Longhorn Loop

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GCPS will hold a digital learning day tomorrow, January 10th due to the incoming inclement weather. Students will have access to assignments via their eCLASS pages.

On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 6:00-8:30 PM LHS will host informational meetings for rising 9th grade parents to learn about Lanier High School. Topics will include: CDAT academy, registration/scheduling, academic rigor, advanced placement courses, college and career readiness, supporting a freshman student at home, core course information, career and technical education pathways, fine arts, and how to get students involved in high school clubs and activities.

6:00-6:20 pm Introduction and General Academic Information – Theater

6:30-8:30 pm Break-out sessions. Parents will choose 5 from the list below that they would like to attend.

6:30-6:50 Breakout Session #1

6:55-7:15 Breakout Session #2

7:20-7:40 Breakout Session #3

7:45-8:05 Breakout Session #4

8:10-8:30 Breakout Session #5

College and Career: Post Secondary Options

Academic Rigor: AP, Honors, and Gifted Course

Information

Mathematics

Fine Arts

Career & Technical Education (CTAE) Pathway Information

How to support your rising 9th grader: Emotionally and Academically

How your Student Can Get Involved

Foreign Language (Spanish/French)

Registration and Scheduling Q&A/Core Academic

Questions

Spanish for Native Speakers (SNS)

*LINKS TO EACH PRESENTATION WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE LMS and LHS WEBSITE BY JANUARY 13, 2025.

Welcome to the LHS Orchestra!

Orchestra is open to all students who have an interest in

learning the violin, viola, cello, or bass (no experience or musical background necessary). There are 5 classes offered for the 2025 - 2026 school year. Upcoming 9th grade students will have the opportunity to register for classes in January/February!

Students have several class options that will meet current technique skills as well as help achieve future performance goals:

Here is a short video introducing the Orchestra program at Lanier High School

Prelude Orchestra - open to all 9th-12th graders who have no prior experience playing the violin/viola/cello/bass OR students who need to review the fundamentals of playing the instrument. Concert Orchestra - open to 9th grade students who have successfully completed three years of middle school orchestra. All rising 9th graders who do not audition for philharmonic are automatically enrolled in this section.

Symphonic Orchestra - open to 10th-12th graders who have successfully completed Prelude and/or Concert Orchestra. There is no audition required. .

Philharmonic Orchestra - AUDITION REQUIRED - open to 9th - 12th grade students. All students, including rising 9th graders will have the opportunity to audition in January. This orchestra plays more difficult music than Concert or Symphonic. Individual practice outside of the school day is expected. Rising 9th graders who participated in honors orchestra and/or Kendall Youth Orchestra are automatically enrolled in this section.

Chamber Orchestra - AUDITION REQUIRED - 10th-12th grade students only (9th grade students who have passed the county All-State audition and/or participate in youth orchestras listed below are eligible). This is the most advanced performing group in the orchestra program. Students should commit to practicing outside of the class period. Participation in extra ensembles such as GCYS, All-State, MYSO, EYSO, ASYO, GYSO and/or private lessons are strongly recommended but not required.

If you have any questions about our program, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Wood!

laura.wood@gcpsk12.org Office: 678-765-4779

Mark your calendars:

Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Rising Longhorn Night at LHS, 6:00 PM Tuesday, April 15, 2025 LHS Spring Orchestra Concert, 6:30PM

Any student interest in playing football at Lanier High School is eligible to participate in weight training. Students will ride over tot he high school at dismissal from Lanier Middle on a GCPS activity bus on the dates listed below. Transportation home is not included at the end each session. If you are interested please see the Lanier Athletics homepage on the Lanier website.

Each week we will post a question for students to discuss with their adults over the weekend. Questions can be funny, serious, or thought provoking, but each week provides a new occasion for a family discussion. Students will have opportunities to write about some of these topics as well as earn extra credit in language arts for their participation.

Everyday Matters: Building Success Through Attendance

Lanier Middle School is a thriving community of learners with unique stories and aspirations, and each day presents a new opportunity for your child to succeed. However, some of our students are missing out due to chronic absenteeism—a challenge we must address together to ensure every student has the chance to thrive.

The Issue at Hand

Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing at least 10% of the school year or more, which would be 18 days or more out of a school year of 180 days. In school days, this means that a student has missed almost a full month of school (20 days), and this matters whether those days missed are consecutive or not. Last year, about 3% of the roughly 1,400 Lanier Middle School student body struggled with chronic absenteeism, and while that may seem like a low number for many, it is our mission at Lanier to ensure the success and well-being of every student. But why are so many students missing school? After listening to our students, we found this:

1. 66% of students who were chronically absent mentioned feeling rewarded whenever they are staying home from school. – This doesn’t mean that parents are literally rewarding their kids for not attending school but instead means that some students just associate not attending school with more positive outcomes for themselves than attending school would elicit. This, in turn, creates that feeling of reward and reinforces the habit of not going to school. “Rewards” can look like extra screen time on devices or video games that a student wouldn’t typically receive if at school during the day, getting to sleep in later than usual, or existing in a more relaxed environment as opposed to how a classroom may feel to a student.
2. 27% of students who were chronically absent mentioned that they are seeking parental connection in some way. – Many students are missing school due to generalized anxiety about all kinds of things – group projects, crushes, tests, peer drama – and seek to ease their anxiety through the safety they feel with a trusted parent or guardian. Some students may be experiencing specifically separation anxiety and struggle to be anywhere without their parents, including school. On the other side of the coin, some students are seeking to feel needed at home by missing school to be near their parents and helpful to them in some way, showcasing their desire for a closer bond with their parents.

