Lansing Intermediate Roar
Volume 2, Edition 2, 9-1-2023
Principal's Message - Mr. Altieri
Fifth graders will continue to have field trips to Starbase, where they are working on STEM projects that include problem solving, critical thinking, programming, and coding. It is a great opportunity for our students and we are very thankful for Mrs. Phillips doing the legwork to make it possible.
Many activities and events are coming up as fast as the Chiefs football season! We have picture day, our first PRIDE assembly, and our Back to School Bash this month (see dates at the bottom of the newsletter). In addition, conferences and our Specials Night will be coming up in mid-October.
We are always striving to make our newsletter, and all information we put out to parents, more useful and engaging. If you have feedback or ideas that you would like to see, please email me at martin.altieri@usd469.net
Thank you and we appreciate your support making this a grrrr-eat year to be a Lansing Lion!
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!
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.
Online Registration: Online registration must be completed every year. If you have not completed the steps for it, please do so as soon as possible. If you have any questions, or are unsure if it is completed, please call our office at 913-297-0990, option 2.
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 https://usd469.socs.net/vnews/display.v/SEC/FAMILY%20%26%20STUDENTS%7CNutrition%20Services%3E%3EFree%20%26%20Reduced%20Lunch%20Application or you can 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
Back To School Health Dos & Don'ts
Dos:
Always send a water bottle with your child to school. It's the simplest thing you can do to keep your child healthy and feeling well at school.
Establish bedtime & wake up times to ensure consistent & adequate rest.
Encourage a healthy breakfast each day at home or school.
Help make appropriate clothing choices for the weather and comfortable & safe shoes.
Don'ts:
Never send a child to school with loose pills in a bag.
Never send a sick child to school.
Reminder:
ENCOURAGE FREQUENT HANDWASHING!
Better Health, Better Learning,
Nurse Chris
Counselor's Corner
Hello parents!
What a great start to the year! Please reach out if I can be of assistance to you or your family. Our district has a lot of great resources available, such as a clothing closet and food pantry.
Kindness Club started last week and we had a great turn out! If your child has shown interest, please fill out a permission form.
https://forms.gle/zVFSvdwg1zpLzm81A
Our next meeting is before school on Sept 12th for 4th graders, Sept 13th for 5th graders.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Mrs. Farrar
Counselor/social worker at LIS
Fourth Grade - Laurie Holden
We are off and running in 4th grade. Our team had a big shift going from 6 sections to 9 sections this year. There are pros and cons to a larger team to work with but we are loving the experience and knowledge that our new team members are bringing to the team. As team lead, I have made it a priority that we are planning and collaborating as a grade level unit as opposed to breaking into pods based on location.
Fastbridge testing went smoothly and we have never had our tier groups up and running so quickly, (and servicing the most students ever!) which is a direct result of having a fully staffed MTSS team and a dedicated licensed interventionist so thank you to the board for approving that needed position.
BIST!!!! Having implemented BIST last year school wide, it was invaluable that we were able to train ALL staff this year at the start of the school. All students, all adults everyday is true this year and we are already seeing the benefits of the training with the smooth start to the school year.
We are also into year 2 of having our amazing admin team and this year has been the best start to a school year that we have had in awhile. We feel completely supported and they are servant leaders who have created an amazing community in our school where it is a happy place to come to work and learn.
Math:
Reflex!! Years ago we identified a gap in our core resource with math fluency and went through the PLC, BLT, then brought to DLC to get the program started. Every year that we have used it we are seeing the gains and we were thrilled that our new 4th graders came in and Fastbridge testing shows that as a grade level they are coming in 74% fluent in their multiplication facts.
We are working on Chapter 1 - Place Value and Addition and Subtraction up to a million. This is our only chapter that is a complete review so from this point forward we will be into new content.
ELA:
DIRT - Daily Independent Reading Time is a dedicated time in our day where everyone in the room can ready for pleasure. It is always exciting to introduce this to the 4th graders since it is new to them and they are so excited about it. Our librarian also has a fun project this year that every book a student reads is added on a link that she is displaying.
Writing - we have also added a dedicated 30 minute writing to our master schedule every so that we are teaching and practicing writing skills every day.
Reading - Crystal Hanson worked over the summer to organize our scope and sequence from the GVC which has helped as a team to be more organized and streamlined our planning. We also have added a formal writing project to each unit in Wonders. Text structures such as compare and contrast, description, problem and solution, cause and effect, and sequence are all introduced in Unit 1.
Science: We rotate between science and social studies and have started the year with social studies but will transition to Earth’s Systems.
Social Studies:
We started with map skills and now are studying the Midwest Region of The United States.
SEL & BIST:
Second Step lessons have started and our first lessons teach empathy, listening with attention, being assertive, and respecting similarities and differences.
Focus Room is staffed this year which is a great help in the BIST continuum.
