-School program has over 100 students participating in engaging activities after school.

As we start the next marking period we have many activities and events coming up for our students and families. Winter sports season is underway for all grade levels. On Monday, November 27th at 5:30 in the LGI there will be a parent/guardian informational meeting for Seniors. The Snowball Formal Dance will take place on Saturday, December 2nd. Our next Real D.E.A.L guest speaker will be on Wednesday, December 6th at 6:00PM. We hope to see you on Monday, December 18th at 7:00 pm for our Winter Concert. Finally, Winter Spirit Week is being held the week of December 18th.

Congratulations to the Lyons Peanut Butter Cups and Lyons Denominators who competed in the Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES Middle School Mathalon on Friday, November 17th. The next event in this three-part series will take place in December, followed by the final event in January.

Fifteen select 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students traveled with Mrs. Erica Gansz and Mrs. Erin Brooks to SUNY Geneseo on Friday, October 27th. The students participated in the Next Generation Leadership Summit with other students from area districts including Victor, Canandaigua, York, Mercy, and Geneseo. Students listened to keynote speakers on the importance of leadership, then worked in student-facilitated table groups, and concluded the day with working with their home districts about vision and action steps for the future.

Lyons students were very active in their table groups, presented their poster work to the entire conference, and senior Anna Camnitz was the first student at the entire summit to speak and change the trajectory of student conversations for the remaining time. In addition, senior Haatma Amen led her table group's poster presentation.

After the Summit, the group planned and produced a Reel for the LCSD Instagram page. The video premiered at the LCSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, November 14th. Awesome job to all of our student leaders who participated in the Summit and brought your leadership vision back home!

Find a few photos of the Summit below, and check out the group's video on Instagram!

Students in grades 10-12 had an opportunity to meet with admission counselors from 14 local colleges on Thursday, September 28th when the Rochester Area Colleges visited Lyons High School.

This was an opportunity for students to ask questions about each school, gather information on academic programs, the admissions process, athletics, scholarships, and much more.

Students were well-prepared with a list of questions to ask admissions reps and other things to consider when choosing a college.

Lyons Middle School Eighth graders had the opportunity to attend the Wayne County Career Carnival on Wednesday, September 27th. Students met with representatives from various regional businesses and organizations to discuss future career options. The late September weather also provided the perfect backdrop for games and activities outside.

Monday, November 13th marked the first day of winter sports practices. Looking to register? Start the process at https://www.lyonscsd.org/page/registration.

Read more about these outstanding student athletes in Lyons Athletics News.

The Lyons Central School District is proud to announce it has been awarded a federal grant totaling

$347,000 to further bolster school security measures. The grant focuses on four key objectives aimed at enhancing safety and well-being throughout the district.

The primary objectives of the grant focus on:

1. Enhanced Access to Mental Health Services: Funds will be used to expand access to mental health services, especially during times of crisis. This includes facilitating real-time interaction between counselors, first responders, and students in need.

2. Anonymous Reporting System (ARS): The District will install an anonymous reporting system that allows students, staff, and the community to contribute to the safety of schools by reporting any concerns or potential threats.

3. Advanced School Building Security: The grant will support the installation of wireless and hardwired access controls. This technology will enhance security measures in all school buildings.

4. Upgrading Lyons Community Center: The Lyons Community Center building will also benefit by receiving access controls alongside state-of-the-art video surveillance technology.

These objectives not only provide heightened security for students and staff but also empower youth to report crises they observe in their peers, enabling timely help where it is needed.

The grant will also support the implementation of evidence-based programming. LCSD will offer Teen Mental Health First Aid to 10th grade students and Youth Mental Health First Aid to staff. These nationally recognized programs will equip both students and staff to identify mental health concerns among students and develop strategies to connect them with necessary services.

This initiative is part of the district's broader strategic plan and aligns with the "Restore the Roar" campaign, which encourages a sense of pride and ownership within the school community.

The Lyons Central School District is deeply grateful for this generous award and excited to embark on this journey toward a safer and more nurturing educational environment..

The 2023 NYSPRA 44th Annual Communications Contest Award Winners were announced in late October and LCSD took home two awards this year. The first award earned by the team was an Award of Honor in the Community Newsletter category. This award was given for the team's design efforts on the district newsletter, specifically the August and December 2022 editions which were submitted for consideration. To read past issues of the newsletter, visit https://www.lyonscsd.org/page/newsletters.

The second award earned by the team, in conjunction with architecture firm CPL, is an Award of Merit in the Video category for the Capital Improvement Project video.

The New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA) will be holding the awards celebration during their 2024 Spring Conference.

Because your child has been approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the NSLP or SBP, you are eligible for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP is a federal program to help eligible households pay for internet service.

Some participating program providers also offer discounted connected devices (a laptop, a desktop computer, or tablet) through the ACP.

To begin the process, please email Agnes Elias at aelias@lyonscsd.org with the subject "Affordable Connectivity Program."

Brooklyn is the new yellow lab puppy that Mrs. Kesel and her family have started training for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind organization. Mrs. Kesel and her family have been working with Guiding Eyes for the Blind for many years, and just saw their former puppy – Lyons the black lab – graduate! Students and staff will remember Lyons from his time learning and growing in the MS/HS. Read more about Lyons and his teammate Judy here!

Brooklyn may be spotted around Lyons MS/HS, learning her manners and meeting her fellow Lions.