LAWTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CONNECT AUGUST

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1 Education Beyond Expectations LAWTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS CONNECT AUGUST 2017 LAWTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TO HOLD SPECIAL ELECTION ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2017 By Christopher Rice Lawton Community Schools encourages all eligible voters to vote on August 8, The purpose of this election is to renew the existing operating millage. The State of Michigan allows school districts to levy 18 mills on all non-homestead property including vacation properties, commercial/industrial properties, apartment buildings, rental homes, and some vacant land. Renewal of the current operating millage will allow the district to continue collecting the maximum allowable amount of state revenue which for Lawton Community Schools is approximately $1,150,000. Renewal of the current operating millage... Does not impact the amount of property tax paid by homeowners. This is simply a renewal of a millage that has been in place for many years. Allows the district to receive the full amount of allowable funding from the State of Michigan. Allows the district to maintain current instructional and extracurricular programs. Will be for a term of three years and does NOT increase property taxes for homeowners. Please contact the administrative office at (269) if you have questions. CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF

2 Lawton Community Schools Lawton School Family By Christopher J. Rice, Superintendent Oatmeal Mix-In Bar By Kay Walters If you asked students what they thought would be the most boring breakfast, they would probably answer oatmeal. The Nutrition Team at Lawton Community Schools thought this would be the perfect challenge to jazz up healthy oatmeal and make it more appealing. Our Food Service Department serves oatmeal with a variety of options to mix-in. These include strawberries, bananas, blueberries, peaches, vanilla yogurt and granola. Students are encouraged to try any combination. While some students add only one item to their bowl, others try the all inclusive approach, loading their bowl with everything available. Strawberries were In 2010, Lawton Community Schools ranked #6 among Van Buren county schools in the percentage of School of Choice students enrolled. At that time, 10.4% of our students resided outside of the Lawton district. Since 2015, Lawton Community Schools has ranked #1 among county schools in this category. For the school year, 19.7% of our student body (nearly 200 students) came to us from other districts. This is certainly a statistic to be proud of as it indicates that LCS is becoming a desired educational destination for families in our area. Thank you to both our resident and non-resident families for supporting our efforts and making Lawton your school of choice. Thank you also to the teachers, staff and administration for your ongoing focus on quality learning for all students. We hope to continue attracting new students both from outside and within our district. By remaining committed to a shared vision, we will continue to grow and prosper as a school district. The loyalty of all Blue Devil families is sincerely appreciated. We look forward to a successful school year full of meaningful learning experiences for all. voted in as the most favorite topping and granola came in a close second. This was a double health bonus! Heart healthy oats on top of heart healthy oatmeal. An oatmeal bar has been added to the breakfast menu every Friday morning. About one-third of the students who eat breakfast at the elementary choose to eat at the oatmeal bar, averaging over 50 bowls a week. Try it for the school year! B a c k t o S c h o o l! School Open House August 24th Elementary 5:30 6:30 Middle School 5:00 6:00 High School/LAAC 4:30 5:30 School Offices Open All buildings will be open Monday-Thursday starting August 21 from 8:00 11:30 and 1:00 3:00. We will be closed the morning of August 24 and all day September 1. Daily Schedules & Phone Numbers Start Time End Time Phone Elementary 8:00 3: Middle School 8:00 2: High School 8:00 2: LAAC 8:00 2: Transportation Buses will run on Tuesday, September 5. Students registered to ride the bus last year are automatically registered to ride the bus this year. Shuttle students should arrive no later than 7:40 at the elementary to shuttle to the other schools. The Transportation Director can be reached at A district representative will also be available at the Elementary Open House to answer your transportation questions. Meal Prices Reduced Reduced Breakfast Breakfast Lunch Lunch Milk Elementary $ $ Middle School $ $ High School $ $ Breakfast and lunch will be available in each building the first day of school. Students planning to eat breakfast should arrive 20 minutes before class begins. Did you Change your Address or Phone Number? Please contact your building secretary if your address or phone number has changed. Important information is often shared via mail and school messenger. Accurate information is vital for communications and also in an emergency. Page 2

