LIS Shines

Students are happily settling into fall here at LIS! We have a few exciting student events and an early dismissal day due to professional development for our students this month.

• Monday, October 5th starts our Week of Respect! See the flyer below from our guidance department to see how students can show their spirit each day.
• Thursday, October 8th is LIS Shines Day! This annual character education event celebrates our house system and how our students Let It Shine at LIS! Student will have a pep rally in the morning and participate in team building events for through out the day!
• Wednesday, October 14th is an early dismissal day for students. Dismissal starts at 12:15 at LIS on early dismissal days and lunch is not served.
• Wednesday, October 21st is our Student Council Fall Festival. Join us for some family fun from 4:45 -6:15, more details will be shared next week
• Friday, October 20th, LIS Fall Spirit Day. Students can dress up in a school appropriate costume or in fall colors!

We are excited to see all our students shine this month, and hope to see you at our Fall Festival on October 21st!

LIS Administration

Principal: Sharin Rello srello@ltps.org

Assistant Principals:

Tori Hart vhart@ltps.org

Gregg Zenerovitz gzenerovitz@ltps.org

LIS Main Office: (609) 671-5531

LIS Principal's Secretary: Jen Logue jlogue@ltps.org

Main office secretary: Dilnaz Shroff dshroff@ltps.org

Guidance secretary: Rebecca Arce rarce@ltps.org

**To translate our newsletters, click on the Translate button on the right side of the screen, and you can choose the language.

• Para traducir nuestros boletines, haga clic en el botón Traducir en el lado derecho de la pantalla, y allí podrá elegir el idioma.
• Aby przetłumaczyć nasze biuletyny, kliknij przycisk Tłumacz po prawej stronie ekranu i tam możesz wybrać język

• Monday, October 5th - Week of Respect, see flyer for more info
• Thursday, October 8th - LIS Shines Day
• Friday, October 9th - LIS Shines Day - Rain date
• Wednesday, October 14th - Early Dismissal, Starts at 12:15, lunches are NOT served
• Monday, October 19 - Fall Conferences Open - more information will be emailed home later this month
• Wednesday, October 21st - Student Council Fall Fest 4:45 PM to 6:15 PM, see flyer for more info
• Friday, October 30th - LIS fall Spirit Day - See Flyer Below

Observed annually during the first full week of October across New Jersey schools, the Week of Respect at LIS focuses on recognizing and celebrating diversity, fostering kindness, and preventing bullying across the school community.

As part of this celebration, we are excited to highlight LIS Shines Day on Thursday, 10/8! This special character education event centers around team building, bringing our students together through interactive, community-minded activities. It’s a dedicated opportunity for our LIS students to practice collaboration, strengthen friendships, and shine bright by putting respect into action.

We are excited to celebrate Fall Spirit Day on Friday, October 30th! Students are invited to show their school spirit by wearing fall colors or dressing in a school-appropriate costume.

To ensure a safe, fun, and comfortable environment for learning, please review our costume guidelines with your child before the big day:

• Keep it safe & functional: No masks/face covers, inflatable costumes, or pretend weapons/props.

• Keep it school-appropriate: Outfits should allow students to move and sit comfortably, with safe walking shoes.

• 
  

Please see the attached flyer for the full list of guidelines. Thank you for helping us make this a fun, respectful, and inclusive day for everyone

Homeroom Coordinators Needed

Want to get involved in your child’s classroom? Consider becoming a Homeroom Coordinator!

Homeroom Coordinators help support teachers and classrooms throughout the year by sharing information, and assisting with classroom celebrations and other needs as they come up. Click the link below to learn more about what to expect and to sign up!

www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0849AAAA2BAAF49-65333391-lishomeroom

Homeroom Coordinators are still needed in the following classes:

5th: Delibero

5th: Kleiger

5th: Rude & Axenroth

6th: D’Errico

6th: Duckett

6th: Krzyzkowski

6th: Luizzi

6th: Mielcarek

Save the date:

Our first PTO meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, October 13th in the LIS Library and virtual. You can join the meeting virtrually with this link: https://meet.google.com/pgy-xkcv-ckz

Find our New Social Media:

Find us on Facebook at: facebook.com/nj.lispto

Find us at Instagram at: instagram.com/lispto.nj

As students settle into the school year, our intermediate readers are working on an important literacy skill: reading for understanding. In grades 4–6, students are expected to move beyond simply recalling information from a text. They are learning to identify important ideas, determine themes or main ideas, summarize what they have read, and explain their thinking using evidence from the text.