Fifth Grade - Sara Martin
Fifth grade is excited to be attending STARBASE this year. We attend once a week for five weeks. Students have the opportunity to explore areas of science. The first week students completed a scavenger hunt on the laptop to explore CAD, made straw rockets to measure how far they would go, built atoms using a program on the ipad, and tried to help Eggbert survive his landing.
The second week students created in CAD on the laptops, made rockets to explore how much “fuel” would be needed to reach the moon, became crime scene investigators using solutes, solvents, and medium, and programmed gyrosphere robots to follow a certain path with obtuse, acute and right angles.
Students completed many STEM and Get to Know You activities as school began. Some classes completed activities such as Save Fred and the Spaghetti/Marshmallow challenge to encourage working together in a positive manner.
In Reading, we are studying Narrative Nonfiction. Students are reading Camping with the President and studying cause and effect and inferencing.
Students are currently working on Chapter 1 in math. Chapter 1 covers place value, multiplication, and expressions. Students also work on daily math spirals to practice skills. Reflex is also being completed to improve basic facts.
In Social Studies, students are learning about Native American cultures and ways of life.
STEM - Suzanne Phillips
STEM is off to a fast and furious start! Both fifth and fourth graders started the school year off, with a reminder for our returning students and introduction to our new students, with Growth Mindset versus Fixed Mindset. Our students learned that In order to grow and become smarter we need a growth mindset. Our brains are muscles that grow with challenging tasks. We need to switch our mindset from “I can’t do that!” to “I can’t do that, YET!”
Fourth Grade:
After learning about Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset the fourth graders also took on the challenge of creating name tags without writing utensils, using only 3 paper clips, 3 pipe cleaners, 1 foot of yarn and a half of a sheet of paper. Fourth graders have learned about many accidental inventions and have begun creating their own inventions from two random items.
Fifth Grade:
After our introduction to Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset, fifth graders began their journey with the STARBASE Field Trip at the Lenexa National Guard Armory which will run for 5 weeks each group going once a week. The STARBASE Program is a free field trip that is centered and aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards giving the fifth graders a hands-on start to their Science and STEM standards for the year. The first week included a Spaceship CAD, Happy Atoms, Lieutenant Eggbert Flight Safety, and Newton’s Law and Straw Rockets.
When the fifth grade classes were not at STARBASE they had been learning about how to accomplish challenges like creating a name tag without a writing utensil and about Accidental Inventions and creating their very own intervention from 2 different items.
PE - Lee Matzedor
We have had a great start in PE for Lansing Intermediate school. We started off with some basic rules and expectations for PE.
We are working on the student's cardio. They are jogging/running 2-3 minutes each PE class, preparing for their mile run in early October. Also, they are playing a game called Magic Ball. It's a type of dodgeball game. It's a great game for again, working on cardio.
We are introducing Mat Ball the last week of August. It's a game like kickball.
Art - Dawn Blankartz
4/5 Artists have been learning the expectations of the art room. Our projects have been: A Jennifer Stark drip name tag, a 3-D mixed media graffiti fence and a name sculpture.
Music - Ryan Rothmeyer
Library Log - Tina Silva
WELCOME BACK!!!
Here in the library, we are looking forward to some exciting adventures.
Our students will be learning about library skills, reading new books, and being encouraged to read ‘outside their box’.
I tell students to change what they read. Try different genres because they will not know what books are good reads if they judge the book by the cover.
Our first project this school year is to see how many books we can read by May 2024. We have started a paper chain. After a student reads a book, that student will write the title and author on a paper link and connect it to our chain. The goal is 200 or more books by May. It is exciting when a student gets to add a link. I encourage ALL students to add a link. It does not matter what the book is (fiction, non-fiction, graphic novel, etc..) or the book level.
It is going to be a great year for reading!
Instructional Insights
Staff Spotlight - Gabby Bosley
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.
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:
9/4 - No School - Labor Day
9/5 - 9/7 - Starbase (5th Grade)
9/6 - 9/7 - Red Wednesday and Thursday
9/7 - Mini Cheer Clinic
9/12 - 9/14 - Starbase (5th Grade)
9/18 - No School - Professional Development Day
9/19 - 9/21 - Starbase (5th Grade)
9/22 - LEF Pride Patrol
9/25 - Picture Day
9/28 - PRIDE Assembly - Perseverance, 935am - 4th grade; 1015am - 5th grade
PTA News and Links:
9/13 - Back to School Bash @LES - 5:30 - 7:30pm
*** PTA will be collecting non-perishable items in support of the USD 469 District Food Pantry at these events; please consider donating if you are able.***
K-5 Back to School Bash!
Lansing PTA K-5 is excited to celebrate the new school year with a fun FREE event for all students, staff, and families of Lansing Elementary and Intermediate Schools on Wednesday September 13 (5:30-7:30 @ LES 1st grade playground)! Join us for an evening together enjoying activities, crafts, and live music! (Food trucks, concessions, and raffle will be available for purchase - please bring cash)
We need volunteers! Consider lending a hand to make our fall event a success! 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