3 Volume Education XLII, Beyond No. 2 Expectations Lawton Elementary School By Stephanie Brown, Elementary School Principal It has been another amazing year at Lawton Elementary! We had many exciting events during the spring such as our Muffins with Moms, fifth grade awards and banquet, and of course our end of the year carnival! We are so thankful to all of our PTO, parents, and volunteers that put forth so much effort to make our carnival so special for our kids. As we look at beginning a new year, I would like to remind you that class lists will be posted Monday, August 21 at 3:00 p.m. Our Open House will be Thursday, August 24 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Parents will be able to meet their child s teacher and find their classroom. Please keep in mind that teachers will have had limited opportunities to prepare their classrooms prior to that evening. For the safety of our students, please read the information below regarding student drop off, pick up, and parent/guest parking. As you know, our building has some traffic and drop-off challenges as well as the office not being directly off a parking lot. You can count on us to put in place practices that ensure your children s safety, and we will count on you to follow these safety procedures. Thank you in advance for reviewing these procedures and working with us to ensure all students, teachers, staff, and guests are safe. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to having all of your sweet little ones back in school very soon! All YELLOW areas are NO stopping, loading, or unloading zones. All GREEN areas are loading and unloading only zones. Do not leave vehicle. All BLUE areas are for parking. If you need to leave your vehicle for any reason, park in blue areas. The RED area is for unloading and loading of buses only from 7:30-8:00 a.m. and 2:30-3:10 p.m. STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK UP Traffic problems before and after school can be minimized by observing a few simple guidelines. The south side of Second Street (marked in green) may be used for student pick up and drop off. There is no parking on Second Street from 7:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. on school days. The same is true for the south side of Third Street. Parents may park in blue marked spaces and escort their children into school. Those wishing to simply drop off or pick up their children should use the green curb area of the east parking lot. Please do not exit your vehicle when stopping here and do not park in the left lane. Please be aware that children will often cross the road without looking. Speed in the drive should be limited to 5 MPH. The drive that passes the southeast side of the building (marked in red) is for staff parking and bus transportation only. Parents should not use this drive at any time during school hours. School begins at 8:00 a.m. Students who are eating breakfast may enter the foyer door off the bus loop at 7:30. All other students may enter the building through the main office door or foyer doors at 7:50 (marked in purple). The principal will be at the bus loop starting at 7:40 when our bus students get dropped off. There is no outside supervision prior to 7:40. Please contact Kids First should you need before school child care. Page 3

4 Volume XLII, No. 2 Lawton Community Schools Kalamazoo Astronomical Society By Leslie Welburn On June 7th, Richard Bell, a representative for the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, came to talk to our fifth graders about the solar eclipse occurring on August 21st. Students learned about solar eclipses and ways to safely view the upcoming eclipse. They were also able to make some observations of the sun using special telescopes. Farm By Leslie Holder Days Third graders loved the Farm History Days field trip to the Fly Wheeler s Museum in South Haven. There were so many handson activities for kids to see and to experience life on the farm. They were able to make candles, grind corn, climb on tractors, watch a sawmill in action, and even try out being a blacksmith. There were old fashioned toys and games too. This is a field trip favorite for our third graders! STARBASE STEM By Leslie Welburn Thirty fifth graders earned the opportunity to participate in the STARBASE program at the National Guard Base in Battle Creek. They were motivated to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This was a five day program in which students completed experiments, built and shot off rockets, gained experience building space modules on a CAD program, programed robots, flew a plane in a flight simulator, and so much more. It was an experience they will not soon forget. INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOO By Leslie Holder Our school has a partnership with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) and we are able to have our third grade students try out a variety of instruments in an Instrument Petting Zoo. The KSO volunteers come with many different instruments. Students spend a few minutes traveling through stations trying out instruments and learning more about notes and how to keep a beat. They enjoy the petting zoo and, for some students, this is a first at playing an instrument. Page 4