Families can support these skills through simple conversations about reading. After your child reads, try asking: “What was the most important idea?” “How would you summarize what you read?” or “What part of the text helped you figure that out?” Encourage your child to go back to the text when answering questions. This reinforces the idea that strong readers use the text to support their thinking.

Try this at home: Have your child give you a 30-second “book talk” after reading. Ask them to tell you what the text was mostly about, one important detail they learned, and one thought or question they have.

Family Literacy Tip: You don't need to have read the same book as your child to have a meaningful conversation about it. Your questions and genuine interest can encourage your child to think more deeply about reading.

For more grade-level literacy resources, book recommendations, and ideas for supporting reading and writing at home, visit our Family ELA Website.

As we move into October, students in the intermediate grades are stepping up into more challenging mathematics work, including the first of a series of units on multiplication, division, and fractions (4), adding and subtracting fractions (5), and ratios (6). Additionally, we are excited to be piloting a new science program in grades 4 & 5 this year called Open Sci Ed, an elementary science program that frames the teaching of science around natural phenomena children experience every day (e.g., “Why does an object’s motion change?”; “How do we power clocks and other devices?”). This program has been in place in grades 6-8 for the past few years, and we are excited for the opportunity to bring similar learning experiences to our younger students.

This article from the National PTA has some great tips for helping your child see math in the world around them. For more on our elementary math program in Lawrence Township Public Schools, please see our website, and for math activities you and your child can do at home, please see this resource from Math Learning Center.

ELA Curriculum Information

https://sites.google.com/ltps.info/ltpsprek-6elawebsite/home

Math Curriculum Information

https://sites.google.com/ltps.info/mathematicsatlawrencetownshipp/our-vision?authuser=0

We know that you may need to change your child's dismissal procedures from time to time. Daily dismissal changes should be submitted to your student's teacher and the main office in writing, by note or email that day. Changes after the school day begins may be phoned into the main office at 609-671-5531. Changes must be called in by 2:45 PM.

When picking up a student early from school, please park and sign them out in the LIS vestibule. You must present a valid ID and be listed in Genesis as an authorized contact. If you arrive after 2:45 PM, park in a designated spot rather than the car rider line to avoid being blocked in by dismissal traffic.

LIS School Hours 8:45 - 3:30

• Doors open at 8:30 am. NO student can be dropped off or arrive at LIS before 8:15.
• Students dropped off after 8:50 will need to be signed in by a parent/guardian and report to the main office for a pass to class. They will be marked tardy, unexcused.
• Dismissal starts at 3:20. All students must be picked up by 3:40.
• If your child is eligible for bussing you will see their bus in Genesis at the end of August. LIS does not handle bus routes or times, it is determined by our transportation department.

If you need before or after care based on the LIS school hours, the YMCA program offers it right at LIS, see the flyer for more information.

Please make sure to complete the arrival and dismissal form at the top of this section to help us ensure your students is dismissal correctly the first days of school!

• The Transportation Department will NOT be mailing out bus passes. You may print your pass through your Genesis Parent Portal when they become available
• The pick-up times are an estimate. You should be at the bus stop 10 minutes early. As timings become more steady we will update bus pass times.
• Your BUS STOP LOCATION MAY HAVE CHANGED. Your BUS NUMBER/ROUTE NUMBER MAY HAVE CHANGED. Please take note and discuss the route number and stop location with your child(ren) and make sure to check again before the first day of school in case there are any last minute changes.
• Many buses are at capacity, so it is imperative that your student ride the bus assigned to them from the stop assigned to them.

Interested? View more information by clicking the flyer!

Breakfast, Lunch, and Free/Reduced Lunch Forms

For lunch this year, our students will have the option of bringing their own lunch or ordering lunch at school. Lunch will be of cost to your family unless you qualify for free lunch. Please be sure to fill out the application through Genesis to see if you qualify! We also provide Breakfast at LIS, students should go to the cafeteria when they arrive to LIS to purchase/get their breakfast.

Lawrence Township Public Schools uses the platform PaySchools Central for student breakfast/lunch accounts. Any balance you had in PaySchools Central from last year has been rolled over. You can find instructions on creating an account on our district dining services website. Cash and check payments are also accepted for meals. For checks, please include your payment form and make the check payable to Lawrence Township BOE.

