Greetings, Middle School Families!

The time is almost here! We are just one week away from the start of a new school year, and I can't wait to welcome students back to school next week! Our new families should plan to attend our New Family Night on Thursday, August 6, and attend one of the informational sessions offered that night. All families will be welcomed back on Monday, August 10, for Back-to-School Night, and our first day of school is Wednesday, August 12. You'll find lots of important information in this newsletter, but if you have any other questions now or throughout the year, please just reach out to!

Our school theme this year is "Building Up" which is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." It's a joy to partner together in this work of raising our young people and pointing them to the unmatched love of Christ. Throughout the year, I know that we are going face many challenges, hardships, and setbacks, but I also know that God will use those struggles to draw us closer to Him and shape each of us more into His likeness.

Praise God for His goodness and faithfulness, and let's look to Him as we take on this new school year with our kids! You are being prayed for, friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon!

God is good!

Mrs. Yoder

Student Schedules

Families should log into FACTS to see their student's schedule. At BTSN, 5/6 students will go directly to their homeroom in the mods to get their schedules, and 7/8 students can go straight to their locker or begin walking their schedule when they arrive. Please note that we have new room numbers, but most teachers have not actually changed classrooms. Many staff will be around the building to help you out!

Specials for 5/6: All 5th grade students take either band or choir during 7th period and have a rotation of specials during 8th period. All 6th grade students take band or choir during 8th period and have a rotation of specials during 7th period. The A/B/C schedule for rotations can be found here.

Electives for 7/8: Beginning this school year, all students need to leave middle school with at least two high school credits, so we are offering more elective options to our 8th graders this year and to 7th graders next year. We offer semester classes during 1st period (Art, PE, Theater, and Worship Team for 7th grade; Health, Fitness/PE, Preparing for College/Career, Theater, Music Appreciation, Ukulele, and Worship Team for 8th grade). Currently, we offer full year options during 2nd period (Band, Choir, and Fitness/Health for 7th grade; Band, Choir, Fitness/Health, and Art/Humanities for 8th grade). Elective schedules are set and can be found in FACTS.

If you see something that needs to be changed on your student's schedule, please complete this form to submit an inquiry.

Middle School Bell Schedule

Supply List Reminders

The supply list for middle school is posted and linked below. Use the "Click Here" button to open a PDF that will have active hyperlinks.

Accordion Folder - Though the options linked on the list may or may not be active, they will at least show you an example of what will work. Click here for a similar option available on Amazon.
Device Case - These are optional, but a recommended case is linked on the supply list. Dell Chromebook models for middle school include 3100, 3110, and 3120 (all 2-in-1 devices).
5/6 Math Binder Dividers - We added 8 tab dividers to the 5/6 list, which will be helpful for organizing the content of their math binders.
7/8 Calculator - The graphing calculator listed will be functional for students all the way through high school. Our hope is train students on the graphing calculator now so that they are prepared to use it well moving forward.
Backpacks - Only 5th graders are permitted to use their backpacks during the school day as their lockers/cubbies are located outside of the modulars. They do not need to be clear.
PE - All 5/6 students need a drawstring bag with PE shoes and deodorant to be kept at school. They do not change clothes for PE. 7/8 students who have PE will change clothes and need a drawstring bag for this purpose, as well.
Electives - All 5/6 students are in either band or choir in addition to PE and Art. 7/8 students should check their schedules to confirm their electives and purchase supplies accordingly.

Click Here for the Middle School Supply List!

Our Middle School Team

We are so thankful for the amazing team that God has assembled to teach and lead our middle school students, and we are excited to welcome a few new teachers to the team, as well! Praise God for His provision!