5 Lawton Education Community Beyond Expectations Schools CONNECT August 2016 Lawton Middle School By Tim Cerven, Middle School Principal The school year came to an exciting end with the annual awards assembly followed by the 8th grade celebration. Our middle school PTO supplied the food and shirts for our departing 8th graders with the teachers organizing games and activities to wrap up the year. We wish the Class of 2021 much success as they begin their high school journey. Several of our middle school students were recognized at the assembly for their outstanding achievements. A warm welcome to all our students and parents. A special welcome to our new sixth grade students as they embark on the journey of transitioning into the middle school with a six period day, multiple classrooms and teachers, locker combinations, and a time in their lives called adolescence. This is an extremely sensitive time in the growth and development of children, and we welcome the involvement of all parents in this process. The middle school staff looks forward to an exciting and productive year as we continue the journey of preparing our students to be college and career ready. Information Packet A packet containing emergency information, dress code, attendance information, and the middle school expectations will be sent home with your child during the first week of school. Please complete the necessary forms and return them promptly. Occasionally, families change their cell phone number or move address, so please inform the school when this happens. If you have any questions regarding these documents, please call Mrs. Willis at Class Schedules Class schedules will be available for pick-up at the middle school office during the week of August 21st from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Schedules will also be available the first day of school when the students report to first hour. Supplies What supplies are needed as the school year begins? In general, pencils, paper, binders/ folders to keep their school work organized, colored pencils, hand pencil sharpeners, erasers and 12 inch rulers are good items to have. Science will require a science notebook. Those details will be shared during the first few weeks of school. Donations of paper, pencils and Kleenex are always welcome. Student Planners (agendas) Student planners (agendas) are supplied to each student during the first week of school to help them remain on-task and organized. The planners contain information about the Student Code of Conduct, passes, calendar, maps, and other useful data. Students are expected to carry the planner to each class and maintain them as a working planner with all pages connected and no additional coloring or markings. The planner can also act as a two-way communication tool from school to home. School Engagement What does research say about student involvement at school? When middle school students are involved in school activities, student academic performance levels increase dramatically. Research indicates that middle school students perform at a higher academic level when engaged in at least one school activity, and the performance level continues to increase as the number of activities increases. The athletic activities offered at the middle school (mostly 7th/8th grade level) are football, basketball, volleyball, track, wrestling, cross country and soccer. Other school activities available in grades 6 8 include student senate, Girls on Track, ski club, cheerleading, science fair, math club, spelling bee, and chess club. Let s get our students involved and watch them grow, prosper, and reach their goals. Parents are highly encouraged to stay involved in their child s educational progress. Often, middle school parents feel that their support is no longer necessary, but this is not the case. Parents are always welcome to visit classrooms and observe their son or daughter in the learning process. Parents are also encouraged to volunteer for field trips, chaperone dances, help the Athletic Boosters, volunteer to read to students, help with science projects, and work with students on math skills. However you choose to be involved, know that parents are always welcome at Lawton Middle School. Parents should prepare to volunteer by picking up an ICHAT form from Mrs. Willis in the office and letting her know you wish to volunteer. R.O.A.R. The middle school will continue to R.O.A.R as we teach and practice the guiding principles of Responsibility, Ownership, Attitude, and Respect. The middle school staff believes that successful students will show the most growth, academically and socially, by accepting the responsibility to behave appropriately and to be active learners. Students take ownership in their learning by demonstrating best-effort practices. We want our students to have a positive attitude about school and do the right thing each and every day. The middle school also believes that students must show respect for each other and the adults in their lives, as well as a respect for learning. These guiding principles are posted throughout the building and classrooms as reminders to students. Academic Support/Intervention Over the last several years, the middle