Leestown Highlights
Leestown Middle School Weekly Newsletter 2023-24
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Please Join US for Our Learning Journey - Wednesday, May 1t 5:30 - 7 PM
Come and see firsthand how our students have excelled this year. Don’t forget to ask your student how they are participating in this event!
We hope to see you there to share in this wonderful experience!
Leestown Announcements
Events This Week:
4/22 Mental Health Awareness Week Begins
4/23 Reading MAP
4/24 Math MAP, Friends in Music Recital
4/26 Quarter 4 Midterm Ends
4/27 MS Honor Orchestra Concert@Transy, Fun Friday
Events Next Week:
4/29 Incoming 6th Pre-Eng Open House 5:00 - 6:30
4/30 District Honor Choir @ UK Singletary Center
5/1 PBL Night 2 - Presentation of Learning 5:30 - 7
5/2 Acclaim Festival Band & Orchestra, 7th Saddlebred Trip to Newton’s Attic
5/4 Cheer Tryouts 9-12 gym
Construction Information
Charger Families,
We understand that there has been a lot of stress and frustration in relation to the construction going on in the Leestown Middle School area. We are working with our District Office who is also in communication with other varies parties that can hopefully communicate the frustration we are all experiencing.
With that being said, here are some helpful tips to alleviate stress for your child's morning and afternoon commutes.
- Please give the buses time to get to the bus stop for morning pick up. They will more than likely be picking up later than usual.
- If you are picking up your child early from school, please know that we can't pull your child from class until you are here and present an ID in person to the Attendance Clerk.
- If you are picking up your child early, the attendance office closes at 3:30 pm to keep the parking lot less congested for our car riders.
- If your child rides a bus in the afternoon, please know that drop offs are delayed. If you are watching for your child to get off the bus, please click on the following link https://www.youtube.com/@theleestownway2962 and watch our LIVE bus feed that starts every day at 3:45 pm. Don't forget to click on the Subscribe button as well!!!
- If you have any other bus related questions, please call the FCPS Transportation office at (859) 381-3855.
E-Bucks
Students can now spend eBucks on Fridays from 8:30-9:00. Available eBucks should be visible to students in eOS. Here is the link to the store: http://bit.ly/LMSeBucksStore
Your Leestown Learning Hub
Please Help Us Build Our Collection!🙏
Athletics Corner
Leestown Athletics
Follow our Facebook page “Leestown Athletics” for up-to-date information on Charger Athletics! CHARGER TRACK had a big opening week taking 2nd place in both girls and boys and then many attended an invitational at TCHS. Both boys and girls placed 4th out of 11 schools from all over KY! We already have several students who have qualified for STATE! Way to go, Chargers!!
CHARGER CHEERLEADING announces tryout dates!
Leestown Middle School will host their Cheerleading tryouts for the 24/25 school year on May 2 and 3rd from 4-6pm and Saturday May 4th from 9-noon. A current sports physical must be brought to the first night of the clinic in order to participate! Please contact Coach Moosman at Amanda.moosman@fayette.kyschools.us with questions.
BOYS/GIRLS BASKETBALL announces open gym dates!
Sunday, April 21, 5-7PM
Wednesday, April 24, 6-7:45PM
Sunday, April 28, 5-7PM
Wednesday, May 1, 6-7:45PM
Sunday, May 5, 5-7PM
Wednesday, May 8, 6-7:45PM
Sunday, May 12, 5-7PM
Wednesday , May 15, 6-7:45PM
Sunday, May 19, 5-7PM
Wednesday, May 22, 6-7:45PM
DUNBAR GIRLS SOCCER
Interested in playing for the Paul Laurence Dunbar Girls Soccer team this Fall? Please attend the upcoming parent and player meeting on Wednesday, April 10th 6:00 PM in the Dunbar Library. We will go over upcoming open field schedules, tryouts, fundraisers, booster club, etc... and of course, it will be a good time for new parents to meet the coaches, learn about the program, and ask questions!!! All rising Freshmen, 8th graders and 7th graders that are interested in playing should plan to attend!!! Contact chet.jenkins@fayette.kyschools.us with any questions.
Leestown Middle requires all students to be with a supervising adult at all athletic events. Additionally, the supervising adult may only bring their household child(ren), PLUS ONE additional student. If a parent brings an additional student, that parent is responsible for the student’s transportation to and from the event. Thank you for your cooperation!