Lilliana Curtis - 5/6 Bible
Tonya Born - 5 English Language Arts
Laura Miller - 6 English Language Arts
Tom Leitner - 5/6 Math
Brian Rayle - 5/6 Science
Tim Kidder - 5/6 Social Studies

Gramm Wilson - 7/8 Bible, 7 PE
Cassie Satchwill - 7 English Language Arts
Aubri Rench - 8 English Language Arts
Megan Brewer - 7/8 Math
Laurel Sheridan - 7/8 Science
Braydon Hathaway - 7/8 Social Studies, 7 Humanities

Havilah Salyer - 5/6/7 Art
Jen Brandenberger - 8 Art
Nathan Hamilton - Band, MS Worship Team
Alison Stonecypher - Choir
Myka Stutzman - Digital Citizenship
Josh Pike - Health, PE, Life Skills
Tim Studebaker - 5/6 PE
Melissa Toth - 7 Theater

Jared Estep - Middle School Athletic Director
Maleah Leitner - Athletic Admin Assistant
Holly Ruprecht - Middle School Admin Assistant

Tech Updates and Reminders

As a school, we care deeply about our students being prepared for success in their future endeavors while also giving the most consideration to their safety and well-being. Please review the following policies and procedures for middle school tech and check out the note from Mr. Keeran and additional parent resources below that!

School Devices

A Chromebook is issued to each LPCS student, and these will be distributed within the first few days of the school year.
Our 5/6 homerooms are now equipped with charging carts, so all 5/6 students will leave their devices at school each day. If there is a known eLearning Day, large project, or other need for 5/6 to go home with devices, we will communicate accordingly.
Chargers will be issued to 7/8 students, and they will be expected to bring their device to school each day fully charged for use in the classroom. There will be minimal need for 7/8 students to actually use their devices at home, and it should not be accessed for personal use.
Our device protection plan covers 1 accidental damage claim. Any subsequent accidental damages will be charged back to the student/family.
Cases are optional, and padded cases will need to be taken off daily for 5/6 to fit devices in the charging carts. For 7/8, we do have carrying cases available for students at no cost. Stop by the IT table at Back-to-School Night if you'd like one!

Personal Devices

Cell phones & personal devices are permitted inside the school, but they must remain in lockers, powered off during the school day (7:40-3:10). Only 7/8 students may access their personal devices before the 7:40 bell in holding room.

If a student’s cell phone or smart device (including smart watch or other text-able device) is seen or heard during the school day, it is a violation of school’s policy.
The student will receive a referral, and the reporting staff member will have the phone or device taken to the Office to be picked up by a parent at the end of the day. In the case that a parent cannot pick up the device at the end of the day, the student will need to turn in his/her device for the duration of the next school day.
The first offense will result in a verbal warning; second a lunch detention; third and beyond a Friday Night School or as determined by administration.

Dear Lakewood Park Parents,

As part of our commitment to your child’s online safety, we want to let you know about an a tool available to you, our partnering parents. We partner with Qustodio, the world’s leading provider of online safety solutions. As devices play an increasing role in our children's lives, it is crucial that we put safeguards in place. Your child already benefits from internet filtering technology, which blocks inappropriate web content on their school-owned device. Our filtering system, Linewize, grants every parent a free Qustodio Parental App account. Qustodio will give you important insights into your child’s online activity on their school device. You can use it to review and manage activities on other devices in your home, too, as you will have the option to install this on their personal mobile device, as well.

With Qustodio, parents are able to:

Manage your child’s screen time
Supervise your child’s online activity
Access expert advice via Lakewood Park's Online Safety Hub

Activate Your Free Account: If you have not already signed up for Qustodio, please email me (ckeeran@lakewoodpark.org) to request an access email. Qustodio will email you with simple instructions to register your account, or you can start today by visiting www.qustodio.com/my-school. Please be sure to use the same email address we have on file in FACTS for you when registering to connect to your child’s device.

Qustodio is a valuable partner that prioritizes privacy, safety, and rights of students and parents worldwide. You can visit https://lakewoodparkchristianschoo.onlinesafetyhub.io/ to learn more about Qustodio and access expert advice and other resources.

We are excited to work with you and Qustodio to help our students develop safe and healthy online habits, and we will continue the work of building a safer online environment for our students together.

Thank you for partnering!

Chris Keeran

ckeeran@lakewoodpark.org

Officer Gomez

Protect Young Eyes

Connected Families for Biblical Parenting

A Note From Food Services

We are thankful to welcome Landon Taylor as our new Food Services Lead! You can now log into FACTS to order and pay for school lunches for your student, and you can find our updated food services policies here.