school teachers have utilized research-based programs to determine if students qualify for support in reading or math. All students are assessed three to four times per year using brief assessments (Aimsweb, Delta Math, STAR Reading/Math) to determine qualification for additional support. For example, if the target for reading is 150 words per minute and a student is assessed at 100 words per minute, the student may qualify for interventions. If the data indicates support is needed, the school will notify parents. The interventions are taught by teachers trained in these intervention programs. Please feel free to contact us with questions. Orientation/Open House The middle school would like to invite all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade parents and students to an orientation session on August 24 from 4:30 to 5:00 pm in the middle school gym. The orientation will include information pertaining to middle school years, school safety, the guiding principals of R.O.A.R., and academic and behavioral expectations. Open House will follow the orientation and run from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tour the building, visit the classrooms, assist with locker operation, and greet the teachers and principal. Page 5

6 Lawton Lawton Community Community Schools Schools CONNECT August th Grade Class Visits SMC and WMU By John Patterson On Friday, May 19th and Monday, May 22nd eighth graders from Lawton Middle School visited the campuses of Western Michigan University and Southwest Michigan College. These trips give our students the opportunity to see what a college campus looks like, as well as get a feel for what colleges in our area offer educationally and socially. The students attended a lecture about college life and the expectations of students attending these institutions. The campus tours included a look at classrooms, dorms, and lunch in the dining hall. Our the importance of the work that is ahead of them, as they begin high hope during these trips is that our students will begin to think about school and progress towards college or other post-secondary training. By Karen Creagan received a certificate signed by the National President, Francisca Guilford, of the VFW Auxiliary thanking the students for supporting our veterans. In February, the students collected money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help cure cancer. Mrs. Alhberg s class collected the most money. Congratulations to all the students at Lawton Middle School for another awesome job! The student senate sponsors two dances each year. Money earned from our dances helps with sponsoring student events at the middle school. This year we sponsored a school store where students use devil dollars, (earned for upholding our ROAR principles) to purchase food items during their achievement. The Lawton Middle School Student Senate had a busy school year. In The student senate sponsored the annual evening dance on April December, they collected items for the St. Paul s Methodist Church 21st. Thank you to all of the people in our community who donated food pantry. They collected over 1,000 food items for the cause. food and money for all of these wonderful causes. Also, thank you to In December, the student senate along with the seventh grade class the parents who chaperoned our dances. made holiday cards for the Battle Creek VA Medical Center. Each class By Holly James In their final unit of the year, sixth grade science students focused on energy. One of the main ideas was that energy is not created or destroyed; it just changes form. Students explored this big idea with several projects, including examining a Kinex roller coaster and constructing cars powered by balloons. Using roller coasters, students could identify where potential energy and kinetic energy existed and visualize the transfer that took place. With a design flaw in place, several students worked to re-design the coaster to fix the problem. For the balloon car project, students were given various materials and guidelines for what they had to make, but there were no instructions. to move using only a balloon. When the students finished construction, Groups had to decide how they wanted to design their cars, then build they raced the cars against other groups. Students discussed modificaand modify them, as they advanced through the project. Their cars had tions that would improve their cars for future races. Page 6

