A BIG shout-out to the 8th-grade families who provided donations for the Washington DC Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser and an additional shout-out to those who volunteered their time to help prepare, serve, and clean up! MANY shared their thanks and appreciation for the hard-working and friendly efforts of our volunteers. THANK YOU!

Please complete the February Family Engagement survey to share your experiences with various opportunities offered to Langston families during the month of February. Your feedback is valuable and will help us improve family engagement activities at LMS.

All students in grades 6-8 completed a Readiness Assessment from the state of Ohio to determine writing needs before the ELA Ohio State Test in April. The ELA department analyzed the assessment data and made plans to strengthen tier 1 writing instruction across all grade levels. The science and social studies departments are also helping to strengthen students' writing by incorporating structured paragraph writing with a focus on evidence and elaboration. The work within each department is focused on using strategies from The Writing Revolution, a structured writing method in which all teachers at Langston have been trained.

Langston teachers have also been part of ongoing professional development about facilitating effective classroom discussions through the Reading Ways platform (part of our Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant). The module on classroom discourse explains why classroom discourse is important for adolescents, what discourse actually is, and how to implement it effectively. One highlight from this professional development is that teachers now have access to over a dozen different types of discussion protocols to be utilized in classrooms. This will provide the variety, critical thinking skills, and opportunities to discuss with peers that are so critical to adolescent motivation and engagement.

CONGRATULATIONS to Makayla McFall, Joseph Jones, and Jairus Martin for being our February "Caring" Students of the Month! Caring students show empathy, compassion, and respect toward the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service and act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the environment.

Eighth-grade families are invited to Oberlin High School on Thursday, March 16th, for "Opportunities Night." The event begins at 6pm and families will be able to learn more about College Credit Plus (CCP) classes offered through the High School and also about the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program and Diploma Program.