Lake Middle School
Message from the Principal - 1st edition (August 17th, 2020)
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL --- WELCOME!
Lake Middle School staff members are very excited to have the school year begin. We know it definitely will be a unique experience from other school year beginnings, but please know we will continue to prioritize our students physical/social/emotional safety and academic learning in the days/months ahead despite any challenges we will encounter.
The doors of Lake Middle School will open to kick off the new school year with a “Transition Week” Monday, August 31st through Thursday, September 3rd. We are excited to have our students returning in all formats chosen (hybrid or Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) and we are eager to meet new students and their families who will be attending Lake for the very first time! Welcome EVERYONE!!!
Lake’s overall school theme for the upcoming school year is “SURVIVOR: WE ARE Lake Middle School!” We will all work together with patience and grace to “survive” all of the unknowns and unique challenges while our world is maneuvering through a pandemic. PLEASE KNOW that we are working very hard to re-create the school experience while accommodating and abiding by numerous guidelines and protocols for the upcoming school year. Our theme will remind us that despite the challenges ahead, we will SURVIVE TOGETHER in support, patience and kindness towards each other. We will continue to focus on student safety, academic rigor, developing and sustaining positive mind-sets and support of inclusive and respectful behaviors that all contribute and sustain the positive school environment we have worked so diligently to build! It will take all of us working together in partnership for the betterment of our students in the year ahead!
We will continue to share information in the days/weeks ahead on our webpage and through Blackboard Connect Messages (which is how you received this communication!). If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the front office directly at 651.425.6400. We are here to help!
Thanks to each of you in advance for your continued support, partnership and involvement in your child’s education. We are all very fortunate to be part of such an exceptional school district and learning community!
We will SURVIVE this unique school experience - WE ARE Lake Middle School!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Molly Roeske, Principal
Mrs. Allison Johnson, Assistant Principal
Mr. Richard Paisner, Assistant Principal
WE ARE Lake Middle School
Please contact us with any questions - WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
Front Office: 651.425.6400
Health Office: 651.425.6412
Counseling Department: 651.425.6407
District 833 Student Transportation: 651.425.5303
District 833 Student Information: 651.425.6328
Email: lms@sowashco.org
Website: https://lms.sowashco.org/
Location: 3133 Pioneer Drive, Woodbury, MN, USA
Phone: 651-425-6400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LakeMiddleSchool
Twitter: @lakemiddleschool
IMPORTANT INFORMATION LINKED BELOW
District 833 Hybrid Information CLICK HERE
District 833 Virtual Learning Academy Information CLICK HERE
District 833 Covid-19 Protocols CLICK HERE
District 833 Building Safety CLICK HERE
District 833 Transportation Information CLICK HERE
The 2020-2021 Lake Middle School Student Supply List has been posted on the Lake Middle School Website (and linked above!)
ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS will be assigned a school-issued Chromebook for the 2020-2021 school year. (See information below under "Chromebooks")
*All students will also be given a Student Planner (free of charge)
*Please note that at the start of the school year, individual student AND phy. ed lockers will NOT be utilized (until further notice.) Students will need an individual backpack to use to keep their belongings with them (i.e. Chromebook, binder/school supplies, tennis shoes, etc.) as they transition to each class throughout the school day onsite.
*There will NOT be any “shared classroom school supplies” at this time.
*Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) students should determine what items they believe they need from the list in their home environments for their coursework.
Is my child an "A" or "B" Day Student?
TRANSITION WEEK SCHEDULE
The week of August 31st through September 3rd is considered "Transition Week" across District 833. Students in the Hybrid Model will be attending school per the schedule below. During this time, 6th Grade students will be experiencing "Camp 6 Programming" and our 7th and 8th grade students will also be experiencing orientation while on site. The school day schedule will run from 7:50am to 12:55pm.
*Please note that 6th grade Hybrid Students will be attending via their A/B days starting Monday, August 31st and 7th/8th grade Hybrid Students will be attending via their A/B days starting Wednesday, September 2nd. See schedule below!
Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) students will be receive transition information online. (More information will be shared at a later time.)
When Will My Student Get Their Class Schedule?
Students and families will be able to view their class schedule in Infinite Campus (Student and Parent Portals) on Monday, August 24th. Hybrid students will receive a hard copy of their class schedule during "Transition Week." (Virtual Learning Academy students will only receive their class schedule by viewing it on the portal.)
*Reminder: Students will only be attending Periods 1, 2 and 3 the first six weeks of Trimester 1 and they will attend Periods 4, 5 and 6 the last six weeks of Trimester 1.
It is IMPORTANT to know that students will be receiving course content EVERY DAY of the week whether they are here on campus during their A/B day or they are at home the days they are not on campus (through Schoology).
Because of the complexity of the scheduling, we will NOT be making class/course changes and will be sticking to student's original course requests. This is due to the fact that based on the original course enrollments, we determined our teacher staffing on those enrollments.
SCHOOL-ISSUED STUDENT CHROMEBOOKS
A Device for EVERY Lake Middle School Student This School Year
(Hybrid Students AND Virtual Learning Academy Students)
South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo) will provide a Chromebook to all enrolled students for the 2020-21 school year.
ACTION ITEM FOR FAMILIES:
To prepare to receive the Chromebook, All families will be required to complete a "TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT FORM" with the option to sign-up for an accidental damage device protection plan.
DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO COMPLETE THE TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT FORM - CLICK HERE
*You may acess these forms through our new fee payment system at sowashco.org/fees.