7 Volume XLII, No. 2 Education Beyond Expectations Middle School Academic Awards Night 6th Grade Outstanding Students 7th Grade Outstanding Students 8th Grade Outstanding Students NUMATS The school year has come to an end and was full of exciting events and lots of Blue Devil pride! Students and staff celebrated the end of the school year with an outdoor picnic. Students participated in a variety of activities including an inflatable obstacle course, jousting pit, and punching bag all sponsored by the Army National Guard. Many students won prizes from our Devil Dollar drawing with Victoria Welch winning the grand prize of a Smart TV. This year we welcome a new staff member to Lawton High School. Mrs. Laura Cross will Science Fair Lawton High School By Tammy Wilson, High School Principal be taking over as our new chemistry teacher. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. She comes with several years of teaching experience with the last four being at the Air Zoo where she taught a wide variety of classes. We are excited to have her join our LHS Team. Looking forward to the upcoming school year, please mark your calendar for August 24th which is the Lawton High School Open House from 4:30-5:30 PM. Students and parents can pick up their schedules, meet their new teachers and tour the high school on this evening. This is also the day for our Freshman Orientation which runs from 2:00-4:00 PM concluding with an ice cream social for freshman students and their parents at 4:00 PM in the high school cafeteria. High school registration for all new students will be August 28th August 31st at the Lawton High School Office from 8:00-11:30 AM and 1:00-3:00 PM. The first day of school for all students will be the Tuesday after Labor Day which is September 5th. Classes will begin at 8:00 AM with the building being open for students at 7:15 AM. Students will be welcomed back with a short assembly in the gymnasium then they will run through a full day schedule of all of Presidential their classes. During the month of September we will be busy organizing the Academic Awards Assembly held at 8:00 AM on September 13th. School pictures will be September 15th. The homecoming football game will be September 29th against Gobles High School. Come out and support your Blue Devils. With the new school year come new opportunities to get involved at Lawton High School. Students are encouraged to participate in at least one extra-curricular club or sport. Parents are always welcome and are encouraged to stay involved with their high school student. Some opportunities include participating in our booster club activities, field trip supervision, Lawton Community Schools Parents Group and homecoming events. However you decide to get involved, know that your contributions make Lawton High School a better place for all of our students. Enjoy the remaining days of summer vacation and keep up the Blue Devil pride! Page 7

8 Volume XLII, No. 2 Lawton Community Schools BLUE DEVIL By Coach Lycan The Lawton track team had another successful season this year, boasting many personal bests along with invitational, conference, and regional champions, one school record, and eight athletes making an appearance at the state meet in nine different events! Earning All-Conference status were Demetrius Cannon in the 200M & 400M, Ca vontae Taylor in the long jump, and Emma Stephayn in the discus, while Honorable Mention was earned by Megan Dopheide in the 1600M. Regional champions were Cannon, Stephayn and Dopheide. Demetrius Cannon was the lone male representing LHS at the state meet, where he finished 5th in the 400, securing his All-State status for a second year in a row. The Lady Blue Devils were represented at state by seven athletes: Mycaela Aumaugher, Megan Dopheide, Felisha Garcia, Clare Lycan, Natalie Martinez, Emma Stephayn, and Katelynn Welch. Dopheide finished 20th in the 1600M. Lycan was 13th in the long jump and 17th in the 300M hurdles. Martinez was 16th in the 200M. Stephayn finished 15th in the discus. Lawton Athletics Golf Outing Friday, August 18, 2017 Lake Cora Golf Course, Paw Paw Entry Fee: $240 Per Team ($60/Person) Lawton Athletic Boosters Hot dogs, popcorn, soda and candy bars: those are just a few items sold in the three concession stands managed by the Athletic Boosters. Every dollar made at the concession stands goes back into our students. In the school year, the Athletic Boosters put over $16,000 back into our student athletes. Some of the requests we granted are $520, cross country races and $1000 toward new uniforms; $125 wresting coaches clinic; $80 basketball BCAM clinic and $750 for 2 summer camps; $80 for a yearbook ad; $250 for the Marilyn Holiday award winner; $2,000 for boys/girls new track uniforms; $2,260 for Welch was 26th in the 800M. Martinez earned All-State honors in the 100M with a 6th place finish, while the foursome of F. Garcia, Lycan, Aumaugher, and Martinez earned All-State honors with their school record setting 400M Relay 5th place finish. Congratulations to all Blue Devil Tracksters on a terrific season! The track team would also like to thank the following volunteers for making home track meets a huge success: Doug Townsend, Chris Rice, Tammy Wilson, Anne Wokeck, Kris Bullock, Margot Kinnear, Tammy Barkovich, Todd Barkovich, Chris Richter, John Dedrick, Jim Turner, Buster Turner, Mike Burris, Penny Hole Sponsorship available: Blue Sponsorship $50 (Hole Sponsorship) Gold Sponsorship $100 (Hole sponsorship and included in Varsity Football Program) Call or Chris Richter to verify space availability at or crichter@lawtoncs.org. new softball equipment; $100 for the football all academic award; $2,000 for general weight room upgrades; $1,200 for new golf equipment, $1,000 for cheer camp, $1,500 for new volleyball equipment; and $1,000 for the summer wooden bat league. This would not have been possible without the support of our volunteers, so thank you all very much! Athletic Booster Board President- Heather Cosby Vice