🥤 Drinks Are Now Optional
In efforts to combat inflating prices, hot lunches will no longer automatically include a drink. Families can now choose whether to add a beverage to each meal, including our new strawberry milk option!

🍽️ More Meal Choices
We're excited to offer an expanded variety of delicious meal options, giving students more choices week to week. We are especially excited to be partnered with Pizza Hut for pizza Fridays!

💳 Pay When You Order
To simplify the ordering process, payment will now be collected at the time your order is placed.

Attendance: Setting Students Up for Success

As you plan for the upcoming school year, please consider our school calendar and plan family trips during scheduled breaks. Approved absences are limited to six per semester, which include unexpected illnesses. Any absences after six may be considered unexcused and may negatively impact your student here at school. We appreciate your support in prioritizing attendance throughout the school year!

👟 🏐 A Note from ATHLETICS ⚽ 🐾

We are thankful to offer a variety of sports at the middle school level including cross country, boys soccer, and girls volleyball this fall. Winter sports include boys and girls basketball and cheer, and Spring opportunities include track and girls soccer.

If your student is interested in participating as an athlete this year, don't forget to have a physical completed and to get registered via Final Forms. Look for the email from Maleah Leitner for additional information and detailed instructions.

Back-to-School Need-to-Knows

Start & End Times:

Mondays: Morning release bell rings at 8:20; school starts at 8:30.
Tuesdays-Fridays: Morning release bell rings at 7:40; school starts at 7:50.
Middle school students are to stay in their designated seats in the main gym until the morning release bell rings to allow them to go to their lockers.

Reporting Absences:

On-time arrival to both school and to class periods is a vital part of a student's academic success. However, we understand that illnesses and other unexpected family events happen. If your child needs to miss any part of the school day, please do the following.

Email our Registrar at attendance@lakewoodpark.org or call the Main Office (260-925-1393) by 9:00am.
Submit any needed documentation or doctor's notes.
Have students look at Google Classrooms and check-in with their teachers to ensure all school work, including tests & quizzes, are made-up and submitted.

Drop-off and Pick-up (5th-12th):

Families dropping off students in grades 5-12 (younger siblings may walk with older siblings from this carline) should follow the Blue Route (see map below).
Families dropping off students in grades K-4 should use the Red Route.
Students must use the designated cross walks and follow directions of staff.
Parents should not park and get out of the car while in carline. Instead, students will exit the car with their belongings and enter the building on their own.
Please be mindful for the one-way parking lanes in our lots.
For grades 5-12 afternoon pick up, parents should follow the Blue Route and park in the East Lot and wait for their student to find them in the parking lot. If you choose to drive through the Blue Route carline, and your student has not yet found you, you may need to go around the boulevard again or find a place to park and wait.
For the safety of our kids, please be vigilant and do not use cell phones while navigating our parking lots.

After School:

Middle school students with elementary siblings will meet them in/near the Worship Center by 3:15 to exit the building together.
5/6 students who are not picked up by 3:25 will be signed into aftercare unless they are being supervised appropriately by an older sibling.
7/8 students do not have to sign into aftercare after carline, but they must stay in the east hallway until their ride arrives. There will not be direct supervision for 7/8 students who are not picked up during carline, and parents will be contacted if staying in the east hall becomes a problem.

Dress Code Update and Reminders

In an effort to align middle school policies, we are making one adjustment that will make the dress code the same for all students from 5th grade to 8th grade. Athletic bottoms and sweat pants will now be allowed for all middle school students. The 6" inseam requirement will be strongly enforced for all shorts, so please choose accordingly. Generally, our dress code follows the guidelines of neatness, modesty, and appropriateness, but specific middle school dress code highlights are listed below. If you have other questions, please reach out!

Tops must have some sleeve and not reveal undergarments, midriff, back, chest, or shoulders.
Clothing should not be tight fitting or sheer. Leggings are not permitted.
Pants should not have gaping holes or excessive frays.
Shorts are allowed during Qtr 1 and Qtr 4 only and require a minimum 6" inseam.
Skirts/dresses must reach the knee if worn without leggings. If leggings are worn, a skirt/dress must be worn over that is no more than 4" from the knee.
Jackets/coats, hats/hoods/bandanas, and sunglasses are not permitted inside the school building during the school day.