LANCASTER STEM Middle School

Greetings LMS Families,

We had a short, but action-filled week at LMS. A group of 8th graders took a tour of UNT Denton campus as a part of the Gear Up Class of 2027 college awareness. Also this week, we recognized our Perfect Attendance and A & A/B Honor Roll recipients.

It's Homecoming Week for Lancaster ISD. This week, students and staff will participate in spirit activities as we celebrate WEBO Homecoming!

Homecoming Parade

Please make plan to join us for the Homecoming Parade Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 5:00pm. The parade begins at Historic Town Square travels down Dallas Avenue to Tiger Stadium. LMS will have several groups participate in the parade to help kick off Homecoming activities! Our 8th grade football team will host the Greenville Lions at Tiger Stadium at 5:30. Please make plans to cheer on the 8th grade boys after the parade.

Homecoming Court Voting

During 3rd period on Oct. 12, 2022. Students will vote on the 7th and 8th grade Homecoming Court. The court will be announced Thursday, October 13, 2022 during the afternoon announcements.

During special themed days - students must be within dress code accommodations.

Oct 11 - Crazy Socks

Oct. 12 - Spirit Day/LISD HOCO parade

Oct. 13 - Throwback Day

Oct. 14 - Twin Day

We will host pep rallies on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 17-18 to celebrate our student athletes and LMS Homecoming Court.

Homecoming Games:

Monday, Oct. 17 - Volleyball against

Tuesday, Oct. 18 - Football against

All Pro Dads

LMS will host the first of many All Pro Dads meetings this Friday, Oct, 14th at 7:45. We look forward to meeting with all LMS dads during the first event. Registration/RSVP is required by emailing patrickwilson@lancasterisd.org. We hope to see you there!

Vaccinations:

Parents are reminded of the required vaccinations for 7th grade students. All parents of 7th grade students without updated state mandated vaccinations were notified. Families were notified via email and USPS mail regarding vaccination records. Any student not in compliance by Thursday, October 6, 2022 will not be allowed to return to class Tuesday, October 11, 2022. Parents are asked to send updated shot records to Nurse Cullum by emailing loricullum@lancasterisd.org. An email and callout will go out to the students' whose names are still on the list to be cleared. Please ensure the documentation is sent to Nurse Cullum, it may be necessary to RESEND the records if you are still receiving the notices. Those who are still needing to provide updated shot records will be notified individually by Friday, Oct. 14th. Any student who has not completed them will not be able to participate in any extracurricular activities at the campus.

Tardy Policy Change:

Therefore, starting September 14, parents must sign their children in when they're tardy. Failing to do so may result in the court of law imposing penalties against parents if a student is consistently late for school without a parent/guardian signing them in at their campus when arriving after the tardy bell has rung. We thank you for your partnership in ensuring that your student comes to school on time daily. We also encourage you to click here to review our district's policy on tardiness and absenteeism.

A top priority in our school district is student achievement and maximizing instructional minutes. With this priority, our intentional effort is to ensure students arrive at school on time and are present in class each day. In addition, our effort is to prevent tardiness and ensure students receive the maximum amount of class time to succeed. Tardies can significantly disrupt the learning environment and student learning. Furthermore, students miss the introduction and instructions to the day's lesson, which increases their risk of falling behind in class.

We have begun student interventions, met with students to discuss tardy concerns, and contacted families. Unfortunately, several of our interventions have not been successful.

Schedules Updates:

Student schedule changes are still being made. All students in on level classes will have math double-blocked and English/reading lab double blocked daily with the same teacher. The changes have taken longer than expected to due changes in course availability and the addition of required courses added at the district level.No inquiries should be sent prior to the date. Students will be moved to courses based on academic need and may not be courses requested. All attempts to place students in requested classes will be reviewed however, it is based on course availability. Your continued patience regarding schedules is appreciated.

Campus Conflicts:

Parents are encouraged to notify the campus of any known conflicts with their students. As we explained during student expectations assemblies, fights are not the way to resolve issues on campus. If you child is having conflict with anyone on campus, please reach out to the school to make us aware. We will host mediation sessions with the students to get to the root of the conflict and prevent the issue from continuing. At LMS, we are a zero tolerance campus. Meaning students who fight, will be subject to receiving a citation and have to go to court. Help us by letting us know of conflict before it gets out of hand.

Positive Behavior Improvement Activities

Homecoming Pep Rallies:

Due to a conflict on October 6th, we are changing the plan for Homecoming. Students will participate in one of two homecoming pep rallies for 7th and 8th grade. These events will be scheduled during the day on October 17th & 18th.

Fall Dance/Haunted House (October 28, 2022):

Students can also participate in the Fall Dance and Haunted House Experience. More details to come regarding this activity. Students with poor behavior, attendance, and grades will NOT be able to purchase tickets.

Student ID Badges:

Students will continue e to take their ID badge photos this week during their social studies class. Students who ride buses will be issued a bus rider badge. Once completed students will be expected to wear their ID badges daily. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary actions such as exclusions from campus activities or events. Badges will also be required for lunch purposes as well.

This week's schedule:

• 10/10 -- NO School/Staff and Student Holiday
  
• 10/11: B-Day periods 6-10
• 10/12: A-Day periods 1-5
• 10/13: B-Day periods 6-10
• 10/14: A-Day periods 1-5

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kirsten Jett

Principal

kirstenjett@lancasterisd.org

972.218.1660

Follow us on Twitter: @ERLancasterMS search with the hashtag #G.A.M.E.OnLMS

LMS is proud to announce we are hosting an All Pro Dads program. We want LMS Dads to join us for the first meeting on Friday, October 14 at 7:45am. Light breakfast will be served as you learn more about the program and how to become an ALL PRO Dad! To RSVP please email patrickwilson@lancasterisd.org.

The celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month continues this week. Students will listen to daily announcements of prominent Hispanic Americans each morning.

Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements for the United States.

LMS welcomed several new staff members this year. Each week we will highlight each of the new recruits in our New Staff Spotlight. We are excited to welcome the new members to the team!

This week, we are welcoming Mr. Blair. Mr. Blair joins us as a campus hall monitor. Mr. Blair is a great addition to LMS. He has a strong theatre tech background and supports the campus theatre program.

Parents/Guardians,

Please note that all students must be picked up using the drop-off/pick-up line in front of the school.

For more information, you can reach out to the Girls' Athletics Coordinator, Tamiqualeepers@lancasterisd.org or Boys' Athletics Coordinator Dequelyn Adams dequelynadams@lancasterisd.org.

Volleyball

Coach Leepers tamiqualeepers@lancasterisd.org

Coach Simms phalasimms@lancasterisd.org

Football

Coach Adams dequelynadams@lancasterisd.org

Cross Country

Coach Berkhalter adrianaberkhalter@lancasterisd.org

Cell phones are often a huge distraction for students. Because of this, we have a strict NO Cell phone policy. Students are prohibited from using phones during the school day. Failure to comply could/will result in confiscation and a $15 cell phone fee. The phone will ONLY be returned to the parent or guardian. Parents, it is important that you help us with ensuring students are in full compliance with this campus policy.

This summer our district has met to review our safety and security protocols and emergency management procedures thoroughly. As a result of these meetings, several safety and security enhancements will take place this school year. One of the safety enhancements will be requiring all Lancaster ISD students to carry a clear or mesh backpack. This decision is being done as a preventive safety and security measure and will be required for all students who attend a Lancaster ISD campus. Backpacks must be clear or mesh and students may carry a non-clear pouch no larger than 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches to hold personal items, such as cellphones, money, and hygiene products. Below is a list of retailers where the backpacks can be ordered.

Lancaster ISD highly recommends that students and staff wear face masks while at school as a health and safety protocol to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The wearing of a face mask is only a recommendation and not a requirement. In addition, parents should monitor their child’s symptoms each morning before they arrive at school. Our efforts are to keep students, parents, and staff safe as we return to school on August 15, 2022. This information constantly evolves, and direct parent communication regarding COVID-19 will be shared consistently. Furthermore, parents may access all COVID-19-related information and review our COVID-19 dashboard by clicking here.

Please click here to complete the free and reduced lunch application.

Lancaster ISD offers an online payment system at MySchoolBucks.com. To add money to your child’s lunch account, visit the website, and create a free account. Features include:

• Managing all your children’s payments and balances from one account;
• Securely fund your student’s account via credit card, debit card, or checking account;
• Low balance alerts;
• Recurring payment options;
• Ability to review purchase history.

Lancaster ISD students (Kindergarten through 8th grade) will enjoy free breakfast and lunch during the 2022-2023 school year due to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

The CEP allows campuses to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to enrolled students without collecting free and reduced lunch applications.

The Lancaster ISD Child Nutrition Department received approval to provide CEP for all elementary campuses, George W. Carver 6th-grade Center, and Lancaster Middle School. The district will utilize the provision to alleviate the need for free and reduced lunch applications, improve health and wellness for students, and reduce financial stress on families.

Please review the bus routes and transportation guidelines. Parents, helping your student become familiar with his/her route before the first day of school will help them feel less anxious on the first day of school.

Find your attendance zone here.

ID Badges:

All students at LMS students will be required an ID badge. ID badges must be visible at all times while on campus. Wearing ID badges will help up to quickly identify our LMS students. Students will take their ID badge picture beginning this week during their Social Studies class.

Students who ride the bus daily, will be issued a bus rider badge. This badge will allow students to be released at the bus dismissal time for afternoon dismissal.

ID Badge expectations for students:

• Badges must be worn around the neck and visible at all times.
• Absolutely no sharing or giving away of badges.
• Badges are not be altered or edited in any way this includes, but is not limited to:
• Drawing on the badge itself (front or back)
• Putting stickers on the badge.
• Students must have their ID badge to participate in school activities, including, but not limited to:
• Entry into school events (athletics, fine arts, etc.)
• Participation in special activities such as field trips, social events for Perfect attendance, honor roll, etc.

PTA President Contact: Mrs. Johnnae Cortez 469-855-5585

Email: LancasterMiddleSchoolPTA@yahoo.com

Reminder: Parents student attendance is vital to student achievement. Please ensure your child is attending school everyday. If your child is absent for any reason, please make sure you have documentation submitted to the attendance office in a timely manner.

If your child is absent, please ensure you reach out to Ms. Anna Tumlinson (attendance clerk). You can email her with your child's attendance documentation at annatumlinson@lancasterisd.org. All attendance records will be updated and processed within 3 school days.

Campus/District Events:

• Football 🏈 away Sept 12 vs. Terrell and 8th grade hosts Terrell on Sept. 13
• Volleyball 🏐 away Sept. 15 at Ennis
• STUDENT EARLY RELEASE SEPT. 21, 2022
• DATE CHANGE: LMS PTA Meeting - Sept. 22, 2022 LMS CAFETERIA @ 6:30PM
• DISTRICT BOARD MEETING SEPT. 21, 2022 @ 6PM
• Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15

Kirsten Jett, Principal

Laquetta Conway, Associate Principal

Andre Taylor, 7th Grade House Principal

Anthony Terrell, 8th Grade House Principal

Email: kirstenjett@lancasterisd.org
Website: https://www.lancasterisd.org/Domain/12
Location: 822 Pleasant Run, Lancaster, TX, USA
Phone: 972.218.1660
Facebook: Facebook.com/lancasterms
Twitter: @ERLancasterMS