President- Jennifer Robertson Treasurer- Amy Bloedorn Secretary- Rachel McCarthy Purchaser- Martha Lull and Barb Holloway Burris, Susan Douglas, Jill Simonds, Rachel McCarthy, Jim McCarthy, Kim Emmert, Noah Emmert, Nickolaus Schubert, Emily Schubert, and Jessica Schubert! The time and dedication you all give to LHS Track is greatly appreciated! A big shout out, too, to all of the wonderful folks who worked the concession stand and the admission gate! We also want to thank the Athletic Boosters for donating money toward our new uniforms! To those of you who I may have missed, it was not on purpose. Please accept my sincerest apologies, and know that your efforts are appreciated as well! We look forward to another great season next year! Middle School Scheduling- Dawn Maynard High School Scheduling- April Willis Communication Coordinator - Krysti Druckenbrodt Apparel- Kim Triemstra MS Scheduling Alternate- Jerrilynn Geib Purchasing Alternates- Josh Doster and Michelle Adams HS scheduling alternate- Cheryl Modderman The Athletic Boosters would like also to express our deepest sympathies and sincere thanks to the Price family for your generous donation to the boosters. Page 8

9 Volume XLII, No. 2 Education Beyond Expectations VARSITY FOOTBALL VOLLEYBALL 8/25 WATERVLIET A 7:00 8/19 V-LAWTON INVITE H 8:30 8/31 DELTON KELLOGG H 7:00 8/28 JV/V-DECATUR A 4:00 9/8 KALAMAZOO UNITED A 7:00 8/30 JV/V-TRI-@ MARTIN A 4:00 9/15 CONSTANTINE (Salute the Troops) H 7:00 9/7 ALL-COLOMA H 5:00 9/22 GALESBURG AUGUSTA A 7:00 9/9 V-WATERVLIET INVITE A 8:00 9/29 GOBLES (Homecoming) H 7:00 9/12 ALL-SAUGATUCK A 5:00 10/6 FENNVILLE A 7:00 9/16 LAWTON JV INVITE H 8:30 10/13 SAUGATUCK A 7:00 9/19 JV/V-GALESBURG AUGUSTA H 5:00 10/20 MARTIN (Senior Night) H 7:00 9/23 F-COMSTOCK INVITE A 9:00 10/27 PLAYOFF-FIRST ROUND TBA 9/23 V-DECATUR INVITE A 9:00 JV FOOTBALL 9/26 ALL- K-CHRISTIAN H 5:00 8/24 WATERVLIET H 6:00 9/28 ALL-GOBLES A 5:00 8/30 DELTON KELLOGG A 6:00 9/30 LAWTON FRESHMAN INVOTE H 8:30 9/7 KALAMAZOO UNITED H 6:00 10/3 ALL-HACKETT CP A 5:00 9/14 CONSTANTINE A 6:00 10/10 JV/V-CONSTANTINE H 5:00 9/21 GALESBURG AUGUSTA H 6:00 10/14 V- COLOMA INVITE A 8:30 9/28 GOBLES A 6:00 10/17 ALL-DELTON KELLOGG A 5:00 10/5 FENNVILLE H 6:00 10/18 JV A 5:00 10/12 SAUGATUCK H 6:00 10/19 V QUAD w/marcellus, Decatur, Martin H 5:00 10/19 MARTIN A 6:00 10/24 ALL-SCHOOLCRAFT A 5:00 MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL 10/28 V-SAC TOURNAMENT@ TBD 9:00 Schedule to come 10/30 A TBA CROSS COUNTRY MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL 8/19 LAWTON INVITE (MS) H 9:00 9/18 ST. MONICA A 5:00 8/23 BRIDGMAN INVITE A 5:00 9/20 CONSTANTINE H 5:00 8/26 HARPER CREEK INVITE A 10:00 9/25 MARTIN A 5:00 8/29 PAW PAW (MS ONLY) A 5:00 9/27 PARCHMENT H 5:00 8/30 NEW BUFFALO INVITE A 5:00 10/2 LAWRENCE H 5:00 9/9 DECATUR INVITE (MS) A 9:00 10/4 FENNVILLE H 5:00 9/13 SAUGATUCK (MS) A 5:00 10/9 CONSTANTINE A 5:00 9/16 MENDON INVITE (MS) A 10:00 10/11 ST. MONICA H 5:00 9/20 SCHOOLCRAFT INVITE (MS) A 5:00 10/16 MARTIN H 5:00 9/27 WATERVLIET (MS) A 5:00 10/18 PARCHMENT A 5:00 10/3 K-CHRISTIAN MS DIVISIONAL MEET A 5:30 10/23 LAWRENCE A 5:00 10/7 PORTAGE CC INVITE (MS) A 9:00 10/25 FENNVILLE A 5:00 10/11 SAC Delton (MS) A 4:30 10/17 RIVER VALLEY INVITE A 4:30 Last Revised: 6/8/17 10/17 VICKSBURG (MS Only) A 5:00 SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE 10/21 K-CHRISTIAN INVITE A 10:30 Volunteer for the athletic boosters at any home 10/28 A TBA contest and earn 3 admissions into Lawton athletic events! 11/4 MIS A TBA VARSITY SOCCER 8/26 COLOMA INVITE A 9:00 8/28 COMSTOCK H 6:00 8/30 LMC H 6:00 9/5 GOBLES H 6:00 9/7 BRIDGMAN A 5:00 9/11 HACKETT CP A 6:00 9/13 K CHRISTIAN A 5:00 9/18 COLOMA A 6:00 9/20 FENNVILLE H 6:00 9/25 GOBLES A 5:00 9/27 SCHOOLCRAFT H 6:00 10/2 DELTON KELLOGG H 6:00 10/4 MARCELLUS A 6:00 10/9 SAUGATUCK H 6:00 10/11 CASSOPOLIS A 5:00 10/16 DISTRICTS A TBA LAWTON ATHLETICS thanks you for your support! The 2017 Blue Devil Bash raised and distributed $4,700 directly to eleven sports teams. An additional $3,223 was raised for the general athletics fund. These funds help us provide coaches training, athletic trainers, state tournament expenses, team camps and additional equipment for our teams and athletes. We could not do it without your support. Go Blue Devils! Page 9

10 Lawton Lawton Community Community Schools Schools CONNECT August 2016 Honoring a Career in Education Lawton Community Schools would like to congratulate Marcia Angle, Deb Byler, Mary Leahy, Laura Woodruff, and Dennis Van- Weelden on their retirement. Thank you for your years of service to our students and community! POINTS OF PRIDE Nearly 200 School of Choice students. The highest percentage of non-resident students in Van Buren County. 1:17 Teacher:Student Ratio among the lowest in Van Buren County. Lawton High School ranked among top 10% of all high schools in Michigan by US News and World Report. Expanding STEM programs in Elementary, Middle and High Schools OPEN HOUSE Thursday, August 24 Find your classroom, open your locker, meet your teachers. Elementary School 5:30-6:30 Middle School 5:00-6:00 High School/LAAC 4:30-5:30 THANK YOU FOR MAKING LAWTON YOUR SCHOOL OF CHOICE LAWTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS OPTIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS LAWTON ACCELERATED ACADEMIC CENTER An on-site alternative high school Online options for qualifying students in grades 6-12 An after-school credit recovery center for Lawton High School Why the LAAC? Rigorous graduation course requirements Small school setting with low student to staff ratio Flexible scheduling for qualifying students Among the highest graduation rates for alternative high schools locally and statewide Page 10 Lawton Community Schools Accepting School of Choice Applications (269) School of Choice open enrollment Unlimited K-12 for Fall School Year through September 8, 2017

