Leighton Update

Welcome Back!

Dear Leighton Families,

What an outstanding first week back at school!

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at our 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade "meet and greets" this past Tuesday and Wednesday. Connecting with our wonderful families is one of the best parts of our job, and it was a great way to kick off the new school year.

We could not have asked for a better start to the school year with our two split days. This time allowed students to get to know their teachers and classmates, setting a strong foundation for the year ahead. Mr. Morris and I also had the opportunity to speak with each grade level about the importance of our students' physical and emotional safety; as well as the expectations at Leighton. We were so impressed to see students already demonstrating what it means to be respectful, responsible, problem solvers. Your children did a tremendous job on their first days back, and we are so proud of them!

We are excited to welcome all of our students back on Monday, August 18th. We are here to assist with anything and do not hesitate to contact us with any needs as we transition from summer back to school routines. Let's make 2025-2026 the best school year ever!

Sincerely,

Spencer Warders

Principal

Meet Your Leighton School Counselors!

We are excited to introduce ourselves as the school counselors at Leighton Elementary! Nicole Wadkins is here Monday through Friday, and Lindsey Ambrosia is here on Tuesdays and Fridays.

As school counselors, our role is to support all students in the areas of academic success and social-emotional well-being. We work with students individually, in small groups, and in classrooms to help them develop the skills they need to be successful learners and kind, confident members of our school community.

We are also here for families—whether you have concerns about your child’s academic progress, social interactions, emotional needs, or just need help navigating resources, we are happy to connect and problem-solve together.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out:
Mrs. Wadkins: nwadkins@aurora-schools.org | 330-562-2209 (option 3)
Mrs. Ambrosia: lambrosia@aurora-schools.org | 330-562-6199 ext. 5414

We’re looking forward to a great year partnering with you and your children!

If you ever need to report a temporary change in your child's transportation, please use our transportation change form found on the resources tab under Leighton Elementary, on the District's website. Also, if you are picking your child up for an early dismissal you can use this form as well.

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.

We communicated expectations about cell phones and smart watches to students these past two days. If students bring a cell phone to school it is to remain turned off and in their locker for the entirety of the school day. If students have a smart watch device it is to be used as a traditional watch only and not as a form of communication. If students are using their watch to call/text, they will be asked to return the devices to their locker. If there is a second offense, the student will be required to keep the device in their locker when they come to school daily.

If students need to contact home, they are permitted to come to the office to call. If parents need to talk to their child, please contact the office and we will arrange that as soon as possible. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our educational environments as distraction free as possible.

Aug. 18th- ALL STUDENTS Report to School

Aug. 29th- Autumn Assessment Day for Students with Last Name A-L (M-Z Stay Home)

Sept. 1- Labor Day NO SCHOOL

Sept. 2- Autumn Assessment Day for Students with Last Name M-Z (A-L Stay Home)

Sept. 3- PTO Kickoff Meeting at 6:30 (Location TBD)

Sept. 3- Gifted Services Info for families of 3rd graders and new to LES in 4th/5th grade 6-7pm

Sept. 9- School Picture Day

Sept. 19- Laps For Leighton

Sept. 25- Elementary Curriculum Night 6-8pm

The Aurora City Schools use Final Forms to complete necessary back-to-school paperwork and to send out important communication. Final Forms saves data from year-to-year so that you will never need to enter the same information twice. If at any time a phone number, email or other contact information changes we will get a notification that a change has been made, so please make updates when needed. Also, if you see a field in red, you will need to make these updates in the system. You will need to see all "green fields" to show that your Final Forms are up to date for the 25-26 school year. Please click the Final Forms image to take you to the login screen.

Click For Leighton Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Click Here For Leighton Car Rider Tag Form

Click Here For Leighton's Lunch Menu

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

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.

If any student needs to be picked up or dropped off other than their home location, they MUST fill out an alternate bus stop form before we can transport and return to us by email, fax or dropping off at the office. That form is located in the same area as listed below on the webpage and is also included below.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. My email is cwingler@aurora-schools.org.

MyBus K-12 App Instructions

Alternative Bus Stop Form