Being present isn’t just about academic growth—it’s about preparing for life.

• Academic Success: Students who attend regularly are more likely to stay on track, grasp new concepts, and excel in their studies. By the time students reach middle school, their attendance and academic performance serve as likely indicators for high school performance and college readiness. By 6th grade, attendance is one of three indicators that a student may drop out.
• Social-Emotional Growth: Attending school strengthens relationships with peers and builds essential skills like teamwork, empathy, and resilience.
• Future Readiness: Regular attendance builds habits that set students up for success in high school and their careers, establishing a foundation of responsibility and commitment.

Tackling absenteeism isn’t just a school challenge—it’s a community effort. Here’s how you can do your part to support our students:

• Create Positive Routines: Reinforce the importance of daily attendance and establish morning habits that energize your child for the day ahead.
• Celebrate Progress: Recognize and celebrate improvements, big and small, in your child’s attendance. Don’t be afraid to take it a step further by incentivizing improvements with anything that’s enjoyable, encouraging, and motivating to your child.
• Communicate with Us: If obstacles are affecting attendance, we’re here to help. Let’s work together on solutions to support the well-being of your child.
  
  

Thank you for being our partners in education!

Warm regards,

Dionne Williams, LMSW

School Social Worker

The Longhorn basketball teams travel to Meadowcreek to take on Radloff MS. Girls tip at 5:30 PM with the boys to follow.

The Longhorn basketball teams travel to Duluth to take on Coleman MS. Girls tip at 9:00 AM with the boys to follow.

Tryouts for the 2024-2025 soccer season will begin on Monday, January 20th. Tryouts are open to all Lanier Middle School students in grades 6-8. There will be both a girls and boys team. Interested players must have all required information uploaded into RankOne no later than January 13th. See the Lanier website for more details and links to RankOne. Students > Athletics

Dear Parents,

As the three school counselors at Lanier Middle School, we have observed a substantial increase in student anxiety over the last few years. The number one reason we see students in our offices is anxiety. Some of this anxiety stems from academic pressure, but it also comes from family and social stress.

In order to address some of the anxiety we are seeing in our students, we are hosting a parent book study based on the book "Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents" by Dr. Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons. This book is based on the Yale SPACE study (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) which covered anxiety management for youth. We will be meeting every other Thursday starting on January 23rd at 6:00-7:30 pm at Lanier Middle School. The first ten parents that sign up will be provided a book to use throughout the book study. While it would be great if each participant attends each session, we do know that family schedules are intense these days. We are certainly not making anything mandatory, however, we do ask that you commit to attending as many sessions as you can. The group as a whole will get more out of the experience if everyone fully participates.

If you are interested, please click the image below to register.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us!

Thank you so very much!

Dr. Jennifer Diaz, LPC - 6th grade school counselor

Kayla McClure, M.Ed. - 7th grade school counselor

Michelle Hyman, Ed.S. - 8th grade school counselor

Report cards will begin to be printed and mailed home beginning January 14th. Parents will have access to end of term grades for Semester 1 in ParentVue on January 15th.

We would like to urge you to disable the digest option in your Parent Square account settings for Lanier Middle School. Many of our communications are time-sensitive, and we don’t want you to miss any important updates. Your attention to this matter will ensure you stay informed and connected with all school activities and announcements.

Thank you for your consideration!

Parents now have the option to be notified in the ParentVUE mobile app if their student’s grade fall below a preset threshold. Follow this link for more information.

At Lanier Middle School, mornings are an excellent opportunity for students to receive extra support in their core subjects. With that in mind, for the 2024-2025 school year we will target each core content area on a specific day of the week. If your student needs additional support or needs assistance in a Connection class, they can see their content teacher to arrange an additional day that works with the teachers morning schedule. In order for students to attend morning tutoring, they need to arrive at 8:05 AM.

Beginning with the 2024-2025 )school year (Effective July 1) GCPS will be implementing fines for damaged and lost Chromebooks and power cords. Please discuss the importance of taking care of the equipment that has been issued to your student.

*A device could have multiple damaged components such as broken hinges as well as a cracked screen, this would result in a fine of $50. $25 for each damaged component.

Currently we have about 37% of our families using the Parent Square App. This is a great and easy way to stay connected to all things Lanier and GCPS. Consider downloading it this weekend.

Keep up to date with all the great things happening at Lanier Middle School by joining our social media platforms. See the Bottom Banner of this newsletter for Links to our Twitter, Facebook pages OR see the "Let's Be Social" section of the Lanier MS Homepage for links to all our social platforms including Instagram and our YouTube Channel. It is here you will see many more pictures and videos of all the activities and events happening here at LMS!