11 Lawton Education Community Beyond Expectations Schools CONNECT August 2016 Lawton Kids First Daycare Lawton Kids First Daycare is a private child care center that serves children ages 3-12 years old. The child care center offers summer, before school, and after school care. We are open on days when school is not in session as well as snow days. We also offer care for preschool students after their class or in between the days of preschool. The center is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center is located at the school which makes for easy transition in the morning to class or at the end of the day from class to the center. We will make sure your child gets to any after school activities that are located at the elementary. For more information or to enroll your child please contact Anne Wokeck (owner/director) at or awokeck@lawtoncs.org. Girl Scouts Science Night Annual Notices PESTICIDES Lawton Community School District has adopted an Integrated Pest Management program. Inherent with this are the District s efforts to reduce pesticide use as much as possible. While it may occasionally be necessary to apply a pesticide, these will only be used as a last resort. This program does not rely on routine pesticide applications to resolve problems. Advance notice of an application will be given 48 hours before the application. The law requires us to do this notification by using two methods. The first method required by the law is the posting at the primary entrances to your child s school. Parents are also entitled to receive this notice by first-class United States mail postmarked at least three (3) days before the application. If you would like to be notified by mail or would like to review our IPM program or pesticide application records please contact Jim Turner at or jturner@lawtoncs.org. The following will be serviced the 2nd Thursday of each month, high school, middle school, elementary School and Administration Building for the school year. MDA Pesticide & Plant and Pest Management: This communication is in accordance with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division, Regulation #637 as amended August 13, Your school s district complies with pest management requirements. HIGHLY QUALIFIED All Lawton Community Schools teachers and instructional paraprofessionals are meet the Guidelines for Highly Qualified under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Additionally, all teachers hold valid Michigan Teaching Certificates. Michigan residents can verify a teacher s credential online at by clicking on the link Educator Certification Verification. NOTICE OF RIGHT TO REQUEST PERSONAL CURRICULUM To be eligible for a high school diploma, Michigan students are required to complete the requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC). Schools are allowed, however, to modify the MMC based on the individual learning needs of each student. These modifications are typically known as a personal curriculum (PC). Schools must follow certain guidelines when developing a PC. When those guidelines are met, students with a PC are eligible for a high school diploma. Beginning with the school year, schools must develop a personal curriculum for any student at the request of the student s parent or guardian or the student who is 18 years old. Lawton High School has traditionally strived to the most appropriate educational program for each student and will continue to do so. If you are interested in a personal curriculum for your high school student, please contact Guidance Counselor Darcy Munro at PHOTO RELEASE The purpose of the district newsletter is to convey to the public information about activities at school and school related events. Parents should be aware that publications contain pictures of students Follow Your Dream Recipients The Lawton Education Foundation s Annual Soup & Sandwich Supper was held on March 15, 2017 at the Lawton Community Center. The scholarships were awarded to Max Fletcher, Gabby Holloway, Natalie Marietti, Gavin Roehm, Andrew Garcia, Jordan Maxam, and Javoni Vigil. The Lawton Lions Club s donation of $300, the Lawton Heritage Museum s $500 donation, as well as an individual donation to the Follow Your Dream Scholarship program enabled the Lawton Education Foundation to award the additional scholarships in Our thanks to all the applicants who applied for this scholarship this year, as well as to the judges. We received so many great entries, and our judges found it to be a challenging task to choose the scholarship