The cost of lunch and breakfast this year, if you are not participating in the free/reduced program is:

• Lunch $4.00

• Breakfast $2.50

You can find the breakfast and lunch menus here: https://ltps.nutrislices.com/menu.

Our Free and Reduced Lunch forms are now part of your mandatory forms when logging into Genesis. If you need an additional copy of the form, please reach out to our main office at 609-671-5500.

You need to submit a new Free and Reduced Lunch form every year.

To report the reason for your student's absence you may through your parent log in on Genesis, the preferred method, or call and let the main office know at 609-671-5531.

To report using Genesis:

• Login into Genesis at parents.ltps.org and report under the attendance tab. Select notify office and complete needed information.

• If you need assistance reporting an absence through genesis, please click here for step-by-step directions. This feature is designed to streamline the process and save you time.

Should you need any assistance or have questions about your parent portal account, do not hesitate to contact our front office staff at (609) 671-5531 or your child's school counselor.

Medications During School Hours:

Whenever possible, the parent/guardian should arrange with their physician for medication to

be given outside of school hours. If, however, their physician deems it necessary for the student to take medication during school hours, there are specific procedures to follow. These procedures are to be followed for all medications, including over‐the‐counter or short‐term medications such as antibiotics or cough medicine. (Medication forms are online on our district website). Health Forms: https://lis.ltps.org/our-school/health-office

New doctors’ orders are required at the start of each school year.

1. The physician must complete and sign one of the three District forms:

a. Asthma Action Plan‐ Students who have asthma and use an inhaler or nebulizer.

b. Allergic Reaction Action Plan‐ Students who have food or other allergies and require

emergency medication.

c. Request for Administration of Medication‐ Any other medication required during

school hours.

2. The parent/guardian must sign the medication form and return it to the nurse.

3. Children in Pre‐Kindergarten through sixth grade are not allowed to carry or self‐

administer medication.

4. Asthma Inhalers and Epi‐Pens ONLY – Permission to Self‐ Administer Medication

(Grade 7‐12)

a. The physician and parent must sign that the student is capable of self‐administering

their medication.

b. The student must demonstrate to the school nurse that they have proper knowledge

and use of their medication.

c. Please call your school nurse to review the District’s policy regarding under what

circumstances students are permitted to self‐administer medication during school-sponsored events.

5. For the safety of all students, medications must be hand-delivered to the school nurse

by the parent/guardian in the original pharmacy-labeled container.

a. When getting the prescription filled, ask the pharmacist to provide an extra labeled

container for school.

6. Asthma Medication via NEBULIZERS:

a. In addition to the medication, the parent needs to also provide a mask, chamber &

tubing that will remain in the Health Office.

7. The prescribing physician must provide written orders if there is a change in the

original order. New orders are required in September even if a change order was

received during the school year. New orders are needed every September.

You can read more about our district’s policy in the News section on our school website

• Wait until 8th Campaign
• Away for the Day Initiative
• Screenagers the Movie resources

Your child forgot their lunch, now what? We have plenty of options for students in the cafeteria for purchase including the daily hot lunch, bagels, and vegetarian options as well.

We DO NOT allow any food delivery for students to the building (Door Dash, Uber Eats, Pizza Delivery, etc.)

We deeply value the special moments in our students’ lives, including the celebration of birthdays. These occasions are an important part of building community and recognizing each child's unique place in our school family. In an effort to prioritize student health, ensure inclusivity, and support a safe learning environment for all, we will no longer allow food, candy or drinks for birthday celebrations.

This decision comes after careful consideration of several factors, including food allergies, dietary restrictions, and our ongoing commitment to student wellness. Birthdays will still be acknowledged and celebrated in fun, meaningful ways. Teachers may choose to recognize students with special privileges, birthday songs, class games, or other creative activities that make the day feel special for your child. In addition, each child will be recognized at the whole school level during our morning announcements.

These guidelines align with the Board of Education Policy 5331 (BOE Regulation 5331R).

Thank you for your continued partnership in making LTPS a safe, inclusive, and healthy environment for all of our students.

The link below contains important information from the State of New Jersey on mental health resources, support for food insecurities, health travel tips, water safety, and more!

https://www.nj.gov/highereducation/documents/pdf/SchoolEndResourceParentsandStudentsJune2025.pdf