Lancer Legend
January 2023
Dear LTMS Families,
We want to express how grateful we are for your patience and grace as we continue to educate and serve you and your students. Everyone at LTSD is working tirelessly to ensure your children continue to receive the high-quality education they deserve. On behalf of everyone at LTMS, we wish you and your families a happy, healthy New Year!
Important Dates:
Monday - Friday - After School Detention and Academic Support 2:40-3:00 p.m.
Monday - Thursday - After School Program 3:00-3:30 p.m.
Monday & Tuesday, January 9-10 - ELA iReady Diagnostic
Wednesday, January 11 - School Board Meeting
Monday, January 16 - No School for Students - Professional Development
Wednesday & Thursday, January 17-18 - Math iReady Diagnostic
Thursday, January 19 - Truancy Court
Saturday, January 21 - Saturday Morning Detention
Thursday, January 26 - Last Day of 2nd Marking Period/1st Semester
Friday, January 27 - No School for Students - Clerical Day
Monday, January 30 - First Day of 3rd Marking Period/2nd Semester
Tuesday, January 31 - Report Cards Issued
- Please follow any or all of our social media accounts on Facebook: @ltmsprincipal, Twitter: @LTMS_Principal and/or Instagram: ltms_principal
Remember... be respectful, be responsible, be kind and be courageous... in everything you do and say... be a LANCER!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Sekel, Principal
Mrs. Ackerman, Dean of Students
Loyalsock Township Middle School
6th Grade
A. Dance
7th Grade
C. Stetts
8th Grade
R. Lingg
Students of the Month
LTMS congratulates our Student of the Month nominees for the month of December. These students are respectful (role models to their peers), responsible (take personal accountability), kind (helpful to others) and courageous (strive to improve well-being of others)!
Teacher of the Month
LTMS congratulates Mr. Frederick, our 6th, 7th and 8th grade physical education and health teacher, for being nominated as Teacher of the Month for December. Mr. Frederick was described by his students as fun, fatherly, understanding and caring. He reminds students, "Never lose the child-like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.” - Randy Pausch
Learning Hub's and Grade Level Team Leaders
We are hopeful our learning hub's will enable success for each student particularly after school and in the case of absences. If you wish to have a conference in the future, please reach out to individual teachers or grade level team leaders directly. We will have an opportunity for conferences again on Thursday, April 6th.
6th Grade - Ms. Antonacci wantonacci@loyalsocklancers.org
7th Grade - Mr. Godin dgodin@loyalsocklancers.org
8th Grade - Mrs. Bomboy jbomboy@loyalsocklancers.org
iReady Mid Year Diagnostics
It’s hard to believe that we’re already preparing for the second i-Ready® Diagnostic. The second Diagnostic is an important benchmark for understanding your student’s growth, which is why it’s so important they try their best. These results allow us to better support them in achieving their goals for the year.
- Monday & Tuesday, January 9-10 - ELA iReady Diagnostic
Wednesday & Thursday, January 17-18 - Math iReady Diagnostic
The most important thing we can do is prepare students and motivate them to put forth their best effort.
Here are a few things you can do to help support your student:
- Make sure they get a good night’s rest before taking the Diagnostic!
- Talk to your student about why the second Diagnostic is important. You can say things like:
- The second Diagnostic helps you find out how much progress you’ve made since the beginning of the year.
- It allows your teacher and I to celebrate your accomplishments!
- Try your best, and do not rush—but don’t spend too much time on a question either.
- Remember, questions on the Diagnostic change based on your answers to earlier questions.
- You will see some questions you don’t know. That is okay! Just try your best.
- Let them know you’re excited to celebrate their progress.
Thank you for your continued partnership in your student’s learning!
After School Program
LTMS will continue to host an after school program again during marking period 3 (January 30 – March 30) and marking period 4 (April 3 – April 20). This program will offer a two-tier remediation to assist students with a variety of needs, including (1) students failing current courses, and (2) students who have been basic or below basic on benchmark and PSSA exams. In addition to our daily academic support program from 2:40- 3:00PM. Our after school program will run 3:00 - 3:30PM Monday - Thursday.
If you are interested in signing up your student, please complete the enrollment survey!
If you have any questions, contact our school counselor Mrs. Preisch at kpreisch@loyalsocklancers.org.
Strengthening Families
It is time to start recruiting families for the Strengthening Families Program with students between the ages of 10-14. SFP is a parent, youth, and family skill-building curriculum designed to: Strengthen parenting skills, build family strengths and prevent teen substance abuse and other behavior problems. The program is FREE and open to ALL families. It includes activities such as role-plays, videos, games, and family projects. The registration deadline is January 13th. There will be Tuesday evening sessions from January 31st until March 14th. Families arrive at 5:30 PM and eat dinner together until 6pm. They then separate and attend the parent or youth session for an hour and the final hour is spent together for the family session, which concludes at 8:00 PM. Childcare is provided on-site for younger siblings. Dinner is provided each week and each family receives a $150 gift card for attending at least 6 sessions! Please see the flyer for further details. If you have any questions, contact our school counselor Mrs. Preisch at kpreisch@loyalsocklancers.org.
Trout in the Classroom
Trout in the Classroom is an environmental education program in which students learn about Pennsylvania's watersheds, cold water resources, and conservation efforts as they raise trout in their classroom. The purpose of the program is to increase the number of trout in the wild while giving students an opportunity to participate in a science-based project.
Students in Mr. Hessert’s classroom have been busy making the necessary preparations to raise their trout. Twelve students make up the Trout Team. Those students are E. Harer, T. Zaldivar, G. Walter, M. Powell C. Cowden, J. Miller, E. Lin, S. Houston, J. Bennett, C. Rodgers, E. Smith.