You will be asked to create an account through the SmartSchoolK12 website.
Instructions for creating a new SmartSchool account:
-How to add a new student relationship to an existing account
-How to find a student ID number in Infinite Campus
-Questions? Please contact fees@sowashco.org
When Will Students Receive Their Chromebooks?
*PLEASE NOTE: Students will NOT be able to receive their Chromebook until a parent has completed the "Acceptable Use Device Agreement Form AND the Optional Protection Plan described above. *ALL families should follow the directions listed above regarding creating an account through the following link: sowashco.org/fees
VLA families should complete this prior to August 27th and Hybrid families should complete this prior to August 31st!
All Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) Students will receive their Chromebooks on Thursday, August 27th from 12pm to 4pm Chromebook Pick-Up Event at Lake Middle School. More information will be shared in the near future with VLA students/families.
All Hybrid Students (Groups A and B) will receive their Chromebooks during "Transition Week" (August 31st through September 3rd) when they are here at school.
LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL HYBRID SCHEDULE
The schedule for Hybrid students is below. Students will attend school onsite two days per week based on the A/B schedule.
Hybrid students will be receiving content through Schoology each school day (Monday through Friday) from their periods 1, 2 and 3 teachers the first 6 weeks of trimester 1 and periods 4, 5 and 6 the second 6 weeks of trimester 1 in addition to their two days in person each week.
Whether or not students are ONSITE, they will be responsible for content that will be assigned to them through Schoology each day of the week (Monday through Friday). All teachers will have online office hours/distance learning opportunities each day (Monday through Thursdays) from 2:15pm to 3:20pm for additional support as needed on a daily basis.
The schedule for "Flex Fridays" will include teachers being available via WebEx (per the class schedule below) AND students will attend Homebase online from 11:15-11:45am every Friday.
The Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) students will be receiving content through Schoology each school day (Monday through Friday) from their periods 1, 2 and 3 teachers the first 6 weeks of trimester 1 and periods 4, 5 and 6 the second 6 weeks of trimester 1.
Students from Lake Middle School who are in the Virtual Learning Academy will be scheduled for their course work with staff members/teachers from Lake Middle School. (Schedules will be available online through student/parent portal in Infinite Campus Monday, August 24th.)
VLA students will have access to each of their classroom teachers via WebEx during staff office hours on Mondays through Thursdays from 2:15pm to 3:20pm. On Fridays, they have access to each of their class periods via WebEx AND will participate in a 30 minute homebase experience from 11:15am-11:45am every Friday, per the schedule below. (Their hybrid classmates will also be part of those classes/office hours and Homebase experience on Fridays - this will hopefully give our VLA students direct contact with their Lake Middle School teachers and classmates!)
SCHOOLOGY
Schoology: What is It? Schoology is a learning management system and networking service for schools to allow all users (students, parents and staff members) to create, manage and share academic content online. Each instructional staff member at Lake has an individual Schoology site and will be working through the site for each of their individual classes.
The intended outcome of individual Schoology sites is to increase the effectiveness and consistency of our communication of individual classroom content, standards and outcomes, classroom resources, expectations, activities/events, etc. to our students and their families. All staff contact information can be found on Lake Middle School’s website located at: lms.sowashco.org
If you are experiencing problems with Schoology, please send email to the following email address for support: schoologyhelp@sowashco.org
No School Yearbooks YET!
The 2019-2020 School Yearbooks have yet to arrive from Lifetouch. AS SOON AS THEY DO we will make sure students/families who ordered a yearbook (and/or want to purchase any extras) will be communicated with. (Including last year's 8th grade students) Below is a message from Lifetouch to Families in regard to the delay:
Dear Lake MIddle School Families,
Yearbooks are a tradition for schools throughout the US and Canada. At Lifetouch, we are humbled to be a part of providing that tradition. We know how important yearbooks are - especially in times like these.
We want to take a moment to acknowledge this year’s delayed yearbook delivery is not what you, as our customers expect, nor deserve, from Lifetouch.
We want you to be aware that our primary yearbook production facilities are located in some of the states that are being hardest hit by the pandemic. We have prioritized the safety of our employees; and we are following all state and local health guidelines to create a safe working environment. Social distancing requirements mean that there are fewer people available to work at any given time. These changes have impacted our production schedule in meaningful ways.
We realize this has created a lot of frustration since we are currently unable to provide an estimated delivery time frame for your school’s yearbook. Please know our teams are doing everything possible to get your yearbook to you. Shipping is monitored daily. As soon as your yearbook ships, your school will receive tracking information so they can arrange to distribute the yearbooks to the students and families in a manner that is best suited for everyone’s safety.
As we navigate COVID-19, our intent is to provide you with a yearbook that your student will treasure for a lifetime. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented time together.
Sincerely,
Lifetouch
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES/TIMES
Thursday, August 27th from 1pm to 4pm
Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) Students Chromebook Dispersement (more information about the process will be shared at a later time.)
August 31st through September 3rd 7:50am-12:55pm
TRANSITION WEEK - For: Hybrid Student Groups A and B only
This week includes “Camp 6” Programming for our Hybrid students who will be onsite and all hybrid students will be receiving their chromebooks per the schedule below. *Reminder no transportation will be provided during transition week.
*Transition items for VLA students will be presented/completed online – more information to be shared at a later time.)
September 8th:
First Day of School (Content Begins) for both Hybrid and VLA students.