winners. Our Soup & Sandwich Supper was a success thanks to the patrons whom enjoyed the soup donations we received from Big T Restaurant, D. Coy Duck s, The Vineyard Cafe, and many individuals. Costco, and Gordon Foods, and many individuals supplied food items for the sloppy joes, and the supplies. Lawton graduate, Teresa Spontelli printed our flyers. We would like to give huge thanks to the Lawton Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops who did an amazing job of bussing tables, cleaning trays, and taking out the trash. involved with school activities or students who have received awards related to the articles in the newsletters. Please contact your building secretary or superintendent secretary at if you do not wish to have your child s picture published in newsletters throughout the school year. Otherwise, this notice will serve as a photo release for Lawton Community Schools. NOTICE TO PARENTS REGARDING STUDENT RECORDS Each student s records will be kept in a confidential file located at the student s school office. The information in the student s record file will be available for review only by the parent or legal guardian of a student, adult student (19 years of age or older), and those authorized by federal law and district regulations. The District has established the following information about each student as directory information: name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, photograph, major field of study, sports, height and weight if a member of an athletic team, dates of attendance, date of participation in officially recognized activities, graduation, awards received, honor roll, and scholarship awards. The District will make the above information available upon a legitimate request unless a parent, guardian, or adult student notified the District Records Office in writing within ten (10) days from the date of this notification that he/she will not permit distribution of any or all of such information. Page 11

12 Lawton Community Schools Office of the Superintendent 101 Primary Way Lawton, MI Newsletter Residents: The newsletter is published three times per year by Lawton Community Schools. The Lawton Community School District complies with all federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, sex, age, height, weight, color, national origin, religion, marital status, political belief, or physical or mental handicap or disability in all of its programs and in employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Superintendent of Schools, 101 Primary Way, Lawton, MI Lawton Elementary & Middle School PTO Lawton Elementary News The Lawton Elementary PTO is off and running Ready to start a successful, fun, learning year! Visit our table at the Elementary Open House to see what you can do to be involved this school year. At the end of the school year we celebrated our students dedication to education and hard work with the annual carnival. Thank you to all our parent and student volunteers It was a fabulous event for the kids! PTO did not stop working over the summer. Here is what we ve been up to. Publishing the Elementary Yearbook (available in September for pick up). Planning for the 10th Annual Blue Devil Dash is underway. We are hoping to pull out all the stops with prizes for this milestone anniversary! We would love to see supporters clapping, cheering, walking, and running to support students as they go around the track ~ raising funds with the goal of adding electronics to their classrooms. What a stellar year for gathering donations from Lawton businesses Thank you! Supporters receive their businesses printed on students t-shirts and published in the yearbook. Be sure to support them, as they have been so generous! We hope to meet new faces this year Please join us for a meeting: Location: Elementary Library Time: 6:30pm When: Generally first Tuesday of the month. Schedule available at Lawtoncs.org Fundraisers that never stop: Save Box Tops and Family Fare Receipts; they are a simple way to earn money for the school. We typically raise over $3,000 from collecting box tops alone each year. Please set your default search engine on your computer to Goodsearch.com and when you shop online use Goodshop.com. Both earn money for our school! If you have any questions or would like more information about the PTO or the events we sponsor, please contact any board member. Lawton Middle School News The Middle School PTO is proud to be able to bring Kinetic Affect to our middle and high school students this fall. We have a performance planned for the first day of school, September 5th at 8:30 a.m. This will be held in the high school gymnasium. Parents are welcome to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and a great way to kick off our new school year! Lawton Lions Community Activities Lawton Lions Club Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held Sunday, November 19, 2017 at the Lawton Lions Heritage Community Center, 646 North Nursery Street from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Free to public Donations Welcome. There will be NO takeout orders. In addition, on December 11th meet at 6:00 at the Lawton Lions Heritage Community Center for Christmas Community Singing!