SPORTS PHYSICALS
Families – Athletic policy requires each student to bring a new copy of his/her sports physical to each sport for which he/she plans to try out. Sports physicals are no longer stored in the office, as it has become an unmanageable task to manage them with differing expiration dates and 200+ athletes.
FAQ…
What happens to my child’s sports physical if he/she doesn’t make the team? The physical will be shredded in the office.
What happens to my child’s sports physical if he/she does make the team? The coach will make three copies of your child’s sports physical. One will be given to our Athletic Trainer in the event it is needed. A second copy will be returned to the player. The other copy stays with the coach at all games/practices in the event it is needed.
What happens to the copies of my child’s sports physical at the end of a season? The physical will be shredded in the office.
FREE SPORTS PHYSICALS
Healthfirst Bluegrass has Healthy Kids Clinics located within eight elementary schools in Fayette County and offer free sports physicals! The clinics are open to ALL FCPS students and are housed in the following elementary schools. Arlington (859-381-3750), Booker T. Washington (859-381-4993), Breckinridge (859-381-4843), Cardinal Valley (859-381-3346), Harrison (859-381-4022), Mary Todd (859-381-3012), Tates Creek (859-381-3774), William Wells Brown (859-381-3172). Call the clinic to schedule an appointment for a FREE sports physical!
Thanks for your understanding and help with this!
The district guidelines for middle school students attending athletic events are as follows:
-Be with a supervising adult
-Have their badge/student ID
-No backpacks
-No outside food or drink
-No pets
-No re-entry
Ticket prices for district athletic events are as follows:
Middle School – Adults $4, Students $2
High School – All tickets $5
What is expected of our athletes?
Grades are checked each Tuesday for athletic eligibility. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to represent Leestown! Students who fall below the 2.0 GPA will be ineligible for one week and may not attend practices or games during the week of ineligibility. A good habit for all students, but especially our student-athletes since they are spending many hours in competition, is to check Infinite Campus every single day! Even better would be to ALSO use the Infinite Campus portal and sign up for notifications when teachers enter grades. Infinite Campus is a great tool for keeping students on track! Students are also expected to maintain appropriate behavior at school at all times in accordance with school policies and "The Leestown Way".
When do tryouts happen for each sport?
Cheerleading – May
Cross Country - July
Girls Basketball - July
Football -July
Volleyball - September
Boys Basketball – December
Track – March
Soccer - February
To reach the head coach of a sport…
Girls & Boys Basketball - Coach Eddie Johnson @ eddie.johnson@fayette.kyschools.us
Football - Coach Tyrone Johnson @ tyrone.johnson@fayette.kyschools.us
Cross Country - Coach Carver at kita.carver@fayette.kyschools.us
Cheerleading - Coach Moosman at Amanda.moosman@fayette.kyschools.us
Track – Coach Ward at sterling.ward@fayette.kyschools.us
Volleyball - Coach Slone at hannah.slone@fayette.kyschools.us
Archery - Paul Newton @ paul.newton@fayette.kyschools.us
Soccer – Adrienne Carter @ adrienne.carter@fayette.kyschools.us
Questions for the Athletic Director…jill.karsner@fayette.kyschools.us
Follow us on Facebook @ “Leestown Athletics”!
GO CHARGERS!!!!
PTSA News
Parents, please link your Kroger rewards account to Leestown PTA! The easiest and free way to help raise money for your PTSA! Directions: Under rewards on the app, go to community rewards and select "leestown pta" as your organization! It costs you nothing but Kroger will automatically donate to our school!
Be Sure to join and take part in our PTSA. To join, follow the link below:
https://leestownmiddle.memberhub.com/memberships?status=active&limit=50
PTSA BOARD 23-24
Sarah Zabawa-President
Caitlin Campbell-Treasurer
Tara Cecil-Secretary
Tara Cecil-VP of Communications
Jason Griffith-Dining to Donate Coordinator
Teacher and Family Conferences
Dear Leestown Families,
Our school is committed to ongoing communication and collaboration between you, and our team of teachers here at Leestown. We understand that your schedules can be demanding, making it challenging to attend traditional conference nights. This year we’re introducing a new approach to parent-teacher conferences that offers flexibility and convenience.
Please follow the steps below if you would like to schedule a conference with your student’s team throughout the school year:
1.) Reach out to the team lead of your student’s team: Connect with them by email, talking points, or phone.
2.) Schedule a Meeting: Collaborate with the team lead to decide on a time that is best for your schedule and the teacher’s availability.
3.) Connect virtually or in person: We offer both options to ensure accessibility for all families.