The Trout Team had to first set up the 100 gallon aquarium with a filter, powerhead, chiller, and air stone. The aquarium then needed to be pre-cycled, a process that adds bacteria and an ammonia source (fish food) to the water to begin the nitrogen cycle. This creates the natural water conditions for the trout. During this process, students monitored the water quality on a regular basis, keeping track of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels.
The trout eggs arrive on January 9th and will be raised until the fingerling stage (3 inches long). The Trout Team will take a special field trip in May to release the fingerlings in an approved waterway. Students are looking forward to the opportunity to raise the trout and to release them into the wild late spring! - Written by T. Zaldivar
Quilting for a Cause
Winter Clothing Drive
Gertrude Hawk Winners
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
Faxon Bowling Lanes & Valentine's Dance
Winter Pep Rally
Minute to Win It
Candy Grams
Holiday Door Decorating Contest
Congratulations to Ms. Antonacci and students for winning the LTMS Holiday Door Decorating Contest. Her Abominable Snowman door received the most “likes." The students that helped to create this fun decoration will enjoy a treat! #holidaydoordecor #pbisrewards
Spirit Week
Sounds of the Season
Fa-La-La-La-La
Respectful, Responsible, Kind and Courageous
During the month of December we had a pillar booster activity. For each of these weeks, we reviewed our behavioral expectations. Each week focused on a different pillar (respectful, responsible, kind and courageous) with basket raffles or gift card giveaways to conclude each week for students in each grade earning 5+ points in that respective behavior pillar. Congratulations to our "respectful, responsible and kind/courageous" winners of our PBIS weekly pillar challenge! 🎟 🏆
PBIS
Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) is a framework for creating safe and orderly learning environment in school while improving the social-emotional outcomes for students. It is a proactive approach that relies on research-based practices, including developing clear behavioral expectations, teaching these expectations, acknowledging appropriate behavior, consistently correcting inappropriate behavior, and using behavioral data to systematically solve problems.
You can help us by making a donation to our school PBIS store. Your donation ($, small pre-packaged treats or candy, age appropriate toys and gift cards) will go toward our students to support their positive behavior! Donations can be dropped off in the main office. Please label donations "PBIS Student Store".
Daily Reminders
1. Cell phones put away out of sight (inside locker or leave at home) from 7:40AM - 2:40PM.
2. Earbuds, headphones, etc. are not permitted in hallways.
- They are only to be used with teacher permission.
3. No hoods, hats, heavy jackets or blankets are to be used or worn during school.
LTMS Athletics
It has been brought to our attention that there is an issue with a lack of supervision of middle school students before and after their practices. Issues arising from this have escalated since mid December. As a result, coaches have been asked to precisely communicate starting and finishing times to students, for all practices.
Students should vacate the building immediately after school, unless otherwise instructed. Students should NOT come in to the building until their designated practice time. They should NOT be arriving or departing 15+ minutes and loitering without supervision.
We appreciate your assistance in this matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the high school office at 570-326-3581 ext. 1300.
Athletic Director - Ben Lorson blorson@loyalsocklancers.org
Athletic Secretary - Shannon Butters sbutters@loyalsocklancers.org
Please email coaches for specific information.
7th Grade Boys Basketball - Eric Nagy ewn2@pct.edu
8th Grade Boys Basketball - Ryan Cioffi ryan.cioffi00@gmail.com
Cheerleading - Erika Maurer maurer.erika97@gmail.com
Wrestling - Rickey Tedesco rickytedesco4@yahoo.com
Lady Lancers Basketball
Congratulations to our 7th and 8th grade Lady Lancers on a fantastic season! Our 8th grade Lady Lancers took 3rd place in the Williamsport tournament! A special shout out to our 7th grade student section for cheering on our girls!
Kings of the Mat
Congratulations to our multiple place winners in the Montoursville JH wrestling tournament! 1st - Ivan Baker, 2nd - James Belvin, 2nd - Isaac Probst and 4th - Levi O’Neill!
Happy Retirement Mrs. Cozza
Welcome Mr. VanFleet
LTMS congratulates Mr. VanFleet, for being hired as our librarian. A native of Loyalsock Township, Mr. VanFleet is in the midst of his 15th year in education beginning new roles within Loyalsock Township School District succeeding Mrs. Cozza. In the spring semester he will teach futures, media and power library to LTMS students. In the previous 12 years at Loyalsock, he has served in the role of social studies curriculum lead and high school social studies teacher. Prior to arriving at LTSD, Mr. VanFleet worked in Warrior Run School District as a classrooms for the future technology instructor as well as Pittsburgh Public School's Clayton Academy as a high school and middle school teacher. Mr. VanFleet earned his bachelor's degree in history with a minor in education at Susquehanna University. He currently lives in Williamsport with his wife and four children.
Yearbooks on Sale
There's nothing else like your school yearbook. Get your hands on the limited edition collection of our stories from the year. Share it with your friends at the end of the school year and hang on to it for years to come!
Order a 2022-2023 LTMS yearbook for $20 by clicking here!
Seeking Paraprofessionals
Sister Act Musical
Congratulations to the 8th grade students who were selected to perform in Loyalsock's production of Sister Act! We look forward to seeing what each of you bring to your character and the overall production. Mark your calendars for March 17-19, 2023 for the production! Tickets will go on sale in early February!
Previous Newsletters
Loyalsock Township Middle School
Email: asekel@ltsd.k12.pa.us
Website: https://www.ltsd.k12.pa.us/schools/middle-school/
Location: 2101 Loyalsock Dr, Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: (570)323-9439
Facebook: facebook.com/ourschool
Twitter: @LTMS_Principal