Lansing Intermediate Roar
Volume 2, Edition 5, 12-01-2023
Principal's Message - Mr. Altieri
As LIS rolls into December, we are wrapping up the first semester and winter screenings are happening for both grade levels. A huge celebration for LIS this year is we have not used any of our intervention team to cover classroom teacher sub vacancies. A big shout out to our substitute teachers and Mrs. Oberg, our building sub, for helping make that happen. Last year there were students that we had difficulty providing intervention support. This year, we are reaching more students than ever and seeing them grow academically.
Fourth grade visited Mahaffie Farmstead in early November and were blessed with amazingly warm weather. The students learned about the farmstead’s past as a trading and hospitality hub on the Santa Fe Trail. They were able to see how people, who lived during that era, cooked and stored food, traveled in wagons, and lassoed animals. Students even got to practice branding (on cardboard, not cattle or students!).
A heartfelt thanks to our students, staff, and school community for making the beginning of this year a successful one. I look forward to more great things happening when we return from break. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Front Office Dispatch
Ride Changes: We will not send students home a different way than normal without hearing from parents/guardians BEFORE 2:45 p.m.
Attendance: If your student is going to be absent, please notify the office before 9am on the day of the absence. Office staff arrive at 730am, but the building opens at 8am. Absences can be reported by calling 913-297-0990 or by emailing lisattendance@usd469.net.
Fees: Please check your Skyward account and pay fees that are due. If you feel you may qualify for free/reduced and have not already applied, please do that. You can find the application on our website:
You can also come into our office and fill one out in person. If you have any questions please contact Jennifer Grant, bookkeeper at 913-297-0990, option 3.
Nurse News
Wishing everyone a healthy & wonderful winter break!
Have fun, enjoy all the holiday treats and WALK!
WINTER WALKS
Winter Walks are all about embracing the beautiful winter landscapes and enjoying the benefits of staying active through outdoor activity.
- Plan a Winter Hike: Choose a nearby nature trail, park, or woodland area and plan a winter hike with friends or family.
- Explore Local Scenery: Take the time to explore the beauty of your local surroundings.
- Stay Warm: Bundle up in warm clothing, wear comfortable boots, and bring along hot beverages or snacks to enjoy during your walk.
- Birdwatching: Winter is a great time for birdwatching, as many species of birds can be spotted more easily without the foliage of spring and summer.
- Photography: Capture the stunning winter landscapes with your camera and share your photos with friends and family.
Merry Christmas!
Nurse Chris
Counselor's Corner
Counselor's update:
We are finishing up our lesson on Internet Safety this week. I encourage you to talk with your child about what they learned. If you have any questions, please reach out!
Students in small group finished up last week. They did an amazing job! Small groups for 2nd semester will start in late January.
It has been a great first semester, I can't wait to see what second semester has in store!
Janet Farrar, LMSW
Counselor/social worker at LIS
Fourth Grade - Laurie Holden
It sure seems like November flew by and we know the weeks from Thanksgiving break to winter break will go just as fast.
KITE mini tests have opened. These are practice tests for state assessments. We all will have our IC, Caroline Reynolds, come in and walk each of our classes through the first one. We will be implementing one test per week in both ELA and Math until state assessments. The more familiar the students are with the tests and how to navigate them on their ipads with all the different tools available to them only helps reduce the stress of the actual tests.
iXL- We are extremely pleased and thankful for iXL this year. It is proving to be an incredible resource and we are learning new ways to implement it in our classes. The fact that it aligns with both our core resources is critical. This is the second year in a row that as a team we will end the semester having completed all math chapters and ELA units that we have planned to teach. I credit this to our GVC, scope & sequence, and consistent team planning.
Math - We made it through our chapter long division and will be taking our common formative chapter test this week. We will then move on to our final chapter of the semester on factors and multiples. Math is not a teach and forget subject area. We must constantly spiral review these concepts and reteach them when needed to the whole class, small groups, or individual students. This is something that we do daily, but also focus on spiral review on Thursdays. We have found that iXL is proving to be extremely helpful in this spiral review through group jams and teacher made quizzes specific to the standards needed.
ELA - Writing - for every unit in our Wonders curriculum, we have a major writing assignment that takes us through the entire writing process. We have just completed a persuasive argumentative essay on What is the best item at the Thanksgiving feast.
Reading - We will complete Unit 2 next week and have our unit CFA which we will repeat the process of analyzing the data at an upcoming PLC. We will start Unit 3 which focuses on realistic fiction, biographies, inferencing, characters, plot, setting, and our writing project will be a personal narrative.
Science - We finished the Mystery Science lessons on Human Machines, created robot fingers and created a human eye. Mrs. Holden’s class dissected cow eyes with the help of Dr. Jeanette Lozenski from KU Med Center.
Social Studies - We are working on and will complete The West region of the United States before winter break. We do not have a resource for social studies, so we have been working hard as a team to design units that are more meaningful and not just centered around rote memorization.
SEL/BIST - We are working on Unit 2: Emotion Management. Skills covered in this unit are: introduction to emotion management, managing strong emotions, calming down anger, managing anxiety, avoiding jumping to conclusions, and handling put downs.
Having a fully staffed Focus Room is really helping with those students on plans that need check-ins and practice with the missing behavior skills that are impeding their learning. Once a month our BIST consultant is in our building for the entire day. It is nice to problem solve with a professional behavior consultant. One of the things she mentioned last time that really resonated with our team is “you can not punish kids into learning a missing skill” and she is right. That is why we are so focused on proactive interventions with those kids who need support.
Fifth Grade - Sara Martin
In Reading we have been covering poetry and folktales that focus on themes. Students have also been exploring figurative language such as personification, similes, metaphors, and hyperbole. The next text structures we will be focusing on are the main idea and problem and solution.