4.) Discuss your student’s progress: During the meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, and work with the teachers to support your student’s success.
6th Grade
Clydesdales: Team Leader: Alex Barnes- alex.barnes2@fayette.kyschools.us
Stallions: Team Leader: Jamie Hoofnagle- jamie.hoofnagle@fayette.kyschools.us
7th Grade
Colts: Team Leader: Debra Perry- debra.perry@fayette.kyschools.us
Mustangs: Team Leader: Jennifer Caravello- jennifer.caravello@fayette.kyschools.us
8th Grade
Broncos: Team Lead: Amanda Moosman- amanda.moosman@fayette.kyschools.us
Thoroughbreds: Team Lead: Kayla Carter- kayla.carter@fayette.kyschools.us
6th, 7th & 8th Saddlebreds
Saddlebred: 6th Grade Team Lead: Charla Ridgeway- charla.ridgeway@fayette.kyschools.us
Saddlebred:7th & 8th Grade Team Lead: Megan Vogel- megan.vogel@fayette.kyschools.us
CEP Form: Very Important
*Please read and if you haven't completed the form below please do. Leestown currently offers Free lunch to all, but in order to do this we must have CEP forms completed. Thank you so much.
-Only one form per family needed, and it only takes a few minutes. For the 2023-24 school year, complete this form online beginning August 1st @ http://bit.ly/FCPSEBF. (If you need any help filling out the form on-line, please contact Jessica Morgison, FRAM Coordinator for FCPS Child Nutrition at 859-381-3838 or the free/reduced school contact at 859-381-3181.)
Thank you for your help!
Student Check out Procedures
In order to prepare for a safe afternoon dismissal, we end student check-outs at 3:30pm.
FCPS policy dictates that staff are required to verify ID before releasing a student. To ensure student safety, we cannot release a student to anyone not listed on a student’s pick up/emergency contact list. Please understand we do this to verify your identity for the protection of your child. We understand it may be frustrating that we do not recognize you after coming several times, please understand we see hundreds of faces a day and it is difficult to keep them straight. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Parent and Doctor notes must be turned in 3 days after the last absence (i.e if sick Fri they have until Wed of next week to turn it in. If they are absent 3 days they must turn it in 3 days after the third absence.)
Our Attendance Specialist is Tabitha Lambert. Her email address is tabitha.lambert@fayette.kyschools.us.
Leestown Personal Appearance Guidelines
Leestown Middle School respects students’ rights to express themselves in the way they dress. The goal of the personal appearance/dress code is to help foster respect for the school community by dressing appropriately for an educational environment. These guidelines are intended to provide guidance for students, staff and parents.
Acceptable Clothing Includes:
Pants, shorts, capris and skirts worn at the waist so no underwear or undershorts are visible.
Tops with shoulder straps. Jerseys or tank tops worn with a sleeved undershirt
Tennis shoes, boots, dress shoes, and Crocs.
Jogging suits
Leggings that are not see through
Shorts/dresses or skirts that are no higher than the mid-thigh
Clothing with all rips and tears above the mid-thigh must be covered with no visible skin exposed.
Sweatshirts and tops without hood
Student IDs will be worn around the neck and with the picture visible and Leestown Lanyard. No writing or stickers on the badge.
Shirt that is long enough to cover the stomach/belly or has a longer shirt underneath
Unacceptable Clothing Includes:
Clothing with obscenities, vulgarities, profane language, double meanings, drug, alcohol, gang related or ethnic or racially offensive stereotypical or discriminatory language or images
Shorts/dresses or skirts that are shorter than the mid-thigh.
Clothing with all rips, holes and tears above the mid-thigh not covered and skin visible.
Leggings or other clothing that are see through.
Visible undergarments, pajamas, jerseys or tank tops worn without an undershirt
Hats, bandanas, do rags, sunglasses (including novelty glasses)
Hair picks or combs worn in the hair
House shoes, athletic slide shoes, or flip flops
Sweatshirt /shirt with hood (hoodie)
Blankets
Crop tops or short shirts that show the belly or stomach.
Lanyard with ID in pocket or not displayed around the neck and/or with picture covered.
*Outerwear (coats, scarfs, gloves), must be stored in lockers during the day. Students may wear sweatshirts (with no hood), sweaters or light jackets without hoods*
With major violations (holes in clothing exposing skin, revealing clothing, clothing with profanity, etc.), parents will have to bring a change of clothing.
Note: For personal appearance issues not addressed above, the administrative team reserves the final decision.