Leighton Update

Dear Leighton Families,

As we reach the conclusion of a wonderful first half of the school year, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your continued partnership and support. It is the strength of our school community that makes Leighton such a special place for our students to grow. On behalf of the entire staff, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy holiday season. We hope your Winter Break is filled with fun, relaxation, and many cherished memories.

It has been an incredibly busy and joyful final week here at school! Our halls were buzzing with excitement thanks to the Holiday Shop running all week long. We owe a massive thank you to the AEPTO for facilitating this wonderful opportunity; it was awesome to see our students thoughtfully selecting gifts for their families and loved ones. Beyond the joy of giving, this experience built valuable life skills as students practiced managing their own "budgets." Additionally, we want to give a huge thanks to our AEPTO VP, Kelly Shoffstall, as well as all of our dedicated volunteers for organizing and running our Winterfest grade-level parties this Friday. The students had a blast enjoying the various games and activities, and we truly appreciate the time and effort given to make this day so successful.

As a final reminder, the second grading period has now come to a close. Report cards will be made available digitally through ProgressBook on Friday, January 9th, 2026, during our first week back from break. Please take this time to celebrate your child’s hard work and reflect on their progress so far this year. We look forward to seeing all of our students return refreshed and ready to learn in the New Year. Classes for students resume on Tuesday, January 6th.

Sincerely,

Spencer Warders

Principal

Leighton Elementary

This past week, our fourth and fifth-grade orchestras, directed by Mr. Nabring, and our fifth-grade general music choir, directed by Dr. Iriarte, delivered truly spectacular Winter Concert performances. Our students sounded phenomenal, and we are incredibly proud of the dedication and musical growth they have shown throughout this first semester. We are also deeply grateful for the wonderful turnout of family and friends; your support of our young musicians made the evenings even more special.

Mark your calendars! On Thursday, January 15th, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Leighton will host our annual Dine to Donate event at the Streetsboro Dairy Queen. A portion of all sales during this time will be generously donated back to our school to support school-wide student incentives and the purchase of essential educational equipment and supplies for our classrooms and building. You’ll see many familiar faces behind the counter, as our staff members will be on-site helping to serve families and customers! We hope you can join us for a sweet treat in support of our students and staff.

At this time of the year we begin to have students who meet the benchmarks of notifying families about excessive absences. If your child meets the threshold of missed hours, a letter must be sent from the school alerting you. Please also be reminded that it doesn't matter whether the absences are excused or unexcused. We have to track the hours missed regardless of the reason and communicate to you when benchmarks have been met.

This is also the time of year that planned absences often get scheduled. We have attached our planned absence form and policy. Please make sure you read through this important message and understand that planned absences and absences due to illness all count for missed hours. If you have any further questions, please contact the main office.

LES Planned Absence Form

As we head deeper into the winter months, we also enter the peak of cold and flu season. To help us keep all students healthy and learning, we ask that parents please remain vigilant about monitoring your student's symptoms.

A key strategy in preventing the spread of illness is to keep sick children home. Please remember that students must be free of fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication), vomiting, and diarrhea for at least 24 hours before they may return to school.

Your support in adhering to these guidelines is greatly appreciated and helps ensure a healthier environment for all Leighton students and families.

Questions? Please contact our Leighton School Nurse Mrs. Harper at eharper@aurora-schools.org

Our 4th grade homeroom winners receiving their certificates and gift cards from the Aurora American Legion for their US flag history activity

4th graders Malcolm Lewis and Gracie Jones being recognized at the December Board meeting for being the overall winners of the 4th grade US flag activity

Our students receiving their rewards for the Greenmen Bus awards for meeting expected behaviors on our rides to and from school.

Our fifth graders recently wrapped up their impressive Gingerbread House project! Students applied their math skills by calculating the square footage of their homes and tapped into their creativity to write fictional 'Zillow ads' to market their homes. The houses looked incredible, and the level of ingenuity shown by our students was truly awesome to see. It was a wonderful way to bring learning to life

Jan 6 - Classes Resume

Jan 9- Report Cards Available Digitally

Jan 15th- DQ (Streetsboro) Dine to Donate Night 5pm-8pm

Jan 19th- NO SCHOOL MLK Day

Jan 27- Club and Candid Pictures

Click Here For Leighton 25-26 Important Dates Calendar

Click Here For Leighton's Lunch Menu

You can track your child's lunch account by setting up your profile. You may also send in cash or a check written out to the Aurora City Schools.

Click Here To Add Money To Your Child's Lunch Account

Change In Transportation Form

Click For Leighton Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

When reporting your child's absence, please call 330-562-2209 and select option 1. You will be prompted to leave a message with the name of your child and the reason for the absence. If you need to talk to our attendance secretary, Mrs. Mariah George, please select 0 and you will be connected during normal school hours.