In Math students have completed chapter 11 – geometry and volume. Classes explored shapes and identified characteristics that make up the shapes. The different types of triangles were also an area of focus – scalene, right, and obtuse. We will be starting chapter 4 – multiplying decimals. Students have been continuing to practice their basic multiplication facts and are ready to put into practice their skills learned in the multiplication chapter.
This week we will begin a large STEM project based on Volume. Students will work to create their own zoo animal out of boxes. The students will be figuring the volume of their animal. We are excited to display their hard work on December 7th at open house.
In Social Studies, classes have been studying explorers. Not only do students have the opportunity to read and discuss the explorers, but they also are encouraged to ask questions throughout the lesson. Asking questions causes students to think more in depth about the information they are receiving. Some of the explorers we have studied are Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus, Henry Hudson, and John Cabot.
Mrs. Eaton’s class researched an Explorer and created life size pictures. They then shared the information with the class.
Writing – Classes are continuing to work on their writing project – researching an animal of their choice. Students’ final product will include a writing report and a poster that displays their research.
they truly put their all into.
STEM - Suzanne Phillips
The fourth and fifth graders have been busy learning about Structure and Function of Living Organisms. They just completed four hands on stations involving the structure and function of leaves, teeth, feet, and plants. This activity was important for the students to see why different structures are built the way they are in order to serve their purpose.
PE - Chris Fine
All 4th and 5th classes started their roller skating unit in November and it will continue through the month of December. We all get to do the Hokey Pokey, the Chicken Dance, and other skating rink favorites. We also get to skate around the hallway one day and have a day where we skate in relative darkness with neon and glow necklaces. The kids have a great time with this unit. Mr. Altieri even gets in on the fun occasionally!
Art - Dawn Blankartz
The art department at LIS has been making Georgia O'Keeffe art and native American beading and yarn work. Look for their work in the board meeting room. Their observation skills and value shading are above average for intermediate school students. LIS students will be transitioning into a TAB classroom (Teaching Artistic Behaviors) which means that we will be working in an art studio atmosphere in which students will have more free choice in what they make. It means that the artists will be helping/teaching each other more than before and really putting to use their problem solving skills.
Students probably have been talking about their clay projects. It is taking longer than normal to complete them as we have 2/3 of our kilns out of order at the moment. We appreciate everyone's patience as we work on getting them on the schedule to be repaired/replaced.
Music - Ryan Rothmeyer
4th grade is currently preparing for their musical entitled, "Kidflix".
5th grade is working on identifying dynamic symbols and responding to them in a performance situation.
Library Log - Tina Silva
Library has been busy with our ever growing ‘Reading Book Chain”. Our students are doing an awesome job of adding a link every day. Some have added 2 a day or more in a week. Very proud of ALL our readers. We currently have over 700 links in our chain.
Fourth graders have been working on parts of a book and discussing what types of writing we are reading. Whether it is to persuade us, inform us, or just to entertain us. Our fifth graders had a read aloud and then created paper ornaments to exchange with LES kindergarteners.
We will hang the ornaments from LES in our library and our ornaments will be shown in the library at LES. These kids did a great job decorating them. All of our students have shown real growth in what kind of book they read. I always encourage them to step outside their box.
The holidays are fast approaching, and I ask students to take a few minutes and read something fun.
Instructional Insights
Staff Spotlight - Lindsay Dunlap
Standards-Based Grading
Morning Student Drop-off Procedures
LIS Parents,
We want to ensure our students arrive at school safely. Please help us by reviewing our car drop off procedures.
Do not back up traffic by turning left from Ida. Cars have been swerving around backed up traffic and it is dangerous for everyone involved.
If you plan to sit in the car with your child, and not immediately drop off, pull forward to the end of the cones to prevent traffic backing up to Ida.
Circle around the parking lot back to Ida after dropping off.
Be patient. Saving thirty seconds of time is not worth endangering our students.
Reach out to school staff if there are issues you see that need to be addressed. We are always looking to make drop off more efficient and streamlined.
Cell Phone Policy
If you need to get a message to your child, please contact the office and we can make sure your message is passed along to them. Students caught using their phone will receive a warning the first time. Future violations may result in a discipline referral for inappropriate use of technology.
Thank you for doing your part to help foster a strong learning environment at LIS!
High School Sports Attendance Policy
"We're excited for the community to come out and support our band, cheerleaders, and athletes. We have a few reminders for Lansing High School events:
- Student performances are the focus of the event. No one should be on the practice football field, soccer fields, or other areas away from the stadium
- All elementary, intermediate, and middle school aged students attending this season's high school home sporting events and activities must have a parent or guardian with them for the entirety of the event.
- The middle school cheering section is on the south side of the stadium near the concession stand
- Students cannot enter the stadium from the tailgate area
- Please do not bring balls, frisbees, or other items to the game
- Spectators who are disruptive will be asked to leave.
Thank you, and we look forward to a fantastic year!"
https://usd469.socs.net/vnews/display.v/ART/6310fd6b46368?in_archive=1
Upcoming Events:
12/7 - LIS Open House (6-7:30pm)
12/18 - 1/3 - No School (Christmas Break)
PTA News and Links:
December
12/14 - LES library @6:30pm
We need volunteers! Please consider joining PTA to make our events successful! Many hands make light work!
Email : LansingPTA.K5@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lansing469pta/
View our webpage: https://lansingpta.blogspot.com/
Lansing Intermediate School
Website: https://www.usd469.net/vnews/display.v/SEC/Lansing%20Intermediate%20School%20%28Grades%204-5%29
Location: 509 Ida Street, Lansing, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 297-0990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisusd469